No matter how grand a banquet is, there will always be a time when the curtain will come to an end.

As night wore on, Sir Baelor sent the last of his guests away, and dragged his tired body to the Earl of Leighton's chambers.

"Father."

The Earl of Leighton stood by the window, looking at the reflection of the stars and flames on the surface of the sea.

At this time, the "old man in the old town" completely lost the gentleness and friendliness when he saw outsiders, and he looked preoccupied.

However, Baylor was not surprised by this, as he knew from a young age that his father had a smile mask that he only wore when he saw outsiders.

Gradually, he also learned this skill.

It's a pity that he didn't learn the essence, compared to his father's proper nature, he seemed a little deliberate.

The nickname of "Laughing Baylor" seems to be a mockery of him.

"Something?" Earl Layton returned to the table and sat down, asking casually.

Baylor stepped forward and poured his father a glass of wine, and then poured himself a glass as well, and said:

"Jenny just found me......"

Before he could finish speaking, the old earl snorted softly and said:

"She wants to marry Lan Li?"

Baylor nodded, not surprised that his father could guess this.

After all, her daughter actually directly snatched the first dance that should have belonged to Miss Margaery at the banquet, and her good impression of Duke Lanli had long been seen by everyone.

"No way!" Count Layton refused without hesitation.

"Father, are you worried that Duke Lanli is unwilling to marry Jenny? But the Hightowers are also the number one nobles in Westeros, so you can test the attitude of the Duke. ”

Earl Layton shook his head and said, "No matter what Lan Li's attitude is, I won't agree. ”

Baylor was stunned and hesitated, "Father, are you worried about those rumors about Duke Lanli and his attendants?" ”

"Nope. Regardless of whether Lan Li likes men or women, I will not agree to Jenny marrying him. ”

Now Baylor didn't understand: "Why? ”

Earl Layton took a sip of wine and asked, "What do you think Lan Lili is doing in Old Town?" Is it really to see the tower? ”

Bellemore clenched his glass and fell into deep thought.

Seeing this, the Earl of Leighton reminded again: "And your sister, why did she suddenly remember to come back to see me at this time?" ”

Baylor frowned: "Are you saying that it's not a coincidence that my sister and Duke Lanli appeared in the Tower of Babel at the same time?" ”

The Earl of Leighton refilled himself with another glass of wine and said, "I never believe in coincidence. ”

Baylor pondered for a moment, suddenly remembered something, and said:

"In the middle of the banquet before, the Duke of Lanli suddenly wanted to paint a portrait of Miss Margaery, could he be for this? Is he going to propose to the Tyrells? ”

"Why are they coming to me? Go straight to the High Court. ”

When Baylor heard this, he was stunned.

Earl Layton looked at his sluggish son, unable to hide his disappointment, but still said patiently:

"No matter what they are planning, we should not get involved, let alone get too involved with Lan Li. You tell Jenny that I'll help her find a good husband, but Lan Li can't. ”

Baylor was a little unwilling, and after taking a sip of wine, he persuaded again:

"Father, are you too suspicious? Maybe it's really just a coincidence. I think Duke Lan Li is the most outstanding figure in the younger generation of the Seven Kingdoms, and if Jenny can marry him, it will be ...... to our family."

"What is our ethnic language?" Earl Layton interrupted suddenly.

"Huh?" Baylor had no idea that his father would ask such a question.

Count Leighton patiently asked again, "What is the language of the Hightowers?" ”

Baylor came back to his senses and blurted out, "We light the way." （We Light The Way）”

"Yes, we light the way." Earl Layton's tone changed, "I didn't let you lead the way." ”

"Huh?" Baylor was a little unable to keep up with the old earl's train of thought.

The Earl of Layton sighed again and explained:

"We light the way ahead so that others can lead the way, and we just follow behind. The road ahead is difficult, and although the scenery is infinite in front of you, you may also die a miserable death. But as a lamp bearer in the back, it is very safe.

