Chapter 155: Harvest Feast

However, the current feudal system in Andalos mainly stemmed from the fact that it lacked a deeply rooted noble tradition like that of Westeros.

The ancient Andal and Rhoynar kingdoms on this land had long been crushed by the Valyrian Freehold.

Many of the Andal and Rhoynar nobles of that time either died or fled, with a large number of them escaping to Westeros.

Later, city-states like Norvos, which were vassals to the Valyrian Freehold, began to emerge on this land.

Finally, after the Valyrian Freehold fell due to the 'Doom of Valyria,' they all became independent free trading city-states.

Due to these reasons, the cultures and traditions of the two peoples experienced a severe break, and the ancient nobility disappeared, leaving only the villages that had lived on this land for generations, never to be reunited.

Thus, Viserys encountered little resistance from traditional feudal forces when establishing the new system.

Although the size of Andalos can now rival that of a region, it is still within controllable limits. As the kingdom's territory rapidly expands, there may be a future possibility that central orders cannot reach remote areas, leading to a loss of control over borders.

However, these are not the issues Viserys needs to consider at the moment. What he needs to do now is to unite Andalos as much as possible to form a strong front, in preparation for the challenge from the Iron Throne.

Instead of dispersing his power like the Seven Kingdoms, which ultimately led to their fragmentation.

...

At the Harvest Feast, the newly emerging nobles on this land mingled and formed connections.

After everyone had their fill of food and drink, the servants cleared away the leftovers and piled all the tables to one side, transforming the entire hall into a ballroom in an instant.

A series of prepared performances followed, including singing and dancing, acrobatics, clowns, and even a magic show.

Sitting not far from Viserys, the red-robed priestess watched quietly as a red-robed monk below performed the act of spewing fire from his mouth.

The red-robed monk's attire was loose with large sleeves. He danced and pranced around, making movements akin to jumping rope, and then subtly covered part of his face with his sleeves. His movements were so swift and discreet that no one noticed what he did. He then lowered his sleeves.

The next second.

Whoosh~

A jet of red flame spewed out, and the intense firelight illuminated everyone's faces, causing many ladies present to gasp in surprise.

Rhaenys covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes filled with astonishment and disbelief. In her eyes, this was nothing short of a miracle. Wasn't it only dragons that could breathe fire?

"Viserys, is this man a dragon?"

After the initial shock, Rhaenys excitedly patted Viserys' thigh and asked curiously.

"It's just a folk technique."

Viserys shook his head slightly, as he was not surprised by this kind of acrobatics, having seen it many times in his previous life.

Not far away, Melisandre seemed to have heard their whispers and turned her head to look at Viserys and Rhaenys. However, her focus lingered on Rhaenys for a moment before she withdrew her gaze thoughtfully.

The red-robed monk who had just finished performing below bowed slightly to the king on stage, gestured to the red-robed priestess, and then stepped back.

Those who had seen the followers of the Lord of Light perform these tricks remained composed, while those who had never seen such a spectacle before were exclaiming in excitement. It seemed that this performance had indeed opened their eyes.

After the performance ended, it was time for the ball.

The orchestra, which had just finished performing, returned with a new set of music and costumes, and once again began to play their instruments.

.

Accompanied by the melodious music, servants walked in carrying cups of fine wine, while the nobles below each found a dance partner and gracefully began to dance. Some of the nobles even pulled a serving girl, who was pouring wine, to be their impromptu dance partner.

Viserys sipped from his cup of milk, which had a few red specks floating on top, watching the scene below with his pair of light purple eyes, remaining undisturbed.

This was one of the differences between him and his older brother, Prince Rhaegar. Viserys had no talent for music or dancing.

At this moment, Viserys noticed several older, middle-aged nobles attempting to invite Melisandre to dance with them. However, the Red Priestess politely declined their offers.

Then, sitting beside him, Rhaenys impulsively decided to take Viserys's hand, wanting to dance with him.

Viserys was slightly taken aback, but unable to resist the expectant gaze of the brunette girl, he eventually followed Rhaenys onto the dance floor.

Although their dancing wasn't great, they still earned a round of applause from the crowd.

Soon, the harvest feast was coming to an end.

After Viserys and the other nobles raised a toast together, a guard hurried to his side and whispered a few words in his ear.

"Oh?"

"Such a thing?"

Viserys then stood up from his seat.

"Viserys, what happened?"

Rhaenys looked at him curiously, about to stand up and follow him, but Viserys held her back.

"It's nothing, stay here."

"I have a small matter to attend to."

Viserys then followed the guard out of the great hall.

Step by step...

The quiet corridor was completely different from the hustle and bustle of the great hall, with only the footsteps of the guard and Viserys echoing.

"Where is the child?"

Viserys's expression was calm. In the castle corridor, torches burned, illuminating half of his face, while the other half remained shrouded in darkness.

"Your Grace, this way."

The guard led the way and explained as they walked.

"Just now, my fellow guard and I were on duty outside the main gate when a child appeared out of nowhere and threw a letter tied to a stone, then turned and ran."

"But we caught up to him quickly, captured the little rascal, and then he said this letter was meant for you."

Step by step...

The sound of their footsteps echoed in the corridor as they walked and talked, gradually fading away.

As Viserys listened to the guard's story, he frowned slightly, feeling that the situation seemed like a prank.

"Where did this child get this letter?"

The guard didn't hesitate to answer, as they had already asked the child when they caught him.

"At a place called the Silver Eel Inn, Your Grace."

"A mysterious man gave the child a few silver stags, asking him to deliver this letter to you."