Kingdom’s Bloodline

Thelma opened her eyes slightly, and took the exquisite box with some surprise.

She first looked at the smiling Thales suspiciously, then gently opened it.

"This is……"

Thelma saw what was in the box and looked up in surprise.

"When I wrote a letter to the country last year, I asked Gilbert and the others to do it, and Puttilai brought it here today." Thales blinked triumphantly, and grabbed the things in the box:

"You know, the craftsmen in Xingchen are relatively good... I have measured the curvature and thickness of the lenses according to their requirements, hoping there will be no major mistakes, and I have prepared several pairs of spare lenses..."

"If there is a mistake, I have to regrind the lens - it is said that manual polishing is very expensive..."

Thelma took a breath and looked at the obviously delicately crafted item in Thales's hand.

"Introducing... the pince-nez!"

Thales smiled, and picked up the pair of new glasses in his hand that were completely different from the pair on the girl's face.

These glasses are very strange. They have no earpieces at all, and only have a chain on one side of the frame. The frame is very thin and the nose pad is slightly strange.

Thales skillfully stretched out his left hand, caressed one side of Thelma's forehead, and took off the big and heavy black-rimmed eyes on her face.

It's as if you've practiced it thousands of times.

\u003ccenter\u003e\u003c/center\u003e But Selma just stared at him blankly, and let the prince take off her glasses without any resistance, and she didn't even care that her eyesight was greatly affected.

It seems to have been experienced thousands of times.

Thales fiddled with the new glasses in his hand excitedly, pressed them on the bridge of the girl's nose, and lightly touched the soft skin on her face with his fingers: "Like this, using a little air pressure, pinch the nose, and it will stabilize Glasses, no need to wear ears at all!"

"Then put this chain in..." Thales grabbed the thin chain at one end of the glasses, lowered his head, trying to find a pocket on Thelma's body to put it in.

But he was embarrassed to find that there were no pockets on the girl's body, and the only gap was her chest, which was tightly bound by both the coat and the corset...

"It's fine if you don't let it go." The second prince looked away awkwardly, and put the chain into the opponent's hand.

The first time she put on the glasses without earpieces, Thelma reacted and opened her mouth wide in surprise.

She carefully held the small new mirror frame, shook her head as if afraid of it falling off, and then looked up to look around.

Thales observed the new image of the Grand Duchess: the almost transparent pince-nez freed Thelma's face from the torture of the black frame. At this moment, the girl blinked her eyes in confusion, and she lost the old-fashioned and seriousness of the past. It looks quite cute and cute.

Thales let out a sigh of satisfaction, picked up Thelma's worn out old glasses, and smiled.

After a few seconds, the girl finally adjusted to her new glasses.

"Thank you." Thelma lowered her head, seeming a little embarrassed.

"You're welcome, I've wanted to say it a long time ago," the prince said with a smile, "As the leader of this land, wearing those black-rimmed glasses is always a bit too serious—like a frog, haha."

To his surprise, Thelma's performance was very calm, neither agitated nor excited, nor curious and doubtful.

but...

"Hey, Thales." The girl stared blankly at the distance while holding her glasses blankly.

Thales raised his eyebrows: "Huh?"

Thelma raised her head slightly.

Thales noticed that there was some redness around her eye sockets.

No way.

It's just a gift, so moved?

Thales, who was most afraid of seeing people crying, felt his heart skip a beat.

"Thales," Thelma said softly, "Do you remember that day six years ago?"

Thales narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"The day we first met."

"That night, that morning, that morning."

Her voice is illusory and thin,

As if floating from afar.

Thales frowned, thinking of the past.

that night.

Nuln, Rumba, the bloody crown, the newborn Grand Duchess.

"Of course," his words became serious unconsciously, and he looked directly at the girl in front of him: "How can I forget that kind of experience."

"Because of you, Thales," Selma looked at him seriously, "I became a grand princess."

"Without you, I wouldn't be who I am today."

Thales was slightly taken aback, and was about to speak, but Thelma just shook her head, and Thales was speechless for a while with red eyes.

He just felt a tightness in his chest.

only……

Why mention this?

"You said," saw Thelma sniffling, with a faint nasal voice, and a slightly sad gaze shot from behind the new glasses: "You will always be by my side, you will face with me, You can……"

Thales' lips parted slightly.

