Crippled but Unyielding Littlefinger

Dark red rust was hidden among the spikes on the Iron Throne, like the blood of kings that had not yet dried.

Occasionally, a cold glint would flash among the dark red rust, just like Stannis's icy and furious gaze.

Stannis sat high on the Iron Throne, his hands resting on the armrests as he looked down.

The vast Throne Room was eerily quiet. The guards even shrugged their breathing. Queen Selyse bowed her head, enduring her husband's rage, while Petyr knelt beside her, drenched in sweat.

Stannis couldn't help but be furious. His queen had secretly gone to the Wall to steal the old Targaryen maester for Sacrificial Magic, an act that had enraged the Citadel.

Although the Citadel expressed "deep fear," Stannis understood the underlying threat.

He needs to give the Citadel an explanation. Otherwise, his dynasty might not even be able to retain its most basic dignity.

The news of this matter leaked in a rather strange way, starting in Oldtown, without King's Landing hearing a single word.

He wasn't without his suspicions about Varys, but Varys had been by his side during that time, giving him frequent updates on Daenerys. It was said that even the "Dauntless" Barristan, who had been driven away by Joffrey, had now returned to the Targaryen' allegiance.

The only thing that could offer him some solace now was the fact that Slaver's Bay was thousands of miles away from Westeros.

However, although he was in his prime, he did not have much time. He needed to cultivate a qualified successor, to straighten out the lords in the country, to manage Dragonstone, Stormlands and Crownlands Country at the same time, and to deal with the Long Night when Melisandre would warn him from time to time.

He only slept for about three hours a day, and he was like a spinning top that never stopped spinning.

Robert at least had Arryn, and if Arryn died, he could go to Eddard, but Robert seemed to have only himself to rely on.

He was so busy with one thing after another that he was almost breathless, so he had no leniency towards Selyse for making a mistake.

But we need to start with the Littlefinger before dealing with Selyse.

Stannis spoke coldly, his voice like icy rain before a storm.

"Petyr Baelish, you promised me you'd shut down your damn brothel, you told me you'd turned it into a laundry, but tell me, are the customers who come to do their laundry supposed to wash their clothes with the laundry girls? Huh?!"

Upon hearing Stannis's accusation, Baelish bowed even lower. He knew that any defense would be futile, and if he weren't serving the Queen, the punishment would be far more severe.

"Guards!" Stannis's voice was like thunder in the dark clouds, causing not only Littlefinger, who was kneeling on the ground, but also Selyse, who was standing next to Littlefinger, to tremble violently.

"He deceived the King and disobeyed his orders! Break his leg, strip him of his robe, and throw him out of the Red Keep!!!"

Upon hearing the punishment, Petyr was utterly dejected, his body went limp, and before he could even open his mouth, it was covered with a gag. The scene before him reminded him of the undeserved calamity he had suffered on Dragonstone.

Petyr stared wide-eyed at the Throne Room, which resembled the mouth of a dragon, his two grey-green eyes filled with malice and resentment.

He looked at everyone present: Stannis, Selyse, Pycelle, the guards, Davos Seaworth, Varys—

"Varys!" The name exploded in Littlefinger's mind. He believed that the leak of information on his side must be related to Varys!

Petyr was dragged out of the Throne Room, and now it was time for the main event. Everyone present was speculating how Stannis would punish his queen.

After Stannis drove Petyr out, Selyse felt all that pressure suddenly fall on her, like her king husband sitting on the Iron Throne, riding a giant ship and pressing down on her.

Selyse felt as if her body was frozen solid; she could barely feel her lower body anymore, only the blood rushing to her eardrums in rhythm with her heartbeat.

"Who gave you permission to make this decision on your own? Don't you know how serious this matter is?" Stannis demanded.

"Your Majesty, it was me, it was my recklessness."

"Reckless!" Stannis suddenly raised his voice, and everyone in the hall swallowed hard. "Do you know what this means to Baratheon?! You foolish woman!"

Stannis showed absolutely no mercy in front of his subjects.

Of course, this isn't surprising, considering that there was a time when Selyse tried to link arms with Stannis in a public social setting, only to be publicly reprimanded by Stannis, "Distance! Woman!"

