Larys's words instinctively made Rhaenyra distance herself from him. She felt very uncomfortable with the thin, gloomy youth's way of speaking.
"Oh, Larys! I am truly sorry about that! But I think Harwin must have had good intentions at the time. After all, everyone was just a child, so it was hard to control their strength!"
"But I think the affection between you brothers is absolutely sincere. Just like I once thought I hated my sister, but in the three months she was missing, I truly learned the taste of sadness and despair."
"Larys, although you don't have Harwin's strong physique, a scholar's intelligent mind is the most powerful weapon in this world."
"Also, I hope you have a pleasant time in the Red Keep!"
Sensing Rhaenyra's resistance, Larys still wore a harmless smile on his face, but a hint of imperceptible cold light emanated from his deep eyes.
Harwin then introduced his two younger sisters to Rhaenyra,
"Princess Daniella, these are my two well-behaved younger sisters, Lily and Gilly. They are ten years old this year, the same age as you. They will also live with us in the Hand's Tower from now on, so I ask the Princess to take good care of them."
"Greetings, Princess Daniella!"
The two young girls were clearly very well-behaved, and their attire was very conservative and simple.
"Hello, Lily, Gilly!"
"It just so happens that I am lacking a few female companions, so your arrival is truly timely."
"I'm sure we'll get along very well!"
Rhaenyra had always envied Daenerys for having so many excellent handmaidens, but a few months ago, the companions who had grown up with her since childhood were all sent away by her mother, Aemma. Currently, she only had female officials and nuns by her side, monitoring and disciplining her every day under Aemma's orders.
"And this is?!"
While they were exchanging pleasantries, Rhaenyra's gaze was drawn to a tall, beautiful woman with a unique temperament behind Lily and Gilly. The woman's pupils glowed with a bewitching red hue, and her entire being exuded a mysterious aura.
"This is Arya River, Lily and Gilly's wet nurse."
"Greetings, Princess Daniella!"
"Hello, Arya!"
For some reason, when Rhaenyra saw Arya, she felt as if her blood was about to ignite. This feeling was somewhat similar to her first successful dragon ride and every time she performed a cremation ceremony, but it was clearly much stronger.
Just as she was feeling puzzled, a loud female voice suddenly echoed through the Godswood.
This made Rhaenyra turn her head to look.
However, it must be said that she was then stimulated by Daenerys's long list of titles.
"Princess of Holy Flame Island and Protector of Oldtown, Master of dragon, Ender of the Long Night, Eternal Warm Sun—Princess Daenerys of House Targaryen has arrived!"
Meggie, in brand new armor and looking valiant, announced with great pride.
She, Vada, and Maya led the way with their swords, while Margaery and Besani, along with other personal handmaidens, attended to Daenerys. Behind them were twenty female warriors, also in brand new equipment.
Upon seeing Princess Daenerys's grand procession, the nobles all instinctively tidied their appearance and then respectfully bowed to her in greeting.
After greeting everyone along the way, Daenerys finally returned to King Jaehaerys's side and proudly showed him her female warriors,
"Your Majesty, what do you think of my female warriors' new equipment?"
In fact, this valiant troop of female warriors immediately attracted everyone's attention the moment they entered the Godswood. In the Seven Kingdoms, skilled female warriors were not uncommon, but it was rare to gather so many at once.
Although these female warriors had not experienced the baptism of battle, under Vada's leadership, they had fought against the storms and beasts of the Ice Bay for three months during the Long Night and Winter, which forged in them a strong temperament that feared no hardship.
"Very rare! But why do the swords in their hands look so much like they are forged from Valyrian steel?"
Jaehaerys immediately saw that the smoke-black swords in the female warriors' hands all shimmered with beautiful ripple patterns, a typical characteristic of Valyrian swords.
Many of the nobles present also thought the same, but no one believed that someone could possess so many Valyrian swords.
Daenerys smiled and explained,
"These are just imitations; they look similar in appearance, but their performance is far inferior!"
Daenerys's words immediately put many people at ease. However, her grand display also gave many great nobles different ideas.
Because even if these swords were not made of Valyrian steel, being able to imitate them so closely meant their quality must still be excellent. And the development of this level of forging technology would certainly require strong economic support.
Of course, now that this forging technology has succeeded, it will bring unimaginable profits. After all, in this world, weapons and equipment are always the most expensive things.
