Aemon Targaryen Chapter 188 - 184-

-Chapter 184-

-3rd POV-

The bells of the capital rang out loudly at dawn, echoing throughout the city and startling most people, as it ant a mber of the royal family had died—or even the king himself.

Laenor, the young prince consort, had not survived his injuries, despite the extensive experience of the alchemist Lin, who had done everything in his power to keep him alive as long as possible.

Laenor's mother, Princess Rhaenys, married to the Sea Snake and now serving as Mistress of Dragons on the Council, flew into a black rage, demanding the head of her son's squire, who happened to also be his lover.

This had beco public knowledge after his death, thanks to the usual Red Keep gossip, once again tarnishing her son's mory and the honor of House Velaryon and her family.

Knights and young ladies whispered mockingly about the Prince who got stabbed in the back during one of his 'fencing duels'.

But unlike Laenor's mother, not everyone in the family was as sad as she was—or at least, they managed to hide their indifference behind a mask so well-crafted it was hard to tell who truly mourned the premature loss of Seasmoke's rider.

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-POV Aemon Targaryen-

Seeing my aunt's frail and trembling back, shaking with each of her sobs, I felt a sharp pain in my chest.

I could practically taste the bitter flavor of failure.

I turned my head to watch the Silent Sisters prepare his body for the ceremony, giving him his final rites before he would be turned to ash.

I had co so close to succeeding without any losses among us.

Without any loss that might affect a mber of my family.

'But fate had to mock at the very last second, denying peace and ntal relief,' I thought, knowing it had just reshuffled the deck.

Rhaenyra will never accept relinquishing Laenor's inheritance, and if for Corlys the na still takes precedence, then he won't care about the blood ties truly uniting his son and the princess.

He'll keep playing the fool, thus granting Rhaenyra the most powerful fleet in Westeros, which has only grown stronger since I bared my fangs a few years ago.

Corlys' latest journeys to the ends of the seas weren't just about distancing himself from court and his wife; they were also ant to increase his wealth to support the explosive growth of his fleet, which now vastly surpassed mine.

'But not for much longer,' I added silently, because once my plan to control the Basilisk Isles was complete, I would be able to seize nurous ships and recruit and train plenty of sailors.

I stood silently behind her until she cald down, wiped her tears, and turned to face .

And in her eyes, I saw a rare fury.

She stepped toward quickly and tried to slap .

I could have dodged, but I didn't.

Deep down, I didn't know what to do.

It was the first ti I'd ever lived through sothing like this, and I knew she blad for Laenor's death because of my ambition, but...

"It wasn't who killed him," I said, grabbing her arm when she tried to slap again.

She struggled to break free, but I didn't let her go—she was still too angry.

Then she tried to slap again with her free arm, which I caught easily again, and I pulled her into a firm embrace.

I understood what she was going through...

She needed soone to bla, but since Qarl had escaped, she was powerless, harboring a fury and frustration that burned her very soul.

After a few monts, I felt her body relax before she burst into sobs like a child, which pierced my heart again.

"I'll find him and I'll kill him," I said eventually, feeling her calm down.

She lifted her head abruptly and replied in a low, dangerous tone, dripping with hatred:

"No, I will kill him."

I nodded, kissed her forehead, and left her alone.

I would have to organize a manhunt quickly. He couldn't have gone far.

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-POV Rhaenyra Targaryen-

I looked up at the sky, in a rather conflicted mood.

I was happy and relieved that Laenor was dead because I didn't want him to decide to give up his inheritance.

'My children's inheritance,' I added silently.

But... on the other hand, I couldn't forget all the monts we had shared. The source of this content ɪs NoveIＦire

All the trials, and all the humiliations—great or small—that we had overco to establish ourselves at court.

Even if I often blad him for not knowing how to assert himself, because I was disappointed not to have a real dragon for a husband, he had still done everything in his power.

'He still did more than most people ever would for ,' I thought.

He had firmly defended my right to the crown, while my own family sought to take it from .

'All that just to give it to an incompetent, just because he had an extra body part.'

I was surprised when soone knocked on the door.

"Co in," I said with a clear and authoritative voice, a tone I had learned to use with my servants, also observing how Aemon treated his own.

'They must fear and respect .'

"Your Highness," said a servant, imdiately lowering her gaze to the ground as our eyes t,

"Prince Aemon has left the funeral preparation room."

I felt my heart stop in my chest for a second before pounding violently, because the mont I had been waiting for had finally arrived.

Then I said, "Very well."

