Worst of all, it wasn't father doing, no, this, this abomination was being done upon my orders, worst of all, there were people present, the workers of Wheel house were watching, some covering their eyes, others their ears, another barfed their launch...

"It shall be given to you once you tell me who ordered you to spy on MY work." I tried to sound indifferent, but even my voice had shaken a little from the sight and man's screams.

"I-I-It w-was Lion! T-The old lion!" What...

"Stop the skinning, speak plainly, and maybe you will earn a quick death." My voice didn't shake this time as the situation made my stomach churn.

"-T-There w-was notice! An s-standard wo-rok for us! Si-signed by none oth-ther than Old Lion Tywin Lannister himself!" Fuck...

"Who is this US you speak of?" The man's eyes flinched to the side, making me nod at the torturer, the moment the man saw torture move again, he spoke again.

"N-NO! I will tell you! I will! W-we, I-I mean us! Li-like mercenaries! Ye-yes we are like mercenaries! Bu-but rather than f-fight, w-we s-spy f-for money!" Was this fucking some Corporate spying organization or what? But now that I thought of it, it wasn't so strange that there were such groups, after all, secrets bring the same or more money than mercenary work, and in some cases, it was a much safer job...

Well, until you are caught, that is, like the man before I was...

"Are there others?" This time the man shook his head, not even thinking about the answer as he quietly added.

"No! No! I- o-others thought this waste of time! N-North is too faraway a-and B-Bolton family is-is know fo-for..." Ah, yes, irony, how others seemingly feared for the right reason, something this man surely now realized as his arms lacked skin...

"Did you send any report?" The man shook his head.

"Lastly, what is the name of this organization?" The man's eyes widened a little until he bent his head and said the name.

"W-Webbing..." Fucking Spider? Or was this coincidence?

"Good... Im man of my word, or boy yet, you earned quick death, you shall have it, any last words? I asked in a gentle yet stern undertone, but I spoke so others in the vicinity could hear me, I needed to project a harsh yet just stand honorable image.

"I-I no..." The man shook his head, maybe he feared that if he spoke of a family, I would take took my anger even on them. I wouldn't, it had no meaning to be angry at innocent family members, something this world seemed to lack in accepting such a view...

"Then let the Old Gods welcome you." I nodded at the torturer who took off his axe, as two other guards got down the man, who whimpered in pain, yet he didn't speak nor open his eyes...

I didn't care if he followed Seven, I had no septa in here, or anybody who could send his soul on the way, nor I would even do it if I had, this was North, and I didn't want to bring unrest like Eddard Stark with bringing Seven chapels into the capital of North...

Looking at how the man's head rolled down and the body without a head slumped, I sighed and turned around.

"This, this is a show I made you view to let you know of consequences of shortsighted actions, I hope I showed and proven that I'm just to people who work for Bolton family, that I took good care for you with my change of work hours into eight hours in a day with plenty of breaks for meals and rest, I hope that my increase of pay showed my willingness to go improve your lives, you had already visited the Red Crossed building where you can be healed for free, I done all this, and I ask you for few simple things." My words stopped here, I was just some six years old boy, but even my guard stood straighter as the dead body behind me still leaked blood on the fresh snow...

"I ask for your loyalty, for your diligence in work, mistakes are alright, from mistakes you learn, I will not punish someone who made a mistake, as long as he learns from the mistake and does better... Do I ask much from you?" I asked, quickly after realizing that it was the true question, the blacksmiths, the mechanism workers, and others in the area either shook their heads or screamed NO...

"Good, I'm glad you understand, but to make things clear... When, and I mean WHEN and not IF, someone comes to you with a deal, promising you riches and titles, remember this scene, for no matter where you hide, no matter where runoff, I will make an example of you, IF you accept the deal and betray my trust and sell my secrets, the Bolton secrets, even if I needed to pay for assassins in hundreds of gold dragons, I would gladly pay for your death IF you choose such unwise way..." My eyes scanned the people before me, looking at their faces.

