Kingdom’s Bloodline

King Kessel looked down at Thales silently.

His eyes were quiet and indifferent, and his movements were slow and orderly, which was completely different from King Nuen's self-effacing prestige and King Charman's aggressiveness.

But it didn't make the young man feel at ease.

The prince swallowed, trying to relax his tense muscles and spirit. .

Thales did not know his father so far.

What kind of person is he?

cruel?

silence?

majesty?

Maybe.

Except in Canxing's tomb, it was more like a one-sided listening experience. The words Thales had said to King Kessel V amounted to less than ten sentences.

As for the time they spent together alone in the six years... Thales suspected that it was less than a quarter of an hour.

However, in the young man's limited life, the Iron Fist King is like a dark cloud hanging high above his head, seemingly unreachable, but it always casts shadows and envelops him firmly.

Whether it's a national meeting, or a negotiation with Exeter, whether it's the night of dragon's blood, or the hearing day in Dragon Clouds City, whether it's Gilbert's ear-to-mouth instructions, or the one-eyed dragon Gosted's heart-breaking words... Many experiences remind Thales from the side:

What kind of person is his father.

But when he really faced the dark cloud, Thales realized:

I'm still not ready.

I still don't know...how to face him.

"You are mistaken."

Thales lowered his head, avoiding the quiet but disturbing gaze, and took a deep breath.

He tried his best to drive away the negative emotions that he had observed, but the king said exactly what he said, which made him more obvious negative emotions:

"I'm not anxious. In fact, leaving Exeter and returning home..."

But the king gave him no time to defend himself.

"Are you familiar with it?"

Kessel no longer stared at Thales, the corners of his mouth curled up in a strange arc, as if disdainful:

"This kind of tone."

Thales raised his head abruptly, with a puzzled expression on his face.

familiar?

On the stone steps, the king on the throne said coldly:

"The old bone in Xihuang should be like this, pretending to be profound, and talking about it to scare you?"

Thales frowned.

From Xihuang, that old bone?

Pretending to be profound, talking nonsense?

Bluff?

Thales understood something.

He remembered that Adrian had just said to Gilbert:

The king was still asking about the ravens from Westland yesterday.

The letter crow from the Western Wilderness...

Guessing the king's intentions, Thales exhaled and said calmly:

"Yes, Falkenhauser did come to me, but I..."

But unfortunately, the king did not give him a chance to explain.

Or don't care at all.

"What about the sword?"

King Kessel interrupted him calmly:

"Where's the Ancient Empire Sword that was sent by the prestigious Four-Eyed Skull Family in the Saber Camp, making some people uneasy, making some people rejoice, and making the whole kingdom speculate endlessly?"

Thales' words froze.

Sure enough, he also knew.

The sword called the Vigilante.

It should be... the legendary wing.

With positive thoughts, Thales raised his voice and replied:

"It's in the luggage, under the care of Lord Mallorce's men, but..."

"No."

For the third time, King Kessel interrupted Duke Xinghu.

"It's not there."

On the high platform, the king slowly leaned back and leaned against the back of the throne.

"It's in your heart."

Thales was taken aback for a moment.

King Kessel V looked at Duke Xinghu under the steps indifferently.

"And you don't even know where the sword will go."

Thales was silent for a while.

Obviously, the king was very dissatisfied with the affairs of Xihuang.

but……

"I'm sorry for what happened in the West Wilderness," Thales tried hard to regain his state, trying to treat the person in front of him as another northern prince with whom he could negotiate:

"But the purpose of Falkenhauser's coming to me—"

But he still couldn't finish.

"When I sent you north..."

Unlike the people from the Northland and even the people from the West Desert, King Kessel's tone of voice was very light, with little ups and downs.

But compared to King Charman's head start and Falkenhauser's alarmist talk, the interrupting effect caused by the Star King's soft voice is not inferior to the former two.

"I didn't expect that much from you."

Thales fell silent.

King Kessel sat on the throne almost halfway up, his posture seemed to be relaxed, but his eyes were locked on Thales:

"At least it's not high enough to expect you to rebuild the Northland and support a new king."

Rebuild the North.

