When Varys finished speaking, the last trace of hope in Olenna's heart vanished.
She knew there was bad blood between Cersei and Tyrion, and that Tywin himself had wanted his dwarf son dead for years.
But that did not mean she had stopped searching for the true murderer of her grandson.
Given Cersei's temperament and her dislike of Margaery, Olenna knew the queen regent would never abandon her quest for vengeance merely because of an alliance with Highgarden.
What Olenna could not understand was how Varys had discovered her role in Joffrey's assassination.
The plot she and Petyr Baelish had crafted had been extraordinarily secretive.
Ser Dontos, the only other person who knew, was already dead.
Poor Sansa had disappeared with Littlefinger.
When Olenna had removed the poisoned crystal from Sansa's necklace, she had done so with extreme care. Varys had been seated in front of the royal dais during the wedding feast, and she simply did not believe he could have seen her actions through the crowd.
As for the moment when Margaery had innocently placed Joffrey's wine cup on Olenna's table—that had not been planned.
Margaery had known nothing about her grandmother's intention to poison her new husband.
How could she have cooperated in a crime she knew nothing about?
Originally, Olenna had intended to find another opportunity to administer the poison.
But when the cup had been set before her by chance, she had seized the opportunity and emptied the contents of the disguised poison capsule.
She had believed her actions completely invisible.
Even Margaery, the unwitting accomplice, had noticed nothing.
The subsequent trial of Tyrion had only confirmed how flawlessly her plan had succeeded.
Never had she imagined that while she and Margaery celebrated what they believed was a perfect victory, Varys would suddenly appear and identify her as the true culprit.
Though she still struggled to believe he had witnessed the poisoning firsthand, how else could he know so many details?
Who but an eyewitness could describe the event so precisely?
The thought that unseen eyes had watched her every move that day sent a chill through her body.
She had considered her conspiracy with Littlefinger flawless.
Instead, Varys—the Spider himself—had exposed it effortlessly.
At the same time, she found herself wondering whom Varys now served.
Another wedding massacre surfaced in her thoughts.
The Red Wedding.
Could it have been Varys who learned of Walder Frey's plot and secretly warned Robb Stark and his mother?
Otherwise, how could they possibly have escaped a trap that should have guaranteed their deaths?
After the disaster at the Twins, every noble in Westeros had speculated about why the massacre failed.
Tywin Lannister and Walder Frey were far too cunning to allow the Starks to escape through negligence.
If Tywin had truly believed Robb would survive, he would never have wasted Tyrion's marriage alliance on Sansa Stark.
The only reasonable explanation was that someone had leaked the plan.
Witnesses later reported that Robb had arrived with a thousand soldiers, doubled his personal guard, and ensured that every man carried hidden weapons beneath their clothing.
Only someone who had penetrated the deepest layers of secrecy could have warned him.
Only Varys, perhaps, possessed such reach.
And now that same man knew the truth behind the Purple Wedding.
At this point, Olenna could not help but admire him.
Varys quietly waited while she wrestled with her thoughts.
Finally, she asked:
"May I know for whom you are working, Lord Varys?"
"Not yet," Varys replied calmly. "In time, my lady, you will know."
His answer openly acknowledged that he no longer served Cersei.
After a moment, he continued.
"Cersei is neither a good ally nor someone who can be controlled. I believe you understand that better than most."
Olenna certainly did.
That was why she had planned to influence King Tommen directly rather than rely on Cersei.
But Varys's arrival had shattered all her calculations.
Now she was being forced to reconsider Highgarden's future entirely.
"And what would you advise?" she asked.
"For now, simply deal carefully with Cersei. When the time is right, I shall return."
Olenna almost wanted to strike his bald head.
Margaery was about to marry Tommen.
Only recently Olenna had been urging her granddaughter to produce an heir as quickly as possible.
Now Varys had upended everything—and offered nothing but vague promises.
If she waited much longer, Margaery might already have children.
How was she supposed to abandon the alliance with Cersei under those circumstances?
At least tell me whom you serve, she thought.
If I knew your master's strength, perhaps I could arrange a marriage alliance there instead.
Unable to contain herself, she finally asked:
"Is it Robb Stark of the North?"
"Robb?" Varys repeated, briefly surprised.
Only then did he realize how she had arrived at that conclusion.
So she believes I was the one who warned Robb about the Red Wedding.
The thought almost made him laugh.
In truth, she was not entirely wrong.
Seeing his momentary surprise followed by a shake of the head, Olenna grew even more confused.
Had she guessed incorrectly?
Had someone else warned Robb?
"I apologize for disturbing you, my lady," Varys said, rising to leave. "I shall take my leave."
Since Varys clearly had no intention of revealing his master's identity, Olenna could do nothing but watch him go while reconsidering the future of House Tyrell.
As Varys walked away, he found himself replaying Olenna's expression in his mind.
The mixture of shock and apprehension had been deeply satisfying.
For the first time in a long while, he felt like the true Master of Whisperers again.
This, he thought, was how a spymaster ought to be.
Outside Riverrun
Far away, outside the walls of Riverrun, Edmure Tully hung battered and bloodied from a gallows.
Standing before him was Ser Daven Frey, one of Walder Frey's sons.
With a whip in hand, Daven struck his brother-in-law again and again.
During the Red Wedding, it had been Daven who welcomed Robb Stark into the Twins.
He had even mocked Robb for bringing a thousand soldiers to a wedding.
What he had not expected was that those thousand men would take advantage of the confusion caused by fires in the castle's haystacks.
They had scaled the walls, seized the gates, and opened a path for Robb and the northern lords to escape back to Riverrun.
Afterward, Walder Frey had raged at his son.
Daven had been thrown into a dungeon for several days.
Once released, he had inherited his brother's duty.
Every day, he tied Edmure to the gallows and flogged him publicly in an attempt to force Riverrun's surrender.
But Robb Stark and the Blackfish were not about to open the gates simply because Edmure was suffering.
No matter how brutal the punishment became, Riverrun remained defiant.
-----------------------
Completed English PDF of this fan-fic on my Patreon shop if you want to support and own the full fan-fic in one go. Just grab the PDF and binge the entire story from start to finish!
Guys, I've uploaded some High Quality english translated fanfic on my Patreon shop! Feel free to check it out-if you're interested, you can grab a copy and support me there.
Here are a few titles of recently uploaded fanfics:
New Addition:
" Game of Thrones: High King of Padania "
" Game of Thrones: The Throne at the Peak of Power "
" Game of Thrones: Pride of Winter "
Your support means a lot-thanks in advance, legends!
many more are available 30+.
patreon.com/EminentWriter
(End of Chapter)