"Dragon!!"
The nobles of the The Reach cheered as they saw a dragon for the first time, some even shouting to chase after it.
Lord Mace, seeing a dragon for the second time, was still captivated, remarking: "This dragon is truly long and slender!"
The last time he had seen a dragon was at the Tourney at Harrenhal.
Back then, he had been fascinated by Prince Daeron and his dragon, but he was so absorbed in the festivities of the tourney that he didn't have time to make an introduction.
By the time he thought of it, the tourney was already over.
Boom—
Caraxes flapped its wings, creating a fierce gale as its body landed almost vertically before the castle gates.
A young figure with silver hair and purple eyes was revealed on the dragon's back as it lowered.
Lord Mace greeted him with a smile: "Prince, on behalf of the House Tyrell of Highgarden, I sincerely welcome your arrival."
Unfortunately, the distance was too great, and his voice was barely audible by the time it reached the dragon's back.
Daeron leaned his elbow on the saddle, sitting atop the dragon's back which was as high as a two-and-a-half-story building, surveying the many The Reach nobles below.
Many people had come, but they were all unfamiliar faces.
"Screee—!"
Caraxes's molten-gold slit pupils were full of alertness, letting out a roar at the humans who dared to approach; the hot air current was even more scalding than the August sun in the The Reach.
Lord Mace's face turned pale with fright, and he stood frozen in place, not daring to move.
"Quiet, Caraxes!"
Just then, a young voice spoke in High Valyrian, stopping the Red Dragon's intimidating behavior.
Daeron nimbly switched to the Common Tongue, smiling: "Apologies, my dragon has a very bad temper. I hope you weren't startled."
The The Reach nobles gave forced smiles, feeling both joy and fear toward the dragon in their hearts.
"No—not at all."
Lord Mace truly thought the Prince had simply failed to control his dragon. Pressing down on his pounding heart, he forced a smile: "Prince, please come with me. The House Tyrell has prepared a welcoming feast for you."
Daeron climbed down from the dragon's back and grasped the other man's arm in a gesture of closeness: "Thank you, My Lord."
He could see that the man was indeed a 'Lord Oaf'.
But he could also see that the House Tyrell was indeed loyal to the royal family.
After being hosted at Highgarden for several days, the enthusiastic atmosphere finally began to cool.
On this day, Lord Mace came to him, explaining that Lady Olenna wished to see him privately.
Daeron: "Lady Olenna is up in years; I shall go see her."
Highgarden was vast.
After some wandering, he passed through a white marble gallery hung with grapevines and arrived at a small garden in the backyard.
"My dear Prince, I've troubled you to make the trip yourself."
Lady Olenna had been waiting for a long time. Upon seeing Daeron's arrival, she immediately came forward to greet him warmly.
Without a word, she held his face in both hands and gave him a kiss on each cheek.
Daeron: ————
Old woman, there's really no need to be this enthusiastic!
"Is this also a tradition of the The Reach?"
Daeron wiped his face with his sleeve, expressionless.
To be honest, let alone Shaena and Ashara, even Cersei, who was so forward, had never kissed his face.
He felt this was Lady Olenna's retaliation for him trying to intimidate them with his dragon.
As it turned out, his feeling was correct.
Olenna took out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth and said candidly: "The The Reach has no tradition of kissing faces. It's just that I am old, and seeing such a handsome young Prince, I couldn't help myself."
It was purely to annoy him.
Who told him to ride that terrifying Red Dragon and scare her foolish son?
Daeron laughed in spite of himself: "You truly are young at heart, despite your age."
"I was quite young when I was young."
Lady Olenna refused to be outdone, even striking a coquettish pose.
You're something else!
Daeron closed his eyes, not daring to look at this eye-searing sight.
Lord Mace watched in a daze, unable to understand what was happening.
"Alright, I hope our upcoming conversation is pleasant."
Lady Olenna, having had her small revenge, began to talk business.
She was the first to turn around and walk into the pavilion in the small garden. Her unique air of relaxation could only be cultivated by having absolute authority for decades.
The three of them took their seats.
Daeron took out a Gold Star Tulip and pushed it toward the old woman, saying: "Although the meeting wasn't very pleasant, I still prepared a gift for you."
The tulip wasn't something gathered, but a flower grown in the spring.
He had planted a little of every kind of flower, keeping them as gifts to raise favorability.
"Thank you, you are quite thoughtful."
Lady Olenna accepted it graciously. While lowering her head to sniff the tulip, a trace of inquiry flashed in her eyes.
As the rumors said, the Dragon Prince Daeron was exceptionally mysterious and could always produce special crops.
And the quality was extremely high.
Seeing the atmosphere between the two soften, Lord Mace quickly stated his position: "Prince, with the Usurper Robert's rebellion breaking out, the House Tyrell is willing to fight for you."
Daeron was startled and looked at the old woman across from him in surprise.
His expression seemed to ask: Is this really your biological son?
Lady Olenna slapped her forehead and quickly raised her glass for a sip of wine, fearing she might develop a chest pain from frustration.
If possible, she didn't want it to be true either.
However, Lord Mace's sentence had opened the topic for both sides.
Daeron explained his purpose: "Jon Arryn has raised the banner of rebellion. The rebel forces are quite large. Preliminary judgments suggest they will be composed of the Vale, the North, Stormlands, and some lords of the Riverlands."
"My father's decree arrived unexpectedly. I am to lead the The Reach's allied forces north to suppress the rebels."
Lady Olenna nodded repeatedly in agreement: "The House Tyrell has always been a model loyalist to the House Targaryen. We will absolutely respond to the royal command and support you in defeating the rebels."
Things seemed to be going surprisingly smoothly.
