Inside the tower bedroom, the scent of Sansa's dinner still lingered in the air, along with a faint, elusive girlish fragrance.
Lynn closed the door and turned to face his uninvited guest.
Varys, King's Landing's Master of Whisperers, known as The Spider.
His smile was gentle and harmless, like a plump merchant from next door. But his eyes, hidden beneath his fleshy eyelids, were like two bottomless ancient wells, reflecting no true emotion.
"Ser Lynn."
Varys's voice was as soft as silk, a Stark contrast to his corpulent body.
"You must be very tired."
He walked to the table, picked up the cup Lynn had just drunk from, and poured himself some water, as if this were his own domain.
"After all, saving the Prince in a flash of lightning is not something ordinary 'arcane arts' can achieve."
His words were pointed.
Every word was like a fine needle, gently pricking Lynn, trying to gauge his reaction.
Lynn said nothing, merely watching Varys's performance.
Lynn knew, of course, that from the moment he stepped into King's Landing, his every move was probably under the surveillance of this Spider.
But there was no need for him to hide anything from Varys.
If he deliberately concealed things, it would only arouse Varys's stronger desire for exploration.
Varys gently swirled the water in the cup, watching the ripples spread across the surface, and continued speaking to himself.
"My 'little birds' truly sang me a magnificent show today."
"A Direwolf from the North ventured alone into King's Landing."
"The young wolf from the North should have been the first victim beneath the golden lion's claws."
"But who would have thought that the web meticulously woven by The Spider hiding in the shadows would be torn to shreds by this wolf in just a few moves?"
"Not only that, but this wolf also saved a young deer."
Varys looked up, his smiling eyes finally meeting Lynn's.
"I am very curious, how did this wolf do it?"
"I don't understand what you're saying, Lord Varys." Lynn smiled.
"All I know is that I saved the Prince, the assassin failed to kill the King, and then implicated the Queen."
"That's all."
"Is that so?"
Varys let out a soft chuckle.
The laughter rumbled in his fat throat, sounding somewhat eerie.
He put down the water cup and clasped his hands back into his sleeves.
"My little birds also told me something else."
"His Majesty the King made you a promise in the council chamber."
"As long as you bring back the head of that Targaryen child from across the Narrow Sea, he will crown you and make you a true lord."
Varys finally revealed his true intentions.
He stared intently into Lynn's eyes, as if trying to discern even the slightest ripple in those bottomless black depths.
"This matter, besides His Majesty the King and Lord Ned, only I, who shouldn't know, know about it."
"So, Ser Lynn, do you understand why I have come?"
The air seemed to freeze at that moment.
Lynn finally understood the true purpose of the Master of Whisperers' late-night visit.
He wasn't here to test how he foiled Littlefinger's plot, but to save the life of the Targaryen orphan.
"You're here to stop me?"
A hint of well-placed coldness entered Lynn's tone.
"Stop?"
Varys shook his head, his smile widening.
"No, no, how could I dare to stop His Majesty the King's champion?"
"I am merely here to make a deal with you."
"A deal that benefits both of us."
He leaned in closer, lowering his voice even further, as if whispering.
"Today, aren't you curious who wanted Prince Joffrey's life?"
"You don't truly believe that Queen Cersei was foolish enough to send someone to assassinate her own son, do you?"
Lynn remained silent; he already knew of Littlefinger's plot, but he still feigned ignorance.
Varys was pleased with Lynn's reaction.
This proved that Lynn was interested in this topic.
Moreover, it also meant that this matter had nothing to do with Lynn.
He seemed to have truly stumbled upon saving Joffrey by chance.
"It's a mutual friend of ours, Lord Petyr Baelish."
Varys said softly, the name he uttered carrying a bone-chilling coldness.
"He wanted Joffrey dead, to completely turn the Lannister and Stark families against each other, and plunge the entire kingdom into chaos."
"And you, having thwarted his actions twice, Lord Baelish truly despises you."
Lynn knew what these two times were.
One was when he saved Bran, successfully preventing a confrontation between the Lannisters and the Starks.
The second was saving Joffrey, once again shattering Littlefinger's plot.
Twice he made his move, and twice he was thwarted by the same person.
This was simply too much of a coincidence.
Petyr certainly wouldn't be so naive as to think it was an accident.
Lynn had long been mentally prepared for this.
"He doesn't like to see you and Lord Ned getting too close, so you are naturally on his purge list."
Every word from Varys perfectly aligned with the facts Lynn had seen through Greensight.
"Why should I believe you?"
Lynn finally spoke, feigning complete ignorance.
"You are the King's Master of Whisperers, yet you stand by and watch the Master of Coin's schemes, even trying to use this secret to make a deal with me."
"Your loyalty is truly cheap, Lord Varys."
Varys was sold to a sorcerer in his youth.
Can one imagine the despair brought by such pain, a desperate young boy being castrated without any means of resistance?
Therefore, Varys did not want any commoner to endure such fear.
His entire motivation stemmed from the people and the realm.
As long as the kingdom did not bleed, whoever's rule was more beneficial to the people, Varys would support them in ascending the Iron Throne!
It was that simple, nothing more.
Lynn's taunt did not anger Varys.
"Loyalty?"
Varys's smile vanished for the first time.
It was replaced by a complex, almost pitying expression.
"My loyalty belongs only to the realm itself, Ser Lynn."
"To the common folk who are crushed like ants in the struggle for power."
"Petyr's chaos will plunge the entire kingdom into a sea of fire."
"As for my acquiescence to his previous actions, you need not know."
"But you, Ser Lynn."
"Your appearance has broken this balance."
Varys put his smile back on.
"You see, I have placed my fatal weakness before you; this is enough to show you my sincerity."
"So, in exchange..."
"You only need to spare that poor girl's life when you cross the Narrow Sea."
"You want a knight's title, you want a fiefdom, I can help you with all of these."
"Even, if you are willing, I can help you completely erase Lord Baelish, who is hiding in the shadows, from the chessboard."
"And all you need to give is the life of an insignificant Targaryen remnant."
"This deal is very worthwhile, isn't it?"
Lynn looked at Varys, whose eunuch eyes gleamed with calculation.
He knew, of course, that Varys was not protecting Viserys.
Viserys was simply too mad.
Varys would never protect such a king.
Therefore, the one he truly placed his hopes on was perhaps the 'true dragon' yet to hatch.
Varys had always secretly helped the siblings.
He feared that he himself would go mad and eliminate Daenerys as well.
And all of this was also within Lynn's plan.
Or rather, their starting points were actually the same.
He needed an excuse to cross the Narrow Sea and gather an army.
And Varys wanted him to spare Daenerys.
Now, Varys himself had delivered this reason to him.
"How will I explain to the King?"
Lynn asked in a deep voice, as if weighing the pros and cons.
"His Majesty the King wants a Targaryen head to soothe the hatred in his heart."
Varys immediately provided the answer.
"But this head must be Viserys's."
"In the disputed waters between Pentos and Braavos, pirates are rampant."
"One of the pirate kings is a woman, and she happens to have silver hair."
"I think His Majesty the King won't be able to tell the difference with a head bleached by seawater."
"If you present both heads to His Majesty."
"I think His Majesty will be very pleased."
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