Chapter 32: Find Him Something to Do

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At dinner, Illyrio's guests had already left.

At the particularly lavish dinner table, the rotund magistrate apologized to Viserys, "Your Grace, please allow me to apologize for the impudence of today. I assure you, such an incident will never happen again."

"You're too serious, Magister Illyrio," Viserys replied, offering him an out, "It was just a minor matter. This is your courtyard, such occurrences are understandable. However, if you insist on apologizing, then I accept your apology and hope it eases your mind." He added a compliment, "Loyal supporters like you are rare, Illyrio."

Illyrio seemed to take it to heart, "Thank you for your understanding, Your Grace."

"By the way, about the talk of you getting me a handmaiden," Viserys introduced a new topic, "I think that maid, Annie, will do. Let her be the one."

"Annie?" Illyrio thought for a moment, as if matching the name to the person, "If Your Grace wishes her to serve you, then so be it. It is her good fortune."

Just as Annie had thought, her matter was a trivial one, even her master was pleased by it.

Illyrio quickly moved on to the next topic, "Your Grace, among the escort of that Tyroshi envoy today, there was a knight from the Seven Kingdoms. I heard he committed some offenses and came to Essos to become a sellsword. I spoke with him briefly about the Seven Kingdoms and found that he knows quite a lot, more insightful than the average sailor or merchant. I wonder if such a person should be recruited to serve Your Grace?"

"The nobles of the Seven Kingdoms, when they fall from grace in Westeros, often come here," Viserys responded to the magister, deviating from the expected reaction. "The Blackfyres did so once, and now I do as well. I suppose that knight is no different."

Not wanting to solely react to Illyrio's probing, Viserys decided to throw something unexpected at him, "In fact, I overheard some of your conversation in the garden today. You know, the rooms overlook it. You mentioned the Tyroshi trade route to Dorne?"

Illyrio, with a smile, replied amiably, "Yes, Your Grace. To be honest, the Tyroshi have long controlled the trade route to Dorne due to their location. Now that there's a conflict with Lys and Myr, it presents an opportunity for us to maneuver and benefit."

"Good, good,"

Viserys seemed to have more in mind but didn't reveal it.

He only said, "This is a positive development, Magister Illyrio. It's beneficial for our cause. Expanding your business to Westeros is wise. Not just Dorne—Stormlands, Reach, Vale, the North, even Lannisport—all are excellent trade routes. Seizing opportunities to do business there is beneficial."

"I agree, Your Grace," Illyrio replied. "I hope to present you with the freshest lemons from Dorne soon."

"I look forward to that day," Viserys said, then shifted the topic back to the knight, Jorah Mormont.

"Now, about that knight, Illyrio. You know the nature of our plans. The knight is worth recruiting, but it's too early. Let him complete his current commission first. Then, hire him for some tasks to test his character. If he proves to be truly valuable, I will personally recruit him. If not, find an excuse to dismiss him."

"Your Grace is thorough as always."

Though it didn't meet his highest hopes, it was better than the worst-case scenario, so Illyrio praised Viserys and asked, "In your opinion, what should I arrange for him to do to test his character?"

Viserys seemed momentarily at a loss, pondering for a long time before responding, "You handle it as you see fit."

Illyrio expressed his concern, "Your Grace, he is of Westerosi noble origin. I know very little about the customs and noble manners of the Seven Kingdoms. I fear I might mishandle the matter and spoil your plans."

This was also a probe.

After some thought, Illyrio suspected that Viserys might be the type who seemed to know the right way to handle things in theory, had enough knowledge to talk impressively, and understood the general direction of how to conduct affairs. But when it came to specific matters, he seemed clueless, thus pushing the responsibility to Illyrio.

In matters not related to core secrets, he seemed to trust Illyrio.

Overall, Illyrio thought that the beggar king had a certain upper-class demeanor, was thick-skinned enough, and knew how to maintain an impressive posture, but lacked practical experience.

It made sense, as the beggar king never had the opportunity to handle these matters in reality.

"Go ahead and do it," Viserys replied to the magistrate. "You will be my future Master of Coin, and dealing with the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms will be an inevitable part of your duties."

"Since you say so, I will ensure it is done properly," Illyrio agreed, then added, "When the time is right, should I let him know who is truly employing him?"

"No, when the time comes, if he truly proves worthy of recruitment," Viserys took on a grander tone, "I will personally recruit him."

"Yes, Your Grace."

...

As Annie had anticipated, her master was most interested in the beggar king's reaction to their eavesdropping on the garden conversation. But she could provide very little information, so her master quickly lost interest and asked her to speak of other matters.

She then reported on the words exchanged between the beggar king and his sister that day.

They had spent the entire afternoon practicing archery stances, with one teaching and the other learning.

Her master took note of this information as a normal piece of intelligence but didn't seem particularly concerned.

Compared to those things that were no different from what they had expected, her master was more concerned about how the beggar king had chosen her.

After she explained the situation, her master pondered for a long time.

"When you start working by his side, don't rush to show yourself off. Just behave like a normal servant," her master advised. "He's not someone who trusts others easily. You only need to work diligently and obey his orders."

"Yes," she replied.

"In the short term, he probably won't do anything to you, but don't try to seduce him. He seems to have some strange prejudices against women. Don't use the same tricks you would with young noblemen who have never seen women," her master cautioned. "And if he tortures you in private..."

"I know what to do, master," she responded.

"Good. I've prepared a new set of clothes for you. Change into them and go to him." Her master handed her a bag of gifts and said, "Don't forget who you are."

"Yes, master."

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