Kingdom’s Bloodline

Lorenburg is a little-known little place in the Western Wilderness, and it seems to be a carefully selected foothold.

Gilbert left early to go to the standing army to handle affairs, while Thales, surrounded by the royal guard led by Mallos, left the carriage and entered the castle in front of him, which was as simple as a hut in the shield area.

He did not meet the local nobles who came to see him, only the servants shivering and bowing their heads in the distance tremblingly handed out lamps, water, and food, and then sent to Tyre by the royal guards who strictly separated the prince and other idlers. around.

Even the guard posts outside the castle are handled by the royal standing army on the outskirts.

Even when Thales subconsciously smiled at a little maid who looked only eleven or twelve years old and hurriedly put the plate on her head) to eat, Mallos' figure would appear in due course, polite and gentle but Undoubtedly blocking his view.

Until the little maid fled out of the hall with a pale face under the fierce eyes of the royal guards all over the hall.

This couldn't help but make Thales feel stuck.

But because he was new here and had an unfamiliar relationship, Thales warned himself not to interfere with the actions of the royal guard.

And when Thales walked into this simple, even rudimentary, military-only hall of the fortress, and when he sat down at the long table under the sign of Mallos, the feeling of heartbreak reached the peak. reached the top.

"Old rules, take out two people and try the food first," Mallos stood next to Thales who was sitting, and his calm voice came from the hall

"After half an hour, let the Duke eat again."

"During this period, the rest of the vanguard wing went to survey the castle, the guard wing deployed as usual, the logistics wing went to check the back kitchen, and everyone else took their positions."

Mallos squinted at the direction in which the little maid went away

"And I don't want to see anyone walk into this hall without permission, even a chubby girl..."

"Also, no matter where the Duke is going, eating, bathing, going to the toilet, taking a rest, or taking a walk, make sure that at least two people are by his side and can see the Duke at all times. If something happens, the three layers of security on the outside must be able to respond at any time. "

Hearing this, Thales couldn't help frowning.

Mallos' words seemed to be very authoritative. Among the twenty-four people standing on both sides of the long table, twenty-two people led the order and left the hall.

And Mallos himself glanced at Thales. His eyes were calm and natural, but it seemed that there was some kind of power in his eyes, which made the latter, who was staggering from hunger and had no posture to speak of, subconsciously sit upright.

"Take care of the Duke."

The chestnut-haired watchman left this sentence lightly and walked out of the hall.

The moment Mallos' heels left the gate, Thales felt the air in the hall soften a bit.

But the good times didn't last long, and the last two people left stepped forward without hesitation, and took away the plate on Thales's table politely.

Under Thales' horrified eyes, they carefully opened each meal and even opened a pie made of unknown ingredients), and took a bite of each.

Thales stared blankly at the ravaged meal, and even had an illusion

He returned to the Northland, Dragon Clouds City, and the Blood Garden.

No, it's worse than that.

At least the Northlanders won't eat his stuff.

One of them tasted it, got up immediately, and went to the door to stand guard, but the other...

"Oh no, this pie is made of pumpkin and it's awful."

The member of the guard standing closest to him complained in pain, while breaking off another piece of pumpkin pie, and gave Thales a handsome and sunny smile

"No, duke, you won't like this... I'll have to kill some for you, you're welcome..."

Looking at the fewer and fewer pumpkin pies, Thales smiled awkwardly.

The knight biting the pumpkin pie held the air, raised his glass, and nodded with a smile

"Don't worry, Your Excellency, it's just a routine inspection... Our standing army is camped outside the castle, nothing can threaten your safety.

"

The knight in front of him said, smiling brighter and brighter.

It makes me even more uneasy when you say that...

"No, no, my lord, you can't eat yet, you have to wait for half an hour, and you can start eating if I don't foam at the mouth and die on the spot..." The knight lightly held Thales' wrist, with a gentle but irrefutable force pushed him back.

Thales had no choice but to withdraw his hand grabbing the water glass resentfully.

He recognized the blond knight in front of him as the "distant relative" of Dele, Doyle.

"So, uh, Mallos is your leader, he is the highest rank?"

Thales, who was bored waiting for the drug test, could only find something to talk about

"You all have to listen to him?"

Doyle patted the crumbs on his hands, raised his eyebrows and nodded

"Yes."

Doyle glanced at the door and found that Mallos had completely disappeared, then began to smile, walked to Thales' side, and set the tableware for him

"The royal guard has a strict and clear division of labor and system, including the upper and lower ranks, which must not be violated."

As Doyle was talking, his hands kept moving. The knives, forks, spoons, and different meals were arranged in an orderly manner by him, in line with the table manners that Thales had learned when he was a child.

