In Sunspear, the blood orange trees surrounding the Water Gardens resembled a long green ribbon.
They blocked the outside world from view while also bringing cool shade.
As the weather grew hotter and hotter, Doran became increasingly unwilling to leave this place.
During the day, it lowered the heat considerably, and at night it became even more pleasant.
Tonight, another banquet was being held at the Water Gardens.
Candles and lanterns illuminated the gardens while Dornish musicians played melodies that had existed for centuries.
Nobles dressed in luxurious clothing wandered back and forth, many of them subtly competing with one another in appearance and style.
Interestingly, quite a few of the nobles present were young men in their late teens or twenties.
On the surface, Doran and his wife were hosting a feast for their bannermen.
In reality, they were selecting a husband for Arianne.
Ever since returning to Sunspear with her mother Mellario, Doran had been arranging suitable marriage candidates for her.
But Arianne herself was clearly uninterested.
Mellario understood her daughter's feelings, so she never directly discussed marriage with her.
A few days earlier, House Martell's agents in Gohor had also sent back news of Viserys's death in battle.
Neither Doran nor Mellario could believe it at first.
But soon afterward, Oberyn's confirmation arrived as well.
Viserys's death naturally carried enormous consequences. But in the long run, it might actually benefit House Martell and Dorne.
Viserys had simply been too powerful.
Compared to him, Elia's son Aegon would be much easier to deal with.
Still, they would not celebrate such a thing.
Nor could they.
The hidden advantages brought by Viserys's death were best enjoyed quietly.
Otherwise, even little Aegon might distance himself from them.
And more importantly, they still needed to hide the truth from Arianne.
Especially Mellario knew how heartbroken Arianne would be once she learned Viserys had died.
Over the past several days, the couple had deliberately arranged banquet after banquet to expose Arianne to more noble youths.
If someone could replace Viserys in her heart, perhaps she would not suffer so much.
Meanwhile, the surrounding nobles had already guessed Doran's intentions from the sudden string of banquets.
As a result, they eagerly sent their family's finest sons to Sunspear for Doran and Mellario to examine.
"No matter what, we need Arianne to meet at least one or two new young men tonight," Mellario said quietly.
"Otherwise, more and more people will learn about Viserys. Even if we hide it from her, she'll hear it from someone else."
"Yes. You're right," Doran agreed while looking at his wife holding their youngest son.
The death of a king could not remain hidden for long.
One month. Two at most.
Besides, the Targaryens no longer had much reason to conceal Viserys's death.
There was already a ready-made, unquestionable successor waiting.
The sooner the new king ascended the throne, the more stable things would remain for House Targaryen.
Doran and Mellario both suspected that King's Landing had probably already learned of Viserys's death as well.
"What about this boy? From House Allyrion."
"He'll do. Arrange it as soon as possible."
Doran was not in any hurry to marry off his daughter.
Right now, he only hoped that when Arianne learned Viserys had died, she would not collapse from grief.
As long as something could distract her even slightly, anyone would suffice.
At this moment, Arianne was together with her Sand Snake cousins.
They had carefully dressed her up for the evening.
Special oils had been applied to her black wavy hair, making it fall behind her like flowing silk.
As she moved, it bounced behind her dramatically. A blue jeweled headpiece rested upon her smooth forehead.
The Sand Snakes varied greatly in complexion and eye color.
The darkest-skinned among them was Sarella, whose mother came from the Summer Isles.
She possessed striking golden eyes.
Sarella was also the most attentive toward those around her.
Ever since Arianne returned from Gohor, she had noticed her cousin's gloomy mood.
"Let's head over to the fountain," Sarella suggested. "There are plenty of handsome young men there."
"I don't really feel like going," Arianne replied while looking at herself in the mirror.
"Oh, come on. We worked so hard to make you look this beautiful. Wouldn't it be a waste not to show yourself?" Tyene said teasingly.
Tyene was the cousin closest to Arianne. She had golden hair and bright blue eyes.
Her mother's background was especially unusual.
She had once been a septa.
In the end, after constant persuasion from her cousins, Arianne reluctantly agreed and followed them toward the fountain.
Servants hurried back and forth throughout the Water Gardens.
Arianne and her cousins resembled a flock of proud butterflies.
Wherever they went, they drew countless stares.
Most importantly, Dornish women were never shy about showing off their figures. Though little skin was exposed, their curves were impossible to miss.
