Margaery's visit to Aegor this time wasn't to side with Daenerys, but quite the opposite.
Aegon Targaryen had already sent an envoy to propose marriage to the Reach. Their command centers were only a few miles apart, making negotiations quick and convenient. After a brief consultation, Mace Tyrell agreed to the marriage, eagerly began viewing himself as a royal in-law, started preparing for a wartime wedding, and even canceled his original plan to visit Daenerys.
Margaery was actually a bit disappointed in her father's hasty and unrefined decision.
It wasn't that she opposed the marriage. On the contrary, Margaery understood very well that siding with Aegon was the more beneficial choice. The reason was simple: since Daenerys had shown no intention of marrying "the Prince," it was clear she had no desire to be subordinate to her husband's family. That meant a Tyrell man stood no chance either. And if marriage could not be used as the foundation of an alliance, Daenerys had little, if anything at all, that could impress House Tyrell.
What angered her wasn't her father's decision, but his weakness and shortsightedness in accepting the proposal without first attempting to secure greater benefits.
As the future bride, about to be elevated to Queen, Margaery had taken this trip without the knowledge of her family, only leaving a letter explaining her unauthorized departure.
Of course, she hadn't run off to elope or escape. She came to compare... no, to weigh two options.
It was admittedly an unseemly way to act, holding one meal in her bowl while eyeing the pot, but Aegon had brought this upon himself.
As early as two years ago, when this possibly false prince suddenly landed in Westeros and swiftly swept through the Stormlands, House Tyrell had already offered a marriage alliance when Varys came secretly to negotiate. At the time, the Reach was ready to dispatch a large army to place that prince on the Iron Throne, and Margaery was determined to become the wife of a second Conqueror—more capable than Visenya, as virtuous and gentle as the "Good Queen," a mother to the realm, someone who would leave her mark in the histories.
With such sincerity, who could have expected the other party to be so arrogant, insisting on waiting for another woman from House Targaryen to return and marry him, only to be rejected by her before turning around to choose Tyrell?
What kind of woman could calmly accept such blatant humiliation—being treated as a fallback?
Margaery could.
For the rise of House Tyrell and the interests of the Reach, she could swallow shame a thousand times greater without so much as blinking.
But never unconditionally.
"The Prince" would still receive the Reach's support, and still gain the Queen he desired—even her intelligence and grace would remain undiminished. But, as compensation for the emotional humiliation inflicted on his intended bride, having gone full circle and returned, he would now have to pay a higher price to secure the original marriage.
This was not extortion. It was simple fairness.
As a woman already in a naturally weaker position, she needed her future husband to understand—before the wedding—that she was not easily bullied. Only by establishing a strong front now would her later gentleness, obedience, and understanding carry value, ensuring she wouldn't be seen as inherently weak and earning her respect and gratitude.
Always playing the good girl never ends well.
This principle was simple, yet her soft-hearted and face-saving father failed to grasp it. Instead, he forbade her from going back on her word or raising their asking price. With no way to reason with him, the daughter had no choice but to go herself and fight for the honor and political interests that both she and House Tyrell rightfully deserved.
Her plan to achieve this goal was simple: enter the opposing camp alone, use Aegon's marriage proposal to pressure Daenerys into offering a better deal, then use Daenerys's offer in turn to press Aegon for more concessions.
House Tyrell, in addition to the "Queen's seat," had to at least gain a place on the Small Council as spiritual compensation.
---
"Lady Margaery, it's been many years, and you're still as graceful and radiant as ever," said Aegor. He showed no impatience at receiving an unexpected guest. Instead, he immediately adopted the manner of a gentleman. "I was caught up in minor duties during the day and failed to host you properly. Please allow me to invite you to dinner as an apology."
"Lord Aegor, you're too kind. It's an honor for me to dine with a hero like you."
Aegor turned and informed Nina and "Alligator Turtle" that the original dinner arrangements had changed, and temporarily dismissed them. Then, under the guidance of the restaurant staff, he took a seat at a table near the wall and ordered his guards to occupy the three surrounding tables and chairs, creating a buffer zone to ensure the privacy of their conversation.
Since she was already here, it was better to lay all cards on the table and send her off early, saving Myrcella the trouble of having to rearrange her tight schedule.
