The Mountain of Ice and Fire

"I'm sorry, Queen Mother, I am the acting lord of Highgarden. If we have offended you in any way, I will take full responsibility."

Velas wasn't stupid and wouldn't give Cersei any more hostages to use against him.

Cersei sneered, "Lord Velas, now that I know about Kevan and the Tyrells' conspiracy, I've naturally prepared countermeasures." As she spoke, Cersei's gaze drifted towards the Mountain's shadow.

The countermeasures were all the Mountain's ideas.

With Cersei's scheming and the two Kingsguard's muscles, she wouldn't have been able to come up with any good ideas.

Cersei's threats to Velas about 'settling accounts later' all came from the Mountain's letters.

Using the future to threaten the present wasn't a brilliant tactic, but it worked on Velas Tyrell.

The future ruler of Highgarden, the Duke, was none other than Velas Tyrell. If he was cunning enough, he would understand that there was still a Tyrell queen by King Tommen's side. After six years, no one could accurately predict who would have the final say in the royal palace.

That was actually an unknown! The odds were fifty-fifty for both sides.

But Cersei said it with confidence, catching Velas off guard. The sudden change of events made Velas lose his composure.

Time was the best soothing agent. Velas quickly recovered his reason from the panic. This was his territory, he was in charge, he had the final say. At least Velas was sure that Cersei wouldn't go for a suicidal attack.

Troops? Highgarden had gathered tens of thousands of soldiers. The mere five hundred red cloaks from the Westerlands weren't even enough to fill the gaps between their teeth.

Velas was determined not to order the steward, master-at-arms, maester, and captain of the guard to come in, thus becoming Cersei's hostages.

But he didn't want to violently confront Cersei either. He hoped for a peaceful and friendly resolution.

Cersei stared at Velas, seeing the panic fade away and composure gradually return to him. This wasn't a good sign.

"Lord Velas, won't you order Steward Garse to come over?"

Garse was a real power figure in Highgarden, having assisted two Highgarden Dukes and was also Mace Tyrell's uncle.

"Queen Mother, we have too many misunderstandings between us. I think we need a frank conversation. You need my support, and I will definitely support you," Velas said earnestly.

Velas's strategy of expressing his willingness to be loyal to Cersei rather than confront her exceeded the Mountain's advice to Cersei. The Mountain's letters only envisioned Velas's confrontation, not his cooperation.

Cersei decided to implement the Mountain's strategy, which was in line with her character and behavior.

"Velas, you're willing to support me?"

"Yes, Queen Mother."

"Then how will you face Prime Minister Kevan? I'm not in King's Landing. I believe the Prime Minister has already persuaded the Tyrell family to support him, and has control over the Small Council and King Tommen." Cersei frankly stated her weaknesses, pointing out that Velas's loyalty to her might not be the best choice.

This made Velas slightly stunned. What was Cersei saying? She was in a precarious situation, yet she was revealing her weaknesses?

"Queen Mother, you are the Protector of the Realm," Velas also chose to be frank. "I think you and the Prime Minister also need a frank communication. Everyone's goals are the same, which is the stability and prosperity of the kingdom."

The look in Cersei's eyes changed slightly. She saw Velas's naivety. Lord Tywin had once told Cersei that in the struggle for power, there was no peaceful coexistence, and the winner took all. That was the rule of the game of thrones.

Velas actually fantasized that Cersei could still get along with Prime Minister Kevan and govern the kingdom together. This was already difficult, and the trust between the two had a huge wound.

Lannisters always pay their debts! This saying was not only for outsiders, but also for the Lannisters themselves.

The Imp, Tyrion Lannister, had already proved this saying with his life: Always pay your debts!

"Lord Velas, you are a good man. I accept your suggestion. I want to get along with the Prime Minister and work together to govern the country well. So, what good suggestions do you have? Will you send troops to escort me back to King's Landing?"

"I will write to the Prime Minister first. I will do my best to mediate. Please trust me, Queen Mother. I swear by the Old Gods and the New, and by the honor of House Tyrell, that I will do my best to help the Queen Mother return to King's Landing, and try my best to achieve a reconciliation between the Queen Mother and the Prime Minister," Velas said earnestly.

This was exactly what he was thinking, and this thought hid a big selfish motive: he didn't want to marry Cersei. If it was someone else, like Euron Greyjoy, who coveted Cersei, Cersei would have been pinned to the carpet by Euron long ago to beg for pleasure.

Different personalities, different ways of doing things, and different choices will lead to different results. Some results are even death.

