Prince Rhaegar Targaryen "confessed his love" to Lyanna Stark. When that failed, he "abducted" her. The Mad King Aerys brutally executed members of the Northern noble houses. The Starks, Tullys, Arryns, and Baratheons formed a rebel alliance, leading to the decisive Battle of the Trident. The Targaryen bloodline was all but extinguished, and the Usurper's Dynasty was established.
Through all this chaos, the one figure connecting the beginning and end of the war was Lyanna Stark.
Although people kept tight-lipped about her fate, many nobles in the Seven Kingdoms had attended her funeral.
But few ever stopped to truly question: What exactly happened during the time Lyanna was "abducted" by Rhaegar? Could she really have maintained her virtue and honor as a maiden?
No one knew.
The only people privy to these secrets—besides Ned Stark—had been killed by Ned himself, including the Sword of the Morning, Arthur Dayne.
Whether this tragedy led to the suicide of Ashara Dayne, the alleged mother of Ned's bastard, remained an unsolvable riddle.
Margaery, however, preferred to believe that the official story was just gossip spread by simpletons.
After witnessing the undeniable fact that Jon could not be burned by fire, Margaery found her thoughts spiraling toward a forbidden conclusion, even if she tried to resist it.
To this intelligent woman, it was currently just a unilateral deduction. Perhaps it was a coincidence.
But if it wasn't... then she needed to verify it. Because if her theory held water, this could be the next great opportunity for House Tyrell.
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Just as Margaery was forming this shocking hypothesis, Jon had already considered the implications.
Fortunately, the events of that night were so bizarre that Jon had briefly debated whether he should silence Margaery—either with a sword through the heart or a clean beheading.
But ultimately, he wasn't a mindless butcher.
More importantly, a living Rose of Highgarden was far more valuable than a dead one.
So, despite the risks, Jon chose to let it slide, opting instead to observe Margaery closely.
Once he made that decision, his mind began to work overtime, plotting how to keep this "trouble" within his control.
He had asked Qyburn more than once if there was a way to alter someone's memory.
Although the mad scientist had given a positive answer, Jon hadn't acted on it. He shelved the idea with skepticism.
After all, he needed a mentally sound, healthy Margaery, not a drooling puppet broken by a biological experiment.
After much hesitation, Jon decided to follow the "Dog System's" advice and start scheming.
Once he committed to action, he pushed Margaery's threat to the back of his mind.
Besides, the System had a point. Conquer the body, and the heart will follow.
Jon knew this from experience with Cersei. The Baron even justified their twisted relationship as "pure love" in his own head.
However, compared to the ripe and reckless Cersei, Lady Margaery was a much trickier target.
For one, almost every young noble in Tampa was lusting after the Highgarden Rose.
Even if they were temporarily rejected or moved on to flatter someone else, their desire remained.
If Jon wanted to break through the pack, he couldn't use the same tactics as them.
Moreover, knowing the ambitions of House Tyrell, Jon was keenly aware that the only thing that could truly move Margaery was a Queen's crown.
But he certainly wasn't going to hand this beautiful rose over to Robert Baratheon. Even if he did, the Usurper likely wouldn't bite.
And if he promised to crown her himself? That would sound like a colossal joke.
Jon knew better than anyone that his claim to power came from three hundred years of Targaryen legitimacy.
But he never forgot that what truly conquered hearts wasn't just legitimacy—it was absolute violence.
Take the Usurper. Even though he won the war and sat on the Iron Throne, people still whispered "Usurper" behind his back. Yet, no one could deny his position as the Protector of the Realm because he held the hammer.
Ultimately, Jon could only blame his current lack of strength. He couldn't expect to win the Rose's favor with empty promises.
Of course, some darker, evil thoughts—driven by his subconscious or the System—did bubble up.
But having made similar mistakes before, Jon refused to make them a second time.
That said, theory is one thing, practice is another.
If being a "bad boy" was the only way to secure the Little Rose, Jon wouldn't mind playing the villain.
However, for high-ranking nobles like Margaery, sleazy behavior wouldn't lead to a stable alliance.
Besides, he wasn't a sadist like Ramsay Bolton. Rape and torture weren't his style. He just needed to navigate the System's quests to get the rewards without losing his soul.
Setting aside these side quests, Jon kept a close eye on Robert's movements.
Whether the Usurper returned to King's Landing to recover or lingered in the Stormlands would determine Jon's next move.
Currently, with a knee pierced by a boar tusk, the King would need time to heal before traveling.
The long journey back to the capital alone could kill him in his condition, which gave Jon plenty of time.
Meanwhile, back in King's Landing, the Small Council hadn't been idle during Jon's absence.
Although the Shadow Hand was "offline," the real Hand of the King, Ned Stark, had recovered and started making moves.
But after Jaime's ambush and Robert's compromises, Ned's heart wasn't in governance anymore.
No matter how hard he worked, it all crumbled under Robert's debt to the Lannisters. The entire capital seemed to be in a state of idle stagnation.
However, amidst this lull, something noteworthy was happening quietly.
After establishing himself in Tampa, Jon was supposed to squeeze Littlefinger's profits as agreed, repaying Varys for his help.
But Lady Anya had taken a different approach. Her bulk commodity trade didn't impact the Master of Coin's luxury revenue streams at all. This caused the Spider's plan—to watch Jon and Littlefinger tear each other apart—to fail.
But in politics, conflict is temporary; cooperation and profit are eternal.
Seeing that Jon wasn't a direct threat and recognizing a kindred spirit in his ruthless pragmatism, Littlefinger dropped his guard.
On a dark, moonless night, Petyr Baelish quietly arrived at the Baron of Tampa's residence.