Game of Thrones: The Road to Pirate King

Chapter 327 Surprise? — Astonishment?

The longship, like a sharp blade, cleaved through the dark green waves of Tiemin Bay and finally landed at the river mouth south of Haijiang City.

After abandoning their boats and going ashore, the group did not turn southeast toward King's Landing, but instead headed straight for Riverrun, the heart of the Riverlands.

At this time, Eddard Stark and his wife Catelyn Tully were residing at the castle of Lord Hoster Tully, Catelyn's father's family in Riverrun. Euron planned to meet them first on his journey south, and then travel together to King's Landing to attend King Robert's coronation.

When Eddard Stark saw Euron, travel-worn and weary, in the halls of Riverrun, his usually stern face immediately lit up with genuine joy. He strode forward and gave his old friend a firm embrace.

"It's good to see you, Euron." Eddard's voice carried the composure characteristic of a Northerner, but his gaze unconsciously drifted past Euron's shoulder, searching behind him. "Didn't Ashara and Daren come with you?" A barely perceptible hint of disappointment flashed in his grey eyes.

Euron smiled understandingly and explained, "Ashara is pregnant and it's inconvenient for her to travel long distances."

Ed was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, then a genuine smile spread across his face. He patted Euron's shoulder forcefully: "That's wonderful! Congratulations!" His blessing was pure and sincere, without any impurities.

At that moment, Catelyn Tully approached, carrying their eldest son, Robb. The infant in the swaddling clothes had the Tully family's blue eyes and soft red hair, and was sleeping peacefully. Catelyn nodded gracefully to Euron, her face showing the tenderness of a new mother and a touch of weariness.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the group, warmly received by Duke Horst, spent the night in Riverrun and would travel together to King's Landing the following morning.

Euron stepped into the room prepared for him in Riverrun, but the fatigue of the journey did not bring him any sleepiness. He raised his left hand, his gaze falling on the ring on his ring finger, which was inlaid with the Dane family crest—since integrating the power of the Door-Door Fruit into it, he had never truly tested the limits of its long-distance travel.

Tonight is the perfect opportunity.

With a slight thought, without incantation or ritual, his mind gently touched the spatial power deep within the ring. Then, seemingly casually, he slashed forward with his left hand—a soft "whoosh!"

A faint, almost imperceptible sound, like silk being quietly torn, was all the more distinct in the silent room. The air in front of him seemed to split open, revealing a dark rift with shimmering edges, its depths seemingly connecting to an unknown otherworld.

Without the slightest hesitation, Euron vanished into the rift in a flash. The rift closed up as quickly as a wound after he entered, and the room returned to calm, as if nothing had ever happened.

Dorne Sunspear City ————————

Sun Tower Ilya's room was separated by a heavy curtain.

From one side of the curtain, the faint sound of dripping water could be heard. Ilya was bathing in the tub, and the dim light cast her slender figure on the curtain, making her silhouette appear indistinct.

On the other side, Victoria, the regretful one, was holding little Caesar, pacing gently in the limited space, rocking him from side to side to soothe him. Rhaenys was already fast asleep in the small bed by the wall, breathing evenly, her cheeks rosy, looking sweet and peaceful.

Little Caesar's fluffy little head was restless, constantly nuzzling and whimpering in Victoria's arms, clearly hungry.

"Are you hungry, little one?" Victoria asked in a low voice, smiling helplessly. "But Mommy's still taking a shower, okay? Wait a little longer, alright?"

However, hungry little Caesar couldn't understand the comforting words at all. He instinctively grabbed at Victoria's clothes with one little hand, searching for milk. When Victoria gently stopped him, he pouted, his eyes quickly reddened, and he looked like he was about to cry.

Victoria glanced at Ilya, who was still bathing behind the curtain, then looked down at the pitiful little one in her arms who was about to explode. After a slight hesitation, she finally sighed softly.

"Alright, alright," she whispered resignedly, carefully unbuttoning her shirt. "Let you try it first, be quiet—"

But there's no milk.

