Laena Velaryon

Chapter 25: Laena Velaryon

After everyone had been introduced, the atmosphere eased somewhat.

The noblewomen chatted among themselves, discussing all manner of gossip.

Only Rhaenyra had been forgotten, standing awkwardly to one side, unable to get a word in.

Aemon swept his gaze over the sigils on the noblewomen's attire. Without exception, they belonged to the Oldtown Faction or the Reach.

An old woman from the Redwyne Family was the most talkative. She opened the conversation. "I heard that when Lord Swayne's ship passed through the Stepstones, Johanna was kidnapped."

Alicent was startled and asked, "Then what will happen to Johanna?"

She was a noble lady. Even if she were rescued, her honor would be ruined.

Cradling a pug in her arms, the old woman said blandly, "She'll be sold to a brothel in the Free Cities, if you believe the letters."

The noblewomen fell silent for a moment. They all understood it was true.

Aemon was bored out of his mind and had no interest in it.

"Pardon the interruption."

Just then, someone interesting arrived, dragging along a strange clubfoot.

Leaning on a cane, Larys said modestly, "Ladies, I fear the gods did not bless me with a body suited for hunting. May I sit with you?"

"Of course. Come sit with us."

Alicent kindly took him in and introduced him. "Larys Strong, the youngest son of Lord Lyonel, Master of Laws."

At this time, she was still very gentle, even using "youngest son" to soften the status of Second Son.

Larys nodded his thanks and sat down with a humble expression.

He had been born with an unfortunate appearance, but his attire was impeccably formal. Even as a wallflower, he did not inspire dislike.

Aemon stared at him for a few moments, satisfying his curiosity.

This guy was ruthless and vicious enough. I should find a chance to quietly get rid of him~

A chill ran down Larys's back. His already frail body shrank in on itself as he warily glanced at everyone present.

Naturally, Aemon did not let him notice.

"My husband says no one can tame the Stepstones for long..."

A plump noblewoman spoke again, but a burst of commotion interrupted her.

Everyone turned to look, and a head of silver-gold hair flashed past the tent entrance.

"Huh?" Aemon sat up straighter.

Amid the escort of a group of young nobles, a second silver-haired, violet-eyed girl entered the great tent.

"Laena!"

Rhaenyra's eyes lit up. As if she had found a kindred spirit, she hurried over to greet her.

Aemon's mind went blank as he stared fixedly at the strikingly beautiful older girl.

Her silver-gold curls cascaded to her waist, her skin smooth and pale, and her tall figure traced alluring curves.

At first glance, she seemed only a few years older than Rhaenyra.

Yet every gesture she made was poised and dignified, already carrying the charm of a mature woman.

Aemon said in astonishment, "Shouldn't someone from the Velaryon Family be on Driftmark?"

Laena Velaryon, eldest daughter of Sea Snake Corlys and Queen Who Never Was Rhaenys, was a Dragonrider with Targaryen blood.

Before she was twelve, she had tamed Vhagar, the oldest and largest ancient dragon in the world.

Five years had passed since then, and she had become a mature dragonrider.

"Rhaenyra, it's been a long time."

Laena was open and gracious. She took her old friend's hand, and together they walked over.

"Why are you here? For the hunt?"

Rhaenyra truly could not understand.

Their arrival immediately drew countless gazes.

Among them was King Viserys at the seat of honor. He stared uncertainly at Laena, even ignoring the ministers speaking beside him.

But he was king of a realm, after all, and quickly regained his composure.

Meanwhile, Rhaenyra finally took her seat.

At the sight of Laena's visit, a noblewoman voluntarily gave up her seat for the two highborn daughters of Valyria.

"Don't mind me. My ship was slow."

Laena's eyes were gentle, her voice carrying a magnetic quality as she signaled for everyone to continue chatting.

The noblewomen exchanged glances, then gradually livened up the conversation again.

Laena's status was simply too special.

The kingdom was at war with the Stepstones, and the leading advocates of war were Sea Snake Corlys and Daemon.

Her appearance at the Kingswood Hunt concerned the attitude of the royal family and the Velaryon Family toward one another.

As soon as anyone spoke, the topic naturally turned to the Stepstones.

Aemon poked his head out and studied Laena sitting across from him.

She said she had come by ship, so that meant she had not ridden a dragon.

"Hello, Aemon."

Laena smiled warmly and waved at him, like a big sister from next door.

Aemon gave an awkward smile and quickly pulled his head back.

She was the real deal. He could not afford to provoke her.

Fortunately, his name had been given to him by his great-grandfather Jaehaerys, in remembrance of the heir Aemon, who had died unexpectedly.

As he recalled, the people of Driftmark had been fairly friendly toward him.

In the time it took to exchange greetings, the conversation grew increasingly inappropriate.

An old woman seated near Alicent abruptly changed the subject and began stirring trouble. "What are Princess's views on the Stepstones?"

Rhaenyra froze at the question and answered kindly, "Oh, I'm not too sure. I've never been to the Stepstones."

She still naively believed it was an ordinary conversation.

Holding a wine cup, the old woman's tone sharpened. "Your dear uncle is the mastermind behind this war, isn't he?"

Aemon's expression shifted slightly as he fixed his gaze on the spectating Alicent.

Fine, pick on Rhaenyra if you wanted. What did dragging his father into it have to do with anything?

And she said it right in front of him.

Rhaenyra sensed that something was wrong and evaded the question. "I don't know. I haven't spoken to Daemon in years."

Daemon was fighting abroad. He did not even care about his own son.

But the old woman refused to let her go, pressing her further. "Ever since you replaced him as heir, correct?"

She no longer bothered concealing her intentions, taking the chance to question Rhaenyra's status as heir.

Alicent felt things were getting out of hand and smiled to smooth things over. "Daemon brought this upon him—"

Before she could finish, a glass flew past her eyes.

Smash!!

The glass shattered directly at the old woman's feet, instantly breaking into powdery fragments.

The old woman jumped from her chair with a scream.

"Old hag, who asked you to run your mouth!"

Aemon cursed outright, snatched up a wineglass filled with wine, and hurled it again.

"Aemon!"

Alicent was stunned. By the time she came to her senses, the boy beside her had already charged out.

With a sharp crack.

The wineglass narrowly missed her and smashed against the back of the chair. Red wine and glass shards splashed all over the old woman.

Aemon's little face darkened, showing no restraint. "You old bitch, if you love talking behind people's backs so much, how many soldiers does your family have!?"

The old woman was soaked from head to toe, her wrinkled face cut by glass. She cried out in terror, "What are you doing? This is the king's great tent!"

Who would dare cause trouble here?

Aemon would.

He grabbed a wine bottle and smashed it, then charged like a tiny firecracker. "Did my father offend you? Who gave you the right to spout such nonsense!"

It was fine to suppress Rhaenyra. It was even fine to call his irresponsible father names.

But right in front of him, they were using his father's war as bait to set a trap for Rhaenyra.

He could not tolerate it in the slightest. Fighting was the only answer.

"Aemon, stop!"

Alicent was completely dumbfounded, reaching out to stop him.

Unfortunately, she could not stop him at all.

Aemon was very strong. The broken edge of the wine bottle was sharp, and wine and glass shards sprayed everywhere.

With the bearing of a tiny humanoid tyrannosaur, no one dared block him within three paces.

In mere seconds, chaos erupted amid screams.

Aemon narrowed his eyes halfway and hurled half a wine bottle at the old woman's forehead, cursing, "Something's wrong with your brain. Let's crack it open and fix it."

With a bang, it struck dead center.

In an instant, blood began to stream down as the screams grew louder.