Kingdom’s Bloodline

"Boom!"

Two big bowls of hot broth were slammed down on the table by Gu.

Thales and Xiao Huatou, who were washing their faces in the cold water beside them, raised their heads in a daze and looked at the expressionless Gu.

The hunger that was previously covered by panic and fear suddenly returned to the second prince's stomach.

"I specially used eternal oil for heating - the cooking smoke will dissipate indoors, and no one will notice us," Gu said lightly. He sat down opposite the two, and his thick eyebrows on the right raised slightly, as if he had no deep meaning : "Of course, it's not cheap, I'll keep an account."

Little Slick's stomach rumbled just right.

The girl timidly looked at the boy beside her——Thales swallowed.

"What's wrong?"

Gu looked at the two dumbfounded children, frowned, and said impatiently: "Are you still waiting for me to present napkins and wine respectfully, my honorable young master and young lady?"

The voice fell.

Thales and Little Slick looked at each other and blinked at each other.

In the next second, the two of them were like horses that had let go of the reins. They both jumped onto the chairs, picked up their respective broths, and drank them gurglingly.

"Don't worry," Gu sighed as he watched the two of them gobble it up:

"Wait until you've filled your stomachs before we get down to business."

In just a few minutes, the two extremely hungry children finished their respective broths, leaned together on the stools, touched their swollen bellies, and panted.

The little slippery boy even hiccupped and lowered his head timidly.

Thales let out a breath of satisfaction.

"So..." Gu put his right hand on the back of his left hand, tapping his fingers slowly like waves.

"I, we need help!" Before Gu could continue speaking, Thales, who had recovered his breath, raised his head and said hastily.

"Yeah, I can see that..." Gu looked at him with contempt in his eyes: "Tell me something I don't know."

Under Thales' gaze,

Gu said indifferently:

"For example, this chaotic night—it's early morning now, why are two children wandering around in the armor area that should have been evacuated long ago?"

"Worse than a lost dog?"

Thales was slightly taken aback, and subconsciously said: "We..."

But his words stopped abruptly, the prince opened his mouth hesitantly, and then closed it again.

His experience and intuition since he became a prince have told him that telling all the information you know may not necessarily bring you sincerity and understanding: just look at Serena and Black Sword.

"We're in trouble," Thales said seriously, taking a deep breath, "We need to go to the Palace of Heroes without being noticed, can you help us?"

"We will pay you!"

Gu's fingers stopped moving, he clenched his hands and stared at Thales motionlessly.

The man's eyes were calm, like a calm lake, but Thales panicked for no reason.

He had to sit up straight.

This Far Easterner...

Why do you feel weird?

Just when Thales felt that he was about to be unable to hold on, Gu finally spoke slowly:

"The Palace of Heroes?"

"Another drama where nobles fight each other for power and profit?"

Gu curled up the corner of his mouth, revealing an intriguing sneer.

The man from the Far East had extremely deep black eyes, which made Thales unable to see his pupils clearly.

"Going from Kai District to the Palace of Heroes in secret, do you know how difficult it is? The distance, slope, city gate, road ban, and the martial law blockade from yesterday to now..."

Gu looked at Thales in the dim light:

"I can make room for you to take in, but send you to the Palace of Heroes without a sound, and get involved in the political struggles of the upper-class nobles?"

The Far Easterner shook his head, and the coldness in the corners of his eyes made Thales shudder: "Sorry, Kaslan's favor is not that great."

He refused.

Thales turned his head and looked at the little slippery head worriedly.

They can't just sit here and wait for death.

Lumbard's actions, Nunn's assassination, the accidents they encountered, these things are all necessary...

"What about the contact?"

Thales raised his head and said anxiously: "You can't send us there, but can you help us contact someone?"

Under Thales' worried gaze, Gu smiled.

"Although it's not easy, it's not impossible," Gu narrowed his eyes, "Who are you sending the message to?"

Taylor's eyes lit up.

However, he opened his mouth, and just as the words reached his mouth, he was interrupted by Gu.

"Choose carefully, kid, don't choose those people who I have to stand at the gate of the Palace of Heroes and yell to get in touch. Also," Gu slightly lowered his head, his eyes were shrouded in darkness due to the light, he only listened to him Slightly profound and authentic:

"If your situation is really dangerous, it's better to find a trustworthy and unobtrusive candidate. After all, I don't want to get into trouble."

