Dayne's tone and expression were just right, as though he truly was doing nothing more than clearing up a misunderstanding.
Viserys also believed that a man named Dayne really had existed, but by now, the man before him had probably killed him and taken his place.
After all, before the Faceless Men replaced someone, they always painstakingly studied their target's history, habits, accent, and even reactions to unexpected situations, until they could reproduce them perfectly. An ordinary person could never see through such a deception.
Viserys betrayed nothing. He merely posed another question. "Since you served at Riverrun for seven years, you must know who lived in the room beside Duke Hoster's. And how many arrow slits were there in the battlements newly built at Riverrun last year?"
Dayne's hand involuntarily tightened. At last, the perfectly measured bewilderment on his face changed. His throat bobbed twice before he answered, "Your Grace, I was merely one of the lowest-ranking men in the duke's service. I had no right to know any confidential matters, nor did I have time to study Riverrun's defenses."
He had replaced Dayne, but he had only been able to approach him after Dayne left the city. He had never been to Riverrun. He could not possibly know details that required setting foot inside House Tully's castle. All he knew was Dayne himself.
Moreover, Viserys's questions meant he must have made some mistake that Viserys had noticed. Dayne instinctively prepared to strike.
But after hearing Dayne's answer, Viserys rose, walked around the desk, and stopped a few paces in front of him.
His footsteps rang clearly against the stone floor as he stopped. Dayne did not look up, but Viserys noticed the fingers hanging at his side curl slightly. The movement was tiny, yet it was almost certainly