chapter 162 part 2
"That is..."
"Forget it, no need to guess," Queen Cersei said impatiently.
She said coldly: "Jaime, Ned has already discovered that Joffrey and his siblings are our children, so he will definitely not allow Joffrey to inherit the Iron Throne."
Jaime's pupils constricted, and he froze there.
Seeing Jaime was still in a daze, Queen Cersei walked forward... With a smack, she slapped Jaime's handsome face.
Queen Cersei shouted angrily: "Put away those boring knightly antics. What is honor? Only the victor has the right to possess honor!"
Jaime touched his cheek and sighed, saying: "Cersei, you know, I only care about you alone."
Only then did Cersei reveal a hint of satisfaction. One of her hands rested on Jaime's chest, and the other gently caressed Jaime's cheek.
"Jaime, as long as we defeat Ned, I will be the Queen Regent of the Seven Kingdoms. At that time, no one will dare to question us, understand?"
Jaime closed his eyes.
"..."
"..."
Outside the Red Keep, Glyn stopped a dilapidated transport carriage.
"Lord Glyn!"
Arya cried out excitedly and nimbly jumped off the carriage, running a few steps to hug Glyn's big legs.
Glyn lowered his gaze, smiling: "Little Arya, it's quite obvious. How can I help you?"
Arya's eyes widened. "How do you know? Are you a seer?"
Glyn patted Arya's fluffy little head and said: "I'm not a seer. I just guessed the answer from your enthusiasm."
"Yes, your expression makes it too easy for people to guess your true thoughts. You need to be careful, girl."
A slender, bald young man walked slowly over. He saw Glyn's gaze shift, stopped, and bowed elegantly.
"Syrio!"
Arya immediately let go of Glyn's big legs and pounced towards Syrio Forel.
"Syrio, I was just thinking about how to find you, and you appeared yourself!"
Syrio, speaking with a Free Cities accent, said: "Your carriage attracted Syrio's attention, girl."
Arya's eyes lit up. "You're really amazing!"
"Girl, use your eyes to see, use your ears to listen, use your..."
Arya put her small hands behind her back, interjecting: "Use my mouth to taste, use my skin to feel, and finally use my brain to think. Only then can I discern the truth!"
Syrio shrugged and said: "Arya is a clever girl."
Arya proudly raised her head and pulled Syrio towards Glyn, introducing him: "Lord Glyn, this is Syrio Forel. He is my fencing master. Can I take Syrio with me?"
Glyn spread his hands and said: "Little Arya, if Lord Syrio agrees, then there is no problem."
Arya looked at Syrio.
Syrio nodded slightly: "Girl, your lessons are not finished yet. Syrio can only go with you."
"..."
Glyn glanced inside the carriage and then sighed, addressing Lord Ned's guard, Cayn: "Where is Little Sansa?"
Cayn said confusedly: "Little Sansa got on the carriage ahead of time... She's not inside?!"
"Lord Glyn, Sansa said she was going to find you first..."
Arya's expression changed, and she said angrily: "Oh no, I was tricked by her again! I shouldn't have reconciled with her!"
Syrio grinned: "You only listen, but you don't use your eyes to see, girl."
Jon Snow hurried over from behind. His face was very pale: "I... I'll go find Little Sansa!"
Arya discovered her brother's guilt. "Brother Jon, this isn't your fault. Sansa is the worst; she'll get angry even if you just get near her!"
Jon shook his head. "Arya, this isn't Little Sansa's fault, and I promised Lord Stark that I would take good care of you all."
Glyn rubbed his hair and reached out to stop Jon, who was about to leave.
"Leave her to me."
"..."
"..."
Inside the Hand's Solar, Lord Eddard walked to the window and looked at the distant square. Fully armed, Lannister soldiers in bright red cloaks were performing their morning drills. Some clashed swords, while others rode horses, cutting down dummies made of straw.
Sandor crabbe, a towering figure, galloped through the hard, muddy ground, raising an iron spear to pierce a straw dummy. The Lannister Red Cloaks chatted, laughed, and cursed on the side.
Lord Eddard furrowed his brows... "Is this a deliberate show of force against me? Cersei is even more foolish than I thought."
"Heavens, why doesn't this woman escape? I've given her chance after chance!"
"Does it have to be bloodshed?" Lord Eddard withdrew his gaze. The drills below seemed like children's games to him.
Lord Eddard walked over, reached out, and took down the Ice sword hanging on the wall. Stark never feared battle.
"Jory."
As Lord Eddard's voice fell, his guard captain immediately pushed the door open and stood before him.
Lord Eddard said sternly: "Jory, we may have to fight. Tell everyone to put on their armor."
Jory acknowledged the order, hesitated, and then asked: "My Lord, who will be our enemy?"
Lord Eddard suddenly remembered Glyn's advice and replied: "All southerners could be our enemies."
"..."
Early morning, the sky was cloudy and heavy.
Lord Eddard sent someone to summon all the Small Council members to the Hand's Solar.
Barristan Selmy arrived first, clad in a snowy white cloak and silver armor, appearing perfectly white and flawless.
Barristan first paid his respects, then said: "Hand Eddard, my duty now is to protect the young King. Please allow me to serve him."
Lord Eddard's face was stern. "Ser Barristan, your duty is here."
Not long after, Pycelle and Varys walked in one after another.
Varys's body exuded a lavender scent. His fat face was freshly washed and powdered again, and the soft slippers under his feet made no sound.
"Hand Eddard, even the little birds are singing sad songs. The whole country is weeping today."
After Varys sat down, he then asked: "Shall we begin?"
Lord Eddard glanced at Varys, whose face was full of grief, and said: "Renly has not arrived yet."
Varys exclaimed in surprise: "Lord Renly, without your consent?"
Lord Eddard frowned slightly and said: "What happened?"
(end of chapter)