Ros arrived quickly.
As soon as she entered the room, she saw Joffrey, whose eyes were bloodshot like a man possessed, and Lynn, whose calm expression made her feel a chill in her bones.
"Lord Lynn."
Ros curtsied, her peripheral vision carefully glancing at the movement in the next room.
The screams and tearing sounds had stopped, replaced by the heavy panting of the man and Liana's suppressed sobs.
Joffrey's body was as tense as a fully drawn bow, every muscle twitching with rage.
"That girl, Liana."
Ignoring Joffrey's state, Lynn spoke indifferently to Ros.
"Name a price."
Ros's heart tightened.
She knew the real show had begun.
"My Lord, this..."
Ros put on a troubled expression, following the script Lynn had prepared beforehand.
"Liana is our top attraction. Countless nobles line up just to see her..."
"I don't care about that!"
Joffrey spun around, roaring at Ros like a beast backed into a corner.
"Name a price! I'm buying her! Now!"
Ros flinched at his appearance but steeled herself, holding up five fingers as instructed.
"Five... five thousand gold dragons."
It was an astronomical figure even in King's Landing.
"I'll give you ten thousand!"
Joffrey roared without thinking.
He had no concept of gold dragons.
He only knew he needed an absolutely crushing number to declare his ownership.
"Get that fat pig out of here! He is never to touch Liana again!"
"Your Grace, you don't have that much money," Lynn reminded him calmly.
"If I don't, my mother does! The Lannisters do!"
Joffrey had completely lost his reason.
"I'll write to Casterly Rock right now! My grandfather will give me the money!"
"No need."
Lynn shook his head. He pulled a draft from the Royal Treasury out of his tunic and tossed it to Ros.
"Here is ten thousand gold dragons. From now on, Liana has nothing to do with you."
It was his own property; he was just moving money from his left hand to his right.
Unfortunately, the obsessed Joffrey completely overlooked this point.
"As for the man next door, tell him to get out."
"If he dares show his face in King's Landing again, I'll make him regret being born."
"Yes! Yes! Rest assured, my Lord!"
Ros clutched the draft worth ten thousand gold, trembling with excitement, bowing repeatedly.
According to the agreement, she would receive a handsome commission.
The condition was completing the script Lynn had laid out.
Ros retreated with profuse thanks.
Soon, the door to the next room opened, and the mercenary walked out cursing, not forgetting to spit a thick glob of phlegm on the floor before leaving.
Lynn was never stingy with rewards for explosive acting. Soon, this mercenary also received a commission and swore never to appear in King's Landing again.
He could take his hundred gold dragons and live it up somewhere else.
In the room, only Liana's faint weeping remained.
Joffrey couldn't hold back anymore. He pushed the door open and rushed in.
The scene before him made his eyes split with rage.
Liana was curled up in the corner of the bed, her clothes in disarray.
Her sheer pale violet dress was torn in several places, revealing large patches of snow-white skin and green-purple bruises.
She hugged her knees, shivering.
Like a butterfly whose wings had been soaked by a storm, so fragile she looked as if she might die the next second.
"Liana!"
"Are you alright?"
Joffrey rushed over, pulling her into his arms.
"Your Grace..."
Liana lifted her tear-stained face.
Seeing Joffrey, her blue eyes burst with the light of survival.
She couldn't control herself anymore and wailed aloud.
"Don't be afraid. It's over."
Joffrey patted her back clumsily, his voice hoarse with heartache and anger.
"I'm here. Your Prince has come to save you."
"I'm taking you away. Taking you away from this hell!"
He took off his cloak and wrapped it tightly around Liana's trembling body, then scooped her up in his arms.
When he walked out of the room holding Liana, Lynn was leaning against the corridor wall, watching him leisurely.
"You're taking her back to the Red Keep?" Lynn asked.
"Yes!" Joffrey said decisively.
"She is my woman. She should live in the castle!"
"In what capacity?"
Lynn threw out the most realistic question.
"A whore bought from a brothel?"
Joffrey's steps faltered, the fanaticism on his face cooling instantly.
Right, he couldn't just take Liana back like this.
