Chapter 31 Glyn Understands Me
Glyn hesitated.
For the sake of developing his power, Glyn, who understood the plot, chose to temporarily join Queen Cersei's faction out of his own practical interests.
As expected, no matter the scale, nothing in King's Landing ever happens without a reason.
The hidden instigators seeking to ruin the relationship between the King and the Queen possessed considerable ambition. The players in the game of thrones were already moving in the shadows long before the official start of the plot.
Anyone who could profit from such matters proved their own strength. They were true players in the game of thrones, or perhaps a group of players united by their respective ambitions.
Glyn guessed at several of the most likely Houses.
…
Glyn deliberately wore an evasive expression, instructing Montun to heat up a plate of stew for him.
Glyn arduously avoided Jaime's intense gaze.
Montun placed a piece of meat on a plate and offered it to Glyn as if presenting a treasure.
Glyn chewed on the lamb, his eyes slightly lowered as he savored the fresh tenderness of the stewed meat. The fatigue from over ten hours of continuous work seemed to vanish in an instant.
Jaime could sense that Glyn had noticed something and wanted to press the matter, but Glyn was clearly avoiding it.
Seeing Glyn eat with such relish, Jaime grew a little angry. "Little Wildling, are you just going to eat by yourself? Aren't you going to offer any to your guest?"
Glyn feigned great surprise, swallowed the food in his mouth, and said, "Do Lannisters eat stewed lamb?"
Jaime laughed in anger, "What do you think? Do Lannisters eat gold?"
Glyn tilted his head back and laughed, then instructed Montun to quickly serve food to Ser Jaime.
Upon receiving the food, Ser Jaime, forgoing his usual refined demeanor, took a large bite of the stewed meat and began to chew.
Ser Jaime was a bit surprised to find the plain-looking stewed meat was more delicious than he had imagined.
After eating for a while, Jaime spoke up, "Baron Glinn, it's obvious I'm not sharp enough. If you've guessed something, I hope you can be frank with me. I can even keep it a secret from Cersei. Consider it a favor I owe you. A Lannister always pays his debts!"
Glyn's ears twitched, as if he had heard the phantom clink of colliding Gold Dragons.
Glyn paused for a moment, his expression complicated, and he sighed softly. "Warrior Montun, take some meat and guard the perimeter. Don't let anything get close to this place."
Anything? The clever Montun immediately understood Glyn's command. He quickly piled up some meat, rose, and left, calling over the distant Guards to set up a security perimeter.
Glyn picked up his stool, moved it closer to Ser Jaime, and sat down again. "Ser Jaime, I feel a great dark net being cast over our Queen. It already hangs above Her Highness Cersei, but it's as if it's hidden in the pitch-black night, imperceptible, yet it is taking effect."
Jaime's pupils constricted. The fog that he had never noticed before was being dispelled by Glyn.
Glyn's words were very descriptive, without pointing to anyone specific, but Jaime connected them to many things, including the increasingly intense arguments between Robert and Cersei.
Jaime stared at Glyn and asked, "Have you guessed who it is? What is their goal?"
Glyn did not avoid Jaime's gaze. "Let's not talk about who it is for now. The goal is actually quite easy to guess."
Glyn paused, then continued, "To replace Her Highness Cersei."
Jaime's body jolted. He shot to his feet, veins bulging on the back of the hand gripping his sword hilt, his killing intent flaring.
Amidst his anger, Jaime felt an inner conflict. If Cersei were no longer the Queen, could he take her away from King's Landing and back to Casterly Rock?
Glyn saw the struggle on Jaime's face that followed his anger and secretly scorned the Knight's naivety.
Glyn couldn't remind him directly. Pretending not to see the change in Jaime's expression, he said, "Ser Jaime, only physical annihilation, or a great stain on her reputation, would legally allow for a new Queen."
Jaime's anger instantly vanished, and his heart pounded with a fierce shock.
Jaime forced himself to sit back down. Seeing that Glyn's expression was only grave and that he hadn't noticed his unusual reaction, he cast aside his inner panic and breathed a sigh of relief.
Jaime needed to speak to calm the frantic beating of his heart from that moment. "Baron Glinn, your guess is very likely correct. Especially this year, I've always felt that many things have become inexplicably difficult. Your analysis has made me understand a lot."
As he spoke, Jaime felt a trace of apprehension toward Glyn's sharp perception, a result that he found laughable.
With a purpose he himself couldn't quite grasp, Jaime suddenly said, "I have failed in my duty. Cersei is in danger, and yet I... I have wronged her..."
Glyn's heart stirred, but his face remained impassive. Instead, he comforted him, "Although Her Highness Cersei is the Queen, to you, Her Highness Cersei is first and foremost your family."
"Because of your love for your family, you have always remained inside the house, making the small changes outside harder to notice. In contrast, someone like me, who was already outside, finds it easier to spot anomalies."
"Ser Jaime, the person Her Highness Cersei trusts most will always be you. Things haven't yet developed to an irreversible point. You hold a sharp sword, and a sharp sword can also cut through the darkness."
Glyn's voice was unhurried and even a bit youthful, but it was steady enough, carrying a reassuring power.
In the way Glyn looked at him, Jaime sensed not only concern and trust, but also a hint of reverence.
Jaime represented the Kingsguard, the strongest Knights on the continent of Westeros. He wasn't surprised that Glyn would hold him in reverence; on the contrary, his favorable impression of Glyn improved significantly.
Jaime had a bias against Glyn before they even met. Later, after hearing Tyrion's recommendation, he had ignored Tyrion's praise for Glyn, and his prejudice had only deepened.
He hadn't even been aware of Tyrion's recommendation; his prejudice had come first.
Jaime recalled Tyrion's words of praise for Glyn.
As a member of the Kingsguard, Jaime felt a sense of shame for his prior prejudice against Glyn.
His heart was candid. *He actually understands me very well!*
(end of chapter)