At that very moment—

Half a step behind Victoria, the air seemed to be silently torn apart by an invisible hand, and a dark rift with faint light flowing along its edges opened silently without stirring up any air currents or making any sound.

The next moment, Euron leaned out, intending to observe his surroundings.

However, his gaze had barely pierced the crack, and before he could even get a clear look at the room, he was confronted with this unexpected scene.

"Huh, Victoria, are you even breastfeeding yourself now?"

The slightly mocking voice that suddenly rang out from behind Victoria made her shudder!

Her instincts as a top assassin instantly overwhelmed everything. Her muscles tensed abruptly, almost every hair on her body stood on end, and her right hand flashed into her left sleeve, grasping the hilt of the hidden rapier.

Without the slightest hesitation, she scooped up little Caesar and performed a swift forward roll, neatly creating several steps of distance between herself and the source of the sound behind her. As she rolled, she carefully and securely placed the baby in her arms on the ground beside her.

As she steadied herself on one knee, she suddenly raised her head, her sharp gaze like a blade shooting towards the intruder. But the expression on her face instantly froze, turning into utter astonishment.

"Euron?!"

She never expected that the person who suddenly appeared and made fun of her would be him.

Her assassin instincts made her suspicious!

Just days earlier, before departing for King's Landing, Prince Oberyn made a special trip to visit his sister Elia. During their conversation, he mentioned that Euron Greyjoy had also received an invitation and would certainly be in King's Landing.

Just the day before, Elia had used the precious magical snail to allow young Caesar to speak with Euron, who was far away on Ironwind Isle. At that time, the voice from the other end of the communication was clear and unmistakable; he said that he was still on Ironwind Isle in the Iron Islands and would soon be setting off for King's Landing.

Logically speaking, there is absolutely no way he could be in Yangji City at this moment, let alone sneak into her room silently in such a bizarre way!

So, the person before us—

Not him?

Is it an exquisitely crafted human skin mask, so realistic it could fool anyone? Or some kind of profound magic she couldn't comprehend? Is it a mind-altering illusion, or some kind of visual trick?

Victoria's gaze suddenly sharpened, like the razor's edge, locking onto the uninvited guest with Euron's face. Her body, which had just relaxed slightly, snapped back into a fighting stance. She gripped her rapier tightly, her voice icy as she asked, "Who are you?"

Euron's face lit up with a wry smile: "Who could I be? Victoria, we just met a few months ago, you haven't forgotten me that quickly, have you?"

Just then, the curtain was abruptly flung open. Ilya had clearly heard the commotion; she hastily threw on a silk robe, her wet hair still dripping. When she saw who it was, she exclaimed in equal shock, "Euron!?"

"Don't go over there!" Victoria stepped in front of Ilya, her gaze sharp as a hawk's, fixed on Euron. "Something's not right! Two days ago, when we spoke through the magic snail, he was clearly on Ironwind Isle with Ashara. How could he suddenly appear in Dorne?" Her gaze quickly swept over his entire body, finally settling on his waist. "And those two swords—the patterns and sizes on the scabbards are definitely not what Euron usually carries!"

Reminded by her, Ilya immediately became alert, her eyes turning icy: "Who are you? Where is the real Euron? I warn you, if you take another step forward, I'll summon the guards!"

Euron, caught off guard by their questions, paused for a moment, then shook his head with a helpless smile, as if remembering something. He carefully took out a magical snail radiating a soft golden light from his robes: "This one-of-a-kind telephone snail—shouldn't that prove my identity? This kind of thing is only between you and me."

The doubts have been somewhat cleared up, but we remain vigilant as one item is far from sufficient to prove anything!

Euron had to expend a great deal of effort, using secrets known only to them—such as where Victoria first attempted to assassinate him, what magical items she used on Ilya in the underground chamber of Harrenhal, and what scenes she saw—before he could finally explain to the two wary women the seemingly simple yet incredibly complex fact that "I am Euron."

Victoria approached hesitantly, her wariness not entirely gone. She reached out and pressed hard on Euron's cheeks and jawline, carefully examining the feel and texture of every inch of skin, confirming that it was something no sophisticated human skin mask could fake.

