A slight sound of footsteps came and stopped beside him.
Redd didn't look up, just turned a page of the book. "What's the matter?"
The person who came was Mysaria. She stood beside him and said in a very low voice, "Master, Queen Alicent just sent a message. She wants to see you. Privately."
Redd's mouth corners rose slightly.
It's finally here.
He closed the book, sat up, and looked at Mysaria: "When? Where?"
"She will be waiting at her residence tonight." Mysaria paused and added, "She specifically emphasized that she hopes you will go alone."
Redd nodded, with a playful smile on his face.
Is Alison Hightower, the woman who was pushed to the position of queen by her father, finally going to die personally after losing her biggest supporter?
He was looking forward to what kind of "surprise" she would bring to him.
As night fell, Red Keep was shrouded in deep silence.
The moonlight penetrates the thin clouds and casts mottled silver light on the stone walls of the castle.
The footsteps of patrolling guards came from a distance and gradually disappeared into the darkness.
Redd walked through the cloister alone and walked towards the queen's residence.
He didn't deliberately hide his whereabouts, but he didn't make a big fanfare either.
At this sensitive moment, if word spreads about a private meeting with Alicent, it will inevitably arouse unnecessary suspicion - especially towards Rhaenyra.
But he came anyway.
Because he wanted to know what this queen, who had been abandoned by her father, neglected by her husband, and pushed into a corner by the situation, was going to do.
The residence of Alicent is located deep inside Red Keep, a relatively secluded courtyard.
Redd As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, he saw a maid waiting in the corridor.
When the maid saw him, she bowed silently, turned around and opened the door behind her, then stepped aside, lowering her head as if she hadn't seen anything.
Redd stepped into the room.
The door closed gently behind him.
The decoration in the room is warm and private, and the flickering candlelight dispels the chill of the night.
Alicent stood by the window, with her back to him, wearing a simple silk nightgown. Her pregnant belly outlined a soft arc in the candlelight.
Her hair was loose and she didn't wear any jewelry. She was a little less majestic as a queen and a little more... fragile?
"Redd Master." She did not turn around, her voice was particularly clear in the quiet room, "Thank you for coming."
Redd did not approach, but just leaned against the wall next to the door, folding his hands on his chest, and said in a calm tone, "The Queen invited you late at night. There must be something important. Please tell me."
Alicent turned around.
The candlelight illuminated her face, and in those blue-green eyes, there was no gentleness as before, nor the alienation later, but a more complex emotion - fatigue, helplessness, and a trace of deep... unwillingness?
"My father was deported." She spoke, her voice as calm as if she was stating a fact that had nothing to do with her, "Lyonel Strong took his place.
As you saw on Small Council, that person never takes a stand or takes sides, but he never offends anyone.
He is the safest option and the most incompetent option."
Redd didn't speak, just looked at her quietly.
Alicent took a few steps closer, stood a few steps away from him, raised his head and looked directly into his eyes. "Do you know what this means?
It means that the power center of King's Landing is now a vacuum.
Lyonel will not take the initiative to do anything, but it will not prevent others from doing anything.
And my father... although he has left, his informants, his contacts, and the network he has been running for more than ten years are all still there."
Redd narrowed his eyes slightly. "Are you threatening me?"
"No." Alicent shook his head, a wry smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, "I'm reminding you.
Before my father left, he left me a letter. The letter said, let me... wait patiently.
He said that the situation will not stay like this forever and there will always be changes.
He said that as long as the child in my belly is a boy, everything is still possible."
She lowered her head and gently stroked her bulging belly with one hand. The candlelight cast a soft shadow on her face:
"But I don't know... I don't know how to wait, or what to wait for.
My father is gone. Although His Majesty is still polite to me, his eyes... I know that he is looking at me like he is looking at a... tool.
A tool that can give him a son."
Redd was silent for a moment, and then slowly spoke, "What do you want to gain from telling me this?"
Alicent raised his head, a trace of determination flashed in his blue-green eyes. "I want to know, in your future plans, where do my children and I... fit?"
This question immediately surprised Redd.
He did not answer immediately, but carefully looked at the woman in front of him.
She is no longer the docile and smiling young lady at the banquet, or the chess piece who performs tasks step by step under the control of her father.
She was struggling, trying to find a way out for herself and her children.
"Do you want to hear the truth?" Redd asked.
"Think."
"Okay." Redd said calmly, "In my future plan, you and your child have two possible positions.
First, if you keep your peace and do not try to compete with Rhaenyra for power, then you will continue to be your queen, and your children will become Rhaenyra's royal brother or sister, enjoying the honor and wealth that the royal family deserves.
Second, if you are restless and try to use Viserys's guilt or the connections left by Otto to cause trouble, then..."
He didn't finish what he said, but his meaning was clear enough.
Alicent's face turned pale slightly, but she did not flinch. Instead, she nodded. "I guessed it. But that's not what I wanted to ask."
She paused and her voice became lower. "What I want to ask is... if, I mean if, my child is a boy, and Rhaenyra... she will have her own child.
When the time comes, how will the lords of Seven Kingdoms choose?
Will they support a prince with pure blood, or will they support the child of a... princess with oriental blood?"
Redd's eyes suddenly turned cold.
Alicent seemed to have anticipated his reaction and said quickly, "I didn't mean to threaten you. I just... want to hear the truth.
Want to know what will happen in the future. That way, I can make... the right choice."
Redd stared at her for a long time, then slowly said, "Alicent, you are smarter than your father.
You know when to bow your head, when to fight for it, and when to... leave a way out for yourself."
He took a step closer and looked at her condescendingly. "Then I will tell you the truth.
The future Iron Throne will only belong to Rhaenyra and Rhaenyra's children.
Anyone who tries to challenge this, no matter he is a prince or the king's brother, no matter how pure his bloodline is, will die. Moreover, he will die ugly."