"Your Highness, it's an honor."
Lynn's face showed just the right amount of gratitude, quickly followed by a touch of weak pallor.
"It's just that I..."
"I understand! I understand!"
Joffrey immediately caught on and waved his hand dismissively.
"You need rest! I won't bother you!"
Like a child who had received assurance, he took two steps back, satisfied, and then nodded heavily at Lynn.
Having done all that, he finally turned and left with his two new Kingsguard, his steps light.
The corridor returned to silence.
Lynn closed the door.
Dealing with this spoiled brat was more taxing than dealing with that old fox Varys.
As he pondered, a heavy set of footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor.
The footsteps were chaotic, not like the regular patrol of Guards, nor as light as Joffrey's.
The person's steps were unsteady, each one like treading on cotton, yet carrying an uncontrollable rage.
Lynn's eyes flickered; it was certainly lively here today.
However, what was meant to come, had come.
"Thump, thump-thump."
A knock sounded, neither light nor heavy.
Lynn opened the door.
Standing outside was none other than Ned Stark.
The Hand of the King, however, held no trace of the Hand's dignity at this moment.
He was merely a middle-aged man, travel-worn, his brow etched with fatigue and confusion.
His honest gray eyes were now bloodshot, fixed intently on Lynn.
Ned walked into the room without a word.
Lynn closed the door, and the entire world seemed to be shut out.
"What happened today, was it your doing?"
Ned got straight to the point.
He didn't beat around the bush or probe.
The harshness of the North didn't allow for the convoluted ways of the South.
He only needed an answer, a direct answer.
Even if it truly was Lynn's doing, he wouldn't do anything to Lynn.
After all, Lynn had successfully diverted the conflict that should have involved House Stark, and he couldn't do something as treacherous as betraying trust.
He would merely be angry that Lynn hadn't discussed it with him beforehand.
Lynn looked into Ned's bloodshot eyes, understanding clearly.
The shock the Duke of Winterfell had experienced today was probably more than he had gone through in the past ten years.
But Ned was too righteous; some things he didn't need to know, he just needed to lie low.
As long as he obtained the Iron Throne, he would give House Stark an honorable end, which would also be his repayment for using House Stark as a stepping stone.
He, Lynn, was not a treacherous scoundrel either.
Thinking this, Lynn made up his mind.
He simply shook his head calmly.
"Lord Ned, I don't possess such extraordinary abilities."
"I don't even know what the assassin looked like, so how could I have him rush into the Throne Room, assassinate the King in front of everyone, and accuse the Queen?"
This answer was within Ned's expectations, yet it made him even more agitated.
He paced restlessly around the room.
The luxurious robe embroidered with the Direwolf sigil seemed especially heavy on him.
"Then what on earth is going on!"
"An assassin first almost killed Joffrey, then went mad and rushed into the Throne Room to assassinate the King!"
"Finally, he clung to Cersei and wouldn't let go!"
Ned stopped, slammed a fist on the table, and looked at Lynn, his face full of anguish.
"King's Landing, everything here, it's all gone mad!"
"I don't understand! I don't understand at all!"
He was like a wolf trapped in a cage.
Anxious, angry, yet nowhere to exert his strength.
"No, Lord Ned."
Lynn's voice echoed in the quiet room.
"On the contrary, all of this is perfectly logical."
Ned froze, looking up, his eyes filled with confusion.
"Logical?"
"Yes, logical."
Lynn walked up to him, his dark eyes so deep they seemed to pierce through people's hearts.
"Have you forgotten our previous conversation?"
"Have you forgotten the words Jon Arryn left behind, forgotten that family tree?"
Lynn's voice was very low.
"The seed is strong."
Ned's breath hitched instantly.
"Joffrey, Myrcella, Tommen... they are not Robert's children."
"They are of Lannister seed."
Lynn watched Ned's face turn instantly grim and continued.
"Jon Arryn discovered this secret, so he died."
"And now, you are investigating in secret."
"Do you think Cersei Lannister, the daughter of the Golden Lion, wouldn't know what you're looking into?"
"A mother will do anything to protect her children."
Lynn's tone became profound and full of allure.
"Imagine, what would happen if Robert died?"
"Her son would naturally ascend the Iron Throne."
"By then, who would dare question his lineage? Who would dare dig up those old cases?"
"The King's bloodline is the noblest bloodline!"
"All who question him will be deemed traitors!"
Ned's body trembled slightly from the immense shock.
Lynn's words were like a key.
They instantly unlocked the chaotic door in his mind.
Yes.
How could he not have thought of it!
Cersei's motive!
She had the most compelling motive to kill Robert!
As soon as Robert died, her three bastards' claim to the throne would be as solid as a mountain!
And the assassination of Joffrey could be entirely explained as a self-inflicted wound to frame him!
"Even if Joffrey dies, she still has Tommen."
"She's adding an extra layer of security; even if the assassination of Robert fails, Joffrey's death can remove the Lannister's motive for the crime."
"If Robert dies, she can then conveniently frame you, or Renly, Stannis..."
"In short, it would never be her."
"Sacrificing one to ensure the safety of two children, that's a very profitable deal for her."
"Moreover, after the assassination attempt on Joffrey, a furious Robert would surely send out the Gold Cloaks to search for the assassin."
"This would greatly reduce the defensive forces around him, opening the door for the assassin, and the success rate of the assassination would skyrocket!"
"She... how could she be so malicious!" Ned's voice was filled with disbelief.
"What wouldn't she dare?" Lynn retorted.
"She is Tywin Lannister's daughter."
"To her, honor, loyalty, these things we Northerners value as life itself, are worthless in the face of Lannister gold."
"Her assassination of Robert failed, and the assassin, to save his own life, would naturally implicate the mastermind, isn't that normal?"
"As for Jaime Lannister's sword stroke..."
Lynn paused.
"He didn't seem to expect the assassin to directly expose Cersei, or perhaps, Cersei had discussed it with him, but he still had a shred of knightly spirit and at the crucial moment remembered his duty as a Kingsguard, saving Robert."
"On one hand, he wanted to silence the assassin, and on the other, perhaps he didn't want to bear the ignominy of being called Kingslayer again."
"Or perhaps, he simply wanted to protect his sister from rumors."
"Who knows."
"After all, their relationship is a bit off."
"Lord, it all makes sense, doesn't it?"
It made sense.
It made too much sense!
The tangled mess in Ned's mind was instantly straightened out by Lynn's clear and logical analysis.
Behind all the seemingly mad actions, there was a logical motive.
To protect her children, to secure the future throne for the House Lannister!
If Joffrey died, there was still Tommen.
The Throne would only belong to the House Lannister!
Ned slumped into the chair, defeated.
After a long moment, he exhaled a deep breath.
He looked up at Lynn.
In his gray eyes, a hint of the Warden of the North's resolve had returned.
"What should I do next?"
He had completely given up on thinking for himself, placing all his hope in Lynn.
"You don't need to do anything, Lord Ned."
"You just need to watch quietly."
"The King has already developed a fatal suspicion towards the Queen, and the Lannister's prestige in King's Landing has plummeted. Our first objective has been achieved."
"Next, is the Hand's Tourney."
Lynn walked to the window, looking at the brightly lit grounds being set up for the Tourney in the distance.
"That will be my stage."
"And our hunting ground for fame and fortune."
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