Holy Flame Island has already become a new economic center on the Narrow Sea due to dragonflame wine, dragon porcelain, and that series of exquisite handicrafts. If this unique forging technology is added, it will undoubtedly elevate Holy Flame Island to a new level.
What worried them even more was that if the entire Targaryen Royal Family was equipped with this new armor and weapons, it would be enough to dominate the Seven Kingdoms even without dragon.
The small Holy Flame Island had already brought considerable wealth to Princess Daenerys. Now Oldtown and Yangwu City had become her direct territories, and Oldtown's prosperity was well-known throughout the Seven Kingdoms. It was imaginable how much immense wealth would be created under the management of the adept Daenerys.
Moreover, Oldtown and Yangwu City were densely populated, enough to conscript ten thousand warriors. This undoubtedly brought a qualitative change to the Targaryen Royal Family's military foundation.
Since the Conqueror's War, although House Targaryen became the king of the Seven Kingdoms, its direct territory was not large. The King's Landing's direct territory of House Targaryen could at most conscript over 3,000 warriors.
Of course, the nobles enfeoffed by King's Landing were mostly loyal to House Targaryen. All of them combined could conscript twenty to thirty thousand full-time soldiers.
Furthermore, House Baratheon of the Stormlands was originally founded by a bastard of House Targaryen. Therefore, these were the true military forces belonging to the Royal Family.
Now with the large cake of Oldtown, even the most densely populated The Reach in the Seven Kingdoms would find it difficult to contend with the Royal Family in terms of military strength.
Moreover, Daenerys's recent dispatch of people to develop the Ice Bay Peninsula and the Frozen Coast had already spread throughout the Seven Kingdoms. Although everyone did not believe such places had any development value, they also thought that Daenerys could always turn decay into wonder.
They also worried that Princess Daenerys might genuinely create something significant, especially since the Targaryen Royal Family's power was already too strong. Seeing the ever-expanding power of the Royal Family, many great nobles felt a heavy burden in their hearts.
So, beneath the calm surface of the lake, who knew how many undercurrents were slowly emerging.
"Grandfather, Daenerys, now that the Royal Family has so much Valyrian equipment, shouldn't I, the Commander of the King's Landing Guard, be equipped with some as well?!"
Daemon had just been happily drinking with several Gold Cloaks squad leaders and many second sons from great noble families, but he was suddenly shocked by Daenerys's grand display.
His previous display of power and prestige, swaggering through the streets and alleys of King's Landing with the Gold Cloaks, seemed to have been completely overshadowed by Daenerys. This was something Daemon absolutely could not tolerate, so he immediately went before King Jaehaerys and Daenerys to honestly make his request.
Daenerys kept her eyes down and said nothing, as she had already offered these items to the Royal Family, and now only His Majesty the King could decide. No matter how favored Daenerys was, she would always remember,
"The monarchy is something that no one is ever allowed to challenge!"
"Very well! During the Long Night and Winter, your Gold Cloaks served King's Landing well, so I bestow 'dark sister' upon you, the Commander of the King's Landing Guard, to wear."
After speaking, he ordered someone to retrieve "dark sister" from the display stand. King Jaehaerys drew dark sister, played with it carefully for a while, and then placed the sword on Daemon's shoulder, saying,
"From now on, dark sister will be worn by the Commander of the King's Landing Guard. I hope you will wield this sword to protect King's Landing and maintain the stability and safety of the capital."
"This sword was forged to commemorate the end of the Long Night and Winter, so the wielder of this sword shall clear away all hidden treachery and darkness, and restore peace and tranquility to the capital!"
"Yes!"
Daemon hadn't expected King Jaehaerys to agree so readily, so he quickly and respectfully accepted dark sister, happily playing with it.
"Cousin, you must pay attention! dark sister is tied to the Commander of the King's Landing Guard. If you lose this position, dark sister will no longer be yours to use!"
At Daemon's most triumphant moment, Daenerys poured a bucket of cold water on him, almost causing his emotions to spiral out of control, but he quickly changed his expression and said,
"You... Thank you, my dear cousin! Don't worry, I will definitely remember your reminder. I refuse to believe that with dark sister in hand and Giant Dragon Crackclaw at my command, anyone can take this position from me."
For some reason, when Daenerys saw Daemon's smug expression, she wanted to properly dampen his spirits.
"Three!"
Daenerys pouted, then held up three fingers and said,
"Your Majesty, Viserys, and me!"
"Hahaha~"
King Jaehaerys burst into laughter upon hearing this.
"Daenerys~"
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