"How should I address you, steward?"
It wasn't until noon the following day that Viserys, having waited for Illyrio, was finally driven to the point of starvation. Pretending to have just woken up, he emerged from his bedroom and, as luck would have it, encountered the steward directing the maids in cleaning the hallway. It was the same man who had presented Illyrio's Dragonbone collection at the welcoming banquet the previous day.
The steward bowed slightly, "Just call me steward, esteemed guest."
Viserys said, "Surely you have a name?"
"Just steward will do, esteemed guest." His voice was high-pitched and sweet, and his reply was proper. "The master has instructed that if you require anything, you should come to me."
"Hmm," Viserys said with a smile that was difficult to interpret, "You have an interesting name."
The steward nodded slightly, smiling at Viserys without speaking, as if waiting for Viserys to give instructions.
Viserys didn't dwell on his name any longer. He asked, "Where is your master?"
"Esteemed guest," the steward replied, as if he had rehearsed it beforehand, "the master went out this morning and is not sure when he will return. Before he left, he instructed that if the guest is looking for him, you may have to wait for a while."
"Oh, I see," Viserys's face showed no expression, and he changed the subject, "Steward, has your master arranged for lunch?"
Viserys would have to be insane to look for Illyrio. He started with a bloodbath, and the other side gave him time. Shouldn't he seize the opportunity to develop? Well, to be exact, develop under the eyes of others.
The steward replied seriously, "Lunch is my responsibility, esteemed guest. Would you like to go to the dining room, or would you like it delivered to your room?"
"Well, Governor Illyrio is really considerate," Viserys thought for a moment and gave his answer, "The dining room."
The steward nodded, "Please wait in the dining room. Do you need someone to guide you?"
Viserys waved his hand, "I remember the way."
The steward nodded slightly and left.
Only a maid remained there, quietly doing her cleaning work.
It seemed that Illyrio was at least outwardly lenient with the Targaryen siblings, allowing them free rein in the courtyard.
Realizing this, Viserys decided to eat in the dining room. After lunch, he planned to walk around the courtyard to see where the boundaries of his activities lay.
The butler had just left when the door behind him opened. The slender Daenerys emerged from the room, "Brother."
After greeting him, she fell silent, her gaze flicking over the maids who were cleaning. She immediately lowered her head and, like a handmaid, tiptoed to Viserys' side.
Viserys nodded to her. "Are you hungry? Come on, let's go eat lunch."
With that, he started walking towards the dining room.
Judging by her appearance, Daenerys had woken up long ago but hadn't dared to come out because she hadn't heard Viserys call her. She had been hungry for half a day.
Lunch consisted of fish, roasted pork, and honey-cream bread, accompanied by wine, very much in the style of Pentos.
In the vast dining hall, only Viserys and Daenerys were currently eating, with the butler silently attending to them.
Viserys asked, seemingly without a specific target: "Butler, do Illyrio's family not live here?"
The butler paused, then replied, "This is merely one of the master's many estates, esteemed guest."
Viserys couldn't help but glance at him: "Oh."
He didn't ask any further questions.
Daenerys listened to the exchange between Viserys and the butler, their answers not quite matching the questions, and her mind started to churn.
Since the incident, Viserys's behavior had become unpredictable, and the things he said were vague and confusing. Daenerys still hadn't figured out what he meant by "If you want to protect a secret, don't act like you have a secret to protect" last night.
Of course, she could understand the surface meaning, but...
She thought that Viserys was speaking to her while also deliberately speaking for others to hear. She hadn't slept well all night.
Then, there was the earlier moment. Daenerys had initially thought Viserys was just making a casual inquiry, but the butler had paused before answering.
Daenerys, with her perceptive nature, had noticed this detail.
It wasn't until after lunch, when Viserys had finished wiping his mouth, that he broke the silence in the dining room again. "Butler, I'd like to take a walk in the courtyard, is that alright?"
The butler replied, "You are welcome to do as you please, esteemed guest. You don't need to ask for my permission."
Viserys nodded, "Very well."
The butler then asked, "Would you like some company?" It was as if he were asking for the guest's preference.
"That would be fine," Viserys didn't refuse.
After that, Viserys and Daenerys, accompanied by the butler, walked around the courtyard along the path.
The courtyard was quite large, enclosed by three tall brick walls and a low cliff facing the Narrow Sea. There were three gates leading out of the courtyard. The main gate was the primary entrance to the residence, and it was tightly shut. There was a guard post beside it, with two guards stationed there. One gate led to the garden. The third gate was the back gate, where the dog kennels were located, and dogs were kept.
Viserys paused in front of the main gate, gazing at it for a moment. The guards at the gate merely glanced at him, then ignored him, each going about their own business.
