Night had deepened. Most people had already slipped into their dreams.
Knock, knock, knock.
A polite knock sounded on Jeyne's door.
She was lazily half-lying on her bed. Earlier that day, she had been helping her grandmother test a new potion and only realized it was dark when her grandmother finally told her to rest. She was exhausted but had been so absorbed in the potion's magical reactions that she hadn't noticed her body's fatigue.
Jeyne opened the door to find the poised and mature Mrs. Ellen standing there.
Mrs. Ellen was one of the administrators of Clegane, responsible for managing the kitchen supplies and everyone's meals.
Jeyne liked Mrs. Ellen very much.
Mrs. Ellen's husband had been a knight before he passed, and she carried herself with refined manners.
"Lady Jeyne, Ser Gregor requests your presence."
"Now?" Jeyne glanced outside; the night was already deep.
"Yes, now. He is waiting for you." Mrs. Ellen smiled gracefully.
"Uh… okay!" Jeyne said. "Please wait a moment, I'll be ready right away."
"Yes, Miss."
…
Tomorrow, Ser Gregor would take Ser Polliver and ten knights to King's Landing's mint to apply for permission to mine gold, as well as to receive official documents specifying the monthly minimum and maximum quotas for ore delivery, along with an official grading of the ore quality.
No one in the Seven Kingdoms had the right to mint coins or forge gold independently. All mined gold ore had to be delivered to the mint outside King's Landing, where treasury officials would compensate miners based on the ore grade and quantity.
The king monopolized gold coin minting; the Western gold mines all funneled their ore to the royal mint, first refining gold, then minting coins.
The highest official in charge of minting, approving mining rights, and grading ore was Petyr Baelish, known as Littlefinger.
Gregor's journey was official business along the Goldroad, a 2,000-mile round trip that would take at least twenty days. Though good horses could cover a thousand miles by day and 800 by night, such exceptional mounts were rare, perhaps only one in a thousand.
This wasn't a military forced march; traveling as a group of twelve, 300 miles a day was already impressive.
Jeyne didn't know why Gregor called her so late at night. This was a private matter. She was his fiancée, and he was notorious among women.
…
"Ser Gregor, you wanted to see me?" Jeyne's beautiful face smiled gently, but her voice carried a trace of nervousness.
Almost everyone else was asleep. Her father was upstairs asleep, too. After Mrs. Ellen escorted Jeyne into Gregor's vast bedroom, she quietly left.
Whatever Gregor intended, Jeyne felt she could only comply, like a helpless lamb.
"Jeyne, I drew something. Take a look." Gregor said, noticing her hesitation. He tried to soften his naturally fierce demeanor with a smile and gentle eyes.
"What is it?" Jeyne picked up a sheet of parchment on the table.
Gregor had drawn a simple, clear diagram, an angled pipe in the middle.
"A p-trap." Gregor explained.
Jeyne looked at him, puzzled. She'd never heard the term before.
"Water flows in here. Because of the upward bend, water pools at the curve."
Jeyne listened carefully, studying the drawing. "But if there's too much water, as long as one end is higher, only a little water will remain at the bend. The excess will flow away, since the pipe is open at both ends."
"Right."
"So what do you want to do with this?"
"Install it in toilets instead of the usual straight drainpipes."
"Toilets? Replace straight drains? Won't debris clog at the bend?" Jeyne pointed at the curve.
"No, because if the other end is set higher, the water will flush the debris away with pressure." Water pressure isn't a complex concept.
"But some water will always remain at the bend!"
Gregor smiled. "Exactly, that's the beauty of the design. Install the pipe vertically, set the exit high, and even the most stubborn debris will be flushed out. The remaining clean water blocks the pipe's airflow. That way, the foul odors from the toilet won't seep back into the room through the drain."
Jeyne's eyes, already large, widened even more.
She stared at Gregor in stunned amazement.
"Whether it's the Lord's toilet or the King's, no matter how thoroughly it's flushed, that smell lingers in the air. When it's windy, or if the cesspit isn't sealed tight, the stench flows back through the drains and into rooms. Even without wind, odors creep into rooms through the pipes."
Jeyne nodded like a schoolgirl.
Everyone knew this, it was common knowledge. That's why toilets, whether for peasants or nobles, were built in remote corners, with doors kept closed to prevent odors from drifting inside.
"Designing a bend in an otherwise straight pipe won't block debris but will stop the smell from passing into the room. That way, even bedrooms can have a small, private toilet, as long as this p-trap is buried underground. It might use more water for flushing, but it works."
Jeyne was speechless, overwhelmed by Gregor's ingenious idea.
She knew it was completely feasible.
"How did you come up with this?"
Jeyne's voice was soft and uncertain.
"I didn't." Gregor chuckled, handing her the drawing. "You did. I'm a rough brute, illiterate and slow-witted. I couldn't invent something like this. Now, it's late, you should get some sleep. Tomorrow, take this to the foremen and tell them that all toilets in Clegane's Keep, the Seven Gods' Chapel, and the ladies' private restrooms will have these p-traps installed underground."
"You want to credit me for the invention?"
"You're talented and clever, it makes sense that this would be your idea."
"I won't steal your credit."
"It's not stealing, it's helping me. If people hear I'm getting smarter every day, favored by the Seven Gods' Light, I'm afraid many will envy, watch, and even plot against me. But you're different. You're noble-born and talented. If this invention is yours, others won't be suspicious."
Jeyne looked at Gregor, her big eyes shining.
"Ser Gregor, you're nothing like the villain people say you are. You're not crude, that's what your critics are. You're actually very clever and full of wisdom."
Not wisdom, more like cunning.
Gregor decided to seize the emotional moment. After all, having watched too many cheesy dramas in a past life, he remembered some of the sappy lines:
"Jeyne, you're my fiancée. We are the most important people in each other's lives. I can't stand the stench that comes from toilet drains, especially in hot weather. Since I figured out a way to fix it, we're doing it. But this time, you'll take credit for it. I want to keep my shortcomings hidden in public."
In other words, he was honest only in front of Jeyne.
"All right, I'll help you. The p-trap was my idea and invention." Jeyne said seriously, looking charming.
"But I won't reveal it the day after you leave, I'll wait a little while."
"Fair enough!" Gregor smiled.
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A/N: You can read up to 50+ chapters in advance of the current story on Patreon. You can read up to chapter 123 there! patreon.com/vynthor