iron throne of ice and fire

Chapter 402 Sweet Talk
Cersei's full breasts rose and fell several times before she squeezed out her own voice: "Kevan, I am the Queen Regent. I should protect my son."

Lord Kevan glanced at Cersei coldly and said, "Your father doesn't think so."

Cersei's voice rose slightly. "My father is dead."

Lord Kevan put down his glass, paused, and spoke slowly: "This is my misfortune, and the misfortune of the entire kingdom. Cersei, open your eyes and see yourself clearly. Your father could have ended the chaos in the Seven Kingdoms, but you..."

Cersei interrupted Kevan angrily: "I can also end the chaos in the Seven Kingdoms like my father did!"

After she finished yelling, she paused for a moment, staring at Kevan with her green eyes, lowered her voice, and continued: "...With your assistance, my uncle. As long as you are as loyal to me as you are to my father..."

Kevan shook his head: "Cersei, you are not your father. Besides, your father has always regarded Jaime as his true heir."

Cersei flexed her fingers. "Jaime wore white robes during the reign of King Aerys. The Kingsguard had no lands, no wives, and no children. He knew what that meant. Even if there was a way to get him to take off the white robes, he never liked to think. He preferred to laugh at everyone and everything. He was never fit to be a ruler."

Hearing this, Lord Kevan's forehead wrinkles deepened. "Despite this, Jaime is your first choice for Hand of the King. Why is that, Cersei?"

Cersei's eyes could not help but move to the other side, moving her lips and saying: "I told you, I was immersed in sorrow at the time and didn't think carefully..."

"Improper consideration."

Repeating Cersei's words, Kevan stared at her and said, "This is why you must return to Casterly Rock. The kingdom now needs a thoughtful person to rule more than ever."

How dare he look down on her!

The lioness stood up suddenly and said: "The king is my son!"

Facing the lioness's roar, Lord Kevan's tone remained unhurried: "Of course Tommen is your son, but judging from Joffrey's fate, you are as unqualified to be a mother as you are to be a ruler."

"Asshole!" The lioness poured the wine in the cup onto Kevan's face.

Lord Kevan stood up slowly, wine flowing down his chin and dripping from his short-cut beard. There was anger in his eyes, but more of disappointment.

"Your Majesty, I'm sorry, but could you allow me to take my leave?"

In Cersei's eyes, Kevan was extremely arrogant. She screamed, "Who are you to make conditions with me? You are just a knight raised by my father! You can't even give up your own territory..."

As she spoke, she suddenly remembered Harrenhal, which her father had given to Kevan, and it was her father who had raised the appetite of the man in front of her.

Her clear green eyes moved slightly, and she raised her chin slightly, saying, "Harrenhal is nothing but a ruin. If you swear allegiance to me, I promise... ...when Davon captures Riverrun, I will give it to you."

"Indeed, I am glad that you can see the devastation that is there, but Cersei... you don't have your father's eyes for the future."

Kevan's eyes grew deep. "When your grandfather died, he treated all his children well, and Tywin also knew how to reward others for their service. As a result, my family has money piled up into boxes. Lannisport... there are also two hundred sworn knights loyal to me. In a month at most, they will enter Harrenhal."

"Are you threatening me?"

Ignoring Cersei's foolish question, Kevan continued: "Why did your father give me Harrenhal? Because he knew I was capable of governing this place. What was his ultimate goal? Let me tell you, your father wanted to completely end the rule of the trout of Riverrun in the riverlands."

After a pause, he looked directly at Cersei: "And listen, I am not threatening you, I am giving you advice. Your Majesty, if you are wise, please do not regard me as your enemy."

Cersei's hands clenched into fists. "You made me treat you as an enemy. This is your own choice."

Kevan wanted to leave immediately, but thinking of his brother and Lannister... He took a deep breath and said, "If you don't want me to be regent, then appoint me as the acting lord of Casterly Rock, and then directly promote Lord Matus Rowan to be the Prime Minister. I also want to remind you... unless you can marry Myrcella to him, don't let Lord Green take the position of Prime Minister."

