Sleeping with the King

Soon, Margaery, her face regaining its color, emerged, the green earrings swaying gently with her steps. Her expression was a mixture of shyness and pride.

A week has passed since she gave birth, her abdomen has become flat again, and her eyes have become even more captivating.

"So, are you satisfied with this surname?" Jon teased.

"I'm satisfied, but there's one more thing I want to know."

"What is it?" Jon asked with a smile.

"What's the difference between sleeping with the Lord of Casterly Rock and sleeping with the King?"

I was somewhat surprised by Margaery's wild Jon, but it was also somewhat expected.

She recalled how, back on the Highgarden Rose, she could teach him any position on the spot. However, she had only given birth a few days prior and was facing a formidable enemy, so she had little interest in the relationship.

Most importantly, it's very unsafe.

Winter is only a year away, and the Long Night will soon follow.

War, winter, the Long Night, the White Walkers, war.

Margaery was his closest ally, and he didn't want her to waste her precious energy on childbirth in the future.

Furthermore, having the eldest child be five or six years older than their younger siblings can achieve the effect of an elder brother acting as a father.

Margaery is in good health, and the two of them should have at least four or five children in the future.

Raising Aegon to be like a smaller version of his father would save them a lot of trouble.

In addition, they are both very young, and it's perfectly fine to have another child when they are in their twenties.

In the study, the two squeezed onto a large chair. Margaery rested her head on Jon's shoulder, looked out the window at the black banner with a three-headed dragon fluttering in the wind, and asked, "Do you think our child can really hatch Dragon Egg?"

"It's hard to say, since not every Targaryen baby can hatch Dragon Egg. Many Targaryen dragon riders tame a dragon, and there are quite a few wild dragons," Jon replied.

The hatching of almost every dragon in the Targaryen harbingers is documented.

According to records, the probability of dragons hatching from Targaryen babies is actually not high, and even if they do hatch, there are records of them not living long or even being deformed.

According to records, the most recent hatching was a huge fleshy worm that looked like a white maggot. This worm even bit a baby still in the cradle. The Kingsguard who rushed to the scene cut the worm into three pieces.

"I think it's definitely possible." Seeing that Jon didn't give her a definite answer, Margaery bolstered her own confidence.

"I have brown hair and brown eyes, and you have black hair and gray eyes, but we can have a child with silver hair and purple eyes. There must be something magical about him."

Hearing Margaery say this, Jon suddenly remembered what the Greenseer had told him that day, "I will help you." Could this be the kind of help he was referring to?

However, he didn't intend to tell anyone about what happened that day. Instead, he lowered his head and said, "Yes, you're right. My son Aegon has the makings of a great emperor!"

Jon's earnest teasing made Margaery chuckle.

"That Qyburn, I heard you were planning to have him cut open my stomach?"

She placed her hands on Jon's chest and asked softly, while staring intently into Jon's gray eyes with her bright brown eyes, as if afraid to see even the slightest hint of apology or acquiescence.

"No, the success rate of a C-section is only 50% now. I was planning to have him transfer the baby if you experience complications during labor—"

Before Jon could finish speaking, Margaery kissed his lips.

She had seen Qyburn's tools: long, slender scissors that gleamed coldly, and sewing needles that were curved like fishhooks.

Having just given birth, she didn't want to hear words like miscarriage or stillbirth. Knowing that in Jon's heart, Margaery was more important than the Tyrell name, she was happy.

Jon has demonstrated his indispensability through his talents, while Margaery's performance has not been as outstanding. In case of any unforeseen circumstances, Tyrion could simply marry another daughter to Tyrion to maintain the alliance's stability.

Because of the child's appearance, the war began somewhat hastily, and everyone was scrambling to prepare. These moments of quiet amidst the chaos were precious.

For some reason, Margaery had a premonition that the two of them would likely remain like this in the future, only able to meet after a long period of time.

After a brief moment of tenderness, the two began to discuss serious matters.

"Because of your tireless reminders, Highgarden's food reserves have broken historical records for several consecutive months, and Casterly Rock's food reserves are overflowing the mine warehouses, along with steel, fuel, cloth, and oh right, raisins transported from Arbor. At least you don't have to worry about supplies."

17

Even during her pregnancy, Margaery perfectly fulfilled her duties as Lady of Casterly Rock and Lord Steward of Casterly Rock.

"Jon, when did you find out who you really were? Did Lord Eddard tell you?" Margaery asked curiously.

