Chapter 499: Hostility between sister and brother
Chapter 499 The hostility between sister and brother
evening.
The Board of Directors Hall.
The memorials on his desk piled up into a mountain, and Aemond was expressionless as he worked hard.
The dim sunset glow cast down, turning her long hair into a dazzling silver-gold color.
On both sides of the table, a brother and sister were busy doing their own thing.
Helena put her chin in one hand and fiddled with a sapphire without interest.
I glanced at the door from time to time, looking at the closed door more and more bored.
Aegon moved to sit in front of the desk, his legs spread wide, trying to make himself comfortable.
At this time, the maid will take care of the dinner.
Aegon held on to the little maid's hand and kept talking about it with an ambiguous look on his face.
“Why is there no veal on the menu? The food in the Red Fort is so poor?”
…”
Eamond is so commonplace that he can't be bothered with this fool.
Helena looked gloomy and waved to the maid asking for help, signaling her to leave.
“Thank you, princess.”
As if she had received an amnesty, the maid shook off Aegon's dirty hands and ran away with the dinner plate in hand.
boom-
Just as the maid ran to the door, the door opened from the outside.
"slower."
Rhaegar spoke softly, and while pulling the door handle, he helped Rhaenyra walk slowly.
Rhaenyra nodded slightly and walked in with the baby in her arms.
Compared to the morning, my complexion is obviously better.
Not only did she change into a blue dress, but she also specially dressed up.
“Your Majesty.”
The maid was startled and slipped out the door without even daring to raise her head.
Rhaegar narrowed his eyes slightly, and when he saw the careless Aegon, a dangerous look flashed in his eyes.
At his glance, Aegon seemed to be showered with cold water. He quickly stood up and gave up his seat: "Didn't Rhaenyra just give birth, why did she run out?"
Seeing that he was so discerning, Lei Jia withdrew his gaze and said calmly: "My servants have been urging me, so I came here to take a look."
As she spoke, Helena put down the small ornaments and stepped forward to help Rhaenyra: "Sit down quickly."
Rhaenyra sat down, adjusted the swaddling clothes in her arms, and said, "It's okay. The maester said that you should move around after giving birth to help with recovery."
Speaking, he swept across the desk without leaving any trace.
Aemond stopped writing, looked up at his brothers and sisters who were busy, and slowly put the sapphire on the table back into his eyes.
“Is everything going well?”
Aemond asked softly, his one-eyed eye always keeping an eye on the little swaddle.
Rhaenyra smiled: "Very good, it's a girl."
“Let me take a look.”
Aegon stepped forward, pulled the baby's face, and put his hands in his arms for a while.
Soon, he took out a ruby necklace and said proudly: "As a birthday gift for my niece, a specialty from Volantis."
“I thank you for Visenya.”
Rhaenyra smiled and placed the necklace in her swaddling clothes.
"a piece of cake."
Aegon slapped his chest, looking quite wealthy, and did not forget to wink provocatively at Aemond.
Brother is rich.
Aemond saw it and moved his eyes away disdainfully.
Stone Step Islands occupies a good location and can harvest generous shipping fees every year.
In addition, Mill and Reese invested money to build two small docks on Bloodstone Island and Gray Gallows Island to attract additional cargo ships to berth and rest.
Aegon only built a few brothels and emptied the sailors' money bags.
Rhaegar ignored the comparison between the two brothers and said directly: "The Stone Steps Islands will increase taxes this year, and the original 30% will be increased by another 15%."
"ah?"
Aegon was shocked and protested quickly: "Thirty percent is not enough. I'm almost drinking the northwest wind."
Rhaegar sneered: "Myr's tax is 45%, and Lys's tax is 50%. Do you have any objections?"
Through years of development, the three free trade cities have been connected to the shipping routes of the Stepstone Islands, the Dorne Sea, and the Summer Sea.
The increasing profits nourished the entire royal family.
Aegon was determined to resist, but he held back the words as soon as they came to his lips.
