Myrcella noticed the impropriety as soon as the words left her mouth and was about to patch it up, but she had not expected Aegor's reaction to be so great and so quick. She nervously shrank her neck, obediently stopped what she was doing, walked around the sofa to stand in front of Aegor, carefully searched for a place to sit, then tremblingly gathered her long skirt with both hands before sitting down.
The sofa was just large enough for two ordinary people, but for some reason, it still seemed spacious after another person was added. Aegor glanced out of the corner of his eye and could not help but laugh. Myrcella was only half-crouching, her backside barely touching the edge of the sofa, not truly sitting down at all.
"What, are you afraid you'll damage House Hightower's things?" Aegor unceremoniously reached out and wrapped an arm around Myrcella's waist, pulling her back and toward himself. "If I tell you to sit, then sit properly! Why be so polite?"
The girl finally sat down properly this time, pressed against the man's side due to the sofa cushion naturally sinking toward the center. Aegor's body temperature, slightly higher than normal because of R'hllor's gift, passed through the fabric, making her, who rarely had physical contact with the opposite sex, go completely stiff.
"No... It is just that my lord works hard on state affairs all day, and if you have to share space even while resting..."
"Enough." Aegor put away the brief sharpness he had unintentionally revealed, interrupted Myrcella's stammering and clumsy explanation, and returned to his usual gentleness. "Whether I am working hard or not, would I not know myself? Let me put it this way, there has never been a moment in my life when I was more energetic, physically fit, and emotionally fulfilled than I am now."
These were not words of comfort. The reason for his excellent condition, aside from the recent great victory and the subtle strengthening of his body by the True Dragon's scales, was another important factor. The situation he was facing at this moment was precisely on the line of "extremely challenging, but not greatly dangerous," making him nervous without being overly stressed, leaving him without worries yet not bored or dull.
For any job or career, this was probably the most comfortable state.
"It is you, a young girl, who insisted on following the Western Expeditionary Army through all these hardships and dangers, and I have not had time to care for you..." This was awkward to mention. When he left King's Landing, he had no idea this battle would turn into such a dangerous situation, almost a fifty-fifty gamble. Otherwise, he would never have brought his entire civil and military staff, including Myrcella. "Have you encountered any difficulties or setbacks in your life recently that require my help?"
"No, no... I have completely adapted to running around with my lord." Myrcella shook her head like a rattle, then felt her answer was a little perfunctory and quickly added, "By your side, I can not only experience the customs and cultures of various places and witness major historical events, but also gain much knowledge I wish to learn and broaden my once shallow experience... Most importantly, I have breathed the air of freedom outside the castle! I am happier now than I was in the Red Keep or Winterfell!"
She was so happy that she became carried away, to the point where she spoke without thinking.
Myrcella secretly regretted it. At this point, she also noticed that Aegor's arm, which had just pulled her onto the sofa, was still loosely wrapped around her waist. Although he was not moving it around, this unfamiliar feeling of "sitting in a man's embrace" left her completely uncomfortable, her face flushed, and even her thoughts and speech were greatly affected.
"That is good." Aegor nodded and smiled at her. "However, Myrcella, as the war of conquest comes to an end, normal rule over the Seven Kingdoms is about to begin. As both Lord Commander of the Night's Watch and Hand of the Queen, I am afraid I will be very busy next. Correspondingly, the workload of my assistant secretary will also quickly swell to an astonishing degree. Your small frame..." He raised his hand and squeezed the girl's slender arm and rounded shoulder. "Can you handle it?"
The blush on Myrcella's face deepened, though it was unclear whether it was because of the man's actions or his words. "Yes. I am confident I can manage your affairs and daily needs, ensuring that all your work proceeds smoothly without unexpected interference!"
"I am very happy you have such confidence. It is just..." Aegor did not continue the physical contact, but instead held Myrcella's shoulders and looked into her eyes, choosing his words carefully. "I must say first that I am very satisfied with your ability at work... But you are ultimately just a girl who has only recently come of age. I think it is somewhat inhumane to place you in such a demanding position, one that uses people like livestock, without considering your body and energy. Furthermore, such a crucial job requires stability among its personnel..."
"I can endure hardship!" Myrcella was so anxious that she could not help interrupting. The more she listened, the more she felt something was wrong. Could it be that Aegor was going to send her away just because she had unintentionally said something extra?