"Good!" The sharpness in Cersei's eyes disappeared, replaced by gentleness. "Lord Velas, I believe your oath. Ser Balon, please bring a chair for Lord Velas."

"Yes, Queen Mother."

Ser Balon Swann, the only 'third party' in the hall, brought a large chair for Velas, with a comfortable brocade cushion.

As soon as Velas sat down, there was a knock on the door. Kingsguard Osmund's voice rang out from outside the door: "Queen Mother, Highgarden Steward Garse requests an audience."

Velas was stunned!

He hadn't ordered Garse to come.

But he instantly saw the clue from Cersei's expression. Cersei deliberately talked to him and accepted his proposal, but had actually sent a guard to invite Garse long ago. As long as it was in his name, Garse would definitely not be on guard.

Velas's falcons and hounds were understanding, and did not enter Queen Mother Cersei's hall. However, the falcons and hounds could not tell Garse and the others what was happening here.

The vassals must have thought that Cersei and Velas were having a romantic time. No one would have thought that Cersei would suddenly launch an attack during afternoon tea. Cersei had not revealed any signs beforehand.

The door was opened from the inside by Balon Swann. Garse came in with a friendly smile. The fat Garse walked as if a pile of fat was moving. His smile was kind, amiable, and full of goodwill and warmth.

The door closed again, and Garse sat down, seeing Velas's ugly face. Velas realized that he had seriously underestimated Cersei. Everyone said that Cersei only had a beautiful appearance and shallow vision, a strong personality and naive behavior, but from today's events, it was clear that she was meticulous and had clear goals.

Cersei said, "Lord Garse, Lord Velas has confessed everything."

Garse was stunned. He couldn't have imagined that Velas would suddenly surrender at a critical moment, which put House Tyrell in an awkward position of being unrighteous, and all the accumulated political wealth was at risk of being cleared.

Garse was speechless and unable to respond.

Cersei sneered, "Lord Garse, when did Prime Minister Kevan order House Tyrell to place me under house arrest in Highgarden? I traveled south to inspect the Reach, giving House Tyrell unparalleled glory, giving House Tyrell's vassals and subjects stable confidence, increasing their loyalty to their lord, highlighting House Tyrell's powerful influence in the royal family, and enhancing House Tyrell's position in the Seven Kingdoms, but you, at the Prime Minister's instigation, want to place your Queen Mother under house arrest. Lord Garse, you are committing a crime, equivalent to treason."

*Clang!*

Balon Swann's longsword was drawn, pointing at Garse's fat neck from behind. The blade was sharp and filled with murderous intent.

Sweat beads appeared on Garse's forehead.

He was just a steward of Highgarden. He could be killed and that would be the end of it. As long as the Queen Mother didn't kill Velas Tyrell, it wouldn't provoke the unquenchable anger of the Highgarden subjects.

When lords fought, they used killing lackeys as a demonstration. They wouldn't kill the real family heads. That was the bottom line and the sense of propriety.

Although Highgarden dared to place the Queen Mother under house arrest, they didn't have the courage to kill the Queen Mother, and they wouldn't do that. That would be real treason, which would go against their original intention.

Cersei had Velas Tyrell as a hostage. Velas's performance made Cersei very bold, and Garse's fear made Cersei's flames burn even brighter. She had nothing to fear.

Garse was originally a Tyrell with wisdom and backbone, but if Velas Tyrell surrendered first, and hadn't discussed it with him beforehand, then all of Garse's plans would be wrong.

If things were to be reversed and someone had to take the blame, House Tyrell would naturally sacrifice Garse and never Velas, the family heir.

"Queen Mother, Garse is loyal to the King and Queen Mother, and has no ulterior motives."

"You want to place me under house arrest but you still have no ulterior motives?" Cersei sneered.

Garse knelt on one knee, his fat body piled on the ground. He denied Cersei's accusations: "Not house arrest, Queen Mother. House Tyrell didn't want to offend Prime Minister Kevan, so we just went along with the flow, hoping to achieve a marriage alliance with the Queen Mother. Regardless of whether the marriage alliance is successful, Highgarden would never dare to place the Queen Mother under house arrest. We only have loyalty to the royal family and the Queen Mother, not blasphemy."

"Oh? So, I can come and go as I please?!"

"Yes, Queen Mother. The Reach is the Queen Mother's domestic territory. Of course, the Queen Mother can come and go as she pleases. Who would dare to stop you?" Garse's thick-skinned adaptability was much better than Velas's.