Throughout the entire process, Euron kept his head down and remained silent.

After a long while, when Victoria finally stopped and was about to speak, he suddenly raised his eyes, muttered something under his breath, his tone carrying a barely perceptible hint of teasing: "Didn't realize—it's quite big and full~~~."

Victoria froze, then suddenly realized that she had completely forgotten to close her undone clothes since she first heard Euron's voice!

"You—you scoundrel!"

Her cheeks flushed instantly, a mixture of shame and anger washing over her. She abruptly took several steps back, quickly pulling her clothes tighter to cover herself completely. She glared fiercely at Euron, her eyes practically spitting fire, but ultimately said nothing more. Gritting her teeth, she turned around, flung open the door, and stormed out without looking back.

Ilya rolled her eyes at Euron, her tone slightly reproachful: "Victoria is still just a young girl, how could you tease her like that?"

Euron shrugged, wearing an innocent expression that seemed perfectly natural: "To be honest, it was a sincere compliment."

Ilya decided to drop the subject and instead asked, "Seriously, how did you end up in Dorne all of a sudden?"

"Shouldn't you be on your way to King's Landing?"

Euron didn't answer directly, but smiled mysteriously, raised his left hand, and the ring gleamed faintly under the light. With a thought, he casually drew a line in the air, and a spatial rift with flowing light at its edges silently appeared in the room.

"This is—" Ilya covered her mouth in surprise.

"A small new ability," Euron explained casually, then made the rift disappear.

Ilya was initially shocked, but then her eyes lit up as if she had thought of something wonderful. Her voice was filled with excitement: "Doesn't that mean—you can come here every day from now on?"

Euron looked deeply into her eyes, his gaze gentle and focused: "If you're willing, of course I can."

Ilya's cheeks flushed instantly, like the glow of the setting sun. Her lips parted slightly, her heart pounded, and for a moment she was at a loss for how to respond to this sudden, readily available promise.

"Wow--!"

Just then, little Caesar, who had been crawling around on the ground, finally reached his mother's feet. He tugged at Ilya's skirt and cried loudly, clearly hungry and impatient.

The crying broke the delicate atmosphere between the two. Euron chuckled and looked mischievously at Ilya: "Looks like my son can't wait any longer, hurry up and feed him something."

He himself, however, showed no intention of avoiding the situation. Instead, he stood there with great interest, motionless.

Ilya's blush deepened. She spat at him, both ashamed and angry, picked up the child, and turned to walk into the inner room: "Victoria was absolutely right—you're shameless!"

After a moment, Euron slowly walked behind Ilya, took a clean, soft cloth, and gently wiped her still dripping hair. Ilya's body trembled slightly, but she did not refuse, simply sitting there quietly, letting him do as he pleased.

He patiently dried her thick, long hair strand by strand, and finally gently swept the slightly damp hair to one shoulder, revealing her slender, graceful neck, as delicate as a swan's. In the dim light, that section of skin appeared exceptionally fair and delicate.

Now that he had been labeled "shameless," Euron decided to solidify the accusation. He lowered his head and gently approached her exposed skin, the fresh scent of her body mixed with her unique fragrance lingering around his nose.

His gaze fell on Caesar, who was nursing diligently in her arms. He lowered his voice and whispered in her ear with a mischievous smile, "Look how much our son is eating."

Ilya's ears turned red, and she spat out, "What's so fragrant about it? There's hardly any breast milk left. It's just to lull him to sleep."

A warm breath brushed against her sensitive earlobe, and You Lun's voice deepened, carrying an undisguised intent: "Then... I also want to taste what my son's dinner tastes like every day."

"Ptooey! Ptooey! Ptooey!"

At this moment, little Caesar was finally satisfied and fell into a deep sleep.

Ilya had just carefully placed the child beside her and hadn't even had time to react when Euron bent down and swept her up in his strong arms.

Euron carried Ilya, whose face was flushed and who was gently biting her lower lip, and steadily walked towards the large bed in the room, which was covered with soft brocade.

Both children are sleeping.

"Be gentle, I haven't had sex in so long—"

Springtime Fills the Room