The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Grand Maester Lomas wasn't very sensitive to political affairs, and Willas himself wasn't a treacherous person, which allowed the Mountain's letter to reach Cersei smoothly.

The Mountain's two consecutive letters contained fatal moves, but unfortunately, Highgarden was full of talents, with generals gathering and a large army assembled, yet it lacked the deadly aura of these two letters.

After Cersei and her two Kingsguard read the second letter, a huge change occurred in the minds of the two Kingsguard. Their complete support for Kevan was strongly shaken. Barristan Selmy and Arys Oakheart's muscles couldn't help them sort out the complex political struggles and the instantaneous changes in the power game, while Cersei, without a doubt, underwent earth-shattering changes in her heart.

The second letter completely reversed the universe in Cersei's heart.

A Lannister always pays his debts! This also applies internally.

Since the Mountain could be loyal to Lord Tywin for twenty years, why couldn't he continue to be loyal to Cersei for twenty years? The Iron Throne can accommodate the Stark family as kings, the Arryn family as kings, the Tully family as kings, the Tyrell family as kings, the Martell family as kings, the Greyjoy family as kings... Many great nobles are kings of a region. If this king swears allegiance to the Iron Throne, then he should be tolerated.

Why can't the rising Mountain be tolerated? The Seven Kingdoms are so large, if the Westerlands aren't given to him, other places can be given to him, let him go and conquer them himself, for example, the Riverlands of the Tully family, Winterfell of the Stark family in the North.

In fact, after careful consideration, Cersei realized she had no choice.

The one who truly coveted the Iron Throne and threatened Tommen's rule was clearly not the Mountain, but Kevan.

But the top-secret information provided by the Mountain needed to be verified.

Cersei decided to verify it. The method of verification was very simple: be frank and straightforward. And this simplest method was what the Mountain told Cersei in the letter.

Why did the Mountain know all the secrets?

From the letter, the Mountain's terrifyingly shrewd calculations caused a trace of discomfort, a trace of unease, and a trace of hesitation to flash through Cersei's heart, but she knew she had to do something—because there was no choice.

When fire burns your eyebrows, your hair, your clothes, do you watch the flames continue to burn, or do you put out the fire?

That's no choice!

The Mountain made Cersei see the flames burning her eyebrows, hair, and clothes, hidden and sinister flames, and this fire was lit by her uncle Kevan!

That's no choice!

The Mountain's shrewdness, wisdom, planning, and insight into various secrets—it was as if he was the legendary omniscient greenseer Bloodraven, possessing a thousand and one eyes.

The immediate priority now was to put out the fire first, rather than sit down and study how the Mountain discovered the fire lit by Kevan.

The fire had already started, but Cersei had been kept in the dark. The invisible fire had surrounded her, and she was already in great danger.

*

Highgarden. Willas Tyrell's round tower.

On the table was a letter from King's Landing, written by Hand of the King Kevan Lannister.

There were five people reading the letter: Willas Tyrell, acting Lord of Highgarden, Garth Tyrell, steward, Aegon, captain of the guard, Grand Maester Ebrose, and Ser Vortimer.

This letter was the one Cersei had jokingly suggested Willas open in public, sealed with the Hand of the King's signet.

Now the letter was unfolded and placed on the table.

Captain of the Guard Aegon carefully finished reading the letter and smiled, "My lords, we don't need to have any more worries. We can resolutely take action. With Kevan's Hand's decree and the king's signed and sealed congratulatory document for the marriage agreement, we are justified in placing Queen Mother Cersei under house arrest. Law, emotion, and family etiquette are all complete."

Grand Maester Ebrose sighed, ashamed of being caught up in the political struggles between the great nobles. He should have focused on academics and remained neutral, aloof from political affairs and noble grievances. This was the traditional code of the Citadel, which should never be violated: "Hand Kevan will publicly announce his congratulations on the marriage after we place Queen Mother Cersei under house arrest, and he will send gifts. We have no more worries."

Ser Vortimer was eager to try: "I want to fight Barristan Selmy, and then duel Arys Oakheart. I want to see how powerful the famous Kingsguard really are."

"Things that can be solved with wine should not be dueled over," Steward Garth Tyrell said slowly. His cunning appearance made him look like a fat fox.

Willas Tyrell felt sad about his life.

Cersei was beautiful, but he saw snake-like teeth beneath Cersei's beauty. Cersei's false smile was the snake's tongue.

Willas felt that there were two major misfortunes in his life. The first was that his leg was broken by Oberyn Martell during a joust in his youth, causing lifelong disability; but he was already used to his leg injury and it no longer affected his life. The second major misfortune was a man's marriage. His marriage to Cersei was a misfortune for both of them, and the two misfortunes added together were a double misfortune.

"Do as you see fit. I won't object to any of your actions," Willas Tyrell said. "After things are settled, just inform me. I don't want to participate in any of your actions or plans. When you have persuaded Queen Mother Cersei, I will marry her as the groom. I will do my best to meet your expectations, the Hand's expectations, and Father's expectations."

