When Gregor and Jenny appeared together in the stands that morning, everyone except Tywin Lannister, who remained unmoved, felt a slight stirring in their hearts.
Gregor and Jenny's engagement was a marriage that no one believed in.
The fact that the woman was both talented and beautiful destined it to be a twisted tragedy.
This was also an unexpected arranged marriage. Before this, no one in the entire Westerlands could have imagined that Tywin would marry his adopted daughter, Jenny, who was both talented and beautiful, to the Mountain.
However, just the morning after their engagement, Gregor and Jenny appeared together in the stands of the Great Field to watch the Lannister cavalry's morning training session.
Furthermore, Jenny's height was not much different from Gregor's, because Gregor had placed a stool at her feet, and the long, trailing skirt of her dress perfectly concealed the stool, making her appear as a 'long-legged beauty'.
Jenny cradled a snow-white Reese's cat in her arms, her face full of affection. Undoubtedly, the cat had sobered up.
Benlont Bron, the instructor who was on horseback directing the cavalry's morning training, twisted his face as he saw the cat in Jenny's arms. The cat had been his wife's favorite, but now it had become Gregor's 'little candy' to please Jenny.
This made Benlont Bloom very uncomfortable.
But even Benlont Bronn, the swordsmanship instructor, had no way to deal with his student.
A polite person is less able to deal with an impolite one; only the rude are the nemesis of the impolite. But Benlont was a knight who valued honor. His sword spoke louder than his words.
Adu Saloth was not among the crowd watching the cavalry's morning lesson. His personal tutor had spent the entire night awake, for Adu Saloth's mouth, where his knocked-out tooth had been, was burning hot, affecting half of his body. Even poppy milk, which the tutor had given him, could not put him to sleep.
Losing a few teeth is not a big deal, but Adoo Saloort's trauma is psychological.
Ever since Seventh Brother kidnapped Julie Clegane and raped her on the mountain, the Sharlough family's nightmare seemed to have begun. In every clash with the Mountain, Ador found they suffered crushing defeats. He wondered how his father would handle the feud with the Mountain if he were home.
It wasn't until dawn that Ado, whose mood was at its lowest, finally fell asleep.
In the Great Parade Ground, Gregor and Jenny's intimacy intentionally or unintentionally provoked everyone's attention, and Jenny and Gregor unintentionally became the focus of the entire scene.
The Earl of Gavin found it equally unbelievable.
He knew nothing of what had happened in the watchtower last night.
He had not heard a word about the incident in which Adu and several teenagers were "punished for their words".
After all, it was just a trivial matter for Gregor.
The only one who was more wary of Gregor was Earl Kevon Lannister.
He never imagined that The Mountain and Jenny could grow close to each other so quickly. The Mountain, needless to say, was a wolf-dog, but Jenny was a lady carefully raised in a truly ancient and noble family; she couldn't possibly accept The Mountain so easily.
It happened so fast, it was like love at first sight!
The Earl of Gavin was filled with the most complex emotions. Seeing his carefully nurtured, beautiful and talented eldest daughter standing helplessly beside a wolf, he was deeply worried. A wolf and a beautiful woman was not the marriage he desired.
Someone nudged Lord Gavin with their elbow, and Lord Gavin turned around to see Sir Alvis with a humble smile.
"Earl, let's go back together today," Sir Alvis said in a fawning tone.
This surprised Earl Gavin slightly, as he was taken aback by the sudden display of humility from the other party.
"Alright, since we all live in the north, it would be best if we traveled together," Earl Gavin replied politely.
"Earl, when we return, I will send someone to deliver the land deeds you mortgaged to your residence. You can pay whatever you want to redeem them." Alvis's sincere tone clearly indicated that he was afraid Earl Gavin would disagree.
This is very unusual. Even if Duke Tywin adopted Jenny as his daughter, it did not make the Westerling family so powerful that Viscount Alvis was so afraid of them.
