Princess Daniella saw that the atmosphere had already been thoroughly stirred up, so she immediately grabbed King Jaehaerys’s hand with both of hers and spoke in a soft yet aggrieved tone.
“Your Majesty, you must act as a witness for me.”
“I have heard that the fleets and sailors of the Stormlands are among the finest in all the Seven Kingdoms, but I do not understand such matters at all.
When the time comes, I will have to rely on Your Majesty to help me inspect the ships properly.”
As she spoke, she deliberately puffed her cheeks slightly.
“Otherwise, if they see that I am still young and deliberately bully me with inferior goods, how would I even know?”
King Jaehaerys already held considerable dissatisfaction toward the Stormlands in recent years.
Now, seeing House Baratheon being pushed into such an awkward position by his clever grand-niece, the old king naturally felt rather pleased.
He immediately cooperated with Daniella’s performance and nodded seriously.
“You truly are a clever child.”
“However, when speaking of the finest fleets in the Seven Kingdoms, one must still look toward House Velaryon of Driftmark and House Redwyne of the Arbor.”
The old king then glanced toward the gathered nobles.
“So let Lord Corlys Velaryon and Lord Robert Redwyne inspect the ships personally when the time comes.”
The moment Lord Boremund Baratheon heard this arrangement, he immediately sensed danger.
He hurriedly spoke up.
“Our House Baratheon fleet is naturally not as luxurious as the fleets of Driftmark or the Arbor, so perhaps…”
“No matter.”
King Jaehaerys directly interrupted him before he could continue.
“A great lord of the Stormlands cannot possibly fail to provide ten proper three-masted ships.”
Lord Robert Redwyne immediately stepped forward with a smile.
“Exactly.
Even if the ships themselves are slightly lacking, they can simply be outfitted with additional supplies.”
“I have many excellent shipwrights on the Arbor.
If the warships provided by Storm’s End are not satisfactory enough, I can personally help improve them afterward.”
He then smiled warmly toward Boremund.
“Of course, Duke Boremund, I will only charge you the base cost.”
The moment the word “warships” was spoken, Lord Corlys Velaryon immediately narrowed his eyes slightly.
“Warships?”
“The wager between Princess Daniella and young Borros was merely over three-masted ships.
No one specifically mentioned warships.”
Robert Redwyne immediately countered without hesitation.
“If not warships, then what?”
“Surely the mighty Stormlands would not attempt to appease a Targaryen princess using common merchant vessels?”
His tone immediately became sharper.
“Princess Daniella is still young, so naturally she may not understand the distinctions between various classes of three-masted ships.
But what she clearly meant were vessels worthy of her identity.”
He then glanced meaningfully toward Corlys.
“Or perhaps Lord Corlys believes that a dragonriding princess of House Targaryen should personally sail across the Narrow Sea aboard merchant galleons conducting trade like ordinary traders?”
Although Corlys Velaryon possessed immense prestige throughout Westeros and was widely acknowledged as both brave and intelligent, when it came to verbal sparring with Lord Robert Redwyne, the infamous “Silver Tongue of the Arbor,” even the Sea Snake found himself momentarily disadvantaged.
Corlys merely snorted coldly.
“Lord Redwyne speaks as though the outcome has already been decided.”
“Whether merchant vessels or warships are involved can naturally be discussed after the wager is settled.”
Nearby, Borros Baratheon loudly scoffed.
“It’s only a few cups of strong liquor.
Nothing will happen to me.”
“It is always better to clarify matters beforehand.”
She deliberately widened her eyes innocently.
“I did not realize there were so many different classifications for three-masted ships.”
“In that case, let us revise the wager.”
“Nine warships and one great three-masted flagship like the Queen of the Arbor.”
She smiled sweetly.
“That way, when I sail across the sea in the future, it will at least suit the dignity of a princess of House Targaryen.”
The moment those words fell, Lord Boremund’s expression immediately darkened.
“The Stormlands do not possess such extravagant vessels.”
“We can only provide ten ordinary three-masted merchant ships.
If Princess Daniella does not mind, let us simply use those.”
The smile on Daniella’s face gradually faded.
She slowly released King Jaehaerys’s hand before walking directly toward Lord Boremund.
Standing before the tall, heavily bearded lord, the silver-haired princess slowly raised her head and stared directly into his eyes.
“Is Lord Boremund bullying me because I am young?”
Her voice gradually became colder.
“Or does the Lord of Storm’s End simply not place me, a princess of House Targaryen, in his eyes at all?”
The surrounding nobles instantly quieted down.
Daniella took another step forward and continued loudly, carefully enunciating every word.