Jon believed it didn't matter how he knew, so he told Margaery that he had guessed it, but he had no evidence before and only truly confirmed it after the child was born.

"So, does that mean you're suggesting I have a large stockpile of supplies in Highgarden in preparation for war?"

"How could I have known we'd have a silver-haired, purple-eyed child? Those supplies were meant for Long Night!"

"Huh? The Long Night is real?!"

"Did you always think it was fake?"

Jon told Margaery again his story of encountering the Wights on the Wall, along with the disappearance of his uncle, who should now be called Uncle Benjen.

Furthermore, many of the Free Folk Men claimed to have seen the White Walkers, leading him to believe that the Long Night and the White Walkers were not mere legends and that they must be taken seriously.

"So how long do you think this Long Night will last?" Margaery asked cautiously, her brow furrowed slightly.

"It's hard to say, and there's no record of what the Long Night actually looked like. All we can do now is accumulate as much food and supplies as possible. I think we shouldn't plant anything else anymore; it's best to use every inch of land to grow potatoes and sweet potatoes. In short, we need to prepare for the worst."

Jon said this, but in his heart he was thinking about the Greenseer's warning, and wondered if there were any other human pawns like Euron.

"But not everyone is as far-sighted as you. I think Stannis only cares about his throne," Margaery retorted.

"We don't necessarily have to fight Stannis to the death; of course, he doesn't have the ability," Jon said, glancing sideways at Margaery and raising an eyebrow to reassure her. "However, I think once he realizes there's no way to win against us, he might come to his senses and accept our advice."

Jon believed it would be best if Stannis could regain his senses, because if he were gone, the burden of both the Crownlands and the Stormlands would fall entirely on Jon's shoulders.

Long Night is coming, Jon cannot let everyone live.

The Westerlands is now his core, and the people of the Westerlands naturally receive limited consideration from him. Beyond that are the Reach and the North, with the Riverlands being considered half of it.

As for people in other places, Jon will only provide assistance when he has the capacity to do so.

In short, now is not the time to declare himself king. If the next ten years are like the Long Summer of Robert's reign, Jon would certainly be happy to quickly sweep through and then slowly build up his power.

But now that Winter Is Coming, the title of the Protector of the Realm is too heavy. If Stannis continues to rule the Crownlands and the Stormlands, and famine or food crisis occurs there, the locals will not be able to find fault with him.

"So, our first target is Harrenhal?" Margaery asked.

"Oh! My Lady of Casterly Rock is knowledgeable in military affairs?"

"Call me Your Majesty!" Margaery then revealed the truth, her voice tinged with both shyness and pride.

Although she wasn't particularly knowledgeable about military matters, the Riverlands were now divided into three, with House Frey and Tully being their allies, and only the House Estermont, who had acquired Harrenhal, were Stannis's subjects.

Moreover, during the Dance of the Dragons, Harrenhal was a key battleground Black and Green factions.

Possessing Harrenhal would give them a direct threat to King's Landing.

At this time, Harrenhal was in Stannis's hands, which allowed him to use Harrenhal as a shield.

The first major battle between Jon and Stannis will inevitably take place in the vicinity of Harrenhal.

Knowing that Jon would soon be going off to war again, Margaery clung to her husband like a sloth.

Jon could naturally sense her reluctance to part with him, so the two chatted about other things, such as the progress of Jon's printing press. The well-informed Margaery immediately recognized that this thing had the power to change the landscape and mindset of Westeros and even the entire world.

Building another Citadel in the Westerlands is not a problem at least.

Furthermore, the new armor designed by Jon has also begun mass production.

The so-called new armor is lamellar armor made of armor plates, which can be manufactured and repaired more quickly and at a lower cost.

There was also Jon's proposed household registration system: lower-ranking serfs would have their own fiefs and subjects, but judicial, administrative, and taxation powers would have to remain in the hands of Casterly Rock.

The two have decided to add a "Grand Knight" above the Knights to increase the tier of nobility.

When Margaery wanted to continue talking to Jon about what to name their second child, and what to name the Dragon Egg if Aegon's egg hatched, Jon insisted on leaving.

Otherwise, this little wife would probably pester him until dark.

Davos, Alester, and Melisandre are still either detained or under house arrest in Casterly Rock. Jon needs to see them and get them to complete their mission.

Melisandre, in particular, is a ticking time bomb.