Chapter 293: Do You Want Proof?
Dreadfort, Bolton Lands
POV of Domeric Bolton
The next morning.
Domeric sat at the head of the large table in the room, which served as the Small Council's meeting room.
The small council members tried not to gape at the changes in him. But it couldn't be said that they were very successful in doing that.
This was the first time he was showing his Valyrian features to his subordinates.
Ygritte, his aunt, Raksa, and Varko already knew and didn't react, but the other council members didn't know what to make of the changes.
A strange silence had settled over the table, as no one knew what to say or where to start.
"I like the new look, my lord," Lyra said with a sultry look, breaking the silence and opening a dam of questions all of a sudden.
He calmed them down and allowed them to question him one by one.
"Are you our lord or some impostor?" The Head of the Education Department asked.
"No. I'm a spirit who has taken over your lord's body. Now you shall serve me for all eternity. Hahaha, HAHAHA… ouch…"
Ygritte pinched him from his right and gave him a chastising look.
"Be serious, Domeric." His aunt said from the left, and he sighed. The women never let him have any fun.
"Yeah. I'm still me and not a bad Valyrian imposter." He said, "I suppose you want proof."
The man nodded, and he smirked.
"A few weeks ago, your wife told you that if you continued to visit the brothels in Lundenhold, then she would cut off your balls and put a needle inside your dick."
The men in the room winced, and Domeric continued, "A week or so ago, you skimmed about 100 gold coins from the funding for the military school to continue your visits to the expensive brothels, and you are now afraid that I'll punish you for it. Don't do it next time." The man nodded, but Domeric didn't finish his speech yet.
"Your daughter is having an affair with a free folk boy whom you don't like. You're afraid that the boy will steal her away one night and rape her into submission. Your daughter seems rather fascinated by this custom, which only adds to your worries. You're also worried that your wife is having an…"
"I believe you, my lord." The man cried out. "I believe you."
"See." He said to his aunt, "He believes me."
His aunt face-palmed herself and let out a long-suffering sigh, and Domeric turned to the man once again. "She's not having an affair, by the way. Though if you don't stop your regular visits to the brothels, then she might start one. Just… give her some of your attention as well."
The man nodded and sat back down in his chair.
"Anyone else?" Domeric asked.
"My lord." Celly said, "How did this…" she pointed at his face "…happen?"
"A Valyrian magical ritual." He replied.
"A Valyrian magical ritual? My lord, is it possible that this ritual gave you a Valyrian bloodline and therefore your Valyrian appearance?" Lyra asked in a slightly worried tone.
"Kind of. Why do you look worried?" Domeric asked her back.
"My Lord, King Robert Baratheon hates the Targaryen bloodline. Even today, he still hunts the last two Targaryens. If he even hears of your… new Valyrian lineage, the consequences could be dire." Lyra said.
Domeric could understand Lyra's concern. According to King Robert, every Targaryen, and therefore every pure-blood Valyrian, was a dragonspawn and was to be killed on sight.
But Domeric wasn't worried. He had no intention of revealing his Valyrian appearance to anyone outside the inner circle anytime soon.
"You don't need to worry about that, Lyra. I'm showing you this appearance because I trust you, and also so you won't be surprised when you learn the truth later. It's actually been over a week since I did the ritual, and none of you noticed anything, right? In my daily life, I'll just keep using my old appearance."
Well... It wasn't entirely realistic for Domeric to completely trust everyone here. The number of people he truly trusted could probably be counted on one hand.
But all his other subordinates here bore Domeric's magical mark. Therefore, they couldn't do anything to betray him.
He could overlook their minor mischief, like skimming money from the funds. But if anyone tried to leak a vital secret of his, the magical mark would take the necessary precautions before the first word was uttered.
And Domeric was certain that death would be a blessing compared to what these people would face.
The questions continued to come for a while before he satisfied all of their curiosity, and they could finally move on to the council matters.
"Muron left for Slavers Bay half a month ago. It'll take him 2-3 months to reach Astapor and a little longer than that to return." Tyrion said, "That is… if he doesn't meet my beloved Uncle Kevan on his way back."
"He won't," Domeric replied. "Your uncle has yet to leave Lannisport. It might take him a week or two to complete all the necessary preparations for departure. They'll take 3-4 months to reach Tyrosh. 1 or 2 more months to convince the various magisters in Tyrosh and Myr to ally with the Lannisters. Then 1 or 2 more months to gather wealth and hire trustworthy sellswords and sellsails. By this point, Muron will cross the Narrow Sea and go straight to Dorne, from where it'll come up North along the Eastern Shore of Westeros without ever running across our enemies. All in all, he'll be back in 1-2 months before our enemies come to our doorsteps."
"The preparation of the expedition North of the Wall is ready as well," Walton informed him.
He saw his aunt's fists clench at that news in his peripheral vision, but he pretended not to notice. She never liked it when he put his life in danger.
"We'll not be going from the land route this time." Domeric said, "Instead, we'll depart from Regalis Port with a small fleet of trade ships that generally go up North to gather fresh ice that needs to be sold down to the South. I don't want any unnecessary burden this time."
"I'll prepare the ships by the time your men reach Regalis Port," Tyrion said, and Domeric nodded.
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Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.294: End of the Meeting
Ch.295: Dragon Hatching Ceremony
Ch.296: A Day of Triplet Sisters