The Red Keep at night.
The torches in the Throne Room crackled, illuminating Robert Baratheon's volatile face.
His corpulent body was slumped in the cold Iron Throne, a wine cup in his hand, but his eyes had lost their usual focus.
He had been thinking here all day.
But he still had no clue.
After all, power struggles were indeed a bit too much for a crude man like him.
"War..."
Robert muttered to himself.
The word seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, suffocating him.
He hated the House Lannister, hated Cersei.
But he feared even more that the hard-won peace would turn into a bubble because of his momentary anger.
He had launched Robert's Rebellion, and no one knew the cruelty of war better than him.
"Damn it!"
Robert slammed the wine cup to the ground, and the golden cup rolled far across the hard floor.
"Ned, tell me, what should I do?"
He looked at his only trusted friend, his voice almost pleading.
Ned Stark's brows were tightly furrowed; he was equally troubled by this question.
Execute Cersei, and civil war would erupt, plunging Westeros into conflict.
Let Cersei go, but where would the King's authority be?
Where would the rules of trial by combat be?
"Your Majesty."
Lynn, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.
"Since the Queen requests trial by combat, then we shall give her trial by combat."
Robert suddenly looked up, glaring at Lynn.
"She doesn't even have a champion! How can there be a trial?"
"Am I supposed to personally step in and help that venomous woman win?"
"Of course not."
Lynn's face was calm and unruffled.
"You are the King; how can you act as a champion? That is against the rules."
"Then what do you propose!"
Robert roared impatiently.
Lynn's gaze calmly met the King's fury.
"Your Majesty, you need a proxy."
"A proxy who can absolutely win, and who is absolutely loyal to you."
Robert's mind was somewhat dulled by the alcohol.
He was stunned for a long while before following Lynn's train of thought.
Someone who can win... someone loyal to him... the entirety of King's Landing.
No, the entire Seven Kingdoms, who else would be more suitable than this man before him?
He had toyed with The Hound, defeated Jaime, and directly crushed Loras Tyrell.
His bravery was beyond doubt.
And he was brought by Ned, completely trustworthy.
Not only that, Lynn was also a knight personally knighted by him.
His loyalty was also beyond doubt!
If he dared to betray him, he would endure the curses of the people of the Seven Kingdoms.
Robert's eyes instantly lit up!
"That's right!"
He slapped his thigh and suddenly stood up from the Iron Throne.
He was trembling slightly due to excessive excitement.
"Lynn! You!"
"You, be Cersei's champion!"
This decision stunned Ned, who was standing by.
Let Lynn fight for Cersei?
This... this was simply indescribable... "Your Majesty, this is against the rules..."
Ned instinctively retorted.
"After all, Lynn is a Knight of the Seven Kingdoms personally knighted by you; what kind of matter is it for him to fight for Cersei..."
"Rules? I am the rules!"
Robert slung an arm around Lynn's shoulder, turned to look at Ned, and an astonishing light burst forth from his murky eyes.
"Think about it, Ned!"
"Let Lynn fight! He will definitely win!"
"If he wins, Cersei's charges will be cleared; it will be the gods who have vindicated her! Tywin, that old turtle, will have no reason to rebel!"
"And everyone knows that Lynn is my man!"
"If he wins for Cersei, people will only think that I, the King, am magnanimous and gave my foolish Queen a chance!"
"This way, my face is saved, the House Lannister's face is saved, and war won't break out!"
"This is a goddamn brilliant idea!"
The more Robert spoke, the more excited he became, as if he had already seen the perfect ending.
Ned opened his mouth but found himself unable to refute.
This was indeed the only, and best, solution at present.
Go through the motions, preserve everyone's dignity, and nip an impending storm in the bud.
"Lynn, this is an order."
Robert's expression grew serious.
"You must win, and you must win beautifully."
"As you command, Your Majesty."
Lynn knew.
From this moment on, Cersei's fate was completely in his hands.
He had to reward Lord Baelish handsomely.
Sending money and sending people.
He truly was an incredibly good man... Maegor's Holdfast.
Cersei walked aimlessly barefoot on the cold floor.
Fear impacted her already fragile nerves in waves.
One day.
Robert had only given her one day.
Now, only one night remained.
Tomorrow would be the trial by combat...
Jaime was unreliable, and the Mountain was far away in the Westerlands.
No other knights of House Lannister in King's Landing dared to step forward.
Who dared to fight for her?
And who could guarantee a win?
A trial by combat was no child's play.
No one would say anything if the loser was killed on the spot...
Once she lost, she would also end up beheaded!
She was going to die.
This thought lingered in her mind.
She didn't want to die.
She still had Joffrey, and Myrcella, and Tommen...
Suddenly, a dark figure appeared in her mind without warning.
Lynn.
The man who had stripped away all her pretenses and held all her secrets in his hands.
It was him!
Only him!
He had the ability to turn everything around!
He had defeated Jaime, proving he had this ability.
As long as he was willing to act...
A crazy idea sprouted in Cersei's heart.
Go beg him!
Put down all pride, put down all dignity, and beg for his mercy like a dog!
This thought made her feel waves of nausea and humiliation.
But the desire to survive overwhelmed everything.
She rushed to her maid's wardrobe and rummaged through it frantically.
Finally, she found the simplest maid's long dress.
She tightly wrapped her dazzling golden hair with a gray scarf.
She looked at the completely unfamiliar reflection of herself in the mirror; in those deep blue eyes, now only utter humiliation remained... Late at night.