Willas stood up, pushed away Captain Aegon, who came to help him, and walked into the room by himself.

*

Grand Maester Lomas returned to the Citadel tower. He instructed the apprentice to light a few more candles to illuminate the room more brightly. Whenever he violated the Citadel precepts, Grand Maester Lomas's conscience would be uneasy. To soothe this inner guilt, he decided to read late into the night, to deceive himself into forgiving himself again. When the room was illuminated by candles and torches as if it were daytime, Lomas's mood improved a lot, and the unease and guilt obviously faded.

The light in the darkness always made the Grand Maester feel comforted.

He picked up the book and opened it. When he closed the book, he hoped that his heart could return to composure.

The Citadel and the Night's Watch are both absolutely neutral to the Seven Kingdoms' political affairs, military affairs, noble grievances, trade disputes, and other major events. The Citadel is responsible for scientific research, and the Night's Watch is responsible for guarding the Wall. Each performs its duties, and scientific service and guarding are outside of any national affairs, noble disputes, which have nothing to do with the Citadel and the Night's Watch.

Every maester and Night's Watchman must not interfere in any political affairs of the Seven Kingdoms, and must not be involved in any open or covert struggles of the Seven Kingdoms.

This is an iron rule that has been formed for thousands of years!

Grand Maester Lomas began to read quietly, but his heart had not yet calmed down when the apprentice knocked on the door: Knock! Knock-knock! Knock-knock-knock!

Lomas became irritable. He had already instructed the apprentice that he needed to read quietly for a while now, and not to disturb him even if there was something to do. The apprentices could handle it themselves.

Knock! Knock-knock! Knock-knock-knock!

The knocking continued.

"Come in!" Lomas had to put down the book. His heart, which had already calmed down a bit, returned to agitation.

The apprentice came in, cautiously, not daring to look Lomas in the eye.

"Master Lomas, Her Grace the Queen Mother requests your presence."

Upon hearing that it was Her Grace the Queen Mother, Lomas's tense face relaxed. No one could disobey Her Grace the Queen Mother, especially since, in name, Willas had already ordered him to be Her Grace the Queen Mother's temporary serving maester. If Her Grace the Queen Mother gave an order, he had to be at her beck and call.

"Understood, I'll change my clothes."

"Yes, Master."

"Who came to notify me?"

"Ser Barristan Selmy of the Kingsguard."

"Has he left?"

"No, he's just outside the tower."

The maester stretched his head out of the window and saw someone in a snow-white robe below the tower.

*

Inside Cersei's tower, the former Queen of Thorns Olenna Tyrell's room.

"Maester, are you willing to swear in the name of the Seven Gods that you will guarantee that our conversation will not be revealed to any third person?" Cersei held a glass of Arbor Red wine that exuded a sweet fragrance.

Lomas said, "Of course, Your Grace the Queen Mother." He swore an oath in the name of the Seven Gods and the Citadel.

The stern expression on Queen Mother Cersei's face obviously relaxed, which made Maester Lomas feel as if he had seen Cersei's innocence.

Cersei said, "Grand Maester, please don't be nervous, because this is a very private topic, so I don't want it to be spread, although this conversation is actually meaningless."

"As you command, Your Grace the Queen Mother." Grand Maester Lomas was not nervous. He could see that Cersei herself was nervous.

People who are nervous always comfort others not to be nervous. It's the same as people who are drunk. People who are drunk always think they're not drunk.

"Have you heard... about my... impure rumors?"

Lomas's heart jolted. Was Cersei asking for his opinion on the matter of her incest? What did she want to know? Did she want to know the impression of the Reach's people on her incest? Regardless of what the people of the Reach's impression was, whether they had heard of it or not, this was not a question that should be asked.

Lomas never expected that Cersei would ask such a 'dignity-damaging' question. No wonder Cersei wanted him to swear beforehand that he would never reveal it to any third person. Lomas looked at the door of the room. The door was closed, and he couldn't see the two Kingsguard and servants at the door. There wasn't even a maid in the huge room.

All the people had been dismissed by Queen Mother Cersei in advance.

Why would Queen Mother Cersei, in her esteemed position, suddenly ask such an embarrassing question for herself?!

Lomas didn't know how to answer?

Answer that he had heard rumors? What if the Queen Mother continued to ask questions? Answer that he had not heard rumors, would it make the Queen Mother feel that he was very hypocritical?

The key was, why would the Queen Mother ask this question? Was she testing whether he was reliable? Was this an intelligence question or an academic question? Was this a trap or a little trick?

Lomas felt the chaos in his heart.

Cersei gently took a sip of wine and smiled, "Grand Maester, is this question difficult to answer?"

The back of Lomas's back was itchy, as cold sweat seeped out and slid down.

