Kingdom’s Bloodline

Renaissance Palace.

Thales' memory of this palace is very vague.

A long time ago, for the beggars who were begging for life on the street, the "King's House" located at the end of the avenue, several blocks away, was like a distant legend, mysterious and majestic, hazy And heavy.

They can only know how this legendary palace, which shares the title with the Fuxing King, (under the protection of Ming Ye) has an extraordinary origin, countless experiences, and how it stands in the unrealistic drama performance of the Temple of the Night. shake.

Or I can get a little understanding from the uneven remarks of the drunkards who drank "Let me tell you, I know so-and-so, and he has a friend who works in the Fuxing Palace. That place is like this..." , a glimpse of the leopard in the tube.

Or, when you go out to beg, you timidly poke your head out of the strange and clean alley, and glance at the huge silhouette of the palace among the hurried figures of passers-by, leaving you gasping for shock and unmovable envy.

This feeling lasted until six years ago.

Continued until the turning point of Thales' fate.

The Duke of Xinghu slowly closed his eyes.

but……

But even if he became the prince and the nominal heir of this palace, Thales realized that he still didn't understand Fuxing Palace.

Six years ago, when he first entered the Fuxing Palace, he was assassinated and carried into the palace wall while unconscious.

Six years ago, when he left the Fuxing Palace, he left the palace in a carriage in a trance when he was about to go north.

As for now...

Against the backdrop of the guards on both sides not looking sideways, surrounded by the guards at the same pace, Thales, who opened his eyes, came back to his senses and found that their group had already passed through the heavily guarded palace gates, and even waded through the palace walls all the way The wide flat ground with the inner hall directly enters the inner gate of this mottled ancient temple.

It wasn't until they entered the narrow and deep darkness without stopping, and locked the vast and lofty sky and the boundless horizon together from the thick and old temple door, that Thales woke up in a trance:

Six years later, when he stepped here in person...

In the absence of an accidental assassination, and without going abroad as a hostage...

He still couldn't see clearly...

The appearance of the Fuxing Palace.

Leaving the street and the carpet, the touch under the boots becomes hard and crisp.

Kick, kick, kick.

Footsteps sounded from Thales' feet, echoed in the quiet air, and then passed back to his ears.

In the suddenly dim light, the young Duke of Xinghu took a deep breath, but his nose was full of coldness and dampness.

stony.

cold.

rough.

dim.

And... silence.

This made the Duke, who was gradually getting used to the dryness of the Northland and the scorching heat of the desert, instinctively uncomfortable.

In the almost silent and dim stone corridor, they walked through the interior of the Fuxing Palace, walked through one small hall after another, and stepped up one stone step after another.

The few windows and lights are the only light source that can guide them.

Thales suppressed his extra thoughts, raised his head in this quiet and solemn palace with a long history, and looked up at the back of Mallos in front of him in this classical, low-key but tasteful stone corridor.

The watchman was expressionless, without squinting, leading the way calmly and gracefully.

Gilbert was one step behind Thales, with shallow footsteps and steady steps.

Glover, Doyle, and the others farther behind didn't make a sound, and seemed to disappear into the air.

It seems that they have become accustomed to this quaint palace with dark colors and stifling air, and they don't take it differently.

Thales could only follow silently.

The group was not alone. They passed many guards on duty, servants in a hurry, cautious officials, and well-behaved nobles on the road.

In the quiet air, these people were silent, but they seemed to have known it for a long time. They all stopped respectfully and politely, retreated to the side, and silently but accurately bowed to the teenagers in the crowd.

The new Duke of Xinghu subconsciously cleared his throat and wanted to respond, but Gilbert beside him pressed his arm lightly and shook his head as a signal.

In the Fuxing Palace, the king prefers to be quiet.

Thales was taken aback for a moment.

After understanding what happened, the Duke of Xinghu could only nod slightly and smile in response to these people.

When he was in the Palace of Heroes in Dragon Clouds City, no matter where Prince Xingchen went, the palace guards of the Northlanders (especially the former White Blade Guards) and the Exeter nobles always stared at him with hostile and vigilant eyes However, even after six years of face-to-face baptism, those eyes have changed from "gritting teeth" to "disdain".

But in the Fuxing Palace, it was different.

