Chương 749: Chapter 749: The Vassal Principality
Years have passed.
The ancient Oldtown has undergone a seismic transformation. The city walls have expanded outward, magnificent wonders have risen from the ground, and the children who once played at being knights have grown into dashing young men.
"Your Grace."
A young man with blue eyes and auburn hair, his demeanor stern and meticulous, knocked on the door before pushing it open to speak.
"The person has been brought."
This auburn-haired young man is none other than Robb Stark, the squire to Viserys. In the blink of an eye, he has been at Viserys' side for several years and has now come of age at sixteen.
Perhaps it won't be long before he leaves King's Landing to return to his homeland and assume the position of Governor of the North, a prospect Robb has long awaited.
For now, the Governorship of the North is still under the stewardship of Lord Rickard Karstark. Although his mother, Lady Catelyn, assures him that Rickard is trustworthy, and despite the regular letters from Rickard updating him on the state of the North, Robb can't help but feel uneasy.
He believes that true peace of mind will only come when the power is in his own hands. Moreover, he dislikes how Rickard addresses him as 'Young Lord' in the letters, patronizing him as if he were still a child.
"I am not a child!"
"I have come of age!"
Thus, every time Robb receives a letter from the North, he roars these sentiments in his heart.
However, now that his mother, Lady Catelyn, has returned to Winterfell with his younger siblings, Robb has no one to confide in.
He can't share these frustrations with his sister Sansa, who serves as a handmaiden to the Queen, so he keeps these vexations bottled up within him.
As the years have passed, everything and everyone has changed, and Viserys is no exception.
He sits at his desk, his back to it, his fingers gently stroking the surface as if gazing out at the distant sea. Yet, in reality, he is merely closing his eyes to meditate, for he can see the ocean without needing to look.
Viserys hasn't changed much in appearance over the years, save for the stubble that now graces his lower lip, a sign of his lack of attention to shaving.
However, compared to a certain young man standing beside him, who has deliberately grown a beard to appear mature, the change in Viserys's aura is far more dramatic.
He doesn't need facial hair to prove his maturity or authority; his mere presence, a flick of his finger, or a subtle change in his gaze is enough to unsettle anyone.
The person Robb Stark has brought today is none other than the captain of the ship "Fury," Romy "One-Eye" Pyke, Asha Greyjoy's trusted right-hand man. He carries a mission of great importance, something not suitable for discussion in the Throne Room filled with five hundred people, as Tyrion Lannister, the Emperor's personal advisor, had informed them yesterday.
Tyrion had promised to convey the matter, leading to today's private audience with Viserys.
"Your Grace."
Though he had met the Emperor in the Throne Room just yesterday, this private meeting still fills Romy Pyke, the Ironborn bastard with a black eye patch, with a sense of tension.
After all, given his lowly birth, he would never have set foot in the Throne Room, let alone have a private audience with the Emperor, were it not for a stroke of fate.
"Your Grace."
"This is what Lady Asha Greyjoy has sent me to deliver."
Romy Pyke then reaches into his coat and produces a letter sealed with the Greyjoy family's sigil. He hands it to Robb Stark, who serves as the squire.
Robb briefly inspects the letter to ensure it's not poisoned before respectfully handing it over to Viserys.
Viserys takes the letter, his fingers deftly slicing open the seal as if with a paper cutter, and extracts the parchment. Everything Lady Asha Greyjoy wishes to convey is written there.
After reading the entire letter, Viserys's eyes flicker momentarily, and he remains silent for a while.
On the other side, Robb Stark casts a sidelong glance at the Ironborn bastard beside him. As for the one-eyed captain, Romy Pyke, his face is a mask of confusion, for he has no idea what the letter actually contains.
"Asha Greyjoy. Commendable in her expeditions, commendable in her conquests."
"Bestowed the title of Grand Duchess of the Summer Isles, a title to be inherited by her descendants."
Viserys remains silent for a moment after reading the letter, then finally speaks.
The moment he opens his mouth, he bestows upon Asha Greyjoy a title of the highest rank, one that has never been granted since the establishment of the empire. It even surpasses the titles bestowed upon Renly as the Duke of the Stormlands and Daenerys as the Duchess of Dragonstone.
Asha had been promised a high position by Viserys before her expedition. Upon her return, she could choose any castle throughout the Seven Kingdoms. She had always dreamt of being titled 'Lady' in her own right.
However, through a series of fortunate or unfortunate events, Asha has conquered a vast territory, taking over the entire Summer Isles and becoming its sole queen.
Viserys, of course, would not be so greedy as to seize land from his own subordinates.
Moreover, the Summer Isles were never a territory claimed by the Iron Throne, not even by the Valyrian Freehold, despite its proximity.
Perhaps the land was too barren for the Dragonlords of Valyria to consider it worth conquering.
So, this is Asha's own achievement in conquest, rightfully her own territory. The letter she wrote, ostensibly a report to the Emperor of her military achievements, is filled between the lines with a 'praise me' subtext.
Thus, Viserys is not stingy; he directly bestows upon Asha Greyjoy the title of Grand Duchess, with rights to be inherited. It becomes a true state, and the Summer Isles are incorporated into the empire as a vassal state.
In theory, from now on, the Summer Isles must pay tribute to the empire, and the empire must provide protection to its vassal state. However, due to the great distance between them, this is likely to be a relationship in name only.
Yet, the Summer Isles, as a 'nail' or outpost of the empire, are firmly embedded in the Summer Sea, not easily removed by anyone.
Moreover, it extends the empire's influence across the sea to even more distant places, such as Slaver's Bay, Sothoryos, Qarth, and even the nations and regions surrounding the Jade Sea, like the Isle of Tears, Leng, and the Golden Empire of Yi Ti.
Viserys's original objective has not only been achieved but has been exceeded, so he is naturally not stingy.
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