Supported by her handmaidens, Cersei's mind was a blank slate.
She looked at her son, who was laughing maniacally, at Lianna nestling shyly in his arms, and then at the Lannister weapons discarded on the ground.
What had just happened?
She seemed to have been "rescued" by her son from a humiliating political marriage...
But why did she feel no joy, only a chill deeper than before?
"Mother! Did you see?! I am the King!"
Joffrey was still shouting excitedly in her ear.
He wanted to atone for his previous disrespect toward Cersei in this manner.
Cersei did not answer.
She was passively clustered by her handmaidens, leaving the messy courtyard and returning to her chambers.
She waved everyone away, sitting alone in the opulent room.
Her father... Tywin Lannister, the man who was the bedrock of their house, had been driven away by her foolish son in the most laughable way imaginable.
A power vacuum instantly appeared in the Red Keep.
And the one filling this vacuum was Lianna, a girl who had popped out of nowhere.
Joffrey actually decided to marry her on his own?
Where did this Lianna even come from? How was she fit to be Queen?
Cersei's gaze fell on the mirror.
The woman in the glass looked haggard, her eyes lost.
She thought of Lynn.
That man from the North; he was the root of all this.
Like a master chess player, he controlled the board in King's Landing from thousands of miles away.
Lianna was likely his pawn.
Even Joffrey worshiped him madly.
Even she herself had become an insignificant discarded piece on his board, dragged to bed and used whenever he pleased.
She was a Queen Dowager, the Queen Mother.
How had she fallen to this state?
What should she do?
Rely on Joffrey?
That little madman who cared for no kin could send her to the block for a single wrong word!
Ask her father for help?
Tywin couldn't even save himself; he was probably fleeing King's Landing in a rage at her stupidity right now.
Wag her tail and beg Lynn for pity?
Cersei's body trembled.
She didn't want to bow her head to the man who had ruined everything for her.
But... she still had Myrcella.
Her daughter was still in his hands.
Cersei covered her face, letting out a suppressed whimper.
For the first time, she felt what true despair was.
...
Unlike Cersei's despair, Sansa Stark was in a very good mood.
Because her Lord Lynn had written to her.
Sansa sat in her room, holding a small slip of paper.
It was a secret message sent by Lynn.
There weren't many words on it, just a few sentences.
Sansa looked out the window; the crows circling over the Red Keep seemed to convey an unsettling atmosphere.
She knew what had happened in the courtyard.
Joffrey had deposed Tywin and was going to marry the girl named Lianna.
The power structure of King's Landing had turned upside down overnight.
And this was exactly the opportunity she had been waiting for.
A servant wearing the uniform of the Gold Cloaks knocked and entered.
"Miss Stark, His Grace the King summons you."
"Understood."
Sansa held the paper to the candle flame, watching it turn to ash.
She smoothed her skirt, a submissive and quiet smile appearing on her face.
It was time.
She could not disappoint Lynn.
When Sansa walked into the King's solar, Joffrey was speaking excitedly to Lianna.
Shards of wine goblets smashed during the celebration still littered the floor.
"Sansa! You're here!"
Seeing Sansa, Joffrey immediately waved, his face full of boastful pride.
He wanted to show off in front of this woman he hadn't managed to obtain.
"My future Queen, Lianna!"
Lianna curtsied to Sansa, a humble smile on her face, but her eyes were full of mirth.
"Miss Stark."
Sansa returned the curtsy.
"Congratulations, Miss Lianna."
"No, I should call you Queen Lianna now."
Sansa turned her gaze to Joffrey, her blue eyes filled with just the right amount of admiration.
"And even more congratulations to you, King Joffrey."
"Your actions today demonstrated the majesty and decisiveness a true King should possess."
Joffrey loved hearing such words, and his hostility toward Sansa diminished significantly.
"But of course!"
He puffed out his chest and began to rattle on about how he used "wisdom" and "courage" to defeat that "old traitor" Tywin.
Sansa listened quietly, nodding in agreement from time to time, the worship in her eyes growing stronger.
"Your wisdom is like the light of the Seven, illuminating the entire kingdom."
Sansa's voice was soft and sincere.