Before she left completely, I added gently, "From now on, you'll be my son Alys's personal servant. I'm counting on you."

My servant's face, stunned by the shocking news I had just given her, quickly lit up.

She bowed quickly and said, "I won't disappoint you."

I nodded, waiting for her to leave.

And once she had gone, I took a deep breath to gather all the courage I could find within before following her, deciding it was ti I had a conversation with my mother-in-law.

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-POV Rhaenys Targaryen-

"Mother," I heard behind .

I did my best not to let my disgust show at that title, and I turned around to see my daughter-in-law, dressed in black, slowly walking toward , entering the room where only my son and I were, both frozen and silent.

"Rhaenyra," I said finally, once she was just two steps from .

We didn't speak, and unlike what I expected, she didn't seem inclined to start a conversation.

She looked almost genuinely affected... But that couldn't be true since she was the one who had my boy murdered.

'Or at least, she had the most to gain from it.'

After a few minutes of silence, she approached Laenor's embald body and softly said, "Why did it have to be you?"

I narrowed my eyes slightly behind her act, but I didn't let her know I had already seen through it.

I sighed softly and decided to play along:

"It's always the best who go first."

"Yes," she said, then a short silence fell, and I saw her hesitate slightly before saying:

"Laenor told he wanted to abandon the burden of House Velaryon's legacy before the lee."

I frowned at her admission, wondering what strategy she was setting up to get on her side.

Then she continued, "I was against it."

I held back from snapping that it wasn't hers to judge, fully aware of the lack of love in this marriage, which was just a classic convenience match to secure Rhaenyra's claim to the throne, initiated by Viserys.

'To give his daughter what he stole from ,' I thought, still bitter over the outco of the Great Council of 101.

Seeing that I stayed silent, she calmly added:

"I was furious that he had decided it without even talking to , but in the end, I understood it was a good thing... sooner or later, it would've beco a problem."

I stopped myself from raising an eyebrow at her blunt acknowledgnt of her children's illegitimacy—without naming it directly, of course—but I didn't need her to say it.

I knew the truth and wasn't foolish enough not to read between the lines.

"And now that he's dead, what do you plan to do?" I asked, trying to keep my tone neutral, though I couldn't suppress a slight hint of sarcasm.

Rhaenyra frowned and said seriously:

"I plan to honor my husband's wishes, and I wanted you to know I had absolutely nothing to do with Laenor's death. I could never imagine committing such a betrayal. May the gods bear witness."

I thought I saw a flicker of truth in her eyes, but before I could dwell on it, she said, "But before that, I need guarantees."

"What guarantees?"

"I need to know that my children will be safe and won't be disinherited. And for that, Aemon must side with ."

'Here we go,' I told myself, losing any budding sympathy for her, recognizing the viper before for what she truly was.

"And for that, my daughter must marry one of Aemon's two sons, and my eldest son will marry one of the twin girls."

I stopped myself from laughing outright, then said, "Aemon won't marry his children to bastards."

Her eyes widened when I said it so openly, and I saw fire ignite in her gaze as she instinctively looked around.

"There's no one here who will spill your little secret, Rhaenyra. And tarnishing my son's mory doesn't interest , but as I just said, Aemon won't marry his children to yours. I won't even try to convince him—it would be a complete waste of ti and energy," I said lightly, as if we were discussing the weather.

Rhaenyra remained silent for a long ti before finally saying:

"Alysanne is Laenor's daughter… his true daughter."

I frowned and was about to snap back, but she said:

"I swear by the old and the new gods—Alysanne is truly Laenor's daughter. I don't know why she was born with brown eyes, but I was with no one else during that ti—only Laenor."

My frown deepened, because even though I didn't believe her, deep down, a thought began to form:

What if it was true?

What if Alysanne really was Laenor's daughter?

I couldn't help but recall our last conversation, and how fiercely he had defended his paternity when I questioned it.

'He always said he was Alysanne's father—but never claid the three boys,' I noted silently in my mind, now uncertain.

I chose to remain silent for a mont, deliberately ignoring the hopeful look in my daughter-in-law's eyes, then finally said:

"I will speak to Aemon about a possible betrothal between Alysanne and Viserys... but not for Jacaerys. Aemon will never give his daughters to a bastard."

'It's the best outco for everyone. Aemon gets what he wants, so does Rhaenyra—and if Alysanne truly is Laenor's daughter, she'll live a fine life as Queen, under Laena's protection. And Aemon will have a son destined to beco King.'