His mother, his father, and those damned ministers—what would they think of him?
How would they treat Liana?
"A King never explains himself to anyone."
Lynn walked slowly up to him, his voice carrying a strange magic.
"He only creates facts, and then makes everyone accept them."
"We give her a new identity."
A curve appeared on Lynn's lips.
"One worthy of your status."
"Liana Waters, the bastard daughter of a late knight from the Reach."
"Her father died serving King Robert in the Battle of the Trident."
"She was alone and helpless, coming to King's Landing to seek distant relatives, but unexpectedly..."
In moments, Lynn fabricated a perfect backstory for Liana.
A heroic father, a tragic background, noble blood—even if illegitimate—was enough to shut everyone's mouths.
Joffrey's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
This idea was perfect!
Joffrey looked at Lynn, his eyes filled with heartfelt admiration.
"Rest assured, Your Grace. My people happen to know the officials who manage the records."
Lynn said lightly.
"A little gold is enough to create a complete identity document for this poor knight's daughter."
"Tonight, you take her back to the Red Keep."
"Tomorrow morning, an official document proving her identity will be delivered to the Tower of the Hand."
"I will handle this for you."
Joffrey looked at Lynn, feeling that the man before him was simply omnipotent.
"Lynn..."
Joffrey said sincerely.
"You... you really are my best friend."
Lynn smiled and patted his shoulder.
"Of course."
"But this matter today is our little secret. You cannot mention it to anyone, otherwise Liana's life will be in danger."
Joffrey nodded repeatedly upon hearing this.
"Don't worry, Ser Lynn. I am not that stupid."
Lynn nodded as if relieved of a heavy burden.
"Go, Prince Joffrey."
"Go show everyone your mercy and majesty."
"Let your fiancée see what kind of woman a true Prince should have."
The last sentence was like a key, unlocking the darkest box in Joffrey's heart.
Sansa Stark.
That woman, always cold as wood.
He wanted to show her what a real beauty was!
He wanted to make her ashamed of her own dullness and rigidity!
---
When Joffrey swaggered through the courtyard of the Red Keep holding a woman wrapped in a cloak, the entire castle was shocked.
The Kingsguard on duty tried to stop him, but Joffrey shouted them down with, "When is it the turn of you running dogs to manage the King's family affairs?"
Joffrey marched unimpeded, bursting directly into the dining hall of the Tower of the Hand.
At this time, King Robert was hosting a feast for the court after returning from a hunt.
At the long table sat Ned, Cersei, Jaime, Sansa...
Almost every important figure was there!
When Joffrey appeared at the door holding Liana, the noisy dining hall fell silent instantly.
Everyone's eyes focused on the woman in the Prince's arms.
"Joffrey! What are you doing!"
Cersei stood up abruptly, her beautiful face written with shock and anger.
She couldn't understand why Joffrey would do this in front of everyone!
Robert also stopped tearing into a leg of lamb, frowning at his son who always caused trouble.
Joffrey ignored everyone.
His gaze cut straight past them all, stabbing viciously into Sansa Stark.
Sansa was holding a goblet, her expression somewhat blank; she didn't seem to have figured out the situation yet.
That pure, innocent look seemed so hypocritical and offensive in Joffrey's eyes.
"Sansa."
Joffrey spoke, his voice filled with undisguised malice and boasting.
He gently put Liana down, then yanked off her cloak.
Liana's delicate figure was instantly exposed to everyone's view.
She wore Joffrey's clearly ill-fitting cloak over her torn sheer dress, snow-white skin and ambiguous bruises looming underneath.
Like a frightened deer, she instinctively hid behind Joffrey.
Her clear blue eyes were filled with fear and unease.
A collective gasp went through the dining hall.
"Look at her."
Joffrey pointed at Liana, announcing to Sansa, and more to everyone.
"This is what a woman should be!"
"She is gentle, she is passionate, she knows how to worship a man!"
"Unlike some people,"
Joffrey's gaze returned to Sansa, filled with contempt and disgust.
"Like a block of ice from the North, cold and hard, boring to the extreme!"
