Daeron closed his eyes for a moment, thinking it through.
Then he shook his head. "No."
Tywin's face tightened. "Why?"
Because he needed the Lannisters and the Velaryons at each other's throats. Not just fighting, but dragging other great houses into it so he could reshuffle the board a second time.
Daeron kept that part to himself.
Instead he gave Tywin the answer the old lion could actually accept.
"Shaena just gave birth. Our son is still fragile. You're asking me to take another wife right now? That's not helping her. That's throwing her straight into the fire."
It was reasonable. Even Tywin couldn't find a hole in it right away.
The anger in the old man's eyes cooled a little.
Tywin remembered how it had felt when Joanna gave birth to the twins. For a while he hadn't cared about the realm at all. He'd only wanted to be with his wife and children.
If someone had come to him then and offered a second wife in exchange for Riverrun, he would have hesitated too. For Joanna's sake.
"Very well," Tywin said at last. "This doesn't have to be decided today. I'll give you time."
He still wasn't ready to drop it. He wanted a Targaryen-blooded grandson more than anything.
A knock sounded at the door.
Before the Kingsguard could announce anyone, Tyrion pushed it open and swaggered inside on his short legs.
Tywin's expression darkened immediately. "Who gave you permission to walk in here unannounced?"
Tyrion didn't flinch the way he once would have. "Sorry. Let me do it properly then."
He stepped back out, knocked, and called through the door, "Your Grace, may I come in?"
"Come in," Daeron said.
Tyrion walked back in like he owned the place and stopped in front of the table.
Tywin closed his eyes for a second, forcing down the urge to strangle his son on the spot.
"What do you want?" he asked coldly.
Daeron glanced between father and son and couldn't quite hide his amusement.
Tyrion caught the look and grinned. "Nothing urgent. Just a few things from my own duties I need to report."
He shot a deliberate glance at his father and made no move to leave.
Tywin's jaw tightened. He stood up. "Think on what I said, Your Grace. House Lannister will be waiting for your answer."
He left without another word, the door closing hard behind him.
Daeron waited until the footsteps faded, then chuckled. "You showed up at the perfect time, Tyrion."
"What?" Tyrion blinked. "Did my father just try to strong-arm you into something again?"
"Something like that."
Daeron didn't elaborate. He had no intention of letting Tyrion get involved in this particular game.
Tyrion nodded, then changed the subject. "Lucerys put on quite a show in the Small Council. Standing up to my father like that. Looks like House Velaryon isn't afraid of the Lannisters. This could get messy."
"It might," Daeron said. "But don't get involved. Let it simmer a little longer."
Tyrion poured himself a cup of wine, took his time drinking it, then finally left.
He'd come to thank the king and offer to help smooth things between the Lannisters and Velaryons. Since Daeron told him to stay out of it, he would stay out of it.
Another knock came almost as soon as Tyrion was gone.
"Your Grace, Lord Lucerys requests an audience."
Daeron rubbed his temples and answered in the same rough morning voice he used when he wanted people to leave him alone. "Send him in."
Lucerys entered and gave a small bow. "Your Grace."
"Sit."
Daeron already knew this was going to be a long afternoon.
Lucerys got straight to it. "Lord Tywin attacked my house with lies. I hope you won't believe them, Your Grace. House Velaryon has always been loyal. We are the most reliable allies House Targaryen has ever had."
"I know," Daeron said with an easy smile.
Lucerys pressed on. "Since you've ordered me to seal the Orange Coast, the royal fleet will carry out that duty without fail. Not one smuggler will get through."
He was testing the waters again, calling it the "royal fleet" while clearly meaning his own.
Daeron's smile gained a sharper edge.
Lucerys took the lack of correction as permission to keep going. "Lord Tywin is a scheming, treacherous man. You shouldn't listen to his poison. He's nothing but a parasite clinging to power."
Daeron raised a hand, cutting him off. "The Hand does his job. Don't speak about him like that in front of me."
Lucerys stopped, but only for a moment.
