Chapter 178: Two Wives Living in Harmony

The Red Keep, Small Council chamber.

Hand of the King Duke Mace, Master of Laws Lord Randyll, Master of Ships Lord Paxter, War Minister Marquess Innes, and other members of the Small Council in King's Landing sat around the redwood circular table, discussing military and political affairs with the King.

Grand Maester Pycelle was not permitted to participate, and the former Maester Qyburn was specially invited to take his place.

"My lords, find a way to make our Qyburn the Grand Maester appointed by the Citadel."

After the servant who brought the wine flagon left, Arthur I issued his order to the four courtiers.

This man Qyburn was a complete research fanatic; without the god-touched gifts bestowed by any deity, he had comprehended Black Magic on his own and applied it to living experiments.

In the eyes of Arthur I, Qyburn, who had no interest in power struggles, was the perfect candidate for Grand Maester.

"Your Grace, I must remind you that the Grand Maester is appointed by the Conclave of the Citadel; we secular lords cannot influence Pycelle's tenure..."

Duke Mace rambled on, seemingly teaching his King and son-in-law how to act according to the rules of Westeros.

The Citadel is a complex of buildings in Oldtown and the highest governing body for maesters throughout the Seven Kingdoms. They gather, conduct research, and train novices there. The Citadel is also the residence of the Grand Maesters.

House Hightower had devoted great effort to the establishment of the Citadel and had always been an important patron and protector of the Citadel and the maesters.

As for the Conclave, it is the governing body of the Citadel and the maesters. The Conclave is composed of Archmaesters; all meetings are confidential and held only within the Citadel, isolated from the outside world. Grand Maesters are elected by them, and only the Conclave can decide on the appointment or removal of a Grand Maester.

Arthur glanced at Master of Laws Randyll Tarly, who understood and retorted firmly:

"Since the Citadel has nothing to do with the gods, it is part of the secular world. According to His Grace's royal titles as King of the First Men, the Andals, and the Rhoynar, the maesters in the Citadel are also his subjects, so how do they have special privileges?"

The bald Innes also roughly knew the current situation; although the King had not spoken to him in detail, Marquess Folei knew that once Arthur I had a conflict with the Reachmen, he should show his support for the King.

So he echoed Randyll's opinion: "Since they are His Grace's subjects, they should obey the royal command. I remember Duke Mace has a very close relationship with Lord Hightower, right? If you send a letter, what matter cannot be resolved?"

The current head of House Hightower is named Leyton, whose titles include: Voice of Oldtown, Lord of the Port, Lord of the Hightower, Defender of the Citadel, and Beacon of the South.

Duke Mace's wife is none other than Lord Leyton's second daughter, Alerie Hightower.

That is to say, after Margaery the Little Rose married Arthur, the old man of Oldtown, Leyton, became the King's maternal grandfather.

"How could my family's relationship with the Hightowers be..." The Lord of the Pufferfish said halfway, then suddenly stopped and changed his words:

"I suppose His Grace and all the lords know that the Archmaesters of the Citadel are like stones in a latrine—stinking and hard. My father-in-law cannot make them concede. Moreover, I heard that this Lord Qyburn was stripped of his maester's status by the Conclave because he studied immoral magic. How can such a person hold an important position like a member of the Small Council?"

Arthur glanced sideways at the Lord of the Pufferfish, suddenly finding a way to make him concede.

"In that case, I will hold the wedding within a week, without waiting for the Dornishmen or the Northmen to arrive."

Previously, a raven had brought news that Prince Oberyn of Dorne would lead a large delegation to attend the new King's second wedding.

The Northmen were led by House Manderly of White Harbor. One of Lord Wyman Manderly's sons had died at the hands of the Boltons, so Arthur easily contacted his house, preparing to coordinate how to send a Reach army to wipe out the Ramsay Bolton family before the Long Winter arrived.

Both of these parties were quite far from King's Landing and were coming by sea. If they followed Duke Mace's previous idea of waiting for these two groups of nobles to arrive before holding the wedding, it would take at least nearly a month.

"How can it be so fast?" Mace looked surprised; his lifelong wish was for his daughter Margaery to become Queen.

Although he did not care which King it was, the Dragon King family was nobler than the Baratheon family, and marrying Arthur I was more to Duke Mace's liking.

And with the thousand-year feud between Dorne, the Reach, and the Stormlands, the Lord of the Pufferfish was bent on making a big splash with his daughter's wedding; how could he not wait for the Dornishmen to arrive before holding the wedding?

Once his lifeline was grasped, Duke Mace's tone softened on the spot.

He tentatively proposed: "I have a compromise. His Grace can send a raven to the Citadel to have them restore Lord Qyburn's maester status, and then let him serve Queen Sansa as the Maester of Harrenhal, so he can remain by His Grace's side."

"As for that old thing Pycelle, I can write a letter asking Lord Leyton Hightower to give some appropriate suggestions to the Conclave to send a younger Grand Maester to serve the King and the royal family. Although lords cannot interfere with the operation of the Citadel, I think reasonable and wise suggestions can always be accepted by the Archmaesters."

