King Jaehaerys looked at Duke Lannister, who was kneeling humbly below the high platform, and was very pleased.
Although the Westerlands had long submitted to House Targaryen, they had always remained somewhat aloof, rarely participating in royal affairs.
"The loyalty of the Lannister Family is naturally beyond doubt! Your twin sons are both handsome and distinguished, quite a match for the twin princesses of our Targaryen Family.
How about a marriage alliance between our two families?"
King Jaehaerys's words immediately excited Duke Lannister and the brothers Jason and Tyrone.
Duke Lannister crawled directly to King Jaehaerys's feet, pressing his forehead against the Old King's long boots, and devoutly said,
"If we can form a marriage alliance with the Targaryen Family, it will be the greatest honor and pride of the Lannister Family!
The Lannister Family is willing to unite all forces in the Westerlands to firmly stand behind the Targaryen Royal Family."
The brothers Jason and Tyrone immediately looked at Daenerys, who was beside King Jaehaerys.
They never would have imagined that such immense good fortune would fall upon them.
"Tyrone, it's a great blessing that you can marry Princess Rhaenyra!" Jason Lannister whispered quietly into his brother's ear.
However, no matter how it was heard, the warning in his words was very strong.
Tyrone Lannister's eyes immediately dimmed considerably, but then he firmly raised his head again.
"Brother, there is an order of seniority.
Princess Rhaenyra is the eldest daughter, and only you, as the eldest son, are qualified to marry her."
Unlike the excitement of the Lannister father and sons, everyone present was startled by the King's action.
Even Daenerys looked at her Great-grandfather with some surprise.
Princess Rhaenyra's emotions were almost impossible to conceal; the immense sense of humiliation instantly made her eyes red.
However, with nobles from all Seven Kingdoms present, she dared not make any improper moves.
She could only force herself to remain calm, pretending as if nothing had happened.
Viserys, uncharacteristically abandoning his usual humble and gentle demeanor, stood up directly and refused, saying,
"Your Majesty, Rhaenyra and her sister are still young, and I have no plans to arrange their marriages so soon.
The two sons of the Lannister Family are indeed good candidates for a marriage alliance, but let's wait until the sisters are a bit older!"
Seeing her husband refuse so decisively, Queen Aemma's mood immediately lightened considerably.
She also chimed in, echoing,
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"It's also my fault for being frail and not properly teaching the two sisters.
I only thought they were young and had plenty of time in the future.
So now both princesses are quite wild, and it might be better to discuss marriage after I have properly disciplined them for a few years."
Seeing that his brother and sister-in-law had both clearly refused, Daemon, who had already stood up and was preparing to draw his sword, sat back down in his seat.
However, his gaze towards the two sons of the Lannister Family had become extremely cold.
"Grandfather, speaking of marriage alliances, Daenerys is the daughter-in-law I've long had my eye on.
If anyone wants to compete with me, they'll have to ask if my Meleys agrees?!"
Although Princess Rhaenys seemed to say these words in jest, her firm tone let everyone know she was very serious.
"Your Majesty, if it's about a marriage alliance, the North is the most suitable choice.
Among the Seven Kingdoms, our territory is the most vast.
Doesn't Princess Daniella love land the most? Only the North can best satisfy the Princess's wishes."
Benard, truly of the Wolf's Blood, once again disregarded his uncle's murderous gaze and sprang up from his seat, declaring loudly,
"Furthermore, Princess Daenerys and I already have a very deep friendship."
Duke Tully of Riverrun in the Riverlands also wanted to step forward and contend, but after seeing the determined gazes of the various factions on the field, he silently retreated.
Compared to Duke Tully's caution, there were many true warriors as well, and many ancient noble houses successively extended olive branches to King Jaehaerys.
"Your Majesty, our Blackwood Family descends from the First Men, with a long history and noble bloodline.
All the men in our family are brave and skilled in battle.
If we are fortunate enough to form a marriage alliance with the Targaryen Family, we will be the sharpest sword and the strongest shield in the hands of the Royal Family."
No sooner had Earl Blackwood's words fallen than his old rival, Earl Blinken, immediately spoke up to mock him,
"Do you think the Targaryen Family, who can control true dragons, would need your Blackwood Family's brutes to act as a sharp sword?!
Do you take those giant dragons for mere decorations?"
"Shut your stinking mouth! You little bastard raised by your sister-in-law, or I don't mind skinning all the yellow hide off your Blinken Family to make foot mats."
"You—"
Earl Blinken, whose sore spot had been poked, immediately stood up, drew his sword, and was about to duel Earl Blackwood.
However, he was timely restrained by Captain Ryan of the Kingsguard.
Although the Blinkon and Blackwood families were both nobles of the Riverlands, and their territories were adjacent, they had been fighting each other for over a thousand years.
As for who was right or wrong, no one remembered anymore.
Anyway, whenever there was an opportunity, these two great families would engage in a bloody conflict.
Slowly, they became one of the most well-known feuding families in the Seven Kingdoms.
And Earl Blinken's mother had given birth to six or seven daughters, and even at forty or fifty years old, she had not borne Old Earl Blinken a male heir.
But then, when she was nearly sixty, she suddenly gave birth to the current Earl Blinken.
Many people said that Earl Blinken's true mother was actually his widowed cousin, which is why Earl Blackwood cursed him in such a way.
With these two feuding families starting it, the other great nobles below the platform also began to argue amongst themselves, uncontrollably, as if they could take the Daenerys sisters home if they won the argument.
Daenerys watched the growing smile in King Jaehaerys's eyes, and her own lips couldn't help but curve upwards.
She finally understood the Old King's scheme.
She hadn't expected the Old King to play this 'two peaches kill three warriors' trick with such mastery.
However, what he offered were not two peaches, but his two great-granddaughters.
Looking at the nobles below, just like the Blackwood and Blinkon, those two feuding families, they argued and argued as if they had forgotten what they were arguing about.
Many families had even truly lost their tempers.
Look! Now, these great nobles no longer stared at the Tankrian Family's Valyria equipment as before, appearing respectful on the surface but inwardly seething, did they?!
"However, Great-grandfather, I won't be casually used as a peach by you!"
Daenerys directly summoned Dreamfyre through telepathy.
"Angar—"
Dreamfyre, having undergone her last transformation, had become even more majestic and powerful, so her arrival immediately quieted everyone.
Daenerys, holding her sister, calmly sat on Dreamfyre's dragon saddle and loudly proclaimed,
"I, Daenerys Targaryen, hereby declare that anyone who wishes to become my husband must have a clean background and must abandon their own surname.
Any offspring born can only have one surname, and that is Targaryen!"
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