Humiliation!
Naked humiliation!
Belittling his own fiancée to worthlessness in front of all the dignitaries of the Seven Kingdoms!
Ned Stark's face turned liver-red instantly.
He stood up abruptly.
However, before Ned could explode, Sansa beside him reacted first.
The goblet in Sansa's hand fell to the floor with a clang, shattering into pieces.
Her beautiful face lost all color instantly, turning pale as paper.
She looked at Joffrey, then at the pitiful blonde girl behind him.
Her beautiful blue eyes quickly filled with tears.
"Joffrey..."
Sansa's voice trembled, filled with disbelief and pain.
"How... how could you... do this to me?"
That look, on the verge of tears, the despair of being betrayed by a loved one in public, made many noble ladies present feel pity.
Hiding behind Joffrey, Liana saw Sansa's appearance, and a hint of an imperceptible smile flashed in her eyes.
But she quickly covered up this emotion.
She tugged timidly at Joffrey's sleeve, whispering in a voice only he could hear, laced with sobs.
"Your Grace... Lady Sansa... she must be very sad..."
"It's all my fault... I shouldn't be here... I'm just a humble orphan, how can I compare to Lady Sansa..."
"I'm really sorry, it's all my fault..."
Her "white lotus" speech not only failed to make Joffrey feel guilty but incited his protective desire and rebelliousness even more strongly.
"Shut up!"
Joffrey interrupted her roughly, but he was shouting at Sansa.
"Who are you showing that funeral face to?"
"I tell you, Sansa Stark!"
"I've fucking had enough of you!"
"From today on, Liana is my woman!"
"She will live in the Red Keep!"
"I will give her all the favor you won't get!"
"As for you..."
Joffrey sneered.
"You can go back to your snowy Winterfell!"
Ned was dumbfounded. He pointed at Joffrey, unable to say a word due to anger.
Telling Sansa to go back to Winterfell?
Wasn't this indirectly telling him to get out too?
Sansa's body swayed violently.
As if unable to bear the huge blow, her face grew even paler.
She looked at Joffrey, her lips moving as if to speak, but it only turned into a heartbroken whimper.
Sansa turned abruptly, covering her face, running out of the dining hall stumbling like a fawn shot in a vital spot by a hunter.
However, in the moment she turned, a flash of ecstatic relief passed through the depths of her tear-blurred eyes.
Scene complete.
Finally done acting.
Joffrey, this fool, is even stupider than imagined.
"You bastard!!!"
A roar like thunder shook the vaulted ceiling of the dining hall.
Robert Baratheon's massive body sprang up from his throne-like chair.
He kicked over the long table in front of him.
Goblets, plates, and roasted meat rolled all over the floor.
On his face, purple with rage, a pair of cloudy eyes burned with monstrous anger.
"You shameless thing!"
Like an enraged boar, Robert charged at Joffrey in three steps, his fan-sized hand slapping him mercilessly.
Slap!
A crisp, loud sound.
Joffrey was slapped into a spin, falling on his butt, half his face swelling high visibly.
"You dare humiliate Ned's daughter in front of me?!"
Robert pointed at his nose, spittle flying.
"Do you fucking think I won't beat you?!"
"The Starks are my most loyal allies!"
"And you dare treat them like this?"
Robert turned his head to look at Ned, who was shaking with rage, his voice full of guilt and a little shame.
"Ned! My brother! I have wronged you!"
"I failed to teach this bastard son well!"
Robert pointed at Liana, who was still frozen in place, roaring at the Kingsguard.
"Drag this woman of unknown origin out! Throw her in the black cells!"
"No! Don't!"
Joffrey struggled up from the ground, spreading his arms to block Liana like a mad dog guarding food.
"Who dares touch her! She is my woman!"
"Your woman?"
Robert laughed in anger. He kicked Joffrey aside, then strode up to Ned, slapping his shoulder heavily.
"Ned, rest assured!"
"I will definitely give you an explanation for this matter!"
Robert's gaze swept the room, finally landing back on his disappointing son, his eyes incredibly cold.
"This engagement!"
"I see no need for it to continue!"