A couple at the end of the road?

The morning mist in King's Landing had not yet completely dissipated, and the cobblestone pavement of Rosby Road in Iron Gate was already damp from the hooves of the Vale lords' chariots.

The black-robed members of the Dark Blade Guard lined up in a straight line along the city wall. The House Royce twins stood in the middle of the procession, the runes on their silver armor gleaming coldly in the mist, but they didn't dare take another step forward. Their distant cousin Rhea House Royce, stood at the very front of the caravan, her bronze armor patterned like frozen icicles, and she didn't even glance at them.

The two had been terrified of their distant cousin and her great-uncle Yobert House Royce, the Regent of the Vale, since childhood; these two were the most "terrifying" figures in the clan.

When the two brothers saw that these two men, along with their great-uncle's bodyguards—their cousin William, known for his good temper, and their cousin Gonsor, known for his bad temper—all had uniformly serious and cold faces, they naturally dared not approach them.

When Daemon arrived, he saw Viserys with an apologetic smile, rubbing his hands together with his friend Otto, trying to strike up a conversation with the cold-faced Regent of the Vale Yobert House Royce.

The Vale Regent, a man of serious character, was dressed today in a dark gray brocade robe befitting his personality. The Valyrian steel sword "Lamentation," a heirloom of the House Royce, hung at his waist. His right hand unconsciously caressed the hilt of the sword, his knuckles turning noticeably white from the force.

When Viserys' servant offered him a flask of warming wine, the Regent merely shook his head slightly, his gaze sweeping across the empty city gate on the other side—

According to letters from other Vale lords who had arrived in King's Landing earlier, where normally the "Gold Cloaks" of his nephew-in-law Daemon Targaryen 'City Watch should have been lined up to welcome him and maintain order, only the wind was blowing through the fallen leaves.

"Lord Yobert, you must be tired from your journey." Viserys's smile was somewhat stiff, and the cuffs of his black and red tuxedo were stained with morning dew. "But Miss Jeyne is still young and frail. Shall we stop by the inn to rest? Or perhaps the rooms at the Red Keep are already prepared—"

"No need," Rhea House Royce's voice suddenly rang out, answering in place of her uncle. However, her brief two words were as cold as the snow-capped Mountains of the Moon.

She took two steps forward, the bronze soles of her boots making a crisp sound on the stone slabs. "Our House Royce isn't so delicate that we can't walk. But some people dare to leave their legal wives and elders stranded outside the city."

These words were like a block of ice thrown into the crowd. Viserys's usual ingratiating smile froze instantly upon hearing his sister-in-law's words.

The atmosphere eased slightly when Aemma, who had a special status, appeared. Upon seeing the scene, Aemma quickly took Rhaenyra from her arms and reached out to take Jeyne House Arryn, who was beside Yobert, saying, "Jeyne, come to your aunt."

As for our four-year-old Vale Jeyne House Arryn, dressed in a silver fox cloak, she watched the tense atmosphere and clutched the hem of Yobert's clothes tightly until she saw Yobert's expression soften. Then she looked at Aemma and timidly reached out her hand to her aunt.

However, when Yobert saw his ward, the soft little body nestled into Aemma's arms, his tense shoulders finally relaxed a bit, and even the furrowed brows of the calm William House Royce beside him eased somewhat.

However, only Gonsor House Royce, this giant, remained like a silent volcano. His seven-foot-tall body was encased in bronze armor. He touched the House Royce's heirloom greatsword at his waist, and when his gaze swept towards the city gate, it still carried an undisguised rage.

As Rhea's distant cousin, he and William had grown up under the "strict protection" of their aunt and uncle. Now, seeing his aunt and uncle leading a delegation King's Landing, yet not even receiving a proper welcome from their legal husband and nephew-in-law, his knuckles naturally clenched until they turned white, and the dull thud of their armor clashing was particularly jarring in the fog.

But just then, a deep dragon roar came from the distance within King's Landing — the Glutton's dark figure swept across the city walls from the hills of its "territory" in King's King's Landing, and the wind whipped up by its dragon wings instantly dispersed the mist in the surrounding air.

But right behind its dark silhouette, there seemed to be a pale gray-white figure, appearing and disappearing in the clouds behind it.

Daemon's carriage happened to be coming along the road, with Rupert and Colin on horseback flanking him, the black robes of the Dark Blade Guard fluttering in the wind.

