Viserys's face was a twisted expression of madness mixed with ecstasy.
"Agree! Of course I agree!"
He practically shrieked it out.
His spittle even sprayed onto Magister Illyrio's greasy face.
It was as if the Iron Throne, forged from blood and bones, would descend from the sky the next second, just by him shouting loud enough.
As soon as he sat his butt down, the entire Seven Kingdoms would be his.
He grabbed Lynn's hand, a greedy fire burning in his pale purple eyes.
"Daenerys is yours!"
"You are my most trusted friend!"
"From today onwards, Daenerys will be your wife!"
"When are you going back? Tomorrow? Or are you going now?"
"No, we'll set off now! To kill our way back to Westeros!"
Lynn subtly withdrew his hand.
He didn't even bother to glance at the beggar king, whose mind was already clouded by the illusion of power.
His gaze fell upon Daenerys.
The girl's body was trembling slightly.
The color had drained from her inhumanly beautiful face, as pale as the first snow of the North.
It was like this again.
She was once again treated as a commodity, an item to be exchanged for an army and a throne.
Traded away without hesitation by her only kin, her brother.
Her clear, violet eyes welled up with moisture, filled with humiliation and sorrow.
But this time, deep within that sorrow, there was also a hint of anticipation that even she hadn't noticed?
Because the object of the trade was him.
The prince who had appeared countless times in her dreams.
Riding a three-headed ice dragon, coming from the Land of Always Winter.
He was her prince.
Lynn looked at her, on the verge of tears, and his heart softened for no reason; Daenerys had suffered too much.
"King Viserys."
Lynn's voice was not loud, but it instantly quieted the frenzied Viserys.
"I think I need to speak with Daenerys alone."
Viserys was startled, then his face broke into a fawning smile.
"Of course! Of course! You need to... deepen your feelings!"
He quickly walked over to Daenerys.
Then he lowered his voice and spoke in a warning tone.
"Daenerys, listen, this is our last chance."
"Please him, make him satisfied, understand?"
"Don't make him angry again like you did Khal!"
"If you dare to mess this up, I swear, you will know what 'the sleeping dragon's wrath' truly means!"
After speaking, he dragged the still-dazed Illyrio and walked gleefully towards the wine cellar deep within the mansion.
He was already impatient to celebrate his impending victory with the Governor's treasured fine wines.
On the terrace, only Lynn and Daenerys remained.
The sea breeze blew, carrying a salty, damp scent.
The atmosphere was somewhat stagnant for a moment.
Daenerys lowered her head, nervously twisting the hem of her skirt, not daring to look into Lynn's eyes.
"Your brother has sold you again."
Lynn's calm voice rang out.
Daenerys's body trembled violently.
The tears she had forcibly suppressed finally, unbidden, slipped from the corners of her eyes.
She didn't cry out loud, just bit her lip tightly.
"He's using you as a bargaining chip for an army, just like he tried to sell you to Khal Drogo before."
Lynn walked step by step in front of her, his tall figure completely enveloping her.
He didn't say any comforting words, but simply, in a factual tone, brutally exposed the scar she least wanted to face.
Daenerys's shoulders began to heave, and the suppressed sobs finally became uncontrollable.
She thought Lynn would, like all men, begin to boast about his army, his wealth.
And his gigantic dragon, capable of destroying cities.
Then tell her that becoming his woman was her supreme honor.
But what Lynn said next completely stunned her.
"Are you willing?"
Lynn asked.
Daenerys sharply raised her head.
Her violet eyes, wet with tears, were filled with disbelief.
He's... asking for my opinion?
"I..."
Daenerys opened her mouth.
But found her throat was blocked, unable to make any sound.
Her entire life, she had obeyed.
Obeyed her brother's commands, obeyed Illyrio's arrangements.
No one had ever asked her like Lynn did.
Are you willing?
Lynn looked at her bewildered expression, reached out a hand, and gently wiped away a tear from her cheek with his fingertip.
His fingertip was slightly cool, and its touch on her warm skin made her shiver involuntarily.
"Look at me, Daenerys."
Daenerys instinctively raised her eyes, looking into his deep, dark gaze.
Those eyes were exactly like the ones in her dreams.
Cold, aloof, as if containing the endless night of the entire North.
Yet, deep within that coldness, there was a flicker of fire she couldn't comprehend.
"Tell me your answer."
Lynn gazed at her.
"This time, you don't have to think about your brother, you are no longer a Targaryen princess, nor are you Stormborn."
"You are just you, Daenerys herself."
"Are you willing to marry me?"
Boom—
Daenerys felt her mind go blank instantly.
The prophecy buried deep within her soul once again exploded!
This is it!
This is him!
This is her prince!
He didn't care about the Targaryen name, nor did he care about any damned alliance.
What he cared about was just her.
It was herself!
An unprecedented courage surged from her battered heart.
A courage strong enough to melt ice and snow, strong enough to defy the entire world!
"I am willing."
Her voice was still tinged with a sob, yet it was as firm as valyrian steel.
She stood on tiptoe, closed her eyes.
With all her strength, she pressed her cool, soft lips against Lynn's.
Lynn froze.
He could feel that clumsy kiss, filled with grievances, anticipation, adoration, faith... It was awkward and fleeting.