“It was your son who first ignored noble etiquette and openly questioned a princess of the royal family.”
“And now the two of you are using my age as an excuse to humiliate me through this wager.”
Her violet-black eyes became increasingly sharp.
“What?”
“Now you intend to argue over the wager itself as well?”
“Do you truly believe House Targaryen has already lost its dragonfire?”
As Daniella’s angry and arrogant voice echoed throughout Aegon’s Garden, Dreamfyre instantly sensed her rider’s emotions.
The massive blue dragon suddenly descended from the skies outside Dragonstone Castle and began circling low above the banquet grounds.
Then Dreamfyre unleashed an ear-piercing dragon roar toward the nobles below.
Orange-red dragonfire instantly began brewing within her throat.
The terrifying pressure immediately caused many noblewomen to scream in fear, while countless lords turned pale.
Yet instead of fear, excitement filled the eyes of King Jaehaerys, Prince Daemon, and Princess Rhaenys.
For House Targaryen, the ability to ride dragons was important, but the ability to establish such deep emotional synchronization with a dragon was even rarer.
Even among the greatest dragonriders since Aegon’s Conquest, very few could summon their dragons through emotion alone.
Daniella’s performance not only failed to anger them, but instead filled them with pride.
This was how descendants of Old Valyria should behave.
Under Dreamfyre’s terrifying gaze and Daniella’s aggressive questioning, Lord Boremund finally began feeling both ashamed and embarrassed.
His face turned completely red.
“Princess Daniella… you misunderstand.”
“I did not mean to insult you.”
“It is simply that the Stormlands truly do not possess ships of such quality.”
“If you do not have them, then build them.”
“Or buy them.”
Daniella’s response came immediately, her words quick and sharp enough to make Boremund’s temples throb.
“Are you truly saying that the great Lord of Storm’s End lacks even this little capability?”
“No wonder the pirates of the Stepstones and the Dornish continue harassing your coasts while the Stormlands remain incapable of resolving the problem.” Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
Those words instantly stabbed directly into Boremund’s pride.
“You!”
The lord’s face reddened further.
“I am Lord of Storm’s End.
I have rendered countless military services to the realm!”
“How dare you…”
Daniella immediately interrupted him without the slightest hesitation.
“And I am a princess of House Targaryen.”
“No matter how great your achievements are, can they possibly surpass the dragons of House Targaryen?”
The atmosphere instantly became extremely tense.
At that moment, Lord Corlys finally stepped forward and grabbed Boremund’s arm before the argument could escalate further.
“Enough.”
“Today is Prince Baelon’s funeral.
This should have been a day of mourning.”
He then glanced toward Daniella and the tiny pink dragon Meraxes nearby.
“Yet Princess Daniella hatching a dragon is also a blessing for House Targaryen and the realm.”
Corlys then calmly declared,
“Let us proceed according to the princess’s terms.”
“As for the flagship, I will personally provide it.”
Daniella immediately turned toward Corlys and bowed gracefully.
“Then I thank Lord Corlys sincerely.”
At this moment, Viserys quickly walked over and grabbed Daniella’s hand helplessly.
“Enough now.”
“Hurry and call Dreamfyre back.
The ladies are all terrified.”
Daniella immediately returned to obedient princess mode.
“Yes, Cousin.”
She then raised her head and softly spoke several commands in High Valyrian toward the skies.
Dreamfyre snorted unwillingly but eventually withdrew from above the gardens and flew back toward the Dragonmont.
Meanwhile, Anna had already prepared another bottle of Targaryen Dragonflame and carefully handed it toward Borros.
“Young Lord Borros,” she advised gently, “this wine truly should not be consumed excessively.
Please be careful and do not damage your health.”
But with the eyes of half the Seven Kingdoms now focused upon him, Borros naturally refused to retreat.
“Stop talking nonsense.”
“Pour me a large cup.”
Anna hesitated briefly before taking out a dragonbone goblet and filling it completely.
Borros immediately grabbed the goblet and drained it in one gulp.
A fierce burning sensation instantly exploded from his throat all the way down into his stomach.
His entire body rapidly heated up, and sweat immediately began pouring from his forehead.
Yet Borros instead laughed loudly.
“Refreshing!”
“Another!”
Anna could only pour him a second goblet.
This time, although mentally prepared, Borros still felt the same terrifying burning sensation erupt throughout his body the moment he swallowed the liquor.
However, unlike before, the heat now surged directly toward his head.
Then, beneath the stunned gazes of everyone present, a stream of blood suddenly flowed from Borros Baratheon’s nose.