Tyrion leaned back in his chair, spreading his hands. "Perhaps the Direwolf isn't willing to be part of another family, Lord Tywin?"
Seeing his sister's beautiful and clear green eyes turn to him, the obedient brother gave her a playful smile.
Cersei surprisingly pursed her lips and smiled at her brother. Her smile was undeniably charming, but it made Tyrion's heart skip a beat. Was she thinking of some terrible idea to harm him?
Tyrion did not avoid Cersei's malicious gaze. The smile on his face deepened. If he showed timidity in front of the Lioness, she would become even more reckless.
"Tyrion, I am not obligated to satisfy your curiosity. Let's continue discussing Oberyn Martell."
The Old Lion's authoritative voice ended the silent competition between sister and brother.
He continued, "I am considering how to appease Oberyn Martell. He is not like the careful and cautious Prince Doran."
Tyrion shrugged. "I've only heard about his many bedroom escapades. As for other things... I also heard he likes to coat his weapons with poison?"
Duke Tywin's green eyes shifted slightly, glancing at Tyrion. "Every word, every action of Prince Doran... is carefully weighed for its importance and consequences, while Prince Oberyn is a self-righteous madman."
While Tyrion was still pondering his father's words, Ser Jaime suddenly spoke, "Oberyn Martell is an infamous fellow. Coating his sword with poison is only a minor offense for him. He has more bastards than Robert, and he doesn't just like women."
After a period of silence, Tyrion suddenly feigned fear and said, "Lord Tywin, is my mission too dangerous?"
The Old Lion completely ignored his jest.
He cleared his throat and added, "I just remembered something. Rumor has it that after Robert I ascended the Iron Throne, Prince Oberyn even demanded Dorne raise an army to support Viserys Targaryen?"
Duke Tywin nodded slightly. "Although no one publicly declared it, it is indeed true. During that time, ravens flew back and forth, and messengers traveled north and south. I don't know much about the contents, only that eventually Jon Arryn personally went to Sunspear, returned Prince Lewyn's bones, and negotiated directly with Prince Doran, which finally ended the standoff."
He paused, then continued, "From then on, Robert never went to Dorne, and Prince Oberyn never came to King's Landing."
After listening, Tyrion's eyes shifted slightly, and he paused before saying, "Then, he has come now, and his hostility may not have disappeared with the passage of time. Instead..."
He spread his hands and grinned, "Suppressed hatred burns even fiercer. Just look at what happened between the Crabclaw Peninsula people and the Vale people, and you'll know. I have to admit, Prime Minister Jon left a very good 'legacy' for the Vale."
"Tyrion, play your role well." Duke Tywin's voice was cold.
Tyrion forced a smile. "The one in charge is still the thoughtful Prince Doran. He knows Dorne cannot continue to be far from the center of the Seven Kingdoms. So..."
He leaned forward, "My task is to take Prince Oberyn on a tour of King's Landing's brothels, so he can indulge in pleasures... That's the role I need to play, isn't it, Lord Tywin?"
Duke Tywin pressed his lips together, silent for a moment, then said, "Tyrion, every tool has its specific purpose, and every task requires a specific tool."
As his words fell, Cersei's sneering laughter followed.
A tool?
Tyrion was getting better at hiding his emotions in front of his father. He secretly took a breath, glanced at Cersei's mocking face, and grinned at Duke Tywin, "Lord Hand, since you think so highly of me, I'll be frank... Although I appeased the Dornish with the Mountain's head, you should know the source of Prince Oberyn's hatred..."
Duke Tywin said coldly, "Oberyn's claims are nothing but hearsay, stable gossip, and kitchen chatter, without a shred of actual evidence."
Tyrion seemed helpless. "Since we want to win over Dorne, Lannister should at least come up with a good reason to placate Prince Oberyn, shouldn't we? He harbors hatred, and he certainly won't miss such a rare opportunity to demand 'justice'."
Before Duke Tywin could speak, Queen Regent Cersei interjected, "Those who surrender have no right to demand justice. If it were me, I wouldn't bother with his unreasonable request. Even without Dorne's participation, we can still win."
My dear sister, you are truly too clear-headed! Just as Tyrion was about to "praise" her wisdom, Jaime suddenly stood up.
Seeing everyone looking at him, Ser Jaime shrugged. "I'll pour you some wine."
With that, he walked towards the wine cabinet.
After a pause, Duke Tywin's gaze shifted to Tyrion, and he resumed his calm tone. "The Mountain harmed Princess Ilia Martell and Prince Aegon (Prince Rhaegar's wife and son). Ser Amory Lorch harmed Princess Rhaenys (Prince Rhaegar's daughter)."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ser Jaime walked over with the wine pot and glasses, pouring a glass of wine for everyone.
Tyrion took a delightful sip of summer red and said, "Ser Amory is also a beast raised by Lannister. He is loyally guarding Harrenhal for us (Chapter 295)."
Queen Regent Cersei put down her wine glass and said, "It's simple, let the Mountain take all the blame. Tyrion, if Oberyn asks you, just tell him it was all the Mountain's doing alone."
"That's one way."
After a pause, Tyrion added, "Queen Regent, what if Prince Oberyn insists on finding the mastermind?"
Queen Regent Cersei snorted lightly and replied, "You really are a fool. Just say the Mountain acted on his own initiative, hoping to curry favor with the new king."
It was barely plausible, but Tyrion felt that Prince Oberyn would not be satisfied with this "answer."
Duke Tywin's fingers tapped the armrest of his chair. "Tyrion, I will tell Oberyn that the Mountain harmed Ilia and her children. If he asks you, you say the same."
"I am at your command, Lord Tywin. However... I must remind you, it is known throughout the Seven Kingdoms that the Mountain is a Lannister knight, and at that time..."
He paused, looking at his father, and said sincerely, "I have no right to question your decision, however... in my opinion, you really shouldn't have dirtied your hands for Robert Baratheon back then."
Duke Tywin looked at Tyrion as if he were looking at an idiot. "If you truly think that, I should retract my assessment of your cleverness. Think carefully, Lannister was the last to join Robert's side. We had to show sincerity to Baratheon."
"When I placed the Targaryen corpses before the Iron Throne, everyone understood that the Lannister family had forever abandoned the Targaryen Iron Throne."
"Robert himself was most relieved. Even a fool like him knew that as long as Rhaegar's children remained alive, Baratheon would not sit securely on the Iron Throne."
He paused, then continued, "I admit, they went too far, especially in harming Ilia Martell. That was utterly foolish. Without children of Targaryen blood, she herself had no meaning."
Tyrion shrugged his small shoulders. "But the Mountain and his men brutally murdered them."
Duke Tywin gazed at his Dwarf son for a moment. "That was because I didn't explicitly order him to stop, or perhaps I simply forgot to mention her. There were too many things to consider at the time. Eddard Stark was leading cavalry day and night. I had to prevent him from getting there first, which could have caused conflict between our house and the victors, and I also had to prevent Aerys from murdering your brother Jaime to insult me."
He coldly glanced at his eldest son, who was engrossed in knightly games. "Furthermore, I also had to prevent the Kingsguard Jaime from acting foolishly on his impulses."
Hearing this, Jaime Lannister smiled bitterly.
Duke Tywin finally said with disgust, "Honestly, if they had the brains the Gods gave to men, they should have comforted the children and used a silk pillow to finish them, instead of getting their hands covered in blood."
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