Lady of Casterly Rock

"He's here, he's here." Lya turned slightly to Margaery beside her, pointing with her hand holding a handkerchief at the young man walking gracefully towards them, her tone tinged with excitement.

The young man appeared to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. He wore a tight-fitting green jacket and loose white trousers. His brown hair was meticulously styled, with only a small strand hanging deliberately between his eyebrows.

He had some stubble on his cheeks and chin, but it was neatly trimmed, giving him a somewhat weathered look. He was holding a harp in his arms, and his attendant behind him was carrying a case twice the size of a regular harp. He looked very professional.

As he walked towards the group of noble girls, their faces all showed expressions of admiration.

"His name is Jay, the fourth son of Earl Movis. The House Mowvis is a vassal family of the House Gardener, with noble blood. Jay himself is also proficient in music, far surpassing those illegitimate children." Lya introduced him to Margaery with great interest, but she did not notice that Margaery's expression stiffened for a moment.

The musician, or rather the bard, named Jay, immediately recognized Margaery sitting in the center. A glint of greed flashed in his eyes, but he concealed it well.

I heard that such a beautiful girl is engaged to an illegitimate child; what a waste.

A wicked thought suddenly popped into Jay's mind: if he could sleep with Margaery, it would be worth being banished to the Wall!

Despite the wild thoughts running through his mind, he maintained a reserved smile. Cleverly, he didn't bow to Margaery first, but instead greeted Lya: "Miss Lya, you don't need to worry about me getting lost. Even across the ends of the earth, I can feel your beauty."

Lya's vanity was greatly satisfied, and she giggled.

"Alright, poet, today I'm here to introduce you to my cousin, Miss Margaery."

"Miss Margaery, every poet longs to compose a melody for your beauty," Jay said with a smile, though his words were still refined, they sounded less sincere.

Margaery had seen it all; she simply extended her left hand, inviting him to kiss it.

However, the musician continued to play his tricks. When he kissed Margaery's hand, he only gave it a light touch, but with Lya, he clearly went beyond the normal length of time.

His goal was to make Margaery jealous of her cousin, so that he could take advantage of the situation.

In his view, these noble ladies were all very naive. When Jay was in Riverlands, he used this method to sleep with a noble lady, who was said to be the sweetheart of a young master from Riverrun.

Despite being driven out of Riverlands, the sense of accomplishment he felt was something he would remember for a lifetime. It is said that he is now the Duke of Riverrun, which makes his sense of accomplishment even greater.

Soon, Jay, the protagonist of this "music salon," began his performance. It must be said that this guy is indeed musically talented. His voice can actually blend a youthful feeling with a sense of vicissitude at the same time, and the pieces he plays are also very difficult.

After the performance, he immediately became the focus of attention within a hundred meters. The maids turned their heads to look at him, and the guards listened attentively.

A smug look appeared on Lya's lips as she turned to look at Margaery. Margaery also smiled slightly, but her eyes were somewhat vacant, as if she were lost in thought.

Meanwhile, the poet-musician was secretly observing Margaery, and seeing Margaery unfocused gaze, he felt he had a chance.

He had his servants bring out the harp, which was twice the size of a regular harp, and laid it horizontally. Then he invited Lya to play it as a duet.

It's obvious that this process involves some light physical contact, and in Jay's experience, this is a crucial step in deepening the relationship.

When Lya was first invited, she was flattered and even asked Margaery to go, but Margaery was unmoved, so she had no choice but to play a piece with the musicians first.

During the encounter, the musician and Lya frequently rubbed their arms together and intertwined their fingers. Lya was clearly having a great time.

After the song ended, Lya strongly suggested that Margaery also try this novel style, but Margaery still refused.

"Give it a try, Miss Margaery. I'm sure there's a piece that would suit you perfectly," Jay said.

"Give it a try, Margaery, it's really fun," Lya encouraged.

The maids around her also began to urge her on; they had no other intentions, they simply wanted to try it themselves after Margaery tried it.

Just then, a maid rushed to Margaery's side, her voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement. "Miss Margaery, Lord Jon has captured Casterly Rock, and Lord Mace requests your presence."

Margaery's brown eyes suddenly seemed to grow larger, filled with surprise.

Lya, who was next to her, suddenly trembled as if she had been electrocuted.

"Jon —Duke, has he really taken Casterly Rock?"

"Yes, Miss Margaery, it was Sir Garlan who replied personally."

Margaery suddenly stood up, feeling a brief dizziness, but she felt a little lightheaded—a blissful dizziness.

His judgment was correct; Jon succeeded!

She stood up, her skirt swirling in the wind, and quickly left, lifting her skirt as she went.

