"Ser Lynn!"
Joffrey saw Lynn and immediately stood up.
A smile was on his face.
He could be said to hold both respect and fear for Lynn now.
Lynn not only showed him what "King's life" truly was like.
He also silently brought down Petyr Baelish in that storm.
In Joffrey's eyes, Lynn was simply omnipotent.
"It seems Your Highness is in a good mood today."
Lynn smiled and nodded, his gaze subtly sweeping over Liana beside him.
Liana immediately understood, gave Lynn an almost imperceptible bow, and then stood obediently to the side.
"Of course!"
Joffrey proudly puffed out his chest.
"My sworn sword, The Hound, he killed The Mountain!"
"Now all of King's Landing is praising my might!"
"Oh? Is that so?"
A strange smile played on Lynn's lips.
"Then Your Highness must richly reward your brave warrior."
"Naturally!"
Joffrey waved his hand grandly.
"I've already decided, once he recovers, I'll make him Captain of the Kingsguard!"
The image of Jaime Lannister suddenly flashed before Joffrey's eyes, and he quickly corrected himself.
"No! I'll have my father knight him as an honorary knight!"
Joffrey was already fantasizing about the scene of himself, accompanied by a "knight" sworn sword who had killed The Mountain, swaggering before Sansa Stark.
"I'm afraid... this beautiful Miss Liana won't agree, will she?"
Lynn changed the subject, looking at Liana beside him.
Liana froze for a moment, instantly understanding Lynn's meaning.
Joffrey also followed Lynn's gaze to Liana.
A hint of confusion was on his face.
"Liana, what's wrong?"
Liana's face was slowly losing its color.
A hint of terror appeared in her beautiful blue eyes.
Her body began to tremble slightly, and she instinctively hid behind Joffrey.
"I... I..."
Liana's voice was tearful, stammering?
"Pr-Prince Your Highness..."
"That Hound... his... his face..."
Liana seemed to recall something extremely terrifying, and tears instantly welled up.
"I heard... his face... was burned by his brother in a brazier... he killed his brother..."
"He... he's a monster... a monster who even killed his own brother..."
"That half of his face, it's like... like a demon from hell..."
Liana's performance was perfect.
That genuine fear and disgust were flawless to anyone.
Joffrey's brow instantly furrowed.
The slight pride and excitement that had just risen in him vanished instantly before Liana's tears.
He hated to see Liana cry.
"Don't be afraid, Liana, I'm here."
Joffrey quickly pulled her into his arms, clumsily comforting her.
"But... Prince Your Highness, when I think of having to stay in the same castle as such a monster in the future, I just... I get so scared I can't sleep..."
Liana buried her face in Joffrey's chest, crying like a pear blossom bathed in rain.
"That face of his will give me nightmares..."
Joffrey's face completely darkened.
He held the trembling girl in his arms, and then thought of Sandor's hideous face.
A strong sense of disgust welled up from his heart.
Yes, Sandor was a monster.
An ugly monster who had also killed his own brother.
Why should he keep such a monster by his side?
He would only scare his beloved Liana!
And if he dared to kill his brother today, would he kill him tomorrow?
He was just a sworn sword!
Without Sandor, he could have others!
But there was only one Liana in the whole world!
"Alright, don't cry anymore."
Joffrey patted Liana's back, his voice carrying an undeniable resolve.
"I promise you, you will never see him again."
With that, Joffrey abruptly pushed open the door and strode out.
He didn't even greet Lynn.
He only had one thought now.
That was to make that ugly Sandor Clegane disappear from his sight immediately!
Forever!
Lynn watched Joffrey's angry retreating figure, then looked at Liana, who was still sobbing but had a hint of triumph in her eyes, and smiled with satisfaction.
This chess piece was even more useful than he had imagined.
At this moment.
Sandor was preparing to return to the maester's tower.
He limped down the corridor of the The Red Keep, sketching out his future plans in his mind.
He was no longer anyone's dog.
He was now Lord Lynn's warrior.
He would heal his wounds, and then use the sword in his hand to clear all obstacles for Lord Lynn!
Just then, he ran into an enraged Joffrey.
"Prince Your Highness."
Sandor instinctively bowed.
Joffrey didn't even look at him, walking straight past him.
The disgust and disdain in his eyes were undisguised.
Sandor froze.
Before he could react, Joffrey's sharp, biting voice came.
"Sandor Clegane."
"From now on, you are no longer my sworn sword, and I do not wish to see your disgusting face in the The Red Keep again."
"Get out of King's Landing, and never come back!"
Sandor's body suddenly stiffened in place.