Arianne herself was not tall, but her figure was undeniably alluring.
Several noble youths stared so hard their eyes nearly popped out.
"Look, Arianne," Tyene whispered mischievously.
"That black-haired one—what's his name again? Daemon? His eyes are practically bulging out."
Arianne smiled faintly.
For the first time in days, her mood seemed to improve slightly.
But then, as they passed by a massive pile of gifts, her attention was suddenly caught.
These presents had all been sent by Dornish nobles.
By custom, she was not supposed to touch them before the banquet ended. But with no one nearby, the girls quietly crept closer anyway.
At first there seemed to be nothing interesting.
Then Arianne noticed a mirror.
Its design looked almost identical to the one in Viserys's bedroom.
Immediately, she remembered that night.
Viserys had rejected her... Yet somehow, that rejection had only made him more attractive in her eyes.
She had once confided this to Tyene, who insisted it was impossible.
"Unless Viserys is impotent," Tyene had declared.
"Haha! Looks like our future princess consort is admiring herself again!" Tyene teased when she saw Arianne lingering before the mirror.
The other Sand Snakes burst into quiet laughter.
Suddenly, they heard voices coming from behind the towering stack of gifts.
Arianne gestured for silence and quietly approached.
"Didn't Rhaegar also marry that Diana woman? Then what would that Aemon become?"
"What else? Probably a prince."
"Still, it's a shame about Viserys. So young. I heard he didn't even leave behind a wife or children."
The conversation from within the gift pile made Arianne's ears ring. Taking a deep breath, she shoved the mirror aside.
Two servants hiding behind the gifts jumped in fright.
The moment they saw themselves surrounded by noble ladies, they instinctively tried to flee.
But Tyene and the others were no easy prey.
Their sharp gazes locked onto the men like venomous snakes. There was nowhere to escape.
Arianne quickly realized the two did not seem to be servants of Sunspear.
They were not even Dornish.
"What were you just talking about?" she demanded.
"N-Nothing."
"No. You mentioned Viserys. What happened to him?"
The two men exchanged nervous glances, uncertain whether they should speak.
In truth, they were merely responsible for delivering the mirror.
Such perfectly polished mirrors could only be manufactured in Gohor.
The two men were actually sailors from Pentos who had snuck into the feast while transporting gifts.
"King Viserys died in battle."
"Who?"
Arianne looked as though she could not believe her own ears.
"Viserys Targaryen the Third. Lord of the Rhoyne. King of Gohor. Protector of the Rhoynar—"
Thinking she had not heard clearly, one of the men hurriedly elaborated.
The next second, Arianne turned and ran.
Her cousins immediately chased after her.
"Sarella! Hurry and tell Prince Doran!"
Arianne's petite body exploded with astonishing speed. Several serving girls carrying wine and fruit were knocked over in her rush.
In the blink of an eye, she reached the stables.
The horses of Dorne were called sand steeds. They were slender in build but possessed incredible endurance.
Arianne spotted her brown sand steed immediately and mounted it without hesitation before racing away from the Water Gardens.
The wind blew through her hair like a streaming banner.
Meanwhile, Doran quickly received word that Arianne had fled.
At that moment, he had been discussing possible marriage arrangements with several promising nobles.
Among them was House Gargalen, the same house Doran had once served as a page in his youth.
The head of House Gargalen was a shrewd man.
He knew exactly what advantages would come from marrying into House Martell.
According to Dornish inheritance law, a child carrying his bloodline might one day sit the princely throne of Sunspear itself.
Just as the conversation was reaching a favorable point, Doran noticed Sarella whispering something into Mellario's ear.
Mellario's expression changed immediately before she relayed the message to her husband.
The moment Doran heard it, he completely forgot courtly etiquette.
"Pass my orders!" he shouted. "Seal the harbor! Not a single ship is allowed to leave!"
Right now, House Targaryen was unstable due to Viserys's death, and the new king had not yet firmly secured the throne.
Meanwhile, Dorne had already grown increasingly dismissive toward the Iron Throne over the past few years.
If Arianne ran off to see Viserys now, it could easily give others political leverage against them.
If Robert decided to march against Dorne because of it, the cost would be enormous.
Besides, even if Arianne managed to reach Gohor, it would accomplish nothing.
By the time she arrived, Viserys's ashes would probably already be cold.
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