Chapter 151: Royal Council Meeting

Wishing to pursue victory and cross the sea to eliminate the remaining Targaryen forces was naturally King Robert's desire and something he believed to be his rightful duty. However, his idea met with resistance during the royal council meeting.

This was because His Majesty the King, who was only ever interested in spending money, never knew how much money he actually had left in his pocket, nor did he understand the extent of dissatisfaction that would arise from having to reorganize soldiers for battle immediately after the end of a war.

"Your Majesty, our treasury no longer has the funds to support a war of such a massive scale," said Jon Arryn, the Hand of the King, who was still the first to step forward and advise.

The other council members, including the Master of Coin and the Master of Laws, all kept their heads down in silence, while Stannis, the Master of Ships, stared at the clean table, lost in thought.

Varys, the spymaster, had his hands crossed in his sleeves, glanced at the silent others, lingered on Stannis for a few moments, and then withdrew his gaze.

The entire council meeting fell into a very peculiar atmosphere, with everyone else remaining silent as if they were mute.

They all knew about King Robert's temper and that once he made a decision, not even seven oxen could pull him back. Only Lord Arryn's words would be heeded by the king, while their own advice would only be met with a torrent of abuse.

But this time, it seemed that King Robert was determined, and he didn't expect the Hand of the King to stand up and spout nonsense even on a matter as unequivocally correct and unquestionable as eliminating the remaining Targaryens.

If he couldn't be sure that his foster father would never collude with the Targaryens, he would even suspect that these people had long planned to betray him.

Robert's eyes widened like bronze bells, looking as if he were about to devour someone, and then he slammed the table.

"Lord Jon Arryn!"

"Why didn't you seek a loan from the Lannisters earlier if we had no money?"

"You know that Tywin, that old man, even shits gold!"

The knight standing outside the king's bedroom, wearing a snow-white cape and shining silver armor, could hear the conversation inside clearly.

His hand rested on the hilt of his sword, his face somewhat grim, and then he took a deep breath.

However, King Robert, who was in the council meeting, didn't care whether Jaime Lannister, the Kingslayer, was standing outside the door or if he had heard that sentence.

He even made Jaime stand guard outside the door when he shared a bed with his sister, making sure he heard his sister's moans, satisfying some perverse pleasure within Robert.

The old Lord of the Vale was also infuriated by Robert's unreasonable words, slamming the table and standing up from his chair.

"Your Majesty!"

"How can Tywin Lannister, Warden of the West and Lord of Casterly Rock, be referred to so frivolously and disrespectfully!"

Jon Arryn felt as if smoke was about to come out of his nose, angered by the situation. Such words might be said in private, but how could they be uttered so recklessly during such an important event as the royal council meeting?

Especially with Tywin's son standing guard outside the door. If this news were to spread, to reach the outside world, or even the Westerlands, who knew what kind of ripple effect it would cause.

Would His Majesty the King insult the Warden of the West by saying that he even shits gold?

The great nobles of the realm were at odds, and King Robert was Tywin's son-in-law. The king's family affairs would be the subject of countless stories within Flea Bottom, causing unnecessary trouble.

Robert, seated on the Iron Throne, had spoken his mind in a moment of impulsiveness, especially when his plans to attack the Targaryen remnants were opposed. He quickly calmed down after being scolded by his foster father.

Robert was not a complete scoundrel; he knew who was a treacherous courtier and who would never betray him, always protecting him beneath their wings.

"Hmph," Robert grumbled as he sat back down on his chair, which creaked under his weight.

"Anyway... one way or another, the Targaryen remnants must be eradicated."

"Lord Jon Arryn, you must have seen the intelligence."

Robert filled his cup with wine from a jug on the table, his tone tinged with bitterness and sarcasm.

"I warned you..."

"I warned you long ago."

"That Targaryen bitch has hatched real dragons! Not a dog or a cat, but actual dragons!"

By the end of his rant, Robert's spittle was flying, and even the joy of victory at the Battle of Dragonstone had vanished.

He then drained his cup of wine.

Bam!

The cup slammed onto the table, and bloodshot eyes turned to the idle Master of Whisperers.

"Hmm?"

A muffled sound came from his nostrils.

Varys, who had been momentarily lost in thought, quickly reacted and shivered slightly before hurriedly chiming in.

"Yes, Your Grace."

"We cannot wait for the dragons to grow. We must take the initiative, or we will never be able to eliminate the Targaryen remnants once the dragons have grown."

Varys echoed the king's sentiments, and Robert nodded in satisfaction.

This was why he appreciated Varys, a former advisor to King Aerys II and one of the few still serving the Baratheon dynasty.

"Your Grace, actually... actually... dragons alone can't do much."

Jon Arryn felt a headache coming on, seemingly wanting to argue, but he found his voice faltering.

Even he couldn't muster the conviction to say such words, feeling like a traitor as he spoke.

He had seen the latest intelligence report. Daenerys Targaryen, the sister of the now-crowned Viserys and the last child of Aerys II, had emerged from a sudden fire with three young dragons in her arms.

This spelled trouble.

Though it was hard to believe, as dragons had been gone for so long and he hadn't seen them with his own eyes, Jon Arryn couldn't question the report's insistence on the existence of dragons.

While dragons weren't the sole factor in determining the outcome of a war, their presence could be overwhelming if the sides were evenly matched.

"Yes, dragons alone can't do much," Robert sneered sarcastically before bellowing, "But have you considered that Viserys has a bloody army of tens of thousands?!"