The Red Keep, the doors to the Throne Room were tightly shut.
Crimson light beams streamed in from the red lead long windows behind the Throne, while golden sunlight scattered from the Dragon Glass sphere in front of the Throne.
Red and gold stood in opposition in the center of the Iron Throne, their boundaries distinct.
If someone stood in the hall and looked up at the Iron Throne, everything in view was so simple and blurry. Everything in front of the Iron Throne emitted a dazzling golden light, while behind the Iron Throne was a full view of crimson.
Just like the gold and red banners on the high walls, noble like gold, intimidating like blood.
"Look, look, listen, listen
Chirp chirp~
Little birds dance with their wings, singing songs
Wah wah~
Little birds shake their heads, singing songs
..."
The vast hall was empty and deserted, only a sticky, sorrowful voice sighed softly.
"Littlefinger" Petyr stared coldly at the self-pitying Varys, utterly fed up with The Spider's whispers.
Having his limbs severed and placed on either side of the Iron Throne was already a great humiliation and torment, and now he had to endure The Spider's gloomy murmuring and terrifying singing every day?!
Littlefinger was almost depressed enough to want to kill himself.
"The Spider, have you finished the task His Majesty bestowed? You still have time to sing your terrible little tune!"
Littlefinger preferred to spend his time on the tasks assigned by the Light Screen. At least there, he could use his mind and knowledge, temporarily forgetting the miserable reality.
Varys sighed mournfully, "How could it be finished? How could anything ever be finished?"
Littlefinger, of course, knew the tasks would never end. He just didn't want to hear Varys's awful singing anymore, especially today.
"The Spider, how many tasks did you do today?"
He could only choose to waste his breath talking nonsense with Varys. At least that wouldn't make him want to die.
Varys's mood hadn't improved in the slightest. "How many tasks? You should ask if it's dozens or hundreds. Now that the Throne Room is completely empty, with no one to disturb us, isn't this all we can do?"
The Throne Room was empty. Hearing this fact from Varys again, Littlefinger's mood worsened.
Before that monster Joffrey left, this Throne Room was quite lively. Petitions were endless every day, Cersei was a frequent visitor to the Iron Throne, and The Imp would occasionally sit on it.
Littlefinger could then learn many new things, observe the two Lannisters up close, and hope to find a way to free himself.
At that time, Varys also didn't have the opportunity to vent his emotions freely, and Littlefinger's ears were much quieter.
But Joffrey left.
Littlefinger had only been relaxed for half a day when he discovered that this matter affected him much more than he had imagined.
The Throne Room was empty.
Cersei never sat on the Iron Throne again to handle petitions, Tyrion's face and voice only appeared on the Light Screen, and even the doors of the Throne Room were routinely kept shut.
After that, the only companion to their difficult days was the empty, dead silent hall.
If it weren't for the servants who came on time to deliver food and clean, Littlefinger would have thought that he and the Throne Room had been completely forgotten.
But even this was already hard enough to bear.
Damn it!
If he hadn't known that Divine Grace had the strange ability to monitor everyone's words and actions, he probably wouldn't have been able to hide all his resentment and curses in his heart, but would have shouted them out loud.
How ironic it was that now when he referred to that monster, he had to respectfully call him "Your Majesty."
"The Spider, focus on the tasks. His Majesty will see our repentant hearts." Littlefinger struggled to lift his head, trying hard to peek at the mountain-like Iron Throne beside him.
The light was dazzling, he couldn't see clearly.
But he knew, "His Majesty is on the Throne. Always, always."
"You don't need to tell me that."
Varys looked up, squinted his eyes, and then lowered his head dejectedly. "It's just, I can't see."
A hundred pieces of Counsel for a hand or a foot, two hundred for a man's dignity. Varys still remembered the promise he heard that night.
Would Joffrey keep his promise? Or had he already forgotten...
"Varys."
The voice of a third person echoed leisurely. Littlefinger and Varys trembled in surprise at the same time, then quickly squeezed out rich smiles and respect.
"Welcome, Your Majesty!"
On the Iron Throne, Joffrey twisted his wrists, moved his muscles, and gradually adjusted to this newly entered Prosthetic Body until it felt as if he was still in his real body.
"Haven't seen you for a few days, your relationship has improved quite a bit."
Joffrey smiled playfully.
"What, were you talking about me behind my back?"
Littlefinger and Varys immediately shook their heads wildly in denial. "Absolutely not, Your Majesty, please see clearly!"
"With Your Majesty's wisdom and might, how dare this humble one slander you!?"
"Yes, yes,..."
Joffrey, of course, knew they wouldn't dare. He was just amusing himself, listening to the cautious compliments and defenses of his two toys, to break the cold atmosphere.
He sensed that several attendees were on their way, expected in a few minutes.
That meant he had a few minutes with nothing to do.
He looked around boredly.
Varys's fawning smile somehow reminded him of a famous scene from the original work.
"I have a riddle."
Joffrey smiled faintly. "You two can guess carefully. If the answer satisfies me, you can be immediately pardoned and restored to health."
Even though they knew it was unlikely to happen, a glimmer of hope ignited in their eyes.
Joffrey slowly recounted, "Three great men sit in a room: a King, a Monk, and a Rich Man."
Littlefinger immediately noticed the three keywords.
"A Mercenary stands between them."
When Varys heard this, his expression gradually froze, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
Such a familiar riddle!
"Each great man commands him to kill the other two."
"Who lives, and who dies?"
The words gradually faded in the empty space, leaving only hurried or prolonged breaths.
Littlefinger looked at Varys, sensing something from his unusual reaction. "Varys, it seems you have the answer. You go first this time."
Varys didn't bother to respond to Littlefinger.
He had only one thought in his mind: What was the King's true intention in posing this riddle?
Varys, of course, knew this riddle.
He had gotten it when he was wandering around Essos. Did he hear it from someone? Dream it? Come up with it himself? He couldn't remember anymore.
But he knew the answer.
Who among the King, the Monk, and the Rich Man would die? It depended on what the Mercenary believed in, and for whom he was willing to wield his Swords.
It all depended on the man holding the sharp sword.
The King's authority, the Monk's faith, the Rich Man's gold coins, these did not possess true power.
Power resided in people's hearts. What people believed to be power was power, no more and no less. Varys understood this and was equally skilled and obsessed with manipulating people's hearts.
But.
Varys looked up. Golden Light shone on the King high above. The King's face was blurred, behind him a deep Crimson Light Beam.
What was the answer that King Joffrey believed in?
Since he specifically posed this riddle, it was probably not the original answer.
Varys could only guess the King's thoughts. "The supreme King is the master of everything in the world. The Mercenary will kill the Monk and the Rich Man and submit to the King."
Joffrey was noncommittal. "Petyr, what is your answer?"
Littlefinger's mind raced. Just then, a "clack clack" sound of wood and metal moving suddenly rang out beside him.
He glanced out of the corner of his eye.
The door was pushed open by the Guards outside the hall, and several figures gradually approached.
-----------
Machine Translation by: https:// randomtranslator.com/
Read 777+ original & fanfic translations in English, Español, Português, Deutsch, Français, or Русский at: https:// randomtranslator.com/
Join our Discord: https:// discord.gg/NSWvfN7vua
-----------