Highgarden had long set its sights on the position of Queen.
As the powerful feudal lord with the highest stats on paper in the Seven Kingdoms, the only one comparable to Lord Tywin, Tyrell had quietly lain dormant for over a decade after the War of the Usurper, waiting for Robert's son to grow up. Queen of Thorns had poured countless efforts into cultivating Margaery, making her not only beautiful and charming but also politically savvy and qualified, with a clear goal – for her to become the mother of the nation.
With Highgarden's wealth and power, as long as they expressed their intention to Robert, pledged their allegiance, and put more effort into the dowry... after paying enough sincerity and cost, they could actually fully achieve their goal.
Supported by the strongest network of relatives and friends in the Seven Kingdoms, Margaery was confident of victory. Bearing the family's expectations, she began quietly befriending and winning over important court officials, building momentum and paving the way for herself, just waiting for Robert to release the signal that he was "looking for a Queen for Joffrey," then she would go all out, winning the Queen "bid" in one fell swoop with overwhelming advantage!
The class solidification in feudal society was so severe that if a King wanted his powerful vassals to be obedient and not cause trouble, he had to give them some motivation and hope – marriage alliances were one of the options. According to the rules, even if the King already had a candidate in mind, the basic formalities still had to be followed, and as long as the game for the position of Queen began, the outcome could have variables.
Unfortunately, just as Prince Joffrey was finally approaching adulthood, and Tyrell was about to find a way to sound out Robert... Jon Arryn, who had already connected with them and agreed to act as a matchmaker for Margaery and Joffrey – died.
The Hand of the King's sudden death, Robert's urgent northern tour to consolidate his rule, and his swift agreement with Eddard Stark on Joffrey and Sansa's marriage upon arriving at Winterfell... The "just do it" execution power of Westeros's most short-tempered old brother was so astonishing; all of this happened too suddenly without any warning, giving Tyrell no chance to react at all. Margaery, who had meticulously prepared for the Queen election, found that the competition ended inexplicably before it even began – she hadn't even had time to sign up, yet she had inexplicably lost to Stark, who hadn't made any arrangements for the Queen bid at all, losing to Sansa Stark, this truly naive and sweet girl who knew nothing?
She really wanted to cry out in injustice!
Meticulously laying the foundation and practicing hard for over a decade for a competition, only to be told that the event was canceled when she was finally able to participate. The world changed too quickly, and her strategy couldn't keep up with the pace. What to do?
Either change careers, or quickly practice something else!
Having no other choice, Margaery settled for the next best thing, taking advantage of the suppression of the rebellion in the Vale of Arryn to actively offer herself to Robert. Although the difference between "mistress" and "Queen" seemed a bit large, as long as the person beside her in bed was the King, she could at least recoup some of the initial investment losses.
Who would have thought that Robert, who had been lustful his whole life, would this time, out of caution, refuse to eat the fat meat that was right in front of him!
Even if she wasn't like that Lyanna, her own looks weren't bad either. Was it that her Little Rose wasn't alluring enough, or that the King's taste was too high?
Even after using all the tricks her grandmother taught her, the other party remained unmoved. Margaery refused to die so inexplicably. Under her repeated harassment and entanglement, Robert finally relented and gave a hint: she should go find Robb Stark.
The King refused to touch her, and the King's eldest son was already officially engaged to Sansa; the "young couple" lived together in the Red Keep, and the future King's father-in-law sat on the Iron Throne managing the Seven Kingdoms for Robert... Tyrell indeed had vast lands and sufficient troops and grain, but trying to poach the Hand of the King's family was truly a bit difficult.
Realizing the situation was impossible, Margaery began seriously considering Robert's suggestion – after careful consideration, she suppressed her unwillingness and made a choice: officially abandon the King route and switch to the "Hand of the King" route. To prevent further accidents, she even decided to take the initiative – as soon as the celebration banquet ended tonight, she would actively approach Robb Stark under the pretext of congratulating him and admiring his bravery.
He was just a hot-blooded young man, and both families were well-matched. Surely he couldn't resist her temptation. By becoming the Hand of the King's daughter-in-law and the future Lady Stark, she could indirectly enter the center of power. Although it was a bit complicated, all roads lead to King's Landing.
Moments ago, Robb Stark, in front of the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms and Margaery, requested Robert's permission to marry Roslin Frey.
Where did things go wrong? Was what her grandmother taught her outdated, or was something wrong with this world? Why wasn't anyone playing by the rules? She clearly hadn't done anything wrong, so why was everything going against her!?
Margaery almost wanted to vomit blood – under such circumstances, to still wear a smile and chat with the Night's Watch Chief Quartermaster sitting beside her in a casual, nonchalant tone, how much self-control and cultivation did that require?
But this damned Night's Watchman, with a vigilant look, actually refused to talk more with her. If she had a sword in her hand at that moment, Margaery felt she could truly stab this detestable guy in black through the heart with one strike.
Smart people shouldn't speak in anger. A rose having thorns is enough; what's the use of carrying a sword? Even if she had one, how could she possibly deal with a master like this, who was said to be able to fight dozens of rounds with the Red Viper without falling behind? Margaery looked at Robb, who was holding Miss Frey and beaming with happiness, felt she needed to calm down, and also left the tent.
Then, he heard two guys, one in black and one in white, one old and one young, drinking and talking loudly about ruling the world, and surprisingly, they even mentioned her in their conversation.
Would she be willing to marry Robb Stark? That man was currently having his wedding with the daughter of the Frey family, and they would enter the bridal chamber tonight. Was there any point in answering such a question now?
***
Under the moonlight, the air seemed to freeze, and the same silence that had been in the tent moments ago appeared between the three of them again.
Asking someone about their crush was like asking a woman her age; honestly, it wasn't very appropriate... Barristan spoke boldly, purely relying on his seniority.
But to Aegon's surprise, Margaery quickly spoke and replied: "The man of my dreams will be a peerless hero. One day, he will come before me wearing a crown and riding a white steed, crowning me Queen of Love and Beauty. Unfortunately... as it seems now, this can only be a wishful dream for a poor girl like me who is unwanted."
"So that's how it is." Barristan put away his smile, nodded, and said no more.
...
Truly watertight, Aegon praised silently in his heart. In terms of quick-wittedness, he still had to learn from this young girl – facing the Kingsguard captain's inquiry, which carried no hint of gossip or malice, saying nothing would seem too distant and guarded, but saying too much was prone to mistakes. Margaery gave this reply with a hint of melancholy, which contained no falsehoods and gave people nothing to seize upon – one might ask: what was wrong with a girl of only fifteen or sixteen "innocently" thinking of becoming Queen? Would anyone accuse her of being too ambitious?
(Compared to his own expedient plan of escaping the celebration banquet just now, this scheming girl's clever reply was miles ahead of his.)
The Night's Watchman secretly admired Margaery, but he didn't know how bitter the young girl's heart was at this moment.
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