บท 73: Chapter 72: Setting Aside the Marriage Proposal
Oberyn was quite impressed by Viserys' recent performance at the negotiation table, even finding it somewhat eye-opening.
However, his comment about marrying off his daughter was more of a joke than anything else. He had no plans to do so, and Viserys had grown accustomed to Oberyn's unfiltered manner of speaking.
Nevertheless, Viserys couldn't understand why hearing Oberyn's words didn't lift his spirits. He remained silent for a moment before responding with a puzzled question.
"What's wrong with your daughter's status?"
As a prince of Dorne, it was unlikely that there could be any issue with Oberyn's daughter's status.
"Oh, they're all my bastards."
Oberyn shrugged nonchalantly, not bothering to hide anything.
In Westeros, aside from Dorne, bastards were often seen as a stain on a family's honor. Even though it had become customary, nobles still tried to keep it under wraps.
But Dorne was different from other regions, with its relatively equal inheritance system for men and women, paramours holding a certain social standing, and more liberal attitudes towards sexuality compared to other regions.
Viserys said nothing in response, and Oberyn also uncharacteristically remained silent for a while. Finally, they stopped at the fork in the hallway.
At this point, Viserys and Oberyn would part ways, with Viserys' assigned bedroom being in the opposite direction.
"Think about it. Arianne is a good girl."
Oberyn took a deep breath and patted Viserys on the shoulder.
As he was about to turn and head towards his own bedroom, he seemed to remember something and paused.
"By the way, Viserys, I'll accompany you back to Dragonstone. I want to see the child my sister and that bastard had."
That bastard was undoubtedly Viserys' older brother, Rhaegar Targaryen, and the child Rhaegar and Oberyn's sister had together was Rhaenys.
Oberyn hadn't seen his niece yet due to his travels around the continent of Essos. With plenty of time on his hands, he wanted to use this opportunity to visit Rhaenys with Viserys on their return to Dragonstone.
"Alright, I understand."
Viserys stood still, watching Oberyn's retreating figure. The man's tall, slender frame resembled a twisted snake's shadow under the setting sun's red haze.
The young king sighed softly.
In their earlier conversation, Oberyn and Viserys had mentioned the conditions for Dorne's secret pact with House Targaryen.
Dorne would not unconditionally support Viserys' eventual return to Westeros to reclaim the Iron Throne.
Dorne's condition was simple: Viserys must marry Prince Doran's eldest daughter, Princess Arianne Martell, as his queen in exchange for their support.
However, Viserys opposed this proposal, not wanting to make such a hasty decision about his lifelong commitment.
Furthermore, based on his knowledge of Arianne Martell, Viserys naturally did not want his future wife to be such a woman.
But he couldn't think of better terms to satisfy Dorne at the moment.
Unless he offered his infant sister, Daenerys, to fulfill the marriage alliance with House Martell instead, having her marry the now three-year-old eldest son of Prince Doran, Quentyn Martell, in the future.
Viserys found this alternative equally unacceptable.
...
So, in the end, Viserys found a reason to temporarily postpone his engagement to Princess Arianne Martell.
"I'm only eight years old now. This is something for ten years later. Why don't we discuss this issue at that time?"
...
Night.
A small family feast was held in the Seaking's Palace.
The wife and children of the Braavosi Sea Lord, Ferrego Antaryon, attended the banquet, mainly welcoming distinguished guests from Dragonstone and Dorne on a private basis.
After attending this family feast of the Sea Lord, Viserys finally returned to his bedroom, dragging his tired body.
Thump—
He threw himself onto the bed, collapsing into a big starfish shape, and then didn't want to move at all. He just wanted to merge himself into the soft bed, never to part.
"So tired."
For the young king, it wasn't just physical fatigue but also the pressure he bore mentally.
In fact, although Viserys was nominally the 'young king,' he always maintained a cautious and gingerly attitude when facing any situation.
For in front of him lay a thousand cliffs and ravines, and he was like a lost mountaineer, who would fall into the abyss at the slightest misstep.
Just as Robert on the Iron Throne could afford to fail because he had the capital to bear failure.
But Viserys didn't have that; he couldn't allow himself to fail. He had to remain vigilant all the time, constantly reminding himself to tread carefully.
A small victory, a little gain was not enough to make him overjoyed, for he feared that he would lose his most basic composure.
Then, in his elation, he would make a fatal mistake, and his previous efforts would go down the drain, and even risk losing his life.
However, at this moment,
Viserys lay on the dark, soft bed, and the joy in his heart was somewhat hard to suppress.
Because this was another 'small victory' he had achieved after the Battle of Whispering Sound, and this time it was a victory won without a single blade or bullet, achieved at the negotiating table.
"Your Grace."
At this moment, the door to the young king's bedroom was knocked on. It was one of Viserys's guards who knocked.
The guard then walked in with a tray, on which stood a steaming cup of mint tea, several neatly arranged biscuits, and a small dish of cream. He placed it on the table and was about to leave.
"Mond, help me find the map of the Free Cities."
Viserys saw that the guard had brought him some supper, but still lay on the bed without moving, as if he had died. He spoke with his head muffled by the pillow.
Mond, the guard, hesitated when he heard Viserys's words.
He was not aware of the results of Viserys's negotiations and therefore didn't know why the young king suddenly needed the map.
"Understood."
But he still agreed, then went out and found the map of the western coast of the Essos continent from the stack of maps they had.
The nine Free Cities were concentrated in this area, while the vast Dothraki Sea was in the center of the Essos continent.
Viserys then sat at the desk in his bedroom, lit the white wax on the table, and the fire illuminated the few inches of space on the table.
Rustle—
Viserys spread out the entire map, and his light purple eyes locked onto a position on the map with bright and focused determination.
"Pentos." .
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