Chapter 442: Secret Talks in the Red Keep

That night.

Not long after Jaime Lannister left the dungeons of the City Watch.

Rumble—

The sound of the carriage wheels crushing the cobblestones echoed in the night. A drizzle had fallen, the raindrops pattering on the roof of the carriage. The rainwater on the ground gathered into small streams, flowing into the deepest parts of the alleyways.

A carriage, shrouded in black cloth, stopped in front of the dungeon's main gate. It picked up Tyrion, who was supposed to be temporarily detained here under Jaime's orders, and then disappeared into the bustling streets of King's Landing.

"I've wondered who in King's Landing might be serving the Targaryen family."

Tyrion sat in the carriage, appearing calm. Everything that was happening was under his control. However, the person sitting across from him in the carriage was somewhat unexpected.

"But I never thought it would be you."

Tyrion's wine glass never left his hand, but this time he didn't drink. His gaze was somewhat complex.

The person sitting in front of him was none other than the King's Master of Whisperers, 'the Spider' Varys.

This rotund, bald eunuch, with a hint of rouge about him, was dressed in brightly colored fine silk and soft shoes.

However, these were not for his personal aesthetic or preferences, but to hide his scent, the sound of his footsteps, and to allow him to assume a different identity without immediate recognition.

"The spider has eight legs, my lord."

Upon hearing Tyrion's words, Varys, sitting across from him in the carriage, slowly opened his eyes and spoke calmly.

He merely hinted at something, without explaining in detail.

"According to the information I've received, this city is on the brink of disaster."

"Viserys's army has surrounded Riverrun. If our king, or your father, or Stannis, or even the Duke of Winterfell could suddenly perform heroically, defeating the dragon, the Dothraki... oh, and the giants, perhaps our kingdom could be saved."

Varys spoke in a quiet voice.

He received the information earlier than the high-ranking nobles of King's Landing. In fact, much of that information was deliberately released by him. According to the information Varys received, Viserys had already surrounded Riverrun, but subsequent information had not yet come back.

"I never thought a eunuch would worry about the country and its people."

Tyrion scoffed, his voice tinged with sarcasm. He wasn't in a good mood, pulling back a bit of the curtain to look at the rainy scenery outside.

At this moment, the streets of King's Landing were pitch black, with only the sound of the raindrops.

The most prosperous city in the Seven Kingdoms was under curfew due to the war. There were gold cloaks patrolling the streets, but they all turned a blind eye to this carriage.

"Dwarves can ponder national affairs, so naturally eunuchs can too."

Hearing Tyrion's harsh words, Varys calmly retorted.

Both of them, one a eunuch and the other a dwarf, had no right to look down on each other.

"Actually, I'm not serving the Targaryen family. Viserys probably doesn't even know my name."

"I'm doing this for myself."

Varys had little contact with Viserys, and he believed that Viserys probably hadn't heard of his humble name.

Before meeting Varys, Tyrion indeed hadn't heard from Rhaenys that there was a mole for the Targaryen family in King's Landing. He looked at Varys somewhat curiously, not understanding why he would do this.

Not for profit, but to be a... good person?

However, he knew better than to easily believe a eunuch's words, so Tyrion squinted his eyes slightly.

Varys seemed to know that Tyrion didn't believe him, and then he spoke in a quiet voice.

"War is coming, and I don't know how many people in this city will die. The dragon's fire will burn King's Landing, just as the 'Mad King' wanted to blow up King's Landing with wildfire years ago."

Varys looked at Tyrion.

"I just want more people to survive."

Rumble—

Then the carriage entered the Red Keep. The guards of the Red Keep silently made way.

It turned out that the real dignitary who wanted to see Tyrion tonight was none other than the current queen who held the reins of government, Tyrion's own sister, Cersei Lannister.

And the queen's other brother, Jaime Lannister, who was now the commander of the city's defenses, was braving the drizzle to inspect the city walls.

Cersei and Tyrion's secret meeting place was in Maegor's Holdfast, in Cersei's bedroom. Besides Cersei's personal maid, there was no one else here, not even the Kingsguard.

Led by the maid, Tyrion hurriedly entered the main door, and then saw the queen, dressed in a pale yellow gown, sitting quietly behind the dining table.

At this moment, the dining table was filled with food and red wine. There was a little residue in Cersei's cup. It seemed that before Tyrion's arrival, Cersei had been drinking alone for a while.

"Cersei."

Tyrion looked at the beautiful blonde queen and then paused to greet her.

The maid who had led him here bowed slightly and then left the room, gently closing the door.

"I didn't want to see you at all, you know?"

"Tyrion."

Cersei sat at the end of the dining table, slightly raising her delicate chin, looking at her dwarf brother in front of her. There was no trace of familial affection in her eyes, only indifference and even a bit of hatred.

"But when father said you were dead, Jaime dug a grave for you in the godswood with his own sword, and I shed a few tears for you in Maegor's Holdfast."

Tyrion was silent for a moment after hearing his sister's words. He looked into Cersei's eyes. He believed that she had no reason to lie about this.

So after a long silence, he shrugged.

"So... it seems I should be grateful for the few tears you shed for me?"

He could feel the complex emotions in her at the moment, forcibly maintaining the surface glamour. She was the noble queen of the Seven Kingdoms, but the panic in her eyes could no longer be hidden, not even as well as a seven-year-old boy. That's why she was so eager to find Tyrion.

However, Cersei merely scoffed lightly on the surface, then went straight to the point.

"I heard from Jaime that you've now pledged allegiance to the Targaryen family, are you Rhaenys's envoy?"

Tyrion nodded slightly in admission when he heard Cersei's words.

"Yes, Princess Rhaenys has appointed me to persuade the city to surrender."

He didn't mention that he had promised to deliver King's Landing to Rhaenys with his own head.

"Hmph—"

Upon hearing Tyrion's words, a sarcastic smile appeared on Cersei's beautiful face.

"So you're already 'Princess

Rhaenys' now..."

"You really are the kind of person who would do something like this, Tyrion."

Cersei, holding her wine glass, stood up from her chair and walked to the balcony. The light rain outside was still falling, the night of King's Landing was deep, and the candlelight illuminated the woman's white neck, reflecting a soft glow.

Then the beautiful blonde queen drained the red wine in her cup, placed the wine glass on the balcony, turned around and said,

"Since that's the case, I won't beat around the bush."

"Tyrion."

"If I'm willing to surrender the city and deliver King's Landing intact, what terms would Viserys offer me?"