Leaving behind the vassals who tried to persuade him to stay, Rhaegar, with Rhaenyra holding his arm, returned to their chamber.
As soon as they entered, Rhaenyra eagerly said, "Jeyne is rallying the noble ladies and wives. She has promised two noblewomen they will inherit their families."
"I expected as much."
Lying on the bed, Rhaegar remained indifferent.
"Jeyne discussed this with you?"
Rhaenyra scrutinized him, her gaze sharp.
"Jeyne is smarter than you think. The Arryn branch in Gulltown has fallen, and Arnold's Arryn line is finished too."
Speaking as if it were only natural, Rhaegar chuckled and continued, "Next, she will return to the Eyrie to rally the remaining Arryn branches and console the families of the victims, securing a group of loyal followers in the process."
The Black Wedding had indeed claimed the lives of many nobles.
Among them were those who had obeyed Jeyne's orders and those who had ignored or opposed her.
With all of them dead, along with the elimination of traitors, the power structure of the Vale had been left unprecedentedly empty.
Now, Duchess Jeyne, standing at the peak of authority, had the perfect opportunity to establish a unified and centralized government in the Vale.
Furthermore, only the noble heads and heirs had perished—knights and soldiers under their command remained untouched.
Thus, the overall strength of the Vale was not diminished.
As long as Jeyne could withstand the pressure, she, backed by the royal family, would be the greatest beneficiary of the rebellion's aftermath.
Hearing this, Rhaenyra was startled and covered her mouth. "Are you saying Jeyne might have…"
"Shh!"
Rhaegar whispered, "Don't speculate blindly. She was trapped in danger with us as well."
In his view, Arnold's conspiracy and the factional rebellion likely had Jeyne's subtle influence behind them.
However, the grave injuries suffered by Yobert and the heavy price of the Black Wedding carried immense risks.
Most likely, Jeyne had underestimated the situation, never expecting Arnold and the mountain clans to act with such ruthless insanity.
---
### In Another Chamber
Janyce lay on the bed, her face deathly pale, still unconscious.
Creak—
The door opened, and Jeyne stepped in quietly.
Sitting by the bed, she gazed at her friend's face and gently dabbed at her forehead's cold sweat with a handkerchief.
"Janyce, you must be strong. Wake up soon."
Lowering her eyes, Jeyne took her hand and murmured, "Yobert is getting old. I need you to help me bear this burden."
That night, she had successfully won over most of the noble ladies and wives.
Jarro and old Glynn were also following her lead.
Her precarious position as Duchess would soon be firmly secured.
---
### King's Landing
News of the High Septon's assassination spread like wildfire.
The entire city of King's Landing buzzed with talk about the High Septon's depravity—how, before his death, he had been caught engaging in vile acts with young children at a brothel.
And he wasn't the only victim. More than a dozen high-ranking septons had been assassinated as well.
All of them were found dead in various brothels, their throats slit, and their severed genitals stuffed into their mouths.
Within just three days, the scandal surrounding the Faith of the Seven ignited a massive public outcry.
At the same time, another figure faced mounting scrutiny: the newly appointed Master of Laws, Otto Hightower.
Some began investigating Otto's financial aid to the impoverished, discovering that all the money came directly from the royal treasury.
Furthermore, those treasury funds had been divided into two portions.
One part was used to purchase food and aid the poor, while the larger portion had been donated to the Faith of the Seven.
Rumors spread rapidly.
Regardless of the truth, Otto Hightower's reputation among the common folk had been utterly ruined.
---
### The Red Keep
Alicent and Otto sat across from each other, sharing dinner.
Calmly, Otto took small bites of his steak, unfazed by the swirling rumors.
"Father, someone is trying to smear you. If this continues, you'll face an inquiry."
Alicent frowned, barely able to focus on the food before her.
"There's no need to worry."
Otto set down his knife and fork, took a small sip of red wine, and said, "I haven't taken a single coin from the treasury. Lord Lyman can attest to that."
---
He did have financial and sexual dealings with the High Septon.
But all the money came from the Hightower family.
Now that he had returned to the center of power, why would he leave any loopholes for others to exploit?
Frustrated, Alicent said, "But your associate was murdered in a brothel, and the scandal is everywhere."
Even deep within the Red Keep, news of the High Septon's disgrace had reached her ears.
One could only imagine the uproar among the people of King's Landing.
"You're mistaken. We merely entered King's Landing together—we were neither partners nor allies."
Otto dismissed any association cleanly, shaking his head with a wry smile. "To be honest, I didn't expect Max to be so foolish, but it doesn't change anything."
As the Master of Laws, his top priority was the city's sanitation reform.
Helping the poor was nothing more than a political maneuver to win favor.
At the same time, he wanted to test the waters and see just how deep the currents of King's Landing ran.
And sure enough, he got his answer.
A group of assassins had killed the High Septon without a trace, spread the scandal, and pinned the blame on him.
It was nothing less than a warning.
Stay in line, or they would slit his throat just as easily.
Instead of being alarmed, Otto was secretly pleased. The one who died was that fool Max, not him.
That meant he could stay in King's Landing and continue his work.
After some thought, Otto murmured, "There is one complication—King's Landing's underground forces are deeply entrenched. My intelligence network has been too weak these past few years."
Information was crucial to getting things done.
He needed to rebuild a new intelligence network—one that would give him insight into everything happening in the city.
Hearing this, Alicent looked up and gazed at her father in confusion.
Leaning back in his chair, Otto said gently, "You know who holds the most complete intelligence network."
"But…"
Alicent hesitated, wanting to argue, but Otto waved his hand, cutting her off. "What matters is having it in our hands. We need more allies."
With that, he gave her no chance to refuse, stood up, and left the room.
Watching her father's retreating figure, Alicent's eyes were filled with dissatisfaction. She clenched her fingers tightly.
After a long moment, she slammed the table in frustration, then adjusted her gown and rose to her feet.
She pushed open the door.
A White Cloak stood guard outside, his face identical to Ser Erryk's.
Alicent composed herself and took a deep breath. "Ser Arryk, accompany me to the dungeons."
"Yes, Your Grace."
Ser Arryk kept his gaze steady and followed behind her.
Before long, they arrived at the dungeons of the Red Keep.
At the sight of the graceful Alicent, the imprisoned men leered, their eyes gleaming as they spewed filthy words.
Ser Arryk seized his moment, grabbing one of the prisoners by the hair and smashing his face against the iron bars.
He kept going until the man was bloodied and unconscious.
Alicent turned her head away and whispered, "Thank you, Ser."
"Just doing my duty."
Ser Arryk replied coolly, resting a hand on his sword hilt as he swept a warning glance over the prisoners.
No one dared to utter another word. They all shrank back into the darkness.
"Ser, wait here."
Upon reaching the depths of the dungeon, Alicent halted and spoke to Arryk before stepping forward alone.
Ser Arryk cast a glance at the cell she approached, then turned away, standing guard.
Alicent stopped in front of a tightly barred cell and peered inside.
"Daemon, I know you can hear me."
Looking at the silver-haired man sitting on the bed, Alicent broke the silence.
(End of Chapter)