"Ser Lynn!"
Seeing Lynn, Joffrey immediately stood up.
He had a smile on his face.
He now felt both respect and fear toward Lynn.
Lynn had not only shown him the life of a "true King."
But during that storm, he had effortlessly toppled Petyr Baelish.
In Joffrey's eyes, Lynn was simply omnipotent.
"It seems Your Grace is in a good mood today."
Lynn nodded with a smile, his gaze sweeping seemingly casually over Liana by the side.
Liana understood immediately, gave Lynn an imperceptible curtsy, and then stood obediently aside.
"Of course!"
Joffrey puffed out his chest proudly.
"My guard, the Hound, killed the Mountain!"
"Now the whole of King's Landing is singing praises of my prestige!"
"Oh? Is that so?"
A mysterious smile curled Lynn's lips.
"Then Your Grace must reward this brave warrior well."
"Naturally!"
Joffrey waved his big hand.
"I've already decided. When his wounds heal, I'll make him Captain of the Kingsguard!"
Suddenly recalling Jaime Lannister, Joffrey quickly corrected himself.
"No! I'll have my father knight him!"
Joffrey had already begun to fantasize about the scene where he swaggered in front of Sansa Stark with a "knighted" guard who had killed the Mountain.
"I'm afraid... the beautiful Lady Liana might not agree?"
Lynn changed the subject, looking at Liana.
Liana paused, instantly understanding Lynn's meaning.
Joffrey also followed Lynn's gaze to Liana.
He looked puzzled.
"Liana, what's wrong?"
He saw the color draining from Liana's face bit by bit.
A trace of terror appeared in her beautiful blue eyes.
Her body began to tremble slightly, and she instinctively hid behind Joffrey.
"I... I..."
Liana stammered, her voice laced with sobs.
"Y-Your Grace..."
"That Hound... he... his face..."
As if remembering something terrifying, tears welled up instantly.
"I heard... his face... was burned by his brother pressing it into a brazier... and he killed his brother..."
"He... he is a monster... a monster who killed his own brother..."
"That half of his face looks like... like a demon from hell..."
Liana's performance was perfect.
That fear and disgust from the heart showed no flaws to anyone.
Joffrey's brow furrowed instantly.
The pride and excitement he had just felt vanished in the face of Liana's tears.
He couldn't bear to see Liana cry.
"Don't be afraid, Liana, I'm here."
Joffrey quickly pulled her into his arms, comforting her clumsily.
"But... Your Grace, when I think about having to be in the same castle as such a monster in the future, I... I'm so scared I can't sleep..."
Liana buried her face in Joffrey's chest, weeping piteously.
"His face will give me nightmares..."
Joffrey's face darkened completely.
Hugging the trembling girl in his arms, and then thinking of Sandor's hideous face.
A strong sense of disgust welled up from the bottom of his heart.
Yes, Sandor was a monster.
An ugly monster who had also killed his own brother.
Why should he keep such a monster by his side?
He would only scare his beloved Liana!
And if he dared to kill his brother today, would he kill Joffrey tomorrow?
Just a guard!
Without Sandor, he could have others!
But his Liana, there was only one in the whole world!
"Alright, don't cry."
Joffrey patted Liana's back, his voice carrying an unquestionable resolution.
"I promise you, you will never see him again."
With that, Joffrey pushed the door open violently and strode out.
He didn't even say goodbye to Lynn.
He only had one thought now.
That was to make that ugly freak Sandor Clegane disappear from his sight immediately!
Forever!
Lynn watched Joffrey's angry back, then looked at Liana, who was still sobbing but had a flash of smugness in the corner of her eye, and smiled with satisfaction.
This piece was even more useful than he imagined.
---
At this time.
Sandor was preparing to return to the Maester's Tower.
He limped through the corridors of the Red Keep, sketching a blueprint for his future in his mind.
He was no longer anyone's dog.
He was now Lord Lynn's warrior.
He would heal his wounds, and then use the sword in his hand to sweep away all obstacles for Lord Lynn!
Just then, he ran head-on into the furious Joffrey.
"Your Grace."
Sandor bowed instinctively.
Joffrey didn't even look at him, walking straight up to him.
The disgust and disdain in his eyes were undisguised.
Sandor was stunned.
Before he could react, Joffrey's shrill, mean voice came.
"Sandor Clegane."
"From now on, you are no longer my guard. I don't want to see your disgusting face in the Red Keep again."
"Get out of King's Landing and never come back!"
