Chapter 616: The Strife of the Court

Yalene's forthright words slightly altered the color on Rhaenys' face.

"Cousin, you..."

In fact, since childhood, Viserys and Rhaenys had relied on each other, and together they nurtured a younger sister. It would be a lie to say there wasn't a deep bond between them.

Rhaenys admired Viserys' capability; he could find solutions to any problem and never chose to flee, except in matters of the heart.

Viserys seemed not to be overly picky when it came to love. He was a man who went with the flow, solving problems as they came, and going with the flow when there weren't any.

Just like the Queen Yalene standing before them now, perhaps others were unaware, but Rhaenys knew that Viserys initially had no feelings for Yalene.

This was a political marriage arranged initially to secure the support of Dorne. However, Viserys kept delaying until he could delay no more. Instead of breaking off the engagement, he accepted her as his wife, as long as she didn't commit any fundamental errors.

And in reality, the Yalene of today had fundamentally changed from the Dorne princess of the original trajectory.

The original trajectory's Dorne princess had no idea about the marriage arrangement with Viserys, nor did she know what Viserys was up to.

In this altered trajectory, Viserys had established a firm foothold on the continent of Essos, becoming a prince of Westerlands and Pentos, with lands rivaling the Westerlands and Vale of Arryn in Westeros. Yalene had long known that she had a fiancé, and was looking forward to meeting him given his talents and exceptional abilities.

One person's existence had led to two completely different life trajectories, and Yalene had naturally changed from who she once was.

Now, she just wanted to be a good wife and mother, a qualified and excellent queen, and after accepting Yalene, Viserys sincerely regarded her as his wife and nurtured their relationship.

Such was the nature of noble marriages.

Lady Catelyn of Winterfell was initially to marry Eddard's elder brother Brandon. However, after Winterfell's heir was burnt alive in King's Landing by the Mad King, Eddard became the Duke of Winterfell, and thus Catelyn transitioned from 'sister-in-law' to marrying her husband's younger brother, Eddard.

There wasn't much love between them when they first married. However, as they gradually shared their lives, the reserved northerner fell in love with Catelyn, and she too grew fond of Eddard. Their marriage blossomed, and they shared a profound bond.

Seeing her cousin's face change color from her words, Yalene remained calm.

She just looked at Rhaenys with a gentle smile. As Rhaenys seemed to want to explain something, Yalene raised a finger to her lips, then said,

"There's no need to explain anything, Rhaenys."

"I've known about the deep bond between you and Viserys since I arrived here."

"And many years ago, when I learned I was to marry him, my father told me what would happen in the future."

Prince Doran didn't hide anything from his daughter, but candidly told her that Viserys might not have only her as his wife in the future.

According to the tradition of the Valyrian dragon kings, he would also need to marry a wife of his own bloodline, to continue the family lineage.

"And you..."

Rhaenys, with a trace of uncertainty on her cheeks, had initially resisted Yalene when she first came to Pentos. However, as Yalene was her cousin, and had been very intimate with Rhaenys, she gradually let go of her prejudice and accepted Yalene.

But now, the thought of 'snatching' her sister's husband brought a lot of pressure on Rhaenys, making her somewhat evasive, even afraid to face Yalene.

However, the Dorne princess saw through her cousin's youthful dilemmas and proactively came over to counsel, which made Rhaenys feel anxious yet somewhat touched.

"Is it really okay?"

"But this is..."

The brunette still hesitated a bit.

"You follow the Seven, yet this is still a forbidden love, isn't it?"

Yalene asked, and Rhaenys nodded slightly.

"Let's say, for instance,"

The lady in the warm yellow gown led her horse forward, with Rhaenys holding the reins and walking beside her.

"If... I mean, if I insist on obstructing this, what do you think will happen next, Rhaenys?"

Rhaenys was slightly stunned by her cousin's question and then shook her head.

"I don't know."

"There might be two possibilities. The first is that Viserys accepts my obstruction and gives up on this. The other is..."

Yalene didn't continue, but the unsaid words were a stark and cruel reality in the court.

Women in the court didn't believe in love. No matter how beautiful you were in your youth, everyone aged eventually.

When that day comes, a younger, more beautiful woman will arrive, steal your beloved, and usurp your position.

There were countless bloody examples of this through the ages.

"Wasn't it the same with your mother?"

The next words from Yalene made Rhaenys tremble slightly.

The fate of Rhaenys' mother, Princess Elia Martell, was just that.

Though Rhaenys never mentioned it, she took pride in her father, but an indelible stain was that her father, Rhaegar Targaryen, had abandoned her mother for another woman, a wolf maiden from House Stark of Winterfell.

Even though Rhaegar was exonerated at the trial, he didn't kidnap and rape Lyanna Stark, but rather, the two young souls eloped, leading to a misunderstanding.

Even a septon had annulled his marriage to Elia and officiated a wedding for Rhaegar and Lyanna in a grove of weirwood trees.

But it was undeniable that her father betrayed her mother, and Rhaenys trembled at the thought.

"I don't mind sharing my husband with my sister."

"Rhaenys, you are my sister!"

Yalene looked at the expression on Rhaenys' face and seized the moment to persuade.

"And, isn't it better for us sisters to serve one husband together?"

The lady in the warm yellow gown stopped in her tracks, leaving Rhaenys in a state of inner turmoil.

Then Yalene took both her hands, looked into her eyes, and said,

"But remember, Rhaenys."

"We are sisters, and we should help each other."

"Don't let anyone else come between us."

Rhaenys, gazed into by her cousin, and swayed by her words, nodded unknowingly.

"Alright."