Chapter 70: Bastard Children
King's Landing at night, in the Stinking Fish tavern near the Blackwater Rush docks.
"It's true, my grandfather saw a mermaid."
The speaker was a bald, middle-aged man, his eyes blurry with drink and his face flushed red.
The drunkard's voice was loud, and his words were met with a burst of laughter from the crowd.
"Hahaha, what's this drunkard babbling about!"
"Hahaha, only an Other would believe a drunkard's ghost stories!"
"Everyone calls him Drunken Jack. They say his family even owned a sea boat."
"Forget it. Where did you hear that? Don't believe any of the ghost stories you hear in this place."
"Hahaha, not necessarily. Drunkards sometimes speak the truth!"
...
Suddenly, a gaunt, skeletal man with a sharp face loudly declared, "I believe him!"
The crowd was stunned for a moment, then burst into another round of laughter.
"Hahaha, isn't that Cunning Dirk?"
"Hahahaha, cunning?"
...
"Shhh, has he come into money? Dirk used to wear rags, but look at him now..."
Several people turned their heads to size him up.
"Maybe his sister found a generous man."
"What do you mean?"
The speaker lowered his voice. "I heard his sister is one of the girls at Chataya's brothel."
The men sitting around the table couldn't help but gasp.
"That's the best brothel in King's Landing. Is it because...?"
"Shhh, come closer... He and his sister are of noble birth..."
"Noble?!"
"Don't talk nonsense! Do you want your head hanging from the city gate?!"
"I'm telling the truth, Cunning Dirk said so himself! He was completely drunk that time, and I was right next to him!"
The crowd gasped in astonishment.
"He looks nothing like a nobleman."
"Shhh, keep your voices down!"
"Alas, I was terribly drunk then, too, and what I heard was a muddle. I only remember something about a golden flower from Crackclaw Point."
"Tch, don't tell me it's another noble lord's bastard son?"
...
Outside the Stinking Fish tavern, a plainly dressed Jaime Lannister threw a silver stag to a shadowy figure.
The figure skillfully caught the coin. "Honorable stranger, I am at your disposal."
Jaime Lannister frowned and said nothing, merely waving his hand before striding away.
The stench here was suffocating, and Jaime's patience had reached its limit.
Jaime was here to investigate the rumormongers in the Queen's Quarter.
After returning to King's Landing, to hide his actions from Cersei, Jaime had not utilized the Lannister intelligence network in the city, choosing to investigate secretly on his own.
Although he was alone, Jaime used the power of his coin to gather a great deal of useful intelligence.
As the investigation deepened, however, Jaime found himself with many doubts.
Most of the intelligence sources pointed toward the Riverlands.
Was House Tully of the Riverlands the mastermind?
Jaime shook his head, instinctively sensing something was amiss.
Jaime knew himself well; he disliked and was not good at handling such matters. His thoughts turned to Glynn.
Jaime knew Tyrion was clever and trusted him more, but he felt Glynn had a more sensitive nose for this sort of thing.
Jaime hesitated; he missed Glynn a little.
...
...
The Red Keep, Maegor's Holdfast.
On her bed, Cersei, in a light sleep, dreamt of someone unexpected.
The hazy, warm-yellow dreamscape caused Cersei to stir in her sleep.
After a soft groan, her chest rose and fell.
A long while later, Cersei's eyelids fluttered. She slowly opened her beautiful eyes, her emerald green pupils veiled with moisture.
Queen Cersei left the bed and slipped on a long robe.
Taking a sip of wine to quench her thirst, Queen Cersei walked to the window, glass in hand.
Ever since returning from the royal hunt, Queen Cersei had noticed that Jaime often left the Red Keep at night.
*Heh, men.*
Gazing at the pitch-black night sky, Queen Cersei raised her chin slightly.
...
...
At the confluence of the Roseroad and the Ocean Road, the white marble castle of Highgarden sat atop a hill, overlooking the azure Mander River below.
Highgarden was protected by three concentric circular walls, also built of white stone blocks.
For several miles around Highgarden, golden roses bloomed in abundance.
Glynn, along with Montun, Anguy, and Marcel, entered Highgarden Castle, led by an attendant.
The castle's interior was like a green paradise. Golden roses bloomed everywhere, while courtyards, pools, and man-made waterfalls adorned the entire fortress.
The castle was filled with stone carvings, fountains, and marble colonnades. Grapevines and ivy decorated the verandas and sculptures, blanketing the ancient castle.
Glynn sighed inwardly. Highgarden truly was the most beautiful castle in Westeros.
...
Lord Mace's eldest son and heir, Willas Tyrell, received Glynn Clegane, who had traveled from afar.
Willas Tyrell, sitting in a wheelchair, wore a faint smile, and his tone was exceptionally gentle. "Welcome, Baron Glynn Clegane."
Willas Tyrell gave the impression of being cultured, gentle, and polite.
However, what Glynn saw in Willas Tyrell was a man who used his courtesy and humility to build an invisible fortress around himself—a wall of isolation.
...
Glynn placed a hand over his heart and bowed slightly. "Good day, Lord Willas Tyrell. It is an honor to meet you."
Glynn and Willas Tyrell exchanged a few pleasantries, from which Glynn gleaned the information he sought.
Lord Mace, whom Glynn had been so eager to meet, was supposedly occupied with various matters and had no time to see him in the near future.
Glynn's eyebrow twitched. What sort of ploy was this?
(end of chapter)