Lord Matus? Isn't he Tyrell's confidant? Kevan's suggestion left Cersei speechless. When did Tyrell bribe her uncle? !
Looking at the expression on Cersei's face at this moment, Kevan deeply realized for the first time how difficult it was for his brother Tywin.

His chest rose and fell slowly as he explained, "Lord Matus is not only wise and prudent, but also widely loved. More importantly, his wife is from the Redwyne family. The relationship between the nobles in the Reach is delicate. If you nominate the great vassal of the Tyrell family as the Prime Minister, the Duke of Mace will not be able to object. He is a sensible man... He is a man who knows how to repay. If you appoint him, he will become your man. In this way, you will strengthen your own power, weaken Tyrell, and the Duke of Mace will have to thank you for your behavior."

He added: "Lord Green is a famous general. After Lord Tywin's death, no one is more capable than him to end the war in the Seven Kingdoms. But he is not needed in peacetime, and those who are good at using troops prefer to concentrate power in their own hands, because this can better guarantee their victory in the war. If you put him in the position of Prime Minister, even if he has no other ambitions, he will control the power of the Red Castle. He may have love for you, but this kind of thing is not worth even a bronze star in the face of power conflicts."

He continued, "If you have a conflict with Duke Green, the balance between the Lannisters, Tyrells, and Crabbes of the Red Castle will be instantly broken, and the Seven Kingdoms will fall into another greater chaos. At that time... your father will no longer be able to stand up and clean up the mess for you."

Kevan analyzed the situation for his niece sincerely, but she looked at him more and more as if he were a traitor. He couldn't help but let out anger in his voice. "My advice ends here. It's up to you whether you listen to it or not. Anyway, it has nothing to do with me if you want to appoint Moon Boy (the jester of the Red Keep) as the Prime Minister."

Seeing Kevan was about to leave, Cersei shouted angrily: "When your king needed you most, you abandoned him. You abandoned Tommen, Kevan Lannister!"

Kevan paused, his green eyes meeting Cersei's without blinking, the last drop of red liquid trembled under his chin and fell.

"Woman, Tommen has his mother to look after him, and...he has his father."

As soon as Kevan finished speaking, Cersei's pupils suddenly shrank and she froze in place.

Kevan was gone for a long time before Cersei came back to her senses. How did he know this? Who else knew this?

James...she had to find him immediately and work out a solution together.

The foot she raised paused. What could she do if she went after him? She knew what he would do, which was to escape from King's Landing. But the lioness would never give up cowardly! She suppressed her inner panic. Yes, the lioness would never give up. She would turn all those who dared to be her enemy into ashes!
After a pause, Cersei called her maid in to tidy up her desk. At the same time... she began to think about what to do next. Something unexpected happened with Kevan's arrangement, and she had to do something.

The three maids quickly cleaned up the study, and after they left, Cersei called in the Kettleblack brothers.

Glancing at Osfrey and Osney standing in front of the table, Cersei reached out and pulled out a blank sheepskin and spread it on the table, picked up the quill pen, and said, "Ser Osfrey Kettleblack, considering your loyal performance as the captain of my guard, I will appoint you as the commander-in-chief of the King's Landing Guard (Gold Cloaks)."

Cersei dipped the tip of her quill pen in ink. Unlike Osney's ecstasy, Ser Osfryd hesitated and said cautiously, "Your Majesty, given my status... I'm afraid many gold cloaks will be unwilling to obey my orders, the nobles of the crown..."

Cersei interrupted impatiently, "If you cannot make the gold cloaks obey you, it will be your fault. Then... I will send you to the dark cell, to accompany the former commander of the gold cloaks, Adam Marbrand, forever."

Sir Osfried shrugged, knelt on one knee, and said, "Thank you for your gift, Your Majesty. I will never let you down."

