GOT/ASOIAF: Ruler Beyond The Ice

Chapter 642 644: Leak (Part 2)

The suspect of the leak was quickly brought before him, trembling. Aegor did not question him immediately. Instead, he crossed his arms, frowned, and stared at him for several seconds. He used silence and his gaze to pressure the man until his breathing became uneven and his legs began to weaken, then finally broke the standoff.

"Stand straight!" Aegor growled first, lest this older brother also follow his sister's example and kneel to beg for mercy. "Speak honestly," he continued harshly, "What benefits did House Tyrell give you that made you tell them everything without reservation?"

"My lord, I absolutely did not take any benefits to sell information!" Although his legs shook like a sieve, Neil forced himself to straighten his knees. "I did receive gifts from Lady Margaery, but they were only inexpensive, customary items like local fruits and homemade wine. At that time, the Night's Watch Industry and Highgarden were still business partners. This was just normal friendly exchange between cooperating parties. Altogether, it was only worth about ten golden dragons, and I returned the favor. My lord, you know Nina and I both have shares in the industry. Whether from dividends or salary, we are not short of money at all. How could I covet such a small gain and betray important secrets!"

Indeed, Neil and Nina, the siblings, both held shares in the industry, and not a small amount. Excluding landed nobles such as lords and knights, even if counted separately, they could rank among the top commoner magnates in the Seven Kingdoms. However, wealth does not guarantee incorruptibility. Aegor had seen many people, both before and after his transmigration, who were already rich yet still insatiably greedy.

"Since they did not give you money, then did Margaery sleep with you?"

"Ah?" Neil froze for a moment, then shook his head rapidly. "How could that be? How could someone so high above look at a small commoner like me? Lady Margaery is indeed approachable, but I have not even touched her hand."

"From your tone, it seems you would quite like to touch her?" Aegor sneered, his voice turning even harsher. "Then I do not understand. If House Tyrell had given you great benefits, it would at least make sense that you did not treat them as outsiders. If that girl Margaery had slept with you and you let slip a few words in intimacy, I might even praise your capability. Now neither is the case, so tell me, what were you hoping to gain by discussing my correspondence and even my itinerary with the Industrial Park with her? You are the director of the Industrial Research Institute, not some insignificant clerk. You have no sense of secrecy or information sensitivity. What should be said and what should not, how did you keep this position?"

"I..." Neil stammered. How could he say what was truly on his mind? He knew his admiration for Margaery was a delusion. Even if he could not have her, merely being near her was enough to bring him satisfaction. Interacting with such a young, beautiful, and pleasant noble lady, even casual conversation, was deeply enjoyable and greatly fed his vanity. Once that impulse took hold, how could he control his tongue?

"Your subordinate admits guilt. My lord, please punish me!"

"Punishment? Easy for you to say! How much is the secret of Powder worth? What impact will leaking this secret have on the coming war? How many casualties will it cause for our army? What punishment is appropriate? I will give you the chance to say it yourself now!"

Though his words were sharp and intimidating, Aegor himself was uncertain.

They said even a wise judge cannot settle family disputes, and he had encountered exactly that.

This matter was difficult to resolve. First, based on current information, what Neil did had not yet reached the level of malicious collusion with the enemy. He did not know the formula for Powder. He had only deduced that it contained sulfur and nitrate, which coincidentally made up two-thirds of it. When the leak occurred, the marriage alliance between Aegor and Margaery had not yet been announced, and the bombardment of the Golden Company had not yet taken place. Neil did not know Powder was the core consumable of thermal weapons, nor that the Riverlands and the Night's Watch had become enemies rather than partners.

Even if these excuses did not change the nature of leaking important secrets, the second difficulty was real. Neil had someone above him.

That person was not Nina, but Aegor himself.

If Daenerys's faction were compared to a company, Daenerys would be the boss, and he the general manager. When something went wrong in a department and affected the entire company, the boss would not care about the details or who was right or wrong. She would hold the person in charge accountable, and that person was him.

If Neil's actions were exposed and punished, causing Nina to lose heart and the industry to become estranged would be a minor issue. The greater loss would be revealing the matter unnecessarily and reducing his reliability in Daenerys's eyes. Within the Night's Watch faction, there had already been a poisoning case, followed by a major leak. What was the use of being able to fight alone?

Even if the leak caused no serious consequences, the accusations of poor judgment and nepotism could not be shaken off. They would become a stain on his record, haunting him and negatively affecting his future recommendations and appointment as Hand.

This situation would not improve even if he sacrificed his relative for righteousness and punished the offender.

While Aegor weighed the pros and cons, Neil proposed a plan. "My lord, please transfer me to the Gift. Let me endure the cold there for a time, clear my mind, and reflect on my mistakes."

Exile to the Gift was indeed a feasible punishment. However, there were far more secrets in the arsenal there than in the Industrial Park. With Neil's status as his brother-in-law, if he were sent far away and beyond the watch of Aegor and Nina, who could feel at ease?

"Summer is coming soon. Going to the Wall now, is it to suffer the cold or escape the heat?" Aegor ignored Neil's suggestion and turned to Nina, who stood silently beside him. "So far, besides the three of us, does anyone else know about this?"

"No. After I discovered it, I brought him here immediately without stopping."

Good. Though the older brother was unreliable, the younger sister was consistently sensible and sharp.

At a high position, one should conceal what can be concealed. Sharing the ruler's burdens without exposing weaknesses to outsiders was the correct course.

"Thank your sister properly, she saved your life!" Aegor let out a breath, then glared at Neil and gestured aside. "Stand over there. I will decide how to deal with you later."

In the end, he chose a path often seen as villainous, deceiving both above and below.

Suppressing the matter was the result of careful calculation, but it did not mean he intended to spare Neil. Nina believed her brother was the leaker, but that might not be the full truth. Even if it was, how much he had revealed still required investigation. Even if no further issues were found, if he was not severely reprimanded, this careless relative would bring greater trouble sooner or later.

Coincidentally, Aegor already had another matter related to secrets scheduled for tonight. A sudden idea formed in his mind.

...

A moment later, another pair of subordinates, delayed earlier by the incident, were summoned into the room.

Jarman Buckwell, a former City Watch officer who had been forced to take the black for supporting Renly and betraying Stannis. Though his luck in choosing sides was poor, his methods and abilities were unquestionable. Aegor often entrusted him with difficult tasks. After recognizing the weaknesses in intelligence and politics within his forces at the Gift, Aegor assigned him and his personal guard Harvey to establish an intelligence department. After taking King's Landing and entering the Red Keep, he gave them two even more difficult tasks: to investigate the identity and origin of the true culprit behind the poisoning, and to monitor Illyrio along with his associates, subordinates, and spies.

Tonight was the time for them to report their latest progress.

(To be continued.)

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