“Cousin, ever since Uncle Baelon passed away, Vhagar has become a riderless dragon.”
Standing beneath the night sky of Dragonstone, Daniella carefully observed Viserys’s expression while speaking in a seemingly casual tone.
“These past few days, she has been flying endlessly above the Narrow Sea, crying mournfully day and night.”
“She must still be grieving for Uncle.”
Viserys remained silent, quietly listening.
Daniella then continued as though merely making idle conversation.
“Vhagar is currently the largest dragon in House Targaryen.”
“I wonder who will eventually claim her.”
She deliberately paused for a moment before adding,
“Cousin Laena has recently begun speaking about taming an adult dragon instead of waiting for her egg to hatch.”
“I wonder whether she might truly succeed in taming Vhagar someday.”
At this point, Daniella finally glanced directly toward Viserys.
“If that happens, then House Velaryon’s dragon power may surpass even House Targaryen itself.”
Viserys’s expression immediately stiffened slightly.
However, he still said nothing.
Seeing this reaction, Daniella smiled inwardly before continuing naturally.
“But among all people, the one most likely to tame Vhagar should still be you, Cousin.”
“You once rode Balerion the Black Dread himself.”
“There is no dragonrider in the realm with greater prestige than that.”
“So… have you never considered trying?”
Viserys smiled faintly and slowly shook his head.
“Ever since Balerion died, I have never truly thought about bonding with another dragon.”
As he spoke, complicated emotions appeared within his eyes.
There was pride.
There was regret.
And there was also a strange sense of indifference, almost as though no other dragon in the world could possibly satisfy him anymore.
Daniella quietly observed him and suddenly realized something important.
Perhaps Viserys was not as simple or soft-hearted as people believed.
Or rather, he was an extremely emotional person.
At that moment, Daniella finally understood several reasons why Viserys had stopped riding dragons after Balerion’s death.
First, there was the problem of experiencing the peak.
Once someone had already possessed the very best, it became difficult to feel satisfied with anything lesser afterward.
This psychological phenomenon existed everywhere.
Someone who had tasted the finest wine would naturally find ordinary wine bland.
Someone accustomed to rare delicacies would struggle to enjoy coarse food again.
And Viserys had once ridden Balerion the Black Dread.
The greatest dragon in Targaryen history.
Compared to Balerion, even mighty Vhagar might seem inferior in Viserys’s eyes.
Second, there was the mentality brought by status itself.
People standing at the top often found it difficult to lower their standards again, while those from below adapted upward far more easily.
Viserys had once ridden the Black Dread, the dragon of Aegon the Conqueror himself.
Perhaps after touching such glory, he unconsciously refused to accept anything beneath it.
Or perhaps…
Even now, somewhere deep inside, Viserys still believed the Iron Throne was too distant from him.
So rather than settle for a lesser dragon, he simply chose to stop riding altogether.
To gain something, one inevitably gave up something else.
After experiencing perfection once, people became increasingly unwilling to compromise.
The pride of House Targaryen truly seemed carved directly into their blood.
Fourth, personal experience changed people psychologically.
Someone who reached extraordinary heights through effort and persistence often found it impossible to return to ordinary life afterward.
The satisfaction and pride became addictive.
House Targaryen was known throughout the world as the bloodline closest to gods.
And Balerion had stood above all dragons.
Perhaps these things together had completely strengthened Viserys’s natural pride.
Fifth, there was self-awareness itself.
As people grew stronger and understood themselves better, their expectations also rose higher and higher.
After reaching a new level, it became difficult to accept falling below it again.
After thinking through all these reasons, Daniella finally arrived at a conclusion.
Viserys’s refusal to tame another dragon was not simply laziness or fear.
It was the result of pride, memory, status, and self-perception intertwining together.
Even so, Daniella still could not help secretly cursing him inwardly.
“You fool.”
“No wonder your future becomes such a disaster.”
Then, pretending innocence, Daniella suddenly spoke again.
“Cousin, after Great-Grandfather passes away, according to the traditions of the realm, shouldn’t you inherit the Iron Throne?”
The words instantly shattered Viserys’s wandering thoughts.
He abruptly looked toward Daniella with shock and disbelief.
“Daniella… has someone been speaking to you about succession?”
Daniella immediately shook her head innocently.
“No.”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“Aren’t you currently the eldest living male of House Targaryen?”
“According to the traditions of the Seven Kingdoms, shouldn’t that naturally make you the heir?”
She tilted her head slightly.
“Am I wrong?”
Viserys quickly interrupted her before she could continue.
“Daniella, never say such things carelessly again.”
His expression became unusually serious.
“You are still young.”
“There are many things you do not yet understand.”
“If others hear words like these, it could create dangerous trouble.”
“Oh.”
Daniella obediently nodded, though her lips puffed slightly in dissatisfaction.
“But even so, you still refuse to tame Vhagar?”
“I think it is always better to prepare in advance.”
She then deliberately lowered her voice.
“What if… and I only mean what if… the throne truly ends up becoming yours?”
“The Targaryen kings have never ruled without dragons.”
“You should think carefully about this.”
Daniella looked directly into Viserys’s eyes and spoke slowly.
“I may not fully understand succession politics.”
“If you want something important, then the power and initiative must remain within your own hands.”
“I may choose to give something up myself.”
“But I refuse to let others force me to surrender it.”
Viserys stared at his young cousin with increasing astonishment.
The more he interacted with Daniella, the less he felt able to understand her.
She was still just a child, yet her thoughts and behavior constantly surprised him.
Just as Viserys was about to respond, Aemma and Rhaenyra suddenly approached them together.
“What are you two discussing for so long?” Aemma asked with a smile.
Viserys immediately softened his expression and gently held Aemma’s hand.
“Nothing important.”
“We simply have not spoken properly in quite some time.”
Meanwhile, Rhaenyra immediately looked toward Daniella mischievously.
“Aunt Daniella, I heard you won ten three-masted ships from Borros Baratheon tonight.”
She grinned proudly.
“What?
Do you intend to become another Sea Snake?”
“But we are Targaryens.”
“Why bother sailing when dragons can take us anywhere in the world?”
Daniella immediately answered with an innocent expression.
“Why can I not travel by both dragon and ship?”
“Why should I deliberately make myself uncomfortable?”
Before Rhaenyra could reply, Daniella immediately turned back toward Viserys with apparent concern.
“Besides, Cousin…”
“You become terribly seasick whenever you travel by ship, don’t you?”
“So wouldn’t taming another dragon be much more convenient?”
“That way you could simply choose not to travel by sea anymore.”
Her words instantly amused Viserys.
He laughed helplessly.
“It seems my little cousin truly wishes for me to tame another dragon.”
Daniella answered as though the matter were completely obvious.
“Of course.”
“Can a Targaryen without a dragon still truly be called a Targaryen?”
“And I discovered something else.”
She lowered her voice mysteriously.
“After bonding with Dreamfyre, my body became much healthier and stronger.”
“Perhaps dragons truly strengthen the blood of our family.”
Daniella then looked meaningfully toward Aemma’s abdomen.
“Maybe Sister Aemma should also attempt taming a dragon someday.”
“Perhaps then she would finally give birth to a healthy little prince.”
Hearing this, Viserys suddenly felt somewhat relieved.
Perhaps he truly had been overthinking things earlier.
Daniella was certainly intelligent, strong-willed, and unusually realistic for her age.
But she was still ultimately just a clever young girl fascinated by dragons and power.
At least… she did not appear to harbor any truly dangerous ambitions.