Their hands never left their swords, and their eyes never strayed. Just from these details, he could tell they were well-trained and likely not mercenaries.
Viserys didn't observe for long, so he didn't know if there were other guards stationed outside the main gate.
Viserys roughly estimated that the courtyard was about the size of four or five basketball courts. It was completely enclosed, and one couldn't see outside from within, nor could one see inside from the outside.
In terms of concealing important figures, it was indeed effective in isolating the inside from the outside.
After walking around, no one had spoken a word. Viserys was a little annoyed: "You seem very taciturn, steward."
He could certainly sense that this steward and the guards at the gate were likely Unsullied. According to what he knew, they should indeed be taciturn. But Illyrio had asked him to serve, or rather, to monitor, and the steward had answered the previous questions quite well.
So then.
"Aren't you going to pry a little?"
The butler replied apologetically, "Forgive my negligence, esteemed guest."
Then he shut his mouth again.
Viserys then took the initiative to choose a topic: "I heard there's a Prince in Pentos?"
The butler answered his questions: "Yes, esteemed guest, people call him the Prince of Pentos."
Viserys casually chatted, "Have you seen him?"
"Yes." The butler replied, "During the festival banquet, I once saw a Prince riding in an ivory and gold palanquin reviewing Pentos from afar."
Viserys asked, "Is he the most powerful person in Pentos?"
"..." The steward paused. "I am but a humble steward, I do not know the affairs of the great, esteemed guest."
Viserys smiled at the steward's reply and continued to ask, "You are not from Pentos?"
The steward replied, "Pentos is a merchant city, many who live in Pentos are not originally from Pentos, esteemed guest."
Viserys casually asked, "Is your master also not from Pentos?"
"..." The steward answered quickly this time, "I am but a humble steward, I do not know my master's affairs, esteemed guest."
Viserys asked again, "I hear that when the people of Pentos believe the gods are angry with them, such as losing a war or a failed harvest, they slit the Prince's throat and offer him as a sacrifice to appease the gods. Is this true?"
"..."
"Ah!" This time, before the steward could answer, Daenerys, who had been following behind Viserys, slipped and cried out.
Viserys stopped and turned around, asking, "What's wrong, Daenerys?"
"I..." Daenerys's small face was full of panic, but she couldn't explain. She just quickly lowered her head and apologized, "I'm sorry."
The steward also stopped and squatted down, watching for a while. He said, "You twisted your ankle," and was about to treat it. "I need to move your foot and do some simple treatment, my lady."
Daenerys didn't dare to answer and looked up at Viserys.
Viserys stepped forward and helped Daenerys, his tone unquestionable: "I'll help her back. Is there any medicine for injuries here? Go get it."
The steward glanced at Viserys, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately didn't refuse: "Please wait a moment."
"I'm sorry," Daenerys apologized in a soft voice.
Viserys's face was cold: "You haven't done anything wrong, you don't need to apologize."
To be honest, Viserys didn't want to put on this act in front of a skinny, pitiful girl, but that's just the kind of person the original was.
Now, even if Viserys wanted to change his attitude, he couldn't be too abrupt.
Moreover, he needed Daenerys to continue in this timid state for the time being, so she wouldn't speak much, wouldn't do anything foolish. She would only be lost in thought, and anyone could see that she was preoccupied.
Perhaps because Viserys's attitude was much gentler than before, Daenerys unconsciously asked the question she most wanted to know: "How long will we be staying here?"
Viserys told her the truth: "A long time."
Daenerys's heart sank, and she muttered softly, "But you don't trust him."
"Daenerys, don't talk nonsense. The Prince of Pentos is better off than us," Viserys said coldly, gripping her arm. "I'm not asking you to do anything, just speak less."
And so, Daenerys fell silent.
This little girl had been tormented enough by the original host, accustomed to being manipulated.
Viserys, though feeling a pang of reluctance, maintained a stern demeanor.
Without a hint of gentleness, Viserys helped Daenerys back to the room, his grip on her arm causing her pain.
Back in the room, not long after sitting at the bedside, the steward brought medicine and a basin of water.
"Please remove your shoes, esteemed lady."
Just as the steward was about to treat Daenerys's ankle, Viserys interrupted him. "No, steward, not you. Go get a maid."
Hearing this, the steward stared blankly at Viserys. Seeing his serious expression, he lowered his head in apology. "Forgive my presumption, honored guest."
Daenerys sat at the bedside. After listening to the conversation, she couldn't help but quickly glance at Viserys. Realizing he was about to turn and look at her, she hurriedly lowered her gaze, waiting in silence.
Viserys looked grim, saying nothing. He just kept toying with the Dragonbone pendant on his wrist.