Sandor's body froze on the spot.
Get out of King's Landing?
Just because of his face?
Sandor turned slowly, looking at Joffrey's face written with cruelty and indifference.
A feeling of extreme absurdity welled up in his heart.
He had just risked his life in the duel, a near-death experience.
In the blink of an eye, just because he was ugly, he was discarded like trash by this little bastard he had sworn to protect.
How ridiculous!
How ironic!
He had done so many shady things for him!
And ended up abandoned?
Truly fucking hilarious!
Sandor looked at Joffrey, in his grey eyes an unprecedented calm.
It was a calm of seeing through everything and letting go of everything.
He grinned at Joffrey, revealing a smile uglier than crying.
Then he turned around, dragged his injured leg, and limped out of the Red Keep without looking back.
From this moment on, he had no ties with the Lannisters or the Baratheons!
He was free.
He could now fulfill his promise and serve Lord Lynn.
Instead of serving this lowly little bastard!
Fuck them all.
---
Here, after Joffrey left.
Lynn walked to Liana.
The girl still maintained that tearful, pitiful appearance.
"Well acted."
Lynn commented lightly.
The sadness on Liana's face faded instantly.
She straightened up, her face returning to its usual calm and efficiency.
Only a teardrop still hanging from the corner of her eye added a touch of eerie charm.
"You flatter me, my Lord."
"Sandor is a useful man. I didn't want him ruined by Joffrey's stupidity."
Lynn explained.
"He is free now and can do more valuable things for me."
Liana understood.
"Go. Your next task is to comfort your irritable Prince."
Lynn waved his hand.
"Remember, keep him hating Sansa, keep him obsessed with you. Make him feel that only you are the only person in this world who understands and worships him."
"Your existence is the most crucial link in my plan. Don't disappoint me."
"Yes, my Lord."
Liana curtsied.
Then she turned, her face instantly switching back to that weak and helpless expression, and chased after Joffrey with small, quick steps.
Lynn stood alone in the room for a while, then turned and walked to the other side of the Tower of the Hand.
This was Sansa's room.
The door was ajar, the light inside dim.
Lynn pushed the door open.
Sansa wasn't lying on the bed; she was curled up in an armchair by the window.
She was wrapped in a thick blanket, as if in the coldest winter night of Winterfell.
She didn't turn her head, just stared blankly out the window.
Those beautiful blue eyes had lost all their luster, like two pools of dead water.
Lynn didn't make a sound, walking straight to Sansa's side.
When Lynn approached, Sansa's blanket-wrapped body trembled violently, like a startled fawn.
"Lord Lynn..."
Seeing Lynn, a glint of light flashed in Sansa's eyes.
"Will I... will I be like him?"
Sansa finally asked the question that had been weighing on her heart, making her feel like she was falling into an ice cave.
"Petyr Baelish..."
"He was the Master of Coin... yet the King killed him just like that... like... like chopping meat..."
Sansa finally couldn't hold back.
She buried her face deep in the blanket, suppressed sobs coming from within.
"Will I... will I also be... chopped into meat paste like that?"
Lynn took a sip of water and looked at her calmly.
"No."
His answer was simple and direct.
Sansa lifted her head from the blanket, her tear-stained face written with disbelief.
"Why?"
"Because he was stupid, and you are not."
Lynn walked up to her, looking down at her.
"At least, under my guidance, you won't be that stupid."
Sansa was stunned.
"Baelish's death wasn't because of the King's madness."
Lynn's voice was exceptionally clear in the dim room.
"Or rather, not entirely."
"He made three fatal mistakes."
"First, he overestimated his control over the game."
"He thought he could provoke a conflict between the Lannisters and me, and then reap the benefits."
"Even seven days ago, when the truth came out, even yesterday when he lost the duel, he still had a chance to live."
"But he didn't calculate that the King, this piece, had gone mad long ago."
"A madman doesn't play by the rules."
"Second, he overestimated his allies."
"He pinned his hopes on Lysa Arryn, on the arrogance of the Vale knights."
"He thought the Vale's threat could be his amulet, but it turned out to be the last straw that ignited the King's rage."
"He thought he was playing chess, but from beginning to end, he was just a self-righteous piece that moved to the wrong position."
"Third."
Lynn paused, suddenly smiling at Sansa.
"He shouldn't have made an enemy of me."
"I have ten thousand ways to make him disappear from this world completely. He just picked the wrong person to mess with."
