The Master of Intelligence

The drawbridge of Riverrun was lowered, and squads of soldiers quickly crossed it, like swords drawn from their sheaths.

Do you think this can succeed?

"Which battle did our Jon Snow fight that looked like it could be won?"

"Indeed, the entire the Twins is bait; Stannis has no reason not to fall for it."

Under the cover of night, watching the soldiers quickly depart, an old man, one over sixty and the other nearly fifty, stood on the city wall and spoke in hushed tones.

"Did he promise you anything?" The speaker was Steve House Frey, Rhaegar Frey's half-brother.

When his brother asked him this, Rhaegar Frey paused but did not answer.

"It must mean they support you becoming the Duke of the Twins, right?" Steve asked.

Rhaegar Frey looked at him, his mouth opening and closing in agreement.

"It's fine, you can do it, just don't let that old man sit there anymore. I've had enough of his bossy attitude." Steve's gaze was cold as he watched the army gradually disappear into the distance.

Steve felt no affection left for his father, who had ruled his life like a tyrant.

In other noble families, the right of inheritance undoubtedly belongs to the eldest son, and the other children accept their fate. But Old Walder always implied equal opportunities, making his children fawn over him.

If Steve, who has lived most of his life, still can't understand this, then he's incredibly stupid.

Using the Twins as bait was a decision made jointly by his children, with the aim of getting rid of their elderly father.

Not far from Sunspear, a few dozen grids away, lies a Water Gardens.

This Water Gardens was built by the Prince of Dorne of Dorne to celebrate the marriage of a princess also Daenerys Dorne.

The Water Gardens is surrounded by many lush blood orange trees.

It can not only lower the temperature, but also block vision.

The most delightful spot in the Water Gardens is undoubtedly the enormous fountain.

Many children, aged five or six, and around ten years old, were playing near the fountain.

Several of them were Oberyn's illegitimate daughters.

Besides Oberyn's daughter, there were also children from a collateral branch of the House Martell.

One of the girls had very noticeable green hair.

--

That was the daughter of the Grand Duke of Tyrosh. In Tyrosh, "Grand Duke" is the title of the ruler, but he is elected and generally serves a one-year term.

The House Martell maintained a fairly close relationship with the Tyrosh in the Free Cities, so much so that the Grand Duke of Tyrosh was willing to foster his daughter in Sunspear.

Hey! Watch this!

"Oh no! Run!"

"Oops!"

The little girl with green hair jumped into the fountain with a splash, sending water flying everywhere.

The children's laughter and the water from the fountain gushed out together.

This place is made to resemble a corner of heaven, making people forget that a terrible war is about to break out on the same continent.

A nobleman over fifty years old sat in a recliner, watching the children play from afar; this was none other than Prince Doran.

The wrinkles around his eyes were quite deep, which was unusual for a nobleman of his age, despite his advanced age, making him look somewhat aged.

He usually enjoys such scenes, often saying that the laughter of children is the most beautiful musical instrument in the world, capable of making one forget worries.

But I can't feel happy today.

Because the secret he had been guarding so closely had been leaked without any reservation.

hiss-

Suddenly, Doran frowned. "Uncle?" Realizing that Doran's illness had flared up again, the sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl who was serving him spoke up and quickly helped him lie down.

The girl had fair skin and green eyes; her Sarella, and she was also Oberyn's illegitimate daughter.

Doran suffers from severe gout, and his joints have long been deformed, to the point that he can no longer walk.

And this is one of the secrets he guards so closely.

In order not to reveal his weakness to the outside world, he usually left the affairs of Sunspear to his cousin, and he rarely showed his face.

Doran turned to look at the letter he was clutching tightly in his hand; the secrets revealed in the letter were not limited to this one.

"Uncle, I'll go and fetch you Milk of the Poppy."

"Wait!" Doran felt he had no strength left to speak, but he still managed to squeeze out those two words through gritted teeth. "Bring me a fire!"

Doran brandished the letter in his hand; he was going to burn it!

