Why Do You Not Kneel Upon Seeing a Prince?

At noon, the sunlight was just right.

Aemon stepped out of the attic, looking for his mother to report on his work.

Inside the spacious hall, someone was currently speaking with righteous indignation.

Jeyne Royce, a middle-aged man with a graying beard, wore Bronze Armor over leather padding.

Judging by his appearance alone, he looked like a stubborn old fossil.

"Lady Rhea, do you truly intend for that child to inherit Runestone?"

Jeyne's face was full of disbelief, as though the sky were falling.

Lady Rhea sat in her chair, carefully polishing an ancient-looking longsword. Casually, she said, "Cousin, he is my son."

"He is also that man's son!"

Jeyne grew agitated and said indignantly, "After your husband returned from the Stepstones, he flew off to Dragonstone to hide away. He has never cared about you or House Royce."

Lady Rhea's expression turned cold. "I do not need an incompetent husband, but Aemon will always be my son and heir!"

She would be more than happy to one day hear that the man had suddenly died.

Whether he was killed after stirring up trouble, or exhausted to death on top of some whore.

But she would never permit slander directed at her son to spread.

Jeyne was startled. Still unwilling to give up, he said, "You have better options."

"Who?"

Lady Rhea sneered and demanded, "You, my cousin, or my unmarried female cousin?"

"This..."

Jeyne fell silent at once, stammering without managing to say anything coherent.

When Uncle Jobart had chosen an heir, there had been several candidates among their direct cousins.

Jeyne was the eldest, and he was male.

Yet Uncle Jobart had passed over all the others, including him, and chosen Lady Rhea, their cousin who had been exceptionally clever since childhood.

The facts proved that Lady Rhea was no less capable than any man.

Seeing that he could not answer for a long while, Lady Rhea lost interest in the conversation. Disappointed, she said, "Go back, Cousin."

"But..."

Jeyne anxiously tried to say something.

With a wave of her hand, Lady Rhea said bluntly, "Tell the others to put out any thoughts they should not have. I will not yield an inch."

Her sharp words shattered every petty scheme.

Jeyne's heart immediately sank halfway into despair.

Many people stood behind him, opposing a Targaryen child inheriting Runestone.

But his cousin's resolve was firm, leaving him trapped between advancing and retreating.

Just then—

"Mom!"

Aemon entered through the main doors with a smile on his face.

The two people in the hall turned toward the sound.

Jeyne's heart leaped with joy, and hope flared again.

Lady Rhea glanced at her cousin and secretly frowned.

The nail that stuck out got hammered first.

What terms had those people offered him to make him willing to serve as their spearhead?

"Are you chatting?"

Aemon asked knowingly, paying this relative a little extra attention.

Jeyne barely maintained his composure. He gave a perfunctory nod, considering it a greeting.

Aemon's lips curled slightly. What a blind fool.

With that attitude, did he still expect Aemon to treat him differently depending on the situation?

"Why aren't you studying in the attic? What are you doing here?"

Lady Rhea stopped what she was doing and glanced at the two grown men behind her son.

Ser Steve nodded in greeting, while Gonsal continued acting as he pleased.

Aemon was just about to answer.

Lady Rhea did not want to hear it. Turning again to the irritating man, she said displeasedly, "Cousin, you should leave."

Problems she could resolve herself did not need her son to know about them.

Jeyne was clearly unwilling to give up. He hurriedly said, "Do you truly mean to let a Targaryen inherit Runestone? What will become of the Royce name?"

"I am the Countess of Runestone. It is not your place to worry about it."

Lady Rhea did not mince words.

Jeyne retorted, "I am also part of Runestone. I have the right to worry about the family."

As he spoke, he suddenly pointed at Aemon beside them.

"You are this child's mother. Who knows whether you will act on emotion regarding the heir and ruin the family's foundation?"

Lady Rhea's face instantly turned frosty, as though ice might form upon it.

Blinded by profit, Jeyne had begun speaking without restraint.

Anyone with eyes could see that Queen Alysanne had arranged the marriage between her grandson Daemon and Lady Rhea in order to win over House Royce.

