Game of Thrones: Reincarnated

Margaery was staring at her beautiful face in the mirror as a handmaiden brushed her hair. She was lost in her own thoughts.

It had almost been three weeks since they had reached King's Landing, and from the moment she had encountered Lucas, she had been trying to get close to him. It getting close was the appropriate word to describe what she had been trying to do.

Naturally, she had succeeded. She had developed a good relationship with Ser Lucas. From the very first day, he had been attentive and receptive to her presence. He had been kind, polite and friendly towards her. On the very first day they had met, she had received a barrel of Sky Pearl Wine from him as a gift. The same gift he had presented to the king.

He had accompanied her to the slums of King's Landing and had even agreed for her to be part of all the development work he was initiating as a spectator.

Even when he had been very busy, Ser Lucas had managed to make time for her. Not only that, she had also accompanied him on what he called his reconnaissance trips to the slums of King's Landing, and he had shown no hesitation in sharing with her what his plans were going to be.

Overall, they were very close, with Ser Lucas being amiable and considerate towards her. But despite all this, she felt no satisfaction.

It was as if there was some kind of boundary, a wall between them. His behaviour towards her felt inorganic, not the natural affection one would feel for another.

In truth, she too had approached Ser Lucas with the same attitude in the beginning. She had wanted to get close to him only because her grandmother had asked her to. For the game of politics and power.

But the more she observed him, the more she found herself drawn towards him. And though she would not say that she loved Ser Lucas or anything like that, at least not yet, she surely had certain positive feelings for him.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she did not notice when her grandmother walked into the chamber.

"Leave," Olenna Tyrell ordered the handmaiden and the other maids in the room. Only then did Margaery notice her as the servants hurried past her.

"Grandmother," she said, rising and greeting the Queen of Thorns.

Olenna nodded as she took her seat on the chair and gestured for Margaery to sit across from her. Margaery followed suit.

"What is it, grandmother?" Margaery asked with slight hesitation, noticing the serious expression on her face.

"How many days since we have been in King's Landing?" Olenna asked.

"Three weeks," Margaery answered, unsure what her grandmother meant.

"And how many more days do you think we can spend here?" Olenna pressed.

Margaery looked uncertain. What did she mean by how many more days?

Olenna sighed and explained, "Look, my dear. You cannot be thinking we have unlimited days in King's Landing."

"We came here to accompany Loras as he began his service as Renly Baratheon's squire and to pay our respects to the king. Both have been done."

"To be truthful, we have already overstayed. We should have left by now. We have no purpose remaining in King's Landing. With our status, simply remaining ideal in King's Landing without any purpose is not a thing we should do."

"And with the state of the crown's finances," she snorted, "even funding our stay here is making them uncomfortable."

Margaery understood. At least a little.

"Listen," Olenna continued. "I chose to come here because it was the best chance to judge the three most suitable bachelors in Westeros at the same time. Renly Baratheon, Joffrey Baratheon, and Lucas Lannister."

"And I have judged them," she said firmly. "If I allow you to marry anyone, it will only be Lucas Lannister."

"Even remaining unmarried is better than marrying Joffrey Baratheon. I have been watching him since we arrived. He is foolish, arrogant, a useless piece of shit. And more importantly cruel. Unbelievably so. He will make your life hell."

She did not even bother describing Renly Baratheon, but her dismissal was clear.

"Now, what did I ask you to do before we came here?" Olenna asked.

"To get close to Ser Lucas," Margaery answered.

"And it seems you did not succeed," Olenna noted dryly.

"I did," Margaery answered abruptly. "I am close to Ser Lucas."

"It does not seem so," Olenna remarked. "We are still receiving weapons from his forges at a snail's pace. At the same speed as the rest of the houses. And we have not received a single percentage discount on his wine."

"He does not give discount to anyone on his wine," Margaery replied instinctively. "And the weapon production is slow for lack of skilled blacksmiths. He is working to increase the forging speed."

A glint flashed in Olenna's eyes.

"It looks as if Lucas has been able to seduce you more than you have been able to seduce him," she said. "You are now defending him in front of me."

"It is not like this," Margaery replied with a fluster.

Olenna snorted, "My eyes are old but experienced too."

"Grandmother," Margaery tried to explain. She then described all what she had been thinking just before Olenna had arrived in the chambers.

"I see," Olenna mumbled with a thoughtful expression. "I think Ser Lucas is holding himself back from getting too close to you. Maybe, he thinks that you are simply trying to use him to your own benefits. But you cannot stop here."

"Ser Lucas has gained even more power than before," she continued. "He now has 5000 men in the City Watch under his command. The king has agreed to his recruitment and I am sure that when the new city starts to function, he will recruit even more soldiers. The king will not object to it. Lucas will see to it."

"He will be the sole decider for the allotment of shops and establishments in the new city. Traders, Merchants and rich houses, everyone will be in line to curry favour with Lucas."

"My dear, we will stay one more week in the King's Landing," she said. "This is time you have. And this is the best chance to get as much as close to Ser Lucas. Try your best."

"You will have to get past that wall that Ser Lucas has around himself. You will have to get him to trust you," Olenna added. "You need to find a way to wriggle yourself into his heart."

"And I am sure that you are very close."

Margaery did not say anything but a resolve formed on her face and Olenna smiled seeing that. She would definitely conquer that boundary.

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