Cersei did not answer Lynn's question.
She merely let out a soft, barely audible snort.
It was a sound mixed with mockery and a certain self-destructive resignation.
"In this city, winning is everything."
She turned around. Moonlight spilled in from the window, outlining her exquisite curves.
Even the dark, simple clothes could not hide the nobility in her bones.
"For the loser, there is only death."
Cersei walked slowly to the desk, her fingertips tracing lightly across the surface, finally stopping on the dragonglass dagger Lynn had placed there.
The dagger was pitch black, reflecting a cold, eerie light under the moon.
"You like collecting these dangerous things?"
Cersei's voice was soft, like a lover's whisper, but her green eyes were calculating.
Lynn didn't speak. He just watched her.
Watching how this Queen of the Seven Kingdoms performed her final, desperate gamble in this small study.
Cersei's gaze moved from the dagger back to Lynn's face.
Suddenly, she smiled.
"You want an ally, Lynn."
"I think we could make very good partners."
Before her words faded, Cersei reached out and undid the ties of her tunic.
Her movements were composed and elegant, without a hint of shyness.
As if shedding her clothes brought her no shame at all.
The dark fabric slid down her smooth skin, pooling at her feet.
The moonlight poured unreservedly onto her. The body sung of by countless bards, desired by countless men, was now exposed before Lynn without any concealment.
She looked like an idol carved from ivory and gold.
Beautiful, proud, yet radiating a fatal allure.
She was using her most powerful weapon.
Betting the body of a Queen on the future of a House.
"Now, are we honest enough?"
She raised her chin like a proud lioness, challenging Lynn with her eyes.
Lynn's face remained expressionless.
He stood up and walked step by step toward her.
His figure was so tall that he easily enveloped both the moonlight and Cersei in his shadow.
Lynn didn't speak. He simply reached out and gripped her chin.
The force wasn't strong, but it carried an undeniable command.
Cersei stiffened. A flash of humiliation and anger passed through her proud green eyes.
But she didn't resist.
She could feel the dangerous, powerful, aggressive aura emanating from Lynn.
It was completely different from Robert's bulk and reek of wine.
It was a power that made her tremble, yet also stirred an uncontrollable desire deep within her.
"Not enough."
Lynn's voice was soft.
The next second, the world spun.
Cersei let out a short gasp as Lynn scooped her up and threw her heavily onto the wide bed covered with thick velvet cushions.
Cersei wanted to struggle, to scream, to curse this man who dared humiliate her with the vilest words.
But all resistance was crushed the moment Lynn pressed down on her.
He declared his sovereignty in the most direct, primal way.
No foreplay, no gentleness.
Only pure conquest by strength.
Cersei felt like a small boat tossed in a storm, ready to be smashed to pieces by the raging waves at any moment.
She bit her lip hard, refusing to make a single sound of weakness.
She was Cersei Lannister, the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms!
She could not!
However, her body's reaction betrayed her will.
A domineering and unfamiliar sensation exploded from deep within her, instantly sweeping through her limbs and breaking the dam she had built with pride and reason.
Her mind went blank.
Hatred, humiliation, fear...
All emotions were swallowed by the rising tide.
She thought of the husband who was fat as a pig, knowing only drink and roaring.
She thought of her twin brother, handsome but far less forceful than herself.
None of them could give her this feeling.
A sense of submission where she was completely dominated, her very soul trembling.
She hated this feeling, yet was hopelessly addicted to it.
It turned out that even the proudest lioness, when faced with a true lion, would have a day of complete conquest.
"Casterly Rock..."
Cersei gripped Lynn's broad back, moaning out the true purpose of her visit tonight.
"Casterly Rock... will trade fully with the Gift..."
"Grain, iron, cloth..."
"Everything you need... House Lannister will send to your lands at the lowest price."
"We... need a strong ally."
She used her family's wealth to offer the first tribute to this newly forged, twisted alliance.
She wasn't stupid.
She knew that the man before her had grown into a behemoth no one could ignore.
Dragons, a wildling army, the Unsullied Legion...
Rather than being an enemy, it was better to be an ally sharing the cake.
Lynn had earned the right to sit at the table.
