Leanna's pupils widened as she stared into Green's calm eyes for a moment, then shifted her gaze to Sulana.
Sulana seemed to understand Leanna's concern and responded with a gentle, reassuring smile and a nod.
Herschel also stepped forward. "Miss Leanna, don't worry too much. The injustice you've suffered—our lord will see it righted. Those who harmed you will pay the price."
Only then did Leanna give a clear answer: "Green, thank you. I've never hated anyone this much before. I'm sure of it—because I refused to divorce Wushouer, I could feel he wanted to kill me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have fled so suddenly. If it's possible… please eliminate him!"
Still uneasy, she added, "If we kill him, won't it cause trouble for the family? After all, the Vale's nobles have always been hostile toward us."
Green gently patted the back of her hand and sat back down. "If we do nothing, they'll just mock House Clyburn as weak. We all know deep down that as nobles, the Clyburn family must retaliate."
Green gave a cold laugh. "Someone probably thinks the most House Clyburn will do is send a complaint to the Red Keep. A weak house, out of favor with the Hand of the King… and in the end, to appease the other lords' sensitivities, the Red Keep would just have Wushouer pay a few gold dragons in compensation and call it settled."
"Aren't we half-wildling nobles? This is the perfect chance to prove them right. One of our ladies is humiliated, we fly into a rage, and even if it's far away, we wipe out a whole household. That's pretty wildling-like, isn't it?"
Leanna couldn't help but gasp. "Wouldn't that cause too much of a stir? Besides the maid I brought, there's no one I care about there—but… won't that old thief Jon cause us trouble?"
"That'll depend on the skills of our noble Queen."
On the surface, it's a simple matter: a noblewoman married to a merchant is humiliated after marriage, and her family, outraged, retaliates against the merchant's family.
Perhaps the retaliation was a bit excessive, but not entirely unreasonable.
After all, in Westeros, a noble's honor is sacred.
From Cersei's perspective, Green's level of retaliation might even seem too mild compared to her father Tywin Lannister's "Rains of Castamere."
Green was simply going with the flow. Stirring up a little trouble now and then would only make Queen Cersei trust House Clyburn's allegiance more.
In his heart, Green had already made quiet preparations. The men sent to do the job would never reveal their affiliation with House Clyburn, nor leave behind any obvious evidence.
Those in the know would understand the retaliation came from House Clyburn—but without concrete proof, Queen Cersei could easily suppress any pushback from the Red Keep while maintaining her image of royal fairness.
As for King Robert? He'd probably ignore it. If someone interrupted his drunken debauchery over something as trivial as this, they'd be more likely to get their skull smashed by a wine jug than receive justice.
Back in his study, Green tapped his fingers on the desk, frowning slightly.
In Westeros, such underhanded revenge—however brutal—might still be mocked. People might sneer that House Clyburn didn't even dare show their banners, that they were cowards, bringing shame to their honor.
The rules of the game here often gave Green a headache.
But after a while, his brow smoothed. He could take a page from Tywin Lannister's playbook.
Green personally selected a group from the Clyburn family's soldiers, and arranged for several gifted singers from the territory to accompany them.
Green, who had just finished lunch with Leanna, was still busy.
After consulting with Steward Herschel and Housekeeper Sulana, they arranged for Sulana's eldest son, Layton, to lead a small group ahead to King's Landing.
Layton, the reserve steward, was tasked with purchasing an estate outside King's Landing.
Herschel, the chief steward, had previously inquired with itinerant merchants about the price of such estates near King's Landing, which typically ranged from 80 to 200 gold dragons.
The impoverished Lord Green, suppressing his heartache, allocated 300 gold dragons to Layton.
Green's core instruction was to prioritize the estate's proximity to King's Landing, and within that condition, the larger the land, the better. With limited funds, Layton was under no small pressure.
The future "Clyburn Estate" outside King's Landing was being prepared as a base for Green to station troops.
In the memories of the body's original owner, there had never been a trip beyond the territory, so Green had no idea how many guards an estate outside King's Landing could reasonably house before arousing the Red Keep's sensitive nerves.
Green's thinking was that, within the Red Keep's tolerable limits, the more troops stationed at the estate, the better—it would greatly enhance his sense of security in the capital.
Mermaid Port, under sunny skies and a gentle breeze.
Green was on horseback with his guards, inspecting the area.
Thanks to the addition of over 200 free prisoner laborers, Phase One of Mermaid Port was basically complete, and it already had the fundamental functionality of a working port.
Phase One was meant to get the port operational in the short term. All the main construction materials used were wood, making it a transitional stage.
Phase Two would last for half a year, focusing on stone structures. It would replicate all the shops and buildings from Phase One on the opposite side of the port. Once completed, it would directly replace the functions of the initial wooden structures.
Then came Phase Three.
Phase Three had two primary goals, planned over the course of a year.
The first was to build new facilities at the port based on specific needs, continuing to expand and improve Mermaid Port.
The second was to beautify the already completed structures, both inside and out, primarily through elaborate carvings and decoration.
Green placed great importance on the port's defense. He didn't want the hard work poured into Mermaid Port to be destroyed by just a few pirate raids.
A strong defense force would also make Mermaid Port more attractive to newcomers.
The current garrison responsible for security consisted of over a hundred people, mostly converted from the original fishing village's residents, and trained and led by two veteran soldiers selected from the Clyburn family forces.
Green didn't neglect sanitation either.
He didn't want the charming Mermaid Port to reek with filth, so he assigned specific personnel to oversee public hygiene management.
Standing at the seaside, staring out at the endless blue, Green found himself unable to enjoy the view.
Clyburn's long-range ballistae had yet to be developed, and the port still lacked coastal defense weapons to fend off attacks from the sea.
Currently, Mermaid Port's sea patrol consisted of a few small fishing boats refitted from the old village fleet.
They were entirely unsuitable for open-sea combat. A slightly stronger wave could capsize them, and even mildly bad weather would keep them docked.
As for ocean-worthy warships, Green's territory didn't have the technology to build them.
Purchasing them externally was out of the question. With starting prices at 1,000 gold dragons, the poor Lord Green was immediately deterred.
His dream of becoming a "Ship King" would have to be put on hold. For now, he'd obediently pay fares and ride with merchant fleets when heading out to sea.
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🔥 The Throne's Last Flame — A Song Forged in Ice and Wrath 🔥
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