Hearing Gu's words, Thales was stunned.

The first thing he thought of just now was Putilei.

Ada said that the Deputy Envoy has mobilized his people to find him, so maybe he can send someone...

No.

The prince shook his head inwardly.

Thales didn't know how tight Lombard's control in Dragon Clouds City was, but if the situation was really as bad as expected, then the Star Mission headed by Putillai would definitely become the focus of Loomba's attention.

Especially now that disasters are raging and all districts are under martial law, they will be very conspicuous. Even if they find this place, there is a high chance of being intercepted by the enemy halfway.

In the same way, the same is true for those who are loyal to King Nun, such as Nicolai.

He needs another candidate.

Thales frowned: a person he trusted, a suitable person who had secret agreements with him and King Nunn, but was neutral on the surface, so he was unobtrusive.

It is best to have some means and connections, so as not to be powerless after getting the news.

Thales' pupils gradually focused.

"Actually," Thales took a deep breath and looked at Gu: "I happen to have such a candidate, and he has a wide range of news channels—you definitely have a way to contact him."

Gu's gaze stayed on him.

After a full five seconds, the Far Eastern man nodded slowly.

Thales breathed a sigh of relief.

A few minutes later, Gu put on his cloak and stood at the door.

"I don't know how long it will take, after all, it will take time to find the way—maybe tens of minutes, maybe longer," the Far East man said seriously: "Before then, stay well and don't mess with the things in my shop."

Thales could only nod his head to express his understanding.

Gu watched by the wooden window for a few minutes, and after confirming the situation, he closed the doorknob with his hand.

"Mr. Gu," the light diffused into the butcher shop, and when he was about to go out, Thales suddenly said, "Thank you."

Gu showed a strange look, and looked back at him.

The Far Easterner nodded with a half-smile.

But Gu's last address before leaving the door made Thales turn pale with shock.

"Please wait patiently," Gu turned around, and a faint sentence came:

"Your Royal Highness."

As soon as the words fell, Gu closed the small door, leaving the butcher shop in the dark again.

Thales was the only one left, stunned in place.

His Royal Highness turned his head and looked at the little slippery man next to the table.

So, he already knew my identity?

That's why I never asked.

Looking at the small door behind which Gu disappeared, Thales clutched his forehead and sighed in pain.

Does a scruffy kid running around stand out?

Ashida, Hei Jian, Gu...why does it feel like everyone knows him at first sight?

Thales turned around, looked at the chopping boards and boning knives around him, and shrugged helplessly and frustratedly.

He climbed onto a chair by the dining table with difficulty, picked up his wooden cup, and took a sip of water.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the little slippery man beside him.

I saw the girl staring blankly at the table, expressionless.

Thales sighed silently in his heart.

"Go to sleep for a while," Thales put down the water glass and said, "You should be very tired."

"ah?"

Xiao Hua's head seemed to wake up suddenly, he woke up from a trance, and stared blankly at Thales.

Thales pursed his lips and shook his head helplessly.

"You need to rest, we may have to hurry soon." Looking at the girl who was out of mind, Thales said in the most gentle tone possible.

However, the little slippery head just stared at him blankly.

"Thales," the little girl said in frustration, "I feel like I'm dreaming."

The little slippery head lowered his head: "A nightmare, an endless nightmare."

Thales' breathing stopped suddenly.

The little slippery voice was a little muffled: "First Miss Alex, then the monsters in Dragon Clouds City, and now His Majesty Nuen..."

The girl's eyes behind the glasses suddenly filled with crystal.

"When will all this... be over?"

Thales closed his eyes, feeling unspeakably dull and sad in his heart.

She is just a child.

Not a few years older than Coria, Bilane, and Cindy.

She was forced to witness it all.

"Soon."

Thales heard himself erratically saying: "Soon, all of this will be over...all will be fine..."

However, in his own heart, a dark voice spoke another sentence for him.

No.

From the moment you become Walton, all this...

It never ends.

He heard himself say against his will: "When you and we return to the Walton family and those who are loyal to Walton, we will be safe. No matter what the purpose is, they will definitely protect the blood of the Dragonlance family..."

The little slippery head trembled when he heard this.

Her crying became more and more obvious: "Thales, I, I don't want to be, become Selma, I'm not Walton... I can't do what His Majesty Nunn said..."

