Lord Green, 16 years old (298 AC), couldn't help but ponder after listening to Ms. Surana's advice.
Soon, Kleber would establish his rule over Crabclaw Point, and the territory needed a legitimate heir to further unite the people.
Marriage and procreation were crucial duties for Lords in Westeros; nothing was more important to them than the continuation of their family line through generations.
A figure flashed through Green's mind, and he rubbed his thumb against his forefinger.
Green reflected on himself; it seemed he liked or habitually chose the difficult path.
Green rose from his chair and walked to the window, where he saw Clan Soldiers sparring below.
Ms. Surana followed, respectfully saying, "There are still many noble young ladies of marriageable age in Crabclaw Point. Their house heads would certainly be very willing to ally with Kleber through marriage."
She was referring to the noble houses of Crabclaw Point, such as the Boggs, Brun Family, Keifer, Hardy, and Payne families.
Green's eyes flickered, and he said, "Ms. Surana, what I want is for them to submit to Kleber."
And not to share the spoils... Green didn't voice the latter part of the sentence.
Since the esteemed Prime Minister Jon had passed away, Green naturally had to inherit his will and continue to blockade and suppress other nobles in Crabclaw Point besides Kleber, until they willingly integrated into the Cleber Legion's system.
Green turned his face to Ms. Surana, his voice gentle: "Ms. Surana, I will take this matter seriously."
Ms. Surana quickly left the room; as a housekeeper, she had many things to arrange before departing.
...
...
Red Keep.
Inside the Red Keep, the Duke of Winterfell had not yet arrived in King's Landing, nor was King Robert present, but his royal decree appointing him as King's Hand had already been issued.
Green learned of this from the Gold Cloaks guarding the gate when he entered the Red Keep.
Even if this guard hadn't told him, he would have soon learned the news after entering the Red Keep.
He tossed a silver stag to the Gold Cloak who was beaming at him, and the kind-hearted Lord Green encouraged the loyal guard's enthusiasm.
Amidst the compliments, Green swung his blue cloak and strode towards the Hall of Office.
Regardless, the coming period belonged to Eddard Stark.
As for Mace Tyrell, he thought King Robert should be the one to worry about how to arrange this Duke of Highgarden who had traveled so far.
...
King Robert was also going to hold a grand tournament to celebrate the new Prime Minister Duke Eddard's appointment.
The winner of the jousting competition would receive 40,000 gold dragons, and the runner-up 20,000 gold dragons; the winner of the team melee competition would receive 20,000 gold dragons; the winner of the archery competition would receive 10,000 gold dragons.
Hiss, this was good news!
Green had already seen a Lord with 150,000 gold dragons, so he quickly calmed his emotions.
Approaching the Hall of Office, Green saw two figures, one fat and one thin, under a distant pavilion.
One wore tight-fitting clothes, the other loose; one had hair, the other was bald; Petyr and Varys seemed to be natural opposites.
The two of them had been secretly plotting to throw Westeros into chaos, and the righteous Green's impression of these two schemers was... well, strictly speaking, they were colleagues.
Green intentionally made his footsteps a little louder.
Noticing Petyr and Varys's gazes, Green first nodded slightly, then, as he approached, greeted them, "Good day, Lord Petyr, Lord Varys, please forgive my abrupt interruption."
Varys clasped his hands and smiled, saying, "Lord Petyr and I were having an interesting conversation, and I am delighted that you can join us, Earl Green."
Petyr looked at the smiling Varys and said, "Lord Varys, perhaps 'uninteresting' would be a more fitting description."
After speaking, without waiting for Varys's reply, he turned to Green, a slight curl at the corner of his lips, and said, "Earl Green, if I'm not mistaken, you must be looking for me."
It was well-known that Petyr and Varys often had disagreements during this period.
Green shrugged and said, "Lord Petyr, your wisdom is admirable! I just learned that the Duke of Winterfell has been appointed as the new Prime Minister by King Robert..."
He smiled; some things they both understood tacitly.
Varys said with a smile, "The royal decree came suddenly, and the new Prime Minister represents new changes, which inevitably makes me feel timid."
Green was very professional, and he earnestly comforted him, "Lord Varys, your role is indispensable, and the new Prime Minister needs your assistance."
Varys humbly said, "It is a great honor to serve the new Prime Minister."
Petyr's grey-green eyes looked at Varys, his voice husky and magnetic: "One cannot help but envy your position, Lord Varys."
Green asked doubtfully, "Lord Petyr, you seem to have encountered a problem?"
Petyr shook his head with a bitter smile.
Varys explained, "Earl Green, the Master of Coin is currently troubled by how to raise the gold dragons needed for the tournament in a short amount of time. You must have heard, right? The rewards alone require 90,000 gold dragons."
Petyr sighed, "90,000 gold dragons are far from enough; we also need to add other expenses. It's obvious King Robert will hold a grand banquet. That means we need cooks, carpenters, serving girls, singers, actors, jesters, and fools... Our King has always been very generous, and based on past experience, we need to prepare at least 160,000 gold dragons."
Green's eyes moved: "Lord Petyr, are you thinking of approaching Lannister?"