Sansa listened dumbfounded, the fear on her face gradually replaced by bewilderment.
So... was it like this?
That nightmare-inducing slaughter was actually backed by such cruel calculation?
"And you?"
Sansa asked instinctively.
"Are you the player?"
"Am I... your piece?"
Lynn smiled.
"Of course."
Lynn admitted it frankly.
"In this game of thrones, you're either a player or a piece."
"There is no third choice."
Lynn squatted down, his eyes level with Sansa curled in the chair.
"But not all pieces are the same."
"Baelish was my enemy, an obstacle I had to clear."
"So he died, and had to die."
"But you, Sansa."
"You are my ally."
Lynn's gaze was clear and honest, carrying an irresistible persuasiveness.
"I need you, need your surname, need your identity, and need you to sit on the seat of the Master of Coin to control the kingdom's purse for me."
"So, I won't let you die."
"Not only will I not let you die, but I will also protect you, teach you, and make you the most important and irreplaceable piece on this board."
Sansa's heart beat violently uncontrollably.
She looked into Lynn's eyes. There was no sympathy, no pity, only reason.
But it was this reason and honesty that gave her an unprecedented sense of security.
Lynn was right.
In King's Landing, tears and kindness were useless; only value mattered.
Only your irreplaceable value to others was the sole reliance for survival.
But Sansa's feelings for Lynn were not just these; the key point was that she was willing to give for Lynn.
"But... I'm scared."
Sansa's voice still trembled.
"I saw that blood... saw the King... I'm afraid I can't do it..."
"I understand."
Lynn stood up, regaining his towering posture.
"So, I give you a choice."
Sansa looked up.
"You've seen the true face of King's Landing."
"Bloody, mad, unreasonable."
"What we are going to do is a hundred times more dangerous than Baelish's gamble."
"Every wrong step could mean eternal damnation."
"Your family, honor, even surname, could be erased forever after a wrong move."
"Thousands of years later, no one will remember Stark, or the ancient glory Stark brought."
Lynn's voice was calm, yet carried a heavy weight.
"If you are scared, it's not too late to quit now."
"It's not shameful, Sansa."
"I won't blame you, because you are just a little girl; you shouldn't have to bear this."
"I will arrange for you, your father, and Arya to return to Winterfell."
"I'll think of an explanation for the King."
"Back in the North, you are still the Lady of Winterfell."
"There is your loving family, warm fireplaces, your favorite lemon cakes."
"No King's butcher knife, no man-eating conspiracies."
"Even after I complete my grand plan, I can crown Stark with glory."
"And you, just need to wait."
Sansa's breath stopped at this moment.
Return to Winterfell?
Sansa thought of the high walls of Winterfell, thought of her mother's warm embrace, thought of Robb's hearty laughter, thought of Bran and Rickon playing around her...
She could even visit Jon Snow at the Wall anytime.
The North, that was her home, her safe haven.
As long as she went back, she wouldn't have to see these terrible things anymore.
And wouldn't have to live in fear anymore...
Sansa's eyes moistened again.
But...
She remembered her father's back kneeling in the pool of blood.
Remembered the gloating eyes of the nobles when Joffrey publicly humiliated her.
Remembered herself being treated like an object, casually betrothed, and casually discarded.
If she went back, she would become that Sansa Stark who knew nothing and could only be manipulated by others.
Her best outcome would be to find a way to marry Lynn, teach children, and grow old slowly.
Her life would be spent under others' arrangements.
She would never be able to wash away the humiliation for her father today, never be able to make those who mocked and slighted her pay the price.
Even when Robert's butcher knife extended to the North, she could do nothing.
Because she was just an insignificant nobody.
No.
She didn't want to live that life anymore.
King's Landing was hell.
But here, for the first time, she felt the taste of holding destiny in her own hands!
She used soap making to earn endless gold dragons for Lynn.
She used her "performance" to successfully get rid of Joffrey.
She used a perfect act to exchange for the King's "compensation."
She liked this feeling.
She didn't want to give up.
Most importantly, Lynn needed her now.
Lynn taught her that women should also pursue their own value, awakening her mind. She absolutely couldn't leave Lynn alone in the man-eating King's Landing.
They should stand together.
She was willing to give everything for Lynn!
Sansa slowly extended her hand from the blanket, grasping Lynn's large, warm hand. Her eyes refocused, staring blankly at Lynn.
In Sansa's tear-washed blue eyes, fear and cowardice were fading.
"I won't go."
Sansa said.