Chapter 275: Physical Transformation

"How could Princess Myrcella become queen?" Margaery asked, still puzzled. "She's engaged to Prince Trystane of Dorne, yes, but the Dornish would never accept a Baratheon as their queen."

"Lady Olenna means the Iron Throne," Samwell explained. "According to Dornish inheritance laws, Myrcella ranks above Tommen in the line of succession. That makes her the rightful Queen of the Seven Kingdoms."

"Exactly," Olenna Tyrell confirmed with a faint smile. "Right now, Myrcella is on Dornish soil. Why not crown her according to Dornish law? Once she's queen, the Martells would have no reason to reject an alliance with us. Moreover, Myrcella can grant you a ducal title."

Samwell recalled that in the original story, Princess Arianne Martell had attempted something similar. She planned to crown Myrcella as a response to Oberyn Martell's death in King's Landing. However, the political climate at the time made the plan suicidal. Prince Doran Martell had to intervene, halting the scheme and imprisoning Arianne.

But now, the circumstances were different.

If Myrcella were crowned, the Reach, Stormlands, and Dorne would form a solid alliance. Releasing the Riverlands and Vale forces could further strengthen their position, and with the North as an ally, the Lannisters would find themselves surrounded.

With Dorne's reinforcements, Samwell could advance on King's Landing. Combining the southern realms and this fresh army would make a successful siege likely.

So long as the northern forces could keep Tywin occupied, Samwell believed the southern coalition could take the capital and install Queen Myrcella on the Iron Throne.

It was a nearly foolproof plan. Even Doran Martell, cautious and pragmatic as he was, would find it hard to resist. After all, this would give him a daughter-in-law sitting on the Iron Throne.

For Samwell, this was also an ideal opportunity.

He had been fretting about finding someone to grant him a ducal title. If Myrcella became queen, that problem would resolve itself.

Sure, Myrcella's claim was based on Dornish law, whereas the other six kingdoms followed laws favoring male succession. But that didn't matter.

Laws, titles, and claims were merely the veil covering the naked truth of power.

What truly mattered was the strength behind the claim.

In the original story, Renly Baratheon had no legitimate right to the throne. His claim ranked below Stannis', yet he still declared himself king. Why? Because he had the backing of the Reach and Stormlands, making him the strongest contender in the War of the Five Kings.

Now, with the support of the Reach, Stormlands, and Dorne, Myrcella Baratheon's legitimacy would be unassailable.

And if she granted Samwell his ducal title, he could rightfully rule the Stormlands. His attribute panel would likely acknowledge the promotion, and he couldn't help but wonder how many free attribute points a ducal title would yield.

Twenty points, perhaps?

But then, a chilling realization struck him.

If Myrcella were crowned, it would mean acknowledging her Baratheon bloodline. That would validate Joffrey as a legitimate king, rather than a usurper.

This would make Samwell, who had killed Joffrey, not a righteous king-dethroner but a vile KingSlayer.

The thought made him instinctively recoil. Yet, he held his tongue.

If he could see this flaw, so could Olenna Tyrell. Had she deliberately overlooked it, or was this suggestion meant to harm him?

Doubt gnawed at him, but he kept his composure.

"That's an excellent idea," Samwell said, nodding. "I'll write to Prince Doran immediately."

Olenna's expression betrayed nothing as she nodded. She then changed the subject.

"As for your marriage to Margaery, let's set it for seven days from now. Any later, and her condition may be difficult to hide."

"Agreed." Samwell had no objections.

Years of effort were about to bear fruit. Yet, instead of joy, he felt a surge of resentment.

Was Olenna truly scheming against him, or was she simply indifferent to his reputation?

"Good," Olenna concluded.

Margaery smiled warmly, turning to her fiancé.

Samwell met her gaze, and their mutual smiles dispelled his unease for the moment.

---

The morning sun filtered through the window, casting soft light on the polished mahogany floor.

Samwell sat up in bed, a peculiar sensation in his mouth catching his attention. Running his tongue across his teeth, he felt something loose.

Ptoo!

A pristine white tooth landed in his palm.

This didn't alarm him.

It wasn't a case of losing a tooth—it was regrowth.

For days now, Samwell had noticed his teeth falling out and being replaced by stronger ones.

He suspected this was a side effect of surpassing ten attribute points.

---

Title: Earl

Territory: Storm's End, Eagle's Nest

Strength: 14.50 (18.70)

Agility: 4.07 (7.86)

Spirit: 9.38

---

Although his attributes hadn't fully recovered from their previous depletion, the ten free attribute points from his recent promotion had been applied entirely to Strength.

This wasn't by choice. When he had tried to allocate the points manually, the system had unilaterally applied them to Strength.

"Damn system is so rigid," Samwell muttered but resigned himself to the outcome.

After the points were added, Samwell experienced an intense reaction. His heart had pounded violently, reminiscent of when he had temporarily converted Spirit into Agility during his infiltration of the rebels.

It seemed that once attributes exceeded ten points, his body struggled to adapt, triggering extreme physiological changes.

At first, these changes had been difficult to endure, but over time, the reactions began to subside, replaced by more subtle transformations.

For example, his teeth regrowing stronger than before.

Or his skin shedding in patches.

Samwell peeled away bits of dry skin, feeling an inexplicable sense of relief. The new skin beneath appeared the same, but it felt more resilient. Testing with a knife, he found that it took considerable force to pierce it.

His skin wasn't invulnerable, but its defensive capabilities had noticeably improved.

Samwell speculated that if his Strength attribute continued to grow, his skin might eventually become impervious to blades.

Other internal changes were even more profound. His heartbeat was stronger, his stomach processed food more efficiently, and his appetite had nearly doubled without any change in his physique. Even his water intake had increased, though oddly, his need to urinate hadn't.

"Kidneys must be doing better," he thought wryly.

His senses—sight, hearing, smell—were sharper, and his lung capacity had significantly improved. During a recent test, he had held his breath for seven minutes.

"Feels like I'm evolving into something beyond human."

Just then, a knock at the door interrupted his musings.

"Come in."

Two servants entered.

"My lord, are you ready to dress?"

"Yes."

Samwell smiled.

Today was the day he would marry Margaery Tyrell.

(End of Chapter)