Strict and clear...

Thales looked at the blond knight in front of him with great interest

"So what level are you in?"

Doyle evens out a plate of vegetables and smiles

"Take it easy, Your Highness, it's not that simple."

"Unlike the brutal and primitive Yankees and their funny guards that change every term, the Star Royal Guard has a long and glorious historical heritage, and its establishment can be traced back to the Emperor's Guards in the imperial era..."

Doyle raised his index finger to the fourteen-year-old prince, with a sunny smile and a friendly "tell you a story" face

"As the sacred team that guards His Majesty's side, the Emperor's Imperial Guard, we are divided into six wings according to different functions and powers, and each wing has a chief and a second person in charge."

Six wings.

Thales lifted his spirits, thinking of the former royal guards he had seen in the dungeon.

"First of all, it is the supreme command wing."

Doyle smiled warmly, and used a knife and fork to separate two steaks on the plate.

"This is the brain of the full guard. The first and second seats are the chief and deputy guards, who are in charge of commanding the entire guard. They have absolute authority and are only responsible to His Majesty. Before he was stationed by your side, Mallos was the person in the command wing. , to convey orders and intelligence between the captain of the Adrian Guard and the heads of the various wings, well, the rank is not high, but the functions are not small."

"And after he was promoted to be a watchman..."

Doyle shrugged helplessly.

"So yes, before and after, we have to listen to him."

command wing.

Chief and Deputy Guard Captain.

Thales thought of Barney Jr.'s father, thoughtfully.

"And then the guard wings."

Doyle took a deep breath, flicked his hair, and straightened his body, as if suddenly becoming radiant.

"This is the main body of the royal guard, and it is also the one seen the most by the outside world. It is responsible for the personal protection of the nobles." He solemnly pulled out two slices of vegetables, and dragged them to the side of the meat.

"Ordinary heroes, great guards, confirm your safety with flesh and blood, and pave the way for your glory with blood."

Thales was a little confused by Doyle's words.

Looking at the solemn and hopeful expression of the other party's missionary, Thales narrowed his eyes

"So, you belong to the guard wing?"

Doyle raises his eyebrows and bows dramatically

"Exactly!"

Looking at the other party and You Rongyan, Thales suddenly nodded.

understood.

"Under Danny Doyle," Doyle smiled and pressed his chest

"Your Excellency, among the six guards under your command, the most reliable one."

Thales blinked.

The blond Doyle blinked his left eye, looking chic and suave

"Or to put it simply, everyone likes to call me--dd."

Thales froze.

"dd?"

The prince repeated it with a strange expression.

"You don't have a sister, do you?"

Or have a brother named vv?

Doyle froze.

"?"

Doyle rolled his eyes suspiciously.

"Ahem, it's okay..."

Thales coughed twice and said solemnly

"It's just a Northland joke..."

"Oh~" Doyle looked stunned and raised his voice in response.

"So, Doyle," Thales looked in surprise at the dinner plate that was about to be turned into a work of art in front of him

"Did they call you when you were little - 'little dd'?"

Doyle was taken aback again.

"What?"

Thales pulled his eyebrows and shook his head

"It's nothing, I tell some silly Yankee jokes from time to time, just get used to it."

"Go on."

Doyle blinked half understandingly.

"So where did I come to - oh yes, another part of the Royal Guard, the troubadour-like figure of the Guard, cute and charming villain, but a vanguard with decisive power in wartime."

Vanguard.

Thales thought of the stubborn little Barney and the nervous Cannon in the dungeon.

Taylor's eyebrows

"So, why is Vanguard the villain?"

Doyle cleared his throat and started tidying up the soup bowls and water glasses

"Let's put it this way, our guard wing has great responsibilities, we can't leave the nobles lightly, and we have a lot of time to show up in public. There are many things, eh, this is inconvenient to do."

Doyle stopped speaking suddenly, his tone became colder

"So sometimes, when you don't like someone and want his head, or you have a crush on a girl but she doesn't want to, such trivial things..."

Doyle stopped what he was doing, his face turned cold

"At this time, you can let the younger brothers of the vanguard wing go to 'run errands'."

Let's see who is not pleasing to the eye...

look at which girl...

Trifles?

running errands?

What?

Thales looked at him strangely, and asked

"real?"

Doyle was still staring at him gravely.

Two seconds later, Doyle suddenly chuckled, waved his hands and shook his head.

"Of course it's a joke!"

"Although bards often call the noble guards like nouveau riche thugs, under normal circumstances, how can vanguards do such boring things..."

Having said that, Doyle paused.

"You know."

