iron throne of ice and fire

Chapter 404: Breakfast at Megta
"........."

A fire crackled in the fireplace.

"Because you are a willful woman, you deserve willful love, Duke Craber?" Lady Olenna's voice sounded beside the warm fireplace, but the shadow covered her eyes, making it difficult to glimpse her true emotions at the moment.

"Lady Olenna, if you have a considerate sense of security, perhaps there is no need to persist in your so-called willfulness."

Lady Olenna was silent for a moment before she spoke again: "............It seems that your guess is that Tyrell will lose to the lioness."

Green stared at the flames in the fireplace for a while, shook his head slightly, and said, "Tyrell will always be the winner, but the fruits of this may take some time to brew. After all... Tommen is only nine years old."

…………

The next morning, warm sunlight crept into the Megta.

"Mom, I want to go out horseback riding this afternoon." King Tommen's childish voice rang out in the dining room.

As invited, Green was having breakfast with Queen Cersei and King Tommen.

Cersei frowned slightly, "Tommen, I taught you that you are the king and you should not indulge in play. In the afternoon, I will let your uncle Jaime practice swordplay with you."

Tommen lowered his chubby face in disappointment and muttered in a low voice: "But I have made an appointment with them..."

Hearing this, Cersei raised her eyebrows and her tone became slightly sharper: "Who are they?"

Tommen's little head drooped even lower, his chubby cheeks puffed up, confronting his mother with silence.

Green chewed the food in his mouth slowly. He saw Cersei's breasts gradually rising and falling. He picked up the cup and took a sip of summer red. He said slowly, "Your Majesty Tommen, the consequences of rebelling against your mother are often not pleasant. If necessary, I can tell you about my tragic experience of trying to rebel against my mother when I was a child, so that your happy childhood will not be overshadowed by some of the shadows."

Queen Cersei glanced at Green and raised her voice slightly: "Tommen, the roses of the south are trying to please you. You are not young anymore. You must see through their little tricks."

Tommen turned his little face to the other side and pursed his lips tightly. Cersei took a deep breath and continued, "There are still many doubts about the cause of your brother's death. At this time... as a king, you should keep a polite distance from people other than Lannister until your mother finds the murderer."

She raised her chin slightly and emphasized: "Also, you are the king, you can't indulge them..."

Before she finished her words, Tommen couldn't help but retort loudly: "They are not bad people, they are my good friends!"

"Tommen."

Cersei's voice was not loud, but Tommen trembled under her unquestionable gaze, which made her frown even tighter... Her youngest son did not have the fearless kingly heart of her eldest son.

After a pause, Tommen's eyes turned red and he said in a crying voice: "Mother, I'm sorry, I shouldn't... shouldn't... shouldn't... "

Cersei waved her hand impatiently and said coldly: "It seems that your breakfast can be ended..."

She said to Onis Kettleblack who was standing beside her, "Sir, today is the first royal meeting after Tommen's coronation. Although my son is not yet an adult, he should wait in advance to show his respect for the ministers."

Isn’t it too early to go over now... Osney didn’t dare to speak his true feelings. He patted his chest, walked to the king, and respectfully invited him to move over.

Seeing that Green's eyes were fixed on the direction where Tommen and the others had left, Cersei scooped a small spoonful of the boiled egg into her mouth, chewed a few times and swallowed it, and said nonchalantly, "Dear, what's wrong?"

Green retracted his gaze, leaned back in his chair, raised the corner of his mouth, and said, "Queen Mother Cersei, I think that at His Majesty Tommen's age, he may not be able to tell the difference between men and women."

"Pour me some wine."

Putting down the golden spoon, Cersei instructed the maid, then turned her gaze to Green and said, "Yes, my son is still very naive, but he is a man. As long as he is a man, he cannot change his nature of being attracted to women, let alone those women who approach him with selfish motives."

Green shrugged and chuckled, "Like, like I'm attracted to you?"

Cersei curled her lips and said, "Considering your unparalleled loyalty, I intend to help you realize your right to demand rewards at will as soon as possible (Chapter 383)."

Cersei showed a charming smile. Green looked at her for a long time and said in a slightly serious voice: "Please... allow me to talk to you alone."

The lioness kept her smile on her face and she gestured, and soon they were the only two left in the restaurant.

