Chapter 52: Hallucinogen

The next day, at noon.

A bright beam of sunlight shone through the window, casting a square patch of light on the floor, with a layer of fine dust floating above it.

The sound of waves crashing outside was ceaseless, pounding against the rocks as if they would never stop. The distant songs of fishermen could barely be heard within the castle walls. White seagulls flocked to the top of the castle, gazing far into the distance.

Everything had passed.

War, storms, rebellion.

Only in the crevices between the castle's stone slabs could one perceive the traces left behind by the fighting that occurred just before dawn.

The surviving soldiers and servants within the castle were busily cleaning up the residual bloodstains and human tissue from these crevices.

Splash—

The soldiers carried buckets of ice-cold water to wash away the traces, the water flowing down the stairs to the lower levels.

Then the servants rushed up, scrubbing vigorously with rags.

"Over here!"

"Make sure it's all cleaned up."

Old maid Sofia, who had fled from the Red Keep all the way to Dragonstone, took charge of the cleaning crew, directing the servants to clean the castle.

In the midst of this bustling cleanup, Viserys finally stirred from his bed, rubbing his sleepy eyes with one hand. His silver-gold hair was a bit disheveled, curling over and obscuring the boy's beautiful eyes.

"Hah…"

The boy sat up in bed, stretched his arms, and yawned.

"So sleepy."

Viserys wanted to go back to sleep, but unfortunately, Rhaenys wouldn't allow him to be so lazy.

Bang bang bang—

Viserys was just about to lie down when a loud knocking on the door jolted him awake, banishing any trace of drowsiness from his mind.

"Hey!"

"Viserys, time to get up, the sun's going to shine on your butt."

A sweet, clear voice of a girl came from outside the door. She had been moved to another location by Viserys the night before and hadn't experienced the fighting.

In truth, the attention of the traitors was focused on Viserys, the heir of House Targaryen.

He was a boy, and naturally a thorn in the side of Stannis Baratheon.

"Damn…"

Hearing the lively voice outside, Viserys felt a slight headache.

Rhaenys was lively and adorable, with a spirited personality. Though young, she already showed signs of becoming a cunning little devil. Without her mother's discipline, Rhaenys had become even more unbridled.

Viserys wouldn't interfere with her, and no one else in Dragonstone could control the young princess.

Viserys responded with a groan, then sat up in bed and methodically dressed in his intricate, ornate clothing.

Queen Rhaella had wanted to assign a maid to help Viserys dress and bathe, but he had refused.

He only wanted to live alone in his room, with the door locked from the inside. This gave Viserys a sense of security and allowed him to sleep more soundly.

Moreover, Viserys wasn't accustomed to others helping him dress, even if he was just an eight-year-old boy with a tiny, adorable "little thing" down there.

He still had a strong sense of privacy and refused to be seen by these old women.

And so, Viserys took care of his daily life on his own.

The boy stood before the silver-plated mirror, as a dark mist gradually spread. Viserys, however, remained unfazed, continuing to look at the mirror and straightening his collar.

This mysterious dark mist had accompanied Viserys for over half a year. From the initial fear, curiosity, and exploration, Viserys had grown accustomed to it, ignoring the mist while calmly adjusting his collar.

Still, the dark mist rolled slowly, its tendrils of smoke dissipating into the air, exuding an eerie, enigmatic aura. No one else could see the mist that appeared in Viserys' field of vision.

The boy's gaze left the mirror, and he turned to leave the bedroom. The dark mist behind him continued to roll and slowly dissipated on the spot.

"Hey, why did you wake up so late today?"

As soon as Viserys emerged, a little girl with brown hair pouted and complained, clinging to his arm.

Unaware of the events that transpired last night at Dragonstone, Rhaenys had no idea why Viserys had risen so late.

Viserys had only just finished handling all matters at the break of dawn, finding time to return to his room, remove his armor, and go to bed.

"Your Grace."

"Lord Joffrey is waiting for you in the hall."

A guard stationed outside greeted Viserys with a bow and informed him.

Upon seeing Viserys' attention shift, the guard glanced at Rhaenys and quietly added, "He said... there have been developments regarding last night's incident."

Viserys hesitated for a moment, then seemed to understand the meaning of the guard's words.

It was likely about the bastard captured last night; his lips had been pried open. Sir Joffrey believed he had obtained important information from the captive and had hurried to inform Viserys.

"Go to the map room."

Viserys came to his senses and handed Rhaenys over to the guard.

He didn't want the girl to be exposed to these matters prematurely, as the incident from half a year ago still haunted Rhaenys.

As her uncle, Viserys would naturally strive to spread his wings and protect Rhaenys' safety.

He then strode towards the map room.

...

Soon after.

Viserys arrived and saw the old knight who had been waiting for a while. He then learned of a shocking piece of news from the man.

"What?"

Hearing this, Viserys stood still, somewhat disbelieving.

"Sir, are you saying this despicable bastard once drugged my mother and me with a large amount of hallucinogens?"

Last night.

Sir Joffrey had brought Daevi Sand back to the camp like a dead dog, then suspended his life and interrogated him overnight.

The captive, having seemingly given up on surviving, spilled everything he knew.

The acting lord of Dragonstone had once bribed the cook to poison Queen Rhaella and Viserys' food with many hallucinogens.

This bastard hoped to silently kill the mother and son without drawing any attention.

With the 'Mad King' as a precedent, it wouldn't be far-fetched for the Targaryen bloodline to carry the gene for madness.

Queen Rhaella's subsequent condition was a clear indication that the hallucinogens had taken effect.

As for Viserys, even the traitor couldn't understand why.

He had even increased the dosage of the hallucinogens significantly, but Viserys had shown no signs of abnormality.

"I can't believe it..." .