"It is the blessing of all the people of Westeros to have such a wise monarch as you."
Joffrey was floated on air by the praise, feeling he had become a great man like Aegon the Conqueror.
"I said long ago, I am the one most fit to sit on the Iron Throne!"
Sansa smiled, changing the subject seamlessly.
"Indeed, unlike certain subjects who only think of profit for their own families, even at the cost of damaging the royal dignity."
"What did you say?"
The smile on Joffrey's face paused.
"Nothing, Your Grace."
A trace of fear appeared on Sansa's face, as if she had misspoken.
"I just... just when organizing the kingdom's accounts a few days ago, I saw some... interesting things."
"What things?"
Joffrey pressed immediately.
"Highgarden... the tax revenue turned in by House Tyrell seems somewhat mismatched with their fertile lands."
Sansa's voice was very low, as if telling a secret.
"I was thinking at the time, perhaps Lord Tywin gave them some special treatment privately to secure the alliance with House Tyrell."
"After all, Queen Mother Cersei was about to marry over there; some sweeteners were needed to solidify the alliance."
Sansa's words were like a lightning bolt striking Joffrey's sensitive nerve.
Mother?
Taxes?
Tyrell?
Tywin?
Alliance?
These words linked instantly in his mind.
His old undying grandfather not only wanted to sell his mother like goods but also caused the royal treasury to suffer losses for it?
They were ganging up to play him for a fool!
BANG!
Joffrey slammed his fist on the table. His face, excited just a moment ago, was now iron-blue with rage.
"Fuck Tywin!"
"And those fence-sitting Tyrells!"
"How dare they!"
"They are stealing my money!"
Joffrey's voice became shrill and piercing; he felt massively insulted.
Lianna was startled by his sudden rage, subconsciously taking half a step back.
Sansa lowered her head, hiding the imperceptible smirk at the corner of her mouth.
"Your Grace, please quell your anger..."
"Quell my anger? How can I quell my anger!"
Joffrey pointed at Sansa, roaring loudly.
"Bring me the ledger! Now! Immediately!"
"I want to see with my own eyes how much money those bumpkins from Highgarden stole from me!"
Sansa immediately had a servant bring the ledger.
Joffrey was bad at math and couldn't understand the dense numbers at all.
But he saw a word he recognized—Tyrell.
Then, Joffrey nodded pretentiously and slammed the entire ledger onto the floor!
"Traitors! All traitors!"
"Tywin is a traitor! The Tyrells are traitors too!"
"They all want to laugh at me! They all want to profit from me!"
Joffrey paced back and forth in the room like an enraged beast.
"Sansa!"
He shouted at Sansa by the door.
"You are my Master of Coin!"
"I want you to recalculate all of Highgarden's taxes immediately! Not a copper less!"
"Tell House Tyrell they must pay all arrears within a month! No, I want double! This is the price for trying to deceive me!"
"Also!"
As if remembering something, a cruel smile appeared on Joffrey's face.
"Issue a royal decree! Proclaim it to the Seven Kingdoms!"
"House Tyrell must publicly declare they are cutting ties with the traitor Tywin Lannister!"
"Any Highgarden noble found contacting Tywin Lannister privately will be charged with treason!"
"Strip them of their lands and titles for eternity!"
Ser Barristan was stunned by Joffrey's successive mad orders.
"Your Grace... this... this will enrage House Tyrell..."
"Enrage?"
Joffrey sneered.
"I want to enrage them!"
"I want to see if those flower-planting bumpkins dare play tricks in front of me, the King, without Tywin backing them up!"
"Go! Whoever delays, I'll chop off their head!"
"Yes... Yes! Your Grace!"
Several Kingsguard scrambled out of the room.
Only Joffrey's heavy breathing remained in the room.
Sansa stood aside, looking at the King whose face was hideous with anger, her heart calm.
She knew she had completed the task Lynn gave her.
A seed named suspicion had been planted by her own hands.
Next, it was up to the Rose of Highgarden to deal with this storm she had raised.
She slowly raised her head, casting her gaze to the North.
She wondered if Lord Lynn was satisfied with her answer sheet.
Would she receive some rewards from her teacher?