Chapter 563

A queen is still a queen, even if blindfolded like a fool. No matter how much deception shrouded her, Daenerys remained the sovereign to whom all swore allegiance.

Her determination to find the true culprit and bring them to justice was so fervent that, despite Aegor’s attempt to leave the case unresolved, every step of the investigation proceeded under her directive without compromise. With the Gifted commanders in charge and her two emissaries overseeing the process, the investigation team was granted the authority of the crown to pursue the poisoner without obstruction throughout Winterfell.

The lynchpin of this entire charade was the poison “Stranger’s Kiss,” whose flawless toxicological profile had laid the foundation for the scheme. Though Qyburn had both concocted and named the poison, it was not his exclusive creation. Years ago, during his research into lifesaving remedies, Qyburn had inadvertently discovered this deadly toxin. Still considering himself a “healer of the highest caliber,” he had dutifully reported his findings to the Citadel, registering its properties in full detail.

This seemingly harmless act of compliance now posed a glaring vulnerability in Aegor’s plan. If the poison’s origin were hidden, any later discovery would expose the ruse. Thus, Aegor opted for a straightforward, brutal solution: Qyburn would “recognize” the poison and “realize in shock” that it was his own stolen concoction.

With this revelation, the investigation’s focus shifted from identifying the poison to uncovering the thief. The rest of the script would then proceed as planned.

Aegor’s rough outline went as follows:

Through questioning, investigators would gather two sets of witness statements. The first would claim that two days before the incident, someone had been seen loitering outside Qyburn’s quarters. The second group would claim that, the day before the poisoning, individuals wearing similar attire had been spotted near the Stark wine cellars and the Gifted army’s kitchen.

Both groups of witnesses would agree on one critical detail: the suspicious individuals wore Northern-style garb with a sigil resembling the flayed man of House Bolton embroidered on their chests.

At this point, all evidence pointed toward the Boltons. However, the investigation leader, Harwin, would raise a crucial doubt: while it was plausible for Bolton men to be near Qyburn’s quarters, their appearance near the Stark wine cellars was suspicious. After all, Bolton soldiers had been forbidden from leaving their encampment following accusations orchestrated by Petyr Baelish.Further inquiries would confirm Harwin’s suspicions: no Bolton soldiers had entered Winterfell on the day before or the day of the incident. This left three possibilities:Every witness had lied—a truth few would suspect.Thieves had scaled the castle walls and bypassed the defenses undetected—an absurd notion.Someone within the castle had impersonated Bolton soldiers to frame Roose Bolton.

To reinforce the third conclusion, a timely discovery would follow: a pile of ashes in a corner of the old courtyard where Bran Stark had fallen from the tower. Among the charred remnants would be a half-burned Bolton uniform, conveniently left behind.

The urgency of this evidence would drive a new wave of searches, but no further witnesses or clues would emerge. The investigation would hit a dead end. According to the plan, after two days of fruitless searching, Aegor would “awaken” and reclaim control, skillfully wrapping up the drama.

This was the plan.

Though hastily arranged, the script accounted for all foreseeable elements. Any unforeseen details could either be adjusted during Aegor’s feigned coma or left to his subordinates’ discretion—after all, having followers meant he didn’t need to handle everything personally.

However, when clashing with someone of Varys’s caliber, waiting for the perfect moment was a fool’s errand. Plans would always encounter unexpected variables, and the longer one delayed, the more likely those variables would derail everything. In a contest of wit and deception, striking swiftly, even imperfectly, often yielded better results than waiting for flawless conditions.

And so, everyone involved in the conspiracy had steeled themselves for unforeseen challenges. Yet, no one had anticipated that the most unexpected twist would occur at the very beginning—and in a way no one had foreseen.

A nonexistent culprit had been discovered.
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The first act of the original script—tracing the poison’s source—began with questioning kitchen staff and other service workers. This was meant to be a mere formality, quickly clearing them of suspicion since Aegor had already arranged for the poison to “originate from the wine cellar, not the kitchen.”

