Acting Prime Minister Alliser went to great lengths to prepare for this coronation ceremony, and he really wanted to remove the word "acting".
Stannis knew that Dao's coronation ceremony represented the face of the royal family, and even if he was short of money, now was definitely not the time to save money, especially when facing a big spender like Tyrell. So he allocated a large sum of money.
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Therefore, the tablecloths at the banquet were all ordered from Myr, and the white tablecloths even had a stag pattern, making them look luxurious and beautiful.
Even some of the music and singers were selected from Free Cities, thanks in large part to Salado.
He contributed a dozen or so ships to Stannis's fleet, but almost all of them were destroyed at Blackwater Rush. Unable to repay the debt, Stannis gave him half of Westeros's trade with the Free Cities.
This gave Salado even more say, allowing him to quickly assemble another fleet and acquire these fine things for Stannis.
Furthermore, it's unclear whether Dao intended to win over the client or had some other purpose, but almost every dish on the table was decorated with blue, red, and white roses.
These roses even had water droplets on them; they were all picked and placed on the table just before they were served.
Stannis and Queen Selyse sat at the head of the table, with Jon sitting to Selyse's left and Mace to Stannis's left.
If we disregard the title of "Prince" which Dorne specifically reserved for him, then the title of "Duke" is already the highest possible rank.
The next step is to see who has the larger territory, the more soldiers they can recruit, and the more abundant their granaries and treasury; whoever has the greater influence will have more say.
Currently, these Jons are all lacking. From a strength perspective, looking at the whole country, they can be said to be the weakest dukes.
Jon watched as the people of House Tyrell took their seats one by one. Next to Mace sat Olena, and behind her was Mace's wife, Alerie. Alerie should have been next to either Margaery or Garlan, but it turned out to be Lydia.
Next to Lia is Garlan, and further back is Margaery.
Mace effectively prevented Jon from having an affair with his daughter from a purely spatial physics perspective. It was clear he intended to use Leah as a front to deceive everyone.
Jon noticed that Mace was either talking to Olena or staring at his wine glass, showing no intention of speaking to him at all. He knew what Dao was up to – completely ignoring him, neither making a move nor responding.
At this moment, Stannis noticed something amiss from the seating arrangement Mace had made for his family, and spoke first: " Duke Mace, why is Ser Loras not here?"
" Your Majesty, Loras was slightly ill and not fit to come to King's Landing, but thanks to the Seven Gods, he has greatly recovered. If Your Majesty needs him, the tens of thousands of troops of Highgarden are at your command." Mace looked into Stannis's deep blue eyes and said, Dao.
Jon's gaze shifted between Stannis and Mace, but through Gods Perspective he noticed that Olena and Margaery were also secretly watching him.
He noticed that Sansa was chatting with Margaery, and the two seemed to hit it off immediately.
But Jon doesn't think Sansa will be a match for Margaery. At least Margaery has figured out how to play the persona game. Looking at Westeros, there's no one else besides himself and her who can do that.
Arya seemed a bit dazed; she genuinely disliked this kind of occasion and just stared blankly at the flags on the wall.
Jon refocused his attention on the conversation between Stannis and Mace, whose words could be interpreted as either a show of loyalty or a demonstration of defiance.
The tens of thousands of troops are the foundation of Highgarden's strength, and the three major families in the South — Tyrell, Hightower, and Redwyne— have long been closely united through marriage alliances.
This is where the real trouble lies. Especially since House Redwyne's Redwyne Fleet is one of Westeros's three major fleets.
After the royal fleet of Stannis suffered heavy losses, only the Redwyne Fleet and the Iron Islands Fleet remain.
Meanwhile, Balon, the king of the Iron Islands, has once again declared independence.
Stannis's condition is really bad, with Dragon Mother on top of that. Daenerys and Aegon are caught in a rebellion, and they have no son yet.
The only advantage he has is his age; he's under thirty-five and can definitely still have children.
However, Jon noticed that Mace really spoiled his child. Loras disliked Stannis because of Renly's matter, and could even be said to hold a grudge. He could even skip important events like the coronation ceremony.
Jon believes that Loras wouldn't have been so willful without Mace's protection.
After Stannis asked his question, it was Mace's turn. Olenna suddenly spoke up, saying, " Your Majesty, has House Martell pledged allegiance to the Iron Throne? If necessary, House Tyrell and Martell have a friendship that might persuade Sunspear to pledge allegiance to the true king."
Olenna's words were very sincere, but Stannis interpreted them in a different way.
A few years ago, Mace's eldest son Willas and House Martell's Oberyn, the guy known as "Red Viper" with a bunch of illegitimate daughters, had a fight.