Duke Mace's proposal was not unacceptable; the old Maester Myrthos of Harrenhal was failing in health, and a position would soon be vacant.

And after most of the nobles had arrived in King's Landing, Harrenhal and Harrentown were temporarily managed by Lord William Mooton.

But he also had his own lands to manage, so Arthur prepared to choose a reliable Castellan at the right time.

The well-behaved Pate Frey, the loyal Olivar Frey, and the mediocre Arthur-fanboy Patrick Mallister were all within his consideration.

But this matter had to be asked of Sansa, as she was the rightful owner of Harrenhal.

Arthur I nodded, "Then it is settled."

He turned to Qyburn and waved his hand lightly: "Are you satisfied with this result?"

"Quite satisfied. When I left the Citadel, I felt that only the brothers of the Night's Watch could accept me. I never expected to be able to restore my maester status, and even be able to conduct the experiments I want to do. All of this was bestowed upon me by Your Grace..."

Qyburn, who possessed pale skin, blushed rarely, showing his excitement.

After blowing smoke about the King's brilliance and martial prowess, he left the Small Council chamber.

He was not an official member of the Small Council, and the matters to be discussed next had nothing to do with him.

Lord Paxter Redwyne, who had not spoken until now, explained the situation regarding the troop deployments from the North and the sea to the Small Council.

"After we pacify the Westerlands... two hundred and seventeen merchant ships have been negotiated... after arriving at White Harbor, it will be arranged by Lord Manderly..."

The current preliminary situation was that after the Reach and Riverlands Army captured Casterly Rock and Lannisport, Lord Randyll Tarly would lead the ten thousand Reach troops stationed in King's Landing north along the coast, arrive at White Harbor, and then go deep into the heart of the North along the White Knife.

The White Knife is the largest river in the North, originating from the Wolfswood. If one enters along this river, one can reach the vicinity of Cerwyn directly. After landing, it is only a few days' ride from Winterfell.

Hearing this arrangement, Marquess Innes asked: "Your Grace, is an army of ten thousand a bit weak? The Boltons and the Dustins combined, plus the second and third-tier nobles of the North, could surely scrape together ten thousand men."

What he actually wanted to ask about was his niece Walda Frey; the total annihilation of the Bolton family was a confirmed fact, and he only lacked knowledge of how Ramsay Bolton and his son died.

Walda was the legitimate wife of Bolton, and in theory, the Freys could also inherit the Dreadfort in the future.

But this was his first time attending such a high-level meeting, and he did not want to leave a bad impression on the other great lords, so he forcibly held back from asking about the inheritance of the territory and turned to ask about military issues related to his duties.

"Marquess Innes has done well; the War Minister should be concerned with these issues."

Arthur first praised the bald man, then replied:

"I have other arrangements in the Vale. Houses Templeton, Royce, Waynwood, and others are distant relatives of the Starks. For a major event like recovering Winterfell, they should also contribute!"

Counting the days, Lady Stoneheart had already entered the Mountains of the Moon. Although the road was difficult, after Arthur finished the coronation ceremony, the wedding with Margaery, and the pacification of the Westerlands, she would surely reach the Eyrie and reach a new agreement with Littlefinger.

Some of the lords of the Vale were already loyal allies of House Stark, and with Arthur marrying Sansa, they should also send troops to the North together.

As for Lady Stoneheart's safety, Arthur was very confident.

Who could kill a corpse that was already dead?

On the contrary, he was more curious about whether Littlefinger and Lady Lysa could survive.

Because he felt that these three childhood playmates really did not look like they could live happily together.

Marquess Innes didn't mind much; he knew the people of The Vale had a special connection with the King.

But Duke Mace and the Count were a bit surprised; they couldn't figure out when Arthur I had made contact with the people of The Vale.

In the time that followed, the Small Council proceeded in an orderly fashion; the details of major events such as the King's coronation ceremony, the wedding, the pacification of The Westerlands, and the expulsion of the Golden Company were discussed one by one, and of course, the outstanding bills between House Tyrell and Arthur were also brought up and talked over.

Under the King's firm stance, Duke Mace promised to let Arthur negotiate with the Queen of Thorns in person.

Arthur I did indeed need to have a good talk with Lady Olenna; Alduin had already been brought to the Dragonpit, and House Tyrell should also start paying to raise the dragon.

……

In the afternoon, Maegor's Holdfast, Sansa's room.

After nodding to Brienne of Tarth, who was standing guard outside the door, Arthur walked in.

He prepared to have a good argument with the Queen Stark and then seek her opinion regarding the Castellan of Harrenhal.

It was just that there was a second person in the room.

Margaery, in a long cyan-green dress, was sitting by the wooden table, sharing a plate of cake with Queen Sansa.

The two were laughing and chatting, their beautiful eyes darting about, their postures graceful and varied.