She raised her glass and said, "Dear Green, I was just thinking... When no one can shake my son's Iron Throne, I am willing to serve you personally anytime and anywhere as long as you want, such as... a pleasant breakfast, right at the dining table, and enjoy the sweat of joy."

Seeing Green's increasingly furrowed brows, she raised the corners of her lips and continued, "For example, on the revered Iron Throne, or at the long table of the Imperial Court Meeting, as long as it makes you happy, I can do it."

"…………" In response to Cersei's tempting fantasy, Green's response was a long silence.

Knock, knock, staring at the knife on the plate, Green tapped his fingers on the table one by one.

After tapping for a while, Green paused and spoke slowly in a slightly hoarse voice: "Give me some time to prepare. I can give you all the roses, but I have to remind you... I can't stop the riot of hundreds of thousands of people in King's Landing caused by the loss of rose bread."

Cersei snorted as she held her wine glass. "If it weren't for those untouchables, I wouldn't have to fight Tyrell in the royal court."

She took a sip of Summer Red, paused, stared at the bright red liquid in the cup, and said, "But there is no retreat today. If Rose is unwilling to close her greedy mouth..."

Her slender fingers clenched the bowl of the wine glass. "They will be greeted by the roar of a lion."

Green's gaze was not concealed. He withdrew his eyes from Cersei's curves with regret and said, "Your anger may destroy the enemy in an instant, but it is too dangerous. Moreover, without King's Landing, the Seven Kingdoms will become more chaotic, and the Iron Throne will shake the majesty of ruling the kingdom. This result... can also be said to be a loss."

Cersei barely suppressed her anger, stared at Green, and said, "I will never compromise with Tyrell."

"Of course I won't compromise."

Green nodded and said, "As noble as you are, I will not allow you to compromise. I am only providing you with a 'fair' stage to fully utilize your wisdom and strategies."

Hearing this, Cersei finally showed some interest: "Oh? Tell me about it."

Half an hour later, Green and Cersei were chatting and laughing while enjoying the sumptuous meal, but the originally pleasant atmosphere was broken by a sudden noise coming from the direction of the door.

With a bang, the door of the restaurant was suddenly pushed open, and the captain of the Kingsguard, Ser Jaime, strode in. Behind him came the new commander-in-chief of the gold cloaks, Ser Osfryd, who staggered and bumped into the door frame.

"James."

Looking at the man who rushed in angrily, Cersei called Jaime's name coldly, just as the old lion usually called them.

Pausing, Ser Jaime first glanced unconsciously at Cersei's slightly messy long golden curly hair, then glanced at Green who was also looking at him. His hands clenched into fists involuntarily, and the joints turned slightly white due to the force.

"Cersei."

James slowed down his somewhat rapid breathing, suppressed his anger and said: "I want to hear your explanation as to why I saw several pyromancers in the Prime Minister's Tower."

Pyromancer? Cersei wants to play with wildfire? Green raised his eyebrows slightly and shifted his gaze to the expressionless lioness.

A crisp voice sounded, and Cersei casually placed the golden fork on the plate, picked up the wine glass, took a sip of wine slowly, and then slowly said: "Is this why you disturbed the Queen Regent's meal, Captain of the Kingsguard?"

Jaime clenched his fists tighter. "Answer my question, Cersei."

"I can satisfy your curiosity, Kingsguard."

Cersei raised her head. "The Eternal Hand of the King has left the Seven Kingdoms forever. The Tower of the Hand must be sacrificed for him."

After hearing her words, Sir James' eyes widened and he said in disbelief: "You want to destroy the Prime Minister's Tower? What about the future Prime Minister? Kevan..."

Hearing Kevan's name, Cersei was immediately furious. She stood up suddenly and said sternly: "Don't mention that traitor to me! Jaime, you recommended him to me, and I sincerely invited him to be Tommen's Hand of the King, but he threatened me that the kingdom must be ruled by him, and I must return to Casterly Rock. This is the consequence of listening to your advice."

"How could that be?" Jaime frowned. In the past, he would have believed Cersei's words without hesitation... But now, after everything he had experienced, he would no longer just believe her one-sided words.

Cersei knew Jaime. Seeing that he actually doubted her, she couldn't help but screamed, "You actually thought I was deceiving you? You are disappointing me more and more. You would rather believe Kevan, who is playing the role of a loyal servant, than believe me?!"

