"Beast. Tyrant. Merciless. They whisper these names behind my back. But when I say, I love you, it is not out of desire, nor out of denial. It is not for my sake at all. I love you for what you are, for what you do, for how you fight. I have witness...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Alicent stepped closer and gently took her hands. “You don’t have to do everything he says. You have a choice, Charlotte. Remember what Mother told us...”
“I remember.” Charlotte yanked her hands away. “She loved you best, didn’t she? You were her favorite. I was Father’s.”
Alicent flinched. “Sister...”
“Don’t pity me. You were hers, I am his. I don’t have the luxury of defiance.”
“I follow orders!” Alicent snapped. “I’ve done my duty, just like you.”
“Oh really?” Charlotte laughed coldly. “Then why haven’t you married any of the suitors in Oldtown? You think Father doesn’t know the trouble you’ve caused Uncle Hobert and Aunt Lynesse? Running off, leaving them to clean up after you?”
“That’s not true! I didn’t ask to be married!”
“But you should’ve been,” Charlotte said coldly. “Olivia has done her duty, she married Ser Garlen Tyrell. A perfect alliance. Something you failed to accomplish.”
Alicent scoffed. “So that’s what it is to you? Wealth, power, marriage, and duty? No wonder you wait so eagerly for the King’s return. You think you’ll seduce him into marriage, maybe even his bed.”
“Watch your tongue, Alicent,” Charlotte warned, her voice low and sharp. “Tread carefully. Don’t bite off more than you can chew.”
“Or what?” Alicent’s eyes narrowed. “Ten years apart, and I thought time might have changed you. But you’re just like Father, ambitious, greedy, and willing to climb over anyone to get to the top.”
Naomi stepped into the corridor, humming softly, when the sound of raised voices drew her attention. Frowning, she followed the commotion to Charlotte’s chamber, only to find her two older sisters locked in a heated argument.
Charlotte scoffed, arms folded, chin raised. “That’s how the world works, Alicent. You make sacrifices. Do you think Father became Hand by chance? He clawed his way to power, and now he’s offering us a better life. That’s something worth fighting for.”
Alicent stood firm, her voice calm but cutting. “That’s his legacy, Charlotte. Not yours. So tell me, what exactly are you fighting for?”
Charlotte stepped closer, unflinching. “The King’s heart.”
Alicent reeled as if struck. “The King?”
“What?” Naomi blurted from the doorway.
Charlotte turned toward her half-sisters, eyes gleaming. “Oh, don’t pretend to be surprised. Yes. I want King Maegor’s heart, and I will have it. For the sake of our house, for our father’s ambitions, for myself. I love him. And if I become his queen, House Hightower will stand above all others. Father will rule beside him, and I....” she inhaled deeply, “...will bear the next future king of Westeros.”
![TO LOVE A KING || Maegor II Targaryen [SLOW UPDATES]](https://img.wattpad.com/cover/367641067-64-k416897.jpg)