"Lord Commander, we're old acquaintances, so let's skip the pleasantries. Her Grace has authorized you to represent her fully in negotiations with the Reach. As an envoy of House Tyrell, I now formally ask—does Her Grace have any intentions regarding marriage? If not, would she consider a man from House Tyrell?"
Though she had already made up her mind to become Aegon's Queen, Margaery still had to ask this question.
It was a matter of becoming royal in-laws, of merging Tyrell blood with the royal lineage. She clearly understood the difference between having a King or a Queen in the family tree.
Even if the odds were low, what if Daenerys simply didn't want to marry a Targaryen of dubious lineage, but had no objection to a political marriage with Tyrell?
If that were the case, then even if Loras were the one to marry into the royal family and their children bore the Targaryen name, the union would still be a noble match.
Though she had dreamed of being Queen since childhood, if Daenerys truly intended to marry into House Tyrell, Margaery would willingly sacrifice her own claim to support Loras's rise to the Iron Throne, stepping back to become her brother's trusted advisor.
At that point, among the Tyrell siblings, the brother would be King, and the sister married to a powerful figure like Aegor. Though her personal influence might be less than that of a Queen, the family's power and status would instantly reach their peak. The three-headed dragon on the Targaryen sigil might even be depicted with roses in its mouths.
But Aegor's answer was unexpectedly blunt: "No. Her Grace has no plans to marry in the near future."
(Marry the Queen? You can forget about it.)
Hmm?
Margaery frowned slightly, a flicker of suspicion in her heart.
Strange. Even when giving a negative answer, shouldn't it be phrased a little more gently? Leave some room, give a powerful potential ally like the Reach some space for imagination, some reason to hesitate?
Never mind. She hadn't put much hope in that possibility to begin with, so the bad news didn't disappoint her. She simply pursed her lips and nodded. Then, Little Rose turned the conversation to the main topic. "What a pity. Then, may I ask, what terms and plans has Her Grace prepared for the Reach's offer of loyalty?"
(I have something to offer. How much is the Queen willing to pay?)
"House Tyrell should have already received Her Grace's and my public declarations, correct? As the last remaining Targaryen in the world, the unquestioned rightful ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, shouldn't the Reach be loyal to her by default? What arrangements and plans are there to speak of?" Aegor glanced at the restaurant maid as she brought over the food and wine, not even looking at Little Rose. "I would instead like to ask you, Lady Margaery, when does the Reach plan to transfer command of its armies, so that I may formulate the official plan for the assault on King's Landing?"
(It's the Queen's in the first place, and you want to sell it? What a joke.)
The suspicion she had just managed to suppress surged up again. Margaery's brows furrowed.
"Lord Commander, you can spout such nonsense to the false king Stannis, but why say it to friends like us?"
(I'm asking a serious question. Stop playing games.)
"Right. My apologies." Aegor watched as the maid who brought the dishes stepped away, then picked up his knife and fork, cut a piece of steaming, tender, juicy steak, placed it in his mouth, and continued speaking through chews. "Then let me share Her Grace's thoughts... Her Grace was forced into exile across the Narrow Sea at birth, and thus is not very familiar with the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms. Naturally, she has doubts about the loyalty of the lords. She hopes... you can take action to prove the Reach's loyalty to House Targaryen."
He swallowed the meat, rinsed his mouth with wine, then looked up and met Margaery's gaze. "The specific method is this—invite all the nobles of the Reach, young and old, with their entire families, to come to King's Landing. Stay for a year or two. Give Her Grace a chance to get to know you, to feel and experience your loyalty."
Margaery burst out laughing, then suddenly felt relieved. She had been uneasy just now, but now she was certain Aegor was only teasing her.
"Lord Commander, you must be joking. The Reach has a population of over ten million. If we count knights as nobles, that's one percent." She tilted her head and playfully counted on her fingers. "Add in the elders and children, that would be hundreds of thousands. Can King's Landing hold that many people? Is Her Grace planning to evict all the original citizens to make room for guests?"
"That many?" Aegor appeared genuinely surprised, then looked embarrassed and apologetic. "Apologies. What I said earlier wasn't accurate. Knights certainly don't count. Only families that meet certain conditions would receive Her Grace's invitation."
He turned to the side. "Maeve, find the list we drafted earlier and present it to Lady Margaery for review."
(To be continued.)
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