"Brienne? Why are you asking about her? At this time, Miss Brienne should be on Tarth Island," Lancel said, somewhat puzzled.
Cersei fell silent, lost in thought.
As she remained silent, no one else spoke either, and the scene grew quiet.
Before long, footsteps sounded from downstairs.
The Master of Whisperers and the commander of the Red Keep's garrison had been waiting in the courtyard for Cersei's decision, so they arrived very quickly.
"Your Grace!" Both of them bowed respectfully to Cersei.
"You two, come here!" Cersei said sternly, walking toward a corner and beckoning them over.
Randyll Tarly, Lancel, and the others stood by with indifferent expressions, watching.
"You've both seen it, haven't you? Saint Matthew even lost his manhood for me. Euron is finished. The Faith will never support him as king. Do you know what choice you should make now?" Cersei stared sharply at the two former confidants and said coldly.
"Understood. Your command is the direction of my actions. The servants and maids of the Red Keep are all awaiting your summons," Tanya said.
"I have always been loyal to you. It's just that Euron is too powerful. Even Randyll Tarly has submitted, so I could only do my best to preserve the Lannister forces," said Count Peck.
Both of them wore honest expressions, nodding repeatedly.
Cersei felt delighted inside, though her grimy, sallow face remained serious. "My greatest support is not even the Faith. Jaime is at Winterfell resisting the White Walkers, and you must already know that.
I am Tywin's daughter, Cersei Lannister. I am not some helpless widow to be bullied. What is Euron? Without using my name, he wouldn't even have the chance to glimpse the Iron Throne in his lifetime."
The two men simultaneously showed expressions of awe, bowing even lower.
A sharp glint flashed in Cersei's eyes as she said calmly, "I'm not forcing you to rebel against Euron. You lack both the courage and the ability.
I'm saying this only so you understand one fact: even being opportunistic is far more worthwhile and safer than serving Euron wholeheartedly.
As the Mother says, the sea of suffering is boundless, but turning back leads to shore."
"Mother Above, we are not opportunists. We have always been loyal to you!" the two hurriedly declared.
Hearing this, Cersei, who had just begun to feel at ease, instead grew uneasy again.
She racked her brain, trying to think of what remaining cards she still had.
There was nothing. It seemed she had none left.
Cersei felt both furious and slightly panicked. Am I, Queen Cersei, really reduced to the point where I cannot fully control even two servants?
With no cards left, she could only rely on her wits.
Sighing inwardly, she said, "Before long, Stannis will attack King's Landing. Euron and he are evenly matched, and they will surely both suffer.
You must understand one thing: both Euron and Stannis are blasphemous heretics. Euron is a demon, and Stannis is a red-hearted demon.
The miracle of Saint Matthew transforming into an angel is known throughout King's Landing. Would the people and nobles of the Seven Kingdoms allow them to become king?
The long night is dangerous everywhere, but thanks to the Mother, humanity is saved.
I am guilty. I committed incest, murdered my husband, killed a king, and even murdered two High Septons. I am the demon Cersei!
But I devoutly believe in the Mother. She has even received me personally. I have listened to her teachings, like the white dove in the bamboo grove of old.
Saint Moses was the model of Saint Matthew. The White Dove Demon is the model of the Cersei Demon.
Under the Mother's guidance, I have achieved enlightenment, laid down the butcher's knife, and become a saint on the spot. I have shed my demonic nature and ascended to holiness!"
Cersei's thin, sallow face was filled with piety and solemnity. "The Mother is merciful. Praise be!"
"Once I was the demon Cersei, but now I am shedding this demonic form. In the near future, I may even become Saint Cersei, following the example of the White Dove and marrying the 'King Hugo' chosen by the Mother.
And even without King Hugo, use your pea-sized brains to think carefully. Will the Faith support me as queen, or choose two irredeemable demons?
Euron the Demon and the Red-Heart Demon are like harpies. Sooner or later, they will be crushed into pulp by the Mother's divine palm."
This time, Tanya and Count Peck were genuinely moved.
Tanya said in a trembling voice, "Euron has already taken a strike from Saint Matthew's Divine Palm. The holy light has appeared."
"What? Euron is dead? Why didn't you say so earlier?" Cersei cried out in delight.
Lancel frowned. "Are you done? It's getting late."
"Wait a moment." Cersei waved him off and quietly asked the two beside her, "What happened? Is Euron dead or not?"
"Euron cut down Saint Matthew with a single sword strike. But right before everyone's eyes, Saint Matthew picked himself up and reattached himself. After a burst of white light, he was completely restored, lively as ever.
At that moment, Euron's eyes lit up, and he eagerly begged Saint Matthew to heal him.
But after examining his injuries, Saint Matthew said Euron was not a believer, so the holy healing would be ineffective.
He suggested that Euron convert to the Mother, comprehend the supreme teachings of the Seven, shed his demonic nature, and attain a flawless angelic body.
Who would have thought that Euron would suddenly turn vicious? Not only did he refuse to convert, he even laughed wildly and said, 'You're just a mere priest, not qualified to convert me. Doesn't your Mother like sacrificing herself to feed demons? Let her come personally. I won't eat her, I just want to take her a few times, thoroughly and repeatedly!'
And then…"
The dark-skinned Tanya, who had been chattering excitedly, suddenly turned pale. Fear and reverence filled her eyes, and her voice trembled.
