"I am no 'Lady,' my Lord. I am merely Lady Lollys's handmaiden," she reminded him.
However, upon hearing her name, the smile on Corleone's face only deepened.
Talk about a stroke of luck.
Feeling Corleone's burning gaze, Shae didn't recoil.
Having clawed her way up from the bottom for years, she understood exactly what kind of women men were interested in, and she knew how to extract value from them.
Of course, Shae usually extracted more than just value.
Meeting Corleone's eyes, she habitually straightened her back, allowing her thin silk dress to perfectly outline her curves.
She first glanced up at him, then immediately lowered her eyelids as if startled, feigning a touch of shyness.
Now, that was professional.
"Shae..."
Just as she expected, Corleone seemed captivated by her body. He repeated her name softly, savoring the rhythm of the syllables on his tongue.
"A name as beautiful as a poem. It fits you perfectly. Just now, when you stepped in, I felt as though this gloomy corridor brightened simply because of your presence."
"I have seen many women, from the Wall to the Summer Sea, but I have never seen a beauty as dazzling as you, Lady Shae."
He exclaimed with exaggerated flair, using flowery language to heap praise upon her. His tone was so sincere that even Shae, who had seen her fair share of men in the camps, felt a flutter in her chest.
She looked up shyly, finally getting a clear look at the man before her.
He wasn't particularly tall, nor was he short; his build was well-proportioned. His face was somewhat ordinary, yet he radiated a unique charisma that was impossible to ignore.
Shae swore she had met countless men, but none were quite like him.
His pitch-black eyes made no attempt to hide his appreciation, yet they didn't feel lecherous; instead, they felt incredibly sincere.
More importantly, just by standing there, Corleone exuded an aura of power and confidence.
Furthermore, his words were bold and direct. He didn't disdain her identity as a servant, repeatedly addressing her as "Lady." He was completely different from that dwarf who could only hide her in the shadows.
For a moment, Shae felt her heartbeat quicken.
She didn't notice that Jaime's expression beside them had turned a bit strange.
He clearly remembered that Corleone was a farmer born and raised in the Riverlands. When had he ever seen women from "the Wall to the Summer Sea"?
Just to pick up a girl... he really had no shame.
Jaime shook his head, but he didn't expose the lie, unwilling to ruin Corleone's game.
"Seven Blessings!"
Corleone's performance continued. "My luck is truly incredible today. First, I finalized the future development plans for King's Landing with the Hand of the King, and now I meet a beautiful lady like you..."
"Taking care of such a... special noblewoman must require immense patience and love. It is no easy task. I'd wager, Lady Shae, that you must have a very, very kind heart."
"It is a pity that I am simply too busy," Corleone spread his hands, his tone helpless. "Otherwise, I would insist on inviting you to dinner today."
As he spoke, his gaze swept over Jaime. The two exchanged a knowing look, and Corleone turned slightly, allowing them to see the heavy money bag on Yigo's back.
"Look, to successfully reorganize the order of King's Landing, necessary expenses are unavoidable. But it doesn't matter. Investing a little gold now will bring a thousandfold return in the future."
He spoke lightly, as if that bag of gold was merely pocket change.
In his words, he constantly emphasized "The Hand of the King" and "King's Landing's Future," implying his close relationship with the highest powers and his immense financial strength.
Looking at that heavy bag, Shae's breathing quickened slightly.
Based on her experience, if that bag was filled with Golden Dragons, there were at least a thousand of them!
She unconsciously touched the pearl necklace on her neck.
That was a gift from the Lannister dwarf. But even with his wealth, this necklace was only worth a hundred and fifty dragons.
Combined with the power and wealth Corleone was displaying, Shae had no reason to doubt that the man before her was a top-tier noble of high birth!
Although she had never heard the surname Corleone, there were thousands of noble houses in Westeros over the millennia; she couldn't possibly know them all.
Besides, the incredibly casual way he spoke with Jaime Lannister was proof enough.
Catching the fluctuation in her eyes, Corleone knew the iron was hot.
He deliberately leaned in closer, tilting his body to whisper in Shae's ear, his voice low enough that only the two of them could hear.
"You know, Lady Shae..."
"Looking at you, I suddenly feel that rather than wasting time on endless business and political intrigue, it would be better to find a smart and beautiful woman like you to spend the rest of my life with."
His warm breath tickled Shae's neck, making her shiver. She wanted him to go further.
However, just then, Corleone quietly pulled back. A charming, teasing smile played on his lips as he joked, half-truthfully:
"Perhaps, I should seriously consider finding myself a... Lady Corleone."
