Chapter 7: The Prince of Pentos

"How should I address you, steward?"

By noon the next day, a famished Viserys, who had been waiting in vain for Illyrio, finally pretended to have just woken up and stepped out of his bedroom.

He conveniently encountered the steward directing maids to clean the hallway.

This was the same steward who had brought out the dragonbone artifacts during the welcoming feast the previous day.

The steward bowed slightly. "Just call me Steward, esteemed guest."

Viserys said, "You must have a name, don't you?"

"Calling me Steward is sufficient, esteemed guest." His voice was thin and sweet, his response appropriate. "The master has instructed that if the guests need anything, they should come to me."

"Hm," Viserys smiled enigmatically, "you have an interesting name."

The steward nodded slightly, smiling at Viserys, without speaking, as if waiting for him to give an order.

Viserys, no longer concerned about his name, asked, "Where is your master?"

"Esteemed guest," the steward's response seemed well-prepared, "the master had business to attend to this morning and left. He didn't say when he would return but instructed that if you need to find him, you might have to wait for a while."

"Oh, I see," Viserys's face remained expressionless as he shifted the topic, "Steward, did your master leave any instructions about lunch?"

Viserys would be crazy to actively seek out Illyrio. Given the bloody start, he needed to take full advantage of the time given to develop properly—well, under someone else's watchful eye.

The steward responded earnestly, "Lunch falls under my responsibilities, esteemed guest. Would you prefer to dine in the dining room, or have it brought to your room?"

"Heh, Magister Illyrio is indeed considerate," Viserys thought for a moment before replying, "I'll dine in the dining room."

The steward nodded, "Please wait in the dining room. Do you need someone to guide you?"

Viserys waved his hand, "I remember the way."

The steward nodded slightly and left.

Only a maid remained, quietly continuing her cleaning duties.

It seemed that, at least on the surface, Illyrio allowed the Targaryen siblings quite a bit of freedom, letting them roam the estate at will.

It was precisely because Viserys realized this that he decided to dine in the dining room. After lunch, he planned to walk around the courtyard to see the boundaries of his range of movement.

Just after the steward left, a door behind him opened, and the petite Daenerys stepped out. "Brother."

After greeting him, she fell silent, her gaze briefly flashing over the maid who was cleaning before immediately lowering her head. She moved lightly and quietly, like a maid herself, and came to Viserys's side.

Viserys nodded and said to her, "You must be hungry. Come, let's go have lunch."

With that, he started walking towards the dining room.

It seemed that Daenerys had been awake for a while but hadn't dared to leave her room without Viserys's call, enduring her hunger until now.

Lunch consisted of fish, roast pork, and honey cream bread, accompanied by wine—a very Pentosian style meal.

In the spacious dining room, only Viserys and Daenerys were dining, with the steward standing by.

Seemingly casually, Viserys asked, "Steward, does Illyrio's family not live here?"

The steward paused before answering, "This is merely one of the many courtyards owned by my master, esteemed guest."

Viserys couldn't help but take a second look at him. "Oh."

Viserys didn't ask further questions.

Daenerys listened to the exchange between Viserys and the steward, their answers not matching the questions, and her mind began to churn.

Since being struck by lightning, Viserys's behavior had become unpredictable, and his words were full of mysteries. She still hadn't figured out the meaning behind his statement last night, "If you want to protect a secret, don't act like you have a secret to protect."

She could understand the literal meaning, but...

She realized Viserys had been speaking to her while also deliberately letting the outside world hear. She hadn't slept well all night.

Then, just now, she thought Viserys's question was a simple inquiry, but the steward had paused before answering.

Sensitive as she was, Daenerys caught onto this.

It wasn't until they finished lunch, and Viserys wiped his mouth, that he broke the silence in the dining room again: "Steward, I'd like to take a walk in the courtyard. Is that okay?"

The steward replied, "Esteemed guest, you are free to do as you please; you don't need my permission."

Viserys nodded, "Alright."

The steward then asked, "Would you like someone to accompany you?" It was as if he were offering a guest the option of a guided tour.

"Very well." Viserys did not refuse.

Then, accompanied by the steward, Viserys and Daenerys took a walk along the courtyard paths.

The courtyard was quite large, surrounded on three sides by high brick walls and on one side by a low cliff facing the Narrow Sea. There were three gates in the courtyard. The main gate was the primary entrance and exit for the residence, tightly shut, with a guard post beside it where two guards sat. One gate led to the garden, and the third gate was the back gate, near the kennels where the dogs were kept.

Viserys stopped at the main gate and gazed at it for a while.