Support the new king.

Thales closed his mouth, feeling the weight behind these two sentences, feeling the slight contempt and accusation behind the words.

That's right.

Remake...New King...

That's exactly what he's been doing for the past six years, but...

The bloody corpses in Longxiao City are everywhere, and the swords in the Palace of Heroes are on the verge of death...

The boy bit his lower lip.

With a little displeasure, Thales raised his head again.

"I don't want to either, it's just—"

Talking about what happened six years ago, he thought he would think of the injustice and injustice of that year, and then sneered and asked the king's conspiracy, satirized the failure of the secret department, and asked why he was put in danger...

But at that moment, when he looked at King Kessel's calm eyes like water.

He doesn't care.

In Thales' heart, there was a small and authentic voice.

He won't care.

Thales pursed his lips.

He suppressed the resentment in his heart, turned his head and said:

"That was... an accident."

silence.

Thales didn't quite adapt to the dimness in the meeting hall: Six years ago, it looked spacious and bright here.

The boy suddenly remembered the only day he had lived in the Fuxing Palace, and recalled his first impression of this palace: the cold room, the hard stone bed, the biting chill, and the deep darkness.

like...

Abandoned house.

"No."

The king snorted softly and brought Thales back to reality.

"That was no accident."

King Kessel stared at his son with a strange tone:

"you."

"It was an accident."

Thales' heartbeat was a little chaotic.

"At least, that's what the secret department said."

Mystery.

Thales' mood sank.

It's... the secret department again.

The king narrowed his eyes slightly:

"It should be noted that in this world, there are not many things that can catch Kingdom Secret Division... by surprise."

This is not necessarily the case.

Thales replied silently in his heart.

Hearing the secret subject, Thales' unhappiness that had just been suppressed rose again.

"All right."

The prince took a deep breath:

"Let me put it this way, if there is an accident, it must be you..."

Tels paused for a moment, even if he changed the title:

"They don't trust me."

The lights in the meeting hall were slightly dimmed, and the shadow on the throne became more and more blurred.

King Kessel hummed, and seemed to ask a question:

"They don't trust you?"

Thales replied with a hum:

"Yes, whether it's a disaster or a Rumba...the secret department blocked all news before the operation, and kept me in the dark everywhere—even if it was harmful to me."

The boy exhaled:

"Several times, I almost died."

Thales stared fixedly at the king, trying to see something in the dim light.

The meeting hall was silent for a few seconds.

But what made him a little bit chilled was that Kessel still sat still, and his tone didn't change at all:

"Is it."

The king's indifferent gesture made Thales clenched his fists subconsciously.

"I do not have any choice."

Thales felt his words getting tougher:

"I had to... adapt and find a way out."

The king remains the same:

"Is it."

Thales felt a lump in his chest.

"yes!"

He raised his volume and said unhappily:

"Whether it's for myself or for..."

The boy paused, glanced at the king, and said:

"The Star Kingdom."

Kessel's eyes were obscure, but this time, what he said was different:

"Like you did at the State Council?"

Thales paused slightly.

The state is a meeting.

He suddenly remembered that six years ago, he was not willing to be a puppet in that meeting, so he spoke amazingly and angrily denounced the scene of the princes.

Can't help but feel a little sad.

But Thales still nodded:

"yes."

The boy's words were slightly bleak:

"I...have to."

The king raised his gaze and looked to the other end of the chamber.

Seems to be thinking about something.

A few seconds later, he sneered and repeated:

"have to do."

"They don't trust you," the king said playfully, turning the scepter in his hand:

"And you, have to?"

Thales didn't know how to answer.

Maybe it was because he hadn't seen Kessel for too long, or maybe it was the hearsay over the years that had distorted his understanding of the king. Thales found that he couldn't understand the emotions and actions of the Supreme King.

It's like... there's a curtain.

And this is a situation that has never been encountered in the face of Nun, Lunba, the five Grand Dukes of the Northland and the three Dukes of the Stars.

I saw the king finally chuckled:

"You mean..."

