“Good evening, Father.”
Baelon stood with both hands clasped behind his back, dressed in an elegant white outfit of soft, subdued colors.
There was an indescribable warmth and friendliness about him.
“Baelon, my boy, welcome home!”
Viserys was the first to rise and applaud.
At that moment, he finally understood why so many noble lords placed such importance on having a courteous and outstanding eldest son.
To Viserys’s right, Alicent wore a long emerald-green gown and maintained the proper dignity expected of a queen.
She smiled warmly.
“Welcome home, child.”
Beside Alicent, five-year-old Aegon was enthusiastically tearing into a chicken leg, while three-year-old Helaena was completely absorbed in playing with a collection of insects.
Seeing their father and mother greeting Baelon, the two children hurriedly imitated them and offered their own words of welcome.
Baelon quietly observed every person at the table and every subtle movement they made.
After thanking everyone one by one, he followed Rhaenyra and took his seat to Viserys’s left.
Once everyone was seated, the family feast soon began amid a lively atmosphere.
As king, Viserys was the first to raise his goblet of red wine.
“My boy, you’ve only just returned to the Red Keep.
If there is anything you need, tell your stepmother.”
“Baelon, I am Alicent Hightower.”
Alicent rose from her seat and introduced herself with an expression of practiced gentleness.
“So you are Queen Alicent Hightower.
I’ve heard your name many times while I was in Oldtown.
Having finally met you today, I must say your reputation is certainly well deserved.”
There was a hidden barb beneath Baelon’s perfectly polite words, yet there was not a single thing Alicent could object to.
Sure enough, although Alicent maintained the smile expected of a gracious stepmother on the surface, she nervously picked at her fingers beneath the table.
Rhaenyra was eating bread and ham.
The moment she heard Baelon’s words, she turned her face away and struggled to suppress her laughter.
Only Rhaenyra knew that beneath her brother’s outward appearance of courtesy and refinement lay a darkness blacker than forged steel.
Alicent was foolish enough to stand before Baelon and play the part of the kind and virtuous stepmother without even bothering to investigate him first.
Wasn’t that simply asking to have a stone dropped on her own foot?
Viserys noticed none of the undercurrents flowing beneath the conversation.
In his mind, as long as all his family could sit together like this, the rule of House Targaryen would remain secure forever.
“Baelon, this is your younger brother, Aegon.
The girl beside him is your younger sister, Helaena.
And there’s another little brother still in his cradle, Aemond…”
At that moment, Viserys resembled a great explorer returning home from a voyage across the seas.
Before his family, he proudly placed his most precious treasures on display one after another, eager for everyone to admire them.
Baelon listened patiently, responding appropriately whenever necessary while quietly studying Aegon and Helaena, the two siblings who did not exactly appear to be blessed with overwhelming intelligence. New chapters come out on g.com first.
One simply knew how to eat with gusto, while the other hugged a glass jar and stared at the crawling insects inside with boundless curiosity and excitement.
Then Baelon looked at himself and Rhaenyra.
The difference was almost absurd.
Does House Hightower come with some sort of built-in stupidity gene?
Baelon furrowed his brow and seriously considered the question.
The carefully prepared family feast for Baelon lasted roughly half an hour before coming to an end, supposedly because King Viserys had become drunk.
The handmaids and Kingsguard took responsibility for caring for the king and escorting him back to his chambers.
Alicent only needed to continue playing the role of a virtuous wife by preparing his bathwater and a drink to sober him up.
“Baelon, Rhaenyra, I still have some matters to attend to.
If either of you needs anything, just call for me.”
Alicent tried her best to speak in the gentle voice of a loving stepmother.
Baelon raised his glass slightly and smiled in acknowledgment.
Rhaenyra could not even be bothered to respond.
In her mind, watching Helaena play with bugs was far preferable to looking at that bitch Alicent.
After Alicent left, only the four children remained at the table.
Baelon was beginning to feel tired.
His health had never been particularly good, and the maesters of the Red Keep had advised him to get plenty of rest and avoid exhausting himself unnecessarily.
“Sister, I’m tired.
I’ll go back to your room and rest first.”
Alicent had thoughtfully prepared a spacious room for him.
It was quiet and secluded, hidden away in a corner of the Red Keep that few people would ever notice unless they were specifically looking for it.
“Oh?
Aren’t you going to thank our wonderful stepmother for preparing such a lovely room for you?”
Rhaenyra teased him with a smile.
“Don’t worry.
Once the royal hunt begins, our wonderful stepmother won’t be able to smile anymore.”
Baelon already had a plan in mind.
The only question was whether their wonderful stepmother would be able to endure it.
Just as the siblings were preparing to leave, Aegon, who had just finished eating two chicken legs, quietly approached them like a thief sneaking through the shadows.
“What are you doing?”
Baelon looked at him in confusion.
Aegon said nothing.
He glanced around furtively with his violet eyes, making absolutely certain that his mother was nowhere nearby.
Only then did his entire body visibly relax.
“I saw that there’s still a chicken leg left on your plate.
Can I have it?”
“You can.”
“But there are plenty of chicken legs still sitting there.
Why don’t you take one from the table?
Why specifically mine?”
Baelon genuinely could not understand what was going through this boy’s head.
“Mother said that I’ll become king of the Seven Kingdoms one day, so I can’t become too fat.”
Aegon answered honestly.
Rhaenyra’s expression changed immediately.
She had not expected that this boy, who had once been so timid that he was frightened even by dragons, was being taught such things by his mother in private.
The king’s eldest son is still alive, and that bitch Alicent already wants to die this badly?!
Baelon, however, remained completely calm.
He handed the chicken leg from his plate to Aegon.
“Then what do you think?”
The important thing was not how Alicent was raising her child.
What mattered was whether Aegon himself actually held such ambitions.
“No.”
Aegon shook his head.
“Father has told me several times that my brother is the heir to the Iron Throne.
I’m only the second son.”
“Besides, if I become the heir to the Iron Throne, I won’t be able to eat delicious food or go outside and play fun games.
That would be so boring!”
Aegon protested indignantly.
He was only five years old, after all, an age when playing was the most important thing in the world.
Why would he willingly choose to spend his days inside the Red Keep studying boring books?
“Very good, my little brother.
You must always remember what you said today, because those words can protect you for the rest of your life.”
Baelon gently patted Aegon on the head and spoke with the authority of an elder brother.
“I promise you that from tomorrow onward, your mother won’t force you to do any of these things anymore.”
“That is wonderful!”
Aegon excitedly grabbed the chicken leg from his plate and happily ran back toward his chambers.
His father had told him that the heir to the Iron Throne always kept his promises.
If he gave his word, he would fulfill it.
After watching Aegon leave, the siblings exchanged a deeply disgusted glance.
They could not help wondering whether Aegon was actually a member of House Targaryen.
How could he behave so much like the stupid son of some backwater lord?
“A wise choice.”
Helaena hugged her glass jar and began muttering as though she were a madwoman.
“The dragon has returned.
The black dragon has flown out of King’s Landing!”