Hearing the envy in Rhaenyra's voice, Rhaegar glanced at her and chuckled. "You're collecting ship taxes on Dragonstone—your profits must not be small either."
"Not as much as yours."
Rhaenyra pulled up a chair and sat beside him.
Rhaegar shook his head. "The Mushroom Market earns a lot, but the expenses are hefty too."
"Every year, 30% of the profits go to Old Tully as dividends, another 30% supports the Freefolk, and I set aside 10% for your private treasury, Princess."
"The coins left in my hand don't even reach half."
"What? Feeling bad about it?"
Recalling the private treasury Rhaegar had built for her, Rhaenyra's eyes curved with delight.
It was a considerable fortune.
Not just gold coins, but also furs, jewelry, and rare treasures.
Rhaenyra's expenses in King's Landing were almost entirely covered by this private fund.
"This is compensation for you. It's just some gold and silver—not a big deal."
What Rhaegar valued was emotional worth, not material wealth.
If he truly needed money, he could access the royal treasury.
But he preferred not to ask his father for funds.
Financial independence and supporting the Freefolk were matters he wanted to handle himself.
After a moment of silence, Rhaenyra changed the subject. "I have two pieces of news, one good and one bad. Which one would you like to hear first?"
Rhaegar paused his drawing and raised a brow. "Where is this news coming from?"
"Lys," Rhaenyra replied.
"I see. Start with the good news."
Hearing that the news was from Lys, Rhaegar frowned, already having a guess about its nature.
Rhaenyra hesitated for a moment before saying, "Laena has given birth—twin daughters. The Targaryen bloodline continues."
"She's really devoted to Daemon," Rhaegar scoffed. "Back then, she risked being branded a traitor to save our 'dear' uncle. Now, they've even had children."
On a rainy night seven years ago, Rhaegar had suspected Daemon wouldn't submit to punishment. He preemptively stationed *Cannibal* at Blackwater Bay.
As expected, Daemon escaped on *Caraxes* and was caught by Rhaegar.
After he left, Laena mounted *Vhagar* to rescue the drowning Daemon.
To avoid the king's wrath, the two fled to the Free Cities and even held a wedding.
"Rhaegar, I know you. You've stopped caring about them long ago."
Rhaenyra placed a comforting hand on Rhaegar's shoulder and spoke softly.
After that night, Daemon and Laena became fugitives, wanted by the realm.
But Rhaenyra knew both her father and brother had tacitly stopped mentioning them, treating them as if they had drowned at sea.
"Let's hear the bad news, then."
Rhaegar's tone was slightly irritable.
Rhaenyra nodded. "Laena sent me a letter. She misses her homeland and wants her newborn daughters to grow up here. She's asking me to plead with you and Father on her behalf."
"You agreed?" Rhaegar looked up in surprise, not expecting Laena to dare make such a request.
Rhaenyra sighed. "If I had agreed, would I have called it bad news?"
Rhaegar snorted and rubbed his temples.
Setting aside her personal prowess, Laena was the rider of the largest dragon in the world, *Vhagar*, making her the most formidable dragonrider alive.
Her family had regained strength in recent years, returning to its peak.
Not to mention the powerful fleet under the command of the Sea Snake.
As for dragons, their numbers were equally intimidating—*Vhagar*, *Meleys*, *Caraxes*, and *Sea Smoke*. Four dragons had seen combat.
By contrast, the royal family currently had only three dragonriders.
Rhaegar, who rode *Cannibal*, Rhaenyra, who rode *Syrax*, and Aegon, who had recently tamed *Sunfyre*.
Of the three, only Rhaegar had combat experience. Rhaenyra and Aegon were untested, and their dragons, *Syrax* and *Sunfyre*, were still young and less formidable than even *Sea Smoke*, the youngest of the opposing dragons.
"The Sea Snake isn't someone to be trifled with. What's your plan?" Rhaenyra asked softly.
Rhaegar's thoughts churned as he considered House Velaryon's deep resources. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Laena can return, but the two Targaryen children must be raised by the royal family."
He had thought it through. Daemon was a traitor, but his children carried the pure Targaryen bloodline.
Raising two dragonriders and using this to keep Laena tied to the crown seemed like a deal too good to pass up.
"What about Daemon? He won't leave his wife and daughters," Rhaenyra pressed.
Rhaegar tilted his head back, staring blankly as he murmured, "Daemon is a traitor. The day he returns to Westeros will be the day I ride the Devourer to tear him apart."
For the sake of their shared blood, Rhaegar could tolerate Daemon's survival in this world.
But he could not allow him to appear before him.
"Fine, I'll reply to Laenor truthfully," Rhaenyra said.
Thinking about her dear friend's earnest plea in the letter, Rhaenyra could only sigh at how much things had changed.
Rhaegar clasped her hand and said seriously, "Rhaenyra, you know what? You have terrible judgment."
"Why would you say that?"
Being criticized for her judgment, Rhaenyra furrowed her delicate brows.
Rhaegar chuckled. "Just look at your close friends: Alicent became our stepmother, and Laenor married Daemon."
"Well, blame Grandfather for having only Father and Daemon as his sons. Otherwise, you might have had a few more close friends as aunts."
"Rhaegar, you're being too much!"
Hearing this, Rhaenyra's composure instantly crumbled.
---
**Three days later.**
**Dragonpit.**
"Step aside, or the dragon might crush you flat!"
"I am keeping my distance, Brother."
"Then stay farther away. Sunfyre doesn't care if you're my brother..."
As Rhaegar made his routine inspection of the Dragonpit, he heard familiar voices as soon as he entered.
Looking ahead, he saw a golden dragon sprawled at the center of the Dragonpit, surrounded by dragonkeepers and guards.
Not far from the golden dragon stood two figures, one tall and one small.
"Brother..."
Just as Rhaegar was about to approach, a soft and joyous voice called out from a corner.
He turned his head to see a small silver-haired, purple-eyed girl sitting near a campfire in a corner.
The girl appeared to be around ten years old, with delicate features that seemed sculpted from porcelain. She was wearing a white chiffon dress.
"Helena, why are you here too?"
Rhaegar walked over to his sister, beckoning to her.
Helena's face was pale. In front of her were several jars and bottles, and she was holding a wriggling insect in her hand.
Seeing her brother approach, Helena hurriedly stuffed the insect into a glass jar and shielded her collection with her body.
Her brother didn't like her fiddling with these little creatures.
When he reached her, Rhaegar leaned over to glance behind Helena and sighed helplessly. "I already saw them. What's the point of hiding?"
Helena lowered her head like a child caught misbehaving and stammered, "I was just looking, not playing."
"I'm not against you playing with bugs, but you should spend more time interacting with people."
Looking at his younger sister, who barely reached his waist, Rhaegar gently ruffled her hair and spoke softly.
He genuinely adored this obedient and sensible sister.
But for some reason, as Helena grew older, she became increasingly withdrawn.
She spent most of her time locked in her room, tinkering with creatures that most girls wouldn't go near.
This wasn't a good sign.
What would it truly look like when the blood dragon danced in madness?
(End of Chapter)