The Son of the Prostitute knew he possessed a mysterious and powerful force within him.
A blessing from the gods? Magic? Sorcery?
Over four days, he gradually mastered this power. He began to feel that the Stranger might come for him later.
Today, or decades from now.
He looked at the man beside him. This was the only person he had interacted with these past few days.
He gave the man a name only he knew – "Silver Stag". Regardless, that precious silver stag had allowed him to enjoy a few days of warmth and peace.
The Silver Stag took him to the Central Plaza next to the Alchemists' Guild.
"Duke Stannis will be inspecting the Royal Fleet at the harbor. He will come from the north, and the Muddy Way and Fishermen's Square between here and the harbor will be your chance."
"Don't worry, I'll be watching you."
After giving his instructions, the Silver Stag disappeared into the crowd.
He stood blankly at the edge of the plaza.
Faces passed by nearby, men, women, children, old people. Where was Stannis?
He searched for a long time before finally spotting a face that was gradually becoming larger and clearer.
A harsh face that haunted his dreams every night.
He tightened his grip on the knife in his sleeve.
He quietly moved closer.
Stannis walked with a stern expression, as if going to war.
He was very displeased with Robert's decision.
After Lord Jon, I should have been Robert's Hand of the King!
I've served in this position, working tirelessly for so many years, yet he only loves Eddard!
Well, how could a king who indulged in entertainment, feasts, and women favor his younger brother, who avoided women, was serious all day, and never smiled?
Stannis knew this but couldn't understand it.
Renly, who only knew how to crack jokes and waste time at tourneys, received the family's ancestral Storm's End and his elder brother's affection.
He only received Robert's mockery and a few rocks in the Narrow Sea.
What was Dragonstone?!
I am the rightful heir to the Iron Throne!
Unfortunately, this fact was only acknowledged by himself. His only ally, Hand Jon, had also been murdered.
Afterward, the King almost immediately decided to go north to Winterfell, completely ignoring his younger brother. Stannis's mood was naturally not good.
He decided to leave King's Landing, this hateful, dark, and dangerous place.
"Davos, are you ready?"
He asked the Onion Knight beside him, his tone stiff as if he were conducting an interrogation.
Davos Seaworth was already accustomed to the Duke's personality and calmly replied, "We can set sail tomorrow, all the ships are ready. Aren't you going to inspect them?"
Not only was Stannis leaving himself, but he also planned to take more than half of the fleet from the harbor to Dragonstone.
After all, he was still the Master of Ships for the court.
"Very good, tell Dragonstone to prepare for our arrival."
Stannis continued to arrange his plans.
He knew the Lannisters wouldn't stop, Robert was likely no longer safe, and he needed to make plans early.
Dragonstone controlled the throat of King's Landing, the fleet...
The Son of the Prostitute approached his enemy. He drew half a knife from his sleeve.
His enemy was speaking to someone. It was a good opportunity, but unfortunately, there was a circle of soldiers around them. He needed to wait for the right moment to act.
"Davos, what are the conditions in Blackwater Bay, are supplies sufficient? What are the soldiers' reactions to the voyage?"
Davos answered patiently one by one, but also felt secretly strange.
According to his understanding of the Duke, he wouldn't normally ask about such things; his subordinates would handle them. Why today?
Stannis walked onto the Muddy Way.
Although it was called the Muddy Way because it was close to the riverbank, the stone road on the ground still allowed a large number of pedestrians to pass smoothly.
There were as many people here today as usual.
Using the crowd as cover, the knife gradually approached its target from below waist height.
The guarding soldiers were still very tight.
The Duke of Dragonstone arrived at the more crowded Fishermen's Square.
Fishermen, small vendors, laborers and commoners who had just crossed the river and entered the city, pitiful people scattered everywhere begging, cheap prostitutes...
Finally, a soldier was bumped into by a drunkard and was trying to get rid of the entanglement.
The knife saw a gap!
In an instant, Davos saw an unusual flash, and his heart sank.
The knife stabbed the Duke!
Davos finally managed to make a sound. "Assassin! Protect the Duke!!"
The soldiers woke up and drew their swords.
But the assassin had hit with one blow and disappeared into the crowd.
"Duke! How are you?"
Davos supported Stannis worriedly. The sturdy breastplate and chainmail were pierced, and a blood-oozing knife wound was clearly visible on the Duke's chest!
Stannis caught a glimpse of the assassin's face.
He kept thinking back to the assassin's face, very young, a little familiar, who could it be?
Intense pain invaded his consciousness. Stannis didn't say a word, but cold sweat streamed down his forehead. The soldiers were on high alert and quickly escorted the Duke back home the way he came.
