Rosse was quickly called over.
As soon as she entered, she saw Joffrey, his eyes bloodshot and looking like a madman, and beside him, Lynn, a man whose expression was calm but who she feared from the bottom of her heart.
"Lord Lynn."
Rosse bowed, her peripheral vision cautiously glancing at the movements in the adjacent room.
The cries and tearing sounds from there had stopped, replaced by the heavy breathing of a man and Liana's suppressed sobs.
Joffrey's body was taut like a fully drawn bow, every muscle twitching with rage.
"That girl, Liana."
Lynn ignored Joffrey's state and simply spoke to Rosse, his tone indifferent.
"Name your price."
Rosse's heart tightened.
She knew, the main act had begun.
"My Lord, this is..."
Rosse's face showed a troubled expression, all part of the script Lord Lynn had taught her beforehand.
"Liana is our star attraction here; countless nobles and princes are queuing up just to see her..."
"I don't care about any of that!"
Joffrey suddenly turned his head, roaring at Rosse like a cornered beast.
"Name your price! I want to buy her! Now!"
Rosse's heart clenched in fear at his appearance, but she still braced herself and, following the script, held up five fingers.
"Five... five thousand gold dragons."
This was a sky-high price, even in King's Landing.
"I'll give you ten thousand!"
Joffrey shouted without thinking.
He didn't even have a concept of gold dragons.
He only knew that he wanted to use an absolutely overwhelming number to declare his ownership.
"Get that fat pig out of here! And never let him touch Liana again!"
"Your Highness, you don't have that much money."
Lynn calmly reminded him from the side.
"I don't, but my mother does! House Lannister does!"
Joffrey had completely lost his mind.
"I'll write to Casterly Rock right now! My grandfather will give me the money!"
"No need."
Lynn shook his head, pulling a note from the King's Landing treasury from his pocket and tossing it to Rosse.
"Here are ten thousand gold dragons. From now on, Liana has no further connection with you."
It was his own property, merely moving from his left hand to his right.
Unfortunately, Joffrey, who was completely swept up in the moment, overlooked this detail.
"As for the man next door, tell him to get out."
"If he dares to appear in King's Landing again, I will make him regret it."
"Yes! Yes! Rest assured, my Lord!"
Rosse clutched the valuable note, trembling with excitement, nodding and bowing repeatedly.
According to their agreement, she would receive a substantial commission.
The condition was to follow the script Lynn had given her.
Rosse retreated, profusely thanking him.
Soon, the door to the next room opened, and the mercenary stumbled out, cursing, not forgetting to spit a thick glob of phlegm on the ground before leaving.
Lynn was never stingy with rewards for explosive acting, and soon this mercenary also received a commission and swore never to appear in King's Landing again.
He could now take his hundred gold dragons and enjoy himself elsewhere.
In the room, only Liana's faint sobs remained.
Joffrey could no longer bear it; he pushed the door open and rushed in.
The sight before him made his eyes burn with rage.
Liana was curled up in the corner of the bed, her clothes disheveled.
Her light purple gauze dress was torn in several places, revealing large expanses of pale skin and purplish bruises.
She hugged her knees, trembling.
She was like a butterfly with wings soaked by a storm, so fragile that she seemed about to die at any moment.
"Liana!"
"Are you alright!"
Joffrey rushed over and pulled her into his arms.
"Prince..."
Liana lifted her pretty face, streaked with tears.
The moment she saw Joffrey, a light of relief, as if escaping a disaster, erupted in her blue eyes.
She could no longer control herself and burst into loud sobs.
"Don't be afraid, it's over."
Joffrey awkwardly patted her back, his voice hoarse with heartache and anger.
"I'm here, your Prince has come to save you."
"I'll take you away, take you out of this hell!"
He took off his own cloak, tightly wrapped Liana's still trembling body, and then scooped her up into his arms.
As he carried Liana out of the room, Lynn was leaning against the corridor wall, watching him with a composed air.
"Are you taking her back to the The Red Keep?" Lynn asked.
"Yes!" Joffrey said decisively.
"She is my woman; she should live in the castle!"
"In what capacity?"
Lynn posed the most realistic question.
"A prostitute bought from a brothel?"
