Gryn Understands Me

Lord Gryn hesitated.

For the sake of developing his strength, Lord Gryn, who understood the plot, chose to temporarily join Queen Cersei's faction based on his own practical interests.

Sure enough, no matter the scale, nothing in King's Landing ever happened without a reason.

The hidden instigator behind the destruction of the relationship between the King and the Queen possessed considerable ambition; the chess players were already stirring undercurrents long before the plot officially unfolded.

Those who could profit from such affairs proved their own strength, marking them as true players in the game of thrones, or perhaps groups of players formed for their respective ambitions.

Lord Gryn guessed at the few most likely houses.

Lord Gryn deliberately put on an evasive expression and ordered Mutton to plate some stewed meat for him.

Lord Gryn awkwardly avoided the gaze Jaime kept fixed upon him.

Mutton placed the chunks of meat on a plate and presented them to Lord Gryn as if offering a treasure.

Lord Gryn chewed the mutton, lowering his eyelids slightly to enjoy the tenderness of the stew; the exhaustion from working for over a dozen hours seemed to be swept away in an instant.

Jaime could feel that Lord Gryn had sensed something and wanted to continue pressing him, but Lord Gryn was clearly avoiding the topic.

Seeing Lord Gryn eating with such relish, Jaime grew a bit annoyed: "Little Wildling, eating by yourself? Not going to host your guest?"

Lord Gryn seemed very surprised, swallowed the food in his mouth, and said: "Do Lannisters eat stewed mutton too?"

Jaime laughed in anger: "And what did you expect? Do you think Lannisters eat gold?"

Lord Gryn looked up and laughed, ordering Mutton to quickly present food to Ser Jaime.

Having received the food, Jaime abandoned his usual poise, bit off a large mouthful of the stewed meat, and chewed.

Jaime looked at the plain-looking stew with some surprise, finding it better than he had imagined.

After eating for a while, Jaime spoke up: "Lord Gryn, it is clear that I am not sharp enough. If you have guessed something, I hope you can be frank with me. I can even keep it secret from Cersei; consider it a favor I owe you. A Lannister always pays his debts!"

Lord Gryn's ears twitched, as if he had hallucinated the crisp clinking of Gold Dragons.

Lord Gryn paused for a moment, his expression complex, and sighed slightly: "Warrior Mutton, take the meat, guard the perimeter, and do not let anything approach this place."

Anything? The clever Mutton understood Lord Gryn's order at once, quickly packed up a pile of meat, rose to leave, and called to the guards in the distance to set up a defensive perimeter.

Lord Gryn moved his chair closer to Jaime's position and sat back down: "Ser Jaime, I feel a black, giant net cast over our Queen. It is already pressing down above Her Grace Cersei, but it is like something hidden in the pitch-black night—impossible to detect, yet it is already at work."

Jaime's pupils constricted; the fog that Jaime had not noticed before was pierced through by Lord Gryn.

Lord Gryn's words were descriptive, without pointing to anything specific, but Jaime associated them with many things, including the increasingly fierce arguments between Robert and Cersei.

Jaime stared at Lord Gryn and asked: "Have you guessed who it is? What is their goal?"

Lord Gryn did not avoid Jaime's gaze: "Setting aside who it is for a moment, the goal is actually quite easy to guess."

Lord Gryn paused, then continued: "To replace Her Grace Cersei."

Jaime's body jolted; he stood up abruptly, the veins on the back of his hand gripping the sword hilt bulging, radiating murderous intent.

Amidst his anger, Jaime felt an internal conflict: if Cersei were no longer Queen, could he take her away from King's Landing and return to Casterly Rock?

Lord Gryn saw the struggle behind the anger on Jaime's face and secretly despised the knight's naivety.

Lord Gryn could not offer a direct warning, so he acted as if he had not seen the change in Jaime's expression and spoke: "Ser Jaime, only the demise of the body or a massive stain on one's reputation can allow for a new Queen to appear under the law."

Jaime's anger vanished instantly, and his heart trembled violently.

Jaime sat back down in his chair with difficulty. Seeing that Lord Gryn's expression was merely serious and that he had not noticed his own abnormality, he cast aside his inner panic and breathed a sigh of relief.

Jaime needed to speak to ease the frantic pounding of his heart from that instant: "Lord Gryn, your guess is likely correct, especially this year—I have always felt that many things have become inexplicably awkward. Your analysis has helped me understand a great deal."

As he spoke, Jaime actually felt a trace of wariness due to Lord Gryn's keen sense of smell, a result that Jaime found amusing.

Carrying a purpose even he himself did not fully understand, Jaime suddenly said: "I have been so derelict in my duty. Cersei is in danger, yet I... I have failed her..."

Lord Gryn's heart stirred, but his face remained calm; instead, he comforted him: "Although Her Grace Cersei is the Queen, to you, Her Grace Cersei is your family first."

"Because of your love for your family, you have remained inside the house, making it difficult to notice the small changes outside. By comparison, someone like me, who was already outside the house, found it easier to discover the anomalies."

"Ser Jaime, the person Her Grace Cersei trusts most will always be you. Matters have not yet reached the point of no return; you hold a sharp blade, and a sharp sword can also cleave through the darkness."

Lord Gryn's voice was steady and unhurried, carrying a touch of youthfulness, yet it was sufficiently composed and possessed a reassuring power.

From the gaze Lord Gryn directed at him, Jaime felt not only concern and trust but also a trace of reverence.

Jaime, representing the Kingsguard—the strongest knights in Westeros—was not surprised that Lord Gryn held him in reverence; instead, his favor for Lord Gryn increased significantly.

Jaime had held a prejudice against Lord Gryn before they even met, and after hearing Tyrion's advice later, he had ignored Tyrion's appreciation for Lord Gryn, deepening his prejudice further.

He did not know that Tyrion's advice was something he had been unaware of; it was he who had held the prejudice first.

Jaime remembered Tyrion's words of praise for Lord Gryn.

As a member of the Kingsguard, Jaime felt a sense of shame in his heart for his earlier prejudice against Lord Gryn.

His heart was open and honest; he actually understands me very well!