However, during the questioning, the investigating soldiers noticed several kitchen workers acting suspiciously—avoiding eye contact and giving evasive answers. Their behavior raised immediate suspicion.

Though the investigation was intended to be a farce, this fact was known only to Aegor and Harwin. Loyal to their commander and keenly aware of their career stakes, the mid-level officers and rank-and-file soldiers conducting the inquiry worked diligently. Faced with such suspicious behavior, they arrested the workers for interrogation.

This deviation from the script was unexpected. Aegor assumed his subordinates were mishandling the situation, creating wrongful accusations. He instructed Harwin to intervene. Yet before Harwin could act, the interrogations yielded an astonishing result: the detained workers unanimously named a single individual—Mizedan.

Mizedan was a name Aegor barely recognized, having only heard it once before—when the man had falsely reported Arya Stark for carrying a sword within the castle, leading to her brief detention by the Unsullied.

Though Mizedan was technically part of Daenerys’s faction, she hardly knew him. He was one of Varys’s men, officially serving as the spymaster’s secretary and assistant. Seizing a moment when Aegor and Baelish were preoccupied with Varys, Mizedan had quietly infiltrated the Gifted army’s lower ranks, subtly cultivating a network of “friends” among them.

When the Gifted army reported their findings to the Unsullied, Grey Worm immediately led a squad to apprehend Mizedan. The timing was almost comical: Mizedan was caught red-handed, dumping and destroying vials later identified as various poisons. Subsequent analysis by Daenerys’s healers confirmed their toxic nature.

While possessing poisons might seem reasonable for a spymaster’s assistant, Mizedan’s arrest triggered a cascade of unexpected events. After being captured, he managed to commit suicide in his cell by consuming poison hidden in his clothing. He left no confession, no information about any accomplices, and no traces of the poison “Stranger’s Kiss” in his belongings.

But his suicide was damning enough. In the court of public opinion, guilt was already assumed.
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In the privacy of his chambers, Aegor, dressed in sleepwear, sat on the edge of his bed, sipping hot soup and listening to Harwin’s report. For a moment, he was at a loss. The sudden appearance of a scapegoat left him torn between unease and relief.

“We had no involvement in Mizedan’s arrest or interrogation, correct?” he asked.

“Correct. If by involvement you mean direct action, we had none,” Harwin replied. “As per your instructions, we divided responsibilities with the Unsullied. We handled matters involving the Gifted, while the Unsullied dealt with everyone else. Mizedan was apprehended, interrogated, and eventually killed himself—all under their jurisdiction. Our men merely witnessed the process. We never laid a finger on him.”

“Good.” Aegor nodded. Not just good—perfect. This arrangement ensured that Daenerys would never suspect the Gifted of framing Mizedan or silencing him.

Indeed, they hadn’t framed him. From the start, Aegor had intended for the case to remain unsolved, leaving no clear culprit. The Gifted had neither tampered with evidence nor interfered with the investigation. Their hands were clean.

But that only made the situation stranger. If they had done nothing, how had a scapegoat fallen from the sky?

Frowning, Aegor continued questioning Harwin, piecing together scattered details. Slowly, the outline of a far more intricate and deliberate scheme emerged—one orchestrated by his adversary, meticulously designed to overshadow his own plans.

Mizedan had attempted to poison the gathered Northern lords and Daenerys’s closest allies during their feast, aiming to wipe out the entire leadership in one fell swoop. Varys, it seemed, had no intention of subtlety. By sowing chaos and mistrust, he sought to destroy Daenerys’s power base entirely, forcing her into an alliance with Young Griff and the Golden Company.

In the end, Mizedan’s failure and suicide were nothing more than an accident of timing—a serendipitous twist that pinned the blame on him instead of Aegor. As the pieces fell into place, Aegor realized he wasn’t the only one playing the game. He was merely fortunate that, this time, his opponent’s plan had backfired.