When I thought of the cellar full of fine wine in the Twin Castles, I gritted my teeth and agreed: "It will go up if it goes up, but just this time."
If the price continues to rise, he will no longer be able to live a good life of spending money like water.
Wouldn’t he be reduced to the same poverty as Emond in the future?
Rhaegar said nothing, his playful eyes said everything.
Helena added the attack from the side: "The Stone Step Islands can collect a maximum tax of 65%. This has been discussed in the Royal Council."
Aegon:…
My heart aches so much, and I suddenly don’t want to stay in Jun’s Landing any longer.
Rhaegar was too lazy to pay attention to him. The tax had to be paid sooner or later. The trade in Stonehelm City was not prosperous, and he still had to pay 35% of the tax.
Holding the chair with his palms, his eyes fell on Emond and he got to the point: "Is there any problem that cannot be solved?"
As soon as the words came out of his mouth, his aura became majestic.
Rhaenyra paused and pulled Helena to look at the baby.
Aegon couldn't say anything, so he walked to the balcony and sat down, looking up in mourning for the taxes he was about to lose.
Aemond handed over the memorial that was placed under Di's hand: "News from Tidal Head Island, about the inheritance of the sea serpent."
“Sea serpent?”
Rhaegar pondered: "Didn't he lead a fleet to patrol the disputed areas?"
In recent years, Volantis has often entered disputed areas under the guise of an ally, secretly sending out large numbers of stowaways and pirates.
As one of the councilor families of Lys, the Sea Serpent serves as the marshal of the navy to crack down on crime.
Aemond, with his one-eyed piercing eyes, said, "You'd better see for yourself. The sender is the nephew of the sea serpent."
“Tsk!”
Rhaenyra curled her lips and emphasized: "It's the inheritance issue again. Velaryon is really endless."
Rhaegar took it and looked through it, feeling a little displeased: "Marentin Velaryon, this is the first time you have stirred up trouble."
This man is Sea Snake's cousin and nephew, and he is already quite old.
Still so naive and unwilling to give up.
Eamond leaned back on the chair and crossed his legs: "What should I do, or should I ignore it?"
Rhaegar glanced at him and said calmly: "Send a message to Aunt Rhaenys. I will take the children to visit Chaotou Island in a few days."
Some things will be solved sooner or later.
Aemond nodded and looked at Rhaenyra who was coaxing the child: "Can she go?"
Rhaenyra frowned, answered for Rhaegar and asked, "I can't go?"
“It’s up to you.” Aemond shrugged, his attitude casual. Rhaenyra handed the swaddling clothes to Helena with an evil look in her eyes: "If you were worried about me, you should marry Cassandra as soon as possible and shoulder the responsibility of the marriage."
“I have my own plans, and Storm’s End will be mine sooner or later.”
Eamond spoke calmly, confronting him **** for tat.
Aegon looked surprised and stared at the excitement behind him.
It was known throughout the court that Rhaenyra and Aemond were not on good terms.
Every time Rhaenyra appeared, Aemond was absent.
But when you first look at it from the front, you still rarely see it.
Rhaenyra stared at Aemond, inexplicably thinking of Allison imprisoned in the sept of Harrenhal, and opened her mouth to reply.
“Okay, let’s take a look at Visenya first.”
Rhaegar put his hand on her shoulder and persuaded her: "When the children are older, you must respect them."
His voice was obviously suppressed, but his words spread throughout the room.
Rhaenyra gritted her silver teeth secretly, suppressing her anger.
Rhaegar gently rubbed her shoulders, turned to Aemond, and said calmly: "Rhaenyra is right, you have already passed the ceremony of completion, and you still want me to hold a tourney for you to add to the gimmick?"
Facing the gaze that he could not refuse, Emond felt like a light on his back. He awkwardly lowered his legs and returned to his normal sitting posture.
In his heart, Aegon and Helena have always been the closest blood relatives.
