Everyone froze in place, their breathing becoming cautious.
Ned Stark's face turned from red to green, then from green to white.
He looked at Joffrey, who had been slapped to the ground, blood at the corner of his mouth, yet still fiercely protecting the girl; then he looked at Cersei beside him, trembling with rage.
Finally, his gaze fell upon the furious Robert.
He wanted to say something.
He wanted to seek justice for his daughter, to question the King why he allowed the Prince to humiliate House Stark so publicly.
But all his words ultimately dissolved into a heavy sigh.
No matter what, at least the engagement would definitely be broken.
His beloved daughter, Sansa, would finally not have to marry this volatile, cruel, and tyrannical madman.
For him, for Sansa, for the entire House Stark, was this not a form of liberation?
"Your Grace, please calm down."
Finally, Jaime Lannister stepped forward.
He supported his sister, who was swaying with anger, glanced complexly at Joffrey on the floor, and spoke to Robert in a steady tone.
"Joffrey is still just a child, he..."
"A child?"
Robert sounded as if he had heard the biggest joke.
He pointed his finger at Joffrey's nose, spitting on Jaime's face.
"Damn it, he's still a child?"
"When I was fifteen, I was already smashing enemies' heads with a warhammer!"
"And him?"
"He only knows how to publicly humiliate his future Queen!"
Cersei's body stiffened abruptly, her green eyes instantly filling with humiliation.
"Robert! Watch your words!"
Cersei reminded him.
"Joffrey is your son! He is the Crown Prince!"
"I'd rather not have this son, damn it!"
Robert roared back mercilessly.
His cloudy eyes held undisguised disgust.
He turned away, no longer looking at the Lannister mother and son who disgusted him.
He strode to Ned, and his large, fan-like hand clapped heavily on Ned's shoulder.
"Ned, my best brother."
Robert's voice was filled with guilt and sincerity.
"I have wronged you."
"I will give you justice for this matter!"
Robert took a deep breath, then turned to face all the silent nobles in the hall.
His booming voice, like a bell, once again echoed throughout the banquet hall.
"I, Robert Baratheon, King of the Seven Kingdoms, hereby declare!"
"The betrothal between Joffrey Baratheon and Sansa Stark is hereby officially dissolved, effective immediately!"
The final word!
A suppressed gasp swept through the hall.
Cersei's face turned somewhat unsightly.
Joffrey, however, seemed to have had all his strength drained, sitting blankly on the floor.
He looked at Liana, who was being held down by the Kingsguard, staring at him with a look of "terrified despair," and the flame of defiance that had just ignited in his heart was instantly extinguished by more than half.
The engagement was broken... he was free!
But why was he not happy at all?
He felt as if he had lost a toy that, though he disliked, was incredibly important.
"As for you..."
Robert's gaze fell on Joffrey.
"Get back to your room!"
"You are not allowed to step out of your room for a month!"
"And that woman!"
Robert pointed at Liana, his eyes full of disgust.
"For Joffrey's sake, I will spare her life."
"From today on, she will be a handmaiden in the The Red Keep, never allowed to leave this castle, and certainly not..."
Robert's voice suddenly rose, filled with a warning tone.
"...have any possibility of marriage with a Prince!"
"A future King must never marry her as Queen!"
"This is the last line of House Baratheon!"
The King's decree was law.
These words completely shattered all of Joffrey's fantasies.
He could keep Liana, but he could never give her a proper title.
She could only be his mistress hidden in the shadows, a plaything not fit for public display...
"No..."
"Why is this happening?"
Joffrey shook his head, distraught.
However, the Kingsguard had already seized him, forcibly dragging him out of the banquet hall.
"Let go of me!"
"You dogs! I am your Prince!"
"Do you believe I'll whip you with a steel lash!"
"Damn it!"
Joffrey's frantic roars grew fainter and fainter, finally disappearing down the corridor.
Liana was roughly pulled up from the ground by two guards, her face, tear-streaked like pear blossoms in the rain, was filled with terror and helplessness.
A farce seemed to have ended.
But everyone knew this was just the beginning.
The alliance between Baratheon and Stark had its first crack.
Robert was clearly aware of this.
He irritably scratched his messy beard, his gaze sweeping across the room.
Finally, it landed on the man who had been calmly drinking wine like an outsider the entire time.
The Earl of Gift, Lynn.
"Lynn!"
Robert waved him over.
"Come here!"
Lynn put down his wine glass and slowly walked to the throne under everyone's complex gazes.
"Your Grace."
"Now, the House Stark betrothal has fallen through."
Robert's tone carried an undeniable command.
"Your marriage to Myrcella can no longer be delayed!"
"You immediately send someone to bring Myrcella back to me!"
"I want to see a grand wedding within half a month!"
"I want all the Seven Kingdoms to know that the alliance between my House Baratheon and the North is unbreakable!"
He needed a new marriage alliance to mend the rift just created and to continue to solidify his throne.
And Lynn, this upstart with a powerful army and dragons, was undoubtedly the best choice.
"As you command, Your Grace."
