A rift

Map of the Seven Kingdoms

"Enough, Danyla!"

Aemma did not want a rift to form between the two girls over this, so she stopped Danyla from saying any more.

"Your personal maids are quite capable, but I can see that even they can't keep you in line."

"There isn't a bolder girl in all the Seven Kingdoms!"

"Clearly, I ought to find you a few strict personal maids to rein in that temperament of yours."

Not wanting to draw the fire back onto herself, Danyla wisely shut her mouth at once.

What had been a pleasant breakfast turned tasteless for everyone because of Rhaenyra's words.

After breakfast, Aemma took them to her bedroom and began a lengthy lecture!

Just as Danyla was reaching the end of her endurance, her personal maid, Jarelle Mooton, knocked on Aemma's door like a savior.

"Your Highness, the craftsmen from the Silverwork Guild in White Sheep Town have brought your jewelry!"

Aemma froze at those words. She had not ordered any jewelry in White Sheep Town, had she?

Could Viserys be trying to surprise me?

Setting aside her questions, Aemma quickly led Danyla and Rhaenyra in tidying their appearance, then said gracefully,

"Please show them in!"

The Silverwork Guild had sent an elderly master craftsman accompanied by four fresh-faced apprentices carrying trays covered in silk.

Perhaps because this was their first visit to Dragonstone Castle, the master and his apprentices seemed somewhat ill at ease. Still, their gazes were honest and their behavior impeccably proper.

"Your Highness, this is the jewelry we made especially for you."

"Please take a look and see whether anything needs adjusting."

He had the first young man step forward, then lifted the silk covering the tray, revealing a golden belt set with an enormous ruby.

Aemma's Golden Belt

"This...!"

Although Aemma had known that any gift from Viserys would be fine, she had never imagined anything so extravagant.

"Heavens! What an enormous ruby!"

"It's simply priceless!"

Even Aemma's personal maids could not help crying out in amazement.

Aemma came from the wealthy Vale and had been a prince's wife for more than ten years, so she was no stranger to fine things. Yet even she had never seen such a large ruby!

But she was, after all, a princess consort born into a ducal family. Despite her excitement, Aemma kept her expression composed as she told her personal maid,

"Go and ask Prince Viserys to come here!"

Then, as though nothing were out of the ordinary, she picked up the exquisite belt from the tray and examined it carefully.

Feeling the warmth emanating from the ruby, she was all the more astonished.

"This gemstone is warm to the touch?"

The elderly master craftsman proudly explained,

"Yes, Your Highness! Not only is the ruby warm to the touch, it also has powerful restorative benefits for the body."

"When designing this belt, we deliberately left an opening so the ruby could touch your skin."

Aemma nodded in satisfaction.

"What an ingenious design! The craftsmanship is first-rate, too."

"The leather strap is especially soft and comfortable, and its coloring is rich and beautifully done. This is whale skin, isn't it?"

"You have a discerning eye, Your Highness. It is indeed whale skin!"

Viserys's Silver Belt

Before long, Viserys arrived.

"Aemma, you wanted to see me?"

"Have these two mischievous girls upset you again?"

After breakfast, once Aemma had taken Danyla and Rhaenyra away, Viserys, who doted on his daughter, had stayed anxiously in his room without going anywhere. That was why he arrived so quickly.

"I called you here to ask about this jewelry! When did you come into possession of such precious gemstones? I hadn't heard a word about it."

Despite all the people present, Aemma could not keep a coquettish note from creeping into her voice.

"Jewelry? Gemstones?"

Viserys only grew more confused.

Aemma waved the golden belt in front of his eyes.

"Wasn't it you who had this jewelry made? Why are you still playing innocent?"

"Hehe! The children are already so grown up, yet you still can't be serious."

Although Viserys thoroughly enjoyed seeing Aemma act coy with him, he genuinely had no idea what was going on.

"How could I possibly get my hands on a ruby that large?"

"It really wasn't me!"

The elderly master craftsman cleared his throat and explained,

"Your Highnesses!"

"Princess Danyla commissioned us to make this jewelry for you!"

"And not just for you, Princess Aemma. There are gifts for Prince Viserys and Princess Rhaenyra as well."

With that, he uncovered the second tray, revealing a whale skin belt adorned with silver and a sapphire, along with a Sapphire Brooch mounted in Valyrian steel.

"These are the silver belt and brooch Princess Danyla had made for you, Your Highness!"

After the enormous ruby on Aemma's belt, the somewhat smaller sapphire on Viserys's belt did not seem quite so striking.

Instead, it was the strange dragon motif that caught Viserys's interest.

"The design on this belt is rather unusual. It looks like a dragon, but why does it have no wings? And its body is like a snake's, yet it has four claws."

"It looks a little strange, but somehow it seems even more imposing than a dragon."

The elderly master craftsman immediately explained,

"Yes, Your Highness! Princess Danyla personally designed this motif for you as well."

"Danyla?!"

The whole family turned their eyes toward Danyla, who stood off to the side drinking juice as though nothing were happening.

Aemma shot Danyla a particularly sharp look.

"You little girl! If you were the one who commissioned all this, why didn't you say so sooner?"

If I'd told you sooner, would I have gotten to see such amusing reactions? Danyla thought.

Outwardly, however, she put on an innocent expression and said,

"I wanted to surprise my cousin, my cousin-in-law, and my niece Rhaenyra!"

Rhaenyra's Full Set of Pink Diamond Jewelry

Danyla's belt and Valyrian steel bracelet

"Let's uncover Rhaenyra's gifts, too. Her jewelry is the prettiest of all."

Danyla was an expert at diverting attention.

When the master craftsman uncovered the third tray, the complete set of pink diamond jewelry inside sparkled brilliantly in the sunlight streaming through the window.

Although Rhaenyra normally had little interest in jewelry, even she found herself captivated by the magnificent set today.

In the sunlight, those pieces shone especially brightly.

But remembering her behavior that morning, Rhaenyra suddenly felt deeply ashamed.

It made the ever-proud Rhaenyra feel utterly worthless beside Danyla, and at that thought, an inexplicable fury flared in her heart.

Right in front of everyone, she knocked over the tray and shouted at Danyla,

"Who wants your lousy jewelry? Are you trying to buy me off with this rubbish? No wonder you love money so much! You'll stoop to anything to make it!"

"You've utterly disgraced the Targaryen royal family! I'm ashamed to be associated with you!"

With that, she made a dramatic exit!