Nina quickly hurried off to fetch cups and drinks, while Aegor personally pulled out chairs for his two guests as a sign of respect.

As he turned back, he noticed a third person entering—a mature woman. She wasn’t conventionally beautiful, but she possessed a striking, alluring charm.

—

“Let me introduce you,” Oberyn Martell said, taking the woman’s hand with the air of a devoted lover. “This is my paramour, Ellaria Sand.”

Then, with a playful smirk, he turned to Aegor.

“And this, my love, is the famed White Walker-slayer, Chief Logistics Officer of the Night’s Watch—Aegor West. And his paramour… What was her name? May I have the honor of an introduction?”

In any of the Six Kingdoms outside of Dorne, paramour was not a flattering term. Had anyone else asked, Aegor would have denied it outright.

But this was Oberyn.

“Nina,” he answered simply.

“Nina,” Ellaria repeated, glancing toward the girl’s retreating figure with interest.

“She’s quite lovely, though she seems… inexperienced. Have you ever tasted love?”

“She’s young,” Aegor replied casually. “And I prefer my fruit fresh and ripe.”

Oberyn’s paramour seemed the type to take interest in both men and women. And with trouble already piling up, the last thing Aegor needed was for Ellaria to set her sights on Nina.

To avoid any additional complications, he didn’t hesitate to brand himself with whatever label necessary.

—

“A man of particular tastes, I see.” Ellaria seemed amused by his frankness. Fortunately, her attention shifted elsewhere as she eyed something with curiosity.

“What is she wearing on her lips? That color is quite unusual.”

—

“A new product from the Night’s Watch industry,” Aegor explained. “A specially formulated cream lipstick.

“When it’s officially launched, I’ll make sure Miss Margaery and Lady Ellaria receive one each—if you’re both still in King’s Landing by then.”

As he spoke, he pulled over a third chair.

Margaery was the first to sit, subtly shifting her seat away from Oberyn and Ellaria.

Aegor noticed the gesture.

It seemed that despite traveling together, the two houses were not as close as they appeared.

Mistresses had no place in high society, especially illegitimate mistresses. And a prince who paraded one around as if she were his wife? That sort of behavior would be considered scandalous anywhere outside of Dorne.

Margaery, ever the poised noblewoman, kept her disdain well hidden.

Both Oberyn and Margaery could represent their respective kingdoms. If Aegor could win them over, securing a partnership with either House Martell or House Tyrell would be a major boost to the Night’s Watch industry.

But before Nina even returned with the drinks, Aegor was hit with an unexpected revelation.

—

“What?” He nearly choked on his words.

“You three have already visited the Night’s Watch Industrial Park?”

“We arrived on the outskirts of King’s Landing yesterday afternoon,” Margaery said smoothly.

“This morning, we decided to delay entering the city and visit the famous Night’s Watch Industrial Park first.”

She smiled at Aegor, her tone light, but with just the faintest trace of amusement.

“Surely, Chief Logistics Officer, you wouldn’t have wanted to trouble yourself by personally giving us a tour?”

Aegor was momentarily at a loss for words.

Ellaria, however, seemed far more intrigued.

“It was fascinating,” she said with genuine interest.

“I never imagined production could be handled in such a way. Lord Aegor, you’ve truly opened my eyes. It’s almost a shame that a man of your talents remains bound to the Night’s Watch instead of serving the realm.”

Oberyn, the only man among the three, remained silent.

He simply leaned back in his chair, observing Aegor’s office with a knowing smile, letting his paramour do the talking.

They were supposed to visit me first.

Yet they had bypassed him entirely and gone straight to inspect the factory.

Aegor wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

Upon reflection, it wasn’t difficult to guess the reason.

He had been… less than courteous in his past dealings with Margaery.

She must have taken the opportunity to return the slight—a small, civilized form of revenge.

Fair enough.

They were even now.

There was no need to dwell on it.

Still, their decision to investigate the factory before meeting him left an uneasy feeling in his gut.

Had he known, he might have given orders to limit access to outsiders.

Then again, outright barring two highborn visitors from entering the industrial park would have only made things worse.

Instead, Aegor feigned indifference.

“Well, since you’ve already seen it, there’s no need for me to waste time with explanations.”

He leaned back slightly, studying them.

“So? Are the Tyrells and Martells interested in investing? A few thousand gold dragons should do. You’d make back your principal and interest within a year—after that, it’s pure profit.”

“I have no doubt of that,” Margaery said, her expression pleasant but unreadable.

“But wouldn’t it be improper for the noble houses of the Reach and Dorne to interfere in business within King’s Landing—profiting off the King’s subjects?”

Her smile remained unwavering.

“If His Grace were to learn of it, well… I doubt it would sit well with him.”

—

Aegor frowned slightly.

She wasn’t here to invest.

She was here to buy.

“I came to discuss something else,” Margaery continued.

“I’d like to negotiate the transfer of your papermaking and printing techniques.