Lady Corleone!
When these words rang in Shae's ears, even a woman as calculating as her couldn't stop her cheeks from flushing red. Her eyes erupted with a look of intense longing.
That was a true noble title!
She bit her lip, almost blurting out, "I do!"
But reason forced Shae to suppress her excitement. She composed her expression and looked up, preparing to say something coquettish like, "My Lord, you really know how to joke," to improve his impression of her.
But at that moment, Corleone suddenly straightened up. The passion on his face receded like the tide, restoring his previous elegant and detached demeanor.
Whether it was an illusion or not, she sensed a vague aloofness radiating from him.
Yet, this aloofness only made Shae more obsessed. Her long legs unconsciously pressed together.
This reaction did not escape Corleone's insight, but he ignored her, turning his back to focus on the white book tucked under Jaime's arm.
"As the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, you are quite leisurely. Not only did you take on the important task of escorting a noble lady, but you also have time to study scholarship."
"What? Are you planning to abandon the sword for the quill and go to the Citadel for further studies?"
This semi-joking, casual tone convinced Shae even more of Corleone's "status."
Jaime lifted the thick, plain white book and shook it with feigned ease. "This is The Book of Brothers."
"Every member of the Kingsguard has a page recording their life's deeds. But just recently, we discovered that the page for the 'Kingslayer,' Jaime Lannister, is completely blank."
"Perhaps the previous Lord Commander—Ser Barristan Selmy—felt I wasn't qualified to appear in it."
A flash of imperceptible loneliness crossed his eyes. "But fortunately, I am the Lord Commander now. The King thinks that with a severed hand, I cannot protect him. So I thought... perhaps before I completely turn into a useless old man, I should do something interesting."
"For example, continuing to write this book. Filling in the deeds of every sworn brother who fought beside me."
Although the man was forcing a smile, Corleone heard the bitterness deep in his words.
Losing his sword hand and being pushed away from the core of power, this once incredibly proud knight was trying to find meaning in his existence through another method.
"Recording history sometimes requires more courage and wisdom than creating it."
Corleone commented calmly. He then took a step back and nodded politely to the group.
"I won't delay your journey, Ser Jaime. Duty calls."
With that, Corleone didn't spare Shae another glance. Leaving only a meaningful smile, he turned and walked away with Yigo, showing no reluctance whatsoever.
His movements were crisp and decisive.
This sudden withdrawal formed a massive contrast with the heated flirting just moments ago.
Shae stared blankly at his tall, straight back disappearing around the corner, feeling as if everything just now had been a brief, dazzling dream.
Her fingertips trembled slightly, and a sense of loss washed over her.
"Corleone..."
She murmured the name, secretly comparing him to Tyrion. Glancing at Lollys Stokeworth, who was squatting on the ground drawing circles with her finger, a wave of intense unwillingness surged within her.
Why?
Why did that dwarf make her hide in the shadows, forcing her to serve this simple-minded so-called "Noble Lady"?
While Corleone... could openly display such intense affection for her!
She hadn't schemed and forced Tyrion to bring her to King's Landing just to be a maid, or a mistress who could never see the light of day, summoned and dismissed at will!
Shae looked up, her gaze becoming burning hot.
The name Corleone, along with his power and wealth, had pierced into her heart like a dagger dipped in poison.
---
On the other side, as they were about to exit the Red Keep, Yigo finally couldn't hold back. He grumbled in stiff Common Tongue, "Why not tell him, Blood of my Blood?"
"Hm?"
Corleone turned his head to see the dissatisfaction written all over Yigo's face. "Tell who?"
"Jaime Lannister!"
Yigo raised his voice slightly. "Why didn't you tell him that his Halfman brother is a liar? The Lannisters didn't pay their debt!"
"They only gave this little bit!"
He slapped the money bag on his back, making a dull thud.
"No, Yigo."
Looking at the indignant warrior, Corleone didn't blame him. Instead, he explained patiently, "Jaime Lannister is tired enough."
"He lost his hand, and now he is losing his place. He needs time to breathe."
Hearing this, Yigo nodded thoughtfully. "In the Dothraki Sea, it is said that even the best horse needs a moment to rest."
"Exactly."
Corleone praised him, then stopped and looked back.
"Debts do not need to be collected through arguments between brothers. We can solve this ourselves."
"The Gold Dragons are locked in a warehouse, guarded by a heartless rat."
"We will open that warehouse. All we need is a key capable of prying open the lock."