When Lynd heard the Thorn Queen's words, he was momentarily stunned, then quickly realized something and answered very seriously, "Although there's no engagement, I already have an agreement with Countess Nameria of Tengshi Town."
"Just an agreement?" The Thorn Queen looked at Lynd with interest and said.
"Although it's an agreement, it's also a promise, a man's promise, and it's a promise that cannot be changed," Lynd emphasized.
"What a pity." The Thorn Queen saw Lynd's intention and did not continue the topic.
Some noble ladies around also showed disappointment at this moment, and at the same time, some of them even felt a hint of envy towards Nameria.
Seeing that a marriage alliance with Lynd was no longer possible, the Thorn Queen seemed to lose interest in him as well. After a few casual words with Lynd, she had Garlan lead him out.
Lynd found this meeting with the Thorn Queen somewhat inexplicable. It really was just a casual meeting and a few words. Lynd had been fully prepared to deal with the Thorn Queen, but the result was a bit anticlimactic. Even after Lynd returned to his camp, he couldn't figure out why the Thorn Queen wanted to see him.
However, when Lynd casually mentioned it to his subordinates who came to congratulate him on his ennoblement, Jon's response solved Lynd's confusion.
Jon said that House Tyrell did not have a suitable female for a marriage alliance with Lynd. Those who were suitable were either already engaged or married, or their age was too young or their status difference too great.
Lynd then realized that the Thorn Queen's purpose in seeing him was not for him at all, but for the noble ladies from various lords and noble families in the backyard. She was using Lynd's answers to make those noble and lord families give up the idea of a marriage alliance with him.
From the perspective of House Tyrell's interests, it would be best for Lynd to marry into House Tyrell and become their in-law, which would indirectly increase House Tyrell's strength.
However, House Tyrell currently had no suitable candidate for a marriage alliance with Lynd. Little Rose was still a child, too far apart from Lynd in age, and even if her age were suitable, House Tyrell would probably not be willing to marry Little Rose to him, as the difference in their status was quite large.
The most suitable option would be to find a noble lady of appropriate status from a collateral branch of House Tyrell to marry Lynd, but the problem now was that not a single one could be found.
Therefore, preventing Lynd from forming marriage alliances with other great nobles and lords in The Reach who could threaten House Tyrell's position became the most important task for House Tyrell.
Now, by receiving Lynd and directly using Lynd's own words to tell all the other powerful figures in The Reach that the possibility of a marriage alliance with him was zero, this was undoubtedly the best way for House Tyrell to resolve the trouble of Lynd's marriage alliance without incurring the resentment of the nobles in The Reach.
As for Lynd's marriage alliance with Nameria, it likely wasn't taken seriously by them. After all, compared to the flourishing and ancient families of lords and nobles in The Reach, the Fudeli Family, located on the border of The Reach and with a small population, was not on their minds. They also weren't worried that the Fudeli Family's rise would threaten them, because after Tengshi Town grew strong, the greatest threat would likely be to the Westerlands, Stormlands, and Riverlands.
Thinking of this, Lynd couldn't help but sigh that the older the ginger, the spicier it was. The Thorn Queen, by merely utilizing an opportunity to meet him, solved a major problem for House Tyrell without affecting their reputation. Such political skill was so brilliant as to be almost impossible to guard against. Perhaps every word she spoke could be used by her to achieve her goals.
Lynd kept his distance from such a person. Even if he had to meet the Thorn Queen again in the future, he would speak and act less, trying to minimize the opportunities for her to exploit him.
Due to his promotion to Baron, Lynd also gave his subordinates two days off, allowing them to visit Lannisport in batches. However, they could only go in groups, and he also distributed a sum of money to reward everyone in the cavalry, even the stable boys who cared for the warhorses received five silver stags.
Afterward, King Robert suddenly sent a ceremonial officer to prepare for Lynd's celebration banquet that evening.
Besides teaching Lynd some simple court etiquette he already knew, the ceremonial officer also prepared more than a dozen sets of magnificent noble attire for Lynd. Lynd tried them all on, and after making some adjustments to ill-fitting areas, one set was chosen.
