"Please be careful."
"'Please be careful'?" The old Hand's sharp eyes, like a hawk, stared directly at the strange man who had warned him. "Who is hiding, afraid to show his true face?"
Just now, the guard Shufu informed the old Hand that a visitor, who refused to give his name, had passed the other guards outside the Hand's tower and appeared before his personal attendant, demanding an audience.
The visitor was a stocky man, wearing muddy, tattered boots and a heavy brown robe made of extremely rough material. His face was obscured by a hooded cloak, and he reeked of sweat. His hands were hidden in the folds of his sleeves.
"I beg your pardon," the masked man said in an oddly low voice. "Prime Minister, I request to speak with you privately."
The old Hand narrowed his eyes and did not respond immediately. The heaviness in the air hung heavy. "Shufu, you will withdraw first." With the old Hand's command, the stagnant air finally eased slightly. Only after the door closed and they were alone in the room did the visitor lift his cloak.
"Varys," the old Hand stated the visitor's name, his face unsurprised, as if he had expected it.
"My Lord," Varys said, greeting the old Hand politely. "Please be careful. I fear someone might seek to harm you."
"'Someone,'" the old Hand asked. "Who?"
"Ask me, Lord Hand," Varys replied. "I venture to say you know better than I do."
The old Hand asked his next question: "What do you know?"
Varys replied: "You hold a high position of power. They dare not attack you openly. Lord Hand, please be careful with your food. From now on, have someone taste it before you eat."
The old Hand's eyelids twitched slightly. "You say someone will poison me. Do you have evidence?"
Varys said respectfully: "With your wisdom, can't you imagine their methods? Who can..."
"Only those unworthy of being human would think of such a thing," the old Hand interrupted Varys with a serious face.
Varys was not angry: "People say that poison is a woman's weapon."
The old Prime Minister did not give him a good face: "And cowards and eunuchs."
"You don't trust me." Varys sighed, "but this is my honest words, Prime Minister."
"What do you know?" The old Prime Minister asked the question again, "You know what I am asking."
"Your every move is related to state affairs." Varys replied, "Many eyes are watching you."
"Including you." The old Prime Minister said, "People say that in King's Landing, little birds are everywhere and octopus spiders know everything."
Varys showed a sharp and hurtful smile: "No one can know everything. That's just the nonsense of ordinary people, Prime Minister. You should be wise enough to know this. I only know what I should know. This is the duty given to me by the king."
The old Prime Minister asked: "Then the king sent you? Does the king know?"
"It was my duty to send me here, Lord Hand. You may mock me, but eunuchs have honor too." Varys said, a little sadly, as if hurt. "You maintain the Seven Kingdoms. We all know what the King does every day."
The old Hand didn't trust him at all: "For that statement, I can have your tongue ripped out."
"You will do to me what you did to Ser Ilyn Payne?"
Ser Ilyn Payne was the current King's executioner, a knight of House Payne from the westerlies. Once, during the reign of King Aerys II, he had served as Captain of the Guards to Lord Tywin, Hand of the King. Someone reported him claiming that "Lord Tywin is the true ruler of the Seven Kingdoms," and the King had his tongue ripped out.
"I am not Tywin, and the current king is not Aerys II," the old Hand asked for the third time. "I ask again, what do you know?"
"If you are asking me about the conspiracy between you and Lord Stannis, I tell you the truth, Hand, I know it, and the king knows it too," Varys replied. "You intend to have Lord Stannis succeed you as Warden of the East, with your son as his adopted son. But you may not know that the king has privately promised the queen that the position will go to Jaime Lannister, and he wishes your son to be adopted by Lord Tywin."
The old Hand stared at Varys for a long moment, and the solemn atmosphere in the room made his mouth dry.
"Hmph," the old Hand broke the silence. "Go away, Varys. Your duty is to the king. To remain loyal to the king, to be impartial, is your duty."
"Yes, Hand," Varys sighed inwardly. "I will keep your words in mind."
Varys left.
A moment later, the old Hand's squire, Soof, knocked on the door.
The old Prime Minister asked, "Did you see where the visitor went?" "The stables," the young squire replied. "I followed them, but couldn't find anyone. I couldn't find the way."
