Leo suddenly remembered a scene from the show.
Cersei had tried to stop Bronn from becoming Tyrion's champion in the trial by combat. She offered him a noblewoman with a broken mind—along with the woman's castle and lands—if he'd switch sides.
A noblewoman with a broken mind.
Everything clicked.
Leo didn't remember the exact name from the show, but the mother and daughter sitting in front of him matched the description perfectly.
He made a quick excuse about needing to piss and bolted from the table, heading for the edge of the feast grounds to get some fresh air.
Littlefinger appeared almost instantly, like the man had been waiting in the shadows.
"That was fast," he said with his usual smirk. "How did it go?"
Leo shot him a glare. "Some ally you are. You tried to set me up?"
Littlefinger looked genuinely innocent. "How can you say that? I was helping you."
"Lady Tanda Stokeworth has two daughters. The older one, Falyse, is already married to Ser Balman Byrch—the knight you unhorsed this morning in the joust."
He nodded toward the table they had just left. "The younger one is Lollys. You met her. She's… slow." Littlefinger tapped his temple. "She's over twenty and still unmarried."
"Lady Tanda is desperate. You understand a mother's love, right? She's publicly promised that whoever marries Lollys will become the lawful heir to House Stokeworth."
Littlefinger laid it out plainly. "Marry Lollys, and when her mother dies you get the castle, the lands, and the title. That's a once-in-a-lifetime jump from landless second son to lord in your own right. Most men would kill for this chance. Aren't you even a little tempted?"
He went on to describe the Stokeworth holdings: solid territory north of King's Landing and south of Duskendale, right next to the Rosby lands. Mountains, forests, good farmland, even a small port. One of the stronger houses in the Crownlands.
"Marry Lollys and you plant your feet firmly in King's Landing and the Seven Kingdoms," Littlefinger continued. "You'd have lands, soldiers, and a voice no one can ignore."
He leaned in, voice dropping to a persuasive whisper. "And let's be honest—Lollys being a bit simple is actually a good thing. No nagging wife trying to control you or throwing her status around. You could keep as many mistresses as you want. All the real power would stay in your hands."
"Castle, lands, authority, beautiful women… everything you could want. Just nod your head and it's yours."
Littlefinger's words were pure temptation, like a devil at the ear. For a split second Leo even felt a flicker of agreement.
She's slow… so what?
No strong-willed wife breathing down his neck. He'd become the real master of House Stokeworth. Everything would belong to him.
All it would cost was a marriage on paper.
But Leo still couldn't do it.
It felt exactly like marrying into money and living off his wife's name.
In this world there was no stigma against a man taking his wife's lands and titles—that was just how Westeros worked. But Leo's soul came from the modern world. Deep down he saw it as eating soft rice, and it rubbed him the wrong way.
He had the system. He had Onyxia, the Black Dragon Princess. With those advantages he was going to carve out his own empire the hard way. He didn't need a shortcut—especially not one that came with a mentally disabled bride.
It wasn't about looking down on Lollys. It was about respect. If he married her and then kept mistresses and lived like a playboy, he'd be taking advantage of someone who couldn't fully understand or fight back. That was just being a scumbag.
Besides, his ambitions went way beyond one measly castle. He wanted the Seven Kingdoms. He wanted the entire known world.
His reputation mattered. In a place where honor—at least the appearance of it—still counted for something, he couldn't afford to start his legend with a stain.
And if he really wanted to "marry up," the show had given him far better options. Daenerys across the Narrow Sea. Or Sansa, who would one day become Queen in the North. No way was he settling for Lollys.
"Sorry," Leo said, shaking his head. "I can't accept the offer."
Littlefinger's ever-present smile froze.
"Why not?"
"In my homeland, this is called 'marrying in.' It would mean I could never hold my head up in front of other men again." Leo kept his voice steady, using the cultural excuse he'd prepared. "It's just how we do things."
"You won't even think about it? This is a rare opportunity…"
"No. My mind's made up."
Littlefinger sighed, the regret on his face almost believable. "What a shame."
Inside, though, he was sneering at Leo's stubbornness and old-fashioned ideas.
Any smart man would have grabbed this chance with both hands.
Truth was, before Leo showed up, Lady Tanda had quietly approached Littlefinger with the same offer. But his ambitions were even bigger than Leo's. He didn't want a single castle—he wanted the Iron Throne and the whole damn continent. He wanted every lord who had once looked down on him to kneel at his feet.
Plus, his most important "ally" would never have allowed it. Accepting would have cost him that crucial piece on the board.
So when Leo turned the offer down flat, Littlefinger could only shake his head and walk away, already writing the young foreigner off as a fool.