The guards at the gate only glanced at him briefly before returning to their duties.

They kept their hands close to their swords and their eyes straight ahead.

From this alone, Viserys could tell they were well-trained and likely not mere mercenaries.

He didn't look for long, so he wasn't sure if there were additional guards outside the main gate.

Viserys roughly estimated the courtyard to be about four to five basketball courts in size, tightly enclosed, with no view of the outside from within and vice versa.

In terms of hiding important individuals, it was effectively isolated from the outside world.

After walking a full circle, during which no one spoke, Viserys finally couldn't bear the silence anymore: "You seem quite taciturn, steward."

He could certainly sense that the steward and the gate guards were possibly of Unsullied origin. They were indeed expected to be silent.

However, Illyrio had appointed him to serve, or rather to monitor, and he had previously answered questions quite well.

"Then."

'Don't you want to pry a little?'

The steward replied apologetically, "Forgive my negligence, esteemed guest." Then he fell silent again.

Viserys decided to initiate the conversation himself. "I heard that Pentos has a prince?"

The steward responded, "Yes, esteemed guest. He is called the Prince of Pentos."

Viserys chatted casually, "Have you ever seen him?"

"Yes," the steward replied. "During festival banquets, I once saw a prince from afar, seated in an ivory and gold palanquin, patrolling Pentos."

Viserys asked, "Is he the most powerful person in Pentos?"

The steward hesitated for a moment. "I am merely a humble steward, I do not know the affairs of the lords, esteemed guest."

Viserys smiled at the steward's response and continued, "Are you not from Pentos?"

The steward replied, "Pentos is a trading port city. Many who live in Pentos are not originally from Pentos, esteemed guest."

Viserys continued his casual questioning, "Is your master not from Pentos either?"

This time, the steward responded quickly, "I am merely a humble steward. I do not know much about my master's affairs, esteemed guest."

Viserys then asked, "I've heard that when the people of Pentos believe the gods are angry with them, such as after losing a war or a poor harvest, they sacrifice the prince by cutting his throat to appease the gods. Is that true?"

Before the steward could respond, Dany, who had been walking behind Viserys, slipped and cried out, "Ah!"

Viserys stopped and turned to ask, "What's wrong, Daenerys?"

Dany, her face filled with panic, couldn't explain and quickly bowed her head in apology, "Sorry."

The steward also stopped, crouched down, and examined her for a moment before saying, "Your foot is twisted," and proceeded to help, "I need to move your foot to give it some simple treatment, esteemed lady."

Daenerys, frightened, looked up at Viserys for guidance.

Viserys stepped forward to support Daenerys and said, "I'll help her back. Is there any medicine for sprains here? Go and get it."

The steward glanced at Viserys, hesitated for a moment, and ultimately didn't refuse. "Please wait a moment."

"I'm sorry," Dany timidly whispered an apology.

Viserys, with a cold expression, said, "You didn't do anything wrong, no need to apologize."

To be honest, Viserys didn't want to act this way in front of a small, pitiful girl, but the original Viserys was like this.

Even though Viserys wanted to change his attitude, he couldn't be too abrupt about it.

Moreover, he temporarily needed Daenerys to remain in this timid state, not saying much or doing anything foolish.

She would just keep overthinking, and anyone could see she was burdened with worries.

Perhaps because Viserys's attitude was softer compared to before, Dany instinctively asked the question she most wanted to know, "How long will we stay here?"

Viserys replied truthfully, "For quite a while."

Dany's heart sank, and she muttered quietly, "But you don't trust him."

"Don't say silly things, Dany. Even the Prince of Pentos is in a better position than us," Viserys said coldly, gripping her arm. "I'm not asking you to do anything; just talk less."

With that, Dany fell silent.

This young girl had already suffered enough under the original Viserys, accustomed to being manipulated.

Despite feeling a pang of sympathy, Viserys maintained his tough demeanor. He helped Dany back to her room without any gentleness, gripping her arm painfully.

Shortly after they sat by the bed, the steward returned with medicine and a basin of clean water.

"Please remove your shoes, esteemed lady."

Just as the steward was about to tend to Dany's ankle, Viserys interrupted, "No, not you, steward. Go fetch a maid."

The steward stared blankly at Viserys, but seeing the serious expression, he bowed his head in apology. "Forgive me, esteemed guest. I was presumptuous."

Dany, sitting at the bedside, quickly glanced at Viserys after hearing the conversation. She noticed he was about to look at her and quickly lowered her gaze, remaining silent.

Viserys, with a stern expression, said nothing. He just kept fiddling with the dragon bone pendant on his wrist.