The naming day of the twin princesses and the Valyrian weapons exhibition were the first nationwide noble gatherings after the end of the Long Night and Winter, so everyone was in high spirits.
Moreover, with Princess Daenerys's full support, the feast offered an endless supply of delicious food and fine wine, and various song and dance performances and dwarf plays were exceptionally splendid, leaving all the visiting nobles feeling extremely satisfied.
The negative emotions accumulated over three months of the Long Night and Winter seemed to be perfectly released at this moment.
Currently, Daenerys's influence in the Red Keep is already quite strong; to better care for King Jaehaerys, she had already arranged many court ladies and internal officials to be her own people even before the Long Night, while accompanying Jaehaerys in handling state affairs.
King Jaehaerys was naturally aware of Daenerys's actions, but behind those she cleared out were the shadows of other great nobles. The people Daenerys chose mostly came from Dragonstone or were commoners, absolutely loyal to the Royal Family.
King Jaehaerys initially observed with cold eyes, but when he saw that the atmosphere in the Red Keep had improved, he chose to turn a blind eye to Daenerys's actions. After all, the Red Keep now made his life more comfortable and pleasant.
During the Long Night and Winter, Harold also requisitioned two hundred Dragon Guards and three hundred Unsullied to garrison the Hand's Tower, becoming the strongest military force within the Red Keep, under the pretext of protecting Viserys's safety.
Although Prince Daemon's Gold Cloaks numbered three thousand, nearly half of them were those Daenerys had eliminated when selecting Dragon Guards, and many had secretly become Daenerys's people.
Furthermore, while there were many experts among the Gold Cloaks, they were still much inferior compared to the Dragon Guards and Unsullied. After all, the Dragon Guards were selected by Daenerys through rigorous rounds, representing the most excellent young knights in all of Westeros.
As for the Unsullied, there's no need to say more; they survived only after enduring brutal training and selection. The combat power of every Unsullied is comparable to an excellent knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Their combat power is even more astonishing in team combat; it's no exaggeration to say that three hundred Unsullied can almost contend against thousands of ordinary soldiers.
Another point is that most of Prince Daemon's expenses were sponsored by Holy Flame Island. Because the Royal Family's allocation was not enough for him to lead his subordinates in daily revelry.
So, in the perception of many Gold Cloaks, Princess Daenerys was their true boss, and Prince Daemon was just an employee. Of course, due to Daemon's personal charm, these were all his loyal supporters.
Besides King's Landing, the Holy Flame Island merchant fleet has used economic means to infiltrate Daenerys's influence into many towns.
Especially after Daenerys took Oldtown, the Seven Gods Church and the Citadel have both been brought under her control. The entire Seven Kingdoms, due to Daenerys's sudden rise, has seen subtle changes in the noble power structure.
Everyone naturally wanted to seize this opportunity to gather as much information as possible or forge more alliances.
No noble in the Seven Kingdoms would genuinely wish to see the Targaryen Royal Family dominate, as that would certainly not align with their family interests. However, facing the Targaryen who could ride dragons, no one was foolish enough to dare easily provoke the Royal Family.
Since Daenerys uprooted the Hightower Family, there was no family in the Seven Kingdoms capable of strategizing across all of Westeros, slowly eroding and dividing the Targaryen Family's power.
However, those top great nobles never gave up their schemes. Taking advantage of this gathering, they probed each other and exchanged glances, but all of this did not escape the eyes of King Jaehaerys on the high platform.
He knew very well that the schemes and stratagems among the great nobles would never cease, but with the current strength of the Targaryen Family, he no longer paid them any mind.
King Jaehaerys sat on the high platform, looking at the scene of peace and prosperity, feeling deeply comforted. Throughout his many years of rule, despite constant turmoil, he had perfectly resolved them all.
He never expected that as he neared his grave, he would encounter the Long Night and Winter, which almost ended his lifelong reputation. Fortunately, because Daenerys was present, this disaster was ended prematurely in just three months, adding a significant and glorious chapter to King Jaehaerys's reign.
Viserys and Queen Aemma held the twin princesses, accepting everyone's blessings with happy expressions. Although Rhaenyra was not very fond of socializing, she tried her best to cooperate from the side.
Because she saw the increasing gap between herself and her sister Daenerys, she still felt a bit unwilling, so she wanted to improve herself as much as possible. However, she had also matured a lot during this time, especially when Daenerys went missing; that worry and pain made her truly realize how important her family was to her.
So, although Rhaenyra still envies Daenerys now, she no longer resents her, and is instead trying to adjust and make herself better.
"Congratulations, Prince Viserys, Queen Aemma!"
Lord Strong of Harrenhal, Lyonel, with his two sons and many daughters, greeted Viserys.
"They are truly two beautiful little princesses, and they will surely be as outstanding and beautiful as Princess Rhaenyra and Princess Daenerys."
"Lyonel, you finally decided to show up!"
"This time you must stay by my side. I have already reserved a place for you in the Hand's Tower."
Viserys handed Rhaenys to Rhaenyra to hold, then enthusiastically embraced the Lord of Harrenhal. Lyonel Strong was one of Viserys's childhood playmates, his best friend.
However, a few years ago, to inherit Harrenhal, Lyonel left King's Landing and lived a comfortable life as a lord.
But Viserys and Lord Lyonel's correspondence never ceased, and the reason Lord Lyonel brought his entire family this time was that he was already prepared.
"Of course, otherwise, why do you think I brought the entire Harrenhal to King's Landing with such a large entourage this time?!"
Lord Lyonel's eldest son, Harwin, was only fourteen this year but was exceptionally tall and burly. However, his eyes, when looking at Rhaenyra, were so gentle they seemed to drip with water, giving the impression of an eternity in a year.
"You... your arm is alright, isn't it?"
Seeing Harwin again, Rhaenyra was a bit embarrassed for a moment. After all, last time she took his money and took Harwin for a dragon ride, but ended up breaking his arm.
"It's been fine for a long time, look!"
Harwin even performed several difficult moves in front of Rhaenyra.
"My body is very good; I've been injured quite a bit while practicing as a knight. That little injury last time was nothing at all!"
"Oh, by the way, Princess! This is my younger brother, Larys. Don't let his thin appearance fool you; his mind is excellent. It's as if all the books in Harrenhal are imprinted in his brain."
"Hello, beautiful Princess Rhaenyra!"
The 12-year-old Larys, although not short, was very thin, and his right foot had some difficulty moving.
"Hello, Larys!"
Seeing Rhaenyra inadvertently glance at his right foot a few times, Larys said with seemingly nonchalant self-mockery,
"I've been frail since childhood. My brother Harwin thought of many ways to motivate me. My right foot is a result of my brother's forceful motivation when I was young!"
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Greyhounds
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"