The journey of film and television world is endless

#285 - Chapter 19: The Death of the King

Cersei wore a gloating smile, clearly pleased to see Tyrion humiliated. Tywin, however, remained expressionless and motionless, as if completely unconcerned with what was happening before him.

Tyrion looked around at the people surrounding him, filled with helplessness. He slowly stood up and walked heavily towards Joffrey. Just as he was about to reach out and take the goblet, Joffrey suddenly released his grip, and the goblet crashed to the floor.

Tyrion turned to bend down and pick up the goblet, but a foot swiftly kicked it away, sending it rolling far away, down the steps.

Tyrion turned his head, his gaze landing on Tywin, but he found his father expressionless, without a hint of reaction. He suppressed the anger rising in his heart and silently walked to the center of the stage. The actors around him, seeing this, scurried aside in panic.

Tyrion bent down, carefully picked up the golden goblet, then returned to the stage and offered it to Joffrey. However, Joffrey spoke again, saying, "What good is an empty cup? Fill it for me."

Tyrion silently picked up the wine jug, filled the goblet, and handed it to Joffrey once more. But this time, Joffrey didn't seem satisfied; he began to deliberately make things difficult for Tyrion: "Kneel! Kneel before your king."

Faced with Joffrey's unreasonable demand, Tyrion stood firm, holding the goblet high, without any intention of yielding. Joffrey's face grew increasingly ugly, and he said through gritted teeth, "Kneel, I command you in the name of the king."

Tyrion raised the goblet, his eyes as cold as ice, staring intently at the person before him. At that moment, Tyrion's heart was filled with anger and forbearance, but on the surface, he remained calm. He thought to himself that if this guy said one more word of nonsense, he would definitely not hesitate to throw the wine in his hand at that repulsive face.

"Oh, I guess I have to do it." Margaery, ever the mood-setter, sighed helplessly, but quickly plastered on an expression of ecstatic delight and shouted, "Wow! Look at that! What an enticing pie!" (Foreign pies are essentially filled pastries. When I watched the original series, it always looked like a giant mooncake.)

The crowd, seeing this, understood it was a perfect opportunity to defuse the situation and stood up to applaud and cheer.

Joffrey's expression remained gloomy and fierce. Reluctantly taking the goblet, he lowered his voice and said viciously, "Hmph, you're lucky this time. I'll deal with you later!" With that, he raised the goblet and drained it in one gulp. Then, accompanied by Margaery, he walked to the huge pie, raised his long sword, and swung it down with all his might. With a "whoosh," the giant pie was split open, and a flock of white doves flew out.

The maids in the court immediately sprang into action, expertly cutting the pie into small pieces and distributing them to each guest present. Margaery smiled as she accepted a piece of pie from a maidservant, carefully scooped up a small bite with a spoon, and gently brought it to Joffrey's lips. Joffrey absentmindedly ate a few bites, still seemingly preoccupied with what had just happened, and suddenly called out to Tyrion, who was preparing to slip away quietly: "Hey, my dear uncle, where are you going? You're my cupbearer today. Have you forgotten?"

Tyrion: "Your Majesty, I'd like to change my clothes. This outfit is soaked." As he spoke, he tugged at his wet collar.

Joffrey sat on his high seat, his eyes narrowed slightly, with a hint of mockery as he said, "No need. I think you look quite dashing in that. Go get me another cup of wine. This pie is too dry; I need a drink to wash it down."

Hearing this, Tyrion felt a surge of helplessness, but he dared not disobey the order. He silently turned and walked towards the table, glancing at his father, Tywin, as he passed. Tywin sat expressionless, even though he also thought the king had lost face in front of everyone today and was looking for an opportunity to vent his anger.

Tyrion took the golden cup, filled it with wine, and returned to Joffrey to hand it to him. Joffrey triumphantly took the cup and unhesitatingly tilted his head back and drained it. However, as soon as he swallowed the first mouthful, he suddenly frowned, followed by a violent fit of coughing.

"Ugh, damn it! What's happening? Cough, cough!" Joffrey tried to stop coughing, but he found that the more he tried, the worse the coughing became. His face turned red, and his throat felt as if something was blocking it, making it impossible to breathe.

As the coughing intensified, Joffrey couldn't even utter a complete sentence. The once lively banquet scene instantly fell silent, and everyone's attention focused on the king, who was suddenly in distress.

Margaery, seeing this, cried out in panic, "He's choking! Someone help him!" Her voice was full of fear and anxiety, prompting others to gather around.

The first to rush forward was Cersei, who tightly embraced the struggling Joffrey, her face filled with horror and despair. The once lively banquet scene instantly descended into chaos, with everyone gathering around in panic. Jaime also frantically pushed through the crowd, but he was equally helpless in the face of this scene.

The Grand Maester, who was the only one who could possibly help, had already been dismissed by Cersei, and the others were powerless, able only to watch helplessly. Joffrey's condition worsened, and blood began to flow from his orifices. His face turned as purple as an eggplant from suffocation, and his eyes bulged as if they were about to pop out of their sockets. He struggled to reach out his hands, staring intently ahead, as if trying to grasp at the last glimmer of life.

At that moment, everyone's gaze converged on Tyrion, who had just picked up the goblet. However, the poison acted too quickly. In less than two minutes, Joffrey had breathed his last, lifeless.

Perhaps the pain of losing her son was too sudden. Cersei was unable to accept the reality for a moment, remaining stunned in place, muttering to herself, "Joffrey, my child... Save him, someone save him!" Her mournful voice echoed in the air, moving people to compassion.

When Joffrey was completely still, his body stiffly falling to the ground, she seemed to awaken from a dream, widening her eyes in disbelief, staring fixedly at Tyrion, her face full of anger, her voice trembling with extreme hatred, screaming, "It was you! You did it! You demon, you killed my son! Guards, seize him! Don't let him escape!"