"Hm…?"
"Is it already morning?"
Karl slowly opened his eyes and stared blankly at the unfamiliar ceiling above him. Pale light filtered through the curtains, and for several moments, his mind remained completely empty.
He lay there silently, half-asleep, enjoying the rare peace.
Then—
Flap! Flap!
The sound of beating wings suddenly echoed from outside the window.
Before Karl could react, a creature larger than a sheep crashed through the open window and rolled across the carpeted floor.
Water droplets scattered everywhere.
A second later, a horned dragon head stretched toward him, carrying scorching breath and the smell of smoke.
Then a giant tongue slapped directly across Karl's face.
Smack!
Warm saliva covered him instantly.
"Damn it!"
Karl cursed in his native language as he was forcibly "washed" awake by dragon saliva.
The culprit behind the attack looked extremely pleased with itself.
Robert flapped his wings excitedly before jumping onto the bed.
"Rooaaar!"
"Oh, shut up!"
Karl kicked the dragon off the bed before it could continue roaring.
"Get down! If you break my bed, I'll skin you tonight and turn your hide into a blanket."
Robert landed on the floor with a pitiful whine.
Ignoring the dragon's fake suffering, Karl wiped his face with disgust and reached for the rope hanging beside the bed.
A crisp bell rang through the room.
Not long afterward, three handmaidens entered carrying washing supplies.
Karl quickly freshened up while Ser Alex Oakheart of the Kingsguard quietly stood in the corner waiting for instructions.
"What time is it?" Karl asked casually while allowing the servants to dress him.
Alex bowed respectfully.
"Your Majesty, it has been nearly two hours since dawn."
Karl glanced toward the window in surprise.
"That late?"
He shrugged indifferently.
It was rare for him to oversleep, but he did not particularly care.
"Have the others eaten yet?" he asked.
"And where are Samwell Tarly, Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister, and the White Wolf?"
Ser Alex immediately understood.
"Would Your Majesty like me to summon them?"
Karl nodded while putting on his boots.
"Yes."
"If any of them are still asleep, wake them up."
"Tell them I'll be eating in the hall and that they should join me."
He paused briefly before adding:
"Oh, and call Kesi, Hall, Shaga… and Sandor Clegane too."
"The Hound came to Casterly Rock recently, didn't he?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Alex bowed again before quickly leaving through a side corridor.
Karl walked alone through the stone passageways of Casterly Rock while Robert quietly followed behind him.
The dragon's behavior surprised Karl slightly.
Usually, Robert was loud and restless.
Today, however, the little beast followed silently like a shadow.
Karl noticed immediately but pretended not to care.
Along the way, servants and guards bowed respectfully.
"Good morning, Your Majesty!"
Karl occasionally raised a hand in response as he continued toward the great hall.
Once he arrived, he sat down at one of the long wooden tables and casually ordered breakfast.
"I want something light."
"Nothing greasy."
"More vegetables. Some soup too."
The servants hurried away at once.
Meanwhile, Robert copied Karl's behavior.
The dragon climbed onto a nearby stool and rested both claws on the table while lifting its head proudly.
Karl originally intended to quietly plan his conquest of the Westerlands.
Unfortunately, Robert had other ideas.
The dragon began growling loudly while puffing smoke from its nostrils.
Karl immediately developed a headache.
"Fine."
"Get this little bastard some roasted meat."
"And fish too, if there's any available."
Robert's eyes instantly brightened.
Clearly understanding he had been rewarded, the dragon became even more excited.
"Roooar!"
Flames burst from his mouth.
The sudden dragonfire terrified the servants so badly that several nearly dropped their trays while scrambling toward the corners of the hall.
At that exact moment, a short figure carrying a thick book walked inside.
Tyrion Lannister stopped immediately after feeling the intense heat.
His eyes lit up when he saw Robert breathing fire.
"In all the books I've ever read," Tyrion said with amazement, "I've never seen a dragon described quite like this."
"Karl… this creature is a miracle."
Dark circles beneath Tyrion's eyes revealed he likely had not slept all night.
The moment he entered the hall, his attention locked completely onto Robert.
Karl casually picked up an empty iron plate and threw it directly at the dragon's head.
Thunk!
Robert immediately stopped breathing fire.
"This little bastard is smart," Karl said dryly.
"But he's far too mischievous."
The scolded dragon lowered his head onto the table and stared pitifully toward the kitchen entrance.
Tyrion slowly approached.
He clearly wanted to get closer to Robert, but fear prevented him from doing so.
Eventually, he settled for sitting beside Karl instead.
"I'm serious," Tyrion continued.
"This dragon's intelligence is absurd."
"Sometimes I feel like there's a human trapped inside that body."
Karl remained silent for a moment.
Truthfully, he had thought the same thing many times.
Robert had not even been born for a month, yet his intelligence resembled that of a clever young teenager.
At the same time, he still possessed the curiosity of a child.
He learned frighteningly fast.
He understood commands quickly.
And his growth rate was even more absurd than his intelligence.
Sometimes Karl unconsciously forgot Robert was a dragon at all.
He treated him more like a troublesome son.
Tyrion leaned closer.
"And his growth rate makes no sense."
