The door closed gently, cutting off the departing figures of Corleone and Yigo.
Tyrion did not speak. His small body sank deep into the large chair, his eyes locked on the closed door as if trying to penetrate the wood.
A trace of contemplation and vague unease appeared in his mismatched eyes.
He had undoubtedly won that confrontation just now.
He had beautifully saved a large expenditure for the Iron Throne, or rather for his current difficult situation.
This should have been a victory worth celebrating with a few cups of good wine.
But...
Remembering Corleone's calm, deep eyes before he left, and especially that certain tone of holding the winning ticket, made him feel very jarred.
That didn't sound like the powerless harsh words of a loser at all, but more like a signal of formal war declaration.
That posture of inevitable victory actually reminded him of his father again.
"That kid doesn't seem to be talking big."
Even Bronn beside him put away his cynical smile and walked to Tyrion's huge desk. "I've seen many people talk tough, but eyes can't lie. I dare say, this guy is either a lunatic, or..."
Saying this, he picked up a bright red apple from the fruit bowl, wiped it on the expensive tablecloth, took a big bite with a crunch, and suggested half-jokingly, "Just in case, I can help you solve him in advance. Three hundred gold dragons, a very reasonable price, guaranteed clean."
Hearing this, Tyrion tapped his knee lightly with his finger, seeming to consider the feasibility of this matter.
Bronn's proposal was very direct, but also the most effective way to deal with trouble.
"He is Jaime's friend."
After thinking for a long time, Tyrion spoke slowly.
He couldn't order the killing of Jaime's savior just because of a few meaningful words from the other party. This didn't conform to political wisdom, not to mention that if Jaime found out afterward, that guy would definitely go crazy.
Most importantly, who could guarantee that Bronn would definitely be able to kill Corleone?
Just the Dothraki beside him looked difficult to deal with, and the other party had now taken over Flea Bottom, which wasn't exactly a peaceful place.
"Send a few smart, unfamiliar faces to Flea Bottom."
Tyrion's tone returned to calm as he instructed Bronn, "Check carefully for me what exactly this Vito Corleone is doing."
"Watch him. I want to know what he eats every day, who he meets, what he says, and even how many times he shits. Everything must be crystal clear!"
The order was given very clearly, but Bronn still stood there without moving.
He just looked at Tyrion with a playful expression and took another bite of the apple.
Seeing him like this, Tyrion rolled his eyes helplessly, reached into his tunic, fumbled for a moment, took out a shiny gold dragon, and tossed it over.
The gold traced a beautiful arc in the air and fell precisely into Bronn's arms.
He weighed it before pocketing it, then grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth again.
"Seriously, Bronn."
This undisguised greed made Tyrion sigh with complex emotion, "Sometimes I really don't know if keeping you as a guard is a wise decision or not."
"It is definitely wise, my dear Lord Tyrion."
Bronn walked to the door, put his hand on the handle, and looked back at Tyrion. "After all, between a 'noble' knight who might stab you in the back at any time and a bastard who clearly marks his price and only recognizes gold, which do you think is more reliable?"
Hearing this, Tyrion couldn't help shaking his head and chuckling.
Rough words, but reasonable.
Having been in King's Landing for so long, he was long accustomed to this environment of intrigue and lies.
Everyone wore a mask, speaking of honor and loyalty, but only they knew what they were thinking in their hearts.
However, Bronn's naked principle of money supremacy sometimes made people feel more at ease.
You knew what he wanted, and how to drive him to do or not do something.
"Remember." Seeing him push the door to leave, Tyrion hurriedly shouted at Bronn's back, "No matter when, if someone pays to take my life, I will pay double!"
---
The corridors of the Red Keep were wide but appeared a bit gloomy and damp, especially in autumn.
Corleone walked in front, while Yigo followed half a step behind him huffing, anger written all over his face.
Even carrying a bag full of a thousand gold dragons, he couldn't be happy at all. Instead, he wanted to throw it on the ground and stomp on it a few times.
Perhaps having been with Corleone for a long time, this rough and savage Dothraki man had also learned what "shame" was.
Just then, a familiar voice suddenly came from the corner ahead.
"I suggest you'd better walk slower, Lady Lollys. Too much movement will hurt the baby."
Corleone looked up and saw Jaime Lannister in white armor walking towards him, his cloak swaying gently with his steps.
Behind him followed a woman with a bloated figure and a highly protruding abdomen.
Although she was wearing a long dress made of gorgeous fabric, her eyes were unfocused, and she was giggling foolishly. She was tilting her head, curiously reaching out to touch the swaying shadows cast by the torches on the wall, as if trying to catch them.