Rhaegar is the eldest brother, he admires and recognizes him from the bottom of his heart.
Only half-mother Rhaenyra could not get close to her.
Rhaegar treated him with indifference, and finally stopped criticizing him too much.
The relationship between Rhaenyra and Aemond has been apparent for a long time, and it was going well in the past few years.
Until three years ago, Rhaenyra proposed that Myr and Lys jointly fund the construction of docks for Aegon's Stepstone Islands.
The relationship between the two parties gradually became rigid.
But there is nothing we can do about it.
Stonehelm City itself has a dock and does not require investment.
Based on its geographical location, it is not as important as the Stepstone Islands. It is located alone on the coast of the Dorne Sea and has poor trade circulation.
Sighed, Rhaegar slowed down and said, "You really should marry Cassandra. My father has been urging me to do this."
Aemond turned his head and said, "You should really take care of the guy behind me. He has been married for several years and has no children."
Aegon was stunned when he heard this and said dissatisfied: "I'll talk about you now!"
“Quiet, said he didn’t say you were?”
Rhaegar looked at the two brothers in distress and lectured: "Including Visenya, I already have six children, so you can't live up to your expectations!"
“Hmph!” Aegon said indignantly.
Rhaenyra glanced at Rhaegar, then lowered her head and continued to coax her daughter.
Helena said silently: "Seven."
Hearing this, Rega looked at her in surprise.
Helena remained silent, taking her little niece's pink hand and shaking it gently with her eyes full of light.
Rhaenyra glanced sideways slightly, her expression slightly complicated.
Aemond's one-eyed look flashed with suspicion and changed the subject: "Okay, after the trip to Tidal Head Island, I will return to Storm's End to deal with this matter."
“You should have done this a long time ago.”
Aegon clicked his tongue, thinking that Helena was talking crazy.
Rhaegar's eyes flashed slightly and he took over the words: "Get ready, the sea snake is coming back soon."
With that said, everyone left.
…
Seven days later, Blackwater Bay.
Several giant dragons fly together, soaring over the magnificent sea.
Glutton flies at the forefront, its dark wings covering a large area of the sea, and its huge body glides against the sea water.
On both sides of it, there is a giant dragon made of gold.
Each one is over thirty meters long, which is one-fifth of the size of a glutton.
The sky is blue and the clouds are white.
“Hiss!”
A scrawny mud dragon has a flexible body and disperses clouds and mist, making it look like a cunning villain.
The mud dragon is not slow, and with its outstretched brown wings, it can also sweep up the salty sea breeze.
——
Above the clouds, a strong wind blew.
A giant dragon with light blue scales flew by quietly, its huge size easily overshadowing the mud dragon, soaring leisurely.
Among the dragons, it ranks second in size.
The next most powerful one is the Gluttonous One, which is over 100 meters in size.
Under the protection of the dragons, a three-masted sailboat flying the flag of three red dragons drifted in the wind.
Humbling, the neighing of the young dragon can still be heard.
The sailors on the ship were busy and knew the rules to avoid the deck position.
Since His Majesty took the throne, Westeros has quietly changed.
The most obvious point.
When the royal family travels, they must be accompanied by giant dragons.
…
Chaotou Island.
Hull town, port.
Several giant dragons soared past, heading towards Gaochao City.
The royal ship docked at the port, and the Kingsguard disembarked first.
Woooooo—
At this moment, a striking and heavy horn sounded.
Periphery of the port.
A huge, majestic and fierce warship flying the seahorse flag slowly sailed in.
“It’s the Sea Serpent!”
“This is your Lord’s ship, come quickly!”
…”
As soon as the warship appeared, it immediately caused a commotion in the port, and patrol soldiers swarmed in.
Except this ship is the lord's vehicle.
Because the warship is unusual.
The ship's planks were scorched black and most of the flags were burned, as if it had been engaged in a series of battles.
The smell of blood and burnt food can be smelled from a distance.
(End of this chapter)
