Most of the Night’s Watch office employees were from King’s Landing and had homes to return to after work. For now, only Jaqen, the siblings Neil and Nina, Aegor, and Casey lived here—five in total. Even with each of them having a separate room, less than a quarter of the house was occupied, leaving plenty of space.

It was nearly dinnertime. Before Aegor had left King’s Landing, the Albatross Inn had provided his meals. Now that he had moved out, he had to make his own arrangements.

“Casey, are you familiar with this area?” Aegor asked his squire. “Take us to a good place to eat.”

“Uh… ser, this district is mostly for nobles, and I’ve never been here before.”

Aegor sighed and turned to his more capable subordinate. “What about you, Nina? How long have you been living here? How do you usually handle meals?”

“There’s a kitchen,” she replied softly. “I usually cook something for my brother, Akun, and myself.” She hesitated before adding, “There’s a restaurant nearby, but it’s quite expensive…”

“You’ve been running around all day, don’t bother with cooking. Just tell Casey where the restaurant is and have him bring back some food.”

“Understood.”

“Take me to my room first.”

—

As the head of the Night’s Watch industry, Aegor’s room was naturally the most central and spacious in the house—the master bedroom.

“Even though you weren’t here, the cleaners came every few days to tidy up. Everything is set up, and the bedding was aired out just a couple of days ago. You can move in right away,” Nina said. Then, after a brief pause, she added in a noticeably quieter voice, “I live next door… If you need anything, just call me.”

Huh. Living next door? Was that Tyrion’s arrangement or her own? If I told you to warm my bed, would you do it? Aegor glanced at her, intrigued. It was too dark to make out her expression, but chances were high that she was blushing again.

“Alright,” he said casually. “Now tell Casey where to buy dinner. Casey, do you have money?”

“Yes, ser!”

“Then go quickly and come back just as fast. Oh, and mention my name to the owner, see if we can set up a tab. We’ll likely be giving him plenty of business in the future.”

“Yes, ser!”

“Good. Nina, you should head to your room too. I’ll call if anything comes up.”

“It’s getting late, and this is your first time back. Let me light a lamp for you.”

“Alright, that would help.” The darkness and unfamiliar surroundings made things inconvenient. Aegor nodded, amused, as Nina busied herself lighting several oil lamps around the room.

The moment they were alone together in a room with a bed, however, she seemed to grow increasingly flustered. She quickly excused herself, rushing out with such nervousness that Aegor half-expected her to trip on the way.

Finally alone, Aegor sighed, shrugged off his black cloak, and hung it on the rack. Then, he took a moment to inspect the bedroom Tyrion had prepared for him.

—

Tyrion Lannister, as a member of the richest family in Westeros, naturally had well-connected friends in King’s Landing. Though the original owner of this house had purchased it purely as an investment and never moved in, even the so-called “simple furnishings” exuded wealth.

The room was spacious, with a long table and several chairs in the outer chamber, surrounded by ornate furniture. Facing the entrance was a beautifully painted mural of the Seven, effectively dividing the room into a living area and a sleeping area.

It felt oddly extravagant for a Night’s Watchman, but this was a rented property, changing the decor wasn’t exactly an option. Aegor shook his head and walked past the mural into the bedroom.

—

A strange sense of familiarity washed over him. After a few moments of confusion, he realized why—the room’s layout was nearly identical to the inn room he had stayed in for so long.

The table, chairs, bed, and wardrobe were positioned almost exactly the same. Even the arrangement of items on the table remained unchanged. When he pulled open the drawers, everything was still there.

If he had to guess, the clothes in the wardrobe had probably been transferred over as well.

Did Tyrion actually have someone move my things from the inn, piece by piece?

It wasn’t a bad idea. It saved Aegor the trouble of unpacking and readjusting. And time—especially now, with the looming disaster of the Lannister twins—was something he sorely lacked.

Thinking about that particular time bomb, Aegor ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

Am I really just going to stand by and watch it explode?

Trying to push the thought aside, he continued inspecting the room. There was one noticeable difference from his old lodgings: a row of bookshelves had been added.

The books looked uniform, likely all publications from the Night’s Watch printing press. He casually skimmed through the selection. There were copies of The Seven-Pointed Star, various instructional texts, and some… less scholarly materials, including a particularly thick volume titled A Guide to Navigating King’s Landing.

To be honest, he had never actually read that book—despite it being one of the best-selling publications his own press had produced. It had contributed nearly a tenth of their total revenue. As the boss, that was a bit embarrassing.

Deciding he’d rather not dwell on looming disasters, Aegor pulled a different book from the shelf—A Hundred Beauties.

A little light reading to relax… and familiarize myself with my company’s products.

Settling onto the bed, he crossed his legs and flipped through the pages. The illustrations were vivid, though naturally rough compared to real portraits.

But distractions only worked for so long. Even after skimming through a dozen pages, his thoughts drifted back to his problems.

Instead of reading this, I might as well head next door and tease Nina.

Watching her blush and get flustered was amusing enough on its own.

Under different circumstances, he might have actually done it. But the weight of his troubles kept him rooted in place.

Just then, a commotion erupted outside. A man’s voice rang out:

“Nina! Where are you? Hiding again? I know you’re here!”

The voice sounded familiar, but Aegor couldn’t immediately place it. Frowning, he set down the book and rose to his feet. Grabbing his coat, he strode toward the door, pushing it open to step outside.

—

Three men in golden cloaks stood in the courtyard. Their leader stood with his hands on his hips, calling toward Nina’s room.

As Aegor approached, he took a moment to study the man’s face—then recognition hit.

“Lord Slynt,” Aegor said flatly. “What brings you here?”

Janos Slynt, the commander of the City Watch, turned toward him with a smug smile.

“Aegor West… Ser, I heard you made it back from the battlefield safely. Congratulations.” He spoke with mock cordiality before getting to the point.

“Where’s your female subordinate? I’ve been wanting to invite her to dinner for days now, but she keeps refusing, always saying she’s too busy with Night’s Watch business. But now that you’re back… surely you can give her the night off, can’t you?”

(To be continued.)

***

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep