The prophecy revisited

The Red Viper had originally come to ask about their wager, but upon seeing Rhaenys arguing with the prince, he had hidden among the flowers and dared not come out.

Rhaenys's grief was restrained. Her eyes were slightly red, their irises bright and clear, and a tear hung at the corner of one eye like dew sliding over a petal in the morning sunlight. Her face was very pale, but she stood straight, her swanlike neck stretched taut.

She looked resilient and full of life.

Oberyn suddenly thought of flowers washed by wind and rain after a thunderstorm, yet still blooming fiercely. Something fell softly onto the lake of his heart, stirring his tenderness.

Oberyn gazed deeply into those violet eyes. "You defeated me at swordplay. Elia sent me to fulfill my promise."

Ghost looked at the Red Viper. A hint of tenderness lay on the wildly handsome face before her. She paused, then turned her head away. "Oberyn, take Elia back to Dorne."

Oberyn was bewildered. "Why? Because of Rhaegar? Tell me the reason, and what you left unfinished before. Can you... see things?"

Ghost was exhausted at heart and simply spoke plainly. "Yes, I can see some... blurry images. If Elia stays, she'll die a horrible death. In a few years, King's Landing will be burned to ashes by wildfire towering into the sky, with countless people dying alongside it."

Wildfire...

Even the Red Viper, who prided himself on fearing nothing, was shaken to his core by her words. He hurriedly asked, "War? Has war broken out between someone?"

Ghost shook her head without saying more. "For Elia's sake, go back to Dorne."

"You must explain clearly. Vague, prophetic hints alone won't persuade the queen of Dorne to abandon the marriage alliance."

Ghost felt a little discouraged. She knew she had no basis for saying such things, but she could only do her best to make her account hold together.

She simply brought gods and spirits into it. "Oberyn, think about the current situation in Westeros. War is actually close at hand. I'm not talking nonsense. You know the Lord of Light, don't you? A god can grant omens through flames. I was once fortunate enough to see some images..."

Oberyn stroked his chin in silence, giving no response to her invocation of the God of Light as an excuse. There was no telling whether he believed her.

But judging by the current situation in the Seven Kingdoms, the Mad King was constantly intensifying his conflict with the Lannisters, ignoring the great nobles' demands concerning their interests, and suppressing the crown prince's authority at every turn-the strangest part of all.

By any measure, Crown Prince Rhaegar was as wise an heir as one could hope for, so why was the Mad King so wary of his own son? Prince Rhaegar's supporters were still lying low, but if the king continued to target him and guard against him...

Chaos and war were very likely to break out.

It did not matter whether he himself stayed or left, but Elia was different. She was a princess of Dorne and had come with a mission. The queen of Dorne would never allow them to retreat for such a nebulous reason.

Oberyn paced like a caged beast, then suddenly raised his head and asked, "What about you? Aren't you worried about yourself?"

Ghost was a little surprised. She had thought Oberyn would not believe her, or would press her for more answers. She had not expected him to be concerned about her.

She shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay by Rhaegar's side."

Oberyn wore a complicated expression. "I'll consider your suggestion and discuss it with Elia. Is there anything else you want to say?"

Ghost hesitated, then shook her head. "No."

After Oberyn left, Ghost wandered alone through the garden in a daze. She found that many things were not developing as she had imagined. Rhaegar's attitude, in particular, had hurt her deeply.

In her previous life, she had suffered from severe social anxiety, and her own circumstances had been poor as well. As a result, she had never dared approach boys she liked, only watching them silently. Her only two one-sided loves had both come to nothing...

She always felt inferior when facing Rhaegar... It was even harder to imagine that she would actually come to King's Landing in the world of Ice and Fire and truly become his fiancée.

But now it seemed they really were unsuited to each other. Their ideas and values differed, and objective circumstances made it even less possible. Perhaps she should never have stayed in King's Landing... but returned to Lyanna's side instead.

Ghost was beginning to regret it.

Early the next morning, Barbara and the maids were happily bustling about, sorting through the pile of expensive gifts the prince had given Rhaenys.

While Ghost ate breakfast, they gathered around her, chattering like birds.