There was a shining longsword on Garse's neck. Although he was already seventy-eight years old, he still didn't want to die.

"Balon Swann, tell the guards to tie up Garse Tyrell first. When we leave, we will need Steward Garse's escort."

"Yes, Queen Mother."

Balon Swann opened the small side door, and several Westerlands knights came in and tied Garse up like a dumpling. The rope dug deeply into Garse's fat. When Garse let out his first scream, a wad of foul-smelling rag was stuffed into his mouth.

The fat Garse was dragged into the small room next door. The small room was closed and locked. Two Westerlands soldiers accompanied Garse in the small room, so that Garse wouldn't be too lonely.

Velas finally knew what 'struggle' meant. Cersei wanted absolute control of the situation, and wouldn't allow Highgarden people to have a chance to reverse it. As long as Garse or Velas went out, they could summon the army to surround this tower at any time. Although Queen Mother Cersei had hostages in her hands, she wouldn't dare to kill the hostages when surrounded by the army, because that would be tantamount to declaring war, declaring war in front of Highgarden's tens of thousands of troops, which would be equivalent to suicide.

Cersei was someone who would never commit suicide!

The third person who was tricked in was Maester Lormys. He didn't suffer. He got a chair with a cushion and the service of two Westerlands soldiers' longswords. Lormys stayed still in the chair very obediently.

Even if there were two more longswords pointing at him, Lormys knew that he was safe. Queen Mother Cersei wouldn't hurt people, let alone kill people, especially since he nominally belonged to the neutral faction of maesters.

In the Seven Kingdoms' war, there were two kinds of people who wouldn't be killed, of course, this was a nominal rule—one kind of people was the Night's Watch, and the other kind of people was the maesters.

The fourth person who was tricked in was Master-at-Arms Fothmure. His explosive temper was rewarded by Queen Mother Cersei. Under the threat of longswords, Balon Swann knocked Fothmure to the ground, smashed his teeth, and broke two of his ribs. Finally, the arrogant Master-at-Arms Fothmure was tied up tightly with thick ropes, and was also locked in a small room, with two Westerlands soldiers accompanying him every step of the way.

The last vassal who was tricked in was Lord Velas Tyrell's Captain of the Guard, Aegon. Aegon came in with a smile, and then he saw the maester's unnatural smile, saw Velas's pale face, and he smelled the ominous atmosphere in the air. When he sat down on the chair designated by the Queen Mother, he saw the bloodstains on the ground, which was Master-at-Arms Fothmure's blood.

"What happened?" Aegon decided to play dumb.

Even if Cersei caught them all, she wouldn't be able to get out of Highgarden City. Aegon had already gathered five hundred elites, ready to take over the position of Cersei's five hundred red cloaks, responsible for protecting Queen Mother Cersei's safety. If he stayed here for too long, his deputy would know that something was wrong.

When he received the Queen Mother's summons, Aegon didn't realize that something was wrong, until he passed by the steward's tower but was told that the steward had been invited by the Queen Mother's guards to have tea, Aegon had a little bit of vigilance.

In a situation where a woman and a man were having afternoon tea for 'mood', absolutely no one else would be invited. Aegon understood the psychology of a woman and a man's secret meeting.

He was more careful, and went to find Master-at-Arms Fothmure and Maester Lormys, and was told that they had been invited by Queen Mother Cersei. Aegon knew that there were some unpredictable changes, so he explained to his deputy that if he didn't send a message in half an hour, the deputy must bring troops to the Queen Mother's tower to find him.

Aegon wasn't smarter than the maester and the chief steward, he just knew that in the sweet time of a woman and a man's secret meeting, definitely no other irrelevant people would be invited. If they were invited, it might not be a mood secret meeting.

The thing that Aegon didn't want to believe happened. He came to Queen Mother Cersei's hall, saw the bloodstains, and smelled the ominous air.

When the pretending Aegon asked with a smile 'What happened?', Cersei hadn't answered yet, and Balon Swann's longsword pierced his neck from behind, piercing in from the back of the neck and out from the front.

Aegon's gaze at Queen Mother Cersei was always full of a man's lewdness, and this resentment had been accumulating in Balon Swann's chest and couldn't be resolved. Aegon's opening smile was the spark, igniting the anger in Balon's heart. The suppressed raging fire couldn't be restrained, Balon killed Aegon without saying a word.

For a minor vassal of a family to dare disrespect the Empress Dowager is a crime punishable by death!