Green sat quietly aside, his lips slightly pursed, as if... the lioness had an "attack" bonus when facing James, and her mind became particularly flexible.

Sixteen years ago... In order to save hundreds of thousands of people in King's Landing, he betrayed his sacred oath and killed the king.

Green could guess the reason for Jaime's sudden outburst of anger, the pyromancer... wildfire... sacrifice in the Tower of the Prime Minister... because these things reminded him of the king known as the Mad King—Aerys II.

This is the scar deep in his heart...a scar that can never heal and can never distinguish right from wrong.

"Why don't you speak? Have you finally realized your own naivety, White Knight?"

"Let me tell you, your innocence..."

"I'll find time to talk to Uncle Kevan." Jaime interrupted Cersei's continuous words coldly, which stunned the lioness for a moment.

He exhaled slowly and said, "Cersei, ever since Green found the eavesdropping secret room in the Prime Minister's study (Chapter 43), the gold cloaks have been searching with pickaxes and hammers. They knocked open the walls and chiseled through the floors, and found dozens of secret passages. Later, they were delayed by the war...Except for the commonly used places such as the study, bedroom and banquet hall, other places had no time to be repaired and almost became ruins. So, you don't have to burn it down."

"Perhaps there are dozens more that haven't been discovered. Jaime, the Prime Minister's Tower will be destroyed sooner or later, so I might as well use it. I'm doing this for the kingdom." Cersei sat down again. She felt for sure that Jaime was really out of her control. Her voice gradually returned to calm, and she was no longer burning with anger.

She tried to look gentle and continued, "If it were up to me, I would rather tear down this filthy castle, move the court to Lannisport, and rule the kingdom in Casterly Rock, away from the noise and stench."

Jaime came to the table, picked up the wine jug and empty cup directly, poured himself a big sip of wine, and the wine flowed down the corners of his mouth. He wiped it casually with the back of his hand and said, "Cersei, your actual idea is even more stupid than burning down the Tower of the Hand. Don't you know? Only if Tommen stays in this stinking city will the Seven Kingdoms regard him as a real king. If, if he is hidden under the rock of Casterly Rock, he will become a false king who covets the Iron Throne, just like Stannis Baratheon."

This was the first time that Jaime had mocked Cersei mercilessly, which immediately made her angry and embarrassed. She shrieked, "Of course I know this. Are you slow or stupid? What I meant was that I 'want' to move the court to the Westerly. I just thought about it, not really want to do it!"

With a thump, Ser Jaime placed the empty cup on the table and said coldly, "I hope so."

Hearing this, the lioness roared, "What do you mean by hope? White Knight, I suggest you stop your stupid, self-righteous remarks immediately!"

The male and female lions, who looked very similar, stared at each other as if they wanted to pierce each other with their eyes.

Green rubbed his head, his tone full of helplessness: "Lady Cersei, Ser Jaime, I have to remind you that the Lannisters nowadays need to love each other, rather than arguing over a pleasant breakfast."

James finally looked away at the sound of Green's voice.

"The Lannisters will always love each other, my Lord."

After saying that, he swung his snow-white cloak and took a step forward. When he was about to reach the door of the restaurant, he suddenly added: "I forgot to tell you that before I came, I had driven away those pyromancers, Lady Cersei."

Cersei stood there in a daze until Jaime's figure completely disappeared. She gritted her teeth and cursed, "Jaime, you bastard! Villain! Idiot!"

The lioness paced back and forth angrily, and when she finally suppressed her anger, she announced viciously: "Jaime not only lost his courage in the dungeons of Riverrun, but also his brains."

Green walked over with a wine glass in each hand, handed one of the glasses over, and said, "Queen Cersei, maybe you can tell Jaime your purpose directly next time. He is not stupid."

Cersei's green eyes moved slightly. She reached out to take the jeweled golden wine glass and said, "What is my purpose?"

Green spread his hands and said, "Burning down the Prime Minister's Tower will at least give you enough time to choose a Prime Minister that satisfies you."

After a slight pause, he continued, "The prerequisite is that the imperial meeting held today must go smoothly."

Cersei raised her chin slightly. "I will not lose."

Green smiled and said, "I won't let you lose either."

(End of this chapter)