Thales didn't speak, just clenched his fists and looked at the ground.

"Really," the little slippery sniffed, his eyes were red, "I'm just a little maid picked up from the orphan pile, not... not Miss Walton."

Thales still didn't say a word.

"And, I'm a girl."

"This is the Northland, and there has never been in history... Neither nobles nor commoners will allow me to allow a girl to become a Grand Duke," the little slippery head took off his glasses and shook his head in pain:

"You let me go, I can't follow what His Majesty said, with you... I will screw up, I don't understand anything!"

Looking at the sobbing little slippery head, Thales slowly raised his head:

"Can."

The little slippery sobbing stopped suddenly.

"What?" She raised her head and asked suspiciously with a still crying voice.

Thales said lightly: "You can go."

The little slippery head was stunned.

"King Nun is dead, Nikolai is dead or alive, as for Michael..." Thales looked at her calmly, jumped off the chair, and stepped forward: "Now, no one will force you to become Selma Walton."

Thales approached slowly.

Little Slick shrank back a little in surprise.

"You still have a chance to stay away from all of this: Dragon Clouds City is in chaos, and a missing maid will not attract attention," Thales continued under the suspicious gaze of the little slippery head: "Not to mention so many things happened in the Palace of Heroes ..."

The little slippery sniffed sharply.

"Really?"

The girl's voice was full of suspicion, but this suspicion immediately turned into panic and timidity: "But...why are you..."

Thales stopped and stood a few steps away from her chair.

He let go of his clenched fist, looked directly at the girl's green eyes, and raised the corners of his mouth.

"Because you are you."

"Maybe sometimes the leeway is very small, but everyone can and should choose who they are..."

Thales closed his eyes lightly, then opened them quickly.

"You will be, whoever you choose to be."

At that moment, the words Ashda questioned him flashed through his mind, the story Ms. Jenny told him, the confession of Yordle in the Shadow Realm, and the flash of Gilbert standing in the Three Kings The excited expression in front of the portrait, and Kessel's lonely figure in Canxing's tomb.

He was thinking a lot, and continued quite unconsciously:

"Although, we are always forced by life, by others, by society, and by the ubiquitous power to become... what they want you to be."

The little slippery stared blankly at Thales, and looked at this strange boy with a bitter smile.

The girl who cleaned it blinked and asked subconsciously, "Like... becoming a prince?"

Thales stared.

He looked at Xiao Huatou quietly, and sighed silently: "Yes."

"Like a prince."

"So, if you want to run away, give up, stay away, I won't stop you—even help you."

Little Slick seemed to have been frightened silly, she looked at Thales motionlessly.

The Second Prince sighed.

Kessel's words sounded in his ears:

After being named as the star, he fought for the star, died for the star, and... lived for the star.

His eyes refocused and shot straight into the eyes of the little slippery head.

"But before that, have you thought about who you really are and who you want to be?"

Little Slick's eye sockets dilated slightly: "What?"

Thales shook his head, ignored her doubts, and continued on his own:

"Are you the slick? The little maid who does the homework? The book lover in the library? Thelma Walton? The hapless wretch innocently involved in all this?"

The little slippery head froze in place, his breathing slowly becoming disordered.

"In the eyes of Alex, you are her humble maid. In the eyes of King Nunn, you are the last child of the Walton family. In the eyes of the Queen of Sky, you are a person who wears her glasses without knowing it." Funny girl," Thales said calmly, "but in your own eyes?"

"Who are you?" he asked the same question they had when they first met.

The little slippery eyes became more and more confused.

"Choosing to go back to being a sleight of hand because of a moment of fear or past habits, and choosing to be a Walton lady because of a moment of vanity, or choosing to avoid it all because of a moment of pressure-in my opinion, these are in the There is no difference in essence, neither is what you really want, but you are forced to become someone you are not ready to be at all."

For a moment, silence and stillness enveloped the small butcher shop.

Little Slick sat on the chair blankly, looking at Thales standing in front of him.

His eyes were full of confusion and fear.

"What about you?" A few seconds later, Xiao Hua's head looked like a person struggling out of the water, raising his head in a daze, trying to find a straw to save his life: "Who do you think I am? Shouldn't I be a little maid?" ?”

"you?"

Thales smiled.

