-38- The Night in King's Landing

Chaos is a ladder, and Petyr Baelish excels at creating chaos, then profiting from it.

Every time chaos arises, Petyr always manages to strengthen his own power.

What is his purpose, or is it just a whim?

According to normal circumstances, when Jon Arryn, who has been suppressing House Targaryen's exemplary old servants, summons him, Gallen, as a descendant of a House who was loyal to the Targaryen , will definitely panic and seek help from Queen Cersei.

Queen Cersei has always disliked Jon Arryn monopolization of power. Given Queen Cersei's character, she might even see this as an opportunity to lash out.

With Queen Cersei's crude political wisdom, even if she were to learn later that this was Petyr Baelish's doing, she might secretly thank him.

Queen Cersei may escalate the situation, but she won't gain anything from Jon Arryn.

Queen Cersei is not Jon Arryn's match, and she definitely won't reflect on her own mistakes; she'll only blame those around her, especially Gallen.

As Tyrion analyzed Queen Cersei's character for Gallen, "When she likes you, she really likes you, but when she dislikes you, she'll make sure you know it in a painful way."

It's highly likely that Gallen's favorability rating will plummet to zero.

He won't be in mortal danger, but the worst-case scenario for Gallen is likely to be expulsion from King's Landing, becoming a laughingstock.

At this point, Queen Cersei can't be relied upon.

This is also the disadvantage of Gallen's low political status.

In Petyr's view, even if his actions are exposed later, a rural lord like himself wouldn't dare to retaliate, let alone have the strength to do so.

Petyr probably feels that he has a greater chance of silently hiding behind the scenes, ensuring his safety whether he goes left or right.

If Petyr understands Gallen, his actions would be more cautious and his strategies more sophisticated.

He wouldn't easily resort to means or directly put himself in harm's way.

Petyr sees Gallen as a pawn he can easily sacrifice without any threat.

So I was underestimated...

---

Gallen stopped his train of thought. "My dearest friend, Lord Tyrion, I need your help."

Tyrion's face turned serious. "What do you want to do?"

First expressing gratitude, Gallen said, "I don't have my own intelligence network in King's Landing. I need Lannister's intelligence. Tonight, I want to meet Petyr Baelish."

Without hesitation, Tyrion nodded in agreement to Gallen's request before saying, "Will there be bloodshed? It will only be worse for you if things escalate. My suggestion is..."

After a moment's pause, Tyrion continued, "You can find an excuse to temporarily avoid it. Since you may be responsible for the Queen's hunt, I'll go see Jaime first thing in the morning to settle matters."

Gallen shook his head slightly. "I don't deny that it's a good idea. Maybe over time, the big players will forget about a small figure like me."

Taking a sip of summerwine, Gallen spoke again, "Perhaps I can evade this time. But as long as I'm still the queen's officer, I will always be on someone's radar."

With a sigh, a cold gleam flashed in Gallen's eyes. "I'll still have to meet with Lord Arryn, after all, how could house crabb forget his kindness."

The atmosphere became heavy, but Tyrion's face lit up with a smile. "Ah, looks like little finger has kicked the iron board!"

Gallen chuckled. "The worst-case scenario is that from now on, you'll only be able see me in my own territory, though I do have Marigold Malt Liquor and Mermaid Harbor. You'll like it."

"Lord Gallen, I actually doubt the legend of mermaids..."

---

Late at night, King's Landing entered into slumber.

Gallen, clad in black leather armor, leaned against the outer wall, gazing at the starry sky.

Inside the courtyard, Anguy stealthily approached a guard, suddenly striking. He covered the guard's mouth with one hand and pressed against the back of his neck with the other, twisting forcefully until the guard collapsed.

This was the fifth guard Anguy had taken care of.

After finishing, Anguy mimicked a birdcall, signaling Gallen outside. Upon hearing Anguy's signal, Gallen scaled the high wall and silently entered the courtyard.

Approaching Gallen, Anguy whispered, "My lord, three visible sentries and two hidden ones have been dealt with. Our men have already taken their positions."

Gallen's household troops weren't suited for this kind of night raid, but fortunately, Anguy, a newly recruited natural archer, was adept. Otherwise, Gallen would have had to take action himself.

Gallen decided to call in another batch of reconnaissance troops; they were better suited for this job.

Anguy continued, "Once we enter the house, it'll be different from outside. It's easy to wake up the guards inside. I suggest we climb through the window..."

Gallen looked up at the window on the third floor. "I never thought he would be here. He's truly cautious."

Gallen turned to Anguy. "It will just be you and me going up. The others should remain on guard."

---

On the bed, the sleeping Petyr Baelish suddenly felt a breeze.

Petyr's eye fluttered lightly, then he abruptly opened his eyes.

Sitting up straight, Petyr gazed at the two figures in the bedroom, a brief moment of confusion flickering in his eyes.

Petyr was suddenly startled, and his spine was instantly covered in a cold sweat.

Gallen motioned for Anguy to light the candle, illuminating the room.

Petyr squinted his eyes, adjusting to the candlelight, and said, "... It's you!"

Gallen casually pulled out a chair and placed it beside the bed with a thud.

Anguy silently positioned himself by the bedroom door.

Gallen sat down in the chair. "I'm delighted by your gift, Lord Baelish. So I couldn't help but come and disturb you late at night. You must be pleasantly surprised."

Surprised? More like shocked.

Petyr suppressed the panic in his heart and put on an elegant smile, his voice hoarse. "If Lord Crabb had visited during the day, I would have been even more welcoming."

Petyr spread out his hands. "If you don't mind, I'd like to put on some clothes."

Gallen was also a bit surprised to see the cautious Petyr sleeping without a stitch on.

Cautious people mostly lack a sense of security and usually don't sleep naked. Perhaps Petyr's long years of smooth sailing have strengthened his inner confidence.

Gallen made a "go on" gesture.

Just as Petyr was about to relax, he noticed a dagger gleaming with cold light in Gallen's hand.

Petyr draped himself in a black robe. "I've heard of you, a very talented young man. I've always wanted to get to know you."

With a smirk, Petyr added, "Well, now we've met, then we're friends. I'm more than willing to help my friend."

Gallen flashed a smile. "There's a chair over there. You can sit across from me."

Danger....

Petyr could sense that this young man was still considering whether or not to kill him.

And where were his guards? How did these two men end up into his room?

Though Petyr's inner turmoil, he maintained a calm exterior, naturally following Gallen's words, pulling over a chair, and adjusting his clothes before sitting across from Gallen.