He said coldly, and moved closer to the prince, showing a mysterious smile with deep meaning

"generally."

Thales was a little dumbfounded by his performance.

"But you said they have 'wartime decision-making power'..."

doyle waved

"Oh, that's not important..."

Doyle cleared his throat again, grabbed the table knife, and started to sort out the half-filled pumpkin pie that was messed up by the drug test.

"Then, we arrived at the one with the fewest number of people but with a detached position—Punishment Wing."

Punishment wing.

Thales nodded as he remembered Luton Belletti, the former Chief Penalty Officer of the Royal Guard.

"For example, if you want us to 'run errands' as mentioned above, but unfortunately we are caught and stolen," Doyle stared

"The punishment wing is about to play."

"So... nobody in the Guard likes them."

Doyle turned to Thales with a warning face

"I believe you too—it is said that even the royal family members are punished by them."

Doyle put down the knife, and at some point, half of the pumpkin pie was cut into six pieces and arranged in a circle around the dinner plate, which looked delicate and beautiful, neat and symmetrical.

Thales was amazed to see it.

Doyle shook his head, shaking off the seriousness on his face like a magic trick

"Then the logistics wing, literally, is the most boring part of the six wings, and there are even a lot of extra staff in it."

Doyle smiled, pulled all the redundant and messy leftovers from the main dinner plate into an empty plate, and threw it into the depths of the unlit fireplace with a wave of his hand, and there was a crisp sound.

"To be honest, I still don't know why they keep this department—I mean, to serve His Majesty, who cares whether the room you live in is six copper coins or six silver coins a night?"

logistics wing.

Well, Your Majesty cares.

Thales said silently.

doyle exhaled

"The last is the worst, the level is unknown, and the flag wing outside the five wings is free."

Hold the flag wing.

Thinking of Samir, the former flag officer who had fallen to the sword of disaster in the dungeon, Thales said strangely

"worst?"

Doyle snorted

"It is said that every flag officer has a small notebook in his arms, and his usual duty is to spy on us, and then make a small report to the higher-ups."

Thales stared

"above?"

Doyle flipped his arms and fished out a tablecloth out of nowhere.

Thales felt a flash in front of his eyes, and the tablecloth wrapped around his chest

"above."

Doyle walked to the side of the prince, arranging where the napkin and collar overlapped

"They are like the secret department in the guard, insidious and cunning, restless and kind..."

Doyle spoke half-seriously, half-jokingly.

The secret department in the guard.

Is it.

Thales recalled the different batch of royal guards in the dungeon.

"So this is the 'Six Wings of the Imperial Guard'."

Doyle walked up to Thales, and waved his arms as if welcoming a guest.

The prince was surprised to find that, more than once, the meals and utensils on the table were arranged in an orderly manner, and the dishes on the dinner plate were arranged so beautifully that it was impossible to see that they had been poisoned), and even the dishes on his body Both the cloth and the collar are neatly rounded, and the angle is just right.

It even reached the point where he would ruin the beauty if he moved an inch.

"And His Majesty attaches great importance to your guards. Basically, among the twenty-five people around you, all six wings of the imperial guards are manned."

Doyle ignored Thales' expression of worrying about "where should I start?", and pointed his fingers to list

"Lord Gray Parson, apart from Mallos, he is the highest ranking person around you. He is the second punishment officer of the penalty wing. Like his chief, he is basically the type that everyone fears."

"Deward Stowe, the uncle of the logistics wing—don't look at the smile on that uncle's face, but his stomach is full of bad things. If he wants to fix you in the meal..."

Doyle sighed and shrugged with a chuckle.

"And you met Karen Glover yesterday, the brown-haired guy behind Mallos, who usually doesn't speak, but the Earl of Wingburg dares to slap him when he speaks."

You too.

Thales secretly said in his heart.

Doyle didn't notice Thales' face

"Glorver is one of the vanguard officers. By the way, that guy has a facial paralysis. He doesn't cry or laugh. We call him 'zombie' in private."

"I heard that the grandfather of the zombie once served in the royal guard, and the official is not young."

Doyle blinked

"So he has been fascinated by his ears and eyes since he was a child, and he knows a lot about the ways of the royal guard - he even knows the secrets of the old guard many years ago."

This phrase attracted Thales' attention.

"Old Guard?" the prince pressed.

"Yes," Doyle glanced at the table and looked back disappointed after finding that there was nothing to adjust

"Eighteen years ago, the royal guard in the bloody year."

Thales' nerves tightened.

"Although, the old people in the palace are not willing to mention the things of the past, and they will not tell them if they ask, it is almost a taboo..."

Taylor's face darkened

"Is it."

