All the trouble impulse caused

Prince Rhaegar and Oberyn Martell were about to come to blows, yet Elia made no attempt to stop them. Instead, she seemed pleased to see it happen.

Bai was a little panicked and a little angry. "What are you saying? Your brother and the prince are going to duel, and you're not worried at all?"

Elia burst out laughing. Producing a little fan from somewhere, she fanned herself merrily and took Bai's hand, talking as they walked.

"Oh, let the men burn off some of that boundless energy. Don't worry, Prince Rhaegar knows his limits. Besides, someone ought to teach that boy Oberyn to respect women."

"And I'd like to see whether Prince Rhaegar's skill with weapons lives up to his reputation throughout the Seven Kingdoms~"

Bai was utterly dumbfounded. This brother and sister really were an eccentric pair.

There was only one dueling ground in the Red Keep, a broad, circular stone platform with long flights of steps and stone railings encircling it above, making it convenient for spectators.

The sight made Bai's heart pound with fear. Wasn't this the fucking place where the Mountain and the Red Viper dueled? This place was far too unlucky!!

Doreah noticed her unease and held Bai's hand reassuringly. "Don't be afraid. Their weapons are all blunted. Nothing will go wrong."

Just as Elia had said, Rhaegar and Oberyn were exercising some restraint, using training weapons.

Prince Rhaegar and Oberyn were already warming up for their duel in the arena. Prince Rhaegar had chosen a broad-bladed knight's longsword. He paced slowly across the arena, twirling his sword in elegant flourishes, his eyes fixed on Oberyn.

Oberyn wore a carefree, irreverent smile throughout, spinning the spear in his hands with a whoosh like a great windmill.

Bai felt that some Journey to the West background music would suit him perfectly...

Oberyn Martell was warlike by nature, yet disdained knightly tourneys. Back in Sunspear, he had often stirred up trouble over affairs with men and women, with a fondness for one-on-one duels and sleeping with other men's wives...

On this visit to King's Landing, he had thought he would only be able to fight skilled opponents in a tourney. He had not expected such a fine opportunity today. He had long heard that Rhaegar had been personally instructed in combat by Arthur Dayne, the Sword God of the Morning.

He decided to get a proper taste of that skill today.

Though their weapons were blunted and the wooden spearhead was wrapped in leather, their fight was still fraught with danger. The prince was a balanced fighter, excellent in both strength and agility. Oberyn, on the other hand, had put most of his points into agility, moving and changing his attacks extremely quickly.

But distance was a factor that could not be ignored in a clash of weapons. Oberyn's weapon served equally well for defense and offense, putting Rhaegar at a disadvantage in reach. If the Red Viper was allowed to keep his distance and continue circling and harrying him, Rhaegar's defeat would only be a matter of time.

Bai paced anxiously in circles. "Elia, isn't there any way to make them stop?"

She turned back and forth, almost making Elia dizzy. "Whichever of them wins or loses, it'll look bad for them both. How can we get them to stop?"

"You're still laughing! Hurry up and think of something!"

Elia could not help wanting to laugh at Bai's silly behavior. The child wore every thought on her face. She was so innocent it was endearing.

As a princess of Dorne, though she was somewhat frail due to an underlying ailment, she had grown up among the martial-minded Dornish. That exposure had given her some understanding of combat, and she could tell that her brother and Rhaegar seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Prince Rhaegar was much the same, really. Hot-blooded young men could easily come to appreciate one another as they fought. Once the fight was over, the ill feeling between them would probably vanish too.

Elia stroked Bai's head and teased her. "Do you really want them to stop? I do have an idea..."

They whispered into each other's ears, and as Bai listened, her expression changed from ⊙.⊙ to o(╯□╰)o.

"I-is that really all right?" It seemed a little too fake.

Elia gave Bai's nose a playful pinch. "Watch me. If it works, you have to keep me company while I'm in King's Landing~"

Prince Rhaegar and Oberyn were fighting with great enthusiasm when they suddenly heard Bai's exaggerated scream. "Elia, Elia! What's wrong? Don't scare me! Aaah!"