Thales could feel that no matter servants or guards, nobles or officials, they were all very interested and curious about the Duke who had just arrived, but when they passed by the young man, they looked at the Duke with respectful and careful eyes, polite and polite. control.

And when the Duke looked back at them, the latter often lowered their heads or turned their eyes immediately, looked away, and looked elsewhere.

One touch and one touch, one click and one stop.

Quite deliberately.

Like...like a peep in the corner.

As if afraid of waking up.

Coupled with the sense of death and chill created and maintained with great care...

The Duke of Xinghu couldn't help but took another breath, and let it out slowly.

For some reason, Thales always felt that the discomfort caused by these cautious, polite and restrained eyes in the Fuxing Palace was no less than the undisguised, hostile eyes of the northerners in the Palace of Heroes.

Anxiety came over him.

There was even a certain moment when the boy wanted the royal guards around him to get closer.

Get him tighter.

Block those gazes.

It's better...to keep everything separate and airtight.

It's like... the thick city wall blocking the Fuxing Palace and the urban area.

The quiet, almost deadly journey came to an end soon.

When they went up one more step and came to a rather large corridor, several figures suddenly appeared in front of a stone door directly in front of them.

Mallos stopped first.

Tells, who was following behind him, took an extra step, then subconsciously retracted.

But he quickly noticed that apart from Gilbert who was still smiling, the guards behind him, including Doyle and Glover, all raised their chests and raised their heads, looking more solemn, like a tense Lu Teqin.

The figures in front of the stone gate had outfits and equipment similar to those of Mallos and the others, but they only wore light leather armor that was convenient for indoor movement. They had serious faces and majestic eyes, and they didn't intend to greet the prince's escort team members. mean.

When Thales began to speculate on the identities of this group of people, a person walked out of an unfamiliar figure, holding the long sword at his waist, and approached them.

This is a middle-aged man with both majesty and vicissitudes. He is in his fifties. His figure is slightly bulky, but his back is strong and straight. His eyes are piercing.

His attire is obviously different from that of others, with exquisite and detailed equipment, but his steps are extremely steady.

The gray-haired middle-aged man stopped in his tracks, but he didn't even look at Thales.

He just looked straight at the leader, Mallos, and said slowly:

"Who is coming?"

The words are serious and the tone is cold.

Thales was taken aback for a moment, and reconfirmed that this was the Fuxing Palace where his father lived.

And he really... went back to his home?

But none of the others, including Gilbert, showed any strange expressions, but waited quietly and solemnly, holding their breath without letting out a breath.

As if there is a big event in front of you.

I saw Mallos taking a step forward with a blank expression, his tone indifferent:

"Tormund Mallos."

"The watchman of the royal guard, in the name of the king, escorts His Excellency the Duke of Xinghu back."

The middle-aged guard in his fifties looked at Mallos and nodded.

Under Thales' curious eyes, Mallos finished his answer indifferently, but instead looked at the middle-aged guard in front of him with a compelling look:

"Who is asking?"

The middle-aged man was silent for a while, he still didn't look at Thales, his right hand was still on the sword at his waist.

I saw the other party stepping forward squarely, with a serious posture.

"Fabio Adrian."

The middle-aged man named Adrian said softly:

"The chief commander of the royal guard, in the name of the king, welcomes the return of His Excellency the Duke of Xinghu."

Thales swears that he can feel that Doyle behind him is breathing heavily.

royal guard.

Chief... Commander?

Thales recalled the pass of the "Six Wings of the Imperial Guard", and Mallos was also silent for a while, before nodding to the grey-haired but stern Adrian.

In the next second, Adrian turned his head, and for the first time looked at Thales, who was a head shorter than Mallos.

Not knowing whether it was affected by the atmosphere or the pressure from the other party's gaze, the Duke of Xinghu subconsciously raised his chest and retracted his abdomen, accepting the other party's gaze.

But just like everyone else, Adrian's eyes just split, and the latter turned back to Mallos.

"Knight Mallos, you have done your duty."

Adrian said lightly:

"Is your mission over?"

Do your best...

The mission can end...

Thales was taken aback, thinking of something in a trance.

Mallos replied calmly but solemnly:

"Knight Adrian, I will do my best."

The watchman narrowed his eyes:

"However, my sword is not broken."

