Varys clasped his hands together in front of his belly, then turned to Green, a smile on his plump face.
"Count Green, Duke Stark is already the Hand of the King. As Master of Whisperers, I am bound to keep the Prime Minister's whereabouts confidential."
Petyr glanced at Varys, his grey-green eyes flickering, and a corner of his lips curled as he looked at Green.
"Indeed."
Green nodded in agreement, then added, "Lord Varys, please forgive my recklessness."
Count Green apologized sincerely, and Varys's smile stiffened imperceptibly for a moment.
Petyr seemed to have thought of something and suddenly said, "Count Green, are you planning to welcome Duke Stark?"
"Lord Petyr, your wisdom is truly admirable!"
Green first praised him, then explained, "After that great war more than a decade ago, King Robert only agreed to pardon my pregnant mother due to Duke Eddard's righteous intercession. His kindness to Kleber is profound, and Kleber will never forget it."
After hearing Green's words, Petyr's pupils contracted slightly, and the smile on his face faded a touch unconsciously.
All the ministers in the Red Keep now knew that the young Count before them could influence Queen Cersei's decisions, making him a de facto favorite of the Queen.
Therefore, when Green offered to help persuade Queen Cersei earlier, Petyr did not doubt whether it could be done.
Petyr secretly wondered if Green would try to ease the relationship between Queen Cersei and Duke Eddard.
To instigate the conflict between the Direwolf and the Golden Lion was Petyr's meticulously planned ladder to ascension, and he would never tolerate any unexpected incidents.
Petyr suddenly felt a chill in his chest. He recalled that night in King's Landing.
Petyr secretly chuckled again; when genuine conflicts of interest arose, a favorite could not change the outcome of the struggle.
However, this wildling Count was usually harmless, but sometimes very reckless, and could not be ignored.
...
Petyr's face immediately broke into a wide smile: "Count Green, this is more than just kindness; congratulations to you!"
Varys also chimed in, "Duke Stark's noble character is known throughout the Seven Kingdoms; our Prime Minister will be very pleased to see you."
Green humbly said, "The Duke of Winterfell's reputation precedes him; I am eager to meet Hand Eddard."
Varys smiled and shook his head: "It seems I must betray our Prime Minister this once. Oh, it makes me so uneasy."
Petyr smiled and said, "A gold dragon has two sides; things cannot be generalized."
Green looked at Petyr and blinked: "Lord Petyr, you seem interested as well?"
Petyr's gaze showed a hint of confusion.
Green smiled and said, "I accidentally learned of your heroic deeds in Riverrun when you were young."
"That was so long ago..."
Petyr's tone was a bit self-mocking as he continued, "Looking back now, it's still a regrettable matter."
He sighed, looked into the distant sky, and murmured, "Catelyn..."
Petyr had already begun to establish his image as a devoted lover. Green nodded understandingly; I'm familiar with this act!
According to Duke Eddard's character, the more honest you are, the easier it is to gain his trust.
From the moment Duke Eddard was appointed Hand, Petyr would boldly admit his love for Catelyn, both in public and in private.
The schemer Petyr was also a stickler for details.
...
Varys said in surprise, "Lord Petyr, could it be that you and Lady Stark?"
Petyr's face held a bitter expression as he shook his head slightly, not speaking in response.
Varys turned his head to look at Green.
Green spread his hands, shrugged, and said, "Lord Petyr is a devoted man; his character is trustworthy."
From now on, whether in support or opposition, Petyr already had ample reason; he could legitimately choose the faction most beneficial to himself.
Flexible and adaptable strategies suited his shrewd character.
Littlefinger's ladder to ascension was about to begin: first, gaining the title of Duke of Harrenhal, then marrying Lysa Tully with a matching status, and beginning to plot for the Vale.
Green intentionally brought up Catelyn; he just felt that the deeply affectionate Petyr was too low-key, so he added a little fuel to the fire.
...
Varys agreed, "That's natural. Lord Petyr's ability is most worthy of our trust."
Petyr's eye twitched; he didn't want to deal with this eunuch whose words contained veiled mockery.
Green secretly nodded. In this game of thrones, we will love and kill each other.
It was almost time to adjourn. The sunny-minded Green felt very uncomfortable staying with the two dark-minded individuals for too long.
Leaving immediately... Green put his hand to his chest: "Lord Petyr, Lord Varys, please excuse me as I take my leave."
Varys approached with light steps. Green caught a whiff of lilac.
"Count Green, when the sun rose today, my little birds told me that Duke Stark and his party are on the King's Road, two or three days' journey from King's Landing."
Just as Green was about to thank him, he noticed a tall figure striding out of the Hall of Office.
It was Duke Stannis!
Although the distance was not close, Green still felt the anger emanating from Stannis. He thought of the royal decree appointing Duke Eddard as Hand of the King.
Petyr looked at Stannis's retreating back, his tone tinged with sarcasm: "It hasn't been long since the royal decree appointing the new Hand, and Lord Stannis is already returning to Dragonstone."
Varys's smile was very faint: "It will be some time before we see this Lord again; it's truly regrettable."
Green's gaze swept over the two of them and said, "I feel Duke Stannis is quite angry?"
Varys first nodded, then shook his head, moved his lips, but could not say anything, finally dissolving into a sigh.
Varys had recently begun to portray himself as a minister concerned for the country in front of Green, and Green didn't find it strange.
Petyr noticed something unusual. He glanced out of the corner of his eye but didn't think much of it.
Varys had been acting strangely in front of him for some time, so even the shrewd Petyr found it normal.
Petyr curled his lips: "King Robert is busy with affairs and easily neglects his brother; this is unavoidable."
Varys sighed again and said, "Perhaps our new Hand can persuade Lord Stannis to return."
Petyr sneered, "The Duke of Highgarden should perhaps be thankful that Stannis did not become Hand of the King. If it were Stannis, he would certainly unearth the crimes of the Siege of Storm's End from back then."
Varys looked surprised: "This... the Seven Kingdoms all praise Duke Stannis's sense of justice. How many years has it been? And weren't they already pardoned by King Robert?"
Petyr said coldly, "Guilty is guilty, no pardon; that is that Lord's sense of justice."
Seeing Green staring at him with some confusion, Petyr shrugged: "Some things happened before. If it weren't for the Old Duke, I might have already been exiled from Westeros."
Green did not press further; he roughly guessed it was likely related to a brothel.
Green thought of Daenerys. He imagined that if Petyr were truly exiled to Essos, he would surely side with the Targaryen and become a powerful vanguard in reclaiming the Iron Throne.
Petyr was a vassal of the Vale, but not a direct vassal of Stannis. Stannis could not directly deal with Petyr, only through the Small Council or King Robert.
Although it ended without result, this matter was a great humiliation for Petyr.
Green secretly sighed. Duke Stannis, due to his iron-like character, had potential enemies everywhere. At present, it seemed he only had one potential ally: the Claw Isle.
Varys clasped his hands: "I remember you were still a civil servant in the Prime Minister's Tower at that time. You were also raising funds... Time really flies."
Green smiled and said, "Lord Petyr, time has proven your innocence. You are now a trusted minister of King Robert."
Varys glanced at Green. Count Green's tongue was so sweet; he felt a little pressure.
Petyr reached out and patted Green, saying, "That makes sense. Time will prove everything."
...
After parting ways with Varys and Petyr, Green, the 'Roll King,' went directly to Maegor's Holdfast to see Queen Cersei.
There wasn't much time left. To be safe, it was best to get the 40,000 gold dragons before Duke Eddard arrived at the Red Keep to put his mind at ease.