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

The king’s arrival became a huge banquet. Food after food was served every thirty minutes, but it was still not enough for a banquet with so many people. Fortunately, drink was the main feature of the banquet, so everything was still relatively normal.

These people ignored the death of a Lord Paramount and celebrated as if it were nothing. Perhaps only Robert Redwyne had not celebrated the unification of the Seven Kingdoms. He looked at their companions as if he were looking at a stranger.

Looking toward Prince Maekar, Robert saw him with a calm and serious expression, as if he were not at a banquet. This only reinforced that his choice was correct. Only the prince was a good man among these vile and cruel scoundrels.

Drinking a little wine to try to ease his loneliness and sadness, Robert smiled bitterly. His father had truly taught his three sons that honor was more important than anything, but that had proven to be a naive thought in his treacherous life.

If Robert had not been a little more sensitive to traps and false promises, he would have fallen into countless traps. Everyone wanted a piece of the Redwyne Fleet’s cake, which always returned with enormous riches.

Robert only lamented that this world was not suited for the just.

Maekar did not know that there was an old, foolish, and honorable man lamenting how cruel life was; he was more concerned with Jaehaerys. The Old King seemed deeper in his schemes than ever. The attempt to bribe Mara was just one of the king’s maneuvers against him.

The prince had no doubt that Jaehaerys was planning a great conspiracy behind his back.

"Mara, if you were Jaehaerys, what would you do to stop me from growing?" Maekar, not knowing what Jaehaerys would do against him, wanted a different person’s perspective.

Mara was surprised for a moment but seemed thoughtful, then, after a relatively long silence, she answered with a touch of uncertainty. "I don’t know much about the Old King’s character, but I assume it would be something that will weaken your influence. In this Great Council, nothing is more important than influence."

Maekar knew this and seemed even more thoughtful. He looked at Mara with a calm gaze. "If I were him, I would try to attack my allies."

Mara narrowed her eyes. Being attacked by the lords of the Seven Kingdoms was one thing; being attacked by the king was something completely different. She could not help but feel a chill at the thought that she was in the Old King’s sights.

"He wouldn’t dare attack me, otherwise Dorne would separate from the Seven Kingdoms." Mara said with an uncertain tone.

"He won’t attack; he will do what every king does." Maekar said in a calm tone.

"He will balance things out. Let you and others kill each other while you weaken yourselves. The king will just watch and intervene when something truly serious happens. In the end, you will be weakened, and he takes all the credit for resolving the conflict."

"Damn it, this old man is very cunning and cruel." Mara said with her teeth clenched. This balancing policy was truly repugnant in the eyes of the nobles, who were its targets. Unfortunately, even knowing this fact, there were still many reasons to fight against enemies.

Whether out of ego, fame, glory, or revenge.

Mara was not really complaining, since she felt that her uncle, Mors, did the same with the nobles of Dorne. If she were still Princess of Dorne with absolute power, she felt she could do the same. This was the main policy that every king or queen practiced.

In the end, a good vassal is a weak vassal.

"I’m assuming I’ll be attacked by Boremund." Mara said in a calm tone. "Dorne and the Stormlands have been mortal enemies for a long time; it’s more than natural that they would attack me."

She was not too worried about this; it was a one-on-one fight, and she was confident she could withstand it. However, Maekar’s next words made her lose her calm expression.

"You’re being too optimistic. The terms you won by joining the Seven Kingdoms are good for you, but have you thought about what these Old Royal Houses will think when they learn that Dorne kept the title of prince and princess?" Maekar said in a powerless tone.

He could now see where Jaehaerys’s attack was coming from, and he had to admit, the old king was cruel when he attacked politically. If it happened as Maekar expected, he might not even be able to help Mara in the political battle to come.

Suddenly, Mara understood the implications in Maekar’s words. This was not a one-on-one fight; it was everyone against her!

House Lannister, House Baratheon, House Arryn, House Greyjoy, and House Tyrell. House Stark was only not included because they really had no interest in these things.

Mara finally understood what was happening and showed a resentful expression. She could not help but look at Jaehaerys with a dangerous look.

The worst part was that if Maekar helped her, he could practically lose all the support he might gain by winning over these Noble Houses. In other words, if Maekar wanted to win the Great Council, he had to stand still while watching her be attacked from all sides.

Mara showed a solemn and helpless expression. Faced with the most politically and militarily powerful king in Westeros, she felt the helplessness of being a vassal for the first time. The conspiracy was there for all to see, but no one would refuse to strike at House Martell.

The Princess of Dorne knew she had to bring all the nobles of Dorne to Harrenhal, or she would not be able to handle everything against so many powerful and bloodthirsty noble houses.

"For some reason, I want to punch the king’s face," Mara said, letting out a sigh.

"It’s not just you," Maekar replied with a smile.

Mara and Maekar looked at each other and laughed. At this moment, they really seemed like allies.

"Although I can’t intervene, I can help you by giving you some of my subordinates in the shadows; they will help you kill some people and stop the Noble Houses from pressuring you too much." Maekar took a cup of wine from a serving maid nearby and whispered to Mara.

"Thank you." Mara said in a sincere tone. Even with all the lords of Dorne together, they could not help much, since they were too distinctive and would be recognized wherever they went, including by her own soldiers.

Suddenly, Gael, who had come back, approached the two of them. She saw Maekar and Mara laughing; this made her a little uncomfortable and jealous, but she kept the smile on her lips and asked in a gentle tone. "What are you two talking and laughing about?"

"We were saying that, for some reason, Mara and I felt like we wanted to punch the king’s face," Maekar said with a laugh.

"Don’t speak so loudly; if others hear, they might criticize you." Gael rolled her eyes and said in a gentle tone. She skillfully linked her arm around her fiancé’s arm. Unconsciously, she looked at Mara with a more prideful look.

Mara naturally noticed this and let out a sigh. The two women of House Targaryen she had met were possessive. These women were somewhat crazy in her eyes. This level of possessiveness was quite frightening.

"Huh?" Suddenly, Maekar noticed Daemon heading toward Jaehaerys. They talked for a while, and the king’s expression turned cold, and Jaehaerys’s eyes fixed on Maekar and then on Rhaenys.

"It seems he already knows that Matthos died and that you put the blame on Viserys." Mara remarked, noticing the king’s piercing and frightening gaze on them.

"He really seems angry," Maekar said with a laugh.

Mara looked at Maekar with a strange look. She noticed something odd between the King and Maekar. Both seemed to be... enjoying themselves?

Grandfather and grandson seemed to have a strange dynamic of rivalry, friendship, and love.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Maekar, noticing Mara’s gaze, could not help but ask with a confused expression.

"It’s nothing." Mara shook her head and did not answer. She would keep that question to herself.

"Let’s dance," Gael said at this moment. There was a smile on the princess’s lips.

"It will be an honor." Maekar laughed and led Gael to dance; it was the second dance of the day, the first having been with Mara.

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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