Set off by the great beauties, the whole room appeared bright and lovely.

Seeing Arthur walk in, Margaery immediately became demure, even straightening her waist.

This made the child's canteen on her chest even rounder.

"Your Grace!" Margaery nodded in greeting.

Sansa was much more casual; she finished the cake in her hand in two or three bites, then patted the crumbs off her hands and said, "Don't mind him, let's continue talking about the interesting things at your Highgarden."

The lemon cake brought by Miss Tyrell was so delicious that Queen Sansa picked up another piece and began to eat it in small bites.

Arthur walked over and asked, "Whose food is this? I'll have a piece too."

During the time he had been inside, Margaery hadn't eaten a single bite, spending the whole time gossiping, while the silly Sansa had been listening and eating, already putting two large pieces of lemon cake into her stomach.

He harbored a suspicion that the cake might have been spiked with some contraceptive drug, so he prepared to test it.

Miss Tyrell replied earnestly, "I brought it to have afternoon tea with Queen Sansa, Your Grace! You said you wanted me to reach a sisterly relationship with Queen Sansa, so I came."

Arthur picked up a piece of cake, pretending to reward Margaery, "You are truly obedient. Come, I'll feed you a piece. Open your mouth!"

The bright-toothed Miss Tyrell put on a shy appearance, declined once, then stretched her neck forward and took a big, generous bite of the cake in Arthur's hand.

She even had the energy to scrape the King's finger with her teeth.

Seeing her husband feed another woman as soon as he entered, Sansa's expression changed drastically; even the lemon cake in her mouth no longer tasted good.

After watching Margaery swallow, Arthur nodded with satisfaction, only to catch a glimpse of Sansa's ugly expression.

So he brought the cake in his hand to the lips of Queen Stark as well, "I'll feed you a bite too. Ah~"

Sansa did not appreciate it; after glaring fiercely at her husband, she silently swallowed what was in her mouth.

The King knew that Sansa, who had the heart of a little girl, had misunderstood, so he hurriedly moved past this point.

"I just saw that Margaery hadn't eaten a bite, so I fed her..." But Arthur only made it worse, and the auburn-haired Queen's resentment toward her husband grew even greater.

Seeing that Miss Tyrell had also eaten the cake, the King simply stated his earlier thought, which unexpectedly relieved Sansa while simultaneously angering Margaery.

"In your eyes, am I the kind of vicious woman who would put contraceptive drugs in a cake?" Miss Tyrell questioned.

Her complexion was no better than the other's.

This was the first time Arthur had seen the little rose angry, making him sigh that beautiful women have a special kind of Charisma even when they pull a long face.

"This is my fault." The King had no choice but to apologize to his fiancée and coax her.

But this made his married wife jealous again.

Arthur had to lament that two women were truly hard to serve, especially when they were both great beauties.

"Alright, let's end this matter here." The King placed the cake in his hand into the plate, then pulled Sansa and Margaery by their shoulders.

"Margaery is about to marry me; we will be a loving family, so you two shouldn't be jealous of each other like this..."

In order to let his wives live in harmony, Arthur nagged for quite a while and set a rule that neither was allowed to make a move against the other.

In fact, the situation between Arthur and these two beauties was very special; after Miss Tyrell officially became his wife, Sansa and the little rose would also count as relatives.

And the vast majority of gods would curse kinslayers; those who were wicked enough to abuse their relatives would also bring misfortune upon themselves.

So he wasn't too worried about the two beauties fighting too fiercely in Maegor's Holdfast; at most, it would just be the North-Riverlands faction represented by Sansa competing with the Reach faction represented by Margaery in the court.

After coaxing the two beauties for a long time, Arthur finally remembered the real business.

After consultation, Olyvar Frey, who had previously been loyal to Robb, became the Castellan of Harrenhal.

After this, the little rose took the hint and left, and Arthur had a wonderful afternoon tea.

……

Volantis, Merchant's House.

This was the best tavern and largest inn in the Free Cities, located in Fishmonger's Square. The Merchant's House was a four-story behemoth, looming over the surrounding warehouses, taverns, and brothels.

Its hall was larger than the halls of most castles in Westeros, the courtyard in the middle was paved with flagstones and planted with many grapevines, and the surrounding pavilions and alcoves made the hall look like a labyrinth.

Jorah Mormont, who had been drifting at sea for a long time, arrived in Volantis with several mercenaries.

Experienced in wandering, he naturally knew that taverns were the places where information flowed most sensitively, so he headed straight there as soon as he got off the ship.

As soon as he entered the gate of the Merchant's House, he attracted the gazes of many people.

For no other reason than that the temperament of a wandering mercenary and a lord of the Western Continent were perfectly fused in Ser Jorah.

Anyone with a bit of experience could understand that this was a dispossessed nobleman from the Western Continent.

"Isn't that the Lord of Bear Island?" someone said in the corner of the tavern.

PS: Seeking recommendation votes and monthly tickets.

(End of chapter)