Cersei knew her father all too well. Tywin had always kept his thoughts deeply hidden. He would never travel all the way from Casterly Rock to King's Landing merely for a grandson's birthday. There had to be another reason.
Tywin slowly turned toward Cersei. His icy eyes sent a sudden flutter of panic through her, and she instinctively lowered her head, not daring to meet his gaze.
He did not answer Cersei's question. Instead, he changed the subject, his tone carrying a hint of reproach:
"You should not have behaved so discourteously in the viewing stand today. Taking the initiative to rise and greet me needlessly cost you the dignity and bearing of a queen."
This was Tywin's skill in conversation. He never let others dictate the pace. Whatever they asked, he could always steer the subject back onto a course he controlled, keeping the initiative firmly in his hands.
Cersei hurriedly lowered her head and admitted her mistake. "I understand, Father. It will never happen again."
Only then did Tywin slowly nod. His gaze shifted to Jaime, and his tone softened somewhat:
"I came this time for your sake, Jaime. I want you to resign from the Kingsguard of your own accord, return to the Westerlands with me, and take over the affairs of Casterly Rock!"
"No!"
Cersei and Jaime refused almost in unison.
Cersei's voice was full of urgency and panic. She was clearly even more anxious than Jaime.
She quickly rose and took two brisk steps toward Tywin:
"Father, please don't make Jaime leave me. He is the only family I have in King's Landing. What am I supposed to do without him?"
Jaime rose immediately afterward and knelt on one knee before Tywin, his expression resolute as he said:
"Father, I have told you many times. I swore an oath when I became a member of the Kingsguard. I will never break it."
"Give the lordship of Casterly Rock to Tyrion. He is better suited to it than I am!"
Bang!
Tywin slammed his right hand onto the long table before him, making all three of his children shudder.
Tyrion even slid instinctively off his chair and hurried to steady himself on his feet.
Tywin's voice held back a towering fury:
"Do you know what you're saying, Jaime?"
"You aren't doing Tyrion a favor. You're shirking your responsibility to House Lannister!"
Jaime lowered his head and remained silent, his hands clenched tight.
He knew Tywin's temper, and he knew his words had thoroughly enraged his father. But he could not break his oath, much less leave Cersei.
Faced with her father's fury, Cersei did not dare say another word either. She could only stand to one side, looking panicked and at a loss.
Just then, Tyrion suddenly gave a self-mocking laugh, his tone carrying a touch of sorrow and mockery:
"Father, why be so roundabout when you're talking to Jaime?"
"Why not simply say that a dwarf like me is unworthy of inheriting the lordship of Casterly Rock, unworthy of holding the foundations of House Lannister in his hands?"
Those words were like a sharp knife, striking straight at a line Tywin would not allow anyone to cross.
What he cared about most in his life was the honor of House Lannister. He would never allow a dwarf like Tyrion to inherit the lordship of Casterly Rock.
If that happened, House Lannister would forever be nailed to the pillar of shame by the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms and become a laughingstock to the world.
Everyone in the Seven Kingdoms knew this perfectly well. Everyone mocked Tyrion behind his back, mocking House Lannister for having a dwarf son.
But Tywin simply could not say outright that Tyrion was unworthy of Casterly Rock because he was a dwarf.
Once he admitted it himself, he would be trampling on the honor of House Lannister with his own feet, only further damaging the family's prestige.
Tywin jerked his head up and glared viciously at Tyrion, the fury in his eyes almost spilling out. In a voice strained to the utmost with restraint, he growled:
"Get out!"
"All three of you, get out!"
Tyrion whistled, that cynical smile returning to his face. Without the slightest reluctance, he turned and walked out of the tent.
Jaime slowly rose, bowed to Tywin, and followed Tyrion.
Cersei hurriedly straightened her gown as well, bowed, and swiftly followed them out.
Once outside the tent, Cersei immediately hurried to Jaime's side, seized his arm with both hands, and stared hard into his eyes:
"Jaime, you must always remember the promise you made!"
Back then, while riding Jaime, Cersei had demanded:
"Do you want me, or those cold stones at Casterly Rock?"
Pressed by such a beauty, Jaime's answer had naturally been that he wanted Cersei.
Jaime remembered that scene as well. He took a deep breath and gently patted Cersei's hand:
"Don't worry. I will never return to Casterly Rock. It doesn't belong to me, nor should it. It belongs to Tyrion!"
Only then did Cersei let out a full breath of relief. She turned toward Tyrion beside them and gave a cold snort.
Her eyes were full of disdain and disgust. Then she turned and walked away with graceful steps.
Jaime watched Cersei's swaying figure as she left, taking a long time to come back to himself.
He turned toward Tyrion, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth, and asked:
"I saw you getting quite close to a young man earlier. You seemed to know each other well. What, is he a new friend of yours?"
Tyrion chuckled, his voice carrying a hint of smugness:
"Heh, even if you hadn't asked, I was going to tell you!"
"That young man's name is Davion Whent. He boasted to me that he would win both the joust and the melee. Quite a big mouth on him!"
"House Whent?" Jaime frowned.
"Yes, House Whent of Harrenhal. He's the only one left in his family now. A down-and-out lord, you might say!"
Jaime raised his eyebrows, his tone turning teasing:
"You didn't meet in a brothel, did you? I know you all too well!"
"Heh, you even guessed that!"
Tyrion's smile grew even smugger.
"Let me tell you, Davion is very popular with those whores!"
"The girls even give him a few silver stags as a reward when they're finished!"
"I wonder when I'll ever get that kind of treatment!"
"And his stamina really is absurd. He had six whores tending to him in one night, and the next day he was still full of life, without the slightest sign of fatigue."
Jaime frowned at that, putting a large cross against Davion in his mind.
The lord of a fallen house, spending all his days in brothels, indulging in women and pleasure.
Taken together, those traits hardly described someone with a future or any prospects.
He offered some advice in a gentle tone:
"Tyrion, you're not getting any younger. Your first priority now should be to find a noble girl from a distinguished family, marry her, and have a child as soon as possible to carry on the Lannister bloodline. Stop wasting your days!"
Tyrion gave a disdainful laugh:
"Do you think that if I have offspring, our dear father will stop forcing you to resign from the Kingsguard and let me inherit Casterly Rock?"
"Don't be ridiculous!"
"In his eyes, he has only ever had one son. You, my dear brother Jaime."
Tyrion paused, then lowered his head again, his voice growing more subdued:
"Besides, how can you guarantee that my child won't be a dwarf like me?"
"I don't want him to be born only to be mocked and looked down upon from childhood, just like me, and suffer everything I have suffered!"
Jaime opened his mouth, wanting to offer a few words in Tywin's defense, wanting to tell Tyrion that Tywin did not entirely disregard him.
But he knew that everything Tyrion said was true. Tywin's favoritism and coldness had long since sunk into his bones. Any explanation would only be feeble and unconvincing.
Sensing that the mood had grown heavy, Tyrion chuckled again and changed the subject:
"Let's stop talking about these depressing things!"
"Jaime, if you meet Davion in the lists, go easy on him. He's one of the few friends I have in King's Landing."
Jaime smiled faintly at that:
"We can talk about going easy on him once he lasts long enough to face me!"
Before you continue