Game of Thrones: King of Harrenhal, starting with a blue hand stat panel

"Long live King Robert!"

"Long live Duke Renly!"

Inside the throne room, the ceremony of bestowing the title of Renly was completed.

The feudal lords immediately began to clap and cheer, their voices rising and falling like waves.

The courtiers, Sir Dantos, Moonboy, and Earl Rossby, shouted and cheered enthusiastically, their banter quite effective.

This Ser Dontos is the knight in the original book who was humiliated by Joffrey and called the Joker, who escaped with Sansa Stark, and was then silenced by "Littlefinger".

The House of Horwood, a distant relative of the Darklin family of Duskvalley.

Originally, both families were to be wiped out, but Sir Barristan pleaded with the "Mad King" to pardon one child.

In the current court, Tantos is nothing more than a clown.

What kind of knight is a knight without land? He's no different from a vagrant, someone to be laughed at.

Arthur looked at Renly Baratheon, who was beaming with pride on the throne.

Renly may not understand what power is, but he enjoys the feeling of being fawned over and cheered by thousands.

Well, speaking of handsome, Renly seems to be second only to Arthur for now.

Renly has the typical appearance of House Baratheon, while Arthur is handsome and energetic.

When it comes to power, Arthur is far inferior to Renly now.

Lan Limou had no merit; he simply took off like a whirlwind because of his elder brother's favoritism.

Stormlands, Royal Country, Dragonstone—the King's fiefdom is divided into three.

On the contrary, Renly's fiefdom is the largest among them, and it is also the ancestral land of House Baratheon.

As Lanli stood up, he transformed from an insignificant third son of a feudal family into one of the most powerful lords in the country.

Throughout the entire era of the Seven Kingdoms, Renly was truly unique.

Even among great lords, the second and third sons often only become propertied knights or minor vassals, and this was true even for wealthy families like the Lannisters.

However, Robert's efforts were in vain. When Renly grows up, he will teach Robert what it means to be grateful for a little kindness but resentful for too much.

Since you've already given Storm's End to your brother, you might as well give King's Landing to him as well.

Arthur couldn't say for sure whether Renly was like this by nature or whether the Tyrell family had corrupted him; it was more likely that it was by nature.

The atmosphere in the throne room was lively, mainly because some of the princes were genuinely foolish, while others were feigning ignorance.

Even if someone recognizes the irrationality of this decision, it's already too late.

Once the king has made his decision, who dares to say anything more?

Although Robert usually disliked politics, when he did make a decision, he was a man of his word.

That's Robert. Robert doesn't care about anything else. If he says he'll appoint his younger brother as governor, then he's governor.

After the first step of bestowing a title upon Renly, the second step was to find a protector for him, so that the lords of Stormlands would pledge allegiance to him.

"Sir Cortana Penrose, I appoint you as Renly's Protector, to ensure Renly's safe coming of age," Robert said.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Sir Cortana said, curtsying.

Sir Cortanay was a good man, a brave man.

He's a tool who obeys orders and won't interfere with Renly.

I'm so sad, what an amazing brother!

An eight-year-old child should be accompanied by a regent to supervise his behavior. Even kings are not immune to this, and are often tormented by their regents to the point of ecstasy.

Robert, on the other hand, directly provided Renly with a protector, ensuring he could live comfortably until adulthood.

The third step was that the lords of Storm's End knelt and pledged allegiance to Renly.

"Duke Renly, I will be your loyal vassal, I swear to the old and new gods," Earl Swan knelt and pledged his allegiance.

Next came the other Stormlands lords: Earl of Cullen, Earl of Tass, and so on.

"Long live Duke Renly!"

"Long live King Robert!" As the Stormlands vassals finished their pledge of allegiance, the atmosphere grew increasingly lively, with people cheering enthusiastically.

In the Vale faction, Duke Jon Arryn appeared calm, but inwardly he felt helpless.

He truly couldn't control Robert; Robert was unruly, yet he was the king.

"Long live Windbreak Keep!" The River Reach faction's "Queen of Thorns" clapped with a smile, but in her heart, a scheme was about to unfold.

Robert looked down on the Reach, but he himself gave away this splitting knife.

Kevan Lannister, a man of dubious character in the Western Frontier, took a deep breath.

Cersei became pregnant and gave birth to a boy.

This boy may have been born into a divided Baratheon family, with two uncles eyeing him covetously.

Stannis and the Lannisters have always been at odds, and it's hard to say what will happen to Renly in the future.