The next moment, King Kessel raised his calm but inexplicably deep eyes:

"It's because they didn't trust you to be a brother and sister with King Nuen, so that when he fell, you were trapped in a cocoon, and you were caught in the pond and fell into the enemy's hands."

"And you have to fight back, return to the Palace of Heroes, and create a new king?"

Thales trembled all over.

King Kessel's words continued, each word carrying a peculiar charm:

"Or they don't trust you to have a hot fight with the little girl of Dragon Clouds City, so that she abandons everything in order to force you to stay, offends the public, and openly breaks with all the vassals?"

"And you have to meet Rumba privately to find another way out?"

Thales only felt that his throat was a little dry.

The king continued to sneer:

"Or maybe they don't trust you to hide your name in the Western Wilderness, get confused with a group of mercenaries who sell swords, and then let them see through your identity and blackmail Baron Blade Yak instead?"

"And you have to..."

The king didn't say any more, just hooked the corners of his mouth.

But that's enough.

Thales closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

really.

he knows.

He knows it all.

but……

Thales suddenly found that in front of the other party's words, all his self-defense and reasoning for self-reliance in the past six years became pale and powerless.

He can explain.

But whether it's Ashida and Giza in the night of dragon's blood, or the life experience of the little slippery head, or the secret of the fast rope and the old royal guard...

He couldn't explain it.

He can't explain it.

Thales opened his eyes and said with difficulty:

"That's...is that what the secret department said?"

This time, the king stared at him for a long time.

long time.

Finally, King Kessel spoke again, but his tone gradually became severe:

"Molat's report said that as a prince, you are not self-examination, progress is slow, and you often make your own decisions and act boldly, so that everyone has to bear the bitter fruit you have brewed."

Kessel narrowed his eyes:

"Or as they say: wipe your ass."

The boy had a meal.

Morat.

Thales let out a heavy breath, showing a smile uglier than crying:

"I understand."

"I'm very sorry."

But the king chuckled again:

"However, Gilbert told me again and again that you have made rapid progress, learned from adversity, grown from beatings, experienced adversity, and gained wisdom. You are a rare genius."

Gilbert.

Thales felt warm in his heart.

"He, he's overrated."

Kessel looked at him, and the scepter in his hand stopped turning.

"But Ada, she has a third opinion."

Ah...

The moment he heard the name, Thales froze for a moment:

"who?"

Thales looked up suspiciously, only to see the king leave the back of the seat, leaning forward to look at him:

"She said in the letter that you grew up too slowly and too fast, which made her very upset."

wait wait wait?

After hearing the gender title clearly, Thales repeated it in disbelief:

"Ah, Ada?"

A short, crazy, bouncing figure appeared in front of his eyes.

Thales stared and moved his lips stiffly.

That guy... still writes letters?

Fake, fake?

But Kessel V didn't seem to feel the sense of humor and absurdity at all, His Majesty the King continued on his own:

"She said that you grow too slowly, and you don't even have the guts to let her go to the forest outside Dragon Clouds City to hunt rabbits for extra food."

Thales' face darkened.

His father snorted again:

"But you grow up so fast that every time she wants to go out to poach, you have already expected it and sent someone to watch her behavior."

Thales confirmed that this was what the king said, and couldn't help but wonder:

"Okay, Edda hunts rabbits...does it matter?"

The king did not answer.

He just looked at the second prince silently under the dim light.

Because of Ada's name, Thales felt a little relieved, but the king's gaze made his heart tighten again.

"But I can see that you have really changed in six years."

The king said quietly.

Thales was taken aback.

He turned his head slowly, avoiding the condescending gaze of the other party:

"Six years is a long time."

Kessel shook his head.

"No."

"Whether it's Morat or Gilbert."

The king said softly:

"They were all wrong."

Thales' breathing began to quicken.

The king's eyes grow sharper:

"As for Ada, hmph..."

Kessel's words were very strange. At that moment, he didn't know whether he was disdainful or emotional.

This made Thales suddenly curious:

I don't know, whether the black prophet Morat, who is said to be able to see through lies, can see through the king in front of him?

"No……"

The Star King's words drew Thales' attention back:

"You can't grow fast enough."

Kessel said slowly:

"Not slow enough either."