"Princess, His Highness's steward just instructed you to attend tonight's banquet. The Lord Hand's son has returned to King's Landing, and His Majesty specifically wished to hold a feast to welcome him."

Tywin Lannister's son? An image flashed through Ghost's mind: a tragic, heroic knight with a golden hand, charging at a dragon with a lance... Her mind had already begun to wander.

Cersei's twin brother, the heir to Casterly Rock, Jaime Lannister, had returned to King's Landing?

The scenes of Jaime that had left the deepest impression on Ghost were his lone charge at the dragon Drogo amid devastating ashes, and his confession about the "Kingslayer" to Brienne the Beauty in the bath.

It was precisely these shining moments that had successfully redeemed this man who had abandoned everything for love, though his love for Cersei was twisted and unacceptable to the world.

That kind of love, which disregarded everything else, was still something to long for-provided, of course, that the lovers were a normal couple...

If Ghost remembered correctly, Jaime had not yet donned the white cloak and become a Kingsguard. The boy who should have become heir to Casterly Rock was still an innocent youth who idolized the Sword God of the Morning and harbored dreams of knighthood.

The maids were still chattering around Ghost. Barbara held things up against Ghost's hair and sighed repeatedly. "Princess, you've been far too busy lately. The craftsmen and tailors have asked me several times already. Your wedding gowns haven't even been decided on yet. We're going to run out of time."

Ghost was a little surprised. "Isn't the wedding next year? We need to make the gowns already?" Wasn't it too early?

Barbara grew anxious. "You're the crown prince's future wife. How could you have only a few gowns made? Even all these the prince sent might not be enough! You mustn't go anywhere tomorrow. Please choose the styles you like as soon as possible."

"All right, all right." Ghost nodded repeatedly. She had little interest in dressing up. But then she thought it would be a shame not to dress up with her current looks, and began looking forward to all sorts of cute little dresses.

In her previous life, she had always wanted to wear those ethereal, flowing hanfu and little rococo-style dresses. Unfortunately, her figure back then had kept her from fitting into them. Sigh.

But now she definitely could!

Thinking of all sorts of pretty dresses cheered Ghost up, and her bad mood slowly faded into the background.

A maid came in and said, "Your Highness, Princess Elia of Dorne and the prince have arrived."

Barbara was braiding her hair, so Ghost nodded stiffly. "Show Elia in, and attend to the prince while he waits a moment."

Elia swept in briskly, still dressed in a glamorous, revealing outfit, a small white feather fan in her hand. "Why are you still... still dawdling?"

Standing beside her, Elia picked up Ghost's clothes one by one and scolded her. "What on earth are you wearing? They're neither sexy nor elegant. They look like a nun's clothes. Beauty isn't meant to be wasted."

"Is it really that bad?" Ghost felt a little embarrassed.

Barbara looked as though she had found a kindred spirit. "Your Highness Elia is absolutely right. The princess relies on her beauty and never bothers to dress herself properly."

Beautiful... was she? Ghost did not particularly like looking in mirrors. She always felt this face was borrowed and utterly at odds with who she was inside.

Barbara kept nagging. "Your Highness Elia, please do give our princess a good talking-to. She never likes dressing up. She just lets her hair down and goes out. This is the Red Keep, where the prince and His Majesty live! She dresses simply and won't wear jewelry or gems either, saying it's too much trouble... What noble young lady doesn't spend all day making herself pretty and trying to get close to the prince? Just look at Lady Cersei of House Lannister... She's practically covered in gold from head to toe. They say the Lannisters shit... ahem... gold. I think it might be true."

Ghost covered her forehead, speechless.

Master, stop chanting, stop chanting... Old Sun's head hurts.

Under Barbara and Elia's joint suppression, Ghost finally managed to get ready to leave for the banquet, laden with more than a dozen jin of expensive jewelry.

Even then, Elia still looked somewhat dissatisfied. "I'll come over tomorrow to help you choose your gowns. Heavens, a woman who doesn't dress and groom herself is like a knight going into battle without armor."

As they left the small hall, Oberyn came forward to greet them politely. Elia seemed no different from usual today, so Ghost guessed Oberyn had probably not yet told her about the advice to leave King's Landing.