Lord Paxter drew a labored breath, as though gathering the last of his courage:
"The Small Council received intelligence from Ser Jorah claiming that the new power rising in the Stepstones intended to invade mainland Westeros in the future. That was why His Majesty and the Small Council decided to strike first and send troops to the Stepstones."
Liu Qian turned his gaze toward "Jorah," a faint, amused smile appearing on his face:
"Oh? Ser Jorah, is what Lord Redwyne said true?"
A cold smile appeared on "Jorah's" face at just the right moment, carrying a hint of a desire to claim credit. He admitted it without hesitation:
"Yes, my lord. I followed your instructions precisely, using carefully woven intelligence to mislead the Iron Throne and lure them into gathering their main fleet here, so that you could settle everything in a single battle and wipe them out in one stroke."
"Jorah's" words were like another bucket of boiling oil poured into the hall.
Even fiercer fury blazed in the eyes of the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms, their teeth grinding audibly.
This brazen admission confirmed the most terrible conspiracy.
The tall, burly Jon Umber, lord of Last Hearth in the North, could no longer contain himself. He struggled and roared, his voice booming like a bell:
"Jorah Mormont, you bastard son of a whore! By betraying the Seven Kingdoms, you've brought shame on the entire North, on your house, and on your father!"
At those words, "Jorah Mormont" showed not the slightest shame. Instead, he gave a disdainful snort, his voice filled with deep-seated resentment:
"Shame? When that sanctimonious hypocrite Eddard Stark drove me out of the North like a homeless dog, I ceased to belong to the North or the Seven Kingdoms long ago. My loyalty belongs only