[AELOR’S POV]
Starting the very next day, I had been firmly grounded by my own mother.
Furthermore, I was strictly not permitted to be let out of her sight for a single moment.
My daily martial practice was temporarily halted by Princess Rhaena after she personally consulted Rysio.
My old tutor commented that my martial studies were already advanced enough that I could completely stop training for an entire year and still remain far ahead of any other boys at my exact age.
Due to this strict punishment, I had become a constant companion to Princess Rhaena.
I was not even able to complain about the arrangement.
She fiercely warned me that if I argued, I would never get back the white greatsword that I had supposedly risked my life to retrieve from the lake.
“This kind of reckless action will not be allowed on my watch. You are the future lord of these lands, and I will absolutely not let something terrible happen to you. Perhaps you might hate me right now, but I am doing this strictly for your own good,” my mother said to me.
I looked up and clearly saw the deep worry and genuine sincerity resting in her eyes.
“Yes, Mother. I will not do anything reckless like that ever again,” I said, offering a highly sincere apology.
I knew perfectly well exactly what kind of tragic experiences my mother had gone through in her past.
I also knew that even with the healing aura of my Essence, she would never completely forget that immense pain.
The magical aura only allowed her to finally move on; it did not erase her traumatic memories.
I stepped forward and hugged my mother tightly.
Princess Rhaena hugged me back with equal force.
She even wanted to share her bed with me that night to ensure I stayed put, but I politely refused.
I stated that I was growing old now and it would not be proper for a lord.
My mother just laughed warmly at my attempt to appear mature and older, and she ultimately let the matter go.
The next morning, after I woke up and took a warm bath, a loyal servant entered my chamber.
I was presented with highly formal clothes, a stark contrast to my usual training tunics that valued comfort over noble style.
Now that I was forced to accompany my mother to her countless political meetings with castle architects, city planners, and merchant partners, I desperately needed to look like a proper ruling lord.
What I wore was a pure white noble attire that had been expensively imported directly from Myr.
It greatly resembled the pristine military garments that Prince Aegon had worn during the funeral pyre for Prince Baelor in the Tales of Dunk and Egg, a specific story I had seen clearly in my past life.
I also wore a heavy cloak colored in deep blue.
My hair was always well groomed by my mother, who fondly likened my short haircut to the style worn by her great-grandfather, Aegon the Conqueror.
When the servant finally finished dressing me up, the entire attire perfectly complemented my appearance.
Along with my short platinum hair and my piercing blue eyes that almost seemed to glow in the light, I certainly looked exactly like a Prince Charming.
Each of the men also held the leash of a massive guard dog.
“You look like a proper prince today, young lord,” Rysio said with a highly teasing tone.
I turned to look at him with a deeply annoyed face.
“Shut your mouth, you traitor. I would have been able to get away with my secret entirely if not for your constant meddling,” I shot back.
Rysio just laughed out loud at my misfortune, but he did not offer a verbal answer.
He knew perfectly well that I was only joking with him, but he was also genuinely worried about my reckless actions yesterday.
He knew that flying without a saddle could have ended very badly for me.
Seeing the suddenly serious expression settling upon the face of Rysio, I also stopped talking.
I just continued to walk silently toward the corridor where the solar of my mother was located.
After a very long walk down the winding hallway, the four of us finally arrived.
The guards were not permitted to enter the private solar, and there were already two royal guards standing outside the heavy wooden doors waiting for us.
When I approached the entrance, the two guards pulled the doors open, and my presence was formally announced inside the room.
I was not surprised by the sheer number of people crowded inside the solar.
I knew exactly how busy my mother was over these following days.
Not only was the royal family going to start their annual vacation here very soon, with Queen Alysanne nearing her due date, but Princess Rhaena had also been coordinating with countless people for the official start of the castle renovations.
Furthermore, she had scheduled meetings with the merchant guilds she had partnered with, and I could easily spot several new faces standing in the crowd.
“Good morrow, fair maiden. How incredibly lucky am I to be in the presence of one of the most beautiful ladies in the entire history of the realm this early in the morning? Surely all you gentlemen standing here feel the exact same way that I do,” I confidently announced to my mother.
This dramatic display earned me some hearty laughs from the gathered merchants and lords, but my mother was absolutely not amused by the interruption.
