TO LOVE A KING || Maegor II Targaryen [SLOW UPDATES]

032▪️ BITTER SWEET FRUIT

The morning sun crept gently through the high arched windows of the Tower of the Hand, pouring golden light over the long breakfast table set for the Hightower family.

The hall smelled faintly of figs and baked bread, of morning ink and rosewater. Silver cutlery gleamed beside painted cups, and the air buzzed softly with the clinking of plates and a tension unspoken.

Lord Otto Hightower sat at the head of the table, posture straight, his attention only half on the food before him. His eyes scanned his daughters like a man watching a chessboard mid-match.

Otto Hightower, stern and dignified in his robes of state, sat at the head. His youngest daughter, Charlotte, sat opposite him, her posture perfect, serene and lovely as a painted portrait, yet her sharp green eyes missed nothing.

Alicent sat beside her, dressed modestly in soft green, and across from her, Naiomi Hightower picked at her food with elegant fingers, her sharp eyes glancing at her sisters.

"How are you feeling this morning, Alicent?" Otto asked, not unkindly, as he sliced into a boiled quail egg.

Alicent smiled faintly. "I'm well, Father."

Naiomi's gaze narrowed, catching a shimmer at her sister's neck. "So," she said lightly, "you found it."

Alicent touched the necklace silver and jade, delicate, unmistakably their mother’s. She sighed. "I did."

Charlotte watched them silently, shifted slightly in her seat, her fork hovering above her plate,her eyes flickering between her sisters. She said nothing, but the look on her face said she was already cataloging what this meant.

Naiomi hummed, amused. "Curious. I thought it was lost."

Otto dabbed his mouth with a napkin. "Did she tell you she went out last night in the rain to look for it?"

Naiomi's hand froze mid-motion. "In the rain?"

Alicent stiffened. "Father, it was a mistake. I was already out before the rain began to fall."

"You should have waited till morning," Otto reprimanded. "A lady doesn’t roam in the dark. She does not prowl the Keep after dusk It is uncultured. Unwise."

Alicent held her tongue, lips pressed tight.

"I even thought it was Ser Euron Greyjoy you went to see," Otto muttered, his voice clipped with suspicion.

Both Naiomi and Alicent turned to Charlotte, appalled.

Charlotte gave a careless shrug. "It’s not a bad thing. After all, he seems quite taken with her."

Before Alicent could speak, a knock came on the chamber door. A servant stepped in, bowed low to Otto, and murmured, "My lord, Ser Orys Baratheon requests an audience."

Naiomi’s brows shot up. Alicent frowned, a crease appearing between her brows. Charlotte didn’t flinch, but her eyes gleamed with subtle interest.

Otto set down his goblet and stood. "Let him in."