In a sense, Stannis and Selyse's marriage was also an arranged marriage; Stannis disliked Selyse, just as he disliked Dragonstone.

Faced with her husband's questioning, perhaps emboldened by her years as queen, Selyse finally snapped.

"Why!? You ask me why! I'm doing this for my daughter!" Selyse's voice, sharp as a whip, rang out in the hall.

Stannis was clearly taken aback by Selyse's counterattack; his usually docile "emotional punching bag" had actually fought back against him!

"Your Majesty, tell me, how long have we been in King's Landing? Why are you still leaving Shireen on Dragonstone?"

Stannis opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

"Is it because my daughter is disabled that you, as king, have lost your dignity and honor?!"

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Stannis's rebuttal was weak. "Shireen is my heir!"

"Yes, I do hope Florent can take over the Iron Islands. Do you think I'm doing this for the House Florent?"

I did it for my daughter! I know! You hate me like you hate a stone on Dragonstone!

"Enough! Guards, take the Queen away! She is not to leave Maegor's Holdfast without my permission!"

Davos, standing to the side, could tell that Stannis was clearly quite angry.

"Have you touched me since Shireen was born? You want a son, do you think that's something I can do alone?!" Selyse persisted, as if she wanted to vent all her grievances at once.

Stannis, however, was speechless, his lips taut like a bowstring.

"Take the Queen away!" After holding back for a long time, Stannis could only utter this one sentence.

Davos, however, suddenly became worried, because for quite some time, the "Mad King" Aerys had also imprisoned his queen in the Maegor's Holdfast, and he did not want his king to follow in his footsteps.

After an unknown amount of time, Davos said to Pycelle, "Grand Maester, as you have seen, this is all a misunderstanding. Our Queen has been misled."

"Of course, I believe His Majesty would not do such a thing," Pycelle said, not finding the matter surprising.

After all, on the days Robert didn't go to the brothel, she and Cersei not only argued but sometimes even fought, so this was nothing compared to what they did before.

It is said that several kings had very poor relationships with their queens: the Mad King abused his queen, Robert fought with his queen, and Stannis disliked his queen.

Although the turmoil has temporarily subsided, Stannis's "credibility" with the Citadel has clearly declined considerably.

Aemon is already in King's Landing, so it's not a good idea to send him back now. After all, the change from cold to warm weather might cause this old man, who is nearing the end of his life, to die on the way.

Stannis decided to send Aemon directly to King's Citadel and stated that all of Aemon's medical expenses would be borne by the royal family.

A few days later, Petyr Baelish sold his properties in King's Landing's Landing and prepared to return to the Vale to his own domain.

Even the strongest person has to slow down and lick their wounds after a series of blows.

Petyr had only lost one hand, and he could have disguised himself as a healthy person by hiding it. But now, his leg has been broken, and he will have to rely on crutches for the rest of his life.

For some reason, when Petyr was using his cane, he felt like everyone was watching him, and that feeling was quite unpleasant.

Before leaving, Petyr and Varys met one last time. Petyr looked at Varys, who was dressed in plain clothes, and asked, "What have I done to offend you that you would do this?"

Petyr calculated that only Varys could have done something like this, even though he had no evidence and didn't know Varys's motives. But his intuition told him that Varys was the one who stabbed him in the back.

"We all have our own things to pursue, and I don't know anything about your situation," Varys said vaguely, without giving a direct answer.

"Then what exactly do you want?" Petyr pressed again.

"Of course, it's for the peace and prosperity of the country, Your Excellency. Someone has to think about the people's well-being, right?"

Petyr scoffed at Varys's words.

He knew that Varys was involved in this matter, but unfortunately he had no evidence, and his credibility with Stannis was completely gone.

With Jon as his guarantor and Stannis's most trusted overseas intelligence network, Varys's position as Minister of Intelligence was far more secure than Varys's.

Petyr, feeling the throbbing pain in his leg, took a few deep breaths and forced a smile, saying, "Lord Varys, I know you would never care about someone as insignificant as me. You rose to fame long before me. Stannis is the third king you serve, but certainly not the last. You know me; all I want is power. If there's anything we can do to cooperate in the future, please remember me."

Petyr's words greatly surprised Varys.

"I will also try my best to make myself more valuable to partners," Petyr said earnestly.