"Do not worry, do not worry." He lightly patted Myrcella's back to soothe her. "I am not trying to send anyone away, but I have an idea: to add positions and split the assistant work for my two roles, Lord Commander of the Night's Watch and Hand of the Queen, so that they are shared by two people. One assistant to the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, and one assistant to the Hand of the Queen, sharing the workload while also serving as reserves and substitutes in emergencies."
The White Walkers had all been defeated. What was there left for the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch to be busy with?
"These two positions are not the same thing at all!" Myrcella suddenly became serious. She had lost everything, including her original identity, and nothing else mattered. Only this career and this work, which served as her spiritual support, were the pillars and source of motivation for her life, and she would fight for them no matter what. Unlike Arya, she did not have much past connection or a long-standing relationship with Aegor, so she could not simply pout and act spoiled. She could only express her subtle but firm stance boldly. "If you insist on setting up another position, please be sure to let me serve as the assistant to the Hand of the Queen!"
Aegor sighed softly. "Listen, girl. Normally, I would be happy to grant your request, but the fact is that this is a job that requires extremely high stability. As a girl, you will be affected by your body from time to time, stomachaches, fevers, and the like. How can you maintain..."
"But I have never had stomachaches or fevers," Myrcella immediately retorted. Discussing such a topic with a man was truly embarrassing for her, but more than embarrassment, what surged up was the feeling of being wronged. "My lord, no matter what you say, is it not simply that you still find it hard to trust me, that you still think I am a Lannister at heart? What must I do to cast off my background and gain your complete trust like ordinary people with no family background, like Lady Nina?"
No matter what you do, it is useless.
Aegor answered in his heart. As long as Tyrion still considered you family, you would always be a member of House Lannister. Not to mention, even Nina had gained his trust through actions and achievements, along with a layer of intimacy that could not be spoken of to outsiders, not simply by being someone with "no family background."
However, he did not say it aloud.
If both the Master of Coin and the assistant to the Hand of the Queen were Lannister people, then the Westerlands influence would hold one and a half seats on the council. This would lead to a certain imbalance of power in Daenerys's court. However, given his life-and-death friendship with Tyrion and the current honeymoon period where his interests aligned with House Lannister's, it was not serious enough to require immediate action.
"I will go find Lady Melisandre at once!" Seeing that Aegor did not answer her question and was briefly silent, Myrcella mistakenly thought his mind was made up and could not be changed. She stood up tearfully and desperately sought a solution. "Let her witness me... make a sacred vow to R'hllor not to marry, not to have children, and to dedicate myself to the red god. I am willing to avoid trivial personal matters like marriage and childbirth as a priestess, cast off my family label, and follow and serve you wholeheartedly for the rest of my life!"
"Hmm?"
Aegor was stunned.
You could play it like this?
Taking holy orders, Ice and Fire edition.
His untimely association had to be interrupted quickly. Myrcella was already lifting her leg to walk out the door, and she did not seem to be joking.
"No, no, no... It is not that serious!" Aegor quickly leaned down and grabbed her, pulling the girl back onto the sofa. "I was just chatting with you casually, just talking about work normally. Why are you so impatient? As long as you can guarantee stability, I also guarantee that the position of assistant to the Hand of the Queen will not change in the short term. Is that all right?"
What was she doing... The Lannister lord was burying himself in the filthy, difficult work of the Master of Coin in King's Landing, and here he was forcing his niece to become a priestess. What would Tyrion think if he knew?
He had not brought this up with Myrcella today on a whim. In truth, he had three goals.
First, to give Myrcella another chance to change her mind. The last time he had wanted to return her to House Lannister, it had been sudden, and it was possible she had refused to leave because she had not thought it through.
Second, after getting a clear answer to the first question, to prepare her mentally. If she did not leave this time, then he would not let her go easily later.
Third, and the direct reason, was to find a topic to distract Myrcella and make her forget her frighteningly accurate guess about the "religious revolution."
The first two goals had been achieved, and the third had also succeeded.
Or rather, it seemed to have succeeded a little too well.
He could not guarantee anything else, but at this moment, Myrcella definitely had no curiosity about the specific methods and plans of the "religious revolution."
Talking about a transfer with a female employee had caused an emotional backlash, and now he, as the leader, had to clean up the mess.
Fortunately, the soft-spoken, knee-to-knee comforting did not last too long. Someone came to his rescue.
"Hand of the Queen!" A noisy report sounded from outside the door. "While clearing this floor, we found someone staying in a guest room. He claims to be a member of House Redwyne and insists on seeing you. How should we handle it?"
(To be continued.)