But Doyle raised his head, with emotion in his words

"But it is said that during the decades of the rule of the former king Eddie, no matter the quantity or the quality, the legendary old royal guard has reached the peak of history."

Thales' attention was attracted by him.

"Not to mention anything else, just in terms of personal force, they have more extreme masters than guards of any age."

Having said that, Doyle's eyes lit up, as if he was singing a bard

"If someone doesn't move, it's enough, and the attack is like thunder, and there is no need for a second blow to defeat the enemy;"

"There are wolves who travel thousands of miles, cunning and unpredictable, and kill the enemy during the day without leaving a trace;"

"There is a knife in hand, the head is rolling, and the bloody battle will not move for three nights;"

"Someone is a thousand paces away, raise your arm and open your bow, and the soul of the dead will never be lost under the arrow;"

Doyle exhaled, looking forward to

"The most exaggerated thing is that it is said that in the guards at that time, there were even some people who could defeat a hundred with one, overwhelm the crowd with a few, and run thousands of troops, what is Monet?"

Doyle's tone softened.

With one against a hundred, with a few to shake the crowd...

Thousands of troops and horses...

Thales was in a trance for a moment when he thought of the mighty but shaky lonely figure.

"Is it."

Taylor's eyeballs moved

"So, what about the current guard?"

"Now?"

Doyle blinked, and the corners of his mouth curled up.

"And now, the vast majority of the guards were reorganized after the Bloody Year. You know, the people's livelihood is poor, and it is difficult for both nobles and civilians, and the super-level good seedlings trained in the battlefield and the army have long been rejected. The three newly-emerged coaches have all gone away."

"I've heard that the current chief vanguard officer, Staley, is in the extreme state, but he has no famous record... because of the extreme state, unless you really beat another extreme state, others will admit that you are also ,otherwise……"

Doyle shrugged, the yearning in his eyes turned to regret.

"Pity."

"I wish I was born in that era, and I could see the unprecedentedly strong guards, that would be great."

But Doyle shook his head immediately.

"No, it's not a pity, after all, it's also a disgraceful guard."

Taylor's eyes moved

"Shame? How to say?"

Doyle sighed slightly

"Don't you know? It's the same guard. During the Bloody Year, they failed to protect and dispatch well, lost ground, and finally fell into the Fuxing Palace."

"I also personally ruined... the best era of the royal guard."

Poor protection, poor scheduling...

Thales clenched his fists subconsciously.

"It is said," Doyle's face was complicated, he didn't know whether it was disdain or helplessness

"It's just rumored that in that batch of guards, there were even some people who communicated with foreign enemies."

Inside and outside the enemy.

Thales clenched his fist tighter and tighter.

"Watchman."

Doyle startled

"What?"

Thales raised his head and asked seriously

"You just said that Mallos was promoted from the command wing to watchman a year ago."

"Which branch of the six wings does he belong to?"

"What are the specific responsibilities?"

Encountering this question, Doyle was also stunned for a moment.

"Watchman?"

he frowned

"To be honest, during my first eight years in the Guard, I didn't even know this position existed until Mallos was promoted."

"But there are speculations in the team, you know, watch, watch, so we guess this is a character who stays in the dark, secretly guarding and watching..."

Speaking of this, Doyle turned his eyes and said jokingly, "For example, when the nobles go to Hongfang Street in private and it is inconvenient to take the guards, the watchman will follow secretly and wait by the bed..."

Thales listened carefully until he felt something was wrong.

Seeing Thales' expression, Doyle raised his eyebrows

"By the way, Lord Duke, you are still young this year, but do you know Red Square Street?"

Red Square Street?

Before Thales could answer, Doyle raised his index finger and laughed

"Oh~ oh, I didn't go there at first sight!"

"It's okay, I'll take you to play when I'm free another day—"

at this moment.

"Doyle."

Clear but resonant voice.

At that second, Doyle perfectly shut up, turned around, smiled, bowed, all in one go

"Oh look who's coming, Lord Mallos! Hey, and you, Zombie - I mean Glover Herald!"

Doyle opened his arms enthusiastically and looked at the third person without any embarrassment.

"Welcome, Count Caso!"

Sure enough, the watchman Mallos and the vanguard Glover appeared in the hallway, and Gilbert followed behind them, looking at Thales with a smile.

Thales only responded with an embarrassed smile.

Mallos showed a perfect and indifferent smile

"Doyle, I heard that you are very interested in Red Square Street?"

"Oh, what are you talking about..."

Doyle looked like "just remembered", suddenly said

"Of course, I'm educating the Duke of Thales, um, what he should know—common sense."

common sense?

Thales sighed, and silently turned his head away.

