Chapter 4 :
Cersei Lannister strode through the corridors of the Red Keep, her heels ringing sharply against the stone floors. She was boiling,this bastard, this boy that robert brought back with him, lingered incessantly in her thoughts. Never had she imagined that such a humiliation would strike so early in their union.
She replayed the scenes of the welcoming feast in her mind, the cold way Robert had dismissed her protests and concerns about the boy "My son" he had declared, as though those words were sufficient to justify everything. Robert cared nothing for propriety, reputation, or even logic. All that mattered was whatever suited him in the moment.
But that didn't change the reality, the boy existed and he was here, in the Red Keep bearing her husband's blood. A male bastard. It turned her sick.
Reaching the heavy doors to her father's chambers, Cersei didn't hesitate. The guards opened them without question, and she entered with purpose.
Tywin Lannister, seated behind his massive desk, didn't immediately look up. A single candle illuminated a map of the Seven Kingdoms spread across the desk. Next to it, a pile of documents was scattered, he seemed absorbed.
Cersei stopped a few paces from the desk, but Tywin paid her no attention, he continued writing, adjusting his quill with meticulous care. The silence, as calculated as everything he did, was something Cersei had known her entire life.
After several minutes, he put the quill down, wiped it, and placed it carefully next to his inkwell before looking up at her.
"You're here about the bastard" he said quickly, his tone icy.
Cersei was unsurprised that he already knewbut his tone, full of the contempt he received for everything he considered insignificant, made a surge of frustration rise in her.
"This boy is a disgrace !" she burst out, stepping closer "A living insult to my status, to our family !"
Tywin folded his hands in front of him, his sharp gaze fixed on her "This boy is a detail" he replied, his voice as cutting as a blade "A whim of Robert's, nothing more and not the last. Try to get used to it"
This answer did not satisfy Cersei. After all, she had endured enough during the feast to demand more than this dismissal.
"A detail ? Do you think the court sees it that way ? He is here, in the palace, under my roof. And he is Robert's eldest a boy and we're supposed to turn a blind eye ?"
Tywin remained impassive, his piercing gaze seeming to weigh his daughter's every word. After a moment, he replied "This boy has no rights, no name, and no inheritance. He has no value and never will"
Cersei clenched her fists, struggling to contain her anger. She knew better than to interrupt him.
"Robert is weak" Tywin continued, his tone dry but deliberate "He acts on impulse, unable to think beyond his next meal or his next cup of wine. Bringing this boy here was foolish, but it is not our role to clean up"
Cersei raised her chin slightly, her voice edged with anger "And what if you're wrong ? What if one day he becomes more than a detail? What if Robert-"
"Robert will do nothing" Tywin cut her off sharply. "He is a king, but he is also reckless and short-sighted. If he starts to give this boy importance, we will deal with it then. Not before."
His gaze bore into her, as intense as ever "Attacking this boy now would be a mistake. Drawing attention to him makes it harder to erase him later"
The weight of his words hit Cersei and for a moment, she felt like a child again, standing before her father's unwavering judgment. But she was a queen now. The queen.
She turned her gaze to the wall, as though it might help her temper "So we do nothing ? You want me to let him grow up here, under my eyes, and hope that nothing changes ?"
Tywin didn't flinch "That's exactly what you'll do and you will focus on what truly matters: House Lannister. Worrying about a boy who is, and always will be, nothing is beneath you"
His voice turned colder "You waste time on a bastard when you should be ensuring your own legacy. You have no children, no heirs. Address that instead of obsessing over someone else's mistake"
He leaned back slightly but kept his gaze fixed on her "If, one day, this boy becomes more than a detail i will see to it that he disappears. Permanently."
Cersei lifted her head, her defiance flickering in her eyes "And if I decide to act-"
"You will do nothing without my approval" Tywin interrupted, his hands flat on the desk. His features hardened. "You are the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. A Lannister. You are no longer a child. Do not make me regret putting you in this position"
The room fell silent, Cersei stared at him, knowing she had no response at least, not yet.