Aegon's routine failed, and all the acting and glib talk were wasted, but Margaery could still maintain her composure instead of flying into a rage. Just on this point alone, this girl was leagues above that woman Cersei.
Her attempt to pry information failed, but her expression remained unchanged. She continued to chat with Aegon in a gentle voice and tried again. When she found that Aegon was impervious to her efforts, she decisively decided to put the matter aside. Compared to making money, she had a more important task to complete on this trip North with the army.
"Since Lord Aegon says so, then after this battle, I will visit the Night's Watch Office in King's Landing and tour the industries you mentioned," the girl said, putting away her mask of adoration and reverence. Her expression returned to normal, a hint of arrogance appearing in her calm demeanor. Unfortunately, this true face was only fleeting and was immediately replaced by another mask. "Oh... the wounded from the siege today are being carried down. I know a little about medicine, so I'll go visit and care for them. Lords, please excuse me first."
***
Heh, she's going to perform the "love soldiers like sons" act again. Watching Margaery's graceful figure turn and leave, Aegon felt amused, but he didn't feel disdain or contempt. To act without ceasing is to become a gentleman. Regardless of a person's purpose and demands, if they can persist in conducting themselves in a noble manner, then that person is good.
To evaluate such a noble girl, one should look at what she has done, not what she wants. Margaery is good at putting on a show, but this is just a basic skill a qualified politician should have... If she can keep up the act for a lifetime, she might truly be a qualified queen. Unfortunately, she was born more than ten years too late and missed the chance to marry Robert.
...
"This little vixen is someone who eats people without spitting out the bones. I was just worried you'd be fooled by her coaxing and several times wanted to open my mouth to remind you. But it seems I worried too much. Lord Aegon is indeed the partner Tyrion Lannister chose. How could he fall for such a low-level honey trap?" The Tyrell family is powerful and wealthy, but they are not Lord Buckwell's liege lord, so the old man didn't need to be polite when evaluating them. "There aren't many people in this army camp who can make this little girl stumble. Robert is one, and you are another."
"You flatter me, Lord. To be honest, refusing such a beauty's request is quite difficult," Aegon smiled. It wasn't making her stumble; at most, he had only held his ground. If he didn't know this girl's background, with his life experience and cunning, perhaps... No, he would definitely have been completely fooled.
"Did you hear the rumors circulating in the military camp these past two days?" Lord Buckwell nodded. He had originally approached Aegon deliberately because of his identity as a Night's Watch officer, but the more he interacted with him, the more he found this young man quite interesting. The desire to talk, which had been suppressed the whole way, surged up. "Everyone says that Margaery Tyrell looks very much like the Hand of the King's deceased sister, Lyanna Stark."
"Oh?" Aegon became interested. "Does she really look like her, or..."
"What do you think?"
"So that's it," a sharp glint flashed in Aegon's eyes. By now, he could also understand the subtext in other people's words. Who was Lyanna Stark? How could ordinary soldiers in this military camp have seen her? This rumor was mostly spread by the Tyrell family. Margaery has no hope of becoming queen for now, so she doesn't even mind being Robert's mistress? For the sake of the Tyrell family, this girl is willing to sacrifice anything. It truly is a hymn of loyalty to her family. The Tully family motto should be given to her. "Then—has King Robert met Miss Margaery?"
"He has met her, praised her beauty casually a few times, and that was it. The girl's huge effort in creating buzz and dressing up didn't work. She is indeed a beauty, but what woman hasn't King Robert seen? His Majesty isn't a fool. You can't just sleep with a Tyrell woman and then pretend not to know her," the old Lord smiled and stroked his beard. "Furthermore, I'm afraid... even King Robert himself has forgotten what Lyanna Stark looked like. Don't mention 'reportedly looks like her,' even if she were exactly the same, he probably wouldn't be moved."
Aegon nodded in agreement and sighed. After more than ten years, who can still remember the appearance of an old flame? For Robert, who is fickle and promiscuous, what he still loves now is not the Lyanna Stark who "had the blood of a direwolf flowing in her bones and was full of wild beauty"; it's just the fiancée who "was stolen by someone else and he couldn't sleep with."
"Only I am allowed to sleep with everyone else's wife, but no one is allowed to sleep with mine." In this regard, Robert is a super-domineering scumbag. His fiancée, whom he waited for a long time but couldn't get his hands on, eloping with someone else, is a psychological trauma he can never forget. This has nothing to do with what Lyanna looked like, but rather the humiliation of a man's dignity—no matter how many beauties are returned to him, this wound cannot be healed.
...
"Look around you, what do you see?"
"A military camp?" The topic changed a bit quickly, and Aegon frowned. Although he knew the answer wasn't that simple, this time he really couldn't hear the deeper meaning. "Please enlighten me, Lord."