Lynn's movements stopped.
He looked down at the woman beneath him—hair messy, tear tracks at the corners of her eyes, yet still biting her lip, refusing to show weakness. A glint of approval flashed in his eyes.
Even at a time like this, she hadn't forgotten her goal.
Truly Tywin Lannister's daughter.
Cersei gritted her teeth, refusing to let out any shameful sounds.
Only the heavy breathing of two people remained in the room.
As the tide of madness receded, cold reason reclaimed the high ground.
Cersei shoved Lynn away abruptly.
She rolled out of bed and sat up, back to him, hurriedly searching for her clothes on the floor.
She didn't want Lynn to see her expression right now.
Her legs were still trembling slightly.
The unfamiliar aftershocks brought waves of panic and shame.
Lynn didn't touch her again.
He watched calmly as she wrapped that flawless body back into the clothes that symbolized power.
When Cersei was fully dressed and turned around, she had transformed back into the lofty Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.
Only the slightly reddened corners of her eyes and the flush not yet fully faded from her cheeks betrayed what had just happened.
"You heard Casterly Rock's promise."
Cersei walked to the window, letting the cold night wind cool her burning face.
"But that's not enough."
Her voice returned to its usual coolness, perhaps even colder.
"Ned Stark is a fool. His honor will kill him, and it will kill everyone standing with him."
She turned, her green eyes like two bottomless pools in the moonlight.
"He is your protector now, but soon he will be your burden."
Cersei was driving a wedge.
She wanted to peel Lynn completely away from the Stark camp and tie him firmly to the Lannister war chariot.
"Lord Stark is my benefactor," Lynn responded indifferently.
He needed to show a moral struggle, making Cersei feel he could be persuaded, thus revealing more.
"Benefactor?"
Sure enough, Cersei let out a disdainful sneer.
"In King's Landing, there are no benefactors, only stepping stones and stumbling blocks."
"You will understand soon enough."
Cersei took a step forward, lowering her voice to a chilling whisper.
"How much longer do you think Robert has to live?"
Lynn feigned confusion, raising an eyebrow. "The King is in his prime."
"Prime?"
A strange smile curled Cersei's lips.
She leaned into Lynn's ear, her warm breath mixing with her unique scent as it drilled into his ear.
"A body soaked daily in wine and poison has long been rotten from the inside out."
"Poison?"
Lynn's tone carried just the right amount of surprise.
Cersei straightened up, satisfied with the "shock" on Lynn's face.
This was the effect she wanted.
She wanted Lynn to understand that she held secrets capable of overturning the entire board.
"Some poisons are colorless and tasteless."
Cersei's eyes grew complex.
There was hate, helplessness, and a desperate resolve.
"It won't kill you immediately. It only slowly corrodes your mind, making you irritable, paranoid, stupid..."
She paused, enunciating each word clearly.
"In the end, he will kill himself."
Done.
Lynn understood.
Cersei had spilled her father Tywin Lannister's plan completely.
This was no longer testing the waters; this was a naked offering of loyalty.
"When Robert dies, Joffrey will take the throne."
Cersei's voice held a frantic calm.
"But Stannis and Renly won't let it go."
"The Seven Kingdoms will fall into war."
"I need you, Lynn."
She stared fixedly at him, the flames of power burning in her green eyes.
"Leave the Starks. Join the Lannisters."
"I need your army, your dragon, to protect my son, to protect our shared throne!"
"What do I get?"
Lynn pondered for a moment, asking the crucial question.
"Besides Myrcella, besides Lannister wealth and friendship..."
A victor's smile appeared on Cersei's face.
"You will get a King's promise."
"A King you personally placed on the throne."
"My son Joffrey admires only two people."
"One is Robert, and the other is you!"
"As long as Joffrey sits on the throne, he will grant whatever you ask."
This was practically promising Lynn the future position of "Protector of the Realm."
The conditions seemed tempting.
Lynn looked at her and suddenly smiled.
It seemed his current chips weren't enough, causing Cersei to still underestimate him.
He had no interest in propping up a Joffrey on the throne.
But Lynn believed that as he continued to grow stronger, Cersei would eventually raise her price.