"You're talking nonsense. I clearly saw you hurting him!"
With her blood boiling, Alicent couldn't hear a word of it. She glared at Rhaegar in hatred.
Rhaegar gave a mocking smile. "If I'd really wanted to hurt him, you wouldn't have had time to scoop him into your arms and nurse him."
Her chest felt damp and sticky. Alicent instinctively covered it, then looked down and saw that her nightgown was wet.
It was soaked not only with Aegon's tears and snot, but also with milk leaking from her breasts as her emotions surged.
Rhaegar grabbed a cloak and tossed it to her, then turned away. "You failed to raise your son properly. As his older brother, I have every right to discipline him."
"I only believe what I see with my own eyes."
Alicent glared at him furiously, then grabbed Aegon's head and wiped the mess from his face. "Aegon, tell Mother: did he hurt you?"
Aegon sobbed hard, glancing fearfully at Rhaegar. His body trembled, and he didn't dare open his mouth.
Rhaegar shrugged and raised his brows smugly.
Alicent clenched her teeth, then slapped Aegon hard across the face and scolded him. "Wake up, Aegon!"
"Tell Mother right now—did Rhaegar hurt you!?"
Her voice grew piercingly sharp by the end.
The slap left Aegon stunned. A handprint quickly swelled on his cheek, and he said dazedly, "He hit me, and he burned me with fire..."
Rhaegar frowned slightly and glared at him.
You little brat. You're still making things up!
With her son's testimony, Alicent completely lost her temper. "Did you hear that? Aegon says you hit him, and I saw you burn him with a red-hot bracelet!"
"What did he do to you that made you hurt him like this!?"
Faced with Alicent's accusations, Rhaegar had