The corners of Redd's mouth rose slightly, and the smile stayed there for a moment, and then dissipated. He retracted his hand, turned around, and faced the sparkling sea illuminated by the moonlight.
On the sea in the distance, a few fishing fires flickered in the darkness, like stars falling into the world.
Farther away, in the direction of King's Landing, in the red castle, a frightened king was lying on his bed, having nightmares about mummies and broken arms.
Further away, on the west coast of Essos, nine Free Cities are waiting for his envoys and troops, waiting for the transfer of power, waiting for the old governor to be executed, and a new order to be established.
His territory, his empire, his dreams - everything is advancing according to his plan.
Redd took a deep breath of sea breeze, and then slowly exhaled it.
Redd closed his eyes, and the smile on the corner of his mouth reappeared, this time staying longer.
The king's bed was located in the deepest palace of Red Keep. It was an airtight room wrapped in thick curtains. The air was filled with the smell of incense and herbs, mixed with the smell of grease produced when candles burned.
Several copper candlesticks were placed on the low bedside table. The candlelight swayed slightly in the windless room, illuminating the mural on the ceiling depicting House Targaryen conquering Seven Kingdoms. The dragon's figure seemed to come alive in the interplay of light and shadow.
Viserys was lying on the large oak bed, his body sunk into the thick velvet quilt. He looked at least ten years older than his actual age.
His face was so pale that it was almost transparent, his eye sockets were sunken, his cheekbones were high, his lips were chapped and peeled, and his breathing was rough and irregular, sometimes rapid, sometimes slow, like a bellows that had been in disrepair and was struggling to operate.
His hair was scattered on the pillow, and the originally golden hair was mixed with large patches of white. Those white hairs sprouted like mushrooms after rain, and they were so dense and shocking.
His hands were placed outside the quilt, his fingers were slightly curled, and the fingertips were an unhealthy purple color. The blood color under the fingernails had almost faded, and was replaced by something gray-white, like deathly ash.
The royal maester stood by the bed for a long time, prescribed prescriptions one after another, drained blood again and again, and even applied hot compresses to the king's chest and back, trying to dispel the invisible "turbidity" in his body that caused fainting.
But Viserys's complexion never improved. His body seemed to have been hollowed out from the inside by something, leaving only an empty shell, barely able to maintain his heartbeat and breathing.
The bachelor said that this was a disorder of Qi and blood caused by excessive fright. He needed to rest, calm his nerves, and stay away from all stimuli that might cause mood swings.
Allison and Rhaenyra understood what he said, but they didn't understand it either - they understood the literal meaning, but they couldn't understand why a mummy could frighten a king in his prime like this.
Allison has barely slept a wink these days. Her belly has swelled significantly. This is her fourth child, the fourth child of Viserys.
The reaction during pregnancy made her more easily tired than usual, more prone to nausea, dizziness, and back pain, but she didn't let herself stop.
She was busy from early morning to late night every day, personally preparing medicine for the king, feeding him medicine, wiping his body, and changing his bedding. She even refused to touch the maids who were close to him because she didn't trust them - she didn't trust their hands to be light enough, her mouth to be strict enough, and she didn't trust them to talk nonsense outside after seeing her husband's haggard look.
When she walked into the bedroom carrying a bowl of freshly cooked medicine, Rhaenyra was sitting on a low stool beside the bed, holding Viserys's hand with one hand and placing the other on her knee. Her posture was dignified and quiet, like a statue placed in the corner.
There were no tears on her face, and there was no redness in her eyes. Her expression was calm and almost cold, but something inexplicable flickered in those purple eyes - it was not sadness or fear, but something more complicated, like a bottomless pool.
Allison glanced at her but said nothing. She walked to the other side of the bed, placed the medicine bowl on the bedside table, then carefully lifted Viserys, put a pillow behind his back, and made him sit half-sitting.
Her movements were very light and slow, and every step was done with extreme caution, as if she were handling a piece of precious porcelain that might break at any time.
Viserys opened her eyes slightly with her support. Those turbid purple eyes first glanced around in confusion, then slowly focused on Allison's face, and finally moved to Rhaenyra's face.
"Daemon--" His voice was so hoarse that it was almost inaudible, like a traveler who had been walking in the desert for too long, and his throat was filled with sand.
Allison's hand paused slightly, then he brought the medicine bowl to his mouth, scooped up a spoonful of dark brown medicine, blew it gently, and brought it to his lips.
Viserys opened his mouth and swallowed the spoonful of bitter concoction. He frowned but did not complain.
He drank too much medicine these days, his mouth was full of bitterness, his tongue was numb, and he couldn't even taste food.
"Your Majesty, please drink the medicine first." Allison's voice was gentle and patient, like a mother coaxing her child. "We will talk about Daemon when you get better."
Viserys shook his head, his movements weak but firm. His hand stretched out from the quilt and grabbed Allison's wrist. The force was not strong, but the stubbornness that could not be refused made Allison stunned for a moment.
He took the medicine bowl from Allison's hand, held it himself, and drank it one mouthful at a time. The bitter medicine juice overflowed from the corners of his mouth and dripped down his chin onto the quilt, leaving a dark water stain.
After drinking the medicine, he handed the empty bowl back to Allison, and then said in a slow, feeble voice. "You all go out. I want to talk to Rhaenyra alone."
Allison's eyes glanced back and forth between Rhaenyra and Viserys, and an imperceptible and subtle change flashed across his face.
She didn't say anything, just nodded slightly, picked up the empty bowl, stood up, and quietly exited the palace.
When the door closed behind her, there was a soft sound. The sound was particularly clear in the quiet palace, like a pebble falling into a calm lake.
There were only two people left in the bedroom, Viserys and Rhaenyra.
The candle flames danced, casting flickering light and shadow on the ceiling.