Joffrey's steps faltered, the fervor on his face instantly cooling a few degrees.
Yes, he couldn't just take Liana back like this.
His mother, his father, and those damned Small Council members, how would they look at him?
How would they treat Liana?
"A king never explains himself."
Lynn slowly walked up to him, his voice carrying a strange magic.
"He only creates facts and then makes everyone accept them."
"We'll give her a new identity."
Lynn's lips curved into an arc.
"An identity worthy of you."
"Liana Waters, the bastard daughter of a deceased knight from the Riverlands."
"Her father served King Robert in the Battle of the Trident and unfortunately perished."
"She was orphaned and came to King's Landing to seek refuge with distant relatives, but unexpectedly..."
In a moment, Lynn had fabricated a flawless backstory for Liana.
A heroic father, a tragic past, noble blood, even if a bastard, it was enough to silence everyone.
Joffrey's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
This idea was perfect!
Joffrey looked at Lynn, his eyes filled with genuine admiration.
"Don't worry, Your Highness, my people happen to know the officials who manage the household registration."
Lynn said lightly.
"A small amount of gold dragons can complete a full identity document for this poor knight's daughter."
"Tonight, you take her back to the The Red Keep."
"Tomorrow morning, an official document proving her identity will be sent to the Tower of the Hand."
"I will take care of this for you."
Joffrey looked at Lynn, feeling that this man before him was simply omnipotent.
"Lynn..."
Joffrey said sincerely.
"You... you truly are my best friend."
Lynn smiled and patted his shoulder.
"Of course."
"But what happened today is our little secret. You must not mention it to anyone, otherwise Liana's life would be in danger."
Joffrey nodded repeatedly at this.
"Rest assured, Ser Lynn, I am not that foolish."
Lynn then nodded, as if relieved.
"Go, Prince."
"Go and show everyone your mercy and majesty."
"Let your betrothed also see what kind of woman a true Prince should have."
The last sentence, like a key, opened the darkest box in Joffrey's heart.
Sansa Stark.
That woman who was always cold, like a piece of wood.
He would make her see what a true beauty was!
He would make her feel ashamed of her dullness and rigidity!
...When Joffrey swaggered through the The Red Keep courtyard, carrying a woman wrapped in a cloak, the entire castle was shocked.
The Kingsguard on duty tried to stop him, but Joffrey rebuffed them with, "The King's family matters, when is it your turn, you running dogs, to interfere?"
Joffrey went unimpeded, bursting directly into the dining hall of the Tower of the Hand.
At this time, King Robert was feasting his vassals after returning from a hunt.
At the long table, Ned, Cersei, Jaime, Sansa... almost all important figures were present!
When Joffrey appeared at the doorway with Liana in his arms, the noisy dining hall instantly fell silent.
Everyone's gaze focused on the woman held in the Prince's arms.
"Joffrey! What are you doing!"
Cersei abruptly stood up, her beautiful face etched with shock and anger.
She couldn't understand why Joffrey would do this in front of everyone!
Robert also stopped tearing at a lamb leg, frowning as he looked at his son, who always caused trouble.
Joffrey ignored everyone.
His gaze went straight past everyone, piercing fiercely into Sansa Stark.
Sansa was holding a wine glass, her expression somewhat bewildered; she didn't seem to have grasped the situation yet.
That pure and innocent look, in Joffrey's eyes, was so hypocritical and annoying.
"Sansa."
Joffrey spoke, his voice filled with undisguised malice and showmanship.
He gently set Liana down from his arms, then roughly tore off her cloak.
Liana's delicate and alluring figure was instantly exposed to everyone's gaze.
She wore Joffrey's clearly ill-fitting cloak, and underneath was a tattered gauze, with pale skin and ambiguous bruises faintly visible.
She was like a startled fawn, instinctively hiding behind Joffrey.
Her clear blue eyes were filled with fear and unease.
A collective gasp echoed through the dining hall.
"Look at her."
Joffrey pointed at Liana, speaking to Sansa, but more like announcing to everyone.
"This, this is what a woman should be like!"
"She is gentle, she is passionate, she knows how to adore a man!"
"Unlike some people,"
Joffrey's gaze returned to Sansa, filled with disdain and disgust.
"Like a block of ice from the North, cold and hard, utterly boring!"