"Ah," the prince took a deep breath, recalling what he had said before, subconsciously showing a reassuring smile: "I will always protect you."

Thelma didn't speak.

She just looked at the prince quietly.

The emotion in his eyes made Thales quite uneasy.

The two just looked at each other quietly.

After a long while, the dull atmosphere was finally broken by the girl's laughter.

It's just that this laughter didn't seem so happy to Thales.

"Thank you."

"I'm sorry," the girl said with a touch of disappointment, "It's obviously nothing to do with you... I shouldn't have kicked you today."

ah?

Thales opened his eyes wide at first, and then touched his head with some doubts.

Today's Selma is somewhat beyond his expectations.

The prince could only smile awkwardly with doubts.

"It's okay," Thales sighed softly, shaking his head helplessly: "Who made us friends?"

"As you said: Life and death are shared."

Speaking of this, Selma trembled slightly!

The Grand Duchess raised her head abruptly, as if she had made up her mind.

"Thales!" Thelma let out a breath, and her words froze: "Today's hearing...that..."

Thales felt something: "Huh? What?"

But at this moment, Thelma's eyes looking directly at Thales suddenly dimmed again.

Like letting go of something.

Thales looked at her suspiciously.

What the hell...

In the next second, Thelma's tone and rhythm returned to a steady state.

"That... the ravens are coming from Qiyuan City," she said, turning her head, as if she didn't care, "Ronnie and his allies, the three princes in the north, want to invite me, to invite Dragon Clouds City to fight against the king's decree." Sign the manifesto in support of their protest."

"Oh, that's a good thing," Thales, who was full of doubts, thought of the major events in Exeter in the past few months-the new knighthood decree introduced by King Charmain in the Black Sand Territory was almost unanimously opposed by the whole country And condemnation, it is estimated that it is in a state of desperation at present-some gloat:

"Give Rumba some color."

"Yeah," Thelma sneered, but her tone was a little low: "It's a good thing."

Thales frowned and looked at the sullen girl in front of him.

"Speaking of this, do you know that we will have a new teacher soon," the prince asked tentatively, "Pitilai invited him from the Duchy of Anrenzo, and he said that he is a highly respected teacher... "

But the next moment, Selma stood up extremely abruptly.

"I'm full, you can continue." The Grand Duchess replied with a calm and calm expression.

Thales was taken aback.

ah?

But she just...

"Tomorrow, the old time, the library," Thelma showed a pale smile: "A batch of new books has arrived, don't forget, let's read together."

Thales nodded subconsciously.

The girl turned her lips slightly at him, nodded vaguely, then walked out of the dining room quickly, clutching her fists.

Thales was left alone, staring in a daze at the table full of food for no apparent reason.

she.

What's wrong?

The prince stared blankly at the back of the girl leaving.

On her seat, there seemed to be a faint body fragrance left.

Thales suddenly realized: When Selma left, she left the pair of black-rimmed glasses on the dining table and did not take them away.

————

The Garden of Blood, that night.

"You really don't know?"

In the room, Puttilai crossed his legs on the sofa, puffed on his pipe easily, and said to Thales with a serious face in front of him.

"Of course, a foreign prince is not allowed to mix in the Hall of Heroes on the hearing day." Thales said a little anxiously: "What happened in the hearing meeting in Dragon Clouds City today? It's the same as the female archduke who basically doesn't speak. Does it matter?"

Puttilai clicked his tongue with a comfortable expression.

"Well, although I can't get in, I still have some channels after all..."

"Puttilai, if you know something, tell me quickly," Thales sighed, and urged again and again: "I'm really in a hurry."

Thales stretched out his hand involuntarily, and gently squeezed the old pair of glasses in his pocket.

My heart feels a little heavy.

Putilei nodded and snorted softly.

"Listen to me, Your Highness," the former Deputy Envoy said calmly, "Today, in the middle of the hearing in Dragon Clouds City, someone suddenly accused you."

Thales raised his eyebrows.

"Blame who?"

The prince was a little surprised, he pointed at himself: "Me?"

"Well," Puttilai said slowly while observing Thales' reaction: "Some people say that the young prince from Xingchen forcibly occupied a civilian shop just to play chess—it's in the Spear District , once a month."

"ah?"

Thales put out an "o" mouth in surprise.

But I went to play chess in the spear area, including the chess room...