"Originally, weapons are not allowed at banquets, but His Majesty believes you are a brave knight, and without a weapon, it would be like a woman without makeup," the ceremonial officer paused and said, "Uh! Those are King's exact words. So you are specially permitted to wear your weapon to the banquet, and your pet is also allowed to accompany you, but be careful not to hurt anyone."
"Understood," Lynd nodded in response.
While the ceremonial officer was preparing Lynd for the banquet, the news that Lind the Chosen had been ennobled as a Baron by Duke Mace Tyrell and granted a territory had already spread throughout Lannisport. Everyone was shocked by this event.
It had been less than two years since Lynd became a knight, which is just the beginning of a knight's career. In the Seven Kingdoms, countless people remained knights their entire lives.
However, Lynd had only taken two years to cross two social strata that others might never cross in their lifetime—landed knight and titled noble—directly becoming a lord. Even if the territory was harsh, what did it matter? Even the harshest territory was still a territory, and even the smallest lord was still a lord.
Many also believed that Lynd's ability to become a lord was not solely due to his own capabilities and achievements, but more so due to the influence of the Seven Gods Church.
With Lynd's astonishing performance in the rebellion suppression war, the status of the Archbishop of the Starry Sept, his supporter in the Seven Gods Church, also increased, which indirectly influenced Lynd's career.
Lynd was clearly aware of this, so before attending the banquet, he went to the Sept in Lannisport to pray, in full view of everyone.
Although Lynd was at the core of the knighting and ennoblement, attracting countless envy and jealousy, the focus of most people's attention was not on Lynd himself, but on House Tyrell.
Because House Tyrell used Lynd's ennoblement and becoming a lord to subtly promote their family, conveying that if you have ability, you too can become a lord in a short time.
Even though everyone knew that another Lynd would be difficult to appear, not only because of Lynd's own abilities, but more importantly, House Tyrell no longer had any overlooked enclaves to bestow. But this did not prevent people from having hope and fantasies.
Therefore, for a long time to come, House Tyrell would be the preferred destination for highly skilled mercenary knights.
Other great lords also wanted to imitate House Tyrell, but it was just a thought.
Because among all the great lords, apart from House Stark in the North which possessed some undesirable territories, the other great lords held tightly to their lands. For thousands of years, the lands on the continent of Westeros had long been completely divided, where could they find vacant land? And even rarer than land were knights like Lynd, who possessed great ability and immense influence.
Although Lynd's becoming a lord caused a great stir, with the opening of King Robert's celebration banquet, everyone's attention shifted to the banquet, because this celebration banquet was not just a simple feast. Besides announcing the rewards for various lords and nobles, King Robert would also announce the punishments for the various noble lords of the Iron Islands at the banquet.
The banquet venue was not Casterly Rock, but the royal camp on the outskirts of Lannisport. Due to praying at the Sept, Lynd arrived at the royal camp almost when the banquet was about to begin.
Upon entering the camp, he was not subjected to any inspection, as Glory, who accompanied him, was his best symbol of identity.
Led by the royal servant, Lynd arrived at the banquet hall. All the nobles in Lannisport who had received invitations had already arrived early. The moment Lynd entered the hall, their eyes simultaneously fell upon this new rising star of the Seven Kingdoms. There were all sorts of gazes: jealousy, envy, hostility, disdain, and so on. If these gazes were all transformed into different colored lights, Lynd might have felt like he was back in a nightclub from his previous life.
However, when these gazes fell upon Glory, who was beside Lynd, they all uniformly turned into expressions of fear, and some also showed a hint of greed.
Although it was a banquet, the participants seemed very reserved, unlike the previous banquet in the Red Keep's great hall where they freely stood together and conversed. They had each divided themselves into areas according to their respective kingdoms and status.
Lynd's eyes scanned the venue and quickly found the area where the nobles of The Reach were located, and he saw Garlan, who was with Duke Mace, and waved to him.
Lynd walked over, and under Garlan's guidance, still stood beside Randyll Tarly.
Everyone around them were either lords of The Reach or nobles of special status, such as Garlan, the second son of House Tyrell, with no knights among them. The areas for other kingdoms were largely similar, only the group from the North had an extra Night's Watch member. It seemed he intended to use this opportunity to take a large number of prisoners to the Wall.