Halfway there, as if remembering something, he turned back to Lya and said, "Jon is my fiancé. He earned the Stark name through his own war exploits and hard work. He is indeed a bastard, but despite that, I don't want people to call him a bastard."

"Margaery, I... no—"

Lya wanted to argue further, but Margaery had already walked away like a pleasant breeze.

The other maids and female companions around her followed suit, leaving Lya behind.

Casterly Rock? He... he really captured Casterly Rock? How... is that possible?!

Lya stood there, looking lost and dejected, her face clouded over, as if all the dark clouds had gathered above her head.

The duke without a real title, whom he had rejected, actually conquered Casterly Rock.

Wouldn't Margaery then become Lady of Casterly Rock?

At that moment, a soft voice spoke up, "Miss Lya, would you like to hear any other music?"

"Get away!" Lya shouted in a fit of anger, then reluctantly followed.

As she walked, she thought to herself that she might have missed the only chance in her life to surpass Margaery.

If she had been more passionate and gentle with Jon, perhaps he would have chosen her. In the future, she would have been the Duchess of Lord of Casterly Rock, and her descendants would have been the Lord of Casterly Rock. Margaery, on the other hand, could only marry a vassal of House Tyrell, and below the rank of Duke was only Earl. In the future, her children would only be able to bow to her own children, and her daughter would be her daughter's handmaid.

The thought that she had pushed all of this away with her own hands made Lya feel a pang of heartache. Tears of grievance, regret, and loss welled up in her eyes, blurring the view before her.

When Margaery arrived at the small meeting room excitedly, she found that almost all of her family members were there: her father Mace, her mother Alerie, her grandmother Olenna, and her eldest Willas.

The family members looked at Margaery, who was slightly out of breath and whose cheeks were still flushed, and all smiled knowingly.

"Oh, so happy to be getting married? You actually ran all the way here," Willas teased.

"It's a pity he's not the king, otherwise I would definitely fly over." Margaery wasn't going to back down either; there were no outsiders here, so she could say whatever she wanted.

Willas held the letter Garlan had sent back, hovering in mid-air. Margaery quickly stepped forward and took it from him.

While Margaery was reading the letter, Willas spoke up, "That Jon is simply a war genius. He actually thought of using fire to stop the rain from falling from the sky; it's practically magic."

As Willas spoke, he glanced at Mace beside him. Mace had been quite happy that Jon had captured Casterly Rock, and he was all smiles, but when he saw how happy Margaery was, his smile immediately vanished.

"It seems we should also get some Wildfire; it might come in handy later," suggested Garth, the Steward of Highgarden.

Olenna extended her hand to Margaery, Margaery quickly offered hers. Alerie smiled at her daughter, while Olenna instructed, "I think we can inform the entire Seven Kingdoms that Margaery is getting married. Also, inform the Citadel of the change of ownership of Casterly Rock, and have Citadel inform the entire Westeros as quickly as possible."

However, Willas raised his concerns. "Grandmother, since Stannis originally intended for us to help Jon conquer the Westerlands to weaken Highgarden, and initially believed the battle would last at least two or three years, or even longer, but now Jon has taken Casterly Rock in less than three months, won't this provoke King's Landing and make them wary?"

"Then let them be wary!" Olenna declared confidently. "We'll inform the entire nation of the Citadel as soon as possible, to prevent Stannis from having second thoughts and to ensure that the future Lady of Casterly Rock comes from House Tyrell." She and Margaery exchanged a knowing smile.

"Besides, the Westerlands are in dire need of rebuilding and will need Highgarden's help. If Jon becomes stronger, it's the same as him becoming stronger. Stannis isn't stupid; he understands this." Olenna reassured her family.

She also stated that the gold mines in the Westerlands were a very valuable investment project. In return for their assistance to the Westerlands, Jon would have to open the gold mines to Highgarden, which would also greatly benefit Tyrell himself.

Tyrell will then begin a full-scale collaboration with Jon, sacrificing some of his current wealth in exchange for greater rewards in the future.

"Gold mines?" Margaery suddenly thought that Jon also needed these gold mines, but then she realized that this was a price Jon would have to pay.

I still bear the Tyrell name, so I have to think about my family.

The only one who can help Jon right now is Highgarden, and she knows her family will also make a fortune by aiding the Westerlands.

At worst, I can just have a few more children for him.

For a moment, Margaery began to daydream.

"Margaery? Margaery! Little sister!" Willas noticed she seemed a bit distracted and asked her what was wrong.

"Oh, I just... I just noticed that the letter didn't mention Garlan and Loras. Are they alright?" Margaery said shyly, trying to cover it up.

At this moment, Mace stood up and came to Margaery: "My child, this day has come. You are leaving me, but I will send you to Casterly Rock with the most magnificent carriage and the most generous dowry."

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