Daeron didn't quite believe it and looked at her with a skeptical gaze.
Lady Olenna put on an innocent face, meeting his gaze with expectant eyes.
If it weren't for the large age gap between the two, Lord Mace would have thought his long-dead father was about to be cuckolded.
"What other questions do you have?"
Daeron asked.
"Oh, I thought you would bring it up yourself."
Lady Olenna feigned surprise and said: "The House Tyrell summons its vassals to help the Iron Throne defeat the rebels, and then what?"
The House Tyrell provides men and effort, and even uses its own prestige to summon vassals, letting them fill the ranks with their lives.
They couldn't just pat their backs and scurry back to the The Reach after defeating the rebels, could they?
Daeron truly experienced how difficult the "Queen of Thorns" was to deal with.
It wasn't about intellectual scheming or crushing martial power.
It was a powerful self-confidence that dared to burn one's bridges.
Born of House Redwyne, married to a Lord Tyrell, giving birth to a Lord Tyrell, and managing Highgarden and even most of the The Reach for many years.
Lady Olenna knew her own cards.
If anyone dared to provoke her, she really would bet the entire House Tyrell on a head-to-head confrontation.
It was precisely this strong personality that allowed her to support the House Tyrell, whose father and son were both quite mediocre.
Daeron figured out her disposition and didn't waste words, asking: "What are your conditions?"
"Straightforward!"
Lady Olenna didn't mince words either, praising: "You are a rare bachelor in the Seven Kingdoms, with Dark Sister at your waist and the 'Blood Wyrm' Caraxes beneath you, plus you are handsome and in the prime of your youth."
At this point, she paused for a second.
Lady Olenna pushed forward two glasses filled with fine wine and tapped the table: "So, I want you to marry my daughter."
Marriage alliance again!
Every great noble who met Daeron liked to use this tactic.
"My apologies, My Lady," Daeron declined politely. "My heart belongs elsewhere."
"If I may ask, which family's girl has captured your heart?"
Lady Olenna said 'if I may ask' but her behavior was even more intrusive, and finally, she simply stopped pretending.
"Is it a Lannister?"
"Princess Shaena?"
"You don't follow family tradition. Could it be that you've taken a fancy to a daughter of some other noble family? It couldn't be some noble from Dorne, could it?"
Lady Olenna had clearly investigated beforehand, listing all the suspected candidates in one go.
Daeron shook his head gently.
He wouldn't tell her that only children make choices; he wanted them all!
Olenna thought for a while, pointed at the two wine glasses, and said seriously: "If the one you value is the Lannister girl, then I admit neither of my two daughters is as beautiful as that blonde girl."
"But I have two daughters!"
She spoke as if she had pulled out a formidable trump card, saying it quite boldly.
"As long as you are willing, I can make the decision to marry both of them to you."
Daeron didn't speak, but Lord Mace got anxious first: "Mother, Mina is engaged."
His parents had given him two sisters, 18-year-old Mina Tyrell and 15-year-old Janna Tyrell.
Mina was already engaged to be married to Earl Redwyne of Arbor.
"I know, Mace!"
Lady Olenna didn't care at all, waving her hand: "As long as the Prince nods, I will annul this betrothal. I believe my nephew won't blame these old bones of mine."
She was Earl Redwyne's biological aunt.
She was truly ruthless, selling out both her own daughter and her nephew.
Hearing about marrying two at once, even Daeron felt a flicker of interest.
The point wasn't marrying two Tyrell ladies, but Lady Olenna's open attitude, which was very beneficial for the House Targaryen to restore the tradition of polygamy.
"Prince, what is your choice?"
Olenna pointed at the two wine glasses, indicating whether it was one glass at a time or both together.
Daeron wasn't that promiscuous; he pointed to the glass on the left and said: "Change the candidate. I will have my younger brother Viserys betrothed to your younger daughter, Lady Janna."
The House Tyrell's conditions were bordering on being overly demanding.
But he didn't want to waste time.
Once the War of the Usurper was over and the Crownlands' base was expanded, there would be no need to rely on the House Tyrell.
By then, whether to keep them close or push them away would depend entirely on his mood.
"No, that won't do!"
Lady Olenna was very good at bargaining and proposed: "If you are not satisfied with my two daughters, I also have a newborn granddaughter."
"My Lady, newborn?"
"Yes!"
Lady Olenna felt no pressure: "You are only 12. When my husband and I married, he was more than that much older than me."
Daeron was speechless and proposed betrothing Viserys to Margaery.
Although he liked the 'Little Rose' Margaery from the show, it would be too late by the time she reached the marriageable age of 14.
The two went back and forth, neither giving in.
Ultimately, the conditions were set: after winning the war, the House Tyrell would get a portion of the Riverlands and Stormlands territory.
And Daeron would take Lord Mace's eldest son, Willas Tyrell, as a squire.
Shaena would take the unmarried Janna Tyrell as a lady-in-waiting.
After the conditions were negotiated.
Olenna drank the two glasses of wine and said regretfully: "Actually, both my daughters are quite good-looking. I bet my granddaughter Margaery will also be a beauty in the future."
"As long as you agree to marry one or all of them, before your wedding, you can sleep with whoever you want."
"Even if you produce bastards, they can be given to me to raise; I'll ensure not a bit of bad reputation leaks out."
"As long as you know to sleep with them after marriage and let them bear children with dragon blood."
Daeron: "I admire you."
It wasn't for her generosity, but for her heartfelt devotion to the House Tyrell.
Lady Olenna didn't care what outsiders thought of her. Her eyes aimed straight for his lower half, and she asked bluntly: "By the way, do you know how to sleep with a girl?
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