"Lord Yobert, Lady Rhea." Daemon, looking exhausted, slowly opened the car door. Judging from the atmosphere, he naturally didn't dare to address Rhea as his sister-in-law, as he would Aemma.

However, Daemon politely exchanged quick glances with the group, then, out of the corner of his eye, first lingered on the "Lamentation" at Yobert's waist, then swept over Rhea's cold eyes, before slowly speaking again, "I was delayed on the way, sorry for being late."

When Yobert saw this promising young man, a smile finally appeared on his previously tense lips.

At the beginning of the year, during the siege of Moon Gate Keep in the Vale, it was this young man who led the Vale's allied forces to break through the Wildlings army outside Moon Gate Keep. After the battle, it was he who personally carried Jeyne out from under the crumbling wall.

At the victory celebration at Eyrie, the boy spent the entire afternoon playing with wooden swords with Jeyne. That bond was even stronger than that between blood relatives and in-laws.

Now, looking at this promising successor, Lord Yobert had a rare smile on his face.

"Little Daemon Damon, it's good to see you here." He raised his hand and pressed down on Gonsor's arm behind him, signaling him to calm down. "Ever since we parted at the Eyrie banquet at the beginning of the year, our Miss Jeyne has been talking about you a lot. Even on the way to King's Landing this time, she's been talking about you for days."

No sooner had the regent finished speaking than Jeyne suddenly broke free from Aemma's arms, her short legs trotting towards Daemon, reaching out to hug him. "Little Daemon!"

She still remembered that last year at Moon Gate Keep, it was this silver-haired brother who carried her out of the burning, crumbling walls of Moon Gate Keep. Even afterward, when they visited Eyrie's Eyrie, he was willing to accompany her to watch the clouds by the prison.

I vaguely remember the day he taught her how to hold the wooden sword, telling her, "The Duke of the Vale must learn to protect his future self."

Daemon bent down and picked her up. The little one immediately and skillfully wrapped her arms around his neck. However, Daemon had grown quite a bit taller since the beginning of the year, and the little duke fumbled around for a while before finally managing to wrap her arms around him. Her little head rested on his shoulder, and her black hair was spread out on his cloak.

Looking at the soft, warm weight in his arms, Daemon couldn't help but recall the first time he held her after the Battle of Moon Gate Keep —she was trembling then, but now she dared to pounce on him.

"Missed me?" Daemon gently pinched her little cheek, and Jeyne nodded vigorously, pointing her little finger in the direction of the Glutton in the sky. "Dragon! You promised to take me riding one at the Eyrie last time, I want to ride a dragon! Little Daemon!"

Aemma, holding the still-sleeping Rhaenyra, smiled helplessly at Daemon: "I knew you'd spoil the kids. But I didn't expect even Jeyne to be attracted to you. Our Little Daemon is really good at winning over the children these days."

However, Rhaenyra, nestled in her arms, frowned slightly, seemingly disturbed by the noise outside, but she didn't wake up, her little hand still clutching Aemma's clothes.

Rhea stood still, her bronze armor reflecting the morning light, her expression still cold. She looked at the scene but did not utter another sarcastic remark.

William House Royce stepped forward, patted the shoulder of Rayford, whom he recognized, who was following behind Daemon, and then spoke to Daemon to ease the tension, "Your Highness, we heard on the way that you established the Dark Blade Guard in King's Landing, and they seem to be much stronger than the recruits we trained in the Vale."

Only then did the House Royce twins dare to step forward. At Daemon's signal, one of them took a arm from Yobert's, and the conversation gradually turned to the changes in their hometown and relatives.

However, Otto Hightower, who was standing behind Viserys at this moment, had his green robe cuffs clenched so tightly that they were wrinkled.

He watched as Daemon easily eased the tension, and as Yobert treated this "bastard" with even more warmth than he had treated Viserys. A sinister glint flashed in his eyes, but he dared not say a word. His friend Viserys had recently hinted to him more than once in private—and the warning from His Majesty the the Conciliator was still ringing in his ears. He had overstepped his bounds, and there would be no good outcome.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Red Keep must have already prepared a feast." Viserys seized the opportunity to smooth things over, smiling as he led the group into the city. "Aemma even had the kitchen prepare Vale recipes this morning; Jeyne and all of you will surely enjoy them."

The procession began walking along the street toward the Red Keep, and the atmosphere was noticeably more relaxed than before.

