At this moment, Nefas was completely speechless.
Hugh merely paused, picked up the wine cup on the table, took a sip, and stared at him.
"Silverwing. Vermithor. Those two dragons—you want them."
"But Silverwing already has a rider. That little bitch Saera may be a bastard, but she's still a dragonrider. She listens to the Blacks."
"Vermithor is a wild dragon, but it follows Silverwing. Wherever Silverwing goes, it goes."
"So if you want those two dragons, you first have to deal with Saera."
Nefas's expression changed.
"How do you deal with Saera?" Hugh continued. "Kill her?"
"Then Silverwing becomes a riderless dragon. Which one of you can tame it? No one."
"So you can't kill her."
"You have to control her."
"And what are you going to use to control her? Her newborn son."
"As long as you control that child, Saera will have no choice but to obey you."
He set the wine cup down and looked at Nefas. "Am I right?"
Nefas was silent for a moment before slowly nodding. "Lord Hugh truly is clever."
"I'm not clever." Hugh shook his head. "I've just seen this kind of trick too many times."
"You Volantenes aren't any different from those highborn pieces of trash."
"You make a promise, paint a pretty dream, then send someone else to die for you."
Nefas's expression completely changed.
Hugh looked at him, then suddenly laughed. "Relax, Lord Nefas."
"I never said I wouldn't do it."
Nefas froze for a moment, then the smile returned to his face. "Lord Hugh truly understands the greater good—"
"But I have conditions," Hugh cut him off.
"Please, speak."
Hugh raised three fingers.
"First, I want Myr. Not as governor. As Prince. Prince of Myr."
Nefas's smile stiffened.
Hugh continued, "Second, I want Volantis to pay for me to build an army."
"Three thousand men, fully armed, under my command."
"The wages, provisions, equipment—you cover all of it."
The muscles on Nefas's face began twitching.
"Impossible!" Nefas blurted out.
Hugh merely looked at him without speaking.
Nefas took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. "Lord Hugh, your conditions… are too excessive."
"Myr was bought with Volantis blood. It cannot simply be granted to someone else."
"I know." Hugh cut him off mercilessly. "That's exactly why I'm asking for those conditions."
He leaned back in his chair, casually toying with the Valyrian steel sword they had gifted him.
"Lord Nefas, I know exactly what Volantis wants."
"You want dragons. You want to become a new dragonlord house. You want to restore the glory of the Valyrian Freehold."
"And for that, you're willing to pay any price."
He paused, staring at Nefas.
"Am I wrong?"
Nefas said nothing.
Hugh continued.
"Can you actually obtain dragons?"
He wagged a finger at Nefas.
"You can't."
"The only way is through controlling Saera."
"But that woman Saera? She's no fool."
"Do you really think she'll listen to you?"
Hugh raised the sword and looked at the flowing ripples of light across the Valyrian steel blade.
"But if it's me, that's a different story."
Then he lowered the sword and looked at Nefas.
"Buy one, get two. What a bargain, hm?"
"My lord, you should understand just how much risk I'd be taking by betraying the Blacks."
"Prince Lucerys showed me kindness. Queen Rhaenyra trusts me. The castle guards all obey my orders."
"With a single command, I could have that child carried out."
"But the moment I do that, I become a traitor. A dishonorable rat who betrays trust."
He leaned forward and locked eyes with Nefas.
"So tell me—wouldn't all that be worth a Prince of Myr?"
Nefas remained silent for a long time.
He remembered what his aunt Eluna had said.
He had to obtain Saera, then marry this bastard girl…
"Lanser needs dragons. It needs Silverwing and Vermithor."
"Only then can Volantis truly rise and become the master of the eastern continent."
As for Myr… what was Myr, really?
Just a piece of territory.
As long as they obtained dragons, House Lanser could have everything.
"Fine." Nefas finally spoke. "I accept."
Hugh looked at him, a trace of surprise flashing through his eyes. "Agreed that quickly? You're not even going to think it over?"
"I already have." Nefas replied. "Prince of Myr. All of it—I can promise you."
"But there's one condition."