"Are you certain he's truly a dragon?"
"And not some magical creature pretending to be one?"
Karl sighed helplessly.
"I honestly don't know."
"Maybe I've simply been feeding him too well."
That was not entirely false.
Ever since Robert hatched, Karl had fed him magical meat rich in mana, pieces of dragon eggshell, enchanted water, and countless valuable materials.
Compared to ordinary dragons of this world, Robert had practically grown up in paradise.
As for the intelligence…
Karl suspected it had something to do with the strange changes brought by the game world itself.
Perhaps Robert had inherited traits closer to true intelligent dragons rather than ordinary wyverns.
That possibility was precisely why Karl hoped Robert would eventually learn dragon speech and magic.
Tyrion rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Then perhaps you should build him a dragon lair."
"Like the Targaryens once did."
Karl turned toward Robert.
The dragon was clearly listening.
And understanding.
The moment Tyrion mentioned a lair, Robert raised one claw and pointed directly downward beneath the castle.
Karl narrowed his eyes.
"You want to live underground?"
Robert nodded rapidly.
He even bared his teeth in excitement.
Unfortunately for him, Karl shook his head without hesitation.
"No."
Robert froze.
Karl continued calmly.
"You're going to grow enormous one day."
"Probably larger than this entire castle."
"The underground caverns won't hold you forever."
Robert's expression visibly fell.
Karl ignored the pitiful look and continued.
"You should build your own lair instead."
"Find a mountain nearby."
"Carve it out yourself."
"You can melt stone with dragonfire."
"It'll help you train your abilities too."
Robert immediately lowered his head in disappointment.
Seeing the dragon quietly accept the arrangement, Karl nodded in satisfaction.
Tyrion, meanwhile, stared at the two of them with disbelief.
Watching a man communicate effortlessly with a dragon felt utterly surreal.
Before he could continue questioning Karl about Robert, several figures entered the hall.
Jon Snow.
Samwell Tarly.
Kesi.
Shaga.
Sandor Clegane.
Alongside them came three Kingsguard knights.
The atmosphere immediately became more formal.
Tyrion silently adjusted his expression.
While he treated Karl casually in private, he never forgot that the man before him was now king.
The Kingsguard bowed respectfully.
"Your Majesty."
The others also greeted Karl before taking seats around the table.
Karl waved dismissively.
"Relax."
"I hate stiff formalities during breakfast."
"Order food first."
"We can talk while eating."
Tyrion immediately spoke up.
"I'll take crispy bacon, two fish, and milk."
His relaxed attitude helped ease the tension.
Jon and the others soon ordered their own meals as well.
Only Sandor Clegane remained standing.
Karl looked toward him curiously.
"You're not eating?"
Sandor glanced briefly toward Robert before focusing back on Karl.
"I'd rather know what you intend to do with me."
Karl calmly picked up his spoon.
"You haven't done anything wrong."
"Ever since Winterfell, none of the recent problems involved you."
Sandor remained silent.
His scarred face revealed nothing.
Karl sighed lightly.
"This is boring."
He placed down the spoon.
"I called you here for two reasons."
"First…"
"Do you want to inherit everything belonging to House Clegane?"
Sandor's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Second…"
"Do you want to become one of my Kingsguard?"
Everyone at the table quietly listened.
Even Robert stopped scratching the wooden table and looked over curiously.
Sandor remained silent for a long time.
Karl patiently continued eating breakfast while waiting.
The soup was surprisingly delicious.
Especially the rich meat broth.
Finally, Sandor spoke.
"You want me to swear loyalty to you?"
Before Karl answered, Tyrion interrupted casually.
"Technically speaking, you're only a landed knight."
Karl silently accepted the explanation.
The atmosphere became tense.
Jon and the others instinctively sat straighter.
"I don't want to become Kingsguard," Sandor said coldly.
"They disgust me."
Karl laughed softly and exchanged a glance with Tyrion.
"Then don't."
"You can remain Lord Clegane instead."
"But I still want your loyalty."
"And your strength."
Sandor's expression became complicated.
"You killed Gregor."
"I always thought one of us would die by the other's hand."
Karl quietly listened.
Only Tyrion seemed to understand the deeper meaning behind Sandor's words.
After a long silence, Sandor finally exhaled heavily.
"So what now?"
"I kneel?"
"And swear loyalty?"
Karl grinned.
"Of course, Ser Sandor Clegane."
Sandor gave a rough laugh.
Perhaps mocking fate.
Perhaps mocking himself.
Then the Hound slowly lowered himself onto one knee before Karl.
The hall fell silent.
"It is an honor to receive your loyalty, Ser Sandor," Karl said sincerely.
"I'll have someone bring you ale afterward."
Sandor snorted quietly.
That seemed to satisfy him more than any noble speech.
The atmosphere around the table relaxed instantly.
Karl leaned back in his chair, feeling unusually pleased.
It was indeed a beautiful morning.
Then his gaze shifted toward Tyrion.
The dwarf had already begun eating enthusiastically.
Karl suddenly smiled.
"So, Lord Tyrion…"
"How many people in the Westerlands do you think will swear loyalty to me now?"
"Especially after your father became suspected of betraying the Iron Throne again?"
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)