Aemon Targaryen

-Chapter 116-

-POV Aemon Targaryen-

While everyone was busy enjoying the festivities, the servants began spacing out the tables as the musicians shifted to a more lively tune.

"It's time to dance. Will you honor me with this dance, my prince?" said Amanda Grafton, the youngest daughter of the Lord of House Grafton, a year younger than me.

I raised an eyebrow inwardly, glancing at the Lord of Gulltown, who was watching us with anticipation.

I was surprised by this gesture, as everyone knew I was married to Laena and that we had recently had a child. What could he possibly hope to gain by sending his daughter to my bed?

'Unless he's willing to sacrifice a more stable marriage in favor of my… affection, guiding her to become my mistress. That might pay off in a few years or even decades,' I thought, completely reevaluating my opinion of this seemingly "submissive" lord.

'It's slightly cunning, but a bit too obvious,' I thought as I stood up to take the young girl's extended hand, avoiding humiliating her because of her overly ambitious father.

'After all, this banquet was organized to bury the hatchet, not to create new quarrels,' I thought as I began to dance.

While we danced in silence, the young girl tried to impress me with her grace and beauty.

I had to admit, she was truly stunning. However, I couldn't help but steal glances at Jeyne, who was dancing with young Will.

'Poor boy,' I thought, watching how much my cousin struggled to keep up with Jeyne, who was nine years older than him and impressively tall for a woman, nearing 1.80 meters.

Once the dance was over, I bowed to my partner, who was ecstatic but also red with embarrassment due to all the attention we had drawn with our… closeness.

'Unfortunately for her, I despise this type of relationship,' I thought as I left the young girl to return to her father, her head filled with illusions and unrealistic expectations.

"My prince."

I stopped in my tracks at the way Jeyne addressed me and half-turned, curious about what she wanted from me.

We hardly spoke, and most of the time, we acted as though the other didn't exist.

"Will you grant me this dance?" she said, extending her hand.

I frowned, as it was rare for a lady to ask a man to dance, let alone twice in less than ten minutes.

'Especially since I'm married,' I thought, hesitating slightly, aware of Laena's and her mother's hawk-like gazes as they sat near my own mother.

Finally, I extended my hand, accepting that of my former rival and now prisoner.

'At some point, I'll need to take this step if I truly want to gain control over the entirety of the Vale,' I thought, placing a hand on her waist.

"Your cousin is very upset," Jeyne whispered in my ear casually.

'She's trying to stir up trouble for me on top of everything else,' I thought, knowing she harbored nothing but resentment toward me.

"Which one?" I asked calmly, ignoring her weak attempts at "seduction," even though I already knew which cousin she was talking about.

'Given that they spent all of last year together and became close friends, it's not hard to guess,' I thought.

'At least on the surface,' I mused, sensing the serpent slithering beneath the façade of the wounded little bird she had worn since arriving at Runestone.

"Perra," she said directly, pretending to inform me out of the goodness of her heart about the troubles of her so-called friend.

"Hmm," I replied, fixing my gaze on Jeyne expressionlessly, adding nothing more.

She held my gaze for a few seconds before I broke the silence with a question:

"Did she tell you about her marriage?"

Jeyne nodded naturally.

"What does she think about it?" I continued, curious to know my cousin's thoughts.

"I believe she sees it as a punishment," Jeyne replied.

'Hmm. Even if it's a punishment for Gerold, it's not for Perra,' I thought.

'Robar will be one of my future lieutenants. Now that I'm certain he's a warg, I must bind him entirely to me. This marriage is an honor I'm granting him, and I'll ensure that Perra is treated well,' I thought.

'But if Perra sees it as a punishment, she won't cooperate, and their marriage will be doomed before it even begins,' I realized.

"And what do you think?" I asked Jeyne, snapping out of my thoughts.

"It's not my place," she said, feigning exaggerated respect to avoid speculating about the marriage.

'Don't give me that,' I thought, slightly amused.

"It wasn't your place to betray your friend to gain my favor, yet you did it anyway," I said, breaking her little act of innocence.

'Maybe with others, but not with me. You're not broken; you're simply waiting for your moment,' I thought, watching her mask crack and crumble in mere seconds.

Jeyne remained silent, so I said, this time with a smile:

"Just tell me what you want. You wouldn't have come here simply to talk to me about Perra."

"It's the same for you, Aemon. What do you want from me that you haven't already taken?" she said, regaining the fiery boldness she once had when facing me.

'No more "My prince" now, huh?' I thought, amused at how quickly her demeanor changed.

"I don't need you," I said.

And it was the truth.

She wasn't necessary—just a faster, less costly means to achieve my goals.

"Are you so sure of that?" she asked, raising her eyebrows incredulously.

I smiled almost mockingly and gestured with my eyes for her to look around.

"Do you still doubt it?"

She was silent for a moment before saying:

"I need you to do something for me."

"What is it?" I asked, intrigued.

"I need you to annul the marriage between Arnold and Jessamyn," she said.