He shook his head: "You are unlucky, the unlucky one who got involved in these troubles with me."

Little Slick's eyes darkened, he lowered his head and pouted.

Thales looked into her eyes and exhaled softly:

"But you are also a brave and strong girl, the girl who has gone through nightmares and hell with me, and persisted all the way until now."

Thales showed a bitter and relieved smile.

"If you become the Grand Duchess—in my opinion, whether it is King Nunn or the Grand Duke of Lombard, you are much better than them."

The little slippery head raised her head again, surprise and amazement flashed in her eyes.

"In my opinion, you are not unprepared to become Walton."

Under the gaze of the little cunning head, Thales continued:

"You have been reading in Nakaju's library for many years, and you have memorized the books in it fluently, and you are familiar with historical allusions. You completed the homework for Alex, and you may even be more competent than her, and..."

Thales recalled what happened yesterday in a daze, as if it had been several years ago, and the pictures in his memory had already faded to yellow.

"In the face of such a monster, even in the most desperate time, when I was in the most dangerous time, you never left me—even if the final outcome may be a painful death."

The prince looked into the little slippery eyes.

Xiao Huatou pursed his lips and wiped away the tears on his face.

"Let me tell you another secret." Thales said.

The little slippery head blinked.

In front of Thales's eyes, a strong and strong figure appeared, as well as those compelling sky blue eyes.

"When I became a prince, my... father also asked me similar questions," Thales' eyes wandered, his thoughts were no longer in this butcher shop, but drifted to the distant Eternal Star City:

"'Are you ready?'—that's what he asked."

He chuckled unconsciously.

"How do you answer?" Little Slick asked expectantly.

Thales turned his eyes and looked back at her: "I said, 'No'."

"And then," the girl's eyes lit up, "what was your father's reaction?"

Thales quietly looked into the little slippery eyes, motionless.

Until the latter turned his head a little embarrassedly.

After a few seconds.

Thales sighed:

"He said, 'No problem.'"

"Because, 'Fate will prepare you.'"

"That's what he told me."

The little slippery head was stunned.

Thales exhaled through his nose, as if he had just removed the biggest shackle.

The prince showed what he thought was the most confident smile.

"So, don't worry, don't panic, you have many choices," Thales gently held the hand of the little slippery head, and said sincerely: "After we escape from here, choose wisely who you are, choose what you want The person you have become - whether you want to leave or stay, I will not stop you."

The little slippery head stared at him blankly.

"Before that, you don't have to think about anything, you are just a loyal partner who is desperately trying to survive with me," Thales stared at her fixedly:

"This is enough."

The little slippery head looked at him in surprise.

Like meeting him for the first time.

The little slippery sniffled, and said with a half-understanding: "Okay."

Thales raised his eyebrows: "Now, go to sleep, we need physical and mental strength."

Little Slick nodded obediently.

Thales sighed.

Finally comforted her.

Thales turned around and climbed onto his chair.

Gu's chair is a bit soft - I don't know what kind of wood it is made of.

"Thales," the little slippery man said in a low voice behind him, "thank you."

Telston paused.

"No," he lowered his head, somewhat disappointed: "I was the one who got you involved."

Otherwise, she was just a little maid who just stayed in the library reading and only worried about Alex.

Is not it.

The two children lay back in their respective chairs and closed their eyes temporarily in peace.

"Thales," the timid voice of the little slippery man came again in the darkness with closed eyes: "Are you really only seven years old?"

"Why do you know so much?"

Thales, who was adjusting his lying position, burst out laughing upon hearing this.

He opened his eyes and saw the little slippery boy lying on his side on the chair with his eyes closed.

This reminded Thales of the scene of the latter sleeping soundly beside the bed in his room.

"Who knows," he gently slid off the chair and walked to the corner, "maybe, I'm already thirty-seven years old."

As usual, Thales lay down against the wall against the corner, with his hands resting on his head, feeling the double protection of the ground and the wall, and felt much more at ease: "It just doesn't look old."

A little slippery laugh came from beside him.

Thales also laughed.

Choose yourself, choose who you want to be - he also repeated this to himself in his heart, and at the same time remembered what he said to the magician before Ashida left.

right.

I will get through this disaster.

I will Survive.

Then choose who I want to be.

No one can force it.

No one can stop it.

He closed his eyes gently.

Tiredness and sleepiness came unstoppably.