While they may not be able to compete with Robert now, they must plan ahead for Robert's successor in power.

Anyway, Cersei and Jaime are both in King's Landing, and Tywin is remotely directing things from behind, with Pycelle acting as an inside man.

In the Riverlands camp, Duke Horst looked unwell and seemed very uncomfortable.

He contributed a lot of time and effort to the entire alliance, but unfortunately he didn't reap much benefit.

Arthur surveyed the entire room, having already noticed the subtle changes.

Those hidden ambitious individuals have recognized the divisions within the royal family and are eager to infiltrate it.

Stannis, the Duke of Dragonstone, was practically spitting fire from his eyes.

My storm land, my storm land.

In fact, if Robert simply took Stormlands, Stannis probably wouldn't have any objections; it would be like getting Dragonstone for free.

But Robert's actions show that he is not concerned about scarcity but about inequality.

. . . .

Night falls, and the throne room remains unchanged.

After the grand ceremony, Robert arranged a feast for the princes and their guests, followed by a ball.

The long table temporarily erected next to the throne was the most prominent spot at the banquet, with banners hanging along its edges depicting a crowned stag, a roaring lion, a blue and white crescent falcon, a green field and a golden rose, a red and blue leaping trout, and a mermaid.

The king, queen, various lords, and envoys from the west and north were dining at this table.

Arthur, like the Frey and Blackwood families, was assigned the second seat, which was below the most prestigious.

Luo Wan, Redwin, and Royce were also in the second row.

First, the seats for the great princes were in the second and third rows, and then they went in order.

The closer one is to the king, the higher their status.

The sounds of traditional Chinese string and wind instruments filled the air, and various delicacies were served in a continuous stream.

Grilled trout, lamb chops, pork chops, oxtail soup, small fish soup, fried mushrooms, fried seafood, etc.

There are also various beverages, such as Dorn Summer Red, Qingting Island Golden Wine, honey lemonade, and milk.

In the fruit section, Arthur also saw Harrenhal's sweet corn, which was mixed with strawberries and turnips and tasted excellent; it had already entered the royal market.

"Who is that radiant boy?" the Queen of Thorns asked her grandson Velas, who was standing beside her.

Arthur was one of the few boys in the second row, and he stood out quite a bit.

Although they were in the VIP section, they were still in the peripheral positions, some distance from the King.

"It's the bat emblem of the Riveran family, the heir to Harrenhal," Velas whispered.

"That is indeed strange." The Queen of Thorns nodded and said no more.

After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, the corridor becomes a natural dance floor where men and women can freely express themselves through dance.

Robert was drunk; his face was flushed.

Cersei glanced at the drunkard with disdain, then withdrew her arrogance from her eyes.

Robert stood up, then raised his head and sang, "This bear, bear, bear! All black and brown, covered in fur..."

The atmosphere in the room was instantly ignited, and all the guests clapped along for the king.

These kinds of vulgar songs are better; they're not highbrow or inaccessible at all.

Robert's favorite songs were things like "A Barrel of Ale," "Forty-Four Barrels," or "The Bear and the Girl."

Robert liked songs that made him laugh, the more vulgar the better, and he only sang them when he was drunk.

"Dance! Dance!" the princes and their guests cheered, rising to their feet in response.

Robert and Cersei rose and danced a dance.

Other important figures also joined in, dancing with great poise.

Dance was also a form of etiquette for the nobility.

Arthur sat in his seat, watching the dancers.

Everyone else around Arthur went off to dance, except for Sir Lucas Dayne.

As a boy, there weren't many suitable dance partners for him, so Arthur just watched the spectacle.

Across the Seven Kingdoms, apart from Dorne, it is extremely rare for women to be heirs.

Just as Arthur was enjoying a glass of lemonade, a middle-aged man approached.

A man dressed in a blue brocade robe, whose identity was revealed by the badge on his body, was Earl Selwin Tass, the "Good Man".

The Tass family's coat of arms consists of a yellow sun on a rose background and a white moon on a sky-blue background.

Tass is a very beautiful place with mountains, lakes and waterfalls, as well as alpine pastures and shadowy valleys.

Because of the nearby azure waters, Tass is also known as the "Sapphire Island".

The high mountains of Tass block storms from the Narrow Sea, and in ancient times, the fleets of the Storm Kingdom would sometimes anchor on the west coast of Tass to take shelter from the storms.

"Good evening, Arthur," Earl Selwyn said warmly.

"Good evening, Earl Selwyn," Arthur quickly returned the greeting.