He returned the gesture, placing a hand on his chest: "If the King permits."
Tyrion's eyes flickered slightly, and he said, "King Joffrey will surely be deeply pleased that Prince Oberyn, renowned throughout the Seven Kingdoms, has personally come to King's Landing."
Prince Oberyn turned slightly and said, "Allow me to introduce my companions to you, Lord Lannister."
He extended a hand: "These two are Harman Uller, Earl of Hellholt, and his brother, Ser Ulrick Uller. These two are Ser Roger Allyrion and his bastard son, Ser Damon Sand, from Godsgrace. These are…"
Just as Tyrion thought the introductions were complete, Prince Oberyn suddenly smiled and continued, "Oh, and the esteemed ladies, this is Miss Myria Jordayne, heir to the Tor. These three are Lady Laura Blamont and her daughter Jonella."
He gestured to a dark-haired woman at the back of the group and said to Tyrion, "She is Ellaria Sand, my paramour."
Upon hearing the last part, Tyrion couldn't help but blink.
Prince Oberyn's paramour? And a bastard? If she were to attend Joffrey's wedding, his Lioness sister would surely roar, and she would definitely exclude her. It was hard to imagine… a bastard paramour of Prince Oberyn sitting in a high place among the guests, which would be a great insult to the noblewomen at the same table.
Could it be that Prince Doran sent his brother with the intention of stirring up conflict?
After the introductions, Prince Oberyn smiled at the Dornish nobles clustered around him and said, "Gentlemen, you all see, don't you? How much our good King Joffrey favors Dorne, to actually send his own uncle—the Little Devil—to receive us."
As his words fell, someone first chuckled, followed by low laughter.
Tyrion feigned cheerfulness, barely managing to restrain his impulsive tongue. The Dwarf son had not forgotten his father's warning, nor his mission.
Ignoring the laughter around him, he smiled slightly and extended a hand: "Allow me to introduce those beside me. This is Ser Adam Marbrand, the current Commander of the City Watch. This is Ser Bronn of the Blackwater, my captain of the guard. And this is my squire, young Podrick, from House Payne."
Though he showed no outward sign, Tyrion had to admit that, compared to Prince Oberyn's side, his own… was indeed lacking.
After a brief silence, Prince Oberyn smiled and said, "Gentlemen, it is a great honor. Lord Tyrion, my companions have traveled a long distance; they require baths, good food, and wine. May we enter the city immediately?"
Tyrion grinned: "Of course, Your Highness."
… … … …
"Yo, Green!"
Outside the Red Keep gate, Lord Mace was formally dressed, his plump face beaming with uncontrollable smiles.
Green's lips curved into a smile, and he said, "Congratulations, Lord Mace."
Lord Mace proudly stroked his beard and said, "I must congratulate you too, Duke Green."
He looked Green up and down with satisfaction, noting his gentle demeanor, and added, "I am both happy for you and proud of you. May the friendship of the Golden Rose and the Marigold last forever."
At the same time, he secretly regretted that if Green were his own child, he would even be willing to give up attacking Storms End!
Green placed a hand on his chest and said, "Crabb will never forget."
After they chatted for a while, Lord Mace suddenly said, "By the way, I heard you're preparing to attack Dragonstone?"
Upon hearing this, Green said with some surprise, "The Red Keep truly has no secrets. I did send people to gather intelligence on Dragonstone, but I don't have any plans to attack it yet."
He shrugged: "After Stannis retreated in the Battle of King's Landing, a small fleet of his once invaded my port (Chapter 263). Although they were not successful, I had to be vigilant."
Lord Mace seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. With his hands behind his back, he said, "If you ever decide to attack Dragonstone, I can have the House Redwyne fleet assist you. But… without the Targaryen, I can only say… attacking there holds little significance, and Dragonstone's terrain is treacherous. To breach that place, the besieging force would surely suffer heavy casualties."
He stroked his beard: "The main thing is that the spoils of war there are only stones, nothing but stones…"
As he spoke, he first glanced around, then leaned slightly closer to Green, his voice lowered with a hint of resentment: "We should let the Lannister attack that stone island."
Green pursed his lips and smiled: "That's a good idea, Lord Mace."
A look of triumph flashed across Lord Mace's face as he slowly stroked his beard, his eyes narrowed.
After a while, someone suddenly sang out, "Welcome—the Hand of the King—Duke Tywin Lannister!"
As the voice faded, the nobles gathered outside the Red Keep gate all looked on, and when the figure wearing a purple velvet robe and the Hand's chain appeared, they all bowed in unison.
The two Dukes did not need to bow with the others. Lord Mace merely puffed out his chest proudly as he watched Duke Tywin approach, while Green, beside him, "read" envy in his gaze, though it quickly vanished.
"Hand of the King Tywin."
Duke Tywin's expression today was uncharacteristically gentle. His pale green eyes flickered slightly as he nodded his chin towards Green, saying, "Duke Green."
Several hundred people were gathered here, all to welcome the future Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. The three Dukes stood at the very front of the crowd.
Duke Tywin stood in the center, with the Duke of Highgarden from the Riverlands on his right, and the Lord of the Eyrie from the Vale on his left.
Among the gathered crowd, Crownlands nobles were the most numerous, followed by nobles from the Riverlands and the Westerlands, and a small number of Stormlands nobles and Vale Noble.
Upon seeing the three great Dukes at the front of the crowd interacting amicably, at this moment… most people chose to believe that the wars in the Seven Kingdoms would soon end, and that the Baratheon's rule over the Iron Throne would not be shaken.
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right nobut who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/TripleCrown
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"