Humiliation!
Naked humiliation!
In front of all the powerful and prominent figures of the Seven Kingdoms, he belittled his betrothed as worthless!
Ned Stark's face instantly turned a liver-purple color.
He sprang to his feet.
However, before Ned could react, Sansa, beside him, reacted first.
The wine glass in Sansa's hand clattered to the ground, shattering into pieces.
Her beautiful face instantly lost all color, turning ashen white.
She looked at Joffrey, then at the pitiful blonde girl behind him.
Tears quickly welled up in her beautiful blue eyes.
"Joffrey..."
Sansa's voice trembled, filled with unbelievable pain.
"How... how could you... how could you do this to me?"
Her tearful appearance, her despair at being publicly betrayed by her beloved, moved many noblewomen present to pity.
Liana, hiding behind Joffrey, saw Sansa's expression, and a flicker of an almost imperceptible smile crossed her eyes.
But she quickly hid this emotion.
She timidly tugged at Joffrey's sleeve, and in a voice only he could hear, with a sob, she whispered.
"Prince... Miss Sansa... she must be very sad..."
"It's all my fault... I shouldn't be here... I'm just a humble orphan, how can I compare to Miss Sansa..."
"I'm really sorry, it's all my fault..."
Her 'white lotus' speech, far from making Joffrey feel guilty, instead aroused an even stronger urge to protect her and a rebellious streak in him.
"Shut up!"
Joffrey rudely interrupted her, but he was yelling at Sansa.
"Who are you showing that mournful face to?"
"I'm telling you, Sansa Stark!"
"I'm fucking sick of you!"
"From today on, Liana is my woman!"
"She will live in the The Red Keep!"
"I will give her all the affection you could never have!"
"As for you..."
Joffrey sneered.
"You can go back to your frozen Winterfell!"
Ned was stunned; he pointed at Joffrey, too angry to utter a single word.
Tell Sansa to go back to Winterfell?
Wasn't that just a roundabout way of telling him to get lost too?
Sansa's body swayed violently.
As if unable to bear this immense blow, her face grew even paler.
She looked at Joffrey, her lips moving, wanting to say something, but in the end, it only turned into a heartbroken sob.
Sansa suddenly turned, covering her face, and stumbled out of the dining hall like a fawn shot in a vital spot by a hunter.
However, in that split second of turning, a trace of wild, relieved joy flashed in the depths of her tear-blurred eyes.
The act was over.
It was finally over.
Joffrey, that fool, was even dumber than she had imagined.
"You bastard!!!"
A thunderous roar, shaking the very ceiling of the dining hall.
Robert Baratheon's corpulent body shot up from the throne.
He kicked over the long table in front of him.
Wine glasses, plates, and roasted meat scattered across the floor.
On his face, purple with rage, a raging inferno burned in his murky eyes.
"You shameless wretch!"
Robert, like an enraged wild boar, covered the distance to Joffrey in a few strides, and his large, fan-like hand swung over without mercy.
"Smack!"
A crisp, loud slap.
Joffrey was directly spun around twice by the force of the blow, falling on his backside, half of his face swelling visibly.
"You dare to humiliate Ned's daughter in front of me?!"
Robert pointed at his nose, spittle flying.
"Do you think I'm not fucking afraid to hit you?!"
"Stark is my most loyal ally!"
"How dare you do this to them?"
Robert turned his head to look at Ned, who was already trembling with rage, his voice filled with guilt and a hint of unease.
"Ned! My brother! I have wronged you!"
"I failed to raise this wretched son!"
Robert pointed at Liana, who was still frozen in place, and roared at the Kingsguard.
"Drag this woman of unknown origin out! Throw her into the black cells!"
"No! Don't!"
Joffrey struggled to get up from the ground, spreading his arms to shield Liana like a mad dog protecting its food.
"Who dares touch her! She is my woman!"
"Your woman?"
Robert laughed in fury, kicking Joffrey aside, then strode over to Ned and clapped him heavily on the shoulder.
"Ned, don't worry!"
"I will definitely give you justice in this matter!"
Robert's gaze swept across the room, finally settling back on his worthless son, his eyes incredibly cold.
"This engagement!"
"I see no need for it to continue!"
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