After Lynd stood beside him, Randyll Tarly stopped conversing with the lord of House Peake of Starfall and turned to Lynd, saying, "Redsoil Watch is not a good place. Not only do you have to face the lords from the surrounding Stormlands and Dorne, but there are also many Savage Tribes there. It is said that those Savage Tribes have even elected a Wildling King. If you don't have enough manpower, I can lend you some men."
"Thank you, Lord Tarly. If I need help, I will certainly ask you," Seeing Randyll Tarly's goodwill, Lynd naturally did not refuse, then directly asked, "Lord Tarly, do you know where I can find stonemasons who understand castle construction?"
Randyll Tarly replied, "You don't need to worry about that. You are already a lord. You can apply to the Citadel for a Maester advisor. When you submit this request, the Citadel will help you choose a suitable Maester advisor." He paused, then reminded, "Building a castle is no small expense, and it takes a very long time. Be sure to plan it well."
Lynd thanked him, "Thank you for your reminder, I know what to do."
Randyll Tarly then looked at Glory, who was lying beside Lynd, and said, "Is it still growing? I heard it only took a year to grow from a cub to its current size."
"No, less than a year," Lynd corrected.
As they were speaking, the court master of ceremonies walked to the front of the King's seat, and then they heard him loudly announce, "Welcome His Majesty Robert I of House Baratheon, King of the Andals, the Loisne, and the First Men, Ruler of the Seven Kingdoms! Welcome Her Majesty Queen Cersei, Light of the Westerlands, of House Lannister, Queen of the Seven Kingdoms! Welcome Lord Stannis, Duke of Dragonstone, Master of Ships, of House Baratheon! Welcome Lord Renly, Defender of the Stormlands, Duke of Storm's End, of House Baratheon!"
As each name was called out by the master of ceremonies, King Robert, accompanied by his wife and brothers, entered the banquet hall.
Everyone could see that among those who entered the banquet hall, Duke Stannis and Queen Cersei both looked displeased, as if they had argued, while King Robert still wore a smile, completely unconcerned by the expressions of his brother and wife. Beside him, Renly Baratheon, who was about the same age as Loras Tyrell, was trying hard to straighten his chest, wanting to appear more mature.
After sitting down, King Robert looked around, his gaze lingering on Lynd and Glory for a moment. Especially when he saw Glory, he couldn't hide the surprise on his face.
However, King Robert quickly returned to normal, then addressed the great lords and nobles present, saying, "Rebels must be punished, and loyal subjects must be rewarded. We are gathered here obviously not just to eat and drink. As your King, I will not waste your time any further. Archmaester Pycelle, read my rewards!"
Archmaester Pycelle, who had arrived from King's Landing the day before, stood up, walked to the front of the throne, pulled out a scroll of parchment, and tremblingly unrolled it. He then began to read its contents, announcing the names of the Duke of each region and their respective rewards.
Knowing the contents beforehand, the Duke of each region did not show overly strong emotions. They simply bowed to King Robert after hearing their rewards.
After reading out the rewards for the Duke of each region, Archmaester Pycelle put down that parchment scroll and took out a new one, unrolling it.
This time, the list read out consisted of lesser nobles who had distinguished themselves in this battle, such as House Reed, which assisted Lynd in recapturing Kalin Bay, and House Frey, which was coerced by Lynd into providing assistance, and so on. They all received certain rewards for their merits.
When Archmaester Pycelle read out Jorah Mormont's name, Jorah stepped forward, hoping to exchange his merits for a knighthood from King Robert.
King Robert did not refuse this request, after all, Jorah had also performed very bravely on the battlefield, being the first to charge into Pyke and slaying Balon Greyjoy's second son, Maron Greyjoy.
In front of everyone, King Robert knighted Jorah, and after the ceremony, he emphasized, "The last knight I bestowed was Baron Linde Terra. I hope your future performance can also rival his, and that you do not disappoint my knighthood."
Jorah, now a knight, excitedly affirmed, completely unaware of his future fate.
The list of rewards continued until the last name on the list was read out. Only then did everyone realize that Lynd, as one of the greatest contributors to the suppression of the rebellion, was not on the list. Everyone looked at Robert and Lynd in confusion.
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