Get out of King's Landing?
Just because of his face?
Sandor slowly turned around, looking at Joffrey's face, which was filled with cruelty and indifference.
A feeling of extreme absurdity welled up in his heart.
He had just risked his life in the dueling arena, barely surviving.
In the blink of an eye, he was being discarded like trash by this little bastard he had sworn to protect, simply because he was ugly.
How ridiculous!
How ironic!
He had done so many unspeakable things for him!
Only to end up being abandoned?
This was truly hilarious!
Sandor looked at Joffrey, an unprecedented calm in his gray eyes.
It was a calm that saw through everything and let go of everything.
He bared his teeth at Joffrey, revealing a smile uglier than a cry.
Then he turned around, dragging his injured leg, limping, and walked out of the The Red Keep without looking back.
From this moment on, he had no further ties with the Lannister or even the Baratheon!
He was free.
He could now fulfill his promise and pledge allegiance to Lord Lynn.
And not to this despicable little dog bastard!
Damn it all.
Here, after Joffrey left.
Lynn walked over to Liana.
The girl still maintained that tear-streaked, pitiful appearance.
"Well acted."
Lynn commented indifferently.
The sadness on Liana's face instantly faded.
She straightened up, her face returning to its usual calm and capable expression.
Only a tear that she hadn't had time to wipe away still hung in the corner of her eye, adding a touch of eerie charm.
"You flatter me, my Lord."
"Sandor is a useful man, and I don't want him to be ruined by Joffrey's foolishness."
Lynn explained.
"He is free now and can do more valuable things for me."
Liana understood.
"Go, your next task is to comfort your volatile Prince Your Highness."
Lynn waved his hand.
"Remember, keep him hating Sansa, keep him infatuated with you, make him feel that you are the only one in this world who understands and worships him."
"Your existence is the most crucial link in my plan, don't disappoint me."
"Yes, my Lord."
Liana bowed.
Then she turned, her face instantly switching back to that fragile, helpless expression, and took small steps to follow the direction Joffrey had left.
Lynn stood alone in the room for a while, then turned and walked to the other side of the Tower of the Hand.
This was Sansa's room.
The door was ajar, and the light inside was dim.
Lynn pushed the door open.
Sansa was not lying on the bed; she was curled up in an armchair by the window.
She was wrapped in a thick blanket, as if in the coldest winter night of Winterfell.
She didn't turn around, just stared blankly out the window.
Her beautiful blue eyes had lost all their luster, like two pools of stagnant water.
Lynn didn't speak, walking straight to Sansa's side.
As Lynn approached, Sansa's blanket-wrapped body suddenly trembled, like a startled deer.
"Lord Lynn..."
Seeing Lynn, a glimmer of light flashed in Sansa's eyes.
"Will I... will I be like him?"
Sansa finally asked the question that had been haunting her, making her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cave.
"Petyr Baelish..."
"He was the master of coin... the King just killed him... like... like chopping meat filling..."
Sansa finally couldn't hold back.
She buried her face deep in the blanket, and muffled sobs came from within.
"Will I... will I also be... chopped into mincemeat like that?"
Lynn took a sip of water, calmly looking at her.
"No."
His answer was simple and direct.
Sansa lifted her head from the blanket, her tear-streaked face filled with disbelief.
"Why?"
"Because he was stupid, and you are not."
Lynn walked in front of her, looking down at her.
"At least, under my guidance, you won't be that stupid."
Sansa froze.
"Baelish's death was not due to the King's madness."
Lynn's voice was exceptionally clear in the dim room.
"Or rather, not entirely."
"He made three fatal mistakes."
"First, he overestimated his control over the chess game."
"He thought he could instigate a conflict between the Lannister and me, and then reap the benefits."
"Even seven days ago, when the truth came out, even if he had lost the duel yesterday, he still had a chance to live."
"But he didn't account for the King, this chess piece, having already gone mad."
"A madman does not play by the rules."
"Second, he overestimated his allies."
"He placed his hope in Lysa Arryn, in the arrogance of the Knights of the Vale."
"He thought the threat of the Vale would be his shield, but it turned out to be the final straw that ignited the King's wrath."
"He thought he was playing chess, but in reality, he was just a self-proclaimed clever, misplaced chess piece from beginning to end."
"Third."
Lynn paused, then suddenly smiled at Sansa.
"He shouldn't have made an enemy of me."
"I have ten thousand ways to make him disappear completely from this world. One could only say he picked the wrong person to bother."
Sansa listened blankly, her fear gradually replaced by a sense of bewilderment.
