House of The Dragon:The Rise of the Emperor of the Seven Kingdoms

Gael looked at Daemon and wore a look of distaste. She had come to deeply dislike this nephew. She could not believe that the beautiful and lovely Maekar was the brother of a man as cruel and cold as Daemon.

Had Daemon heard Gael’s thoughts, he would have frozen in total shock.

"What is rude is slandering the owner of the house you currently stand in, nephew," Gael said in a gentle tone, but her words were not gentle at all. "Besides, even after losing an arm, have you still not learned that men are judged by the words they speak?"

Daemon’s face turned cold; he looked at Gael as if she were a venomous snake, full of malice and coldness. The thing he hated most was anyone mentioning his duel with Maekar. Every time someone mentioned it, his arm throbbed as if recalling the pain of having it severed.

"I am merely saying it is not proper to treat a guest this way; rumors might say the future lady of Harrenhal is not hospitable," Daemon said in a calm tone, but there was a trace of sarcasm in his voice.

Gael smiled adorably; she looked at Matthos and asked calmly, "Do you feel wronged to be kneeling at this moment, Lord Tyrell?"

A shiver ran through Matthos’s body. He looked at the princess and, seeing the cold gaze, simply smiled and spoke in a gentle and gracious tone. "Not at all. Just as my ancestor knelt to the Conqueror, I feel honored to kneel in your presence, princess."

Even knowing it was flattery, being compared to Aegon made Gael look at Matthos with a gentler gaze. This man truly knew how to use words to his advantage.

"Rise, lest someone think I am using my power to intimidate you," Gael said in a calm tone while looking at Daemon with a cold gaze.

Daemon looked at Gael and could not believe this woman was the same shy, gentle, and fragile person. Did love truly change a person so much, or was this Gael’s true face? The Rogue Prince did not know, but he did not care either.

"Let us toast the arrival of Lord Tyrell, Lord of Highgarden!" Taking a silver goblet handed to her by one of her ladies-in-waiting, Gael spoke in a gracious and elegant tone.

"To Lord Tyrell!!!"

"To Lord Tyrell!!!"

"To Lord Tyrell!!!"

Matthos merely smiled at the crowd around him, but he felt as if he were in a nest of snakes. Everyone had ulterior motives and was ready to strike at the slightest sign of weakness. He had just arrived and was already embroiled in a conspiracy.

Bowing to Princess Gael, Matthos and his entire retinue chose the tables where they would sit. Food and wine were served by the servants, and the banquet began.

Daemon did not hide his intentions; he looked at Gael with sarcasm and sat across from Matthos. He took a wine goblet with his only hand and toasted toward Gael, who did not even bother to return the gesture.

Although women had little power and few privileges, they had the privilege of acting irrationally on many occasions—exactly how men thought women were.

"Matthos, I’ll be direct: do you want to serve your rightful king, or do you want to serve an Aegon with teats?" Daemon drank the wine and spoke in a calm tone.

Matthos had heard rumors that Daemon said everything he thought; now he was certain of them. Who in their right mind dared to call Rhaenys "Aegon with teats"?

Matthos did not want to answer that question so soon. He wanted to wait until the moment of voting and simply leave. That way, he could escape this mess without offending either side. Or at least, that was the ideal scenario.

However, whether it was Daemon or Rhaenys herself, they would not let him leave without saying who he would vote for. Whomever he voted for, the lords of the Reach would also vote for. It was practically winning the votes of an entire region; how could Daemon and Rhaenys remain indifferent to that?

Just as Matthos was about to give some uncertain answer, he heard a female voice behind him and saw a woman with black hair and a white streak. It was none other than Rhaenys Targaryen, daughter of Aemon.

"Aegon with teats, really? Could you not say Visenya?"

Daemon looked at Rhaenys with indifference and smiled, a smile full of contempt. "Do you think yourself worthy of being compared to Visenya?"

"Certainly not." Rhaenys would never admit such a thing. She didn’t even come close to Visenya. "However, if I do not compare myself to Visenya, Viserys certainly does not compare to Aegon; he doesn’t even compare to Aenys. At least Aenys tried to be a king and won’t be like Viserys, who only wants to follow our grandfather’s orders."

Daemon narrowed his eyes and looked at Rhaenys with a cold gaze. Rhaenys did not lower her voice and spoke loudly for everyone to hear. At that moment, everyone’s eyes were focused on the table.

Gael, on the throne, could not help but drink a bit of wine and watched the scene with a touch of pleasure on her face. She wished she had Maekar by her side; the scene would be even better. Unfortunately, her betrothed was in Dorne, convincing the lords to join the Seven Kingdoms.

However, while he worked hard in Dorne, she would also do her part and win allies. The reason she had antagonized Matthos from the start was because she already knew he would never support Maekar. Matthos’s aversion to bastards was well known.

So, instead of appearing as a good hostess, Gael needed to show strength to all the lords present, showing that Maekar was strong, just like the other two candidates for the throne. Unfortunately, Daemon appeared and prevented that from happening.

Back at the table, Rhaenys sat beside Daemon with a smile and looked at Matthos.

"How is your uncle?" Matthos asked with a smile. He was friends with Boremund. Both had a protective alliance.

"He is busy managing the army, but he will come to the banquet," Rhaenys said with a smile; she was pleased to see the happiness on Lord Tyrell’s face.

Seeing the interaction between them, Daemon’s face turned somber. Now he felt things had become complicated. Obviously, House Tyrell and House Baratheon were allies. And that was a major problem that even the king did not want to see.

Even the most foolish of kings know that powerful vassals cannot be friends; that was something dangerous, especially at this moment.

"I see you are friends," Daemon commented, looking at Matthos with an increasingly dangerous gaze. Although Lyonel had told him not to make Matthos an enemy of Viserys, he could not allow Matthos to side with Rhaenys.

The Reach was the most populous and powerful of the seven kingdoms. It had food, gold, and a large number of well-equipped soldiers, especially after the unification of the Seven Kingdoms, where trade could be conducted throughout the realm.

House Tyrell had amassed great wealth this century; the number of inhabitants had increased, and they even sold food to all the kingdoms.

One could say the North only had the population it had now because of the Reach. Otherwise, the North would still be as desolate as it was before Aegon’s arrival.

"I wouldn’t say friends; we are acquaintances." Matthos certainly knew what Daemon was implying, but he didn’t care. This was a delicate moment; even if Jaehaerys wanted to give a warning, he would have to worry about the repercussions.

Noticing that Matthos did not back down and even smiled, Daemon’s face turned cold; he showed a smile and stood up.

He had already noticed: Matthos would support Rhaenys, or rather, he would support her son. After all, a woman cannot sit on the Iron Throne.

"I hope you have a good banquet," Daemon said before leaving the hall.

Gael could not help but look at Daemon with disappointment, as if she were disappointed that Daemon was not as impulsive as before.

"What a disappointment," Gael murmured and looked at Rhaenys and Matthos with a smile. "However, this is interesting..."

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Read my other books:

House of The Dragon:The Rise of the Emperor of the Seven Kingdoms

Game Of Thrones: The God-Emperor of Planetos

Percy Jackson: Godwyn the Golden.

Game Of Thrones: The King’s Court Wizard