During this period, rumors about Harrenhal were flying everywhere.
Some said Roman was an old dragon in human form covered in scales, patrolling his territory from the sky every day.
There were also merchants who claimed they attended the Harrenhal Chamber of Commerce, and that Roman looked the same as before, no different from anyone else except for the eye-catching horns on his head.
Some even whispered in private that the Hean Family had gotten hold of this dragon, Roman, specifically to help the Targaryen restoration.
But no matter what the outside world said, Harrenhal made no statement, and the iron throne offered no comment.
Slowly, this matter turned into a strange tale, and anyone could chime in.
Few people had actually seen Roman, and because he disliked going out to attend banquets or hunts, even the nobles knew very little about him.
For the vast majority of people, Roman was just a topic of conversation, something to bring up whenever there was nothing else to talk about.
But for Myrcella, it was completely different; as a princess, she knew far more information than other nobles.
She knew the specific situation regarding Roman, and similarly, Sansa, as the daughter of the Hand of the King, also had more understanding of it.
This day, Sansa and Myrcella sat together because both had received news: Roman was about to arrive in King's Landing to watch the tournament.
This was a tournament Robert held specifically to celebrate Eddard's appointment as Hand of the King. Although the person in question, Eddard, tried his best to dissuade the King from such extravagance, Robert remained stubborn.
"Robert, you finally managed to make some money from reselling, and you collected the illicit funds, are you going to just throw them away to feed the fish now?"
"Oh, Ned, is that how you talk to your King? I'm doing this to give you face, aren't I?"
"But that still doesn't mean..."
Robert: "Enough, enough! I know what I'm doing, it's not your money I'm spending!"
Eddard looked at his best friend helplessly, and in the end, could only sigh deeply and go back to calculating the finances to clean up Robert's mess.
Myrcella and Sansa didn't know about this; the two little girls were focused on who would be attending the tournament and when Roman would arrive.
Sansa didn't care about the fact that Myrcella had "stolen" her dream lover, and the daughter of the Duke of Winterfell and the princess began a discussion about Roman.
In the end, to the surprise of the Servants, the two played together, which made the surrounding staff sigh that they were just children after all.
When the day of the tournament arrived, knights and nobles from all over gathered together, whether poor or rich, all wanting to gain honor and wealth at this grand event.
But these things were of no use to Eddard; he not only had to investigate what Old Arryn had been looking into before he died, but also had to deal with the mess Littlefinger had created. Baelish had borrowed a pile of money despite the iron throne's inability to repay, creating a facade of prosperity for Robert.
If it weren't for Roman discovering Littlefinger's illicit reselling through porcelain merchants, Robert would likely still be accumulating debt.
Eddard wanted to throw Littlefinger straight out of the Small Council, but Robert stopped him.
"If we kick Baelish out, then who can take over as Master of Coin? That brat Roman refuses to come, we have no choice."
Roman, it was Roman again!
Eddard discovered that Roman had a hand in several key positions in Westeros, and many things were even forged by his own hand.
After long preparations, the grand Hand's Tournament finally began.
On the high platform of the venue, the captain of Eddard's guard said excitedly: "My lord, almost all knights from all over the country have come to participate in this tournament; they are fighting for your honor."
Eddard: "If they were truly fighting for my honor, they shouldn't have come at all!"
But the die was cast, the tournament had already begun, and what was worse was that Robert actually wanted to participate in the melee himself.
Eddard: "Your Grace, you are the King; you shouldn't participate in such brawls between knights."
Robert glared: "Screw you! Ned, I am the King! I can't even participate in a competition I organized?"
Ser Barristan also advised from the side: "Your Grace, it is precisely because you are the King that the knights cannot possibly fight you seriously. Do you think this is the kind of tournament you want?"
Robert looked at the spirited Barristan and cursed: "Barristan, you talk too much usually; this won't do, that won't do. I, as King, am worse off than a knight!"
The King looked at the two in front of him, then waved his hand dejectedly: "Forget it, if I can't go, I won't go!"
Seeing that the King was no longer being willful, Eddard finally breathed a sigh of relief; now he could finally investigate the issues left behind by Old Arryn.
At this moment, Roman arrived at the tournament venue with the group from Harrenhal.
"Lord Eddard, long time no see!"
Roman shook hands cordially with Eddard, and Lady Helaena of House Hoare also nodded indifferently to Eddard to show respect.
"Ser Roman, are you just here to visit this time? Why isn't there a single knight from Harrenhal participating?"
Although Eddard didn't like this tournament, he still cared about these guests.
Roman didn't answer Eddard's question, just greeted him briefly, then left quickly with the excuse of finding a seat.
Because the people from Harrenhal arrived late, the venue was already full of spectators, and nobles and knights from various regions were enjoying this grand event in their respective areas.
It must be said that the tournament was truly one of the rare large-scale entertainment projects in Westeros; nobles who were usually hard to see all had the opportunity to meet, and during this time, they could chat, and it was even possible to set up marriage contracts for their children.
In the jousting lists, there was a huge field for many knights to use together, which was much more impressive than the shabby little track in the TV series.
Sansa had lived in the North for years, and today she finally witnessed the grand event of the South.
The Northern girl excitedly pulled the Myrcella beside her, and Sansa pointed to the knights.
The knights were all preparing for the upcoming duels; they were dressed in shining armor, and the tall warhorses beneath them were also wearing various gorgeous armors. The banners of various families fluttered in the wind, and the surroundings were filled with the loud cheers of the crowd.
Various musical instruments also filled every part of the scene, and the musicians played appropriate music just right.
Seeing this scene, Roman finally understood how Robert had spent all his money; even if the iron throne had money, it shouldn't be squandered like this!
Compared to Sansa's shock, Myrcella was born in the wealthy South and was used to these scenes.
She had little interest in the jousting tournament; she was looking for her treasure, but Myrcella didn't see that figure as the competition neared its opening.
"Is he not coming?"
Just as the princess was feeling disappointed, she suddenly found the area around her darkened.
"Your Highness, may I sit beside you?"
Roman's gentle voice came, and Myrcella looked up in surprise, seeing a figure in black standing before her.
Looking at that face that haunted her dreams, Myrcella suppressed her excitement and said:
"Of course you may, my knight."