Red Dragon! Red Dragon!

Slaver's Bay, Meereen.

The Great Pyramid.

"Your Grace, this is the Name Day gift the Wise Masters prepared for you."

In the throne room, representatives of the slave masters from Astapor and Yunkai bowed their heads respectfully.

Illyna sat on the throne, still wearing a blue dress with a plunging slit that accentuated her curves.

She liked that style. It displayed her queenly bearing while making her feel less constrained by her clothes.

"Valyrian steel?"

Illyna's eyes flickered as she wound a necklace with a dragon-head pendant around her fingers.

On closer inspection, the chain was ordinary, but the pendant was carved from Valyrian steel with the skill of a master craftsman.

It looked oddly familiar, as though she had seen it somewhere before.

The slave master immediately stepped forward and fawned, "Only a treasure from Old Valyria is worthy of the noble blood of True Dragon Blood."

"It's a very fine gift. I can see the sincerity behind it."

Illyna smiled and returned the necklace to its box.

Ever since the lost red dragon had been captured, the news had quietly spread far and wide.

Not only had the Great Masters of Meereen become thoroughly compliant, but the Wise Masters and Good Masters of the other two slave cities had also grown increasingly submissive.

Her rule, which had once seemed unstable, had become astonishingly secure.

However...

Illyna glanced at the bald wizard in the corner of the hall and furrowed her delicate brows.

The dragon-taming plan still hadn't been completed.

The last Red Priest couldn't control the red dragon, and kept making excuses while seeking help from Asshai.

As a result, the slave masters who had yet to see the queen ride a dragon were growing suspicious.

Behind the scenes, they were quietly making moves and conspiring against her