With Daenerys present, Meraxes was as well-behaved as a large dog, allowing the Maryweather family's children to cautiously and excitedly stroke her body.
For the children of Westeros, dragons were almost everyone's childhood dream, and now, being able to interact with a dragon so closely, the chubby Marko had already planned how he would show off to his friends later.
Count Maryweather and his wife also looked on with a sense of pride as the dragon feasted, though deep down they still felt a pang of heartache for the livestock being consumed. Although Longtable Hall was wealthy, the Maryweather couple usually lived quite frugally.
Dreamfyre and her companions consumed over a hundred black pigs, forty to fifty goats, and ten oxen in this one meal. It was almost half a month's worth of daily consumption for Longtable Hall.
Count Maryweather couldn't help but swallow, musing to himself,
"Though dragons are powerful, their appetite is truly something no ordinary family can afford!"
After the dragons had eaten their fill and rested for an hour, Daenerys bid farewell and departed. Following the Mander River north, they finally arrived in King's Landing before dark.
Maria, who was riding a dragon for the first time, was both excited and nervous. By the time Daenerys brought her down from Dreamfyre's back, the little girl's face was pale.
Although she was severely dizzy, she still managed to maintain the demeanor of a noble lady. Daenerys couldn't help but admire her even more.
Because Daenerys landed the dragons directly in the Red Keep's garden, Shirei and Besani, who were staying in the Red Keep, quickly came to greet them.
Daenerys had the guards take Earl Hightower away, then instructed Besani,
"Besani, Shirei, this is Lady Maria of the Maryweather family from Longtable Hall. She will be your companion from now on. You two take her to rest first, I will go visit His Majesty the King."
"Yes, Princess!"
Besani first curiously sized up Maria, then immediately enthusiastically took her hand and, with Shirei, accompanied her back to Daenerys's room.
King Jaehaerys had long been accustomed to Daenerys's companionship, and suddenly being separated for so long truly made him miss her.
"Little Daenerys, you finally decided to come back! The Hightower Family arrived in King's Landing yesterday, and I also received the valuables you sent back."
"I heard Oldtown has been quite turbulent because of you! Hahaha!"
Although what Daenerys gave King Jaehaerys was merely some liquid assets from the Hightower Family's vault, it was still worth several million gold dragons, so the Old King was naturally very pleased.
"As long as Great-grandfather is satisfied, I imagine the wealth of the Cuy family in Yangwu City, once inventoried, won't be small either. That will greatly enrich the treasury again."
Although the Cuy family was annihilated by Daenerys, their property was to be confiscated. While Daenerys could retain a portion, the majority still had to be handed over to the treasury.
King Jaehaerys had long been curious how Daenerys had brought the Hightower Family and the Cuy family to their current predicament, so he didn't exchange many pleasantries and immediately cut to the chase, asking Daenerys to explain the detailed process to him.
But Daenerys didn't hide anything. Anyway, by the time she arrived in Oldtown, the trap she had set was already ready to be sprung. All she did was go with the flow.
Apart from Daenerys's proactive move of having the Watcher use arcane arts to bewitch Mond Hightower into stealing Dragon Eggs, everything else was Daenerys's pre-calculated manipulation, using her understanding of the Hightower Family to gradually drag them into the abyss.
The Hightower Family was most adept at using the power of the Citadel and the Faith to create public opinion advantages for themselves.
So, when they prepared to create public pressure to lessen their guilt, Daenerys seized the opportunity to incite the populace, directly causing a riot in Oldtown.
This allowed Daenerys, as a victim, to forcefully drag the Hightower Family into the abyss with the dragons at her disposal.
However, even in front of King Jaehaerys, Daenerys only gave a general overview of the events and did not disclose the many arrangements she had made beforehand.
But Jaehaerys was, after all, an outstanding King. After listening to Daenerys's account, the Old King couldn't help but tease,
"Listening to you, it sounds as if everything was accidental and coincidental. So what about the preparations you made in Oldtown? I don't believe all of that was accidental!"
"If there are too many coincidences in one matter, then it's certainly not a coincidence!"
"You had quite a few people arranged in Oldtown, otherwise how could you have controlled the entire Oldtown in such a short time?"
Daenerys didn't explain anything regarding King Jaehaerys's probing, only responded with an innocent look,
"Who said I only made arrangements in Oldtown?! Perhaps if I wanted to, I don't know how many families would be unlucky!"
"Perhaps not many things succeed by coincidence, but luck often favors those who are prepared, doesn't it?"
Daenerys's words made Jaehaerys pause, then he burst out laughing,
"You are absolutely right!"
"Even the best trap, whether the prey enters it or not, depends on him!"
After speaking, King Jaehaerys's tone shifted,
"Then what are your thoughts on how to deal with the Hightower Family next?"
Daenerys replied without hesitation,
"Naturally, according to the laws of the Seven Kingdoms, the Small Council will make a fair judgment and ruling!"
"Anyway, the Hightower Family has already been thoroughly exploited. Perhaps this time, showing the Crown's benevolence might not be a bad idea. After all, it's much easier to control a great family that has a weakness."
"Although the Citadel and the Faith can do little in this matter, if they are truly offended badly, they hold grudges."
"Hahaha!"
King Jaehaerys was very pleased with Daenerys's answer,
"Truly the most outstanding Princess of the Targaryen Family in hundreds of years."
"However, those old foxes in Oldtown were only temporarily deterred by the sudden riot and the dragons. Once they recover, there will still be a struggle!"
Daenerys dared not accept King Jaehaerys's praise with complacency,
"Great-grandfather, I am not as outstanding as you say. I consider myself merely a common person. Everything I do is simply for money and profit, while incidentally looking after my reputation."
"I believe that in the face of absolute power, any conspiracy or trickery is merely a paper dragon, and will turn to ashes with a single spark!"
After a long time apart, the Great-grandfather and granddaughter talked for a long time, until Daenerys coaxed the somewhat tired Old King to sleep in the late hours of the night.
On the way back, Audrey whispered in Daenerys's ear,
"Princess, Alicent has been very close to Prince Daemon recently! Prince Daemon has even ridden his dragon back to the Red Keep several times to support her, fearing that someone might mistreat her because of the Hightower Family's affairs."
"Alicent and Daemon?!"
Good heavens, this script is a bit off...
Since when did Daemon favor Alicent's type?
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