Rhaegar found himself in a lush garden filled with pine trees, where he happened to run into a wandering Helaena.
The young girl's face was tense, as if she were searching for something.
"Helaena, is something wrong?"
Rhaegar casually greeted her.
Maybe she had lost something.
Helaena stopped in her tracks and stared at him blankly.
At that moment, Rhaegar's gaze shifted downward, noticing the longsword, Blackfyre, clutched tightly in her arms.
"Hm?"
Rhaegar had a bad feeling about this.
Helaena hesitated for a second before quickly saying, "No, brother."
As she spoke, she tried to discreetly hide Blackfyre behind her back, as if that would fool him.
Rhaegar stepped forward, ruffling her small head as he asked, "You're not very good at lying, are you?"
Helaena's face fell, and she lowered her head in disappointment.
She muttered to herself, That untrustworthy guy actually ran away.
Seeing her expression, Rhaegar realized this wasn't a minor issue. His tone softened.
"Did someone upset you?"
The Red Keep was crowded with all sorts of people, some of whom weren't the most honorable.
He had just ordered the royal guards to maintain order.
"No," Helaena answered, her gaze flickering as she shook her head.
Admitting she had planned to kill an earl wouldn't exactly align with a lady's image.
And it might escalate tensions between their mother and Rhaegar.
Their mother had raised four children—betraying her was simply not an option.
Thus, it was everyone's responsibility to avoid division within the family.
"I hope that's true," Rhaegar said.
Since she was unwilling to speak further, he didn't push the matter.
"Don't let yourself be bullied. If something happens, make sure to tell someone."
Helaena nodded fervently, causing her delicate hair ornament to shift askew.
"Shall we head back?"
Rhaegar cast a glance at the sword in her hands—this wasn't something to be played with lightly.
Helaena readily agreed, grabbing her brother's hand as they walked back together.
She bounced along happily, flashing a bright, toothy smile.
Not a trace remained of the fierce expression she had worn just moments ago.
---
Back in her chambers, Helaena obediently hung Blackfyre back on the wall.
With her back to Rhaegar, who stood at the doorway, she sighed regretfully.
She had never actually used the sword for its intended purpose.
She had planned to get rid of a certain pest and use that as an excuse to avoid an unwanted meeting that afternoon.
Thinking about the troublesome event awaiting her later, Helaena murmured to herself, "A good sword never finds its way into the hands of a worthy swordsman."
Knock, knock!
The open door was rapped upon, and a handmaiden hurried in, sweating slightly.
Rhaegar stepped aside, glancing at Helaena.
Helaena met his gaze before turning to the maid.
"What is it, Tayla?" she asked.
Tayla, Queen Alicent's personal handmaiden, kept a polite smile as she spoke.
"Princess, both the King and Queen are looking for you."
Helaena stared at Rhaegar and softly replied, "Tell them I don't want to attend the banquet this afternoon."
She admitted she wasn't as patient as Rhaenyra.
Being forced to interact with those insufferable nobles again? She'd rather jump off Maegor's Holdfast.
Tayla's smile wavered as she cautiously glanced at the Crown Prince. She lowered her voice.
"But, Princess… this is the Queen's order."
Rhaegar: …
He sighed inwardly.
Now both of them were looking to him for help.
Marriage negotiations like this weren't something he approved of, nor did he want his sister to be married off recklessly.
But since Helaena wasn't his full sister, the final decision rested with their father and Alicent.
He had neither the authority to stop it nor a solid reason to object.
Helaena, however, remained unfazed.
"I have no intention of obeying," she declared firmly. "She's wasting her time."
"Princess!" Tayla gasped.
Helaena turned her back on them and gazed out the window at the bustling courtyard below.
It was all so noisy.
She lacked the political cunning to weave intricate plots. Finding a nominal fiancé?
She was a princess of House Targaryen, born into the dynasty's golden age.
There was no reason she should submit to this.
Tayla looked conflicted, unsure how to respond. She instinctively turned to the Crown Prince for help.
Without a solution, she wouldn't be able to return with an answer.
Rhaegar finally spoke.
"Go back and tell Alicent that I'll talk to Helaena."
Tayla's face lit up with relief.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
She quickly curtsied and left.
Rhaegar watched her retreating figure, his mind deep in thought.
If he remembered correctly, this handmaiden, Tayla, was actually one of Larys Strong's spies.
Larys had uncovered her background and was planning to inform Alicent—but before he could, Tormund had taken advantage of the situation instead.
Rhaegar couldn't help but chuckle.
"The Red Keep really is crawling with snakes, rats, and vermin."
Once the banquet was over, he would send Rhaenyra back to Dragonstone.
The castle where he had grown up since childhood could no longer shelter him from the wind and rain. It was far less reassuring than Dragonstone, sealed tight like an iron fortress.
"Brother!"
Suddenly, Helena's stiff voice rang out.
Rhaegar turned his head and saw a girl with a tense expression.
Helena gritted her teeth and stomped forward, slamming the door shut with a loud bang.
The door nearly hit his face, forcing Rhaegar to step back.
To avoid any suspicion, he hadn't entered the room—he had been waiting at the doorway the entire time.
But now, the girl had suddenly lost her temper.
Leaning against the door, Helena spoke slowly and firmly, "I refuse. You shouldn't try to persuade me."
As she spoke, her freckled face carried a seriousness Rhaegar had never seen before.
It was as if she was using her expression to tell him—she meant it.
Rhaegar's gaze flickered. Sensing an unusual intensity in her emotions, he instinctively took another step back.