"Speak."
"You must do what you claimed."
"Control that child and make Saera obey you."
"Only then can we continue this arrangement."
Hugh laughed. "Relax. I can do it. I'm the one responsible for the castle's defenses, and the guards are all my men."
"If I want to seize that child, it'll be effortless."
He paused, then looked at Nefas.
"But first, you need to give me a guarantee."
"What kind of guarantee?"
"A blood oath."
Nefas's expression changed.
A blood oath.
An ancient Valyrian tradition—swearing by blood. Legend said that anyone who broke such an oath would suffer a curse of blood, and both they and their descendants would meet miserable ends.
Of course, it was only a legend. No one had ever witnessed it firsthand.
But to descendants of Valyria like them, it was still the most solemn and sacred oath possible.
"You've grown bold!" Nefas glared at him furiously.
Hugh remained unmoved.
"Lord Nefas, it's not that I don't trust you."
"You swore yourselves to the Blacks, and now you're betraying them. Frankly, I don't have much faith in your oaths."
"What if you decide to go back on your word after everything's done?"
Nefas took a deep breath, struggling to suppress his anger.
Myr—so be it if he gave it away.
As long as they gained those two dragons, Volantis would dominate the entire eastern continent.
When that time came, Braavos, Lys, Pentos—they would all be nothing but chickens and dogs before them.
And once the glory of Valyria was restored, he, Nefas Lanser, would become the founding emperor of the new Valyrian Empire.
What was a blood oath compared to that?
He slowly rose to his feet and drew the Valyrian steel sword at his waist.
The blade was shorter than the one in Hugh's hand, but just as exquisite, just as sharp.
Runes were engraved along its surface as well—
Flowing Light.
He sliced open his finger with the blade, and blood welled out.
Then, upon a sheet of parchment, he silently wrote while slowly reciting in Valyrian: "I, Nefas Lanser, swear by blood, with the gods as witness."
"If Hugh succeeds in controlling the son of Jacaerys and makes Saera obey him, I shall fulfill my promise and name him Prince of Myr."
"If I betray this oath, then let me and my descendants suffer the curse of blood and fire, and sink into eternal ruin."
Drops of blood fell to the ground, seeping into the cracks between the stone tiles.
Hugh watched the scene with a satisfied smile on his face.
He also rose to his feet, took the sword from Nefas's hand, cut open his own finger, and wrote his oath in blood: "I, Hugh, descendant of King Jaehaerys, swear by blood."
"I shall control the son of Jacaerys and make Saera serve our cause."
"If I betray this oath, let me suffer the punishment of dragonfire and die without burial."
The two men looked at each other—
Then both smiled at the same time.
Nefas raised his wine cup.
"To the future Prince of Myr. Let us drink."
Hugh raised his cup as well.
"My lord, a toast."
The wine slid down their throats, and the smiles on their faces deepened.
But the thoughts in their hearts were entirely different.
Hugh thought to himself:
Prince of Myr? Who cares about that?
The blood of King Jaehaerys flows through my veins. I am a true Targaryen descendant as well.
As long as I control that child, Saera will have to obey me.
And once that happens, Silverwing and Vermithor will belong to me.
With two dragons in hand, and the Blacks and Greens tearing each other apart, that will be the perfect moment for my rise.
Prince Lucerys?
Sorry about this. You promoted me, but you also stand in my way.
When the time comes, I'll hold Prince Lucerys hostage, along with Prince Daemon's two daughters. The Blacks won't dare act rashly against me.
And once the Blacks and Greens have nearly destroyed each other, I'll make my move…
The Iron Throne may not be beyond my reach.
Meanwhile, Nefas was thinking something entirely different.
Give you Myr? Dream on.
Once the deed is done and the dragons are ours, what use will you still have?
Silverwing and Vermithor will belong to Volantis.
I, Nefas Lanser, will marry Saera and become the founding emperor of the new Valyrian Empire.
And House Lanser will become the new dragonlord house…
As for the blood oath?
It was nothing more than a legend.
The two men exchanged smiles again, each harboring his own schemes.
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