“After all, such innovations ones that benefit the realm should be shared for the good of the Seven Kingdoms.”

Aegor exhaled slowly.

So it’s come to this.

As expected.

Finance and business had been fun—like playing a single-player game. But the nobles of Westeros were not NPCs.

They had ambitions, too.

House Tyrell ruled the most populous region of Westeros. They controlled the largest market in the Seven Kingdoms.

Why would they invest in Aegor’s business when they could take the knowledge and do it themselves?

Tax exemptions meant nothing to them. House Tyrell collected taxes—they didn’t pay them.

Rather than pouring money into his operation, Margaery had decided to acquire the technology for herself and bring it to the Reach.

Was there any room for negotiation?

Aegor met Margaery’s gaze, studying her carefully.

Probably not.

Someone as shrewd as her wouldn’t have come unprepared. She’d already weighed the pros and cons.

She wasn’t here to debate.

If Aegor had political capital to offer—titles, influence, leverage—perhaps he could bargain.

But he had none of those things.

Which meant there was no persuading her to give up on her claim to a share of the Night’s Watch industry.

At best, he could negotiate the price.

“You make a good point,” Aegor admitted.

“But papermaking and printing may seem simple… in reality, it took extensive time and resources to develop. You can’t just create it from nothing.”

He gestured toward Nina, who had just returned with drinks.

“She was directly involved in the research and refinement process. Ask her how long it took us—how many materials and experiments we ran—before we perfected a viable method for production.”

Margaery barely spared Nina a glance.

She simply smiled.

“I appreciate the effort.”

Then, without hesitation, she named her price.

“The Tyrells won’t take your knowledge for free.

“As compensation, we’ll offer five hundred gold dragons as a belated investment.”

Five hundred?

The Night’s Watch industry made close to that much per month.

This little rose drives a harder bargain than she lets on.

“You both?” Aegor caught the wording and glanced at Oberyn.

Oberyn waved a hand dismissively.

“This has nothing to do with me. You two talk. Once you’ve reached an agreement, I’ll follow suit.”

Then, as if to prove he wasn’t interested, he pulled Ellaria into his lap and began kissing her—unbothered by the audience.

What does this mean?

Aegor frowned but quickly dismissed the thought. Trying to analyze Oberyn Martell’s behavior was probably a waste of time.

It seemed clear now that he and Margaery hadn’t planned this visit together. They were likely just traveling south from the Vale at the same time and took advantage of the opportunity to approach him.

I took the risks, raised the funds, spent months on research and development, built the entire Night’s Watch industry from the ground up.

And now these nobles just waltz in, barely lifting a finger, and expect to take it all with a few bags of gold?

Aegor clenched his teeth in frustration.

But there was little he could do.

In a world without the concept of intellectual property, the fact that they were even offering to negotiate, rather than outright stealing his methods or poaching his workers was already an act of restraint.

—

“Miss Margaery, let’s be clear.”

Aegor leaned forward, his tone calm but firm.

“If we were only talking about research and development costs, even five hundred gold dragons wouldn’t be enough.

“But this invention isn’t just about costs—it’s about the intellectual value behind it.

“The Night’s Watch industry took a risk when we invested our coin and manpower, unsure of what the future held.

“We spent months refining our methods, gathering experience in mass production and management, things that took time and effort to perfect.

“Yet, in your eyes, none of that holds any value?”

Aegor’s words were reasonable.

Margaery, however, only smiled sweetly.

“Oh dear,” she said, feigning innocence.

“I’m just a girl, ser. What do I know about such complicated matters? If I’ve said anything inappropriate, I do hope you’ll forgive me.”

Then, just as smoothly, she shifted tactics.

“But since this is business, I’m sure we can negotiate.”

She met his gaze, her expression unwavering.

“If we can’t reach an agreement, I suppose I’ll just have to return home empty-handed… and hire someone to figure it out for me.”

Hire someone to figure it out herself?

Aegor scoffed internally.

That sounded nice and harmless, but he knew exactly what it meant.

If they didn’t settle things today, by tomorrow, a wave of Night’s Watch industry workers would suddenly be resigning—only to show up under House Tyrell’s payroll.

It wouldn’t even require much effort. A few well-placed bribes, a few higher wages, and before long, his entire operation could be replicated without him.

Margaery wasn’t just making idle threats.

She was telling him plainly: either sell willingly, or lose it anyway.

Damn it.

He couldn’t let her take it for free, but he also couldn’t afford to demand too high a price.

“Five thousand gold dragons,” Aegor said finally.

He leaned back, keeping his voice even.

“For that price, you won’t just get the technology. I’ll provide skilled workers and train your staff.”

He gestured toward her.

“If you want to set up a papermaking and printing press in Highgarden, or anywhere else—I’ll oversee its development until it’s fully operational.”

It sounded generous, but in reality, these were standard services when selling trade secrets.

Margaery had offered five hundred.

Aegor demanded five thousand.

A single zero stood between them.

And now, the only thing left was to negotiate the difference.

(To be continued.)

***

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