When Daenerys, blushing and breathless, released him, her violet eyes shone like the brightest stars in the night sky of Pentos.
"I am willing."
She repeated again.
A smile blossomed on her face, a smile she had never shown before, one that could make all flowers lose their color.
This time, it wasn't for Targaryen.
It wasn't for the Iron Throne.
It was only for him.
Lynn looked at the girl before him, who seemed to have undergone some transformation in an instant, and a ripple stirred in his heart.
Lynn reached out and gently pulled her into his embrace.
The girl's body was very thin; through her silk gown, he could even feel her delicate bones.
Her body trembled slightly, yet she seemed to have found the safest harbor, hugging him back tightly.
"I used to always dream."
Daenerys buried her face in his chest, her voice muffled.
"Dream of a huge ice dragon, and a snowfield that would never melt."
"I thought it was just a dream."
"Now I know, it wasn't a dream."
She looked up, gazing at Lynn's face with a dazed expression.
Her purple eyes, like the night sky after a rain, shone astonishingly bright.
"That was you calling to me."
Lynn didn't speak, just listened quietly.
He could clearly feel it.
The seed he had casually planted deep within her soul had already grown into an unshakeable towering tree in the girl's heart.
The effect was a bit too good.
It seems the Three-Eyed Raven was right.
Daenerys pressed her cheek against Lynn's chest, feeling his steady, strong heartbeat, as if it were the most beautiful music in the world.
"You... will you really marry me?"
She asked softly, a hint of uncertainty in her voice.
"Not because of the Targaryen name, and not because you want to ally with my brother?"
Lynn looked down at the little one in his arms, still seeking confirmation, feeling a bit amused.
He lifted her chin, making her look into his eyes.
"I said, I'm marrying Daenerys."
He leaned close to her ear, speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear.
"As for your brother... a king who would trade his own sister, do you think he's fit to be my ally?"
Daenerys's body stiffened for a moment.
Lynn's words pierced directly into her softest spot.
But this time, she felt no pain, but rather an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.
"He... he just wants to go home too much."
She instinctively defended Viserys, but even she couldn't convince herself with her own voice.
"There are many ways to go home."
Lynn released her.
"But it definitely doesn't include selling your sister."
...In the wine cellar.
Viserys drained a cup of golden Arbor wine, his face flushed with a sickly hue.
"Illyrio! My friend! My best friend!"
He slapped the Governor's fleshy back hard.
"When I get back the Iron Throne, I'll make you Master of Coin!"
"No! I'll build you a new ducal castle! Right below King's Landing, right next to me!"
"I want you to be the wealthiest duke in all the Seven Kingdoms!"
Illyrio's face was plastered with smiles, but his eyes held a calm calculation.
He had already begun to calculate.
How many ships and provisions he would need for this army of a hundred thousand men.
And how much profit he would extract from this richly rewarding investment.
But Lynn didn't seem so simple.
He had power and was not easily fooled, so Illyrio felt he should be careful and cautious.
Lest he anger Lynn and force him to seek other allies.
Viserys was somewhat drunk.
He pushed away the slave girl who wanted to pour him more wine and staggered out of the cellar.
He wanted to see how well his best ally and his "obedient" sister were progressing in their relationship.
When he reached the courtyard, he saw it.
There, on the terrace facing the sea.
His sister, Daenerys, was embraced by the man named Lynn.
The sea breeze stirred her silver-gold hair, and on her face was a look Viserys had never seen before, a genuine serenity and happiness emanating from within.
In that instant, an indescribable bitterness and anger surged from the depths of Viserys's heart.
What kind of expression was that?
That girl who had only ever followed him around like a puppy begging for his attention since childhood.
How dare she show such an expression?
Everything she had, he had given her!
Her life, her beauty, even her identity as a Targaryen princess!
Even the mission of every Targaryen woman was to bear offspring for her brother!
How dare she behave like this?
Now, he had merely "bestowed" Daenerys upon that man.
How dare she look happier than she did when she was with him?
A furious sensation, as if his precious toy had been snatched away by someone else, instantly occupied his mind.
Viserys clenched his fists tightly.
No.
That's not right.
He quickly shook his head again, forcibly suppressing that nameless fire.
Daenerys wasn't important.
Just a lowly woman.
What was important was... the dragon.
As long as he got that dragon, even if everyone in the whole world had Daenerys, he wouldn't hesitate!
Viserys looked up at the azure sky.
In his mind, he uncontrollably pictured the three-headed ice dragon hovering over King's Landing, burning the Red Keep into a sea of fire.
And he, Viserys Targaryen, would stand upon the dragon's back.
Destroying all enemies, breaching rebellious castles.
Receiving the worship of all people!
That was the true king!
A desire even stronger than reclaiming the throne, like a poisonous vine, grew wildly in his heart.
The dragon... that dragon should be ridden by a true Targaryen.
And he was the last true dragon!
Not some barbarian from the North!
The smile on Viserys's face gradually vanished.
In its place was a chilling coldness, twisted by desire.
He looked at the two embracing on the terrace, and his gaze changed.
Lynn was no longer his ally.
But a thief who had stolen his power!
The dragon, it could only be his!
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