"Lady Faria, Lord Viserys is here!"
"Oh, I see!"
Before Viserys could even arrive at Falia's place, news of his victory in the seventh arena had already reached their ears. After witnessing his formidable skills in close combat with Andersen, the two were confident in Viserys's strength. If he was that strong unarmed, how powerful would he be with a sword? Though they often dealt with swordsmen, their methods of judging martial arts were relatively simple, but they sufficed for assessing him.
When Viserys boarded the ship, he was greeted by Asha, who was still wearing the "coin splint" he had made for her. She enthusiastically brought him a cup of hot tea.
"Ah, thank you, Lady Asha," he said.
Under normal circumstances, this would be a simple thank you, though a bit intimate and playful. But this simple greeting was unexpected.
"The third round—the theme for the third round has arrived," Asha said, stuttering slightly.
"This time it was quite fast," Viserys remarked, surprised. It seemed House Fregar was preparing to do something else. Could they let him take the dragon egg so easily? Obviously not. The theme had arrived so quickly that he didn't quite believe it.
"The theme this time is the future?!" Viserys exclaimed, a bit surprised as he received the envelope from Asha. These bumpkins had actually chosen such a philosophical topic.
Through the gauze-like curtain, Faria, seated in the boat, saw the shadows of Viserys and Asha. Viserys looked down at the letter in his hand, and Asha, who was just tall enough to reach his chest, leaned over to look at it with him. If you didn't know better, you'd think they were close. This made Falia feel a little uncomfortable. She had been the main character for so many years, and now she had suddenly become a supporting role. Normally, she wouldn't have cared, but today...
Falia suddenly realized she might have been tempted, just as the old nun had said. 'Take a deep breath and calm down.' Falia counted her heartbeat while imagining an album the nun who had trained her had once shown her. The album was full of images of abandoned women, women who died in childbirth, women who were destitute... She hoped this would strengthen her resolve.
"Lady Moonshadow," Viserys said, realizing he had been outside for far too long, to the point of being rude. He quickly entered the boat and expressed his apologies. His smiling face appeared in Falia's eyes, and the scene she had just recalled in her mind suddenly vanished. Now she had only one question—how could she get Viserys to call her Falia instead of Moonshadow?
This time, Viserys seemed to be a bit out of ideas. He held a pen and paper, writing and drawing, but couldn't make up his mind. There were songs about the future in his music library, but most of them were pop songs, and he worried they didn't match the style of the times, leaving him conflicted. However, even his slightly frowning expression captivated the two women.
After about ten minutes, Viserys finally made up his mind. But just as he was about to play, a voice came from outside:
"Lady Moonshadow, I've come to bring you a new theme."
The three of them looked at each other, then at the letter next to them, all appearing a bit confused.
"Asha, go and see what's going on."
"Yes," Asha replied, running out. Falia looked through the window to see who was coming. It was Andersen, his brother Vitus, and a messenger. After boarding the ship, they came to the boat.
"Lady Moonshadow, Lord Viserys."
It was Vitus who spoke.
"Lord Vitus, Lord Andersen," Falia greeted, standing up to welcome the two.
Viserys crossed his legs and made a face as if to say, 'What are you doing here?' "Didn't you just send the theme over? Why are you sending it again?" he asked, taking the teapot from Asha and drinking directly from the spout.
The messenger and the musicians were both shocked. They dared not offend such important people as Vitus and Andersen, but the 'Beggar King' didn't seem to care at all. Didn't he know that without land and people, he was nothing?
Falia and Asha were in the same predicament. Both knew they had no part in this matter and should stay out of it. Falia usually acted as a go-between, but now she and Viserys both represented the interests of House Zalyne to some extent. Their interests conflicted, and there was no need for cooperation. So her usual "business methods" were of no use.
Andersen realized that Viserys did not want to give them a warm welcome. He could only make a face that seemed to want to say something but couldn't. Vitus appeared indifferent, which was part of their plan. It seemed impossible to them that they could write two songs in such a short time that would be sung for decades.
Tormo suspected there was a traitor in their midst. He consulted with the Sealord and decided to change the theme at short notice. He also sent his sons to see what was going on. If the boy was really so talented, he would have to think of another solution.
Vitus said, "My father suspects that someone has leaked the theme of the song, so he consulted with the Prince and ordered a temporary change."
"Oh, the thief is crying for help. Give it to me," Viserys replied, taking the letter directly from the messenger's hand without offering any courtesy. His sarcasm, though translated from Valyrian, was clear to the educated brothers.
"Lord Viserys, please mind your manners," Andersen said, trying not to appear too weak in front of his brother.
"Don't worry, even if I'm rude, I'm not as rude as a rapist."
"You..."
Vitus glanced at Andersen, eyes full of contempt, but he remained silent. His expression suggested that Andersen had omitted some details.
"Oh, by the way, there are messengers for delivering letters. Why did you two come here personally?" Viserys asked.
"Please forgive us, Your Lordship. You are preparing for the tournament and composing music at the same time, achieving such good results. You are truly a man blessed by the gods. We happened to be passing by and wanted to see you," Vitus replied with a lukewarm attitude.
"Very good. Very much like the eldest son," Viserys remarked, knowing that people like Vitus often had a lot of "fake strength." They were always gentle and soft-spoken until the critical moment. Just like his brother, although far from Rhaegar, he was the same. Viserys was too lazy to provoke him further.
However, Andersen's face turned pale. Apart from his own father, when had he ever been so wronged? He opened the letter and saw that the theme this time was 'Braavos.' Braavos had not produced good music to praise it in several years. The Sealord likely changed the topic for this reason. But since it was a tribute to a place, he could simply change the lyrics.
The moment he saw the topic, a melody formed in his head. In front of the shocked eyes of the two brothers, Falia, Asha, the musicians of the Sealord's palace, and the messenger, Viserys said, "Come, give me the harp."