The first time I saw him, I saw endless ambition in his eyes. This is a guy who wants to rush to the front row, and we must stay away from him so that we don't get blood splattered in the future. ”

After Baylor heard this, he did not speak for a long time.

It seemed that for the first time, he knew that his family's ethnic language could be understood in this way.

However, when he recalled the "glorious deeds" in the history of the Hightower family, he had to admit sadly that perhaps this was the true meaning of the ethnic language.

Seeing this, the Earl of Layton did not comfort him, but drank his wine to himself, patiently waiting for his son to digest the political wisdom of the Hightower family.

This is the true mystery of this ancient family's longevity to this day.

After a long time, Baylor came back to his senses, the expression on his face was extremely complicated, he poured himself a large sip of wine, and asked:

"Didn't you let me marry Princess Elia of Dorne back then?"

"That's right." Earl Leighton nodded, "Looking back at what happened to Ellie, are you also glad that you were a father back then?" ”

Unconvinced, Baylor argued, "But if Elia had married me, she wouldn't have died in King's Landing!" ”

Layton shook his head, his tone full of vicissitudes: "You still don't understand. Some things have long been engraved on the tablet of fate by the gods, they are doomed and cannot be escaped. The only thing we mortals can do is to guess as far as we can from the whispers of the Tablet of Fate who those poor creatures are, and then move away from them.

Of course, mortal wisdom is limited after all, and we can't guarantee that we can guess it every time, so we can only stay away from all the guys who may be the guides. We can light the way for them, but we must remember to hide ourselves in the dark. ”

Baylor sighed, and seemed to have figured out a lot of things before:

"When Duke Tywin proposed to you for his second son, this is also the reason why you bluntly refused?"

"That's right."

"And what about my sister Ellery? Didn't you marry her to the Duke of Metz yet? ”

When the Earl of Layton heard this, his face showed an undisguised sarcasm: "Do you think the 'inflatable fish' also has the appearance of a leader?" ”

Baylor coughed a few times in embarrassment, but was still unconvinced:

"But Lord Tywin's second son, Tyrion, is just a dwarf, so how can Duke Mace be better than him?"

Earl Leighton smiled and said:

"What about the gnomes? Isn't Perrymore Hightower, the founder of the school, also a cripple with a twisted body? Changing the world doesn't have to be a strong body, and so is a smart mind. And the dwarf of Castle Rock is the only one of Tywin's three children who has truly inherited the lion spirit. Son, you have to remember that some people are much taller than they look. ”

Baylor didn't want to argue with his father anymore, put down his glass, said goodnight and prepared to leave.

As soon as he got up, he heard his father say again:

"And that Samwell Caesar, we can trade with him normally, but don't get too close to him."

Baylor was stunned for a moment, and then asked in disbelief:

"You don't think Samwell Caesar could be the leader, do you?"

The Earl of Layton asked rhetorically:

"Give you two hundred soldiers, and in half a year, can you gain a foothold in the Crimson Mountains and make tens of thousands of savages submit?"

Baylor was speechless for a moment, and only after a while sighed, turned and walked out.

just walked to the door, but he turned his head again, his face unwilling:

"But father, if we have been hiding in the dark, don't you worry that we will be forgotten?"

Earl Layton snorted lightly and said:

"Remember your uncle Geralt? He's a Hightower who doesn't want to be forgotten, so he goes to King's Landing. You must know what happened next, the captain of the Kingsguard, the strongest shield in front of the king, and one of the best knights in the history of the Seven Kingdoms, 'White Bull' Geralt!

Hehe, what a big reputation!

I never thought that there would be such a knight from the Seven Kingdoms in the bloodline of Hightower.

But the result?

Didn't he die in the Tower of Elysium? ”

The Earl of Layton leaned back, leaned back in his chair, and let his face hide in the darkness, and his tone became tired and deep:

"It is better to be forgotten than to be destroyed."