Ghost showed his skills

At the news that Cersei had come to King's Landing, Rhaegar let out a deep sigh...

If Lord Tywin had asked him over to discuss a solution to the harbor taxes, he would have been more than happy to go. But with Cersei there as well, he certainly would not get away easily...

Sometimes, he truly admired the Lannisters. His Majesty's two refusals had been blatant humiliations, yet this father and daughter still did everything they could to get close to him.

He had originally thought Cersei would give up once he married, but the woman had even expressed a willingness to "be his mistress." It gave Rhaegar an immense headache.

The crown prince's marriage was decided by the king, and Rhaegar did not particularly care who his wife was. She could be vain, stupid, or unattractive... but she absolutely could not be cruel and vicious.

The last time Cersei Lannister had come to the Red Keep, she had found an excuse to slash a poor maid's face simply because she had seen him smile at the maid a few times. Cersei had not even been ten then...

If she had not had such a good father...

Rhaegar's cupbearer spoke cautiously. "Your Highness, Lord Tywin has sent someone to invite you over again." This was already the third summons.

Rhaegar could only set aside the matter of Rhaenys for now and go deal with Tywin and Cersei.

In the blink of an eye, the day of the fencing hall's opening arrived.

Since the king would also be watching, the renovated little hall was surrounded by layer upon layer of Gold Cloaks. Only great nobles of high standing or those close to the king could watch here; everyone else who had come for the spectacle could only wait outside in disappointment.

Ever since getting the swords and protective gear, Bai had quickly recovered the feel of fencing from her previous life. She had spent the last few days practicing in her fencing hall. Elia watched from the sidelines and even brought Oberyn along to watch.

The Red Viper had made a wager with his sister and agreed to have a bout with Bai. He thought this fencing duel was merely playing with a girl and took Rhaenys very lightly as an opponent.

But after actually watching her practice, Oberyn's expression grew considerably more serious.

After several days of watching, the prince's attitude shifted from casual indifference to full readiness.

This event was an opportunity to formally introduce fencing to the nobles of King's Landing, and Bai prepared very seriously. As she took up fencing again, she quickly became absorbed in it, almost forgetting that this was a "tribute" and rediscovering the feeling that excited and fascinated her.

When she fenced, the memories of her previous life, that passionate youth that had once made her laugh and cry, seemed to return. Only when she saw Prince Rhaegar today did she remember that they seemed not to have seen each other for a long time.

Unfortunately, Bai's longing came to an abrupt halt when she saw the prince and the person beside him.

Wait, who was that blonde girl practically plastered against Rhaegar? So forward, as though no one else were there.

Even she, his princess consort, had never been so intimate with the prince! Not only was the girl hugging his arm, but she kept brushing her breasts against him, seemingly both deliberately and casually.

Tywin stood right beside her. From their similar blond hair and features, their relationship was not hard to guess. Yet he let his daughter behave so frivolously with the prince and even dared show everyone such a pleased expression?

Did they think she, his fiancée, was just for decoration? Damn Lannisters!

A surge of anger rose within Bai. She flicked the foil in her hand back and forth with crisp movements, sending sharp whistles through the air. Her expression grew increasingly cold...

The long, rectangular fencing platform stood in the middle of the hall, with white lines marking out a rectangular piste in the open space around it. Every member of the Kingsguard stood before the spectators' seats, serving as referees and protecting the royal family.

The king had arrived as well. He gave the clingy Cersei and Rhaegar several meaningful looks, yet turned a blind eye to her improper behavior.

The duel was about to begin, but the spectators' attention was entirely on Rhaegar and Cersei. They whispered gossip about the suggestive situation between the two, paying no attention to anything else.

Elia was helping her younger brother prepare. He was still not quite used to the round-tipped flexible sword in his hand or the helmet that enclosed his head so tightly.

Following Bai's gaze, Elia also saw Prince Rhaegar among the spectators, along with the woman clinging to him...

Had that Lannister woman still not given up? She had come to King's Landing again!

She turned to look at Bai again... Oh, she really was angry. She was swinging her sword with frightening whistles.

Elia whispered to her brother, "Rhaenys is furious. Be careful. Jealous women lose their reason."

"What?" Oberyn was puzzled, but one glance along his sister's gaze made him understand instantly. Narrowing his eyes, he voiced the same question as Elia. "Why is that woman here again?"

Elia said offhandedly, "The same idea as Mother. She can't bear to give up Prince Rhaegar."

Oberyn raised an eyebrow and smiled. "You seem to have lost interest in the prince. Or did the prince reject Mother's proposal?"

Elia picked up her fan and smacked her brother on the head fiercely. "Why ask when you already know? Go on, and be careful."

