Are You Going to Force Yourself on Me?

The tranquility of the garden acted like an invisible wall, completely isolating the music and noise of the banquet. What was left behind was not only the clamor of voices, but also the exhausting hypocrisy, scheming, and probing.

The two walked on either side of the gray path, with a distance of three or four feet between them. This meant that when they occasionally encountered outstretched branches, they had to bend down, turn to the side, or reach out to block them.

The road ahead was winding and twisting, and they had no idea where the path beneath their feet would eventually lead them.

Jon looked at the girl beside him, knowing he had to speak up to break the silence.

"Ahem." Jon cleared his throat, trying to get the other person's attention. "Miss Margaery, I have a question for you."

"Lord Stark, please speak."

Would you marry someone like me?

Margaery was slightly taken aback, not expecting Jon to be so direct. She quickly glanced at Jon, then looked at the road beneath her feet, then at the sky and the surrounding vegetation.

"Is Lord Stark proposing?" Margaery asked with a hint of playfulness.

"Yes and no." Jon slowed his pace and turned to Margaery. "His Majesty Stannis hopes we can unite, so that Highgarden will allocate more resources to help me conquer the Westerlands. In this way, His Majesty can eliminate a traitor, weaken Highgarden's power, reward his subjects, and punish your House Tyrell's previous opportunistic behavior—a win-win situation."

"So this marriage was entirely His Majesty's will?" Margaery's voice turned cold.

"It would be hypocritical of me to say that. If I could marry you, I would also gain many benefits, and you are very beautiful. I have no reason to refuse."

"Your Grace is so sincere," Margaery smiled, her voice as gentle as tea cooled by the evening breeze.

So what are you waiting for?

"What?"

Margaery let out a very faint sneer. "You raped me, right here, so my father would have no choice?" Her famous brown eyes shone brightly in the twilight, like two cold flames. "Just like how you dragged Lya into the banquet by your arms."

Jon looked at Margaery's serious face and realized that he had underestimated her, but he was also excited. Only someone like her was worthy of cooperating with him.

"Then you still dare to come out with me?" Jon retorted inwardly. He explained, "I don't want to do that, because I'm a rather greedy person. I want both your body and your heart, which is why I asked if you would marry me."

Jon's answer also surprised Margaery.

"What if I say I don't want to?" Margaery pressed on.

"Then I will conquer the Westerlands on my own, though it may require several battles and the deaths of many."

"Does that mean with Tyrell's help, we'll be able to take the Westerlands and Casterly Rock much faster?"

"That's right." Jon readily admitted. With Highgarden's help, he wouldn't have to worry about the army's logistics, and with the Tyrell army to the south keeping them occupied, he could find an opportunity for a decisive battle more quickly.

"But Casterly Rock will never fall," Margaery raised a very practical and objective question.

"The strongest fortresses are often breached from within," Jon replied crisply and confidently.

Margaery remained silent, and the two continued walking, but they had already stepped onto the cobblestone path, and the distance between them had shortened slightly.

After a long pause, Margaery asked, "Lord Stark, what do you think is the most important thing in marriage?"

Jon paused for a moment, then said, "Bards and musicians love to sing praises of love, but from what I've observed, for commoners, bread and gold, land and houses are the most important things for marriage. But for people like you and me, I think mutual support and fulfillment are the most important things."

"Mutual success," Margaery repeated softly, as if savoring the immense weight of those four words. The scrutiny in her eyes melted away like ice and snow, transforming into a clear and sharp approval. "I think you're quite right, Lord Stark."

A gentle evening breeze swept through the courtyard, ruffling the curls on Margaery's forehead. The two fell silent for a moment, the only sounds being each other's breathing and the faint strains of music in the distance.

The invisible distance of three or four feet that had separated the two of them vanished in the silence. They still stood on either side of the path, but a certain solid barrier had been broken.

The two seemed to have closed the distance between them a little more, and they walked together into the depths of the garden. At this point, there was no sound at all, except for the chirping of crickets in the flowers.

Seeing that Margaery agreed with his values, Jon instinctively prepared to paint a picture of the future for her. "If you're willing to marry me, then—"

"Lord Stark," Margaery interrupted Jon, a rare occurrence, "You don't need to make any promises. Promises from others don't count. What you earn yourself is what you truly own. That's a lesson my grandmother taught me."

"Lady Olenna is a truly wise woman," Jon nodded.

"Actually, my willingness to come with you was probably at my grandmother's behest. Renly and Joffrey are dead, and Tommen's past has become unbearable. She allowed me to choose my own future."

As they chatted and walked, they unknowingly passed through a low archway, and the view before them suddenly opened up—they had climbed a section of the Red Keep's wall.

The entire King's Landing unfolded beneath their feet, its myriad lights like scattered stars, the darkness of the slums intertwined with the splendor of the Red Keep to create a vast and realistic panorama.

They stood side by side, looking down upon the city they were about to stir up. At this moment, there was no more testing; a solid and new alliance based on understanding and practical interests was quietly forged in silence.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, Jon caught a glimpse of a barely perceptible figure moving slightly in the shadows around the corner of the city wall.

But soon he sensed someone approaching them.

Your family is here to see you.

"Hmm?" Margaery looked around in confusion, but didn't see anyone.

But soon she heard a familiar voice calling, "Miss Margaery!"

"Miss Margaery, where are you!"

Miss Margaery ----

Jon and Margaery's first date ultimately did not end properly.

Just as Margaery was trying to learn more about the Wall, Garlan suddenly led a group of people to look for Margaery. Using the excuse that Olenna was unwell, he took her back with him.