If he had approached the Golden Rose before, Petyr could easily get loans for the royal family, but now... This time it's to celebrate the new Prime Minister's inauguration, how can he rub salt in Duke Mace's wounds?
Lannister vs. Tyrell, Queen Cersei Lannister had planted a thorn in the hearts of House Tyrell.
Stark vs. Tyrell, Duke Mace failed to secure the Prime Minister position he coveted.
It seemed Tyrell had suffered a lot of grievances, but more fuel needed to be added. The Westerlands and the Riverlands had been neighbors for many years, and Green should help them deepen their relationship.
As for Stark vs. Lannister, that was Queen Cersei's home ground, and the conflict between the Direwolf and the Golden Lion was inevitable.
The Vale, the Riverlands, and Dorne... Lord Green had a long and arduous journey ahead.
...
He blinked, collected his thoughts, and continued, "Queen Cersei is not familiar with Winterfell, and therefore will lack some enthusiasm."
As Green finished speaking, the three of them exchanged glances. Petyr and Varys smiled and nodded slightly, their smiles meaningful.
After a pause, Petyr shrugged and said, "The Red Keep already owes Lannister over three million gold dragons, so borrowing a few hundred thousand more isn't much..."
He curled his lips and continued, "After seeing the royal decree, I originally intended to pay my respects to Queen Cersei. If I could get the Queen's understanding, things would be much simpler."
Sighing, Petyr spread his hands and added, "I happened to run into Lord Varys, and I had no choice but to accept his kind offer, and then you arrived."
Varys smiled and said, "Lord Petyr, this is just a small favor, no need to dwell on it. When Queen Cersei is troubled, we shouldn't disturb her further; this is also a sign of loyalty."
Petyr's eye twitched, and he said coldly, "This is something everyone knows, but we don't have ears and eyes everywhere, my Master of Whisperers."
Varys's smile deepened, and his tone became even more humble: "I just happened to hear it, my little birds can't bribe White Walkers, my Master of Coin."
Green's heart stirred. Petyr was good at bribing people; could his hand have reached towards Varys?
Green wore a hint of doubt on his face and did not interrupt their conversation; he was a very good audience.
Petyr's smile was very elegant, but his tone was slightly sarcastic: "Don't you always say your little birds are everywhere? Gold dragons can only bribe those who don't have much loyalty anyway."
Varys said in a flustered voice, "Oh dear, that was just a joke, I don't have that much ability!"
After speaking, Varys tried to grasp one of Petyr's hands to show his sincerity, but Petyr naturally dodged it.
Petyr looked in the direction of Maegor's Holdfast, raised a hand to smooth his neat hair, and murmured, "I wonder when Her Majesty the Queen's mood will improve. Soon, knights from all over the Seven Kingdoms will gather in King's Landing; we cannot let this affect the King's benevolence and generosity."
Varys calmly withdrew his empty hands, the smile on his face undiminished: "Lord Petyr, there is a Maegor's Holdfast minister here whom Her Majesty the Queen trusts the most."
Petyr withdrew his worried gaze, first nodding slightly towards Varys, then turning to Green.
Petyr's tone was sincere: "Earl Green, my friend, do you have any good suggestions?"
Green nodded, sincerely saying, "Lord Petyr, it would be my honor if I could assist you."
He lowered his head in thought for a moment, then looked up, glancing around to confirm there was no one else nearby.
Then Green leaned closer to the two, lowering his voice: "My Lords, have you paid attention to the list of accompanying personnel for the Duke of Winterfell?"
Petyr and Varys exchanged glances, then both looked at Green.
Green directly stated, "The Duke of Winterfell's eldest and second daughters are among the accompanying personnel, which is precisely why Her Majesty the Queen is in a bad mood."
After a moment of silence, Varys covered his mouth and exclaimed, "Could it be that they want to..."
Petyr's eyes flickered, his lips curled first, then his tone became quite helpless as he said, "Things have become complicated; it seems I'll have to haggle with the Archbishop again."
Green hesitated for a moment, then spoke to Petyr, "Actually, Queen Cersei is still very concerned about the kingdom's affairs, Lord Petyr."
Petyr's eyes moved, and he looked at Green: "Oh? Do you have a solution?"
Petyr wasn't acting; he genuinely disliked dealing with the Archbishop, whose haggling skills were comparable to those of a Dornish fishmonger.
Green smiled, raised his right hand, extended two fingers, then immediately extended the rest of his fingers, his palm facing Petyr.
Petyr's mouth twitched, and after a pause, he reached out a hand to try and press down Green's thumb and forefinger.
Green's thumb was easily pressed down, but the other four fingers remained unmoving.
Petyr did not persist and quickly withdrew his hand; he was an elegant gentleman.
Varys watched the silent interaction between Green and Petyr from the side with a smile.
Petyr sighed, saying, "We haven't yet understood the new Prime Minister, but I imagine it won't be as easy in the future as it is now."
Green said helplessly, "I can only consider this an advance; I don't want to be watched by the Prime Minister as I was before."
He put on a sincere smile and added, "Lord Petyr, I will remember your assistance."
Petyr shrugged and said, "It's just mutual aid. Everyone knows our King lacks a bit of patience."
Green nodded in agreement and asked Varys, "Lord Varys, do you know where the Duke of Winterfell has arrived?"