Cersei's sobs echoed through the empty room.
They were filled with despair, like the cries of a she-wolf cornered by a hunter, only to discover that her entire pack had already abandoned her.
Her son wanted to kill her.
The family she had served had abandoned her.
Now she was a man's prisoner, a plaything with no control even over whether she lived or died.
Lynn stood by the window, wineglass in hand, quietly listening to her weep.
He neither hurried her nor offered comfort.
He simply waited.
Waited for her tears to run dry, for her proud heart to sink to its lowest depths.
At last, her crying gradually subsided, leaving only stifled sobs.
"Finished crying?"
Cersei did not look up. Her bloodshot eyes remained fixed on a spot on the floor, as though she meant to stare straight through it.
"You must hate me right now."
Lynn spoke without waiting for a response.
"Hate me for destroying everything you had."
Cersei trembled. He had struck a nerve.
"But have you ever wondered whether I'm really the one who destroyed it all?"
Lynn walked over and crouched before her, bringing his eyes level with hers.
"Your son Joffrey was already mad the moment he sat on the Iron Throne."
"He's like a wild dog off its leash, biting everyone he sees. No one can control him."
"Today, he wants to kill you over some supposed secret. Tomorrow, he could slaughter every member of the small council for looking at him the wrong way."
Lynn's words laid bare the reality Cersei least wanted to face.
"You think you control him?"
Lynn gave a mocking smile.
"Don't be foolish, Cersei."
"You gave him everything, but to him, you're nothing more than a woman who knows his secret and could threaten his