Chapter 48: Chapter 47: Traces of Conspiracy
The night was silent and deep.
Viserys lay asleep in his bedroom, nestled on his soft bed.
His silver-gold hair splayed across the pillow, the boy's delicate skin was enviable, his handsome cheeks were rosy, and his lips gently pursed.
At that moment, however,
A sudden commotion erupted within the castle, faint shouts echoing through the halls, followed by the clang of clashing steel and screams of pain.
By now, the sky was beginning to lighten with the first hints of dawn.
Viserys had only just closed his eyes for a few hours before the cacophony awoke him.
The boy's long eyelashes quivered slightly, and finally, his pale violet eyes, like precious gemstones, slowly opened.
"Damn it."
Viserys sat up in bed, casting off his soft blankets, his silver-gold hair cascading over his shoulders.
At first, his eyes were clouded with confusion and impatience, but eventually, he shook his head to dispel the irrelevant thoughts.
He heard the noises outside, the sounds of weapons colliding, and the battle cries growing closer. In an instant, he understood what was happening.
"Has it begun?"
The last remnants of sleepiness vanished from Viserys's mind, and he instantly became alert.
In truth, he had long been aware of Ser Sand's impending betrayal.
The reason, of course, was that he had discovered traces of conspiracy long before.
The mysterious death of Maester Daniel had raised suspicions, seemingly poisoned by someone.
On his deathbed, the old maester had grasped Viserys's hand, whispering in his ear to warn him of treacherous individuals within the castle and to exercise caution.
The old maester had lived a long life, especially by the standards of this era. He had traveled many paths and met countless people.
After personally tutoring Viserys for several months, he had reached a conclusion he had never shared with anyone else.
This conclusion had remained buried in the old maester's heart until he was laid to rest in his coffin.
It might sound unbelievable, but...
He believed that Prince Viserys was even more exceptional than Prince Rhaegar.
This idea might not align with the opinions of many, but the old maester had persisted in his judgment.
He had tutored Rhaegar and later taught Viserys as well.
In fact, he had spent considerably more time with Rhaegar than with Viserys.
There was no question that Prince Rhaegar was wise, but his wisdom remained confined within a certain framework, perhaps this era or this world.
The old maester hadn't thought this was a problem, as Rhaegar's intelligence had left him in awe.
However, after Maester Daniel had met Viserys and engaged in deep conversations with the boy, the old maester was astounded to discover that Viserys could casually bring up ideas that transcended this era, even this world.
Some of these ideas were shocking, some impractical, and some simply extraordinary.
Maester Daniel considered himself well-read, having explored a variety of books from the Age of Heroes eight thousand years ago to numerous contemporary works.
Yet Viserys' ideas had never been confined to this framework, and perhaps it was this that made them even greater.
This was why the old maester, on his deathbed, grasped Viserys' hand and whispered the secret to him instead of Queen Rhaella.
For the maester believed that Viserys would handle it far better than his mother.
Viserys had never betrayed the old maester's dying expectations, keeping the secret from everyone, including his own mother.
It wasn't that he worried she would betray him, but her mental state had already significantly deteriorated.
She was prone to inexplicable fits of anger or tears.
Viserys didn't want to trouble Queen Rhaella with such matters, so he had been quietly orchestrating his plans alone.
But fortune favors the diligent, and after the old maester's death, Viserys discovered that someone had tampered with the raven cages used for communication on Dragonstone.
Someone seemed to have been using the ravens to send messages after eliminating the old maester.
However, the perpetrator had been cautious, leaving no trace for Viserys to follow, making it impossible to identify them.
Were they a single person... or a group?
Before joining the fleet on its expedition, Viserys deliberately informed Ser William of the matter.
As Viserys' swordsmanship teacher, Ser William had once risked his life to save Queen Rhaella and young Viserys. Without him, Viserys would have died long ago. Thus, Ser William was unquestionably trustworthy.
Viserys hoped that Ser William could keep an eye out for any suspicious activities that might surface in his absence.
This explained why Ser William had hesitated to speak several times in Viserys' presence.
Yet Viserys had not allowed him to voice his concerns.
For the boy had already learned the identity of the traitor hidden on the island through other channels before returning to Dragonstone.
During the fleet's return journey, they intercepted a small boat near the edge of Dragonstone's waters. The occupants, upon seeing the fleet's approach, hurriedly tried to speed away.
However, the experienced sailors in the fleet pursued and eventually cornered them.
Some on the boat even attempted to jump overboard and drown themselves, but only one succeeded, while the others were fished out of the water.
After intense interrogations, the captured individuals finally confessed their identities.
They were all from King's Landing, and Dragonstone's acting lord, Ser Sand, had secretly pledged his loyalty to House Baratheon.
King Robert on the Iron Throne had even promised him a castle and an earldom with a stroke of his pen.
But because a fleet was stationed on Dragonstone, they couldn't directly hand over Queen Rhaella and Viserys, so they waited for an opportunity.
Then the storm surge arrived.
They knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, hoping to use the chaos of the storm or the fleet's departure as a chance to kill Queen Rhaella and Viserys before escaping.
But fate took another twist.
Viserys had left with the Dragonstone fleet, and they didn't know where it was headed.
Ser Joffrey was hot-tempered and stubborn, never taking the acting lord seriously.
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