“Continue this childish foolery and I will gladly extend your grounding punishment,” my mother warned strictly.
Her threat quickly made me shut my mouth.
I immediately walked over and sat down quietly beside her heavy chair.
I looked over the tall stacks of parchment petitions, trade contracts, and requests for commercial partnerships.
I just sat silently at her side and watched her handle the complex business of ruling.
“My lady, Lord Stark specifically asked me to deliver this sealed letter on his behalf. There is an escalating situation regarding the wildlings beyond the Wall that desperately needs the personal intervention of Lord Stark,” the large man speaking to my mother explained.
I instantly recognized the speaker through my meta knowledge.
He was Lord Theomore Manderly, the kindhearted northern lord who would eventually be betrothed to Princess Viserra many years in the future, if not for her tragic death.
Lord Theomore was currently acting as the official representative for House Stark regarding their vital trade agreements with House Towers. This chapter was taken from novelping.com without permission.
He was highly favored for this specific task due to his remarkably good head for economic negotiation.
Princess Rhaena broke the wax seal and opened the letter.
I was able to quickly glance at the parchment and read the entire contents of the message in seconds.
From what I had read, it seemed that Lord Stark was formally asking if Princess Rhaena could massively increase the rate of medicinal herb importation toward the North.
He was also requesting a charitable donation toward the Night Watch, specifically asking for thick animal hides to be used for winter cloaks.
Using my enhanced intellect, I rapidly calculated our entire stored wares, our recent harvest yields, and our other exportation agreements.
I quickly deduced that we could easily provide at least twenty percent more than our usual export volume toward the northern lands, along with fulfilling the request for the winter hides.
“We have the current capacity to increase the trading goods by up to a tenth more than our usual arrangement. I could not spare any more than that amount because we cannot be entirely certain regarding what kind of accidents might happen to our stored wares in the coming months. However, the animal furs can certainly be donated. We currently have three hundred thick boar furs that are only waiting to be properly processed. If you could provide the manual labor for processing the furs yourselves, you could take them today. But if you cannot, I would need Lord Stark to give me much more time. Manpower is the only thing that I absolutely cannot spare right now, especially with the imminent visitation of the royal family approaching,” Princess Rhaena answered Lord Theomore.
“You have our deepest gratitude, Princess. Furthermore, we actually have a lot of extra manpower to spare, since our northern harvest is already completely finished. If you would generously provide for their daily food and their wages, I believe there is absolutely no problem with lending our workforces to add to your own workforce,” Lord Theomore offered.
Princess Rhaena immediately accepted his highly practical solution.
This exact scenery continued for hours.
Princess Rhaena was successfully able to recruit temporary hires for our lands in exchange for some increased trade promises.
Watching her navigate these complex agreements allowed me to learn a tremendous amount about ruling.
After an entire day of relentless negotiations, my mother finally finished her work.
All of the agenda items for today had been successfully achieved.
“How much did you actually learn today?” Princess Rhaena asked me.
She was currently finishing writing in her personal ledger that she kept copies of.
She would meticulously write daily summaries of all her negotiations, which constantly amazed me.
Even with her incredibly busy schedule, she never forgot to record the vital details.
“I learned a lot. It seems that I would have to divide myself into one hundred separate people if I ever want to be able to relax once I officially become the ruling lord of this castle,” I answered.
My mother laughed brightly at my tired words.
“This level of work is not a regular occurrence. What you saw today is the absolute worst of it. The busy harvest season currently coincides with the grand visitation of your uncle, your aunt, and your young cousins. That is all compounded by the fact that we are completely renovating our own castle and planning the expansion of the city. After the renovations and the city planning have been fully completed, our daily workload will become considerably less. I am doing all of this heavy lifting for you right now, precisely so you can easily relax during your future days as a lord,”
Princess Rhaena explained affectionately.
She then finished her writing and pulled me into another warm hug.
For an entire week, I shadowed my mother every single day, diligently learning everything I possibly could about statesmanship.
Meanwhile, the countless servants of Harrenhal also busied themselves.
They thoroughly decorated the grand halls and ensured that every stone corner was perfectly clean.
Thanks to my passive purification aura, the castle was always pristine anyway.
They also made absolutely sure that there was a massive abundance of fresh food prepared to feed a lot of people, because King Jaehaerys had brought a much larger royal retinue with him this time than he ever did before.