"Take off your clothes and stand in the center of the pentagram," Cadmus said in a calm tone, but receiving no response, he looked up at the prince. The scene before him made the mage wear a strange expression. The reason was simple: Aegon looked strangely shy...
Cadmus was left speechless; the boy even had flushed cheeks! "My prince, the ritual must be performed without clothes," the mage spoke a second time.
Aegon looked at Cadmus with anger; he couldn't believe this man didn't know how to be even slightly gentle. However, looking at that handsome, cold face and deep eyes, he had to admit the mage was truly beautiful—as beautiful as his father, who was recognized as one of the most handsome men on the continent.
Looking at his large hands and beautiful, slender body, Aegon felt his lips go dry and looked away. Perhaps sensing that Cadmus was growing increasingly impatient, he took off his clothes and stood completely naked before him, though he was extremely bashful.
Cadmus couldn't help but feel a shiver under Prince Aegon's gaze. He was certain Aegon was looking at him with lust! This left the mage speechless. Ignoring the boy's obvious desire, he began the blood ritual.
He really wanted to finish as quickly as possible; the look Aegon gave him was truly unsettling. He felt the boy was imagining things he didn't even want to know.
In an instant, the blood bathed Aegon. The young man let out a surprised exclamation, and for the first time, someone in House Targaryen acted normally, exactly like an ordinary person.
Aegon let out a pained groan and staggered; his vision blurred for a moment, but he remained standing. Despite being a bit envious and petty, Aegon proved to be more determined than expected, as he stopped groaning painfully and fell silent.
Cadmus looked at the prince in surprise and finally found some quality in him. If Aegon were more discreet in his personal life, the young man would have more support at court than he currently did. Unfortunately, Aegon's reputation was already tarnished, and everyone knew he preferred men.
Cadmus didn't care about Aegon's personal life, but the same couldn't be said for the other lords in Westeros. Honestly, Aegon was like the male version of Rhaenyra, daughter of Viserys I. Fortunately, he was a man and could produce heirs.
If Cadmus were Aegon right now, he would have gotten Margaery pregnant as soon as possible. However, remembering the rumors that Loras, Margaery's brother, was spending day and night in the prince's room, he felt that poor Margaery was destined to have a cold bed as her companion.
Suddenly, sensing there was no more poison in Aegon's body, Cadmus spoke in a calm tone and made the remaining blood return to the barrels. "We're finished, Prince Aegon."
Aegon quickly dressed while keeping his gaze on Cadmus. Seeing him so indifferent to his nudity, a trace of disappointment appeared on the prince's handsome face.
Aegon's thoughts were so clear that Cadmus didn't need to be a mind reader to know what he was thinking. Unfortunately for Aegon, Cadmus had never felt an interest in men and certainly wouldn't start now. Thus, the young prince's crush was destined to be a total failure.
"Thank you for your hard work, Lord Peverell." Aegon finished dressing and spoke in a gentle tone, completely different from how he had spoken to Cadmus during the selection of the dragons and their respective riders.
"No need to thank me; it's my job," Cadmus said in a calm and distant tone. Aegon's increasingly warm gaze was truly irritating him. If the boy weren't Rhaegar's son, he would have turned him into a toad long ago.
Pouting at Cadmus's cold and distant tone, Aegon knew he had made a bad impression, but he felt he could be friends with Cadmus if they talked more and set past disagreements aside.
If Cadmus could hear Aegon's thoughts, he would have rolled his eyes and cursed. Obviously, Aegon didn't want to be his friend at all; he wanted to be something else entirely.
Rubbing his forehead, Cadmus let out a sigh and decided to stay away from Aegon; he felt he was on the verge of casting an Avada Kedavra on the prince.
"By the way, why this ritual?" Aegon asked in a curious tone. His grandmother had simply said it was necessary for him and hadn't explained why, so he was quite curious.
"It's just a spell to strengthen and improve the skin," Cadmus said in a calm tone, not telling the truth. His heart remained beating normally, even while telling such a blatant lie.