Helena stepped forward. She didn't say anything—just stared at him.
He retreated again, and she followed.
After several steps, Rhaegar felt embarrassed. In a low voice, he said, "I'll explain for you. I'll tell them you're sick."
If he kept backing away, something would definitely go wrong.
Helena pressed on, unwavering. "I'm not sick. I simply don't want to go. I don't need any excuses."
"Then what do you need? I'll help however I can."
Avoiding her gaze, Rhaegar felt uneasy.
He didn't need a mirror to know he must look flustered right now.
"You know what I want."
Helena's expression softened slightly. She stepped past him and walked toward the balcony, no longer pushing him further.
Just as Rhaegar exhaled in relief, a faint voice drifted over.
"Someone just proposed to me."
His breath caught mid-exhale. Shocked, Rhaegar blurted out, "What?"
Who acted so fast? Who would do something so disgraceful?
Helena remained calm. "He was a fraud—offering me two castles, trying to deceive me and Dreamfyre."
At the word deceive, Rhaegar's expression instantly darkened.
"House Peake."
Only House Peake of the Reach could afford to dangle two castles as bait.
Unbidden, Rhaegar thought of King Maekar's thirteenth child—Gael Targaryen.
Another innocent girl, tricked by a lowly wandering singer—seduced, abandoned, left with a bastard child, and driven to throw herself into a river.
Rhaegar asked, "So just now, when you were carrying Long Summer, you were looking for that Peake?"
"He broke his promise. I thought he'd wait for me there."
Helena sounded a little disappointed.
"Secretly arranging a meeting and attempting to deceive a royal princess—this is outright treason."
Rhaegar's voice grew cold as he turned to leave.
Trying to con a Targaryen? Had they forgotten what happens when dragonfire sweeps the land?
"Wait."
Helena immediately stopped him.
As she grabbed his sleeve, Rhaegar halted, his eyelid twitching.
His instincts told him—this wouldn't end well today.
Helena's eyes were red as she spread her arms, blocking the door. She pouted and said, "You are not Baeloron."
"Grandfather?"
Rhaegar hesitated for a moment, then fell into thought.
Baeloron Targaryen had lived a remarkable life and accomplished many great deeds.
Born in early spring, he was known as the Spring Dawn Prince.
On his first trip to Dragonstone, he struck Balerion the Black Dread on the nose, earning the title Baeloron the Brave.
At sixteen, he disguised himself as a mystery knight and entered the Tourney of Mucklow, defeating several formidable opponents and earning his knighthood.
The moment the feast ended, he wasted no time—rushing back to King's Landing, where he mounted Vhagar and became a dragonrider.
Later, he fought the Battle of a Hundred Candles on dragonback, avenged his brother by burning thousands of Tyroshi mercenaries, and was named heir to the Iron Throne…
But no matter how great a man is, some regrets can never be undone.
His wife, Alyssa, died of childbed fever after giving birth to their third child.
Though they were siblings, Baeloron and Alyssa were deeply devoted to each other.
After Alyssa's death, Baeloron was like a lost soul, unable to love another woman again.
His sister, Visanrya, was ambitious and resented their father's preference for male heirs. She intended to marry Baeloron and become queen.
One night, she stripped bare and climbed into his bed.
But instead of giving in, Baeloron furiously scolded her and threw her out.
Afterward, he hastily arranged a betrothal for her, which led to Visanrya fleeing in protest—falling from her horse and breaking her neck.
As Rhaegar recalled these events, a question nagged at him.
What did Helena mean?
Was she saying he wasn't as loyal in marriage as his grandfather? Or that he couldn't treat his sister's marriage purely as a political matter?
His mind was a mess. He finally spoke.
"Rhaenyra is not Alyssa, either."
Rhaenyra had inherited her grandmother's boldness and passion. Like Alyssa, she had cared for him since childhood.
But Rhaenyra would live a better life—he refused to endure the pain of losing a loved one again.
Hearing this, Helena's eyes filled with tears. Resolutely, she said:
"And I am not Visanrya."
She would never resort to such disgraceful means.
Nor would she be so foolish as to fall from a horse and kill herself.
She has a dragon—a fully grown, giant dragon!
"Helena, you need to calm down."
Rhaegar found it impossible to continue the conversation. He pushed open the door and walked out.
He could marry Jeyne, but he could not defile Helena.
That would be playing with fire—fueling a family conflict that was already as volatile as a powder keg.
His power might appear strong, but in reality, it was built on the foundation of family unity.
Aegon had been beaten down since childhood, growing up to be a good-natured younger brother with no great ambitions.
Helena was close to him and had her own ideas.
Aemond and Daeron also understood their eldest brother's love and responsibility, choosing to uphold his authority.
With all four dragonriding siblings in a stable position and no royal family member leading the Green faction, Alicent had remained restrained—at least until now.
But if Helena became involved, Alicent would no longer hold back. No one could predict how far she might go.
And then, his relationship with his younger siblings would plummet to freezing point.
He wasn't afraid of Aegon and the others challenging his position.
But it would cause a family rift—a Targaryen civil war.
Rhaegar cherished his siblings because they were the legacy of House Targaryen, and unity was essential for their survival.
If a civil war broke out, it would go against everything he had worked for.
Helena reached out to block his way, refusing to let him leave. She spoke bluntly: "Brother, the dragon has three heads."
Rhaegar, held firmly by the chest, was forced to lower his head.
Helena continued, "You already have Rhaenys. I want to be Visenya!"
(End of Chapter)