Neither fast enough.

Not slow enough either.

Doubts surged, Thales frowned slightly.

"I do not understand?"

Fortunately, the king didn't interrupt the boy again this time, nor did he change the subject.

But Kessel's next words were full of meaning and made him silent:

"You either grow fast enough."

King Kessel looked up at the ceiling, his eyes blurred, as if looking into the past:

"It's unexpectedly fast, and it's gratifyingly fast. As fast as six years, it can bear the weight of the entire star."

The king's eyes focused back on Thales, returning to coldness and plainness:

"But you didn't."

Bear the weight of... the entire star.

Thales swallowed his throat, only feeling stiff.

The king looked at him from a distance, showing some disappointment.

"You either grow slowly enough."

Kessel lowered his head and looked at his open left palm, his words were a little lonely:

"Slow enough to keep to ourselves, slow enough to step by step, slow enough for us to unload the kingdom's burden step by step, little by little."

The king clenched his fists and looked back at Thales with a slight chill in his eyes:

"But neither do you."

Stay safe and follow the rules...

After somewhat understanding what the other party meant, Thales didn't know how to answer at that moment.

"Now you are neither fast nor slow."

The king said coldly, his tone became more and more cold:

"No hurry."

"No up or down."

Kessel snorted softly, with a bit of disdain and bewilderment.

"Exceeded expectations," he shook his head, "and disappointed."

Thales took a few deep breaths and stopped talking.

This time, the silence between father and son was extraordinarily long.

They just faced each other quietly, without saying a word for a long time.

Until the boy could no longer bear the depression in his heart.

"I……"

Telston paused.

With unspeakable depression and depression, he exhaled a few breaths and tried to laugh, but he couldn't laugh.

"I thought that on the first day I returned to Eternal Star City, you would talk about some positive topics about the reunion of father and son."

Thales turned his head, wanting to find some soothing words:

"Father."

But Kessel obviously didn't have the same meaning:

"And I thought, after going through so much, you will understand what 'born for the stars' is."

The king's eyes were burning, and his tone was cold:

"prince."

Thales froze.

Kessel looked at Thales and snorted softly, as if disdainful:

"But fortunately, we still have time to teach you how to make one again..."

"Prince of the Stars."

do it again...

Star Prince...

Thales didn't speak.

He could only feel an inexplicable emotion rising from his chest.

Make him sick all over.

hard to get rid of.

But he didn't say anything after all.

"Your homecoming welcome banquet is a week away."

"As your chance to reappear."

The king turned his head, not paying attention to Thales' silence. I don't know if it is regarded as acquiescence or dismissive:

"During this time, you keep a low profile."

"Let the kingdom slowly digest the return of the heir."

"do you understand?"

Kessel said coldly.

Thales was silent, and after a few seconds, he answered with difficulty:

"Like six years ago?"

King Kessel V raised his eyes and spoke in a long tone:

"Even more than six years ago."

Even more than six years ago.

Thales stood there, motionless.

After a few seconds.

"Yes," Thales felt his voice hoarse, like an old machine:

"His Majesty."

Kessel stared at him for a few seconds before speaking slowly.

"Very good," said the king with a slightly sarcastic tone:

"son."

Kessel V leaned back again, into the shadows.

The chamber returned to dead silence.

Thales took a few breaths and calmed down.

"I suppose you have nothing else to say."

He forced himself to say respectfully:

"His Majesty."

There was no answer from the throne above.

Thales took this as the default.

The Duke of Xinghu bowed, and walked back with complicated and unspeakable emotions.

"Stop."

The king's words echoed in the chamber.

Thales stopped:

"Your Majesty, is there anything else?"

But King Kessel just shook his head in the shadows:

"Gone."

"But you must stay here."

The king said coldly:

"At least a quarter of an hour."

Thales was taken aback:

"Why?"

Kessel maintained his posture, only revealing a pair of eyes reflecting the cold light in the shadows, which set off the star stick in his hand:

"Because in the eyes of outsiders, the 'positive topic of reunion of father and son' probably takes such a long time."

Thales caught his breath.

He swallowed hard.

I see.