Although Sarella didn't know what was written in the letter, she dared not delay because it made Doran so wary, so she took off her long legs and went to do it herself.

Despite the excruciating pain that felt like his eyeballs were being stepped on, Doran raised his hand to look at the letter in his palm:

[----Your daughter Arianne Martell and Viserys Targaryen, son of Aerys II, are betrothed----]

[---- The Sealord of Braavos is a witness----]

[----I need you to remain neutral----]

Doran read the letter intermittently, and even after reading it several times, the shock he felt from it remained.

Who leaked this information?!

William Darry was the one who represented the House Targaryen in negotiating the marriage.

William Darry said, "The House Darry members are all incredibly loyal." He could have handed over Viserys and Viserys when Dragonstone fell, thus securing wealth for himself, but he didn't.

In the last few years of his life, he even went blind, but he still used his life, as fragile as a candle flickering in the wind, to protect the brother and sister who had lost their country.

The person he sent out was his own younger brother, Oberyn. Although Oberyn was somewhat dissolute, he would never believe that he would betray Martell or his family.

Who is it! Who on earth is it?! His weakened body was enduring pain that was even worse than being pierced through the torso; Doran simply couldn't understand it.

After an unknown amount of time, Doran was given Milk of the Poppy while in a daze, and the pain in his body lessened considerably.

He saw the head of the Mountain sealed with resin not far away. He had thought that Sunspear had gained a powerful friend, but he never expected that it would turn out to be a formidable competitor.

Rhaegar, you bastard!

Doran cursed inwardly, after all, if it weren't for him, none of this would have happened.

Doran handed the letter to Sarella and told her to burn it. Just then, Sarella suddenly noticed that there was another thin letter inside the envelope.

"Uncle—" Just as she was about to hand it over to Doran, Doran said urgently, "Quick! Give it to me!"

Doran, who was usually calm and composed, lost his composure so suddenly that it certainly startled his niece.

She handed the letter to Doran, Doran opened it and found it wasn't anything serious; it was just some advice.

[Prince Doran should eat a light diet, rich in vegetables, and avoid seafood such as fish and shrimp, as his gout is likely a concern. Also, although colchicine is poisonous, small amounts can alleviate your pain. Sincerely, Jon Targaryen, son of Rhaegar.]

Upon reading the letter, Doran felt a mix of emotions, yet a glimmer of hope also rekindled within him.

Given how much Jon knows about gout, is there any possibility that he can cure himself?

However, he quickly put the idea out of his mind.

Compared to the prosperity of his family, his own life and death meant nothing.

Even if Jon had the medicine to cure him, he would never trade it for the interests of the House Martell.

Jon certainly didn't have a cure for gout; the purpose of the letter was both deterrence and communication, as Doran was a cautious man by nature.

Jon, using his time travel advantage, learned of Doran's plot to restore the Targaryen shortly after their overthrow and used this information for strategic intimidation.

If Stannis finds out about this, they'll be caught in the middle.

Even if Jon didn't know that Varys had told Oberyn about Young Griff, it wasn't their place to tie down the Southern Army at this time. Instead, they should send the Southern Army north to support Stannis, defeat him, and clear the way for Young Griff's return.

Then their alliance with Dorne and Young Griff will be able to simultaneously occupy Dorne and Stormlands, serving as a foundation for their rivalry with Jon.

In other words Doran himself was unwilling to confront Jon directly, because there was absolutely no benefit to be gained.

As for communication,"Jon meant, "I know you don't want to serve Stannis and fight me, and I don't want to fight you either. Let's just leave it at that."

The letter ultimately produced the effect Jon wanted. Doran immediately sent a secret messenger to Oberyn, instructing him to keep Dorne's army under control and not to get too involved in the war between Jon and Stannis.

Meanwhile, in Highgarden, after more than two months of preparation, the army had assembled in the vicinity of Bitterbridge.

According to Jon's plan, they left an empty camp of about three thousand men in place "to deceive, or rather, to put on a show for Martell's army," and then sent Loras, Garlan, and Randyll Tarly with the main force north to provide support.