Chapter 403: The Strange Uncle Who Lures Little Girls

Godswood Forest, Backyard Garden.

Lush grass grew, towering pines and cypresses lined up in rows, dotted with giant dragon statues and fountains. An adjoining awning was built over the large open space. Noble men who had not yet met their match congregated in groups of three or two, discussing interesting facts.

Under the largest awning, Viserys looked around and asked, "Where did Helaena go?"

"The princess is probably still getting ready," Corlys replied curtly, gathered around a tub of ice.

Viserys frowned in displeasure, "Being late is not a good habit."

Corlys scooped up a handful of ice and crushed it with his hands, feeling the coldness fully, and said sincerely, "Your Grace, if I had let you choose a treasure from a pile of scrap, you would have come even later."

With that, he rubbed some of the ice shavings into the wine and took small sips, immersing himself in the moment.

He didn't have the Targaryen bloodline to be fearless in the searing heat. The coolness rushed to his head and Corlys took a cool breath, "There's nothing like a sip of chilled Summer Red in the height of summer!"

Viserys took a couple more looks and was rather fleshed out, "With the Dornish War on, Summer Red is really hard to buy."

"Relax, the dragons will clear the way for you," Corlys said confidently. His eldest son ran to the Stormlands battlefield, and the two dragons and the entire Stormlands force were more than enough to deal with the invading Dornish army.

The reason for the Dornish tenacity was thescorching desert environment. Within the Vulture Mountains and Dornish territory, the soldiers of several other realms in Westeros might not be able to exert their strength.

Once Dorne lost the familiar living environment since childhood, it would be like a shark coming ashore, and it would be difficult to hurt people with a just bad mouth again.

Viserys shook his head and lost his smile, "Haven't you always been cautious and valued war above all else?"

"It's the unknown war that's scary, the war that predicts the outcome is as simple as reading the weather for sailing," Corlys said with anexpression of deservedness. The thought of the Triarchy's Kingdom breaking up greatly reassured Viserys, and a wave of bravado rose from his heart.

Looking around, he called his attendant and commanded, "Go get Helaena and bring her here, don't make the adults wait."

Corlys glanced away and continued to grind the ice. Seeing his lack of response, Viserys grumbled bitterly, "If only there was a time when I didn't have to worry about my children."

"His Grace Jaehaerys spent his life worrying about his children, and that is probably a Targaryen tradition as well," Corlys teased, saying meaningfully, "and the more you worry, the less likely you are to see a good outcome."

Viserys froze at his words, not knowing how to respond. As Corlys pointed out, he thought coldly of the aunts who had died. None of them seemed to have ended well.

Viserys thought in his heart and couldn't help but shout, "Get Helaena and tell her to come to her father."

He hadn't approved of holding the so-called Maiden's Day Festival in the first place. Aegon was a man, and it was sufficient to pick a great noble family to marry. Helaena was a girl and too young, so why worry so much about her marriage?

...

Not far away, by a fountain in the forest, Helaena sat on the stone steps, cupping a purple flower in her hand and picking off petals.

As she moved, she chanted softly, "The mirrorshines on the opposite side..."

Tap... tap...

The sound of footsteps broke the tranquil atmosphere. Helaena snapped back to her senses, turning her head to see who had disturbed her. Layla and Jasmine, her two companions, stood protectively in front of a dark-haired man.

With an embarrassed look on his face, Unwin carefully explained, "I'm here to see the Princess,no offense intended."

Tiptoeing to catch Helaena's attention, a flash ofdetermination crossed his face.

Helaena rubbed her bare neck and whispered, "A bridge awaits you..."

Under the defense of her companions, Unwin stood ten meters away from the fountain, eagerly saying, "Princess, please aloow me to chat with you for a few moments."

In the morning, the summons from the Throne Hall had not reached him. Now, finding the princess alone felt like a godsend. The best way to deal with a young girl like this, besides coercion, was to trick her.

Helaena lifted the spring water with her hand and faintly said, "Say what you want to say."

Unwin seized the opportunity, pretending to be a gentleman, "Princess, I am the Lord of the House Peake..."

He introduced himself, subtly boasting of his wealth. Helaena remained unmoved, her attention on the fish in the spring.

Feeling neglected, Unwin tried to maintain his composure. He knew that noble ladies often fell for gentlemen. Kneeling on one knee, he said, "Once I saw you in Harrenhal, I was haunted by you and traveled thousands of miles to King's Landing to see you again."

Helaena's face remained serious, "You got your wish, congratulations."

Unwin was momentarily speechless, then changed the topic, "Princess, the king and queen are worried about your marriage. I dare to propose to you, hoping to gain your favor."

Helaena sighed and said despondently, "Lord Unwin, you have poor looks and very lofty dreams."

"I am sincere," Unwin insisted, thinking he needed to offer more. Gritting his teeth, he said, "As long as you are willing to marry me, I can give you one of the three castles of my family."

