"Being pretty isn't always a good thing for a common girl."
Tyrion had said that over an hour ago. Was his tongue cursed? Otherwise, how could it come true so soon? Was it the little man's sharp mouth at work, or had he already known about this and deliberately warned Aegor in advance?
The act of powerful men using force or coercion to claim women was not just some fabricated plot device used to vilify villains in stories. It had existed since ancient times and persisted even now—though as laws evolved, the methods had shifted from brute force to more refined, discreet tactics.
And why was the emphasis always on common girls?
The answer was simple, because only common girls could be taken without consequence.
This tied into an important principle of feudal society: the chain of protection. Lords and their vassals had a mutual obligation to protect one another. In peacetime, this protection was primarily granted from the top down, extending layer by layer until it encompassed even the lowest-ranking nobles.
Take the King, the supreme ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. Suppose Robert Baratheon, in a drunken stupor, forced himself on the daughter of a landed knight sworn to an earl in the Westerlands. What would happen?
The knight would report it to his liege, the earl. The earl would then appeal to the Warden of the West—Lord Tywin Lannister, a man not known for his tolerance of slights. And then? Lord Tywin would demand an explanation from the King himself.
---
It had nothing to do with whether the knight in question was influential, whether the earl was rich or powerful, or whether the Lord of Casterly Rock was particularly hard-handed.
It was simply the rules of the game.
If the victim was a noble, the crime was no longer "Robert slept with so-and-so's daughter." It became "The King violated a noblewoman."
If her family pressed the issue and if the King wasn't reckless enough to behave like the Mad King—he would have to take responsibility. His reputation would suffer, and he'd be burdened with the consequences. If he was already married, he couldn't wed the girl, so he would have to provide her with a dowry when she eventually married someone else. If she bore a child, the King would have to acknowledge it, arrange for its upbringing, and ensure it lived a better life than the average commoner.
These were the rules of the noble game, and even Robert Baratheon, notorious for his appetites, had suffered for it. At his brother Stannis's wedding, he bedded the bride's handmaid, Delena Florent, leaving her pregnant. This not only enraged Stannis but also forced Robert to publicly acknowledge the resulting bastard—Edric Storm, the only illegitimate child he ever formally recognized.
This chain of protection was precisely why even a man as powerful as the King rarely dared to lay hands on the daughters of even the lowest nobles.
---
In theory, commoners were also protected under this system. The difference?
In the eyes of the nobility, commoners were not people, they were property.
Violating a noble's property was far less serious than violating a noble themselves. Usually, as long as compensation was paid, no one would press the matter further.
If even the King had to tread carefully, what about Janos Slynt, who wasn't even truly noble? As commander of the City Watch and effectively the head of King's Landing's law enforcement, he had power, but without a noble title, he couldn't lay a finger on any woman of status.
That left him with only two options: prostitutes or common girls.
And pretty common girls were rare. When one caught his eye, he wouldn't let her go easily.
---
Aegor had spent years carefully avoiding entanglements with high lords and their schemes. But he'd forgotten that he wasn't the only man in the world.
As Chief of Logistics, he was accustomed to dealing with powerful figures and wasn't afraid of the middle-aged man standing before him. But even so, he wasn't in a strong position here. He was, in essence, a businessman, and his industries were concentrated in and around King's Landing. Against the city's head of law enforcement, he lacked leverage.
It was best to avoid making enemies unnecessarily. Though he had no fondness for Slynt, after weighing his options, Aegor quickly adjusted his expression into a well-practiced, polite smile.
"I appreciate your concern, Lord Slynt," he said smoothly. "But the Night's Watch Office has indeed been quite busy lately. That's not an excuse—we've had our hands full. When things settle down in a few days, I'll personally invite you to dinner to make amends."
Janos Slynt snorted. "No need. I don't care if your little office is busy or not. And I have no interest in dining with a black-cloaked Night's Watchman like you." He smirked, his gaze shifting past Aegor. "Just tell me, can your girl take the night off or not?"
As he spoke, Slynt's eyes gleamed with amusement as he looked toward the house.
"Nina? Now that your boss is here, surely you can ask for leave?"
---
By now, the commotion had drawn others out of their rooms. Jaqen, Neil, and several other residents of the house stood in the doorway, watching the exchange.
And Nina, unable to avoid the confrontation finally emerged as well.
She lifted her chin and walked toward Aegor. But as she reached him, she instinctively stepped behind him, half-hiding her body behind his, unwilling to even glance at Slynt.
---
"Ser?" she asked softly, her voice laced with barely suppressed panic.
She was ostensibly asking whether she should take leave. But in reality, she was testing his response.
Since their first meeting at the papermaking workshop, Nina had thought Aegor was not only handsome but also capable. He had always given off the air of a competent and reliable man.
But that was just an impression.
In truth, she had no idea how capable he really was. And now, with Janos Slynt standing before them, demanding an answer, she had no idea whether he could, or would—protect her.
If Aegor said, "I allow you to accompany Lord Slynt for dinner," it would mean the Night's Watch could no longer afford to offend the commander of the City Watch. Nina would be forced to endure humiliation and disgust, sitting through a meal with the greasy old man while trying not to end up on his plate. But if Slynt pressed harder, there would be no escaping in the end.
If Aegor gave a different answer, however, there was still hope…
At this moment, Nina truly realized how powerless she was as a commoner. Neither the social skills Tyrion had taught her nor her own intelligence were of any use. In the end, her fate was decided by the words of men.
