-Chapter 18-

-Chapter 18-

-POV Rhaenys Targaryen-

He extended an arm which I slid mine into, and we walked away from my cousin and my husband.

As we walked, I couldn't help but look at him because he resembled my father so much. I might not have seen him in his youth, but I remembered enough of him to see his features in Aemon.

The color of his hair and his slightly pale lilac eyes were all a reminder of my father in him, to the point that I felt as if he were one of my lost sons I had found.

"Aunt?" my nephew asked softly.

"You look a lot like my father."

"Thank you, but you didn't ask me to come here just to tell me that."

"I may be wrong, but I sensed that you were unhappy with us," I said without being too harsh but also without any embellishments.

"Not you directly," said Aemon.

"My husband?" I asked.

Aemon nodded and then said, "Did you know that your husband had spies placed in my workshops?"

I hesitated for a few seconds before nodding. Aemon's gaze hardened, and he said:

"I don't appreciate his practices, especially when he divulges what I do to other parties."

"He didn't consult me; otherwise, I would have forbidden him from doing such a thing. But whoever told you this, their goal is not to help you but to turn us against each other," I said.

"I'm not stupid, I know that."

I smiled, relieved, and then said, "I will speak to Corlys later. He will not tell anyone what he discovered on your lands, and he will remove all the spies he sent there."

Aemon nodded, and then I said, "Now, I heard that you will be getting married soon, next year if I understand correctly."

"Yes, unfortunately," he said.

I raised an eyebrow, noting the tone of his words, and placed a hand on his arm:

"You don't want to get married?"

"Yes, everyone wants to get married, but I'm not thrilled about... I shouldn't say such things."

"Don't worry, your words are well kept; no one will hear what we discuss," I said.

"My fiancée and I don't have the same tastes," said Aemon.

"Oh," I said, understanding.

"It's not a big deal. You just need to put an heir in her. Think that you are with the one you love and close your eyes; it won't last long."

---

-POV MC-

I looked at my aunt with wide eyes and then said, "I have no problem with women, aunt; it's the opposite."

To my great surprise, she burst out laughing before quickly regaining her composure, then said:

"I'm sorry, I didn't understand what you said correctly because of the way you phrased it."

I smiled and then said, "It's nothing."

"But to get back to the point, it's your fiancée who is not attracted to men in general, are you sure?"

"Almost."

"If that's the case, then I think you should separate from her."

"I'd like to, but I can't. I am the Lord of House Royce. Not to mention the honor of my House, if I do that, I could trigger unrest in the Vale. Lady Jeyne might feel offended nonetheless and might even try to take revenge by stripping me of my title and lands."

"Unless you marry a woman of high birth who could mitigate the problem."

I rolled my eyes and then said:

"I would have liked that; it's the reason for my visit to the Capital. But as you may have noticed earlier, Rhaenyra is not at all enthusiastic about an engagement between us."

Rhaenys pretended to think for a few moments, then she said, "Unless..."

"Unless what?" I asked quickly.

Rhaenys hesitated for a few moments before finally shaking her head, and she said:

"It wouldn't work."

"Aunt, if you have a way to help me avoid a life of humiliation, I beg you to help me."

"It could prove dangerous," said my aunt.

"I remind you that I have a dragon," I said, confident.

"Corlys betrothed Laena to a young heir of Braavos. His father is the current Sea Lord but won't remain so for long."

"And since the position of Sea Lord is not hereditary, he risks losing it," I concluded for her.

"Corlys thought he was making a good deal at the time, but once I met him, I immediately saw what a waste he was. If you marry my daughter in his place, even the King could say nothing. You would have the power of two dragons, and among the two is Vhagar, the largest living dragon besides the unclaimed Cannibal."

"And I imagine that if things were to go wrong, you and House Velaryon as a whole would be there to support us."

My aunt Rhaenys nodded, and then I said, letting out a long sigh:

"It's a very good idea, but it could displease the king. Uncle Viserys has always been good to me; I can't do such a thing."

"I understand. Ah, speaking of the devil, let me introduce you to my daughter," she said, calling over a beautiful young woman, the most beautiful I had seen so far, even more beautiful than Rhaenyra, who had clearly inherited the Valyrian beauty trait.

'Caught in my own trap,' I thought as I watched my future wife approach.