"But, IF you accept their deal, take their money and come right to me with it or report to guards of the spy, I will let you have the money they gave you and pay you even more for your loyalty as long as you don't share the secrets of my creations, so, I ask of you, to be clever, and not greedy, for men pay for greediness..." There I turned around, my red cloak flowing behind me...

Suddenly I felt more chili in there than I remember ever feeling, and when I looked at the body, I knew why...

This was the first time, the first time I killed someone... Yes, I didn't hold an axe...

But I gave the order, and for me, it was all the same...

"Milord?" I looked on the side where one of my more regular guards spoke to me, was that a concern I heard in his voice?

"Cremate the body with head, don't leave anything behind..." My words seemed to shock someone.

"C-cremate milord?" I looked at the blacksmith, who still didn't leave, as I hollowly smiled.

"Why yes, this is North after all, and if legends teach you something, then it is never to leave the body behind..." I simply said no, looking at how the torturer picked the man's head and two guards the headless body...

"And, double pay with three free and paid days to the one who noticed this spy, good work needs to be rewarded..." The blacksmith nodded his head in a quick manner.

"Y-yes, milord! I-I will pass on your words!" Good... That was good, I just nodded as I walked off, my head still a little cloudy...

But that didn't stop me from thinking of the wake-up call...

It was true that until I changed things North, more importantly, Bolton lands weren't in so much interest to South or Essos, but with my changes, already three-way-crop-rotation could double Reach harvest's, I was not blind to the fact that I painted a very and juicy target on my back, but still, I did not expect the reality hitting me so soon...

It was luck and a discerning pair of eyes that I could thank for making me realize my error before it was too late...

The spy, he was from what I heard first seen on underground camp, something I was making from the moment I knew my bet with potatoes would pay off, this was North, even in summer on the warmest days, people still needed at least two layers of clothing, and in the winter? In the winter, the North was fully white...

So even if the preservation of food wasn't as bad there, I still wished for something better, knowing that long winters could happen a lot of things, for that I hired a party of well-built men and boys to dig an enormous pit that could store a high amount of food and could be used as a freezer with the idea of sealing the pit with ice cubes inside...

Already there were two dig sites that were being built into storage rooms with cold stones as walls and wooden ceilings that would be covered in meters in length ground and dirt, Ice cubes were being purchased from houses that are closest to the Wall as Bolton's currently lacked in them, or at least in the amount we needed...

It was good that this wasn't being paid from my pocket but from my father's, as my father saw the reason for such procedure and willingly let me to built these underground warehouses where the food could be stored for much longer...

I already had workers work with blacksmiths on the ideal sealing jars and barrels, of course, all of this wasn't done just by me, I needed the help of Maester and farmers or cattle owners to know what food could survive the longest and what should be eaten the soonest or risk of being spoiled...

But back to the spy, it was just thanks to his action of observing underground storage digging and then going to look on Wheel house where one of worker's who came to greet his brother who worked in there recognized him, and told guards of this suspicious behavior, it was clear that the man had bad intentions the moment he tried to run once he saw guards walking to him, either he was more amateur than I thought, or didn't have a good cover and reason for being in there, observing the work...

That made me rethink some things, especially the need to build fences around the important sites and use the dogs I have castle kennel master train as guard dogs, with permanent guards in these places to secure my secrets, just as same I need to find a way to observe who comes and leave the Bolton town, and register any foreigner...

That was the hard work, one where I either needed bigger authority there or need father's permission...

Once I left the father's solar, I made my way to my room, ignoring the stares as I quickened my pace and ignored Fiera and Astrid following me...

Quickly getting into my room, hearing how Fiera or Astrid closed the doors and their's worried questions, I went to my bathroom and threw up into the tub, hearing panicked and raised voices of my two maids...

But I ignored even their touches as they tried to help me somehow, containing throwing up...

All the while, the smiling and proud face of my father was in my mind, praising me...

Praising me for my first flaying, praising me, praising that he didn't even need to make me do it himself...

"Uuurrhhgg!"

""Milord!"" Fiera and Astrid held my weak body, somehow, the fact that I made my father proud of me didn't sit well with me...

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