So... that's how it was?
That brutal killing, which had given her nightmares, was actually behind such cruel calculations?
"What about you?"
Sansa asked instinctively.
"Are you a chess player?"
"Am I your... chess piece?"
Lynn smiled.
"Of course."
Lynn admitted it openly.
"In this game of power, you are either a chess player or a chess piece."
"There is no third option."
Lynn knelt down, his gaze level with Sansa, who was curled up in the chair.
"But chess pieces are not all the same."
"Baelish was my enemy, an obstacle I had to remove."
"So he died, and he had to die."
"And you, Sansa."
"You are my ally."
Lynn's gaze was clear and honest, carrying a compelling persuasiveness.
"I need you, I need your surname, I need your status, and I need you to sit in the master of coin's position, so you can control the kingdom's purse strings for me."
"Therefore, I will not let you die."
"Not only will I not let you die, I will also protect you, teach you, and make you the most important and irreplaceable piece on this chessboard."
Sansa's heart began to beat wildly, uncontrollably.
She looked into Lynn's eyes; there was no sympathy, no pity, only rationality.
But it was precisely this rationality and honesty that made her feel a sense of security she had never experienced before.
Lynn was right.
In King's Landing, tears and kindness were useless; only value mattered.
Only your irreplaceable value to others was your sole reliance for survival.
But Sansa felt more than just this for Lynn; the most crucial point was that she was willing to sacrifice for Lynn.
"But... I'm scared."
Sansa's voice still trembled.
"I saw that blood... saw the King's appearance... I'm afraid I can't do it..."
"I understand."
Lynn stood up, resuming his condescending posture.
"So, I'll give you a choice."
Sansa looked up.
"You've seen the true face of King's Landing."
"Bloody, mad, utterly unreasonable."
"What we are about to do is a hundred times more dangerous than Baelish's gamble."
"Every wrong step could lead to eternal damnation."
"Your family, your honor, even your surname, could be erased forever after a misstep."
"Thousands of years from now, no one will remember the Stark, nor the ancient glory the Stark brought."
Lynn's voice was calm and unruffled, yet it carried a heavy weight.
"If you are scared, it's not too late to withdraw now."
"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Sansa."
"I won't blame you, because you are just a little girl, and you shouldn't have to bear all this."
"I will arrange for you, your father, and Arya to return to Winterfell."
"I will find a way to explain to the King."
"Back in the North, you will still be the Lady of Winterfell."
"There you have your loving family, a warm hearth, and your favorite lemon cakes."
"There are no King's executioners, and no man-eating conspiracies."
"Even when I complete my grand plan, I can crown the Stark with glory."
"And you, you just need to wait."
Sansa's breathing hitched at this moment.
Return to Winterfell?
Sansa remembered the tall walls of Winterfell, her mother's warm embrace, Robb's hearty laughter, Bran and Rickon playing around her... She could even visit Jon Snow, a member of the Nights Watch, at The Wall anytime.
The North, that was her home, her safe haven.
If she went back, she would never have to see these terrible things again.
And she would never have to live in fear again... Sansa's eyes welled up once more.
But... she also remembered her father's back, kneeling in a pool of blood.
She remembered the gleeful looks in the nobles' eyes when Joffrey publicly humiliated her.
She remembered being treated as an object, casually betrothed, and then casually discarded.
If she went back, she would once again become the Sansa Stark who understood nothing and could only be manipulated by others.
Her best outcome would be to find a way to marry Lynn, raise children, and slowly grow old.
Her entire life would be lived according to others' arrangements.
She would never be able to clear her father's humiliation today, never be able to make those who had laughed at her and scorned her pay the price.
Even when Robert's butcher's knife reached the North, she would be powerless.
Because she was just an insignificant person.
No.
She didn't want to live that life anymore.
Though King's Landing was hell.
But here, for the first time, she felt what it was like to hold her destiny in her own hands!
She used the production of soap to continuously earn gold dragons for Lynn.
She successfully got rid of Joffrey with her "performance."
She exchanged a perfect performance for the King's "compensation."
She liked this feeling.
She didn't want to give up.
Most importantly, Lynn needed her now.
Lynn had taught her that women should also pursue their own value, awakening her mind, and she absolutely could not leave Lynn alone in the man-eating King's Landing.
They should stand together.
She was willing to give everything for Lynn!
Sansa slowly reached out from under the blanket, gripping Lynn's warm hand, her gaze refocused, and she stared blankly at Lynn.
In Sansa's tear-washed blue eyes, fear and cowardice were fading.
"I'm not leaving."
Sansa said.
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