Oberyn, the Red Viper, went pale. Throwing aside his weapon, he raced out of the dueling ground and straight toward Elia. Princess Elia's face was deathly white, and she lay unconscious in Bai's arms.

He took Elia from Bai, calling his sister's name with a worried expression. "Elia, what's wrong?"

Prince Rhaegar came over too, looking gravely at Princess Elia. "Take her back to her chambers first. I'll bring the Grand Maester to see her at once."

Oberyn nodded and, without another word, picked her up and left. Prince Rhaegar followed close behind, but Bai called him back.

"Prince... I'm sorry. It's my fault."

Prince Rhaegar tugged at the corner of his mouth, managing a strained smile for her. "Don't take it to heart. You should go back too."

Bai had a vague feeling that the prince was angry again.

She did not know whether it counted as a talent, but ever since her previous life, she had been particularly good at sensing people's emotions. Quite a few people had even said she had a good temperament and high emotional intelligence. In truth, she merely instinctively sought advantage and avoided harm, steering clear of land mines and pitfalls.

To use an analogy, the prince's anger was like a block of ice giving off cold air in the height of summer. It felt as though it stung her face.

But she did not understand what exactly had made the prince angry. Wasn't she the one who had been frightened?

Oh well, who could blame Prince Rhaegar for being so handsome? The sight of his face dispelled every bad mood she had.

But afterward... she would still have to think of a way to soothe the prince. After all, he had only fought Oberyn to stand up for her.

Only after all that commotion did Bai suddenly remember her actual business. She slapped her forehead.

Damn it, I forgot to tell the prince about Master Weilisi again. But she did not dare go over and step on a land mine now. She would have Barbara ask the steward later.

In her chambers, Princess Elia held out until the Grand Maester arrived before she "slowly came around." The court's Grand Maester at this time was not yet that lecherous old man who refused to pay prostitutes, but a dignified, square-faced middle-aged man.

He gave her a brief examination, said Elia might have caught a slight chill from the wind, casually prescribed some herbs, and told the princess to keep warm before leaving.

Bai glanced up at the sun. It was late summer. It seemed Princess Elia's poor health really was common knowledge.

After seeing Prince Rhaegar and the Grand Maester off, Oberyn glared angrily at his sister. "You nearly scared me to death just now. I thought your old illness had flared up again."

Elia smiled and reached out to stroke Oberyn's face. "All right, I was only playing a little joke. You two were the ones scaring that little girl to death."

The Red Viper lay down, rubbing his chin. "There's something wrong with that Rhaenys Targaryen."

Elia said, "Oh?"

Oberyn's expression was grave. "She seems to know me better than you and Mother do. Not only did she know I'd been to the Citadel and forged links for a maester's chain, she also mentioned a lot of things I haven't done but really want to do. It was all very uncanny..."

"I was going to press her for answers, but Rhaegar interrupted me. Tell me, why would she know so much about me? At the end, she mentioned that I would take part in a game in King's Landing. That really bothers me."

Oberyn lay with his head in his sister's lap, unable to make sense of it.

Elia gently brushed the stray hair at his temple. "She's still a little girl. Perhaps she heard about your romantic exploits somewhere and got curious."

"I don't think it was a little girl's curiosity. She definitely knows a lot about me. And that word 'game' might mean something else..."

Oberyn had heard a little about Rhaenys Targaryen's origins. It was not just him and Elia. House Martell of Dorne, along with many people across Westeros, did not believe this girl truly had the blood of the dragon.

Everyone thought she was merely an excuse the king had brought from Essos to reject marriage alliances with the Seven Kingdoms.

After all, Crown Prince Rhaegar Targaryen's marriage had been delayed again and again, and King Aerys had repeatedly rejected countless powerful houses across the Seven Kingdoms. It had reached the point where the matter had to be resolved.

Why was King Aerys holding up Rhaegar's marriage?

Oberyn sank into thought and soon fell asleep.