Lynn replied calmly.
"As for Sansa..."
Robert's gaze turned to Ned, his face again showing guilt.
"Ned, I know an apology is far from enough."
"I will compensate her."
Robert pondered for a moment, then waved his hand.
"Tell Sansa, whatever she wants, as long as I can give it, I will not be stingy!"
A flicker of light passed through Lynn's eyes.
The King's compensation... this came at just the right time... Night deepened.
Joffrey was locked in his room.
Like a wild beast trapped in a cage, he furiously smashed everything he could in the room.
Gold plates, silver cups, statues... the opulent room was a mess in an instant.
But no matter how he vented, the humiliation and powerlessness in his heart grew stronger.
He hated Robert, hated his most admired father for publicly humiliating him!
He hated Cersei, hated her for only looking at him with that suffocating gaze!
He hated his own incompetence even more!
He couldn't even protect the woman he loved!
Just then, the door was gently pushed open.
A petite figure, carrying a basin of warm water, carefully walked in.
It was Liana.
She had changed into a simple handmaiden's dress, and the purple bruises on her face made her look even more pitiful.
"Your Royal Highness..."
She spoke timidly.
"Get out!"
Joffrey roared without turning his head.
Liana trembled with fright, but she didn't leave.
She put down the basin, walked behind Joffrey, and wrapped her soft, small hands gently around his waist.
"Your Highness, please don't be like this..."
"You can hit me, you can scold me, because it's all my fault that I implicated you."
"But can you please stop sulking? It breaks my heart to see you angry..."
Her voice was tearful, and warm tears soaked Joffrey's clothes on his back.
"It's all my fault... I brought you trouble... I'm not worthy... I'm not worthy of your love..."
"If my death can make Your Highness regain the King's favor, then I am willing to die!"
As Liana spoke, she reached for a small knife on the table, poised to stab herself in the heart.
But Joffrey was quick, snatching away the small knife Liana was using for her "suicide."
The more Liana acted this way, the hotter the anger burned in Joffrey's heart.
This anger was no longer directed at others, but at this unfair world!
Why?
Why, as a Prince, could he not marry the woman he loved?
Why could those sanctimonious nobles point fingers at his Liana?
"You are not wrong."
Joffrey pulled Liana tightly into his embrace.
The force was so great it almost seemed to meld her into his very bones.
For a woman who was willing to die for him, Joffrey swore he would treat her well!
"They are wrong! This world is wrong!"
Joffrey lowered his head, looking at Liana's tear-filled face.
Even after all this, her blue eyes still held that pure, unadulterated "worship and adoration."
A strong sense of defiance exploded in Joffrey's heart.
You won't let me marry her?
You look down on her?
Then I will treat her well!
Better than anyone else!
I will give her the best things in the whole world!
I want everyone to know!
She, Liana, is the woman I, Joffrey Baratheon, cherish most!
"From today on, you don't have to do anything anymore."
Joffrey's voice carried an undeniable stubbornness.
"You just need to stay by my side."
"I will protect you; whoever dares to bully you again, I will kill him!"
He cupped Liana's face and kissed her fiercely.
It was no longer the gentleness and tentative exploration of last night, but a possessive and cathartic plunder.
Liana obediently closed her eyes, letting him do as he pleased.
However, beneath her lowered eyelids, a fleeting glint of imperceptible shrewdness flashed by... In the Tower of the Hand's study.
Sansa was writing something on paper with a quill.
Lynn stood by the window, looking out at the sleeping King's Landing, his fingers gently caressing a gold dragon.
Everything was unfolding according to the script he had written.
Joffrey, that little mad dog, had been completely leashed with a collar named "Liana."
And King Robert's compensation had paved the last stretch of road for Sansa to ascend to that position.
Tap, tap, tap.
A soft, rhythmic knocking sounded.
Sansa also looked up.
Lynn said directly.
"Come in."
The door opened, and a figure in a handmaiden's dress slipped in, then quickly locked the door from the inside.
She turned around.
It was Liana, who had just been playing the role of a delicate white lotus in Joffrey's room.
Now, all traces of fragility and fear had vanished from her face; even the endearing tear stains were gone without a trace.
In her clear blue eyes, there was no longer worship or adoration, only cold composure and efficiency.
She walked to Lynn, knelt on one knee, her movements as precise as an Unsullied.
"My lord."
Her voice was steady and clear.
"Mission accomplished."
"Good."
Lynn turned, looking down at her.
"Your performance was excellent; I am very satisfied."
"Your teaching was excellent, my lord."
There was no hint of pride on Liana's face, as if the person who had given such an explosive performance in the banquet hall and Joffrey's room was not her at all.
Lynn took a money pouch from his bosom and threw it in front of her.
"This is your payment."
Liana glanced at the bulging money pouch but did not pick it up.
She looked up, and for the first time, her blue eyes, in the candlelight, revealed her own emotions.
It was a flame mixed with ambition and desire.
"My lord, I do not want gold dragons."
"Oh?"
Lynn's eyebrow raised slightly.
"Then what do you want?"
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