Such loyalty! Hearing that number, Lady Roslyn's body trembled slightly with excitement, and her eyes, which had just stopped reddening, welled up again.
The Daedings Family had repeatedly shown him kindness, yet he had not received commensurate rewards, and had even been plotted against, but the young man before her regarded it as a favor. She was speechless, left only with guilt.
She grabbed his hand, interrupting him: "Don't say any more, Arthur."
"Daedings Family will forever remember your loyalty. Quick, enter the city to rest; food and drink have been prepared for your soldiers."
Arthur frowned slightly. 'I haven't finished my performance yet. I'm waiting for people to spread the word. Why won't she let me speak?'
He waved his hand, and the army behind him marched into the city with neat steps. They were silent, grim, and full of vigor, forming a stark contrast with the anxious eyes of the people inside the city. The soldiers did not look around, heading directly to their designated barracks, their discipline so strict that they did not seem like a hastily assembled army.
Arthur was led to the castle's private luxurious bedroom. A warm fireplace glowed in the room, the carpet was soft, and a faint scent permeated the air. A graceful, beautiful maid stood by the bed, hands clasped. Seeing him enter, she immediately curtsied, her eyes carrying a hint of deliberate shyness and seduction.
Arthur's gaze lingered on her for a moment. 'What is she doing?' He frowned almost imperceptibly, but quickly understood. She wanted to attach herself to a noble. He didn't bother to remember the maid's name, nor was he interested in appreciating her carefully made-up face.
He unbuckled his sword from his waist and casually placed it on the table, producing a crisp metallic clang: "Get out."
The maid froze, seemingly not expecting such a response. 'This encounter isn't what others said it would be!' She looked up and saw a pair of placid eyes, a gaze like one would give an inanimate object.
A chill rose from her heart. She hastily lowered her head and retreated in a panic, even fumbling when closing the door.
In the Lord's Hall of Daintings City, a military council convened in a somber atmosphere. Lady Roslyn sat in the main seat, her expression somewhat mournful.
Her voice was filled with suppressed emotion: "My husband, for the summons to Riverrun, for the kingdom's war, took all of Daintings City's elite soldiers. Now, the Ironborn are raiding, and no one is willing to send troops back to defend their own homes."
As soon as she finished speaking, the courtiers in the hall immediately began to speak, all at once.
"Lady! Lord Balon is doing this for the kingdom! He doesn't care about personal family gain!"
"House Tully of Riverrun! Even the King! Will surely remember Daedings Family's loyalty!"
"Yes! Lady! Loyalty will surely be rewarded!"
These hollow flatteries buzzed like flies, but they could not dispel the gloom that hung heavy in everyone's hearts.
Lady Roslyn sighed wearily. She interrupted the meaningless flattery and asked the core question: "Now the territory is full of Ironborn raiding parties. What should we do?"
It was no joke; thousands of Ironborn were not easy to deal with. Even with equal numbers, one would not dare to engage easily, let alone with fewer troops than the enemy. No one dared to offer a single suggestion.
In an instant, the entire hall fell into a deadly silence. The Knights and vassal representatives who had been talking so grandly earlier, and who had followed Arthur, now all lowered their heads. Some stared at the tips of their boots, others studied the wood grain on the table as if it were exquisitely carved.
In this suffocating awkwardness, everyone's gaze, as if pulled by an invisible hand, unconsciously and simultaneously turned towards the young man who had been sitting silently in the guest seat since the meeting began.
Lady Roslyn noticed this strange shift in gazes, her heart filled with confusion and a hint of displeasure. 'Why? Why is everyone looking at Arthur?' Her husband was the lord of Daintings City, and she was the mistress of the castle. This was the Lord's Hall of Daedings Family.
She was grateful for Arthur's reinforcements and his full response to the summons, but in her heart, the decisions should be made by her and her husband. Yet, at this moment, the vassal representatives and Daedings Family Knights who should have been sharing her worries were all looking at the young man, like students waiting for a teacher to ask a question.