It turned out that the reunion of His Majesty and the Prince...

It's only worth a quarter of an hour.

The second prince turned around and looked at his father on the throne, with unspeakable emotions in his heart and a slightly resentful tone:

"But we don't need to."

Kessel snorted: "We don't."

"But the Kingdom needs it."

The unhappiness in Thales' heart surged again.

I see.

He needn't have been anxious.

Because of what was doomed six years ago, six years later...

Still the same.

Thales adjusted his breathing and sneered:

"So I have to stay here for a quarter of an hour. Only in this way, the whole kingdom will not know the rumors and gossips of 'royal conflicts, father and son estrangement', right?"

Facing the prince's provocative words, the shadow on the throne froze slightly.

A few seconds later, King Kessel also snorted coldly.

"They didn't know."

There was a deep chill in the king's words:

"Until you took that sword."

that sword?

Thales paused suddenly.

He doesn't understand:

"That sword is just..."

But Kessel interrupted him, raising his voice:

"But they still won't know."

I don't know when, the king has left the back of the seat again, staring at Thales coldly under the firelight, just like staring at his enemy:

"Because I have to terminate all the decrees on the Western Wilderness this year, from taxation to land measurement and even conscription, to show the greatest kindness to your new friends."

new friends.

Thales thought for a while.

Kessel snorted angrily:

"Just for your damn sword."

Facing the king whose expression remained the same, but whose emotions seemed to have been chilled for more than a winter, Thales frowned, expressing his incomprehension.

"If you are dissatisfied because of this, I can return the sword at any time. You don't have to think about me, and you can continue your plan to conquer the Western Wilderness..."

But the king suddenly asked:

"Did that change you?"

Thales stopped talking.

"Change... what?" the prince asked suspiciously.

Kessel on the high throne narrowed his eyes:

"What you said, this journey of 'almost dying several times'..."

"Have you learned anything?"

Nearly died several times on the trip...

Thales' mood turned cold.

"Yes."

A few seconds later, he said flatly, "Learned a lot."

"No."

But Kessel rejected him decisively.

"If you really learned something," the Star King looked at the Duke of Star Lake from a distance:

"Then you should know."

I saw inexplicable anger flashing in the king's eyes:

"If it wasn't for that sword..."

"Then you will never become—the Duke of Xinghu."

Thales was stunned.

"Why?" he asked subconsciously.

The light in the chamber seemed to be dimmed again.

"Why?" Kessel laughed angrily.

The king paused the scepter with a sneer, and the muffled sound spread throughout the hall:

"because of you……"

"Not worthy."

not worthy.

The moment he heard the last word clearly, Thales froze.

But he didn't have a chance to think about it, let alone reply.

"Gilbert! Adrian!"

King Kessel V no longer looked at Thales, but spoke loudly and shouted coldly.

The door of the stone hall opened, and two footsteps sounded calmly.

Gilbert's slightly puzzled voice came from behind:

"Your Majesty, why..."

But the king interrupted him immediately, his tone was decisive and beyond doubt:

"Let the edict officer draft... No, Gilbert, you draft my warrant yourself, the kind that everyone can see."

Gilbert looked surprised.

"Prince Thales returned home from a long journey, in order to commend his glorious achievements and demonstrate his noble status..."

The King of Stars paused, and snorted:

"And my favor and love."

Hearing this, Thales gritted his teeth.

King Kessel looked at his son, and said quietly under Gilbert's strange eyes:

"From now on, among the royal family's properties, the Mindis Hall in the Evening Star District will be given to the Duke of Xinghu as his..."

"Chartered residence."

Gilbert glanced at Thales, and the foreign minister's eyes were filled with surprise and doubt at the same time.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Gilbert nodded hastily.

Thales raised his head slowly, but found that King Kessel didn't even look at him.

But the king's categorical order was not over:

"Adrian, you go out with the Duke and ask your people to take him directly to Mindis Hall—he should be familiar with it."

Gilbert hesitated to speak.

Adrian bowed:

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Thales stood aside, silent.

"Of course, that has to be at..."

The king snorted coldly, and fell into the shadows again:

"In a quarter of an hour."

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