Cersei nodded slightly with satisfaction, then she turned her gaze to Osfryd's brother and said, "Ser Osney, I appoint you as Ser Osfryd's lieutenant, to assist him in controlling the gold cloaks, and to serve as the captain of the gold cloak guard of the Red Keep."

Osney knelt down as well. He grinned and said, "Please rule your kingdom with confidence. I will protect your safety with all my heart. I swear on my life."

The quill in her hand began to wave. Cersei lowered her head and wrote. After a pause, she said in a cold voice, "Step down and fulfill your duties."

After writing down the appointments of Catelyn's brothers, Queen Cersei pulled out another blank piece of parchment.

The majesty of the lioness cannot be offended, and he must punish Kevan's arrogance.

rustling.

Her mother's brother, Ser Davan Lannister, was appointed Warden of the West.

Her cousin, Ser Damion Lannister, was appointed acting lord of Casterly Rock.

Her Uncle Kevan, let him guard those broken stones of Harrenhal!

…………

At night, at Crabbe Manor outside King's Landing.

"Good night, Lady Arianne."

Green greeted politely as if they were meeting for the first time, which made Princess Arianne, who was good at hiding her emotions, couldn't help but clench her fist.

She turned sideways on the recliner, propped her cheek with one hand, and sneered, "If I'm not mistaken, my sister and I can finally leave this cell, right?"

Green sat on a chair a little further away from her, raised his eyebrows, and said, "Actually, you don't have to be too grateful. I'm just worried that the hospitality is not warm enough."

Princess Arianne still had a sneer on her face: "A passionate cell? If I hadn't fallen in love with you at first sight, I would have dueled with you without hesitation."

Green shrugged. "I have to politely decline your Highness's kindness. I'm afraid I'm not qualified to be one of your lovers."

Arianne's dark eyes moved slightly, and the smile on her face became gentle. She blinked one eye and said, "Perhaps, I will be willing to wear the blue cloak of the Crabbe family."

Green shrugged helplessly again: "Lady Arianne, you are the heir of Sunspear City. I can't give you anything better than this in exchange for your love."

With her other hand, Arianne gently played with a strand of black hair. She smiled and said, "Duke Green, the charm you exude is enough to make a woman do anything for you."

Lord Green had heard enough of Cersei and Margaery... and was even a little fed up with the sweet words of the noble ladies. He calmly untied the wine bag from his waist, pulled out the cork, and took a sip of wine.

Facing Princess Arianne's temptation, he chose to ignore it and said directly: "Your Highness, during your stay at Crabbe Manor, a major change happened in the Red Keep. Lord Tywin died, and King Joffrey died."

He took another sip, looked at Arianne, who had straightened up in the couch, and added, “I’m not kidding you.”

Arianne did not hide her emotions this time. She said in disbelief, "Tell me, what happened?"

She climbed down from the recliner, came to Green, snatched the wine bag from Green's hand, took a sip of the wine, and said, "Do you know who killed them?"

Green took the wineskin Arianne tossed him, glanced down at its mouth, and said, "It happened nine nights ago. King Joffrey killed Lord Tywin with a sword in the throne room, and he died in the bathtub in his bedroom not long after."

As he stood up, he put the cork back into the wineskin and said, "As for the specific cause of the king's death, whether it was an accident or murder, people are still arguing about it."

Princess Arianne's eyes moved. She thought for a while, looked up at Green, and said, "What do you think it is? Did someone murder the king?"

Green nodded slightly and said, "I agree with most people. Although King Joffrey is still a minor, his body is as strong as an adult. If he was not murdered, how could he drown in the bathtub? If this was an accident, it would be the biggest joke in the Seven Kingdoms."

He smiled as Arianne stared at him, and added, "If the wise Princess Arianne had not come to visit my estate, but had remained in King's Landing, I think the Lannisters would have been happy to treat you and your sister as assassins who murdered the king."

Arianne smiled softly. She moved closer and put her arm around Green's arm. She said, "I never thought something so dangerous would happen in King's Landing. Lord Green, I really have nothing to repay you for."

(End of this chapter)