Chapter 157: Poisoned Wine

The sudden change of events in the hall did not draw the attention of the nobles below, who were busy drinking and toasting. It seemed like a minor interlude as two guards pushed the maester back into his chair.

At this point, the maester did not struggle. His palms trembled slightly, and large beads of sweat slid down his cheeks. He seemed to already know what had happened and resignedly gave up on resisting.

"Hmm?"

Oberyn, who was sitting at the same table, noticed the scene and his eyes narrowed.

He looked at the maester with surprise, as well as the two guards who controlled him from behind.

Ellaria Sand, the paramour sitting next to Oberyn, gently poked him and covered her mouth as she leaned in close to his ear, seemingly asking him in a whisper what was going on.

However, Oberyn just shook his head, not saying much, and told her not to meddle. She just needed to watch quietly to find out.

On the other side, the red-robed priestess, Melisandre, also said nothing. She picked up her wine glass and took a sip, glancing at the maester and then at Oberyn's reaction.

Afterward, the Red Priestess looked in the direction Rhaenys and Daenerys had left, her eyes revealing a thoughtful expression.

Everyone seated at the table was part of Andalos' upper echelon. After Rhaenys and Daenerys, two young girls, left the table, the remaining individuals were all seasoned and cunning.

Sir Joffrey, who needed to recuperate, did not attend the banquet. However, those in the know understood that the old lord's health was not improving and he might be considering relinquishing power. Several noble families wanted to compete for the position of Fleet Commander.

At the moment, everyone at the main table remained silent, not speaking up for the maester who was clearly being controlled.

Even Prince Oberyn, who had a decent relationship with Maester Gunther and was considered a fellow alumnus, said nothing. The maester alone sat in his seat, wiping the cold sweat from his trembling hands and keeping his head down, not saying a word.

He knew he had been exposed and had given up on even trying to defend himself.

The maester had a sense of crisis long ago and originally intended to leave Andalos for Dragonstone. When Dragonstone fell, he planned to return directly to Westeros.

But he never expected Stannis to betray him.

Stannis wouldn't let an expendable person like the maester affect his battle plans. Even if the maester's status wasn't much different from his own, Stannis was stubborn and didn't find him useful.

Stannis had planned the surprise attack on Dragonstone for years. He had repeatedly analyzed the situation and managed to bribe a portion of the Dragonstone fleet's officers.

The Dragonstone navy had once inflicted the most humiliating defeat of his career. The newly built royal fleet had been annihilated in his hands without even fighting a battle.

As a result, the stubborn Stannis had set his sights on the Dragonstone fleet and its commander, vowing to redeem himself.

So, how could a spy hidden in Andalos affect Stannis's battle plan?

Stannis didn't even care about such a petty individual, regardless of their noble bloodline. He wouldn't let one person delay his opportunity.

Therefore,

The maester didn't have the "privilege" of knowing about the surprise attack on the royal fleet beforehand. He didn't make it to Dragonstone in time and was instead abandoned in Andalos.

Because of this, the maester had been living in fear since the day Dragonstone fell. Every time he saw Viserys, he couldn't help but feel terrified, afraid that his actions had been discovered and that he would be executed.

However, much time had passed since then, and the maester initially thought the matter was behind him.

It wasn't until recently that he noticed some seemingly non-existent guards and servants lingering around his maester's tower. He then realized that Viserys had not given up on investigating Mirri Maz Duur and the past incident of his letters being read by someone.

Now,

The maester sat in his seat, unable to speak, as the people around him remained silent. With a heavy heart, he knew that his secret had been exposed, and there was no turning back.

The situation had come to light.

The maester knew that he had been targeted by Viserys for some time, and now any attempt at explanation or defense would likely be in vain.

Deciding to maintain his last shred of dignity, he neither begged Viserys for mercy nor asked Oberyn to put in a good word for him. Instead, he sat quietly in his chair, waiting for judgment to befall him.

Not too long after,

The celebrations continued below.

A soldier carried a tray with a cup of fine wine, placing it before the maester.

"Maester Gunther, this is the fine wine His Majesty has bestowed upon you."

The crystal-clear wine rippled gently, casting beautiful colors in the exquisite glass. Yet in the maester's eyes, this cup of wine was akin to a venomous snake hissing at him.

"What?"

Witnessing this scene, Oberyn couldn't help but feel incredulous. He hadn't expected things to escalate to this point.

What exactly had happened, and what mistake had Gunther made to incite such fury from Viserys?

As Oberyn prepared to say something, Maester Gunther didn't give him the chance.

The maester, in his thirties, shakily held the cup of wine, his voice trembling.

"Thank you... Your Majesty... for the fine wine."

Without further ado, he tilted his head back and drained the cup in one gulp.

Smash—

The wine glass shattered on the floor, making a crisp sound. The luxurious glass instantly broke into pieces, scattering shards everywhere, and the noise echoed throughout the hall.

"Huh?"

"What happened?"

The music and dancing below came to an abrupt halt, and the celebrating nobles were unaware of what had transpired.

It wasn't until they saw the armed guards converging around the throne that they realized something significant had occurred.

The maester drank the poisoned wine, shattered the glass, and then sat silently in his chair, head lowered, awaiting death.

He didn't have to wait long.

The next moment,

Excruciating pain, like being stabbed by a thousand knives, emanated from his abdomen. The maester's face instantly turned a deep shade of crimson.

His eyes widened, and his body began to convulse violently. The chair he sat on made a loud noise due to his spasms.

Splash—

Soup and wine on the table splashed out.

Melisandre delicately pulled back her red robe, calmly leaving her seat. Oberyn also moved away with his mistress, distancing themselves from the convulsing maester.

And in the next second,

Spurt—

Blood gushed from the maester's orifices as he convulsed, staining his clothes crimson. And then he stopped moving altogether.