"Forget it, go down. We'll have someone keep an eye on the stables from now on."
The old Hand gave his instructions and waited for the squire to leave before he pulled out the book, "Genealogies and Histories of the Principal Nobles of the Seven Kingdoms," which he had borrowed from Grand Maester Pycelle, from the books on the table in the Prime Minister's reception room. The old Hand carefully tucked the book into his arms before officially finishing his paperwork for the day and returning to his room.
When the old Hand returned to his room, his wife, Lady Lysa Tully, was half-lying in bed, holding his youngest son, Robert Arryn.
Lady Lysa was breastfeeding her six-year-old son.
Robert Arryn had always been frail, so Lysa doted on him, protecting him everywhere and pampering him in everything. She even kept him from being weaned until he was six years old.
Seeing his child in this state, the old Hand felt heartbroken, but he also knew that he was incapable of taking on any responsibility in his current state.
Old Jon knew his age was approaching. He had named several heirs, but they all died before him. He was already old, and his wife had suffered numerous miscarriages before finally giving birth to a frail son, Robert Arryn.
His marriage to Lady Lysa was unhappy. During Robert's rebellion, Jon and his adopted son, Eddard Stark, married Lysa Tully, daughter of Lord Hoster Tully, and Catelyn Tully, respectively, to gain support at Riverrun. By
then, Old Jon was old enough to be Lady Lysa's grandfather.
"My lady, are you still awake?" the old Hand greeted his wife. Usually, this meant Lady Lysa had something to make a point of, whether it was disciplining a "disobedient" servant or demanding a position.
Lady Lysa had not always been like this. In her youth, Lysa was a beautiful, slender, busty girl, delicate and shy. Now, she was paranoid, harsh and mean, believing that everyone was an enemy. The maids and servants were all afraid of her. Only the old Prime Minister's authority could manage a slight suppression.
But not today. Lady Lysa quietly breastfed her child, her hands gently caressing the child in her arms, a smile blooming on her face, like a gentle and loving mother.
Hearing her husband's call, Lady Lysa quickly shushed the old Prime Minister.
"Good boy Robin, darling, Mommy loves you," she sang softly, a lullaby. "Good boy Robin, darling, eat well and go to sleep."
This heartwarming scene warmed the Prime Minister, tired from a long day of work. He nodded to his wife and quietly walked to the bedroom desk.
He habitually wanted to pour himself a glass of wine before bed.
The flagon was empty.
He glanced at his wife and child, unable to bear the thought of interrupting them. He quietly rose and walked lightly to the door, quietly signaling to his personal attendant, Shufu, to fill him with wine.
Soon, his guard returned with the full flagon.
Before going to bed, he flipped through the book "Genealogies and Histories of the Principal Nobles of the Seven Kingdoms" on his desk again.
Thinking of what he and Stannis had found, his mood was inexplicably complicated, and he sighed from the bottom of his heart.
This terrible fact could plunge the entire dynasty into war if he was not careful. The solution he chose would profoundly affect the direction of the country?
The burden was on his shoulders, how difficult it was.
With mixed emotions, the old Prime Minister took a sip of wine.
Lady Lysa's sleep song was still singing gently.
"Good Robin kiss, mother loves you.
Good Robin kiss, go to sleep sweetly.
With mother here, no one can hurt you.
With mother here, no one can make you afraid.
Good Robin kiss, mother loves you.
Good Robin kiss, good Robin kiss."
That night, the old Prime Minister fell ill.
.....
Completed eng PDF of this fan-fic on my Patreon shop if you want to support and own the full fan-fic in one go. Just grab the PDF and binge the entire story from start to finish!
Guys, I've uploaded some NEW High Quality english translated fanfic on my Patreon shop! Feel free to check it out—if you're interested, you can grab a copy and support me there.
Here are a few titles of recently uploaded fanfics:
" Game of Thrones: I've Loaded the Witcher System "
" Game of Thrones: I Became the Crown Prince for a Day "
" Game of Thrones: Viserys the Three-Headed Dragon "
" Game of Thrones: Holy Flame King "
" Game of Thrones: King of the North " many more are available for you,
Your support means a lot—thanks in advance, legends!
Patreon.com/AniFic
(End of Chapter)