It may be slander from a hostile party, frame-up by a business competitor, or even...
It may be that Rhaenyra spread the rumors to attack House Velaryon who does not support her.
But emotion and the emperor's suspicion made another voice grow louder and louder in his mind: Why now?
Why is he inclined to make Alicent's child his heir?
And when House Velaryon (at least Corlys and Rhaenys) has an ambiguous attitude towards this and may even be biased towards Daemon, such news breaks out?
The size of the Driftmark fleet has always been a thorn in the side of successive kings.
Too powerful, powerful enough to block Blackwater Bay and threaten King's Landing.
Targaryen monarchs in the past have used and defended the Valery family.
His father Jaehaerys I had skillfully checked and balanced him.
He himself... seems a little too dependent.
Tormund... he had a vague impression of this name.
He seems to be a big pirate active in the Stepstones area. He appears and disappears, plundering merchant ships. Even Braavos's fleet can't do anything to him.
If Corlys is really connected with such a person, what does he want to do? Accumulate private wealth? Or... has a bigger plot?
What frightened him even more was the source of the information.
Rhaenyra said that he heard it "accidentally" from an Eastern businessman.
But an Eastern merchant? Which Eastern merchant could know such a secretive maritime business?
How could he tell the princess "accidentally"? Behind this, I'm afraid his son-in-law, Redd, is indispensable.
Redd... This Dragon King rose in the east, holding a giant dragon and several city-states in its hands, and now it has extended its tentacles to the intelligence field of Westeros.
He supports Rhaenyra not just because of the love between husband and wife.
He wants to influence or even control Iron Throne through Rhaenyra.
And now, he began to use his own methods to clear the way for his wife's inheritance.
The first target is House Velaryon, who may become an obstacle.
"What a good idea..." Viserys whispered to himself, with fatigue and a hint of chill in his voice.
Redd's move, regardless of whether Corlys really colluded with the pirates, successfully planted the seeds of doubt in the king's heart.
When he looks at Corlys and House Velaryon's powerful fleet now, his feelings are different from before.
Should he summon Corlys immediately to confront him? No, that would be stupid.
Corlys will definitely deny it, and will even accuse someone of driving a wedge between the royal family and important ministers.
Without conclusive evidence, it will only alert the enemy and completely break the relationship between the two parties.
Especially during this sensitive period, he needs Valery's navy to maintain at least a semblance of stability.
But he can't do nothing.
"Otto." Viserys finally spoke, his voice hoarse.
Sir Hand of the King, Otto·Hai Tarth, who had been standing in the shadow, immediately stepped forward. "Your Majesty."
"Have you heard? There are some... rumors about Master of Ships." Viserys did not look at Otto, his eyes were still looking forward blankly.
Otto knew it in his heart. Rhaenyra The king asked about this just after the princess left. The source of the information is self-evident.
He replied cautiously, "I have also heard about it, but it is just some rumors floating around at sea, which have not yet been confirmed.
Velaryon Earl's loyalty to the kingdom has always been unquestionable."
"Without a doubt?" Viserys repeated, with a tone that showed no emotion or anger, "Yes, it was without a doubt before."
But now...Otto, I need you to check.
Check quietly. Don't use those people in Red Keep who may leak the information.
Use your own channels, or... sea Tarth family relationships at sea.
I want to know who Tormund is and whether he has any connection with Driftmark and Corlys.
If so, what is the nature of the connection?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Otto lowered his head and responded with a glimmer of light in his eyes.
This is a good opportunity for him and the Sea Tarth family to attack potential rivals (the Valaryan family) and further consolidate the king's trust.
He might even "help" the king find some "evidence", whether true or false.
"In addition," Viserys rubbed his eyebrows, looking even more tired,
"Strengthen surveillance of the movements of the Driftmark fleet, as well as Blackwater Bay's defense... re-evaluate it. Don't make any noise."
"Understood, Your Majesty."
After Otto stepped down, Viserys was still sitting alone on the throne.
Iron Throne was cold and hard, making him feel uncomfortable all over, just like his current mood.
The daughter is active in activities, the son-in-law is manipulating behind the scenes, important ministers may have ulterior motives, and the future heir is still in the belly...
All things were mixed together, making him feel more isolated and stressed than ever before.
He began to wonder if he had made a mistake by not resolutely and publicly confirming Rhaenyra's status as heir?
If you had decided on your destiny early, it might not have led to such deep involvement from Redd, nor would it have caused other people to have thoughts that they shouldn't have.
But now, Alicent is pregnant, the Tarth family is pressing closer, Daemon is watching with eager eyes, and the position of the Valery family is unclear.
Rhaenyra and Redd have formed a strong alliance again... He is already riding a tiger.
"Iron Throne..." He murmured, his voice full of bitterness.
This is not just a chair, but a monster that devours family affection, trust and peace.
And he was being tightly bound by it, unable to move.
Outside the window, the sky is getting dark.
The shadow of Red Keep is getting longer and longer, as if indicating a deeper undercurrent, surging under this castle and even the entire kingdom.
The seeds of suspicion have been planted, and when the time is right, they will burst out of the ground and grow into thorns that tear everything apart.
Otto·Hai Tarth's actions are stealthy and efficient.
As the master of Oldtown, House Hightower controls Citadel and Starry Sept,
Its influence is not limited to the Reach, but also penetrates Seven Kingdoms through the network of knowledge and belief.
At the same time, as a large family that has been engaged in trade for a long time, they also have many business partners and intelligence sources on both sides of the Narrow Sea.
He first went through the merchant ship captain and trading agent Oldtown,
Under the pretext of "assessing maritime risks" and "ensuring the safety of family trade routes", we extensively collected information about the pirate "Tormund" and its forces.
Under the heavy reward, all kinds of true and false news began to gather:
Tormund's activity range, raiding habits, fleet size, possible lair... and some more intriguing rumors.
A sailor who narrowly escaped after being captured vaguely mentioned that Tormund's flagship is old and sophisticated, unlike ordinary pirate ships.
Rather, it looks like... it was rebuilt from some kind of obsolete or "missing" ship of the regular navy.
A businessman who has supplied supplies on the edge islands of Stepstones said,
A galley of suspected Driftmark style (but not flying a flag) has been seen appearing together with Tormund ships for supply or trade.