Stannis was silent for a moment, then said, "Send someone to investigate and let me know what he's been doing in King's Landing."
Davos nodded in assent.
Stannis then asked, "Can he serve me?"
Davos's footsteps paused slightly, then immediately returned to normal: "Duke Stannis, the young Baron Green may not understand you yet."
Stannis's sharp gaze flicked to Davos: "Doesn't understand?"
Davos nodded slightly: "If he understood your noble qualities, Baron Green would surely have joined you, not the Lannister queen. The wealth of the Lannisters can easily blind a young man's eyes. I must say you've lost the initiative."
Stannis snorted: "Gold Dragons can't buy loyalty."
Davos agreed: "Duke Stannis, Baron Green's governance and military abilities are both excellent, which is very rare. He is worth your patience."
...
King's Landing, Hook Alley, Green's study.
Green's plan achieved its goal. Before long, Green successfully excused himself from Princess Myrcella and returned to his residence in Hook Alley.
Green was gazing at a large map spread out on the table.
This was a map showing the route from King's Landing to the Royal Forest, with detailed markings of the inns where the Kingswood Hunting party would stay overnight along the way.
The Kingswood Hunting party was an activity held for the noble ladies of the Crownlands. They traveled by carriage, and their endurance had to be considered, so the pace of the party could not follow that of an army's march. The Kingswood Hunting journey would take a total of five days and four nights.
Green roughly calculated the distance on the map; the four inns were precisely distributed according to the marching distance for four nights.
Kingswood Hunting was a royal activity held every two years since the Targaryen Dynasty.
Green speculated that this route had formed a stable market, and the four inns where the Kingswood Hunting party would encamp were products of this market.
Green rubbed his chin. There were established customs, and the trivial details were handled by experienced personnel. His main job was to ensure the safety of the Kingswood Hunting party. It seemed his work wouldn't be as tiring as he'd imagined.
Green's slender fingers tapped the location of the Royal Forest on the map.
Upon reaching the destination of the Kingswood Hunting, the entire party would set up camp and remain there until the seven-day Kingswood Hunting activity concluded.
Green seemed to have found a direction for using his Gold Dragons.
...
As evening approached, Green, having finished arranging his affairs, had just let out a breath when Lancel Lannister, whose cheeks were somewhat red and swollen, suddenly came looking for him.
"Lancel, what happened to your face?"
Lancel was about to laugh but hissed, taking a sharp breath: "It was Prince Joffrey. As soon as the luncheon ended, I left the Red Keep, but he sent someone to call me back, saying he wanted me to teach him swordsmanship."
Green leaned back slightly in his chair, his tone puzzled: "Is it my imagination, or do you seem to be in good spirits?"
Lancel saw Green's attendant pour him wine. He first reached for the goblet and took a large sip before saying, "Prince Joffrey summoned me, and I couldn't refuse. I also couldn't find my cousin Tyrion on short notice, so I had to go. The result..."
After a moment of bitter-faced silence, Lancel continued: "After I met Prince Joffrey... never mind that, I want to forget about it."
Green nodded slightly: "The latter part is the key, isn't it? What happened next?"
Lancel's tone became excited: "Fortunately, my cousin Cersei appeared just in time and happened to see us."
Green said nothing, merely gestured for Lancel to continue speaking.
"My cousin Cersei noticed the injury on my face and compensated me."
Green appropriately showed a puzzled expression: "Oh?"
"As soon as King Robert returns, I'm supposed to serve as the King's attendant. You know, the Kingswood Hunting is an event organized by the Queen, and the King doesn't participate, so I would have to miss this Kingswood Hunting.
When my cousin Cersei saw that I was injured by Prince Joffrey, as compensation, she already promised to help, allowing me to take up the King's attendant position after I return from the Kingswood Hunting."
Perhaps it was due to his personality, but Green could never truly empathize with Lancel's enthusiasm for such aristocratic activities.
Before Green could react, Lancel excitedly said, "What a rare opportunity! Only during the Kingswood Hunting can you see all the noble ladies of the Crownlands at once!
My golden armor from the Westerlands can finally be put to use. I've fantasized countless times about wearing my glittering armor in the lush Royal Forest, encountering a beautiful and elegant lady."
Green smiled, looking up: "I wish your beautiful dream a good outcome."
Because of the injury on his face, Lancel dared not laugh loudly, only chuckled softly, which made his laughter sound rather lewd.
...
Green asked, "Did you specially come to me to share your good news?"
Lancel leaned forward slightly: "Do you still need guards here?"
Green's thoughts shifted, and he understood Lancel's intention: "Lancel, won't your encounter be a bit too soon?"
Lancel gave an embarrassed laugh: "Aha, you saw right through me!"
Green shrugged: "It's not difficult."
Green's tone held a hint of seriousness as he continued, "Lancel, regarding your marriage, I'm sure your father has already made arrangements. As your friend, I must advise you to be careful and protect yourself. Your surname can easily be exploited by those with ulterior motives."
Lancel's gaze was blank for a moment before he spoke: "Baron Green, what if I..."
Before Lancel could finish, Green directly interrupted: "I guarantee you'll be miserable."
Lancel was at an age where he was fantasizing about beautiful love, so he still asked, a little unwilling to give up, "How miserable?"
"You wouldn't want to know."
After replying, Green sighed softly, rose from his chair, walked over to Lancel, and patted the somewhat dejected Lancel's shoulder: "Lancel, it's also for the family. Only with a clear mind can you control your emotions."
He who would wear the crown, must bear its weight.
Although Green was comforting Lancel, it was as if he was also speaking to himself.
Lancel looked up, his big eyes blinking rapidly at Green.
Lancel's occasional actions always made Green secretly tremble. Green subtly distanced himself: "Lancel, don't be dejected anymore. Think of something pleasant. Perhaps pray has already arranged everything for you."
Tyrion liked to call him "pray," and Green was inevitably influenced by Tyrion.