But Puttilai's words continued slowly: "During this period, that prince encouraged his lawless subordinates to hunt in the suburban jungle that only belonged to the lord... to hunt hares."

Thales was confused again.

When the hell am I going to let my men go hunting hares...

wait... this...

Thales thought of the figure under a certain cloak, and suddenly his chest felt tight, his eyes darkened, and he felt that he almost spit out a mouthful of blood.

"Anyway, it caused an uproar," Putilei took a puff of cigarette, grunted twice in satisfaction, and then continued: "The vassals at the political meeting heard that the enemy prince was arrogant in Longxiao City, which tolerated him. After their domineering behavior, they all demanded from the Regent of Lisbane with righteous indignation..."

"Demand to implement corresponding punishments for your crimes...such as harsher dungeon detention," Puttilai said with a chuckle, "such as the unique whipping in the Northland."

Thales opened his eyes wide in disbelief.

"Crime? Then," His Royal Highness suddenly realized something, he cast a suspicious look at Putilei who was smoking leisurely: "Wait, your prince is about to be spanked, why are you so calm?"

Puttila chuckled, and shook his head in front of the slightly dissatisfied Thales.

"Don't worry, Your Highness."

"Your luck is as good as ever."

"Something unexpected happened," Puttilai said with a nostalgic tone: "For the first time, the first time in six years."

"The fifteen-year-old Grand Duchess of Walton, who was silent during the hearing days in the past..."

"I actually stood up from my seat excitedly."

Thales frowned.

she……

Stand up?

"The Grand Duchess Walton shocked everyone—she stood up to the fierce denunciation of almost all her vassals, and said she was willing to use her reputation and authority as a guarantee," Puttilai said lightly, but in Thales' ears But so shocking:

"Guarantee that you have her permission for all your actions: if you want to hold accountable, start with her."

Thales was stunned.

He stared at the void in a daze, unconsciously said: "And then?"

Putilei's face darkened.

He lowered his raised legs and sat upright.

"Then..."

"There is a viscount who doesn't have eyesight, that lady who accused you in public," Puttilai sighed, "She said that she is so protective of a hostage prince. Could it be that there is..."

Thales listened blankly to Puttilai's narration, not paying any attention to the special address His Excellency had intended for the girl.

"Of course, he was beaten black and blue by the angry Northlanders on the spot, and he was driven out of the hall."

"The next thing is ugly. I heard that the Grand Duchess lost her temper and smashed a stone cup - the Regent of Lisbane almost couldn't control the scene."

"For an outsider... I think the vassals of Longxiao City probably have a worse impression of their female lord."

After Puttilai finished speaking, he exhaled lightly and blew out a smoke ring.

turn out to be……

Thales unconsciously sat down on the bed with a shocked expression.

He touched his knee, remembering the girl's kick.

she today...

He thought of her abrupt words at the dinner table, the tone of crying.

because I……

"But because of this matter, many of the vassals looked very ugly. They all remonstrated in unison: for the stability of Dragon Clouds City's rule, and the continuation of the Walton family's bloodline..."

Thales sat blankly, unaware that his breathing began to speed up.

"Dear Grand Duchess should choose a husband and son-in-law among the local vassals this year, get married and have children," Puttilai's words reached Thales' ears, and there was a sense of isolation, as if it came from another room the same as:

"The reasons are too good to be disputed by Lisbane."

"That's what happened at the hearing - at least that's what you want to know, I think."

Thales clenched his fists unconsciously.

Putillai looked thoughtfully at Thales, who was a little lost, and sighed softly: "Your Highness, get ready."

"Your friend."

"That poor little girl."

Thinking of the past years, the thin man clicked his tongue and shook his head:

"I'm getting married."

Puttilai's voice was very low, as if he was afraid of waking up someone who was sleeping.

On the other side, Thales, who had not spoken for a long time, even forgot how to react.

Puttilai silently exhaled a perfect and beautiful smoke ring, quietly watching it drifting away invisible in the air.

Like it never existed.

Only the person who blows out the smoke ring can remember how perfect it was at that moment.

After a few seconds.

Prince Thales Canxing subconsciously turned his head and looked out the window.

[You will always be by my side, you will face with me, you will...]

Little cunning.

He called that name in his heart that he hadn't said for a long time, but it was clear as before, and stared blankly in the direction of the Palace of Heroes.

I just feel my hands and feet are cold, and I feel lost.