Chapter 143: False Gods and True Gods

In the great hall of the castle.

Princess Rhaenys Targaryen sat on the high throne, draped in a fitting black velvet gown, with the Targaryen family crest embroidered in gold thread on the left side of her chest.

Her delicate, beautiful face was framed by her dark, autumn-water eyes, and her wavy brown hair fell down her back. Atop her head was the queen's crown, left to her by her grandmother, set with a fiery red gemstone.

This crown, meant for a queen, had been worn by Viserys when he was younger, but it no longer fit as he grew.

So Viserys left the crown in the castle and had another made for himself, with more gold melted down and reforged into his own crown.

Now.

Rhaenys sat on the throne in the great hall, both hands resting on the arms of the throne, looking down at the red-robed witch who knelt before her and then slowly rose to her feet. She then spoke.

"Your name is Melisandre?"

The young girl's clear voice echoed throughout the vast hall.

"As Your Highness has said."

The red-robed witch stood below the throne, her voice slightly ethereal and hoarse, but without a hint of emotion, calmly responding.

Her demeanor was neither humble nor haughty.

"Are you... a messenger of the Red God?"

Rhaenys, sitting on her throne, bathed in sunlight streaming in from both sides of the hall, her forehead's red gemstone shimmering, continued her inquiry.

"I am of humble origin and dare not claim to be a messenger of the Lord of Light. However, I am here to spread the glory of the true god."

Melisandre's answers to Rhaenys' questions were seamless, with no hesitation or flaws, as if she had prepared her responses in advance.

She denied being a messenger of the Lord of Light, saying that her humble status did not warrant the title of god's messenger.

Because Viserys had once claimed to be a messenger of the Seven Gods, if she claimed to be a messenger of the Lord of Light, their status would become somewhat equal.

Melisandre simply stated that she was here to spread the faith of the Lord of Light.

"This..."

Upon hearing her reply, Rhaenys' brow furrowed slightly.

In truth, there were many followers of the Lord of Light on the continent of Essos, and red-robed priests could often be seen in various cities.

They traveled far and wide to spread the faith of the Lord of Light, built red temples, bought slave children or adopted abandoned orphans to become their priests, temple prostitutes, or warriors.

For centuries they had been relatively restrained and tolerant, rarely clashing with local religious factions, and so their proselytizing was tolerated in many parts of Essos.

Even in Westeros, the stronghold of the faith of the Seven, there was a small red temple in Oldtown.

Rhaenys had also seen red-robed priests preaching in Andalos, though no red temple had been established there yet.

"Melisandre, do you not know that my uncle is a messenger of the Seven Gods?"

Rhaenys' brow furrowed for a moment before she asked her question once more.

This time, she didn't joke around; her delicate face took on a serious expression, as she felt an inexplicable pressure when facing the red-robed witch.

This matter was far from trivial.

"The radiance of false gods naturally cannot compare with that of the true god."

Melisandre, upon hearing Rhaenys' question, did not hesitate to respond directly.

"How bold!"

The guards standing on either side of the great hall were Andal warriors who had followed Viserys from the very beginning. Upon hearing the red-robed witch dare to brazenly insult the Seven Gods as false gods, they were naturally furious.

Guncer, the maester who served as Rhaenys' teacher, also frowned as he sat beside her. He then turned to look at the young girl sitting on the throne, feeling that this was a very disrespectful act. He thought Rhaenys should represent Viserys and punish the woman, have her dragged out and whipped, and then banished from Andalos.

Because this guest was a red-robed witch and involved matters of the occult, the castle's magic and occult advisor, Mili, also came to the scene and sat side by side with the maester.

However, she worshipped the Supreme Shepherd God, not the Seven Gods, so she didn't care about Melisandre's words.

But...

Mili's hands were tightly clenched, and her gaze towards Melisandre was filled with danger and scrutiny.

If this red-robed witch wanted to join Andalos, it would inevitably affect her own status.

However, Rhaenys, even though she had a good temper, furrowed her brows after hearing Melisandre's words. But her reaction was not as intense as that of the guards and maester. She simply waved her hand to stop the guards' actions.

The girl then looked at the red-robed witch with her beautiful eyes and spoke seriously.

"Melisandre."

"I need to correct you. The Lord of Light is a true god, and the Seven Gods are also true gods."

"If you make this mistake again, I'm afraid you'll need to find a knight to replace you in a trial by combat."

Rhaenys looked at the red-robed witch and warned her.

She wasn't lying.

Although Rhaenys was kind-hearted, if this woman continued to be insolent, Rhaenys would order her execution, or the woman could find a knight to replace her in a trial by combat.

Melisandre, of course, heard Rhaenys' warning and slightly bowed her body, but still remained calm.

Seemingly oblivious to the surrounding guards who had their hands on their sword hilts, she neither denied nor agreed with Rhaenys' words. Instead, she paused for a moment and then continued speaking.

"Every mortal must choose."

"In the future, there will be no distinction between men and women, old and young, noble and lowly in their choices."

"To embrace the light or follow the darkness."

"To promote goodness or indulge in evil."

"To believe in the true god or worship false gods."

"I do not deny your uncle, King Viserys Targaryen III's nobility."

The red-robed witch stood quietly in the center of the great hall, her voice slowly echoing.

"On the contrary."

"I believe that His Majesty is the reincarnation of the savior Azor Ahai, who in the future will wield a flaming sword called Lightbringer, also known as the Red Sword of Heroes, and awaken dragons from stone to end this eternal conflict."

Melisandre's words were somewhat cryptic, sounding somewhat profound, yet also like nonsensical ramblings.

Rhaenys and the surrounding guards were somewhat baffled, only the maester seemed to understand some of the witch's words and was shocked, his eyes widening.

"Your Highness, I believe we should immediately expel this red-robed witch."

"Her words are dangerous."

The maester then took a deep breath and whispered his advice into Rhaenys' ear.

However, Rhaenys remained silent for a long while and eventually shook her head, choosing not to accept her teacher's advice and expel the red-robed witch.

"Maester Guncer, she came to find Viserys. I cannot just send her away like this."

"Let him handle this matter when he returns."