Maester Lomas suddenly realized that no matter how much scientific knowledge he had learned, how many books he had read, or how many metal links he possessed, he could not perfectly solve Queen Mother Cersei's problem. There were no cases of similar questions in the books, and there was no standard answer for him to refer to.

Lomas felt as if he had nodded.

Of course he had heard of Her Grace the Queen Mother's incest, and it was precisely because of Her Grace the Queen Mother's incest that Lord Willas Tyrell was very resistant and dissatisfied with this marriage arrangement.

"You are very honest!" The Queen Mother walked to the wine cabinet and poured a glass of wine for Lomas. "Don't be nervous, Grand Maester. This is just a private conversation between two people. After the conversation, nothing happened and no words were mentioned."

"Yes, Your Grace the Queen Mother." Lomas breathed a heavy sigh of relief. His subconscious nod was actually correct. He had received Queen Mother Cersei's praise. Her Grace the Queen Mother thought he was very honest, which made him feel happy. He hadn't been honest for a long time.

"I want to know why Lord Willas Tyrell has never married." Cersei raised her glass to Lomas.

"Lord Willas has too high standards. Many noble ladies want to marry him, but unfortunately, no one can impress Lord Willas's heart. Among them are many beautiful women from great noble families who are talented, know music, and can ride horses. Lord Willas's pickiness has had obvious bad consequences. He is already thirty years old this year and has not yet been engaged, which has tarnished the glory of the Tyrell family," Lomas replied. His mind gradually became active. Could it be that Cersei had taken a fancy to Lord Willas's handsomeness, was moved by his humor and erudition, and wanted to have a one-night stand with him?!

As a stylish grand maester, he had a basic life foundation for thinking crookedly. As a grand maester who had vowed not to be close to any woman, he was close to many beautiful women in the Highgarden women's academy. This was also a violation of the Citadel's rules and precepts, and once pursued, it would be a very serious crime.

Cersei smiled slightly, charmingly and captivatingly: "Lord Willas has no problems with his body, right? He was injured by the Red Viper when he was young, and only left a disability on his leg?"

"Yes, Lord Willas has no diseases in his body, only a leg injury."

"Does he like to go to the women's academy?"

"Yes, Your Grace the Queen Mother."

"The four Tyrell siblings each have their own unique temperament. Willas is mature, handsome, a dragon among men, but unfortunately his leg was broken by the Red Viper," Cersei said lightly, her tone beginning to become frivolous.

Was she a little out of control because she had drunk too much wine, or was it a manifestation of her nature?

Lomas's mind raced, feeling that a rare opportunity had appeared. He had a mission, which was to propose a marriage to test Cersei's reaction at the appropriate time in the manner of a matchmaker.

"Lord Willas is indeed very outstanding. The leg injury does not affect his demeanor, nor does it affect his erudition. I have been by Lord Willas's side for a long time, and I have never seen him praise any woman, but his respect, reverence, praise, and admiration for Her Grace the Queen Mother are something I have never seen."

"Me?" Cersei smiled, her face already flushed, not knowing whether it was because of the wine or because her heart was in turmoil. "I am the Queen Mother, and his respect for me is etiquette."

"Yes, Your Grace the Queen Mother, you are the most beautiful person I have ever seen in Highgarden. On this point, Lord Willas and I agree. Her Grace the Queen Mother's beauty and radiance are unmatched. I feel that it has illuminated the night in Highgarden."

A murderous intent arose in Cersei's heart, but the smile on her face bloomed like a flower.

"Grand Maester, go tell Willas that I admire him and like him very much. If he doesn't mind the rumors, I'll invite him for afternoon tea tomorrow, followed by a banquet. The chefs from my royal retinue are quite skilled. I'll borrow Lady Olenna's place to play hostess and invite Lord Willas to the gathering, so we can celebrate the Iron Islands fleet's departure together."

Grand Maester Lormes, well-versed in the secret language of 'noble romance,' understood perfectly. Since Cersei was willingly walking into the trap, he wouldn't be polite. Once the two had the 'intimate' deed done, keeping Cersei would be a natural progression. He could then present Lord Kevan's letter to Cersei, and Kevan could issue a proclamation throughout the Seven Kingdoms and send congratulatory gifts. Keeping the Queen Mother at Highgarden would become a perfectly reasonable affair.

Once the Queen Mother and Lord Willas had cooked the rice, Balon Swann and Osmund Kettleblack could only be respectful and unable to resist.

Unexpectedly, Cersei's amorous nature had created the most suitable turning point for a very difficult 'marriage alliance.'

Grand Maester Lormes was overjoyed.

The more they talked, the more congenial they became, and the more they drank. In a world where 'courting culture' was popular among the nobility, the Queen Mother Cersei's heart was in turmoil upon meeting a handsome man, potentially leading to a brief, beautiful encounter. This was exactly the kind of romantic affair that could be flaunted within private noblewomen's circles!