Yet Uncle Jobart had seemed possessed, actually handing Runestone over to Lady Rhea afterward.

Once Lady Rhea became countess, the child she bore would become Runestone's next heir.

That way, House Targaryen could easily steal Runestone's inheritance rights.

It was practically seizing an entire household's estate!

"I oppose—"

Jeyne became more and more worked up as he spoke.

Unable to listen any longer, Aemon interrupted, "Ser Jeyne, may I ask from what position you are saying these things?"

He could not play deaf and dumb while someone questioned his mother.

He had to fight for his own rights.

Jeyne froze for a moment, then said rudely, "Because my name is Royce."

Aemon looked directly into his eyes and asked again, "Before I entered, I heard you mention my father. May I ask whether my father has ever offended you, or done anything harmful to House Royce?"

Jeyne opened his mouth, then stopped himself.

Thinking carefully, with Daemon's arrogant nature, he had never even spared Jeyne a proper glance and rarely stayed overnight at Runestone.

The worst thing he had probably done was insult Lady Rhea as the "Bronze Bitch."

Aemon continued, "Then may I ask whether, as my mother's son, half the blood in my body belongs to House Royce?"

Jeyne could not deny it. "Of course."

"Oh, so my father has not offended you, nor has he done anything harmful to House Royce. And I am also part of House Royce."

Aemon spoke rapidly, his eyes cold enough to chill the air.

Swish!

He drew the Bronze Short Sword from his waist and pressed it against Jeyne's side. "My inheritance rights come from my mother, and even the King has acknowledged them. What gives you the right to slander me?"

Jeyne's expression changed drastically. He stepped back, blurting out his true thoughts.

"You are a Targaryen. If you inherit Runestone, it will be nothing more than a cuckoo taking over a magpie's nest."

Bang!

The hall doors swung open, and someone hurried inside.

Sweating heavily, William said ingratiatingly, "Prince, the craftsmen rushed to make it. Please see what you think."

Without even raising his head, Aemon stared at Jeyne's sweat-covered face and thought, Perfect timing. "Right here. Unfold it!"

"Yes."

William sensed the delicate situation. His hand trembled as he unfurled the rolled-up banner.

With a flutter—

A shield-shaped inverted triangular banner was revealed.

The banner was split down the middle, its left and right sides clearly distinct.

The left side had a dark orange background. Two white stripes ran horizontally across its center, one above the other, with black runes arranged along them.

Between the two rune bands, black pebbles were laid out in neat rows.

It was a slight alteration of House Royce's banner, orderly yet imposing.

The right side was comparatively simple.

Against a pure black background, a lifelike Three-Headed Red Dragon occupied the center.

The runic pebbles and the Three-Headed Red Dragon faced one another from left and right.

The orange background complemented the Three-Headed Red Dragon, while the black-and-white runes echoed the black field.

It was neither ostentatious nor discordant in color.

The banner exuded immense majesty.

The moment they saw it, Lady Rhea and Jeyne's pupils contracted sharply.

A Two-Part Banner represented the union of two families.

"Give it to me!"

Even Gonsal, usually so thick-headed, recognized its deeper meaning. He snatched the Two-Part Banner and held it before Lady Rhea.

Lady Rhea took a deep breath and looked at the pale-faced Jeyne. "Cousin, what else do you have to say?"

Jeyne stood there in a daze.

"You have nothing to say, but I do."

Aemon seized on his mistake. "Do you know what crime you committed with the nonsense you spouted earlier?"

Jeyne instantly came to his senses, cold sweat beading on his forehead. "Prince, I..."

"You still know I am a prince?"

Aemon tilted his head.

Jeyne's lips moved, but no words came out.

Seeing this, Aemon suddenly smiled. "For the sake of this banner, I can forgive you."

Jeyne's heart sank, and a terrible premonition rose within him.

For an instant, he seemed to see the shadow of that Rogue Prince who had stolen the woman he loved.

"But!"

Aemon abruptly changed his tone and stepped forward with his sword in hand. "Why do you not kneel upon seeing a prince?"

No more padding. I'll work hard to keep the plot under control.

We'll speed up to Daemon's appearance and the prelude to dragon taming.