The dispute

King Jaehaerys, who was enjoying desserts with Danyla and the others, watched Samwell tirelessly promoting Dragonfire Wine among the great nobles. He leaned affectionately toward Danyla and murmured in her ear,

"Little Danyla, if you're letting Samwell do business at a royal banquet, shouldn't you pay the tax first?"

Danyla replied generously,

"This Dragonfire Wine is only for the noble lords. We have something even better for the royal family! I can supply it exclusively to the royal household, at the same price as Dragonfire Wine. Is that a sincere enough offer, Great-Grandfather?"

Jaehaerys could not help asking curiously,

"Oh? There's something better? Then I must try it."

Danyla raised a hand to signal her maid, Anne. Anne, who had long been ready, immediately brought over the deluxe Dragonfire Wine beneath its fine silk covering.

This Dragonfire Wine came in a specially made, transparent glass bottle shaped like a dragon, and the wine itself was golden. The drinking cups were glass inlaid with dragonbone, their bases carved with dragonfire patterns.

Anne respectfully poured King Jaehaerys a cup.

"This wine is called the dragonfire of House Targaryen. Please taste it, His Majesty the King."

Jaehaerys took a small sip first. A fierce, spicy warmth immediately burned its way from his mouth down to his stomach, as though a fire were blazing throughout his body.

Yet that explosive energy seemed to breathe a spark of fresh vitality into his failing body, so he tossed back the entire cup.

Sweat instantly beaded on the old king's forehead, but his body felt much lighter. Danyla wiped away his sweat with a handkerchief and said confidently,

"Well, Your Grace? This is the dragonfire of our House Targaryen!"

"Excellent! A fine wine, and an even finer name!"

"The dragonfire of House Targaryen-only that name does it justice!"

Noticing the commotion, the others began drifting closer as unobtrusively as they could.

The Sea Snake, Corlys Velaryon, and Princess Rhaenys were the first to approach.

"What has made His Majesty the King so happy?"

"Judging by your complexion, it must be good news!"

Jaehaerys raised a hand to signal Anne.

"Pour Lord Corlys and Princess Rhaenys a cup of the dragonfire of House Targaryen as well!"

"The dragonfire of House Targaryen?"

Though puzzled, the Sea Snake and Rhaenys accepted the golden wine from Anne.

One sip left them astonished. Even though both were renowned for their love of strong drink, this liquor still amazed them.

"This wine is fiery and fierce, yet it leaves both body and mind at ease!"

"I have led my fleet around the world six times, yet I have never encountered a spirit that could rival this dragonfire of House Targaryen."

The Sea Snake's praise was heartfelt.

Rhaenys nodded in agreement.

"The Dragonfire Wine we had earlier was already a rare delight, but compared with this, it's barely drinkable!"

"I've been feeling unwell lately, but after drinking this, I feel as though I've recovered at once!"

Jaehaerys pointed proudly at the dragon-shaped bottle in Anne's hands.

"Of course! This is a royal wine supplied exclusively to the Targaryen household! A single bottle costs ten Gold Dragons!"

"Ten Gold Dragons?"

Even the Sea Snake, the richest man in the Seven Kingdoms, could not help marveling at the price!

Still, he quickly drained his cup and held it out to Anne.

Anne smiled and explained,

"My apologies, Lord Corlys! The dragonfire of House Targaryen is a medicinal wine with potent effects, so each person may only drink one cup at a time!"

Disappointed though he was, the Sea Snake withdrew his cup.

"You're just holding out for a higher price, aren't you? I don't believe it. What strong drink haven't I tried? How could a few cups possibly hurt anyone?"

Fourteen-year-old Borros, eldest son of the Duke of the Stormlands, shoved his way out of the crowd, his voice loud and coarse.

Princess Rhaenys, his older cousin, immediately tugged at his arm.

"You foolish boy, are you drunk already? What nonsense are you spouting before the king? Boremund will give you a beating!"

Seeing that it was this fool, Danyla said,

"Since you can't read, young Lord Borros, perhaps you don't know that medicinal wine nourishes those who are ill. But if a healthy person drinks too much, it can harm them!"

"You! I don't believe a little strong wine can do anything to me! Why don't we make a wager?"

Duke Boremund had arrived by then. He kicked Borros, sending him staggering.

"Where do you think you are? Storm's End, where you can run wild as you please?"

Borros replied defiantly,

"It's only a few cups of strong wine! I don't believe it can hurt anyone!"

Some distance away, Daemon Targaryen had been complaining to his elder brother, Viserys.

"The goats in the Vale arouse me more than that woman does! How am I supposed to have children with her?"

"You-what are you saying?"

Clearly unable to accept his brother's remarks, Viserys warned him sternly.

"She is your wife, the head of House Royce of Runestone! How can you insult her reputation like that? I suggest you watch your tongue, or I won't mind cutting it out for you!"

Daemon remained utterly unconcerned.

"If you can get me out of my marriage to that woman, forget my tongue-you can cut off anything except little Daemon!"

"How about it, brother? I'll help you fight for the position of heir, and once you take the throne, you'll dissolve my marriage?"

As his brother's words grew increasingly outrageous, Viserys punched him.

"You will treat Lady Royce properly, do you understand? Otherwise, I will never forgive you!"

Viserys wanted to land a few more punches, but suddenly heard Danyla and Borros arguing and hurried over.

"Fine, let's wager!"

Seeing that her taunts had already gone to Borros's head, Danyla said outright,

"But even if you don't care about your health, I don't want to waste my fine wine! How about this: if you can finish this bottle of Dragonfire Wine without anything happening to you, I'll supply Storm's End with Dragonfire Wine free of charge from now on!"

"But if you can't handle it, you'll give me ten fully equipped, fully laden three-masted sailing ships. How does that sound?"

"Do you know how much ten fully laden three-masted ships cost? A million Gold Dragons!"

Borros jumped at her words, as though Danyla had said something utterly unreasonable.

Danyla curled her lip in disdain.

"If the Stormlands can't afford it, forget it! You're not very bright to begin with. If drinking too much makes you even worse, I'd feel rather guilty toward your old father, who is so loyal to the royal family!"

"Who are you talking about? You're on!"

Hearing a little girl dare to look down on him sent Borros into a rage.

Danyla did not even look at him. Instead, she turned to Duke Boremund for confirmation.

"Duke Boremund, do you support Borros making this wager with me? If you don't agree, I can't trust him to keep his promise! After all, the Stormlands are a shadow of what they once were. You shouldn't let Borros keep squandering your wealth!"

Boremund thought,

Who does she think she's looking down on? Storm's End may have lost some political standing, but since when has our family been short of money?

Had an ordinary person said this, Boremund would certainly have recognized it as a clumsy attempt to provoke him. But being looked down on by a girl who had only just come of age went to the duke's head as well.

And so he blurted out,

"I support his wager with you!"