"Saint Matthew roared, 'The Mother is merciful, but she also has the means of a warrior!' Then he shouted, 'Divine Palm of the Mother, the First Emergence of Holy Light!' The dim court was instantly flooded with light. Holy radiance filled the sky like blades, stabbing my eyes blind."
"Really, at that moment I thought I had gone blind. My eyeballs felt swollen and dry, as if they would burst under the scorching holy light," Tanya said, rubbing her eyes in lingering fear.
"And then? Was Euron blinded?" Cersei asked excitedly.
"Then it became even stranger. My eyes clearly couldn't see, and I thought I was blind, yet I distinctly saw Saint Matthew transform into a white-bearded, white-robed, winged being—"
"An angel," Count Peck corrected.
"Right, an angel. It's a pity I was busy with court affairs last night and couldn't go to the Great Sept to hear Angel Matthew preach," Tanya said regretfully.
"And then?" Cersei urged.
"After transforming into an angel, Saint Matthew instantly flew to Euron and was about to strike his head with a palm.
But guess what? Euron could transform too. He turned into a monster with eight kraken-like tentacles.
The Greyjoys really are a kraken family. Perhaps their whole lineage descends from some kraken demon.
Even more terrifying, fierce winds surged around Kraken Euron. Within the storm, a black shadow rose, with eyes as red as bowls, its presence far stronger than Saint Matthew's.
But Saint Matthew was fearless. He shouted again, 'The Mother is merciful, the holy light emerges!' Then behind him appeared a massive golden deity. It was the Mother!"
Tanya grabbed Cersei's arm and shook it violently, her voice and expression full of fervor.
"I swear, I had never seen the Mother before, but at that moment I was absolutely certain it was her!
Her body was golden and radiant, round and massive like a small mountain, at least eighteen feet tall, sitting cross-legged in midair.
Even standing nearby, I felt an immense pressure. Majesty, holiness, dominance, compassion… it was overwhelming. I don't care, I will convert to the Mother too. She is simply too powerful."
Tanya was from Myr and had originally worshipped the God of Lust. It was through techniques learned from that faith that she had married a Westerosi count and become Cersei's indispensable "true right hand," even influencing Euron.
The excitement faded from Cersei's face, replaced by doubt. "Are you sure it wasn't an illusion? How could the Mother be round like that, and eighteen feet tall? The ceiling of the Red Keep's hall isn't even that high."
"Everyone saw it." Tanya looked at Count Peck.
"The 'roundness' wasn't the Mother's body, but a golden halo behind her, like a great sun. Isn't the sun round?" Peck explained.
"Yes, yes, exactly like that. The Mother was seated within the sun," Tanya said quickly.
"Then how was the golden Mother eighteen feet tall?" Cersei asked again.
"I don't know. At that moment, the entire world was filled with golden sunlight. The Red Keep, the heavens, even I myself seemed to disappear," Tanya said blankly.
"It was a spiritual state," Count Peck said. "I asked Lancel. He said what we saw were the souls of Saint Matthew and Euron. Our eyes were blinded by the light, but our souls could still see the scene."
"I see," Tanya said, enlightened. "Saint Matthew struck with a palm, and the golden Mother behind him struck as well, even faster. The enormous golden hand, as big as a city gate, smashed the demonic shadow behind Euron into nothingness, which vanished with a wail.
Then Saint Matthew's palm landed on Euron's forehead, causing his body to burst with fluids.
The golden light disappeared, Angel Matthew vanished, and my eyes recovered from the pain. Euron lay on the ground bleeding from all seven orifices, convulsing, but he didn't die. Saint Matthew stood in place as if he had never moved."
"What do you mean by 'burst with fluids'?" Cersei asked, puzzled.
"Didn't Euron transform into an octopus-like creature? When Saint Matthew struck him, those inhuman soft tentacles exploded into pulp, like when you step on a snail or slug."
Cersei had stepped on snails before and immediately formed a vivid image in her mind.
Though she was pleased with Euron's fate, she shuddered in disgust.
"Why didn't Saint Matthew kill that blasphemer?" Cersei complained.
Count Peck glanced at the others in the distance and said softly, "The Red Keep is now controlled by the Ironborn. I'm only a nominal commander.
Outside the court, there are hundreds of Ironborn guarding. If Euron were killed, Saint Matthew and the priests who entered the castle wouldn't survive either."
"Then use the Mother's Divine Palm to kill all the Ironborn," Cersei said viciously.
"After just one strike, Saint Matthew turned pale and broke into a sweat. Earlier, even when he was stabbed through the heart and mutilated, he didn't even frown. The Divine Palm must consume a great deal of power. He can't use it many times," Count Peck said.
"How badly is Euron injured?" Cersei asked expectantly.
Tanya hesitated. "It doesn't seem too serious. He didn't even lose consciousness. He got up and sat back on the Iron Throne."
"Saint Matthew said this strike only broke his dark magic and told him to behave himself and stop committing evil. It seems Euron can no longer use those wicked sorceries," Count Peck added.
Cersei felt a trace of regret but forced herself to appear spirited. "This is our opportunity. You don't need to take risks. Just ensure my safety. When Euron and Stannis destroy each other, the followers of the Seven will drive them out, and then we will create glory together.
Ser Peck, I will make you Hand of the King. Tanya, I will grant you the title of Grand Duchess."
(End of Chapter)
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