Beside her, a maid dressed in revealing clothes followed closely. Her face was full of disgust, and she had absolutely no intention of supporting the lady.
"Hey, Jaime!"
Hearing the call, Jaime, whose face was originally a bit ugly, looked up and immediately smiled brilliantly. "Corleone!"
excited, he immediately forgot the two people behind him and strode to Corleone. "It's so good to see you. I heard from Addam that you just dealt with that mess in Flea Bottom. I thought you would be busy for a long time."
"There are indeed many things, but it's manageable." Hearing this, Corleone also chuckled. "But speaking of which, I haven't seen Lady Brienne for a long time. Didn't she come back to the Red Keep with you?"
Mentioning Brienne, Jaime's face darkened again, and his tone became a bit complicated.
"She... she was temporarily locked up because Ser Loras Tyrell insisted on personally interrogating her about the truth of the night Renly Baratheon was murdered."
"He always believes that Brienne is hiding something."
"They were both Renly Baratheon's Rainbow Guard. When he died, it is said that only Brienne was by his side..."
"I understand."
Hearing this, Corleone nodded thoughtfully.
After all, in the eyes of outsiders, Renly's death was indeed full of doubts. Who would believe that a shadow could kill people?
Not to mention, Renly was Ser Loras's...
"Don't worry, Ser Loras Tyrell is an upright person. He will make a fair judgment."
Corleone couldn't intervene in this matter easily, but fortunately, he knew very well that Loras would eventually believe that Brienne did not commit regicide, so he comforted Jaime.
Hearing this, Jaime also nodded helplessly. "I hope so."
Since returning to King's Landing, everything seemed not to go smoothly for him.
Father wanted him to take off the white armor and return to Casterly Rock to inherit the family business. Cersei refused to let him touch her no matter what. It was said that cousin Lancel had been quite close to her during this time.
The King... better not mention him.
Looking around, it seemed that only when he was with Corleone were Jaime's happiest days.
"Heh~~~ yo~~~~ White-clothed Ser..."
At this time, the big-bellied woman behind him trotted all the way to Jaime, panting, "You run~~~~ ha... really fast enough. Lollys can't catch up with the baggage."
As she spoke, she thumped her stomach with her fist, but hurt herself, covering her stomach and squatting down again.
"This is..." Corleone asked.
Seeing her series of actions, Jaime rolled his eyes speechlessly and introduced her to Corleone, "She is Lady Lollys Stokeworth."
"Lady?"
Corleone frowned, his gaze lingering on her protruding abdomen for a moment.
In Westerosi custom, only unmarried noble women could be called "Lady" (Miss), while married ones should be called "Lady" (Mrs/Madam).
Jaime saw his doubt and spread his hands indifferently. "Not long ago, in that riot in King's Landing, she was unfortunately involved and raped by a group of mobs. But fortunately, she didn't lose her life, and even got an extra life as a bonus."
"She recuperated in the Red Keep for a while. Until Father arrived and thought this was ultimately detrimental to the Royal Family's dignity, so the King sent me to take her back to Stokeworth Castle, to her mother."
He spoke very loudly, without lowering the volume at all, seeming not to care about the other party's face.
However, Corleone stepped closer and whispered, "You say this right in front of her?"
Hearing this, Jaime pulled out a slightly sarcastic smile, pointing to Lollys who had plucked a somewhat withered wildflower from the roadside and was sniffing it vigorously.
"As you can see, she's... not quite bright up here."
Saying this, he pointed to his own head. "The septons say it's the punishment of the gods, and the maesters believe it's an infection of some terrible disease."
"But anyway, she's a poor person."
"She can't understand our conversation and lives completely in her own world. But I think this might be better for her."
Getting Jaime's explanation, Corleone nodded thoughtfully.
His gaze inadvertently swept over the maid who had been standing quietly behind Lollys.
She seemed submissive, but between her brows, she always revealed impatience, even disgust, towards Lollys. With the assistance of [Insight Lv. 2], Corleone saw it clearly.
Something is wrong.
The corner of Corleone's mouth rose slightly. A maid, even serving a mentally challenged person, usually wouldn't dare to show such an expression to her master.
Thinking of this, his heart moved, and he had a bold guess.
taking the initiative to step forward, Corleone ignored Lollys. Instead, he came to the maid and showed her a gentle and charming smile.
"Forgive my presumption, beautiful lady."
"May I ask your name..."
The maid, who was originally daydreaming, seemed not to expect this extraordinary stranger "noble" to suddenly strike up a conversation with her.
She hurriedly looked up, lifted her skirt to curtsy, and answered in a low voice, "My name is Shae, my Lord."