"Common sense?" Sure enough, Lord Mallos narrowed his eyes, and Glover beside him snorted unceremoniously.

"Exactly."

Doyle turns to Thiels without shame

"Common sense of geography."

"About the administrative division of Eternal Star City, my lord, as we just said, Hongfang Street is next to Linhe Street, separating the West Ring District and the Lower City..."

Mallos and Glover looked at each other, with one smiling lightly and the other disdainful.

And Thales could only look at Doyle in amazement, with endless admiration in his heart.

A few minutes later, Thales finally took the knife and fork and was able to eat, while Mallos and the others left silently, leaving only Gilbert looking at the prince in relief.

"It's good to see that you and Danny have a good talk, Your Excellency the Duke."

Thales smiled helplessly, and slashed down mercilessly, destroying the perfectly presented main meal, which could be called art.

"I don't have any other choice, do I?"

gilbert smiles

"Relax, Your Highness."

"Whether it's Mallos, Glover or Doyle, they are all from the 'Seven Attendants', not ordinary local nobles. Your father believes them."

Thales forked a piece of meat and hummed

"Seven attendants?"

Gilbert nodded.

"During the battle of the end, there were seven servants beside King Fuxing, and the minstrels collectively called them the 'Seven Stars'."

The foreign minister once again picked up the tone of telling the story. Although it is not as fascinating as Puttilai's ups and downs, it is more straightforward and straightforward.

"After the founding of the People's Republic of China, they took root in the Central Territory and were conferred titles ranging from earls to viscounts. They became direct vassals in the king's territory, and their family became a powerful arm of the Canxing royal family."

"It's been six hundred years. Although times have changed and members have changed, in each era, Canxing's closest and trusted vassals are still called the 'Canxing Seven Attendants' according to custom—although sometimes they exceed, sometimes less than that number."

"In addition to the six wealthy families and the thirteen prominent families, the Canxing Seven Attendants are also frequent visitors to the royal guard, especially in the past hundred years."

For nearly a hundred years...

Thales chewed on the word.

"In terms of status and influence, they may not be as good as the nineteen nobles, but in terms of their help and significance to your family's rule, the seven servants are definitely better."

Gilbert seriously

"So, maintain good relations with the direct vassals..."

But the prince interrupted him.

"What about a hundred years ago?"

Gilbert's eyes moved.

Thales bites a piece of steak

"The Duke of Xihuang told me that he had an uncle who also served in the royal guard a long time ago, and even helped my grandfather ascend the throne."

Thales swallowed a mouthful, staring at the cut meat steak in front of him

"So, Gilbert."

"When did the members of the six wealthy families and the thirteen noble families gradually disappear from the king's most trusted personal guards, from the royal guards...?"

————

The porch off the hall.

"How about it?"

The watchman Mallos walked forward with his hands behind his back, while Doyle followed slowly behind him.

Doyle shook his head, looking calm.

"have no idea."

"It's not as magical and genius as people boast, to some extent, it's also a little... stupid?"

Mallos snorted a rising note

"Stupid?"

"How to say?"

Doyle glanced behind him and twitched the corner of his mouth

"Gullible and unsuspecting."

"I just said a few casual words about the past, our Duke of Xinghu just..."

He shrugged and smiled lightly.

"In just a short while, I almost touched his whole body. And the dagger in his arms can't protect him at all-I can twist his neck in a few seconds."

"I'm wondering—how did he survive the killing Yankees?"

Mallos' expression remained unchanged, and he hummed.

"real?"

Doyle breathed a sigh of relief and narrowed his eyes.

"Let me put it this way, if it's a princess..."

his eyes are joking

"At this moment...she was already blushing, lying in my arms like a cat meowing."

Mallos frowned.

Doyle thought of something, and giggled, "Of course, if he is really a girl, then this character is pretty cute."

Mallos let out a breath.

"You just don't want to stop, do you?"

"In the capital, is there any innocent girl who hasn't been harmed by you?"

Doyle whistled and rolled his eyes

"Well, there are still a few of them."

Mallos frowned.

"Go back to your post," the watchman's expression returned to calm, and his tone became serious

"Also, don't play anymore, what you are protecting is..."

Doyle raised his hand.

"Of course, of course, don't worry," the blond guard officer laughed, turned and left

"I know, I know how important he is."

"Whether it's for the royal family or for us."

Mallos stopped in his tracks.

He turned his head and looked at the back of Doyle going away.

"No."

Mallos's expression remained unchanged, but he slowly shook his head and said in a low voice

"About him."

"I am oblivious."

The watchman snorted softly, with a touch of disapproval in his tone

"Little dd."