Green spread his hands and said, "At least I will not give command of the Crabb army to Lannister, and I imagine Lannister holds a similar view."
Lady Olenna was silent for a moment, then said: "The Little Wolf Cub of House Stark is truly a lucky fellow."
"Perhaps he has a choice; he would rather give up this luck that others see."
Green's gaze shifted slightly, and he continued: "He lost his bride and uncle in a joyous wedding, perhaps that is one of the costs."
His tone carried a hint of emotion: "I hear Robb Stark has identified Lannister as the true culprit."
Lady Olenna listened to Green's words, and she too nodded in agreement, saying: "The Little Wolf Cub must very much wish Lannister were the culprit… This old woman has seen too many 'surprising' things; in the game of power… sometimes the truth doesn't matter."
Green smiled and said: "Once the Seven Kingdoms return to peace, I think everyone will be more willing to sit down and talk properly."
A flicker of imperceptible suspicion crossed Lady Olenna's eyes: "The entire Seven Kingdoms are awaiting Hand of the King Tywin to bring peace, only this old woman is an exception."
Seeing Green's slight pause, she added: "Thinking of his daughter and his grandson, it's hard for me to have confidence in him. Am I right, Duke Green?"
Green hesitated for a moment, then said: "Respected Lady Olenna, forgive my bluntness, our choices are not many; currently… Hand of the King Tywin rules this Kingdom."
Lady Olenna snorted, and just as she was about to speak, Lord Mace walked over, beaming.
"Oh, Lady Olenna, was your journey pleasant?"
Lady Olenna dismissively pushed away her son who was about to embrace her, and said: "As soon as I entered the Crownlands, I could smell the stench of excrement from King's Landing, how do you expect me to be pleasant, Duke of Highgarden?"
Lord Mace stood there, sniffed the air, and cheerfully said: "I only smell the fragrance of Highgarden's Roses, charming Lady Olenna!"
Green saw Lady Olenna roll her eyes.
Her voice carried a hint of irritation: "Respected Duke of Highgarden, would you perhaps help my Margaery appease those who were slighted? I don't want the Little King's capriciousness to become an excuse for the Lannister women to trouble my granddaughter."
Lord Mace paused, then carefully corrected his mother's address for Joffrey: "It's King."
"If he were a good King, this old woman would willingly kneel and kiss his boots, and beg for forgiveness."
Then, Lady Olenna's voice Rose slightly: "Clearly, he is not yet, and not yet of age, so my address is correct."
As her words fell, Lord Mace quickly scanned his surroundings, and seeing no one, he breathed a sigh of relief, saying: "Mother, Margaery…"
In his hesitation, he glanced at Green.
Seeing this, Green nodded slightly, and was about to leave, but Lord Mace waved his hand: "This is no secret."
His eyes looked at his mother, and his voice involuntarily lowered slightly: "Lady Olenna, the Red Keep is full of other people's ears and eyes, and those with intentions will deliberately twist playful words into another meaning to reach the King's ears, especially… Lannister."
Lady Olenna scrutinized her foolish son, and said: "Thank you for your reminder, Duke of Highgarden."
Hearing his mother's "praise," an expression of smugness appeared on Lord Mace's face, and he slowly stroked his beard.
Lady Olenna truly couldn't bear to watch, and directly shooed away the Wild Boar Duke: "Since you know, then go help Lannister appease those nobles who came to join the fun, hurry, for my Margaery."
Lord Mace cheerfully departed, and after a pause, Lady Olenna said to Green: "I heard from Margaery… someone told her that Joffrey is a decisive little boy (Chapter 235), and that person truly has sharp insight."
She added in her mind: That brat is more like Cersei the Second.
Green smiled faintly: "I respect Miss Margaery's wishes, Lady Olenna."
Lady Olenna gazed at Green for a moment, then suddenly said indignantly: "You truly are a cunning… Duke."
With that, she began to walk towards the Red Keep, her twin guards following closely behind.
...
...
On the same day, at approximately the same time, Pyke of the Iron Islands.
The fierce wind howled, making the rope bridges of the main castle towers sway precariously; the torrential rain poured down, like countless arrows shooting onto the wooden bridge decks of the rope bridges.
Thick dark clouds made Pyke's daytime feel like night.
In such terrible weather, a gaunt figure appeared in the middle of a rope bridge.
Rumble.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning flashed, illuminating the figure; it was Balon Greyjoy—who claimed to be the King of the Iron Islands.
The lightning also illuminated King Balon's terrified face.
In a flash, he seemed to be violently pushed by an invisible hand, his foot slipped, and his unbalanced body immediately tilted backward, falling from the rope bridge.
King Balon was swallowed by the surging, churning waves.
...
...
King Joffrey, with Queen Cersei's secret help, had carpenters build small-scale stands and an arena in his practice yard.
The crowd that came to watch was only sparsely half-full for the time being, mostly Gold Cloaks and Lannister's red-cloaked men, as well as a very small number of noble men and women.
Joffrey and Margaery sat side by side on the high platform, above them a deep red canopy.
Behind the two of them sat Princess Myrcella and Prince Tommen, and further back was Sandor Clegane, hands on sword hilt, clad in a snow-white cloak.
The attendant chanted: "Duke Greene Crabb—present—"
When Green's figure appeared on the high platform, plump Tommen immediately called out to him: "Duke Green, I will compete in the tourney today, Joffrey has already promised me!"
Green raised an eyebrow, and he teased: "Warrior Tommen intends to enter the lists himself? Your opponent had better watch his life."
Joffrey turned his head and chuckled: "Duke Green, the opponent I arranged for him is a scarecrow."
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