Knights and swordsmanship instructors from House Martell served as scorekeepers. The referees were somewhat unexpected: besides the captain of the knights of King's Landing, there was a Braavosi with curly brown hair, deep brown eyes, and distinctively colorful clothes.

Bai was a little surprised too. Varys had actually found someone from Braavos to officiate.

Everyone in the hall was waiting. They wanted to see just what this princess, personally invested by the king, intended to do. No one believed the princess truly wanted to duel the Red Viper; she surely had some other purpose.

Or had the princess simply thought of some amusement on a whim, intending for her followers and the Dornish to put on a performance together to flatter the king?

King Aerys surveyed the room and asked in a low voice, "We can begin. Where is Rhaenys?"

A slender figure in dark brown padded armor and a full-face helmet with honeycomb mesh approached on the fencing platform. The fencer removed her helmet, revealing a Targaryen face strikingly similar to Rhaegar's.

Cersei narrowed her eyes and lowered her head to murmur something to Tywin.

Bai raised her foil in salute to Aerys and said clearly, "Your honored Majesty, before the duel begins, please allow me to give you a brief introduction to fencing duels."

Aerys nodded. "Go ahead."

Rather than explaining the rules of fencing directly, Bai unexpectedly began with an unrelated anecdote. "A few days ago, I heard something heartbreaking. The respected Ser Cerwyn of King's Landing and Borat, the second son of House Royce, fought a duel over their pursuit of the same beautiful lady. Poor Ser Cerwyn was hacked into several pieces on the spot."

"And the month before last, House Bracken and House Blackwood fought a duel over a dispute about seating at a court banquet. Five valiant knights died fearlessly in the arena..."

"There have been many more tragedies caused by such duels, which I will not list one by one. These brave and fearless knights did not die on the battlefield and had yet to give their lives in loyal service to their king. Instead, they died in pointless disputes over pride. This pains His Majesty beyond measure."

The nobles, great and small, looked toward King Aerys along with the prince. The king nodded in agreement.

"Today, His Majesty has graciously permitted me to introduce a new kind of dueling competition to everyone: fencing. It is a form of dueling that poses absolutely no danger to life, yet requires greater and more complex skill and tactics. Fencing allows knights to determine a winner while testing their martial skills. No one will ever again lose their life so easily in a duel of honor."

Bai wasted no more words. She put on her helmet and walked to one end of the fencing platform. Oberyn, likewise wearing black face armor and a helmet, was already waiting there eagerly.

Oberyn waved the épée in his hand. "Very well said. But don't forget our wager."

Bai suspected Oberyn might not have remembered the rules clearly. She had a foil, while he had taken an épée...

"Wait," Bai called out. "Give the prince a foil instead."

Sure enough, Oberyn looked utterly bewildered. Bai sighed deeply. Since he could not be bothered to read the rules, he could hardly blame her for bullying a beginner.

The eunuch Varys leaned close to the king's ear, explaining the rules of fencing in detail. He had long since learned them by heart. With his discernment, he could see the practical value of fencing duels, or fencing competitions. This was absolutely a remarkable innovation.

Bai and Oberyn were already cautiously probing each other. Bai's movements were graceful and agile, her rounded sword tip seeming alive as it targeted Oberyn's blind spots. The Red Viper was equally nimble, with keen eyes and quick hands. Both attacked and defended, their movements almost too fast to follow.

King Aerys found the display dizzying. Varys could explain the rules well enough, but once the fighting began, he did not understand it.

The king simply called Barristan the Bold to his side, asking question after question and having him provide commentary on the spot.

"Why does Rhaenys use footwork that keeps her center of gravity so low?" the king asked.

"Because it gives her a stable base."

"How is the winner decided? Why do they have long cords attached behind them?"

"..." Barristan was stumped.

The king waved a hand. "Never mind. Varys, you explain."

As the saying went, outsiders watched the spectacle, while experts watched the technique. Anyone who knew even a little about martial arts could see the essential elements of fencing.

On the piste, Bai abruptly accelerated. She lowered herself almost into a half crouch and took two rapid strides. In an instant, her sword tip left a white chalk mark on Oberyn's shoulder.

Although Oberyn's eyes had followed the sword's path, his body had failed to react at all.

It was too fast. Rhaegar had not seen it clearly at all. He narrowed his eyes and turned to ask Arthur Dayne, "What just happened?"

Arthur Dayne was staring intently at the piste and ignored him...

Rhaegar: "..." Hadn't someone said earlier that this would be boring?

The atmosphere gradually grew tense. The spectators gradually came to understand the rules of fencing duels and began to lose themselves in the thrilling exchanges of attack and defense. Bai was scoring with almost overwhelming dominance. Prince Oberyn had a wealth of martial skill, but every one of his attacks was perfectly blocked by Princess Rhaenys.

Rhaenys was like an elf dancing through the woods, her beautiful, light-footed figure drawing everyone's gaze.