Her Majesty the Queen!

Davion's gaze swept over the four maids leaving the bedchamber. Like startled fawns, they all lowered their heads, avoiding his eyes.

He turned to the guards standing beside the door. Both stared straight ahead, as though everything before them had nothing to do with them.

"What... is going on here?"

Davion narrowed his eyes, pondering to himself. Cersei's actions were far too unusual.

There was neither a show of armed force nor the slightest display of hostility. Instead, there was something indescribably strange about it.

He stepped into the bedchamber and turned to close the door.

But he saw the four maids exchange a glance with the guards by the door. The two men immediately followed them, withdrawing without a sound.

Davion poked his head out for a look, only to find the two guards standing at the far end of the corridor, their backs to the bedchamber door.

Is Cersei that confident? Sending everyone away-isn't she afraid I'll suddenly attack her?

Davion shook his head, lightly rubbing the hilt of the sword at his waist with his fingertips. He reached back to close the door, then turned and walked deeper into the bedchamber.

Inside, dim yellow candlelight flickered, making the tapestries on the walls look all the darker.

A faint, sweet incense hung in the air.

As he ventured farther in, the fragrance grew stronger, curling around his nose with a beguiling quality.

Davion passed through a short corridor, and the space before him suddenly opened up, revealing an enormous bedroom.

A thick wool carpet covered the floor, soft and silent underfoot, muffling every footstep.

An enormous carved bed stood in the center, its headboard inlaid with tiny gemstones that glimmered in the candlelight.

Beside the bed hung an enormous red gauze curtain, dividing the bedroom into two spaces.

The light at the head of the bed shone through the thin curtain, casting the silhouette of a shapely woman upon it.

The figure lay on her side, one arm bent to prop up her cheek.

The slender, graceful lines of her shoulders and neck, along with the curves of her waist and abdomen, were openly displayed upon the curtain.

Her other hand idly toyed with a Gold Dragon. As her fingers turned it over, the candlelight made the coin shine all the brighter.

It stood in stark contrast to her fair skin.

The atmosphere in the bedroom was nothing like the confrontation Davion had expected. Instead, a faint hint of... intimacy lingered in the air!

Davion gave a light cough, suppressing his surprise, and bowed slightly toward the figure on the bed.

"Ahem, Your Majesty!"

Cersei seemed wholly absorbed in toying with the Gold Dragon in her hand. Only upon hearing Davion's voice did she slowly turn her head.

Her gaze fell upon Davion through the curtain.

Throughout the Hand's Tourney these past days, she had been so concerned with whether Jaime won or lost that she had never properly examined the young Earl who had defeated him.

Looking closely now, she discovered that although Davion was not as dazzling as Jaime, his features were handsome and well proportioned!

He was not so imposing in stature either, but his upright bearing worked in his favor.

Cersei parted her red lips, her tone exceptionally cold.

"Davion Whent?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Davion nodded slightly, his expression calm.

His manner, neither servile nor overbearing, stirred a trace of displeasure in Cersei.

She was accustomed to the awe and obedience of others and disliked this feeling of not being in control!

She certainly did not like disobedient dogs!

Her brows drew together slightly, and her tone abruptly hardened.

"I hear you injured several of my guards. Do you admit your guilt?"

A faint smile curved Davion's lips.

"Your Majesty, I was not at fault in this matter!"

"It was the middle of the night, and I was... I was resting!"

"Your guards suddenly burst through the door, behaving arrogantly and speaking rudely. I had no choice but to fight back. I meant no offense."

Cersei naturally knew what Davion had been doing at the time. The guards had already reported every detail.

At the thought of Davion fooling around with five whores, only to be interrupted by the guards bursting in, the corners of her lips actually lifted involuntarily into a barely perceptible smile.

"The guards tell me you're quite a fighter. You actually sent my captain flying with a single punch, and he injured two others when he crashed into them!"

"Your Majesty watched the joust, so you should know that I won the championship entirely thanks to this strong body and my innate strength."

At his words, Cersei's breathing grew noticeably heavier. Unconsciously, she slipped out her tongue and lightly licked her lower lip.

She felt her throat grow somewhat dry, and her heartbeat inexplicably quickened!

Without her noticing, the Gold Dragon slipped from her fingers and fell onto the soft bed with a faint sound, but neither paid it any attention.

Originally, Cersei had not intended to meet Davion herself.

She had merely wanted her subordinates to investigate the young Earl's background thoroughly, then devise a tailored plan to punish him for injuring Jaime.

But when her subordinates reported that Davion had been staying at Shataya's brothel ever since arriving in King's Landing.

That for an entire week, he had fooled around with five or six whores every night until dawn.

And, stranger still, that those lowly whores actually paid him Silver Stags in return, her curiosity grew ever stronger.

Could this Davion Whent have some special talent? How could he make those lowly creatures so devoted to him that they would even pay him?

Once the thought arose, she could no longer suppress it.

As it happened, after the jousting final that day, Robert had stayed at the camp beside the Blackwater Rush. Cersei did not have to think twice to know that the king, with his indulgence in wine and women, was surely fooling around with those noblewomen at that very moment.

What irritated her even more was that although Jaime was injured, Robert had insisted that he accompany him as a guard.

This was the very night Cersei had long planned to spend with Jaime!

In her irritation, she had thought again of Davion, the man who could make whores pay him, and, as though possessed, had ordered him summoned to her bedchamber.

Cersei exhaled softly, suppressing her restlessness. She slowly beckoned toward Davion, an indescribable hint of sultry sweetness entering her voice.

"Earl Davion, I can't see you clearly through the curtain. Come inside and speak."

At her words, Davion's heart gave a sudden leap, and he thought to himself:

Surely this isn't what I think it is?

Had things followed their normal course, he should have been in the brothel at that moment, starting another round of fun with the girls!

That single sentence from Cersei instantly ignited the desire pent up within his body. Like floodwaters bursting through a dam, it surged beyond all control.

He swallowed and reached out to gently part the thin red curtain.

The next instant, his body went rigid. His gaze locked firmly onto the bed, unable to move away.

Cersei lay on her side amid snow-white silk bedding, her posture languid and her expression alluring!

Her long golden hair had been casually swept to one side, its strands still damp, making it clear that she had just finished bathing.