No sooner had Margaery and Garlan left than Davos approached Jon to ask how the battle was going.

Jon, of course, couldn't reveal the contents of their conversation. He simply smiled sheepishly and said to Davos, "Sir, you know me. I—actually, this is the first time I've spoken to a girl alone. I've never been in contact with a woman before."

Davos patted Jon on the shoulder, showing his understanding. "Jon, this is indeed not an easy matter, but even if you don't end up marrying Margaery, His Majesty will try to secure a larger dowry for you."

"Yes, please thank His Majesty for me."

Seeing Jon agree, Davos still said with concern, "Jon, I had no contact with nobles when I was young; I came from Flea Bottom. Thanks to the guidance of the gods, I am able to serve His Majesty. Although you grew up in Winterfell, the difference in your status as a bastard must have caused you great pain. We are where we are today entirely because of His Majesty's grace; His Majesty's trust is the greatest honor for us."

"I understand what you mean, Sir Davos."

Jon knew that Davos was worried that having the Stark name and becoming a duke would greatly raise Jon's standards of vision and desires, and that he might harbor other thoughts in the future.

However, Jon did not entirely agree with Davos's statement.

Although the long-distance raid on King's Landing was also to take advantage of Stannis's claim to "achieve his own success," and Stannis was the biggest beneficiary of the attack on King's Landing's Landing, fundamentally, he owed Stannis nothing.

Now he can simultaneously occupy both the Crownlands and Stormlands, while in another timeline, he could only lead his people in a hasty retreat north.

During this time, Jon has been playing the role of a younger version of Eddard, and now he has gotten everything he wanted—the claim to the Westerlands and a marriage alliance with Tyrell.

It's time to leave this castle and conquer wider lands.

When Margaery returned to Olenna and Mace, Mace checked her daughter from head to toe many times until she was sure that not a single hair on her head was injured before she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Father, I'm not hurt. That Jon didn't do anything wrong to me," Margaery reassured Mace, putting her grandmother and brother at the same time.

"Hmm, this kid is quite well-behaved." Olenna breathed a sigh of relief, but she could sense something else in her granddaughter's tone.

"Margaery, tell me what you two talked about?"

Looking into her grandmother's wise eyes, Margaery knew she couldn't hide anything from her, so she carefully said, "This Jon is definitely not what he appears to be. He's an ambitious man, and he's made his ambitions clear to me."

Margaery's answer piqued the interest of the "Queen of Thorns," who then pressed for further details.

When Olenna learned that Jon had so openly expressed his ambitions during their conversation, her opinion of him improved considerably.

"So he's made up his mind to attack the Westerlands?" Olenna asked.

But Mace offered a contrasting opinion. "You're just a braggart. If you want to attack the Westerlands, you have to attack Casterly Rock. And to attack Casterly Rock, you have to attack Golden Tooth first. Tywin has probably already made Golden Tooth's defenses incredibly strong. There's no way he can take it!"

Mace simply couldn't believe that Jon could conquer the Westerlands, let alone Casterly Rock.

The saying "Casterly Rock will never fall" is not just a slogan.

However, Mace wasn't satisfied with just saying that, and continued, "Margaery, you mustn't be fooled by that boy. I promise I'll find you a better husband in the future!"

Mace still harbored resentment over Jon's insults from the city walls that day.

"Better? Then think of something even better! That kid can at least become a duke!"

Olenna reminded her.

"But Harrenhal is an ominous place!"

"Then we'll pay for another one for him!" Olenna waved her hand, as if rebuilding a castle were as easy as planting a flower.

"But this guy insulted me! He insulted me and now he wants to marry my daughter? What kind of nonsense is this?!"

Mace finally revealed what she found most unacceptable.

Olenna wanted to say something more, but putting herself in Mace's shoes, she realized that this was indeed a difficult situation for Mace to accept.

He is not only his own son, but also Margaery's father, the Lord of Highgarden, and the Warden of the South!

Olenna softened her tone and said, "Mace, that child is just trying to survive. If you never see him again, you'll never have the chance to collect your debt."

Olenna knew her son well, and sometimes she had to soothe him. Sure enough, after receiving comfort from his mother, Mace's anger subsided considerably.

"And if Jon conquers the Westerlands, with Westerlands vast gold and silver mines, do you think the House Tyrell will lose out?" Olenna's eyes gleamed with shrewdness.

"Well—alright, but if he wants to marry Margaery, he must conquer Casterly Rock. If he can even conquer Casterly Rock, then I have no objections." Mace stated his final condition with a hint of smugness.

"That's a bit much. How about this," Olenna said after a moment's thought, "If Jon can take Casterly Rock Casterly Rock, then his wedding with Margaery will be held Casterly Rock. If he can't, then it will have to be held in Highgarden!"

In Olenna's view, Jon's worst outcome would be conquering half of the Westerlands, but for Tyrell, it would be the best possible result.

Although Stannis wanted to use Highgarden's power to attack the Westerlands, could he really control how much effort Highgarden put in?

Jon's conquest of half the Westerlands meant he would have to rely on Highgarden's support to fight the Lannister. Tyrell could have easily used food and wealth to bring Jon under their control, while simultaneously using him as an excellent tool to extract gold from the Westerlands.

Mace thought about it and agreed. However, he didn't think as far ahead as Olenna.

He just wanted Jon Margaery come to Highgarden for his wedding. Once Highgarden, he'd show that brat what the Tyrell were all about, what the majesty of the first noble family in the South was all about!