Aegon's eyes lit up at Cadmus's words. Touching his own skin, Aegon was pleasantly surprised; beneath the blood, his skin really did feel softer and younger.
"Thank you, Lord Peverell," Aegon said in a gentle and slightly sweet tone.
"Return to your quarters and rest; do not exert yourself today," Cadmus said in a calm tone, but his words were an eviction notice.
Aegon, beaming at the lie about the skin treatment, nodded and left the dungeons with a cheerful and satisfied look.
"Can you continue?" Rhaella entered the dungeon and asked in a concerned tone. From what she remembered, Cadmus had been exhausted after purging the poison from her and Rhaegar's bodies.
"I'm fine—a bit tired, but fine," Cadmus replied, feeling better than the first time he had performed the blood ritual.
Rhaella looked at him with concern and spoke in a calm tone. "I'll bring Maekar."
Rhaella left the dungeons and returned minutes later with Maekar. The boy looked around with curiosity. After all, the entire dungeon had been built by Maegor the Cruel; he had to admit, the Third King of House Targaryen was truly cruel for building something so dark and macabre.
"Surprising," Maekar said in surprise, looking at the entire place, which looked more like a satanic ritual to most people—and even to Maekar, it really did look like a ritual to summon a demon, or at least that's how the stories described it.
Giving her grandson privacy, Rhaella left the dungeons.
"Take off your clothes and stand in the center of the pentagram," Cadmus said in a calm tone, then looked at Maekar and added with a hint of a threat, "If you ask if I saw your grandmother naked, I will turn you into a pig with wings."
Maekar, who hadn't intended to say anything, was taken aback and looked strangely at Cadmus. He hadn't even been thinking about it, but since Cadmus brought it up, the prince looked at him with a very critical and dissatisfied gaze.
However, in the face of Cadmus's threats, Maekar wisely remained silent, but he promised himself he would make Rhaella stay away from Cadmus—the mage obviously wanted to be his "Good Grandfather"!
Faced with the young prince's accusatory and resentful glares, Cadmus ignored him and began the blood ritual without hesitation. "I really prefer my lovely Daenerys over these annoying brats," Cadmus grumbled arrogantly.
Maekar, who was wary of the idea of gaining a "Good Grandfather," felt his body stiffen and experienced the same sensation Daenerys and Aegon had felt moments before. Clenching his fists, he didn't let out even a single pained groan.
The boy had more determination than Aegon, which was normal given that Maekar trained seriously every day, proving he was a truly hardworking teenager who pushed himself hard.
Damn, this hurts! Maekar thought as he remained standing without moving a single step from where he was. Although it was painful, he felt his body was lighter than ever; this feeling of lightness was quite pleasant, so Maekar felt a bittersweet sensation during the blood ritual.
Suddenly, all the pain ceased completely, and Maekar sighed in relief. He opened his eyes and looked at the mage with a deep gaze.
"I would like to know what this blood ritual is about," Maekar asked in a calm tone, quietly putting his clothes back on.
"Would you believe me if I said it's to improve the skin?" Cadmus asked with a smile.
Maekar looked at Cadmus as if he were a fool. Who would be stupid enough to believe something so irrational?
"I'm not going to answer your questions; ask your father or grandmother," Cadmus said in an impatient tone and waved his hand, asking Maekar to leave.
Maekar looked at Cadmus for a few seconds, then turned around and left the dungeons.
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Fuck you Atreus, Kratos from the old regime is coming back. Finally, the most anticipated trilogy!
Kratos, devourer of goddesses and slayer of gods, is returning. Aphrodite, prepare to suffer at my hands once again.
Read the advanced chapters on my Patreon!
/GOTSW
Read my other books:
Game Of Thrones: The God-Emperor of Planetos (500,000 words written).
Percy Jackson: Godwyn the Golden.
Game Of Thrones: The King's Court Wizard