Lady Roslyn took a deep breath. She had no choice but to turn her gaze to Arthur, her voice carrying a hint of unspoken, almost weak request: "Little Suleiman... what do you, what do you think we should do?"
Arthur stood up, and the moment he rose, a sight that would shock Lady Roslyn and Maester Walder for a hundred years occurred.
All the Knights who had been sitting casually, the leaders sent by the vassal families, including the always proud Patrick Morrison, involuntarily straightened their backs, placed their hands on their knees, and instantly became solemn.
Maester Walder, sitting beside Lady Roslyn, a flicker of shock in his cloudy eyes. The movements of these people were so uniform, as if they had undergone countless drills. They were afraid of this young man. This reverence was not for Lord Balon's wife or his own wife. The Old Maester keenly caught this detail, and a storm raged in his heart.
What was wrong with these people? Nominally, they pledged allegiance to Daedings Family, to Lord Balon far away in Seaguard, to Lady Roslyn before them. Yet, at this moment, their posture was as if they were waiting for Arthur's command.
Arthur did not answer immediately. His mind was racing. The army in the city was now primarily his troops. If they actively went out to fight the Ironborn, whether they won or lost, the losses would be his own forces, and there would be no significant returns. This was a complete loss-making venture; he could not do it.
He had to find a way that could solve the problem, make these colleagues' armies, who were just here to pass the time, effective in battle, preserve his own strength, and even profit.
A moment later, he spoke, his voice calm yet carrying a powerful force, echoing in the silent hall: "Lady, if you are willing to 'ruin your family to overcome difficulties,' then the Ironborn are nothing to fear."
Lady Roslyn, somewhat confused, asked: "Ruin my family to overcome difficulties?"
"What does that mean?"
Arthur's gaze swept over every face in the room, finally resting on Lady Roslyn, and he uttered a few simple, clear words:
"Under heavy rewards, there will always be brave warriors."
"A single Ironborn head for ten silver deer, or even a gold dragon. Once the bounty is announced, the territory will clear itself."
Maester Walder and Lady Roslyn both gasped in astonishment: "What did you say!"
"What!"
Ten silver deer for one head! This was absolutely insane. A well-trained soldier couldn't earn that much in a year's military pay.
An Old Knight loyal to Daintings City suddenly stood up, as if Arthur's words were too outrageous, causing his body to tremble uncontrollably.
His face flushed, he pointed at Arthur, vehemently advising Lady Roslyn: "No! Lady! Absolutely not!"
"If the smallfolk are gone! As long as there's land! We can recruit new ones! If the land is barren! Newcomers! Can reclaim it! But rebuilding requires gold dragons! If the gold dragons are gone! Then we truly have nothing!"
This Old Knight firmly believed that his loyal advice would surely receive everyone's support. This was a deep-seated belief of the noble class.
Land and wealth were the foundation of a family's survival. As long as there was land and gold dragons, everything could start anew. Land wouldn't run away; as long as there was land, people would beg to cultivate it, let alone gold dragons.
However, when he looked around, expecting agreement, he saw a sight that sent chills down his spine. The hall was still dead silent. The Knights and leaders from other families, those colleagues who should have been defending noble interests just like him, were all silent.
They didn't look at his agitation, nor at Lady Roslyn's pale face on the main seat. They simply watched Arthur, wanting to hear what he would say.
The Old Knight's excitement instantly froze, replaced by immense shock and confusion. 'What in the world is going on? What... what is this situation?' Even Lady Roslyn finally understood at this moment. She looked at the calm young man standing in the center of the hall, then at the vassals around him who were looking at him. A reality that she found absurd, humiliating, even disgraceful, yet had to admit, slithered into her mind like a venomous snake.
Who, exactly, was the liege lord here?
It felt as if Arthur was the true lord of everyone present.
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