The House Peake, prominent in The Reach, had daughters married to powerful nobles like Redwyne, Rowan, and Hightower. Their cunning behavior and three castles were the foundation of their family's influence.

Helaena fluttered her eyelashes and began counting on her fingers, "One for me, one for Aemond, one for Daeron..."

"Princess, what are you talking about?" Unwin asked, his eyes widening with confusion.

Helaena shook her head, "Nothing, I was just wondering which castle truly belongs to your family."

The so-called Three Castles of the House Peake seemed glorious, but behind the scenes, there was no shortage of nastiness. Initially, the House Peake only had one castle, Starpike in the Dornish Borderlands.

About a thousand years ago, the Gardener House of the King of The Reach conquered the region and defeated the disobedient House Manderly. After the war, House Manderly was driven out of The Reach, losing their fort along the Mander River—Dunstonbury. This castle was then taken over by their nemesis, the House Peake.

Later, House Manderly went into exile in the remote North and built what is now White Harbor, modeled after Dunstonbury. This was the second castle acquired by the House Peake.

The third castle, Whitegrove, has a more obscure history. According to ancient noble tales from the Riverlands, a certain generation of the original house of Whitegrove lacked a male heir, and the title and land were inherited by a woman.

The then Lord of Starpike married into the family and used his heir's right to the title to take over Whitegrove. The trickery of the grandparents laid the foundation for the apparent glory of the House Peake.

Facing these allusions to his ancestors' shady dealings, Unwin held back his anger and said with a forced smile, "Princess, if one castle isn't enough, I can offer you both castles except Starpike."

From recent news, it was known that while the Black and Green factions were at peace, the Heir Prince and Princess Rhaenyra had ongoing friction with for time to time.

The Heir Prince, Rhaegar, had succession rights to the Iron Throne and owned Harrenhal Castle and the unfinished Prince's Palace. Princess Rhaenyra, as the heir to the Iron Throne, had Targaryen lands on Dragonstone.

With the Triarchy conquered, Myr and Lys fell into Rhaegar's hands. In contrast, on the Greens' side, only Prince Aegon owned a twin castle far away in the Stepstones Islands.

Offering two castles was a bold move, and Unwin didn't believe a little girl could remain indifferent to such an offer.

"Two castles?" Helaena said, surprised. She hadn't expected him to be so generous.

Unwin nodded eagerly, "As long as you agree to marry me, the two castles will be yours."

Pretty words spoken beautifully. If there were heirs, he could take back the castles with his family name, just as his ancestors had done.

And he would have married a true Targaryen princess. Not to mention the benefits of being a royal son-in-law and the potential of having children with Targaryen blood, who might have the talent to become dragon riders. This was something the Sea Snake Corlys had long set as a good example.

Just as Unwin was feeling smug, envisioning his scheming success, Helaena simply refused, "The castle is indeed very generous, but you do not have a dragon."

"If you marry me, Princess, our descendants will have dragons!" Unwin blurted out, not paying attention.

Helaena cocked her head and said directly, "So, your plan is to obtain dragons through me?"

Caught off guard by her bluntness, Unwin became infuriated and stood up abruptly, "Princess, the Queen needs allies. No one in all of Westeros dares to ally with you. Marrying me is the right choice."

"Why does my mother need allies?" Helaena's eyes gleamed with curiosity.

Unwin said bluntly, "Of course, it's to fight against Prince Rhaegar. Otherwise, when the king passes away, what kind of life will you have?"

"My brother," Helaena whispered to herself, slightly out of her mind. "So you all have such ridiculous ideas."

Through their conversation, she had already surmised that Unwin was acquainted with her mother. Considering Ormund Hightower's cousin Selene for Aegon, she couldn't help but suspect that Unwin was the one her mother had chosen for her own hand in marriage.

"Because of these unfounded hypotheses?" Helaena's fine eyebrows furrowed slightly.

Unwin, still trying to persuade her, said, "I work for the Queen, and she promised to give me a chance to marry you."

"I don't believe it!" Helaena screamed loudly, retorting, "Mother's vision can't be that bad."

With her chest and belly heaving up and down, Helaena set her jaw and said coldly, "You wait here. I'll be back soon."

Leaving behind her two worried female companions, she walked away with big strides.

Unwin was taken aback and tried to follow, but was stopped by Layla and Jasmine, who were glaring at him.

...

Helaena's steps were fast and furious as she returned to Maegor's Holdfast and headed straight for her bedroom.

For some reason, her mind was unusually clear. Certain that Lord Peake was up to no good and was lying about his intentions.

So...

Bang!

As soon as she pushed open the door to her room, Helaena walked straight to the balcony and took down the longsword, Long Summer, hanging on the wall.

With a swift motion, she unsheathed the sword, revealing an awe-inspiring cold light.

Helaena's expression was serious as she muttered, "If I can't call Dreamfyre, then I'll just cut him down!"

(Word count: 1,867)