Viserys looked at Arianne.
"I have informants in Highgarden," Arianne said directly, though her tone was relatively flat. "Before Margaery Tyrell went to Valyria, she told her handmaidens that she would become Viserys Targaryen's queen—the only one."
Viserys did not respond.
Arianne continued, "She is living in your castle now, accompanying your sisters in reading and walking every day, and I hear she has grown very close to you."
Her voice held no interrogation or anger; she was simply stating facts.
Viserys spoke, "So, you are worried that I will choose her and abandon you."
"I'm worried?" Arianne laughed, a smile tinged with self-deprecation. "Your Grace, I have known since I was a child that my marriage would not be my own choice, but a transaction. As the heir to House Martell, I must either marry into a great Dornish noble house to solidify our rule, or marry into a great family of the Free Cities in exchange for support and benefits. I accepted this long ago."
She paused, her dark eyes looking straight at him. "But since there is already a marriage contract between us, I naturally wanted to see for myself what kind of person you are, nothing more."
She finally said, her tone somewhat light, "Besides, I know you rejected Margaery, and you also rejected these three silly cousins of mine."
Nymeria immediately protested, "Who's silly?"
Arianne ignored her and continued, "This makes me feel that you might not be such a terrible husband after all."
Viserys raised an eyebrow slightly. "Perhaps."
The corners of Arianne's mouth curved up slightly. "Yes, perhaps. After all, you haven't said whether you are satisfied with me, what you think of my looks, or what kind of person I am."
The room fell silent for a few seconds.
"Princess Arianne, you didn't come to see me tonight just to hear me praise your beauty," Viserys said, having already subtly complimented her appearance without realizing it.
Her eyelashes fluttered slightly.
"The thing you truly want to confirm," he continued, "is not whether I am satisfied with you, but whether you yourself are satisfied with this marriage alliance."
Arianne remained silent for a long time.
Then she let out a soft breath, one that carried a sense of relief and a deeper gravity.
"Yes," she said. "So, I just came to confirm."
"And have you confirmed it now?"
She looked at him, her dark eyes holding something more complex. "Part of it," she replied. "The other part..."
Before she could finish, Nymeria suddenly stood up from the edge of the bed.
"All this beating around the bush is making my ears ache." She walked to Arianne's side and took her arm. "Arianne, didn't you say that Dornishmen say whatever they want to say?"
Arianne didn't pull her hand away; she just glanced at her with a look of helplessness and tacit permission.
Having received permission, Nymeria turned to Viserys, her tone still very bold. "Your Grace, your patience with women is even better than I imagined. Anyone else would have either kicked us out long ago, or..."
She didn't finish, but the look in her eyes was suggestive.
Then she continued, "Your Grace, I still remember you rejecting us in Valyria, saying it was out of respect for Sister Arianne. Now that she is here, don't you want to fulfill your husbandly duties in advance?"
This was so direct that even Obara raised an eyebrow, and Tyrene, standing by the window, turned red in the cheeks.
"Nym," Arianne couldn't help but call out softly, but there was no hint of reproach in her voice.
Viserys suddenly laughed. "You Dornish women are indeed direct."
Hearing Viserys's words, Tyene walked over from the window and said softly, "Your Grace, we just feel that a political marriage can take another form. You have never met Arianne before, and she has never met you. If you wait until the wedding night to find that you cannot stand each other, it would be too cruel for both sides."
"So you came to inspect the goods," Viserys said.
"Inspect the goods?" Nymeria laughed. "That's a very fitting term."
"When you came to Dorne this time, did you only intend to see my father and Prince Doran?" she asked.
Viserys looked at her.
"Or rather," she lowered her voice, "did you also intend to see your future queen?"
As she spoke, she did something that caught everyone by surprise. She unfastened the pearl-encrusted belt at Arianne's waist and tossed it casually onto the floor. The sound of pearls hitting the ground was crisp and exceptionally clear in the silent room.
Then she reached out and pulled down the thin white silk dress draped over Ashara, and Arianne was pushed forward a step by her, closing the last bit of distance between her and Viserys.
Arianne followed the momentum and raised her hand, her fingertips resting against the black and red outer robe on Viserys's chest. She didn't use force, just lightly pressed for balance.
Viserys grasped her wrist; her pulse was fast and her skin was hot, showing she wasn't as calm as she appeared. But he didn't move her hand away, nor did he let go of her wrist.
"What do you say?" he asked.
Arianne looked up to meet his gaze.
Her eyelashes were very long, casting fine shadows under the candlelight. She blinked, her lashes brushing against her lower eyelids like a signal only a woman in a certain moment would understand.
She didn't speak, but the answer was clear enough. Viserys released her wrist and instead wrapped his arm around her smooth waist.
Arianne let out a very soft sigh and leaned into his embrace. Her hand slid from his chest to his shoulder, her fingertips tightening as she gripped the collar of his robe. Dornish women were equally passionate; since it had come to this, going a step further didn't matter.
She didn't blame Nymeria; after all, the sisters often undressed like this among themselves. There was just an extra man this time, but since he was her fiancé, it didn't matter.
Moreover, Viserys's looks were very much to her taste; in fact, she had been attracted to him the moment she first saw him. Handsome men were her weakness, especially since Viserys had a special temperament that attracted her even more.
It was precisely because Nymeria understood Arianne that she dared to do this; she was the closest to her among the sisters and knew many of Arianne's little secrets.
Obara let out an exaggerated gasp and then tried to pull her two younger sisters toward the door. Her movements were quick and somewhat hurried.
However, just as they were about to leave, the two younger sisters broke free from her grasp. The door closed behind her, leaving the two of them inside. But if she were to push the door open now, she might disturb Viserys and Arianne.
The moonlight and candlelight cast an ethereal veil over Arianne's olive skin. Her lips were so bright and red, currently slightly parted, revealing a hint of pearly teeth.
He pressed his lips down onto Arianne's red mouth.
Responding to him was a flexible, aggressive little tongue. Her hand slid from his shoulder to the back of his neck, her fingers running through his silver hair and then tightening, pulling him closer.
After a long while, Arianne pulled back slightly, but her body still leaned against him, her forehead resting against his chin, her breathing somewhat unsteady.
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