Stannis lay on the bed, his bare upper body covered in blood.
A group of confidantes crowded around the bed, and a large group of guards stood inside and outside the room. The atmosphere was unusually cold.
Very lucky.
The knife did not injure Stannis's internal organs, only his skin and flesh.
After bandaging and applying medicine, the Duke looked good, but his face was slightly pale and stiff.
He finally remembered.
"It's the Son of the Prostitute!"
Davos hadn't reacted yet. "Duke, what did you say?"
"That assassin, is the Son of the Prostitute. I saw him in the Throne Room. As expected, he doesn't respect the law!"
Stannis understood the reason for today's accident.
He just executed a murderer according to the laws of the kingdom, and this bastard actually held a grudge and wanted to take personal revenge?!
Everyone should understand that law is law, and it cannot be swayed by personal feelings or preferences, nor should the judge be blamed personally.
Indeed, the Son of the Prostitute is born in impurity and will surely grow into a chaotic and evil thug!
Stannis waved his hand, signaling everyone to withdraw.
"It's nothing, just an ignorant thug, I'm fine."
Everyone relaxed a little and gradually left.
Davos also felt it was reasonable, but the unease in his heart was hard to dispel.
"Duke, without further ado, all preparations are complete, why don't we set off tonight? To avoid further danger."
"Do you think I'm afraid? The itinerary remains unchanged, prepare dinner for me."
Davos could only obey.
In the kitchen.
Some of the helpers and servants were snoring against the fireplace woodbox, while others were chatting quietly about gossip and rumors.
The head chef clapped the backs of his young assistants' heads one by one, "Lazy guys, get moving! The Duke wants to eat!"
The kitchen helper Dick wasn't slacking off, but he still got hit.
He couldn't help but curse the old man silently in his heart. Relying on his age and seniority, he completely doesn't treat us as people, sooner or later I'll make you pay!
Dick's work was varied and tiring.
Chopping vegetables, preparing ingredients, cleaning the kitchen, overseeing cooking, running errands to deliver meals, and serving the so-called seniors.
He had long wanted to quit, and now there was a great opportunity.
Dick looked around, no one was paying attention here. He quietly took a paper packet from his怀 and poured the white powder into the soup.
Recalling the shining Gold Dragons in that person's hand, the last trace of hesitation and fear in his heart was also dispelled.
He picked up a spoon and stirred the Venison Stew in the pot vigorously a few times.
...
"Duke!"
Davos almost wanted to chop this kitchen helper into pieces with his eyes!
"Drag him out!"
Two soldiers glanced at the Duke and roughly dragged the crying, twisting, struggling traitor, who was like a maggot, out of the room to give this guy an end.
"Duke, this is not an accident, someone is indeed trying to harm you, we need to leave immediately!"
Stannis no longer objected. If he had drunk the soup first, the one lying on the ground with a pale face wouldn't have been a cook, but himself.
It was nearing midnight.
Stannis led a large contingent directly towards the harbor, and the Gold Cloaks didn't dare to rashly obstruct them.
A pair of eyes in the darkness saw them.
During the day, the Silver Stag had announced the failure of the operation. Stannis was not dead.
The Silver Stag said he had one more night. If he couldn't succeed then, there would be no more chances.
After that, he hadn't seen the Silver Stag again.
He wandered around Fishermen's Square. He didn't even know what he was thinking.
Now, he saw a massive group of over a hundred people. Torches illuminated their armor and swords, reflecting their serious and cautious faces.
Mother, you told me to live well that day. I remembered.
I'm sorry.
It seems the Stranger is destined to have me avenge you!
He stopped thinking about anything and just charged towards the face in the center of the torchlight.
"Alert! Movement!"
Under the torchlight, the knife in the enemy's hand seemed to glow red.
It was just a scruffy teenager, with no martial arts skill.
The knights and guards accurately struck the enemy.
No one expected that the enemy would be completely unharmed and quickly charge towards the Duke!
That knife plunged into Stannis's chest again and wasn't pulled out. Burning flames surged into Stannis's heart, scorching his soul.
The Duke stared intently at the assassin's face.
He opened his mouth weakly, spitting out a wisp of black and red smoke, and also exhaling his life's breath.
Before flame and True Steel, the Pure Iron that never yielded, black and hard, that would break before it bent—Stannis—snapped.
Davos let out a silent gasp. He couldn't even swallow.
The assassin stood still.
Davos used all his strength to unleash a sword strike filled with killing intent.
The assassin's body crumpled to the ground, his head rolling to the side, eyes open.
A few seconds later.
The moment the Son of the Prostitute's eyes completely dimmed, Joffrey, far away in the Riverlands, opened his eyes
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