-Chapter 73-
-The Next Morning-
-POV Rhea Royce-
As I watched Urrax flying in the sky from the balcony, the dining room door opened.
I turned, expecting to see my son and his wife entering, but it wasn't them.
'It's just Arnold,' I thought as I looked at the knight who seemed prouder than usual.
'He's been strutting around like a rooster for some time now.'
'He better not forget his place,' I thought, trying to detect any sign of disloyalty.
I raised an eyebrow, waiting to hear what Arnold had to say, and he simply said:
"The Prince Daemon is here."
I frowned for a moment, both annoyed and surprised that he had actually come, before composing myself and saying, "Let him in."
'I have only myself to blame. I shouldn't have invited him, even out of politeness.'
'I imagined he would have the decency to decline the invitation, but I had forgotten we were talking about Daemon.'
Arnold nodded and left.
A few seconds later, Daemon entered alone, looking even more arrogant than Arnold, which irritated me instantly.
'It brings back too many bad memories.'
"Though I invited you, I would have thought you'd stay with your family," I said, subtly implying that we were no longer his family and that he wasn't welcome.
"My family is very large," he replied, not even acknowledging the tone or manner in which I spoke to him.
'He's evolved, but I know him. I just need to push him to his limits to make his true self emerge.'
I smiled, raising my eyebrows, and asked bluntly:
"What are you really doing here?"
"Catching up on lost time," he said, slowly starting to play into my game.
I smiled and continued to push, aiming to crack the mask he was trying to wear:
"You abandoned a little boy, but he's no longer one. Unfortunately, you've returned too late. I hope you're aware of that."
His small smile disappeared immediately, and he stepped dangerously closer to me, saying:
"Don't twist the story. You took my son from me and turned him against me. You tried to turn him into some pathetic shepherd only good for tending goats, but look at him. There's nothing of you in him. He's like me, and you can't deny it. My blood runs in his veins—the blood of the dragon."
'Now you're convinced? At one time, you'd have sworn I spread my legs for a Lyseni,' I thought, feeling a wave of anger rise within me, which I quickly suppressed.
'It's pointless.'
'If Aemon were here to hear this, he would no doubt tell me it's just a pathetic speech from a frustrated but ultimately defeated man.'
"I pity you for being so blind," I said, gently stroking his shoulder before leaning in close enough to whisper in his ear: "However, there's one thing you're right about. Aemon does resemble you—whether in appearance or in his Targaryen heritage, with everything that comes with it. But fortunately, he didn't inherit any of the faults you carry with you. And be sure of one thing… you will never be his father."
Daemon was about to retort but stopped when he heard the door open.
"Ah, MY son, you finally come to greet your mother," I said, smiling broadly as I passed in front of Daemon, whose jaw clenched tightly at hearing me speak that way.
'Swallow your anger and learn what it feels like to live for years in the shadows and frustration.'
---
-POV Aemon Targaryen-
I smiled softly at my mother and said:
"Forgive us, but we needed to rest. It was a long night."
Mother smiled and embraced me. Before she could say anything, I noticed Daemon and asked, surprised, "Oh, father, what are you doing here?"
"It's traditional for your wife to have breakfast with her in-laws," he said without a trace of shame.
'Oh, not him. I don't have the strength to deal with him today.'
"Unless I'm not welcome," he added, noticing that I hadn't said anything.
"No, of course not. It's a pleasure," I said, putting on that well-practiced fake smile that I'd perfected so much that sometimes even I believed I was truly happy.
"Well then, what are we waiting for to eat?" he said, sitting down at the table.
'A table set for three,' I thought, internally rolling my eyes at his impudence and audacity.
"You're right, we should quickly regain our strength. Today might be even longer than the night," I joked.
'But it's so true,' I thought, sitting opposite Laena.
The rest of the meal passed quietly as we all discussed trivial, utterly uninteresting things, until Daemon decided to leave, saying he had planned some sort of dragon excursion with Baelon.
'If he can even manage to mount Sheepstealer without being completely devoured.'
'It's so sad how he projects all his regrets and expectations for me onto my brother.'
***
Hello everyone, it's now been about a month and a half since I put aside my previous two stories to release as many chapters as possible for this one.
I feel that the more time passes, the more disconnected I become from those two stories, so I want to complete them properly before I lose all connection to them and risk abandoning them completely.
For now, the new release schedule will be three chapters per week of *Aemon Targaryen*, two chapters of *Ronnet Connington*, and one chapter of *Aegon Snow*.
I'll keep Sundays as a flexible day in case I feel fatigued, but normally I'll open a poll for Patreon members to decide which story they'd like me to update.
**Schedule:**
- Monday, 04/11/2024 - Aemon Targaryen
- Tuesday, 05/11/2024 - Ronnet Connington
- Wednesday, 06/11/2024 - Aemon Targaryen
- Thursday, 07/11/2024 - Ronnet Connington
- Friday, 08/11/2024 - Aemon Targaryen
- Saturday, 09/11/2024 - Aegon Snow
- Sunday, 10/11/2024 - Wildcard