William chatted with the House Royce twins about the details of the Battle of Moon Gate Keep. Yobert watched his younger family members talking animatedly and occasionally chimed in, recounting how Daemon used the Glutton's Dragonfire to cut off the Wildlings ' retreat and praising Daemon's superb tactics at the time.

Jeyne nestled in Daemon's arms and whispered that there were any dragons in King's Landing's Dragonpit. Daemon patiently told her the story of the Silverwing, which had left a deep impression on her, and the story of the Silverwing's mate, Vermithor.

Viserys walked alongside, occasionally chatting with Yobert about the future marriages of Rhaenyra and Jeyne. Although he didn't say it explicitly, his words as Jeyne's uncle revealed a natural intimacy.

But no one expected that halfway there they would run into another group of people.

Daemon Targaryen, riding on Caraxes, appeared first at the street corner. As the red dragon landed in the square, he leaped off, the hem of his somewhat frivolous golden robe sweeping across the ground.

Lysa Tully, the third daughter of House Tully, was beside him, dressed in a light blue dress, smiling as she spoke, clutching the wooden dragon he had just given her. Judging from the craftsmanship and style, it seemed to be something Daemon Targaryen had secretly taken from Viserys.

Duke Grover Tully walked behind, watching his daughter and the prince interact, his brow furrowed so deeply it could trap a fly. Hoster, Brynden, and the others stood protectively around their mother and sisters, their eyes scanning the oncoming procession warily.

The two groups collided in the center of the square, and the air froze instantly.

Daemon Targaryen's smile froze instantly, his hand unconsciously resting on the hilt of the "Dark Sister" sword at his waist. He saw Yobert House Royce reach for "Lamentation" at his waist, saw Gonsor's angry glare, and saw the cold faces of William and the others.

Duke Grover instinctively pulled Lysa behind him, avoiding Yobert's gaze, his worry deepening.

He had long heard that the House Royce was unhappy with Daemon Targaryen because of the marriage, and now that he had run into his daughter and the prince together, he feared that something bad was about to happen.

"Calm down! They're all on our side!" Viserys quickly stepped forward, spreading his arms to separate the two groups, and frantically looked at his "eldest son" and "silly brother," repeatedly hinting, "Big Daemon, weren't you supposed to be settling the House Tully? What are you doing here?"

"Just settled in, and I was thinking of showing Miss Lysa the sights of King's Landing." Daemon Targaryen's voice was somewhat hoarse. He dared not look at Yobert's face, yet he couldn't help but defiantly glance at Rhea, ignoring the suggestive looks from Viserys and Daemon.

Even Otto tried to smooth things over. "Duke Tully, Lord Yobert, it's all for the King's tournament, let's not ruin the harmony."

Before they could say anything more, Daemon gestured for the Dark Blade Guard to step forward. "Stand apart, don't crowd."

The black-robed team members immediately formed a human wall, separating the two groups. The Gold Cloaks squad leader also reacted, directing his men to retreat to avoid conflict.

Just then, Rhea House Royce suddenly took two steps forward, the runes on her bronze armor gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

She looked at Daemon Targaryen, a mocking smile playing on her lips, "What? Shopping with House Tully lady, and you've forgotten you even have a home?"

Daemon Targaryen also dropped his joking demeanor, raising an eyebrow in response. "It's better than some people who always had a cold face back in Runestone. At least someone's willing to go shopping with me."

"Likewise," Rhea said coldly, turning and walking towards the Red Keep. Her bronze boots stomped on the stone slabs with a resolute air.

Daemon Targaryen watched her retreating figure, snorted, and turned to his Gold Cloaks, saying, "Let's go the other way."

The two groups of people parted ways along two forks in the square, and their footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Daemon held Jeyne in his arms, and could feel the little one quietly clutching his cloak tighter.

Yobert's hand was still on "Lamentation," but he didn't press harder.

William watched Daemon Targaryen's retreating figure, his brow still furrowed.

The sunlight gradually dispelled the morning mist, but it couldn't dispel the gloom in everyone's hearts.

Viserys sighed helplessly and patted Daemon on the shoulder, "Let's go, don't keep Grandpa, Grandma, and Father waiting."

Daemon nodded, his gaze sweeping over the fallen leaves scattered across the square.

He knew that today's brief standoff was merely the tip of the iceberg of the undercurrents in King's Landing and the future of Westeros. Otto's suspicion, Daemon Targaryen's willfulness, House Royce's discontent, and House Tully's wavering were like entwined vines that would sooner or later grow sharper thorns in the future after the climax of the tournament.