Redd looked in that direction with calm eyes. The birth of the new prince made the atmosphere of Red Keep somewhat relaxed. The tension and depression that had lasted for two days were slowly being diluted by a deliberately created relaxation.
Viserys's face finally showed the first unforced smile in days. He walked back and forth inside the door, occasionally going to the bedside to look at the swaddled little thing. It was like an old painting that he had a long time ago but lost later was finally hung back on the wall.
The ministers also got the news one after another, and came from all over Red Keep to congratulate. The flow of people in the corridor gradually became denser, with the sound of greetings and conversations, they met outside the door and then dispersed.
Redd is still standing by the wall opposite the corridor, like a person who is present but does not belong to this scene.
No one came to talk to him, no one stopped near him.
After noticing his presence, the ministers who had just arrived to congratulate him subconsciously adjusted their routes and took a small detour before walking from the middle of the corridor to the door.
His existence is wrapped in a tacit avoidance, like a stone standing in the middle of the road. The water flow automatically bypasses it, forming a quiet depression around the stone.
Only then did he notice that in the corner at the other end of the corridor, Rhaenyra had also arrived at some unknown time.
She stood in an inconspicuous position, not close to the crowd or approaching the open door.
There was a complex expression on her face, as if she was trying to force out a smile but had never succeeded. Her eyes fell on the open door, on the figures inside the door who were busy surrounding the newborn prince, and on Viserys's finger that was gently playing with the edge of the swaddle.
Her lips were slightly pursed, but she didn't speak or make a sound.
When she looked at the swaddled baby, there was something in her eyes that she was carefully holding down without letting anyone notice, like a pressed bubble on the water that dissipated before it even rose to the surface.
Redd looked at her expression and did not walk over, speak, or do anything to make her feel seen.
This was the last concession he made to her - not to expose her regrets and embarrassment, but to let her face it on her own.
She chose not to stand by his side, she chose to use her body to stand between him and Viserys, and she chose to maintain the already riddled bond between her and her father.
Now she saw the result - the birth of the newborn prince made Viserys smile again, made the ministers gather at the door again to congratulate, and made her, the crown prince, stand in the corner, like a tree that bloomed in other people's courtyards, but no one went to take a look.
Redd withdrew his gaze, turned around and walked slowly along the corridor, walking calmly, and his boots made an even sound on the stone floor.
As he walked farther away, he could still hear the laughter and conversations coming from the open door, like fragments blown away by the wind, floating in the air for a moment, and then quieted down.
After walking about a dozen steps, he saw Otto·hai Tarth standing in front of a half-open window, his eyes falling in the direction of Blackwater Bay in the distance.
Redd He wasn't sure how long he had been standing there. Maybe he had just come out for some air, or maybe he was avoiding the noisy conversations inside the door in order to quietly ponder the issue he was more concerned about at the moment.
Otto was facing the direction of the corridor, with one hand resting on the window sill and the other hand hanging by his side. His posture was relaxed and natural, but when his eyes were cast in the direction of Blackwater Bay, he showed a clear mind that was repeatedly weighing every route.
Redd slowed down, but didn't stop completely.
Otto noticed his approach, turned around, and nodded slightly, with a decent and polite attitude, like two strangers who met by chance in the corridor.
He did not take the initiative to speak or move out of the way. Redd also slowed down, but did not stop. He just glanced at Otto when he passed by him, and then looked back.
Otto's new grandson Daeron had just been born. He should have been standing by the open door at this moment, gathering around the newborn prince like everyone else, but he walked out alone and stood by the window looking into the distance.
He was thinking about things that he could only think about alone while people were still congratulating the newborn prince - about where the next move should be, about the wider and more distant places beyond Red Keep.
Redd didn't look much, and didn't stay much. He walked past Otto and continued walking towards the other end of the corridor.
Behind him, Otto's eyes stayed on his back for a moment, then moved away and fell back to the Blackwater Bay sea in the distance illuminated by the sun.
Redd On the way back to the study, when passing by a side hall, he heard the whispers of two maids coming from inside.
Their voices were kept low, as if they were discussing something that could not be heard by others, but Redd's hearing was much sharper than ordinary people, and those intermittent words still drifted into his ears.
"... The prince was born... the king is very happy... everyone is saying that there is another heir in that direction..."
He didn't stop. Those gossips were not worth his attention. He just walked through the ajar door and continued along the corridor back to his study.
When a new prince is born, the balance of Red Keep will be fine-tuned by another scale, the pressure of Rhaenyra will increase, and the layout of Otto will correspondingly create an additional path leading to the future.
But compared to his upcoming plan to go to Valyrian Peninsula, these are just roadside signs.
He pushed open the study door, walked in, and closed the door behind him.
Sunlight shines in from the study window and falls on the spread map, coating the black island outlines and blue sea lines with a layer of warm gold.
On the newly arrived drawing paper, the unnamed islands and tiny reefs have been marked with new shapes, outlining complete arcs and zigzag coasts.
The completed survey area covers most of the sea area around the central island, and the outlines and orientations of several medium-sized islands have also been completed. Only the farthest sea area to the west still needs to wait for the return of the latest survey ship.
Seven more days at most. Redd's fingers walked around the edge of the map again, from the central island to the outer island chain, as if he was previewing those distant coastlines with his eyes.
In seven days, the fleet and Dragon Legion will be ready.
At that time, he will leave King's Landing, take King Ghidorah and the dragons that have been prepared, and fly to the ancient land shrouded in volcanic ash, broken, and split by the doomsday catastrophe.