The candlelight in Lynn's study was still burning.
He was writing a reply to Robb, not only telling him that he was about to return to the North but also detailing the methods for feeding and training Winter.
Just then, the butler, Robb, quietly announced from outside the door.
"My lord, a woman claiming to be the Queen's maid requests an audience."
A meaningful smile appeared on Lynn's lips.
He didn't actively go to see Cersei.
That would only make Cersei feel cheap.
He wanted Cersei, that proud white swan, to know that his actions all came at a price.
The fish had taken the bait.
"Let her in," Lynn said.
The door was pushed open.
A figure wearing a gray dress and a scarf wrapped around her head walked in.
She kept her head down, her body trembling slightly from tension and fear.
"Everyone, leave," Lynn waved his hand.
When the study door was closed again.
Now, only the two of them remained in the room.
At this point, the figure slowly raised her head.
The scarf slipped, and golden hair cascaded down like a waterfall.
It was Cersei, the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms to whom he was nominally loyal.
The pride and madness of the daytime were gone from her face, replaced only by paleness and despair.
She looked at Lynn, her lips moving for a long time, but not a single word came out.
She stood still, and Lynn also had no intention of speaking.
Finally.
"Thud—"
The Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, Duke Tywin's proudest daughter.
Just like that, she knelt straight down before Lynn.
"Please..."
Her voice was pleading, like a nightingale with its throat choked.
"Please, save me..."
Cersei crawled over.
She wanted to hug Lynn's calves but was easily avoided by Lynn.
"His Majesty the King has already ordered me to be your champion."
Lynn looked down at the woman kneeling at his feet, with no trace of pity in his eyes.
Cersei was stunned.
Robert... had him be her champion?
A huge surge of ecstasy instantly overwhelmed her reason!
"Really? He really..."
"But."
Lynn interrupted her.
"Why should I do my utmost to win this trial for you?"
Cersei's smile froze on her face.
"What do you mean?"
"The meaning is simple."
Lynn slowly squatted down, meeting her gaze.
"If I win for you, for you it means clearing your name and saving your life."
"But for me, what's the benefit?"
"Aren't you the King's knight? This is the King's command!"
"Command?"
Lynn smiled.
"If I accidentally lost, His Majesty would at most just reprimand me a few times."
"And you, Your Majesty the Queen, your beautiful head would be moving."
Cersei felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.
Her and Lynn's positions were unequal from the start.
Her life was now in Lynn's hands.
If he wanted her to live, she would live.
If he wanted her to die, she wouldn't even have a chance to struggle.
"You... what exactly do you want?"
Cersei's voice was filled with helplessness.
"I want a guarantee."
Lynn stood up and sat back in his chair.
"A guarantee that will make you, your father, and the entire House Lannister, obey forever."
He looked at Cersei's desperate face and said, word for word.
"I want Myrcella."
"I want you to send her to me."
"No!"
Cersei shrieked like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"You wish! Anything but her!"
"Don't you like my body?"
"As long as you want, now, right here, I can satisfy all your desires!"
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty the Queen, it's not that I'm disturbing your good mood, it's just that I'm not very interested in you right now."
Lynn's tone grew cold.
"And, I'm not negotiating with you."
"You have no right to bargain with me."
Lynn walked up to Cersei, pinched her chin, and forced her to look into his eyes.
"I will soon cross the Narrow Sea, and my return date is uncertain."
"I need a hostage to ensure that your House Lannister will behave yourselves during my absence."
"Myrcella will stay with me under the guise of visiting."
"I will find the best teachers to educate her and guarantee her safety and dignity."
"She will still be a noble Baratheon princess."
"Only, she will be under my wing."
"You..." Cersei's tears broke again.
This was a punishment more cruel than death for her.
To exchange Myrcella's freedom for her own life.
Her Myrcella was so innocent.
But now... Lynn didn't give her much time to think.
"This is your only choice, Cersei."
Lynn released his hand, letting Cersei collapse to the ground.
"Either you accept my terms, and you and your three children will live."
"Or, you refuse me."
"Tomorrow, I will be on the walls of Maegor's Holdfast, watching your head be hoisted onto a flagpole."
"Then Joffrey, next Tommen, and finally Myrcella."
"Not one of them will escape."
"I'm only giving you one night to think about it."
After speaking, Lynn no longer looked at her, turned and walked to the desk, and continued writing his letter to Robb.
In the room, only Cersei's suppressed sobs remained.
After a long while, the crying gradually stopped.
"I agree."
Cersei's voice was hollow and numb.
She shakily stood up, not even looking at Lynn again, and walked towards the door in a daze.
As she reached the door, Lynn's voice came from behind her.
"Tomorrow, Arya and Sansa will take her away under the pretext of accompanying the princess, and as for how she leaves with Sansa, that's your business."
"Don't play tricks, Cersei."
"Her life is in my hands; before you do anything, you need to consider whether you can bear the consequences."
"My patience is limited."
Cersei's body stiffened for a moment.
She still didn't turn back, pulled open the door, and walked out.
The night wind lifted her gray skirt.
Her silhouette was as lonely as a ghost wandering among the living.
Lynn put down his pen, walked to the window, and watched the figure disappear into the darkness.
Westeros's strongest lioness had been completely collared by him.
As long as he helped her win the trial, he could safely go to Essos.
Ãdvåñçé çhàptêr àvàilàble óñ pàtreøn luffy1898