"…Uh…Alright…" Even in his daze, Earl Gavin knew this was an incredible bargain. Whatever he wanted, he would get back the mortgaged land for free, without having to pay the debts incurred at the time of the mortgage.
This gift is far more valuable than the gifts given at the 'adoption ceremony' and 'engagement ceremony'. After all, land is the foundation upon which a family can be passed down through generations.
Sir Alvis breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly thanked Earl Gavin and, as he was leaving, said with a smile, "Earl Gavin, please give my regards to Sir Gregor. Hehe, my child is still young and may he offend me if he does anything wrong."
"…Uh…okay…" Count Gavin was confused, but agreeing was the least he could do out of politeness.
A short while later, Sir Angus came over.
"Earl Gavin, let's go together after breakfast." Sir Angus said in a relaxed tone with a smile.
"Alright, we all live in the north, not far apart, it would be best if we traveled together," Earl Gavin replied politely.
"Earl, when we return, I will send someone to deliver the land deeds you mortgaged to your residence. The money for redeeming the land deeds does not need to be repaid; consider it my early blessing for Jenny and Sir Gregor's wedding in a month." Angus spoke generously, but his voice was lowered.
Earl Gavin's heart skipped a beat; the incident with Sir Alvis had given him valuable experience.
"That won't do," Earl Gavin said. "When I get back, I will give you the principal and interest at the agreed rate, not a single copper star less."
Sir Angus's smile froze, then his tone became pleading: "Earl Gavin, we're old neighbors (actually quite far apart), so let's not be so formal. I'll return the mortgaged land deeds to you. But those plots of land you sold me before, I hope you can speak to Sir Gregor, and if he really wants them back, I shouldn't lose too much."
Gavin mortgaged his land and received a pittance in emergency funds. Poverty makes people lose their will, and Sir Angus had gotten a huge advantage.
Earl Gavin's heart skipped a beat upon hearing Angus's words. He glanced across the parade ground at the Mountain, watching the cavalry's morning lessons with his daughter, and a strange sense of melancholy washed over him. His usual timidity, born of poverty, suddenly surged with a fierce determination: "Sir Angus, I will certainly convey your words to Sir Gregor. When I sold you the land, I was practically giving away a bargain; you and I both know I suffered a great loss. Alas, I am ashamed now. Thanks to my son's influence, my family's fortunes have improved slightly, and I will definitely reclaim those few plots of land. After all, they are the foundation passed down from our ancestors. This is also Sir Gregor's intention. We are all vassals of Duke Tywin, so we should discuss things amicably and try to avoid conflict."
These words, a mix of warning, provocation, and threat, gradually gave off the vibe of the "Mountain Gang." They were trying to avoid conflict, but it was clearly a case of "if things get tense, we'll fight!"
Earl Gavin glanced at Sir Angus, whose previous arrogance had vanished: "Yes, yes, yes, Your Excellency is right. We are all vassals of Duke Tywin, so we can discuss things and avoid conflict."
Not long after Sir Angus left, Sir Bancrown slowly approached: "Earl, let's go back together after breakfast."
"Oh, I'm afraid that won't work. I have some things to attend to and I'm afraid I can't return with Sir Gregor. Sir Gregor has some matters to discuss with me, and I'm not sure when I can leave yet. I'm so sorry."
After the Earl politely apologized, he didn't give Sir Bancroft a chance to speak again: "Oh, I have something I haven't told Sir Gregor yet. Excuse me, I must go to the other side of the training ground."
Lord Gavin withdrew, leaving Sir Bancroft, who had prepared a whole speech, behind.
Gregor's alarm bells,'sounded' by Sweet-Talking Ralph, Executioner Dunsen, and die-hard fan Pollifer, echoed back with unprecedented speed.
Gregg himself severely underestimated his 'celebrity' effect. After all, no college STEM student has ever been a celebrity.
Looking up at the handsome man and beautiful woman opposite him, Earl Gavin suddenly felt that Sir Gregor had not only become more pleasing to the eye, but also somewhat approachable.
Thank you for the small gift from Mo Xinhan; it brought me joy.