As the queen's younger brother, the second son of the Duke of Casterly Rock, and the nominal heir to the Warden of the West, Tyrion Lannister, with such a distinguished status, could certainly sit at the same table with the king's family and the Stark family.
After a few glasses of wine, the atmosphere became warm.
In particular, the king himself took the lead, holding a horn-shaped glass in his hand, constantly toasting with the lords and knights below, drinking to his heart's content. The king also sang a vulgar, bawdy tune along with the bard.
The entire banquet hall instantly erupted in cheer.
Only the queen, seated at the head of the long table on the high platform, looked unhappy. With a delicate face, she glared angrily at her husband, the king, who paid no regard to etiquette.
Especially when she saw the king hugging a Winterfell maid and laughing loudly with the crowd below—this made her even more furious. She felt he was disgracing the royal family.
However, everyone in the hall was now drunk, and under the king's lead, the nobles—who were usually prim and proper—joined in, singing like ghosts and howling wolves, looking absolutely undignified.
Jason Liu sat quietly in his seat, unaffected by the warm and noisy atmosphere.
"Jason Easter... do you mind if I sit here?"
Suddenly, a voice full of energy came from behind. He turned his head and saw Benjen Stark, dressed in black, walking over.
Although he recognized the man, Jason Liu still pretended not to know him and looked at him suspiciously. "Of course. Please sit down. Who are you?"
"My name is Benjen Stark. I'm the chief ranger of the Night's Watch. I usually stay near the Wall. It's normal that you don't know me, Mr. Jason." Benjen Stark sat down beside Jason Liu and casually introduced himself.
Though he already knew, Jason Liu cooperated and asked, "What's your relationship with Lord Ed?"
Benjen wasn't surprised and replied, "Ed is my brother."
"Oh, I see." Jason pretended to be surprised, then asked, "Is there something you need from me, Lord Benjen ?"
Benjen Stark, with dark and bright eyes, studied the young foreign nobleman in front of him. He had heard much about Jason Liu in Winterfell today—young, kind, generous, wealthy. That's what Benjen knew about the Earl of Starfire.
Of course, Benjen wasn't concerned with most of that. He had come to talk to Jason Liu about Jon.
"I heard you recruited Jon to be a knight. As his uncle, I'd like to know how he's doing. Though he is my brother's illegitimate child, I've always treated Jon like my own."
"Oh, Jon is a very capable man. I value him greatly. Since he joined the East family, he's helped me a lot."
Jason Liu briefly described Jon's current situation to Benjen. It wasn't anything secret; anyone could find it out by asking.
Benjen , of course, had heard about the large logging camp, and from his brother Ed, he'd also learned that the young earl was willing to buy trees from the Wolfswood at the price of one silver stag per tree—insane, in Benjen's eyes.
But it also showed how truly wealthy this young man was.
Perhaps some help could be secured from such a rich nobleman?
Surely, someone willing to spend such coin on countless trees wouldn't mind sparing a bit to support the Night's Watch, who defend the Wall for the Seven Kingdoms.
With these thoughts turning in his head, Benjen nodded slightly and said, "For Jon to earn your recognition, I think that's the greatest affirmation of all.
"As his uncle, I'm truly grateful for your regard toward Jon—and for even knighting him.
"You took him from Winterfell and gave that young man a bright future...
"As you probably know, Jon has always longed to leave that castle. No one knows that better than I do. I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't hired him."
"The Night's Watch... the Night's Watch really isn't suitable for him. He's still so young. His life shouldn't be wasted on the cold, icy Wall."
Listening to Benjen's heartfelt words, Jason Liu nodded in agreement. "Indeed, someone as capable as Jon should have a better future."
"Of course, I don't mean to belittle you or the Night's Watch. But... I've heard many rumors that don't reflect well on them. Still, I admire your willingness to dedicate your life to protecting the Wall and defending the realm from enemies beyond it."
Jason Liu said something he didn't truly believe, but his face remained serious.
Benjen Stark narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Jason Liu, trying to judge whether the young man meant what he said.
After a moment, he couldn't tell if Jason was being sincere, but that didn't stop him from making the request he'd intended from the start.
After all, even if he were rejected, there was nothing to lose.
With that in mind, Benjen hesitated, then said, "Yes, Lord Jason, as you've said—even though the Night's Watch suffers from bad rumors, in truth, my brothers and I swore beneath the heart tree to guard the Wall for life and stand against all threats from beyond.
"However, because the wildlings have been moving frequently beyond the Wall recently, the Night's Watch has faced many challenges—especially a lack of weapons and supplies.
"To be honest, I rushed here from the Wall...
"To Winterfell... because I wanted to ask my brother Eddard—and His Majesty the King—for support."
"Whether it's manpower, arms, or food, the Night's Watch desperately needs help from the lords south of the Wall.
"But to be frank, apart from my brother Ed, the other nobles—and even His Majesty Robert—have little idea of the situation we face.
"They don't care. Their lands are far from the Wall."
Jason Liu listened as Benjen Stark complained about the indifference of the king and other nobles, and he quickly understood.
It seemed Benjen was hoping to benefit from him. Otherwise, why would the chief ranger strike up such a long conversation with a "stranger" he'd only just met?
Sure enough, just as Jason Liu expected, Bunyan finally made a request of him.
------------------------
For Advance chapters visit : patreon.com/Mythic_Muse