During the fight, Willas was injured, resulting in a disability in his right leg. However, Willas did not pursue the matter further; instead, he forgave Martell and even became friends with Oberyn.
This is also the source of the "friendship" that Olena mentioned.
Olenna's question was subtly pointed, essentially a veiled criticism of Stannis's abilities.
Stannis remained silent, but Selyse spoke first: " Lady Olenna, Martell has sworn allegiance to the Iron Throne, but Prince Dao is unwell and Prince Oberyn is overseas and has not yet returned. Your Majesty has reserved a seat for Prince Oberyn in the royal court."
Selyse explained with pursed lips, while Stannis continued, " Prince Daolang's loyalty is beyond question, but it is also inseparable from Duke Stark's efforts."
Stannis looked at Jon, Mace, Olenna, Alerie, and the others, all of whom also focused their attention on Jon.
Margaery, who was chatting with Sansa, also turned around.
Even if Mace didn't want to see Jon, she had to look over at this moment.
" Duke Stark captured Amory, who had shamelessly murdered Rhaegar's daughter Rhaenys, at the Battle of Green Fork, and then beheaded Gregor, who had killed Rhaegar's wife, at Darry City. Not long ago, Gregor's head was sent to Dorne by Amory. "
Stannis meant that even though Willas forgave Oberyn, Jon also killed the murderer they had been longing to get rid of.
Amory was originally killed by a bear, but now that he's in Martell's hands, he's probably going to suffer a lot.
Listening to Stannis's praise, Jon humbly said to Dao, " Even the most merciful Mother would despise guys like Amory and the Mountain who turn their swords against the weak."
Whether Tyrell and his ilk are willing to admit it or not, Jon was indeed very lucky to have managed to get his hands on those two people.
Even if you don't follow Stannis, you can still get a decent position in Dorne by taking the Mountain's head with you.
"The Duke is a true knight, hating evil as if it were his enemy," Olenna praised Dao.
" Lady Olenna, you flatter me." Jon downed his glass and accepted her compliment.
"What is the Duke's name day?" Margaery's mother, Alerie, suddenly asked Dao.
Jon was somewhat surprised, thinking she was provoking him. To be honest, Jon did n't really remember Alerie. He had no idea what kind of person she was.
Olena had already sensed something was wrong, and her hand holding the teacup trembled slightly. Stannis also frowned, somewhat displeased.
Sansa, who was not far away, was also stunned for a moment, because bastard and name day should not be associated with each other.
Lydia, sitting next to Alerie, sneered. Would anyone care if Bastard's name was difficult to pronounce?
Alerie's question chilled the atmosphere of the conversation, and the stack of roses decorating the dish suddenly fell off, making the atmosphere even more awkward.
Jon doesn't know Dao Alerie asked this question, but calmly replied to Dao, "Well, I think if my mother were still alive, and if I were to find her someday, I might know Dao's name date."
Jon scrutinized Alerie's silver-blonde hair and blue-green eyes, wanting to know what Dao wanted to ask.
She suddenly covered her mouth with her hand, realizing she had said the wrong thing.
"I'm so sorry, Your Grace," Alerie said, a hint of panic in her eyes. "I just heard that people born in different months have different personalities, and I was just curious about you. I didn't mean anything by it."
Hearing her say that, Jon smiled with relief. Sure enough, you can't sleep in the same bed with two different kinds of people. No wonder you and Mace have been together for so many years.
It's worth mentioning that Margaery's four siblings are all about two years apart in age, and the fact that they had four children one after another shows that the couple had a very good relationship.
Alerie was probably around thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old, older than Stannis, but there wasn't a single fine line visible around her eyes.
Compared to Lia standing next to her, people would believe they were sisters.
" Lady Alerie, there's no need to blame yourself. I think none of us need to dwell too much on the past. Looking to the future and building the future is the most important thing. Just like Tyrell ultimately chose to stand with His Majesty Stannis, the future of Seven Kingdoms will definitely be brighter." Jon said with a smile, seemingly unconcerned about this little episode.
Stannis also smiled, a rare sight for him: " Duke Jon is right," he said, raising his glass, "for the future of the Seven Kingdoms."
" Long live the Seven Kingdoms! Long live His Majesty Stannis!"
Those seated further away, including Alliser, Yassel and other House Florent members, Davos, Melisandre, Adrian and others, also raised their glasses.
At this moment, Davos spoke up: " Your Majesty, Jon is your most capable minister, and Miss Margaery is Duke Mace's favorite and only daughter. Why not let the young people open the ball?"