After-Meal Time

Once Ned and Catelyn left, the atmosphere in the hall instantly lightened.

Arya, who had been silent the entire time, felt a weight lift off her shoulders; she had been worried her mother would lecture her again, which had ruined her appetite for dinner.

Rickon excitedly ran to Robb's side, begging him to play a game of knights with him.

Robb patted Rickon on the head and indulgently agreed.

Garon watched this scene with a smile.

He scanned the hall and his gaze happened to collide with Theon Greyjoy's prying eyes.

Thinking of the information the Three-Eyed Crow had revealed to him, Garon's eyes turned dangerous in an instant.

Theon was startled and quickly averted his gaze, feeling an inexplicable sense of unease in his heart.

What does he mean by that?

Could it be that he knows I reported things to Lady Catelyn?

Is he planning to take revenge on me?

No, that's impossible!

At the time, besides myself and Lady Catelyn, no one else knew...

Harboring a guilty conscience and fearing that his secrets might be discovered, Theon dared not linger in the hall.

He forced himself to remain calm, greeted Robb, and then hurried away without looking back.

This scene left Jon deep in thought, and he couldn't help but turn his head to glance at Garon.

He found Garon wearing a meaningful smirk.

Just as he wanted to step forward to ask Garon about it, he saw Sansa suddenly look up and muster the courage to say, "Garon..."

Garon's gaze softened instantly as he turned to respond, "Lady Sansa, is there anything I can do for you?"

"Could you play a few games of chess with me?"

Sansa made her request, then added, "Since you are the one who invented Westeros Chess, you should be the most familiar with the rules."

"Robb's skills are too poor, so I want to play a few games with you."

After she finished speaking, seemingly afraid that Garon might refuse, she added confidently.

"I played with Jeyne and Beth all day today, and neither of them was a match for me."

"If even you can't beat me, then Westeros Chess isn't very interesting after all."

Garon was stunned, his tone sounding strange as he asked, "Does Lady Sansa mean that I should go all out?"

Sansa nodded confidently.

Although she had only been playing for a day, after competing against Robb and the others, she felt she had mastered the essence of Westeros Chess.

Even if Garon was the inventor, she was not afraid in the slightest.

Seeing Sansa so confident, Garon had no choice but to graciously agree.

In his previous life, he had taught himself chess for a period of time and was quite proficient in various tactical applications.

On Blue Star, he wouldn't dare call himself a master.

But on the continent of Westeros, Garon felt he should be an invincible existence.

At least, for now.

Once Sansa retrieved the chess box she had placed in the corner of the hall earlier, he stepped forward to sit across from her, set up the pieces, and asked with a smile one last time.

"Are you sure you want me to go all out?"

Sansa gave a confident "Mhm," not believing that Garon could be much stronger than her.

However, just to be safe, Sansa chose her favorite white pieces to open.

As the game began, Robb and Rickon, who had been playing, couldn't help but lower their voices, while Jon, Bran, and Arya gathered around to watch.

Seeing her open with the white pawn to e4, Garon didn't hesitate and immediately responded with the black pawn to c5.

If anyone who understood chess had been watching, they would have recognized that Garon was using the famous Sicilian Defense.

The two went back and forth, neither willing to show weakness.

But the scales soon tipped in Garon's favor.

Relying on the variations of the Sicilian Defense, he easily dismantled Sansa's defense.

Immediately after, Garon drove his pieces deep into her territory, leaving Sansa's formation in shambles.

Sansa frowned and pondered deeply, trying to turn the tide.

But no matter how hard she racked her brain, she could only watch helplessly as her pieces were ruthlessly traded off one by one.

By the time Garon captured her bishop, the outcome of the game was already set.

Sansa's only remaining king had nowhere left to retreat.

Now, even Jon, who didn't understand the rules of the game, could see that she had been thoroughly crushed by Garon.

Sansa's eyes were slightly red as she stared at the chessboard without saying a word.

She couldn't believe that she hadn't even been able to put up a fight against Garon.

To think that she had been the one to provoke him before the game even started.

Just thinking about the things she had said before the match began made Sansa feel so embarrassed that she could have dug an entire Winterfell out with her toes.

"Haha..."

Robb stood to the side, laughing with immense joy.

He had been brutally crushed by Sansa earlier that morning, and tonight, he finally got to see her completely defeated by Garon.

Jon didn't know the full story, but seeing that Sansa's eyes were red from her loss, he quickly nudged Robb, signaling him to stop gloating.

Garon also gave Robb a speechless look, telling him to stop laughing, before turning to Sansa to offer some praise.

"Lady Sansa, the fact that you were able to hold out for so long has truly impressed me!"

Seeing that Sansa still didn't make a sound, he continued with his compliments: "For an ordinary person learning Westeros Chess, it's considered quite good just to memorize the rules on the first day."

"Those with slightly better talent, like Robb, can barely manage to play a game against others."

"Only someone as intelligent as Lady Sansa could hold out for so long under my offensive."

"You have to remember, I am the one who invented Westeros Chess, after all."

This string of compliments finally moved Sansa.

She blinked her azure eyes and asked in a delicate voice, "Really?"

Garon looked at Sansa's blushing, delicate cheeks and felt his heart flutter; he was so mesmerized for a moment that he couldn't speak.

It wasn't until the sound of Robb and Jon's teasing reached his ears that he snapped back to reality, forcing himself to remain calm as he said.

"Of course, I can swear it by the Old Gods!"

After saying this, Garon's gaze fell back onto Sansa's eyes with intensity.

This aggressive stare was more than Sansa could handle, and she quickly turned her head away, not daring to meet his eyes.

Just then, Arya, who was watching the fun and hoping for more, laughed and egged them on: "Look, look, Sansa is blushing!"

This even drew the attention of Rickon, who had been playing by himself.

Sansa glared at Arya in annoyance.

If not for the fact that Garon was present—and that she didn't want him to think she was unladylike—Sansa would have certainly stood up to teach Arya a lesson.

Fortunately, Old Nan, who had just walked into the hall, came to Sansa's rescue.

"Lady Sansa, Lady Catelyn wants to see you."

Embarrassed and annoyed, Sansa didn't dare stay any longer; she whispered a "good night" to Garon and hurried away.

Seeing her fleeing in such a panic, Arya laughed even louder.

"Lady Arya, we have a guest, please try to be a bit more ladylike."

Old Nan pulled the sleepy Rickon along and said slowly: "Lord Robb, I'll take Rickon back now."

"And Bran, you should head back to rest early as well."

Robb and Bran nodded with smiles and agreed.

After Old Nan left with Rickon and Bran, Garon collected the Westeros Chess pieces one by one and placed them back into the wooden box.

Then, he handed the box to Robb.

"Robb, please pass this on to Lady Sansa."

"It's getting late, I'm going to the Godswood to pray for a while, then I'll head back to rest."

Robb took the box, and Jon, standing nearby, said kindly: "Would you like me to go with you?"

Garon smiled and shook his head, declining Jon's company.

"No need for the trouble, Jon, you should hurry back and get some rest yourself."

He bid farewell to Robb and Jon once more, then turned and slowly walked out of the hall.

Garon oriented himself and headed toward the Godswood all alone.