Chapter 202 - The Nexus of Time and Space (III)

"Bereavement is painful, but knowing you caused your children's deaths is even more painful."

— Queen Alysanne I Targaryen, the Good Queen, after hearing Aenar's words.

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Jaehaerys looked at the exceptionally tall young man with surprise. The last person he had seen so tall was Maegor, and Aenar surpassed even him in height. This immediately soured the Old King's impression of this young king; he hated anything that reminded him of Maegor.

"Aenar!" Visenya exclaimed with surprise. Seeing how tall Aenar was, she realized years must have passed outside the Time-Space Nexus.

"Dear teachers, it's been almost three years since we last saw each other. Even after all this time, you both look more beautiful than ever," Aenar commented with a smile, looking at the two women who had taught him everything about ruling and fighting.

Rhaenys couldn't help but laugh, noticing Aenar was much more natural when talking to women than before. She imagined the young man had likely won the hearts of countless women.

"I'm old. The word 'pretty' can hardly be attributed to me anymore, brat." While saying this, Visenya's lips curved slightly in a satisfied smile. Who doesn't appreciate a compliment?

However, her smile vanished as she asked solemnly, "How is the war going?"

She knew Aenar must have already begun his conquest, a matter of utmost importance that would decide the fate of humanity.

"It's going well. Four of the Seven Kingdoms have already bent the knee." Aenar sat down between Visenya and Rhaenys. He commented with a calm smile, "A glass of wine materialized in his hand, making Rhaenys's eyes shine with an intensity that brought a smile to his face."

"Finally, wine!" Rhaenys said excitedly, snatching the glass and taking a long, deep sip of the purplish liquid.

Seeing Rhaenys drink for two full minutes without pausing for breath, Aenar felt Aegon had been truly fortunate to have such a wife.

"But Houses Arryn and Greyjoy have declared themselves kings. House Tully lost its power long ago; they are merely Paramounts without armies now," Aenar added, making Visenya snort coldly. "Burn them all to ashes. As for House Tully, since they're useless, simply appoint another House as Lord Paramount."

Aenar couldn't help but laugh at Visenya's direct answer; the woman was still the same as he remembered. "Don't worry, Queen. The young 'Mountain King' spoke rudely to Caraxes and was reduced to ashes instantly."

Visenya looked pleased to hear the false king had been reduced to ashes by Aenar's dragon. "Well done. You've handled it better than Aenys's trash would have. He would probably try to settle the war through dialogue."

Rhaenys stopped drinking her wine and looked at her sister resentfully. For some reason, every word out of her sister's mouth subtly criticized her, leaving her speechless.

At the same time, she felt a twinge of guilt for her son. Because of her premature death, her son hadn't been raised by her or Aegon, which contributed to his perceived weakness and incompetence.

She had heard from Visenya what happened to Aenys and Maegor, which left her speechless. If Aegon had been in Aenys's position, he would have killed Maegor, eliminating any danger to his throne.

Just as Rhaenys was about to say something, Jaehaerys asked calmly, "What happened to the Lords of the Vale after the false king was killed?"

Aenar finally looked at the old man before him with a touch of indifference. "They knelt to the new Lord of the Vale, whom I appointed myself."

"You're not as rough and cruel as you appear." A compliment laced with subtle sarcasm formed on Jaehaerys's lips.

"Not cruel? I have burned tens of thousands to death, including women and children," Aenar commented sarcastically, looking at the Old King with an increasingly unkind gaze.

If Jaehaerys had possessed the courage, he would have saved *me* a lot of trouble, especially by weakening the Faith of the Seven.

Jaehaerys's expression turned indifferent upon hearing Aenar's words. "A tyrant, just like Maegor," he spoke, his tone hostile and even murderous, revealing how deeply Maegor had traumatized him.

"Yes, I am indeed a tyrant. Anyone who disobeys me will die, as will Houses Tully, Lannister, and Baratheon," Aenar replied arrogantly, particularly enjoying Jaehaerys's slightly annoyed expression.

"I have killed tens of thousands, saving hundreds of thousands more lives in the process," he added, making Jaehaerys's expression turn even colder.

"You will rule over ashes," the Old King said sarcastically.

"I will rule a kingdom I can mold to my desire. There will be no Faith of the Seven, no Order of Maesters. Ordinary people will be able to study and choose their own futures. The world will finally be able to progress," Aenar instantly retorted.

"Old man, if you had possessed the courage, you would have destroyed the Faith of the Seven years ago," Aenar stated, adding with extreme contempt, "If my wife had suffered an assassination attempt, I would have flown to Oldtown and burned it to ashes. You did not do that, you cowardly king."

Jaehaerys, however, laughed at Aenar's perceived naivety. "Naive boy, you despise me, but if I had done as you suggest, the entire kingdom would have rebelled. The fragile Targaryen dynasty would have been destroyed, and you would never have been born."

"I think *you're* the naive one," Aenar replied coldly. "You think *everyone* would rebel? What a joke! People value their lives more than you imagine, old man. Don't say 'everyone'; I'd be surprised if even thirty percent rebelled."

"If I were you, I would have undermined the Faith's reputation, introduced new gods, and pitted the religions against each other while subtly eroding the already weakened standing of the Faith of the Seven. Then finally, after decades, I would have destroyed it."

"You call me naive, but in my eyes, you're just an old fool who thinks dialogue solves anything in a world where force speaks louder."

Every word was like a knife twisting in Jaehaerys's resolute heart. The Old King's expression became uncertain and doubtful. He processed Aenar's words, calculating the chances of success. To his dismay, he realized the chances of Aenar's plan succeeding were very high.

If Jaehaerys had done what Aenar suggested, he supposed that by the end of his reign, the Faith of the Seven would have been nothing more than a third-rate force on the continent.

"Do you know the worst thing you allowed?" Aenar asked, his tone calmer now, looking sympathetically at the old woman beside Jaehaerys. "The Faith of the Seven poisoned your sons and daughters. The poison itself wasn't immediately deadly, but it left the infants' bodies weak and susceptible to disease."

"During the nearly three hundred years of our dynasty, hundreds of infants and children were killed this way. My own grandmother buried countless sons and daughters due to this 'weakness'."

The words made even the calm and serene expression of one of the most formidable women in Westeros change dramatically. Her hand trembled as tears welled in her clear, lilac eyes.

Even Jaehaerys shuddered at Aenar's words. The Old King's lips trembled as he froze, processing the profoundly shocking and sorrowful information.

Visenya and Rhaenys looked equally grim, extreme anger burning in their eyes. If they could, both women would have mounted their dragons and burned Oldtown to the ground until nothing remained but ashes, all to avenge the hundreds of infants and children cruelly killed by the poison.

Alysanne proved herself worthy of being one of the most prestigious queens Westeros had ever known. Despite the pain and fury raging within her, the queen composed herself. Yet, Aenar could see she resembled a volcano on the verge of eruption.

Holding his wife's hand, Jaehaerys whispered, his tone desolate and sorrowful, "Forgive me, Wife. I was weak... I didn't realize something so obvious."

Alysanne held her husband's hand tighter. She didn't blame Jaehaerys entirely, for she herself had advised him to seek peace for the realm. Thus, the fault was not solely Jaehaerys's; it was hers as well.

She felt just as weak for allowing such an atrocity, and not only had her own children been killed, but also the children of all the queens who came after her. Alysanne felt like a sinner, unworthy to stand before Visenya and Rhaenys, the great founding queens of Westeros.

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