Chapter 48: Administrative Affairs
Tears streamed down Joffrey's face as he choked out, "Thank you... thank you so much... I will forever be grateful for your kindness..."
Seeing his father weep, five-year-old Darius's small mouth quivered, on the verge of tears. The thin, dark-skinned middle-aged man beside him immediately hushed him in a low voice.
The thin, dark-skinned man was worried Darius would leave a cowardly and poor impression on Baron Glyn.
Glyn gave Marciel a sidelong glance. "Marciel, be sharp. Come and look after your younger brother."
Glyn's voice finally brought Marciel, who was lost in thought, back to his senses.
His father had gained an adopted son. Sooner or later, he would find out what happened today, and there was no hiding his own terrible performance.
Marciel worried that his always-strict father would use this as an excuse to force him to have another son. He was truly terrified; it had become a shadow in his heart.
However, Marciel's thoughts quickly changed. *I'm Lord Glyn's squire now. Even my father can't control me anymore, hehe!*
Glyn saw the rich emotions on Marciel's face and didn't know how to evaluate this new squire.
Expressionless, Glyn inwardly wanted to roll his eyes in disgust.
...
Seeing that Joffrey was beginning to calm down, Glyn spoke, "Your house, the plates in your house, your curtains, and every gold dragon you've saved—I will arrange for them to be safeguarded. When your son is a little older... let's say fifteen."
"He can be considered a man at that age. I will return all of this to your son, Darius."
Was this too generous? Joffrey's heart was in turmoil. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.
In his more than twenty years of business experience, Joffrey had long understood a principle: what truly matters is not what a person says, but what they leave unsaid.
Joffrey's mind suddenly cleared. He thought of his trading company.
Thinking of this, Joffrey actually felt at ease. Before, he had only heard Lord Glyn's generosity, a generosity so great it terrified him.
Joffrey spoke weakly, "Rosser..."
Hearing this, the thin, dark-skinned middle-aged man who had been holding little Darius's hand walked to the carriage door and bowed to Joffrey.
Joffrey forced himself to address Glyn. "My lord Baron, Rosser is the manager I rely on most. He has always been in charge of most of my business's affairs... cough, cough..."
After a few coughs, Joffrey took a deep breath, enduring his discomfort, and continued, "I have no way to repay your kindness. I can only ask that you accept my business and give it your protection."
Glyn's brown eyes shifted to the chubby little boy hugging one of Marciel's thighs tightly with his small arms and hands, and he sighed softly.
Joffrey also noticed how close his young son was to Marciel, and a look of relief flashed in his eyes.
"Rosser, this is my final request. From now on, you will have only one master: Lord Baron Glyn."
Having said this, Joffrey seemed to have exhausted all his strength. He slowly closed his eyes, his breathing faint.
The thin, dark Rosser could not help but exclaim, "Master!"
Leaning against the seat, Joffrey opened his eyes a crack and shook his head weakly.
Rosser first wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand, then straightened his clothes.
Rosser moved to stand before Glyn and bowed. "My lord, your faithful servant Rosser is at your service."
Glyn nodded slightly.
...
Hook Alley, Glyn's study.
Joffrey's matter was settled for now, but many things were still piled up. Glyn assigned four Clegane soldiers to Rosser, putting him in charge of handling the remainder of Joffrey's affairs.
After arriving at the study, Glyn first wrote an order to dispatch twenty soldiers from the Scouting Corps. He had a squire take it to the Red Keep to give to his "acquaintance," Jaime, and ask him to help send a raven.
After the squire left the study with the sealed letter, Glyn met with Foley and Leyton, who had rushed over from the Queen's Quarter.
Glyn hadn't forgotten that the day after tomorrow in the morning, Queen Cersei's Kingswood hunting party would be passing through the Queen's Quarter.
The ever-diligent Glyn would stand his watch.
Leyton spoke first, "My lord, as you commanded, the city watch has added 200 temporary peacekeepers. Along the road in the Queen's Quarter where Her Grace will pass, about 1,000 common folk will gather."
"They are all relatives of our peacekeepers and temporary guards. While the uniformed peacekeepers will maintain order openly, the temporary guards will be scattered among the crowd in plain clothes, keeping the peace from the shadows."
Glyn nodded, his gaze shifting to Foley.
Foley's voice was very rough. "Lord Glyn, as you ordered, our men and the Lannister Red Cloaks will begin to lock down the area Her Grace is passing through starting tomorrow afternoon. Aside from the civilians arranged by Leyton, no one else will be present in that area."
Glyn grunted and turned to Leyton. "Leyton, don't be stingy with the compensation for the residents of that area. I want them to be so well-compensated that they'll look forward to the next time this happens. This will benefit our rule in the long run. You know the area, so manage the amounts well."
Leyton bowed his head. "Yes, my lord. Excessive generosity will only breed greed, which is not your original intention. I will be sure to properly manage the scale of compensation."
Glyn's gaze shifted back to Foley. "Once Queen Cersei passes through the Lion Gate, lift the lockdown. You will be responsible for gathering our household troops and the Lannister Red Cloaks and have them follow the hunting party from behind."
Foley opened his mouth as if to say something but ultimately closed it, merely nodding to accept the command.
A smile touched Glyn's eyes as he looked at Foley. "Foley, still not used to the duties of a peacekeeper?"
Foley chuckled, rubbing his hands together. "Lord Glyn, it was fine at the start; there were fights every day. But it's been a while since any conflict broke out. Only Leyton has been busy, and I'm a bit unsure of what to do. Were we a bit too ruthless? Have they all lost the nerve to come out?"
The young steward Leyton was truly worthy of being Surana's eldest son. He had great potential, and Glyn found him more and more capable the more he worked with him.
Glyn then thought of Kalaina, far away in the Whispers, and wondered how her studies with Maester Al were progressing.
As his power grew step by step, Glyn felt more deeply how shallow his own talent pool was.
...
Glyn stopped his train of thought. "While I'm away from King's Landing, you'll be responsible for teaching the peacekeepers swordsmanship. You can arrange the specific training. If you do a good job, I'll arrange for someone to take over your duties when I return, and you can resume your post as my captain of the guard."
Boredom and all that were just Foley's excuses. Seeing the Queen's Quarter gradually stabilizing, he simply wanted to return to his post as Glyn's captain of the guard.
Although Foley was a warrior who loved to fight, he had his own cunning. Unless the situation was exceptional, a man could not be away from his lord for long—his future prospects depended on it.
(end of chapter)