"Prince Joffrey, I am honored."
Lynn's face showed just the right amount of gratitude, followed by a touch of sickly pallor.
"But right now, I..."
"I understand! I understand!"
Joffrey immediately caught on and waved his hands hurriedly.
"You need to rest! I won't disturb you!"
Like a child who had received a reassurance, he stepped back contentedly, nodding emphatically at Lynn.
Having done this, he turned and left with brisk steps, followed by his two new Kingsguard.
The corridor returned to silence.
Lynn closed the door.
Dealing with that spoiled brat was more mentally draining than handling the old fox Varys.
As he was thinking, heavy footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor.
The steps were chaotic, unlike the disciplined march of guards or Joffrey's light tread.
The person walked unsteadily, as if treading on cotton, yet each step carried suppressed rage.
Lynn's eyes flickered. His room was truly popular today.
But the inevitable had arrived.
Knock, knock-knock.
The knock was neither light nor heavy.
Lynn opened the door.
Outside stood Eddard Stark.
The Hand of the King had none of his usual dignity.
He was just a travel-worn, middle-aged man, his brow etched with exhaustion and confusion.
His honest grey eyes were bloodshot, staring intently at Lynn.
Ned walked into the room without a word.
Lynn closed the door, shutting out the world.
"Did you do what happened today?"
Ned got straight to the point.
He didn't circle or probe.
The crispness of the North did not allow for southern equivocations.
He just needed an answer. A direct answer.
Even if Lynn had done it, he wouldn't do anything to Lynn.
After all, Lynn had successfully diverted a conflict that should have involved House Stark. Ned couldn't betray that trust.
He would merely be angry that Lynn hadn't discussed it with him beforehand.
Lynn looked at Ned's bloodshot eyes, knowing clearly.
The shock the Lord of Winterfell had received today was probably greater than everything he had experienced in the past ten years combined.
But Ned was too righteous. There were things he didn't need to know; he just needed to lie low.
Once Lynn took the Iron Throne, he would give House Stark an honorable destiny, a repayment for using them as a stepping stone.
Lynn was not an ungrateful traitor.
Thinking this, Lynn made his decision.
He simply shook his head calmly.
"Lord Stark, I do not possess such godlike power."
"I don't even know what the assassin looked like. How could I make him charge into the Throne Room, attempt to kill the King in front of everyone, and implicate the Queen?"
This answer was within Ned's expectations, yet it made him even more agitated.
He paced the room restlessly.
The fine tunic embroidered with the direwolf sigil seemed exceptionally heavy on him.
"Then what in seven hells is going on!"
"An assassin first nearly kills Joffrey, then goes mad and charges into the Throne Room to kill the King!"
"And in the end, he bites Cersei and won't let go!"
Ned stopped pacing, slammed his fist on the table, and looked at Lynn with pain on his face.
"King's Landing... everything here has gone mad!"
"I don't understand it! I don't understand any of it!"
He was like a wolf trapped in a cage.
Anxious, angry, yet with nowhere to direct his strength.
"No, Lord Stark."
Lynn's voice rang out in the quiet room.
"On the contrary. All of this makes perfect sense."
Ned paused, looking up, his eyes full of confusion.
"Sense?"
"Yes. Sense."
Lynn walked up to him, his black eyes so deep they seemed to peer into the soul.
"Have you forgotten our previous conversation?"
"Have you forgotten the words Jon Arryn left behind, and that book of lineages?"
Lynn lowered his voice.
"The seed is strong."
Ned's breath hitched instantly.
"Joffrey, Myrcella, Tommen... none of them are Robert's children."
"They are Lannister seeds."
Looking at Ned's face, which had darkened instantly, Lynn continued.
"Jon Arryn discovered this secret, and so he died."
"And now, you are secretly investigating."
"Do you think Cersei Lannister, the daughter of the Golden Lion, doesn't know what you are looking into?"
"A mother will do anything to protect her children."
Lynn's tone became deep and persuasive.
"Think about it. If Robert dies, what happens?"
"Her son ascends the Iron Throne legitimately."
"By then, who would dare question his lineage? Who would dare dig up old cases?"
"The King's blood is the highest blood!"
"Anyone who questions him will be guilty of treason!"
Ned's body trembled slightly from the impact of the realization.
Lynn's words were a key.
Instantly unlocking the chaotic door in his mind.
Yes.
Why didn't I think of it!
Cersei's motive!
She had the most compelling motive to kill Robert!
Once Robert died, her three bastard children's claim to the throne would be secure as a mountain!
As for the assassination attempt on Joffrey, it could completely be explained as a bitter ruse to frame him or divert suspicion!
"Even if Joffrey dies, she still has Tommen."
"She is adding a layer of insurance. Even if the assassination of Robert failed, Joffrey's death would remove the Lannister motive."
"If Robert died, she could easily frame you, my Lord, or Renly, or Stannis..."
"In short, it would never be her."
"Sacrificing one to save two children... that trade is too profitable for her."
"Moreover, assassinating Joffrey would make the enraged Robert send the Gold Cloaks out to hunt the assassin."
"This would drastically reduce the guards around him, opening the door wide for an assassin. The success rate would skyrocket!"
"She... how could she be so vicious!" Ned's voice was filled with disbelief.
"What wouldn't she dare?" Lynn countered.
"She is Tywin Lannister's daughter."
"To her, honor, loyalty—things we Northmen value as life itself—are worthless before Lannister gold."
"She failed to kill Robert, and the assassin, trying to live, naturally implicated the mastermind. Is that not normal?"
"As for Jaime Lannister's stroke..."
Lynn paused.
"He seemed surprised that the assassin would name Cersei directly. Or perhaps Cersei discussed it with him, but he still had a shred of knightly honor left and remembered his duty as a Kingsguard at the critical moment, saving Robert."
"He wanted to silence the witness, and perhaps he didn't want to bear the name Kingslayer again."
"Or maybe he simply wanted to protect his sister from rumors."
"Who knows."
"After all, their relationship is a bit... unusual."
"My Lord, it all makes sense, does it not?"
It makes sense.
It makes too much sense!
The tangled mess in Ned's mind was instantly unraveled by Lynn's clear analysis.
Behind every seemingly insane action lay a logical motive.
Protect her children, secure the throne for House Lannister!
If Joffrey died, there was still Tommen.
The throne would belong to House Lannister!
Ned collapsed back into the chair.
It was a long time before he exhaled a long breath of stale air.
He looked up at Lynn.
In his grey eyes, a trace of the resolve belonging to the Warden of the North returned.
"What should I do next?"
He had completely given up thinking for himself, placing all hope on Lynn.
"Do nothing, Lord Stark."
"You just need to watch quietly."
"The King has developed a fatal suspicion of the Queen. House Lannister's reputation in King's Landing has plummeted. Our first objective is achieved."
"Next is the Hand's Tourney."
Lynn walked to the window, looking at the brightly lit grounds being prepared for the tourney in the distance.
"That will be my stage."
"And our hunting ground to harvest fame and fortune."
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