The Throne Room, Red Keep.
At this moment, Viserys I spoke heavily from the Iron Throne.
"Ser Vaemond, you are accusing the Heir Apparent of the Iron Throne!"
"Precisely because she is the Heir Apparent, Your Grace!" Vaemond did not back down.
"Her actions are all the more inexcusable! If even the Heir Apparent can wantonly trample upon the bloodlines of vassals, if even a Targaryen can casually use Bastards to usurp the inheritance rights of other houses, then where is the legitimacy of the Seven Kingdoms? Where is the dignity of the nobility?"
"Your Grace, where is the justice under your rule?!"
"Evidence!" Viserys snapped, striking the armrest of the throne. His finger was sliced by a blade, and blood seeped out, but he ignored it.
"If you have such serious accusations, you should produce evidence!"
"Evidence?" Vaemond let out a cold, sorrowful laugh.
He turned, opening his arms to both sides.
"My Lords! Ser Knights! Please open your eyes and look!"
He pointed at the three boys again, his finger trembling with rage.
"Silver hair and purple eyes, this is the most distinct mark of the Targaryen bloodline! House Velaryon also has Valyrian blood, but similarly has silver hair and blue or purple eyes! I cannot help but ask, the Heir Apparent has silver hair and purple eyes, and the Heir Apparent's husband, Laenor, had silver hair and blue eyes."
"But these three children!"
He paused, then his anger erupted as he pointed at Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey.
"Brown hair! Brown eyes! Flat noses! Where is there even a single trace of Velaryon or Targaryen features in them?!"
"Blood does not lie!"
"This is clearly the appearance of the Strong family!"
Whispers spread like a plague. T
he gazes of the nobles drifted between Rhaenyra, the three boys, and the Master of Whisperers, Lord Larys Strong.
Meanwhile, Larys Strong stood in the shadows of a corner, watching everything unfold with an expressionless face.
"I accuse!" Vaemond's voice was like a thunderclap breaking through the clouds.
"Princess Rhaenyra committed adultery during her marriage with her sworn shield, Ser Harwin Strong!"
"The Strong family of Harrenhal has this very appearance: brown hair, brown eyes, and flat noses!"
A greater uproar broke out as some nobles instinctively observed Larys's appearance, indeed, brown hair, brown eyes, and a flat nose.
Viserys struck the armrest again.
"Enough! You dare slander the Heir Apparent based on mere physical resemblance?!"
"Then what kind of evidence does Your Grace want?!" Vaemond threw caution to the wind and took a step forward.
"The Heir Apparent has done these things, and there has always been someone to clean up after her, to wipe her backside, and to maintain her title as the 'Realm's Delight'!"
"Am I supposed to catch them in the act? Or should these three bastards admit with their own mouths that they are named Jacaerys Strong, Lucerys Strong, and Joffrey Strong?!"
Daemon Targaryen moved.
A murderous intent was written on his face.
"Old man," he said, his voice low but carrying across the hall.
His words made the entire hall fall silent instantly.
"If you dare say one more word slandering the Royal Family, I will cut out your tongue."
"Daemon!" Viserys shouted to stop him.
Vaemond laughed toward the sky.
"Come then, Prince! Kill me with your Dark Sister! In front of His Grace and the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms, kill this old man who is fighting for his family's bloodline!"
He faced the Iron Throne once more.
"Your Grace! You want evidence? Fine! Then I will give you evidence!"
"Laenor Velaryon, the only son of my brother Lord Corlys and the legitimate heir to Driftmark, he liked men! This is a fact known to everyone on Driftmark! He never shared a bed with Princess Rhaenyra since their wedding night!"
"There was no actual marriage between them!"
"The timing of these three children's births perfectly coincides with the period when Harwin Strong served as Rhaenyra's personal guard! And after Harwin Strong died mysteriously in the fire at Harrenhal, Rhaenyra never bore another child!"
"Your Grace, if you do not believe it, you can summon the handmaidens, guards, and Maesters of Driftmark to confront them! You can check Laenor's medical records! You can ask anyone who knows the truth!"
Vaemond's voice was already hoarse, and his eyes were bloodshot, but he continued to roar:
"My brother Corlys was wise all his life, yet he became muddled in his old age. To maintain the relationship with the Iron Throne, he chose to acquiesce and cover it up!"
"But I cannot! I, Vaemond Velaryon, cannot stand by and watch the thousand-year legacy of House Velaryon fall into the hands of these bastards of unknown origin!"
Thud.
His knees buckled, and he fell straight to the ground.
Vaemond looked up at the King on the Iron Throne, tears rolling down from his aged eyes.
"Your Grace! I came here today only to speak the truth!"
"I know the consequences of saying these words! But I would rather die in the Red Keep than live a cowardly life, watching the Velaryon bloodline be defiled, and the Seahorse banner be usurped by bastards!"
"If you believe that defending one's family bloodline is a crime!"
"Then please pass judgment! Use my blood to stain the floor of this Throne Room red!"
"Let everyone in the Seven Kingdoms see what the consequence of speaking the truth is under the rule of the Targaryens!"
Silence.
A long, suffocating silence.
The crackling of burning torches, the whispers among the nobles, and someone's suppressed cough.
Every tiny sound was amplified at this moment.
Hundreds of gazes focused on the Iron Throne, where Viserys I sat frozen.
After a long time, the King finally spoke.
"Ser Vaemond Velaryon... you are old. Grief and obsession have clouded your judgment."
He swallowed with difficulty.
"Jacaerys, Lucerys, Joffrey... their identities have been personally confirmed by me. Your accusations today... are based on rumors and speculation; they are a serious slander against the Heir Apparent's reputation."
He paused, his gaze sweeping across the nobles on both sides with a warning.
"Considering your age and confusion, and that you were driven by a momentary impulse for family honor to believe rumors... As long as you withdraw your accusations and return to Driftmark, I can show leniency."
"Your Grace!" Vaemond snapped his head up, the last flicker of hope in his eyes completely extinguished, replaced by a raging fire of anger and despair.
"You... how long do you intend to show favoritism?!"
"Can you not see?! Can you really not see?! Or have you seen it all along but chose to play blind?!"
"You..."
On the Iron Throne, Viserys was infuriated by the outburst.
"Rhaenyra! Your precious daughter!! She is a whore!"
"A shameless slut!!!"
"She has trampled on the marriage contract! Trampled on the law! Trampled on the dignity of the nobility!"
Rhaenyra's expression finally changed.
She stood up, her pregnant belly clearly bulging under her dress, genuine anger appearing on her face for the first time.
Queen Alicent's lips curled upward, feeling a secret sense of satisfaction.
Aegon sat up straight, a look of respect in his eyes.
This was the first time in his life he had seen someone so reckless.
'A honorable man'
Helaena turned her head to look at Aemond.
Aemond had already stood up.
At this moment, his attention was entirely focused on Daemon.
The Rogue Prince's hand was already on the hilt of Dark Sister, his body leaning slightly forward, the posture of a predator just before the strike.
-----
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