"It's not enlightenment, just some casual chat about everyday life," the old man laughed heartily. "What ordinary people see is a military camp. What I see is the largest noble matchmaking event in the history of the Seven Kingdoms. You don't have noble status, so no one is looking for you. How many people are scurrying around this camp, trying their best to market themselves or their children!"
"Marriage alliances... After all, this is the best way to form alliances and rise in status," Aegon suddenly understood. He was promoting the Night's Watch Industry in this allied army camp, while the nobles were discussing marriage alliances. Everyone was busy. As for whether this rebellion could be put down... perhaps only Robert cared. "Miss Margaery is one... Who else?"
"Well, let's not talk about some girls who want to hook up with Robert for now. Let's talk about those who are seriously planning to get married. The famous Lord Frey, you've heard of him, right?"
"The late Lord Frey, who doesn't know him," Aegon smiled knowingly. The word 'late' in the Common Tongue of Westeros, when placed before a person's name, also has meanings like 'deceased' or 'departed.' Fortunately, the one who gave the old ferret this nickname was his liege lord, the Lord of Tully, so he didn't dare to vent his anger. If it were someone else, he would have been thrown into the Green Fork to feed the fish by Walder Frey long ago.
"This nickname is indeed well-known, but remember not to mention it in front of anyone from the Frey family," Lord Buckwell kindly reminded Aegon. "This time, besides sending two thousand soldiers to help, the Frey family also sent a particularly lovely girl named Ros... what was her name?"
"Roslyn Frey?"
"Yes, you know her?" The old Lord was a bit surprised, but he didn't think too much about it. "That girl, compared to her pile of brothers, sisters, nephews, and nieces, simply doesn't look like she's from the Frey family. Her brother has taken her to visit many people, probably because he couldn't marry her to Edmure Tully, so he set his sights on Robb Stark and people from the Lannister family... Alas, you say, is it easy for a nouveau riche to get a more legitimate background? They aim high but fall short, hit walls everywhere, their noses are covered in dust. It makes me feel sad just watching."
Roslyn Frey could be considered one of the few women in the TV series who impressed Aegon. Because she was born into the ferret... no, the Frey family, she seemed quite out of place among a pile of ugly relatives, so much so that some suspected she was the product of an affair. I wonder if this girl will still be stunning in this world?
Aegon had the idea of going to see this beauty, but after thinking about it, what did her beauty or ugliness have to do with him? Old Frey has lived for such a long time and has only one beautiful daughter. He is putting all his effort into relying on her to climb into a better in-law family, not even considering ordinary Earls. Wouldn't a Night's Watchman running over wanting to see what his daughter looks like be crazy?
"Speaking of this, I have to mention the leader of the Riverlands army, Edmure Tully. He's getting on in years and still isn't married. Why? It's because of his old man... Lord Hoster, who overthrew the Targaryen Dynasty, tasted the sweetness of marriage alliances. Both daughters married well, and he absolutely refused to sell his son cheaply. The Frey family put all their effort into wanting him to marry one of their women, with a dowry so generous it could buy Riverrun, but old Lord Tully simply wouldn't agree. He insisted his son marry the daughter of a Lord... As a result, he has never found a suitable match. Now, nobles who are almost thirty and still unmarried and childless are rare in all of Westeros."
As the creator of the great alliance of the four houses of the Stag, Wolf, Fish, and Falcon, and one of the founding heroes of House Baratheon, it was quite normal for Hoster Tully to want his son to marry a woman of equal standing. But to insist on marrying a Lord's daughter... Are there any suitable candidates in Westeros right now?
In the North, Sansa and Arya of the Stark family are Edmure's nieces, so they naturally cannot be considered. In the East, Lord Arryn also married a woman from the Tully family, and even if he had a daughter, she would have the same status as Sansa and Arya. In the West, although the Iron Islands are legally one of the nine administrative regions, everyone doesn't recognize the Greyjoy family as Lords. As for the Lannister family... the only one close in age, Cersei, married Robert long ago.
It seems only the South can be considered: House Baratheon has no other significant women besides Princess Myrcella, and Cersei would never marry her precious daughter to an uncle. Arianne Martell of Dorne would be a good candidate, but unfortunately, she has already secretly entered into a marriage contract with Viserys Targaryen, who fled overseas, and is just waiting for the Dragon family to be restored so they can turn their fortunes around. The only one left, it seems, is Margaery Tyrell—who can meet Lord Tully's requirements!
"Little Rose is a suitable candidate," Aegon quickly sorted out his thoughts. "Unfortunately..."
Unfortunately, the Tyrells aim to squeeze into the core of power, and the Tullys... although they are also Lords, their influence is a bit smaller after all.
To put it bluntly, they don't look down on the Tully family.