Oh no.
Margaery's heart sank. This was bad.
Why did she have to bring up Aegon's marriage proposal?
She wished she could slap herself. She had clearly sensed that something was wrong and should have left sooner, yet just before walking away, she let her pride get the better of her and blurted something she never should have said.
Tracing it further back, even reminding Aegor that the Reach could raise over a hundred thousand troops had already been reckless bravado. The smart move would have been to flick her sleeve and leave right then.
Now that her intentions had likely been seen through, and she had let slip the news of Aegon's proposal with her own mouth, it would be a disaster if Aegor suddenly decided to take her hostage.
The alliance between Tyrell and Aegon Targaryen was critical and could not be delayed. If something happened to her, her father might panic like an ant on a hot pan, but her grandmother—the Queen of Thorns—though fond of her and appreciative of her effectiveness, would not hesitate to send another cousin from Highgarden to complete the marriage alliance. In the end, she would have foolishly handed herself over as a hostage on a whim, causing trouble for her family and losing the Queen's crown that was already within her reach. She wouldn't even have a place to cry.
She turned back, transforming from the imposing future Queen she had been moments ago into a weak, pitiful girl from the Reach.
"I wouldn't dare, Lord. I'm just... not feeling well and wished to return to my room to rest."
Aegor sneered but didn't call out the obvious excuse. "I invited you to dinner out of courtesy and responsibility, and I conveyed Her Grace's expectations for the Reach truthfully. And that counts as 'lacking sincerity' in Lady Margaery's eyes? Then I must ask—what conditions would the Reach consider sincere?"
This was no longer negotiation. It was pure humiliation, a public stripping of her dignity.
What had she done to offend him?
Margaery was baffled.
Could he really be holding a grudge over the time she haggled the price during a business negotiation years ago?
Yes, during the papermaking and printing technology deal, she had taken advantage of Aegor's tight finances and urgent need for gold, playing hardball and slashing the price. But she hadn't done it for a few measly thousand gold dragons. It had been petty revenge against the man who never once responded to her overtures, who refused to be moved by her charm or become a friend to House Tyrell, who instead always kept his distance and remained inexplicably guarded.
Looking back, she had realized it might have been a bit too much. In her later dealings with Nina, she had used appropriate channels and prices to quietly return twice the gold she'd shaved off to the Night's Watch Industry.
If Aegor had so much as glanced at the Industrial Park's financial ledgers, he would have seen it.
Grievance, confusion, anger, and anxiety all tangled together in her heart. But Margaery, ever shrewd, managed to suppress all those emotions. She was not foolish enough to voice the demands she had originally planned to raise. Though filled with hatred, she knew clearly what mattered now was yielding quickly, calming the situation, escaping the room, and returning to the Reach's main camp on the southern bank.
"Lord Commander, you've misunderstood. Her Grace's proposal is entirely reasonable. I will relay her expectations to my father and the other lords as soon as possible and do my best to persuade them to accept and act accordingly." Margaery quickly stepped back to the bench, turned to face Aegor, bent slightly, and picked up the list of Reach nobles she had previously thrown onto the table. She carefully brushed away invisible specks of dust from its surface and cradled it against her chest like a precious treasure. "To avoid any errors due to poor memory, may I bring this list back with me?"
Her survival instinct was off the charts. Aegor almost laughed.
"Put it down. I believe, with your mind and memory, you don't need this list to deliver the message. Since you're unwell, I won't press you. You may leave."
It felt like a royal pardon. Margaery hurriedly put the list back on the table, then fled the dining hall.
Though her retreat was slightly flustered, her face—turned away from Aegor—twisted with clenched silver teeth. Margaery had once resolved that even if they became enemies and faced each other on the battlefield, she would still do everything in her power to recruit a talent like Aegor into House Tyrell's service after victory, to strengthen her family.
But now?
As she walked away quickly, she made up her mind. One day, she would return this humiliation tenfold.
...
"Put everything away." In this era without copy machines, that list had taken the Gift Army's fragile intelligence network considerable effort to compile. It would be ridiculous if Margaery had actually taken it with her. "Make a few copies later when you have time."
"Understood." Myrcella swiftly gathered up the documents, looked around, then couldn't help but ask quietly, "Lord, are you really going to let Lady Tyrell leave? Judging by the current situation, Aegon will probably declare himself king and oppose Her Grace within two days, and Margaery will surely become his Queen. That would make her an incredibly valuable hostage."
The question wasn't without merit. But Aegor had his own reasons.
The Reach would undoubtedly side with Aegon and become Daenerys's enemy. However, if he detained Margaery now, House Tyrell would gain the moral high ground.
He was no longer acting alone. He had to consider the sentiments of the North and the Riverlands, who were already allies, and more importantly, the attitudes of the Westerlands, the Vale, and Dorne, who had yet to declare their positions. While these five kingdoms were not fond of the rose family and might be glad to see Daenerys weaken them, they would not tolerate Aegor provoking conflict for no reason, then using it as an excuse to attack, strip titles and lands, and carry out the so-called Great King's Landing Plan... "relocating Reach nobles to King's Landing."
The nobles of the Seven Kingdoms were a class of their own. Their essential interests were aligned. Once Aegor's actions lacked justification and made the other lords uncomfortable, stirring their sympathy for a fellow noble, things would become very difficult.
In this era, where commoners were still largely unaware and only recognized lords, not rulers, their side lacked true public support. If they provoked the full opposition of Westeros, Daenerys and Aegor could win every battle yet still lose the war.
The "moral advantage" was worthless when cornered and fighting for survival, but when victory was in sight, there was no reason to create trouble out of impulse.
Aegor's humiliation of Margaery today had nothing to do with personal grudges. He simply wanted the Highgarden Flower to take her rage back to the Reach and fire the first shot.
Only then could he... be "forced" to strike back.
"Tyrell doesn't have only one woman. If I detained her now, I'd be in the wrong," Aegor said, shaking his head. Though Myrcella was clever, gentle, and obedient, she was still a Lannister by blood, and her loyalties clearly lay with the nobility. He had to stay vigilant. "Don't worry about it. Go back to your dinner. Set time in my schedule to receive the envoy from Dorne. I can't win over Tyrell, but I will secure the support of Martell."
(To be continued.)
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