Then he played his strongest card. "Queen Shaena is a remarkable mother. She gave you Prince Inar. A strong, healthy boy."
Daeron waited.
Lucerys straightened. "You should know I remarried a few years ago. My wife gave me a son and twin daughters. My daughters are three years old now. Beautiful girls. Clever and well-behaved."
He looked Daeron straight in the eye. "Why not continue the old tradition between our houses? Let Prince Inar choose one of my daughters as his future wife. Keep the old Valyrian blood strong."
It was a reasonable request on paper. Targaryens and Velaryons had married for generations. Only in the last century had the Targaryens started marrying into the other great houses of Westeros.
But times had changed.
Daeron kept his tone light. "There's no rush. The children are still very young. We can arrange a meeting when they're older."
He couldn't outright refuse. Inar would eventually need a wife with strong Valyrian blood to keep the line pure. After taking the three cities, there were plenty of minor Valyrian noble families in Lys who could be useful for future marriages. But right now, House Velaryon was still the safest and strongest option.
Lucerys wasn't satisfied. "A marriage between our houses would strengthen the Iron Throne's authority more than letting outsiders get too close."
That wasn't really an advantage. Tywin had offered something much more concrete.
Lucerys kept going, voice warm with vision. "Our houses have been close since before the Doom. We survived together. In this new age, the Velaryon fleet will carry House Targaryen's fire and blood across the sea and restore the glory of old Valyria."
Daeron had to admit the man had a way with words. Conquering the Stepstones and the three cities had clearly gone to his head.
"Stop," Daeron said, cutting him off. "The children are too young. We'll talk about marriage later."
"But—"
"No buts."
Lucerys still looked like he wanted to argue.
Daeron stood up. "I need to rest."
Lucerys had no choice but to bow and leave.
Daeron watched him go, eyes cold.
House Velaryon was getting greedy.
Tywin wanted Cersei in the royal bed so he could put a Targaryen-blooded grandson on Casterly Rock.
Lucerys was already eyeing Daeron's one-month-old son.
They were both trying to swallow the whole damn plate.
"You all want marriage alliances," Daeron thought. "But none of you know what I actually want."
He would let the great houses tear each other apart. That was the cleanest way to handle them.
The nobles had their own rules for culling the weak.
After that day, King's Landing stayed quieter.
290 AC, early January.
Thanks to the Long Summer, there was no snow in King's Landing. The smallfolk welcomed the new year in relative peace.
The Small Council kept working.
Tywin continued running the realm's finances and the accounts from the three cities while organizing supplies for the next eastern campaign.
Lord Lucerys sailed out on the Sea Dragon with the royal fleet, now fitted with the new secret wind-rider sails, heading for the Summer Sea.
"According to Kevan's reports, the nobles in the Disputed Lands are still causing trouble," Daeron said, reading the latest letter from Myr. "They've already raided over a dozen villages near Myr. We need to move faster on raising troops."
Tyrion immediately handed over a supply list. "Prince Jaehaerys has already arrived in Myr. I've drawn up an initial plan. We can pull grain from Tyrosh and Lys. It'll be enough to keep Myr supplied through a full year of fighting."
Wars were won with logistics. Shipping food all the way from the Seven Kingdoms was slow and wasteful. Better to have the three cities support each other.
"Approved," Daeron said after a quick glance.
"Yes!" Tyrion grinned, already gathering his papers like he was about to clock out.
"Where are you going?"
Daeron checked the time on the panel. He wasn't going to keep people working late for no reason.
Tyrion looked genuinely happy. "House Frey just got granted new lands. Ser Steffon is inheriting Riverrun, so old Lord Walder is giving the new territory to his second son, Ser Emmon Frey."
"Ser Emmon's bringing his family to King's Landing after sorting out the inheritance. It's been two months already."
Emmon Frey's wife was Genna Lannister—Tywin's sister and Tyrion's aunt.
"My aunt Genna's coming," Tyrion said, eyes bright. "I should go meet her."