---
Aegor was irritated. In terms of power and influence in King's Landing, he was indeed no match for the commander of the City Watch. But there were plenty of powerful men in the city, and Slynt was the first one he had encountered who behaved this brazenly.
Men like Slynt, those who clawed their way up from nothing often had the worst kind of nouveau riche mentality. Once they gained status, they bullied the weak and groveled before the strong, taking pleasure in throwing their weight around.
Aegor had always made a point to avoid such people. But now that trouble had come knocking at his door, he wasn't afraid. He had his own connections, not to mention a formidable ally in Tyrion.
---
"Nina, you've been working hard lately. Now, Lord Slynt has invited you to dinner. If you agree to go, I'll grant you a day off tomorrow," Aegor said, half-turning toward her. As he spoke, he subtly blinked his right eye, hoping she would understand his meaning.
"I'm sorry… Lord Slynt, but the office truly can't spare me right now." Catching Aegor's signal, Nina steadied herself and spoke firmly. "I'm afraid I'll have to decline your kindness."
Slynt had not expected such a blunt rejection, without even a token excuse. He immediately suspected it was Aegor's doing. His eyes flickered toward him, and he frowned.
"Are you certain?"
"You may be a powerful man, but you have no sense at all!" Nina's brother, Neil, blurted out. "My sister has already refused you multiple times. Why do you keep pestering her when you've got a wife and children at home?"
"Neil, mind your manners." Multiple times? Aegor mentally noted that detail. Good thing he had returned when he did. He feigned a scolding tone before turning back to Slynt with an apologetic expression.
"My lord, as you can see, since Nina doesn't wish to go, even as her superior, I can't force her to join you for dinner."
Silence fell over the yard.
Jaqen stood beside Neil, his usual blank expression unchanged. The two gold-cloaked guards behind Slynt exchanged uncertain glances. They had never seen anyone refuse their commander so directly and weren't sure what to expect next.
After all, this was King's Landing. In this upper-class district, brute force was not an option.
"Well, in that case… we'll talk about it another time."
To Aegor's surprise, Slynt did not lash out or make threats. Instead, he abruptly changed his approach, adopting a tone of forced politeness.
"Excuse me, then. Let's go."
With that, Janos Slynt turned and strode toward the gate. His two guards hesitated for a beat before hurrying after him.
Within moments, the three unwelcome visitors had vanished.
---
Slynt's sudden shift in demeanor left Aegor uneasy. If what Neil said was true, this wasn't the first time Slynt had come sniffing around. Aegor had just stood up to someone capable of making trouble for him without knowing the full scope of the situation—something that could easily spiral out of control.
"Nina, when did this start? And does Tyrion know about it?"
"It was only two days ago," Nina said anxiously. "I've been too busy to tell Lord Tyrion."
She hesitated, then explained:
"That day, I wore lipstick for the first time, just to try it. I ran into Lord Slynt while leaving the office for lunch. He stopped me, complimented the color, and asked me what it was. Since he's about my father's age, and the commander of the City Watch, I didn't dare ignore him. I answered him politely, but somehow, he suddenly brought up the idea of having dinner together. I felt something was off, so I made an excuse to refuse."
She took a breath before continuing.
"But he didn't give up. He approached me again after work the day before yesterday. Including tonight, this was the third time."
Aegor frowned. Why had Slynt shown up at the Night's Watch office in the first place?
Then it clicked.
Right—his office was located directly across from the City Watch headquarters. It had seemed like a convenient location at first, but now it was proving to be a problem.
---
Neil scowled at his sister. "I told you not to dress up like that, but you wouldn't listen. And now you've caused trouble for Ser Aegor."
Nina looked aggrieved. "I just wanted to test the product one of the applicants sent in! How was I supposed to know he'd be the one attracted?"
"Enough. This isn't Nina's fault." Aegor sighed. This was far from over. As the commander of the City Watch, Slynt had plenty of ways to make trouble. Aegor would just have to deal with it as it came.
"Neil, you mentioned he has a wife and children. Then why is he acting like this—so openly?"
Neil's expression darkened. "It's like this, ser… Janos Slynt was born the son of a butcher. When he got married, he was still just a foot soldier in the City Watch, so his wife was a commoner with no background. No one expected his career to take off, but somehow, he kept climbing until he reached the position of commander."
Neil shook his head in disgust.
"His wife's family has no wealth or power. She can't control him, not now that he's the most powerful man in the City Watch. That old lecher has been running wild in King's Landing for years. He doesn't dare cross the nobility, but ordinary people? We have no way to fight back.
"He will come back."
---
At that moment, Casey returned, carrying their dinner. But as she stepped into the courtyard, she found everyone standing around, their expressions tense. She froze in confusion.
"Ser? What's going on?"
"Nothing," Aegor said. "Shut the door and come inside."
The mounting troubles made him long for the simpler days in the coalition camp, when the only thing he had to worry about was attracting investors. But he had known his time there couldn't last forever. Two months away from King's Landing, and of course, something had gone wrong.
Still, compared to the rapid expansion of the Night's Watch industry, offending a garrison commander wasn't that big of a deal.
Now that he was back, it was time to take responsibility.
"We'll deal with it," Aegor said. "I'll talk to Tyrion soon and see what can be done about him.
"But until then… none of you especially you, Nina—go anywhere alone. Take someone with you, always.
"Now, let's eat. No point in standing around on an empty stomach."
(To be continued.)