Duke Jon's cloudy eyes changed, becoming razor-sharp.
Under Duke Jon's intimidating gaze, the confusion on Gryn's face only deepened.
Gryn, with his handsome, refined features, looked utterly harmless. His confused expression made him seem especially curious.
Could I have misjudged him?
Duke Jon dismissed the ridiculous thought in an instant.
Not a single noble born on Crackclaw Point was not warlike. To be warlike was to be bloodthirsty.
According to the information Varys had provided, the young man before him had not only reclaimed his family's ancestral lands but had also been waging war against the Mountain Wildling tribes in eastern Crackclaw Point.
How could these Half-Wildling nobles have easily let the Gulltown merchants who dared insult their family name off without bloodshed?
Duke Jon's gaze softened somewhat. "Everyone knows what happened to Meryn's family was your doing."
Gryn had more or less guessed Duke Jon's purpose. He wanted Gryn to personally admit that he was the culprit.
What was his aim? Gryn suspected Duke Jon wanted to drive him out of King's Landing.
Why drive Gryn out? Gryn thought of the Lannisters.
What Gryn hadn't seen clearly before now became clear.
Gryn had no interest in answering Jon's interrogation. Instead, he asked, "Your Grace, I've always wondered: the war had been decided fifteen years ago, so why did you deliberately create hatred between the Vale and the peninsula?"
As soon as Gryn finished speaking, the atmosphere in the study grew heavy.
Duke Jon's gaze sharpened further as he stared at Gryn in silence.
Gryn continued, "Fortunately, Crackclaw Point has no ships and is separated from the Vale by a strait."
The little Half-Wildling baron was challenging his authority, and Duke Jon was rarely angered.
Along with his anger, Duke Jon felt puzzled. The young man before him was no simple-minded hothead. Why did he dare?
Duke Jon sighed inwardly at his failing strength. He truly was old.
Duke Jon had not forgotten why he had summoned Gryn today. "Young man, are you trying to evade your crime by asking me other questions? That's cowardly."
One of Gryn's eyebrows arched.
Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon were both Duke Jon's wards. He had personally raised them.
Seeing Duke Jon now, Gryn finally understood the main reason Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon were both political fools.
No wonder Petyr wasn't satisfied with cuckolding him and even dared to covet his power.
Duke Jon's many illustrious titles had only forged an outward appearance of strength.
And in person, Gryn, who was already perceptive, could sense Duke Jon's age all the more clearly.
Gryn sighed softly and said respectfully, "Your Grace, you keep talking about my crime, and I'm confused. Forgive my ignorance, but could you tell me exactly what it is? For instance, what happened, and what evidence you have against me?"
Duke Jon stared silently at Gryn for a while, then a clear look of contempt flashed in his eyes. "Do you still remember the honor befitting a noble?"
Gryn remained unmoved. "Just because I'm a minor noble, you expect me to take the blame?"
Duke Jon suddenly remembered how, when Eddard Stark was young, he had told him about a prickly little animal from the North. What was it called again?
Duke Jon nearly lost himself in the memory.
Duke Jon forced down his weariness. "I can forgive House Crabb's debts."
Gryn's ears perked up. That was 7,500 Gold Dragons.
Gryn's brown eyes flickered. "Then I... thank you for your generosity, Your Grace?"
Gryn's odd expression made Duke Jon smile. "You should leave King's Landing."
Was that the condition for forgiving House Crabb's debts?
Gryn spread his hands. "Your Grace, Crackclaw Point's soil is poor. To survive, everyone has to be a hunter. The Vale's nobles have blockaded us for more than a decade, and our hunters have shed blood every day fighting over scarce resources."
"There's no room for the old and weak to survive on Crackclaw Point. Your Grace, I don't want you to misunderstand me. The hatred on Crackclaw Point frightens me, too."
"The hundred thousand hunters are all born warriors. If someone with an agenda stirs them up, I could be forced along with them."
"As long as I'm not on Crackclaw Point, no one else has the influence to unite its strength. That's why I came to King's Landing."
Gryn spoke calmly and sincerely.
Apart from the questionable figure of a hundred thousand, Duke Jon understood the young baron's goodwill.
He also understood the threat of war concealed beneath that goodwill.
Duke Jon couldn't help wondering whether the Little Baron really came from Crackclaw Point. He seemed more like a noble from the south.
Duke Jon's next words confirmed for Gryn that he truly was the foster father of Lord Eddard and King Robert.
"Young man, the Lannisters' influence in King's Landing has grown too powerful. You shouldn't pledge yourself to them."
Wasn't that a little too direct? Gryn was speechless for a moment.
Duke Jon was tailoring his approach to the "special" Gryn.
The corners of Duke Jon's mouth curved slightly. "But what you said isn't without merit. Sending you back to Crackclaw Point now would waste your good intentions."
Duke Jon leaned forward in his chair. "I can appoint you Warden of Crackclaw Point and grant you authority over the entire peninsula."
Indeed, a person's position shaped them. Though years in power might have left Jon politically naive, his political instincts were still sharp.
Jon had seized on the key point, the one sure to tempt Gryn.
Gryn shrugged. "That certainly won't be easy."
Duke Jon wore a "kindly" expression, his tone returning to the gentleness with which he had begun. "Your people were once too loyal to the Targaryens. Although the Targaryens are gone, without some new opening, it will be difficult for the Red Keep to establish trust with you."
Gryn privately sneered at the old man.
Since arriving at Duke Jon's study today, Gryn had already figured out the fundamental reason the Baratheon Dynasty had kept suppressing Crackclaw Point.
The root cause was Crackclaw Point's tradition of loyalty to the queen, and the queen of the Baratheon Dynasty was a Lannister.
By the time Cersei became queen, the Lannisters had grown too powerful to suppress, and could only be restrained.
So Crackclaw Point was suppressed to limit the growth of Lannister power.
Fortunately, Duke Jon's sustained suppression over more than a decade had produced visible results. Crackclaw Point had been weakened enough to reassure everyone.
So much so that even with Gryn serving as Queen Cersei's Steward, Duke Jon felt no unease.
There was no hurry. The problem could be dealt with slowly. Duke Jon was in control.
Gryn's words had also had an effect. Duke Jon realized that the hatred toward Crackclaw Point needed to be eased somewhat, or someone with an agenda might exploit it and spark a war.
The Vale's nobles had spearheaded the suppression of Crackclaw Point. If war broke out, the Vale would inevitably be the first to face the Wildlings' hatred.
Duke Jon still remembered how Crackclaw Point's people had fought in the Usurper's War. What stood out most was that they had no concept of surrender: they fought to the last man, to the very last moment.
More precisely, they had no concept of surrendering to anyone from beyond Crackclaw Point.
Duke Jon added, "Of course, loyalty is a virtue and deserves praise."
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