Hearing the other party's answer, Adrian nodded to him, his gaze became softer and less sharp:

"Then your mission is not over yet."

Mallos also nodded slightly, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised:

"Then my mission is not over."

Thales frowned, more and more affirming his memory.

Sure enough, the conversation in front of me...

Full of the sense of ritual he was familiar with.

The air was still quiet, and the atmosphere remained undiminished. The Duke had no choice but to cast a puzzled look at Gilbert, but the latter only signaled him to stay calm.

Finally, Adrian smiled.

The middle-aged commander took off his gloves and reached out to Mallos:

"Well then, welcome back, Cavalier."

Mallos also showed a long-lost, shallow but restrained smile, took off his gloves, and stepped forward to hold Adrian's right hand:

"team leader."

Adrian nodded with a smile, and called Mallos' name:

"Tormund."

While Thales was guessing whether this was a tradition of the royal guard, Adrian let go of Mallos' hand and coughed:

"Okay, the task handover is over, relax."

In the next second, Thales heard the royal guards behind him sighing, as if they all let out a sigh of relief and relaxed.

It's like ending a leadership meeting where you have to sit still and listen carefully the entire time.

Adrian came forward and smiled at Gilbert:

"Count Caso."

Gilbert also showed a smile and stepped forward to shake hands with him happily:

"Lord Adrian."

Lord Adrian smiled and said:

"It seems that I was right. You came back refreshed."

"Thank you, my lord."

After exchanging pleasantries, Gilbert turned around and looked at Thales.

"Welcome to the chamber, Your Excellency the Duke."

The Minister of Foreign Affairs stretched out his hand proudly towards the stone gate behind Adrian:

"This is the place where His Majesty usually receives envoys and foreign ministers."

Looking at the doubts on the duke's face, Gilbert added:

"This is an important place for state affairs. You are the Duke of Xinghu, and you will be familiar with it in the future."

Thales responded politely while looking at the stone gate.

chamber.

Receive envoys and foreign ministers...

etc.

Thales was suddenly stunned.

He looked at the stone gate guarded by Adrian's guards, remembered something, and recognized something.

"I remember."

"The chamber."

"I've been here," Thales said in a daze:

"Come here once."

This made Gilbert pause.

But Thales knew that the meeting hall in the Fuxing Palace...

He did come.

Thales looked at the stone door in a daze, imagining the scene after it opened.

That's right.

right here.

Six years ago, it was here that he saw the arrogant Exeter envoy brazenly intimidating, forcing King Kessel to make a difficult choice between going to war and ceding the land.

Six years ago, it was here that he saw the Duke of Allende hysterically venting his resentment and resignation, revealing his political conspiracy to affect the two great powers and try to turn things around.

Six years ago, it was here...

Thales thought in a daze.

It was here that he saw King Kessel V waving his scepter in a majestic and unquestionable way. Amidst the nervous and stunned inhalation, he decided the second prince of the Star Kingdom, the next six years...

destiny.

"Oh? Oh, it's because I have a bad memory." Gilbert seemed to have remembered something, his face darkened, and he stopped the topic with a little embarrassment.

On the other side, Adrian coughed lightly, interrupting the conversation between Gilbert and the Duke.

I saw Lord Adrian turned around first, and patted Mallos on the arm:

"Weah and Gaitan are waiting for you in the guard room, you know... paperwork."

Mallos put away his smile and frowned slightly.

Adrian nodded to him, urging slightly:

"Go."

But the watchman turned his head and looked in Thales' direction with unclear eyes.

The Duke of Xinghu didn't know what was going on, so he could only show a decent smile.

Adrian followed Mallos to look at His Excellency the Duke.

The middle-aged man seemed to understand something, he smiled, and motioned to Mallos:

"give it to me."

"And Count Caso."

Mallos turned his head and gave Adrian a half-hearted look.

"Okay," the watchman said calmly:

"I'm leaving."

Under Adrian's encouraging eyes and Thales' puzzled eyes, Mallos turned and left without hesitation, walking towards another exit of the corridor.

Doyle and Glover, who were closest to him, were also taken aback, and followed up subconsciously along with the others.

But Mallos immediately stopped:

"Not you."

Looking back, Mallos frowned, looking at Doyle and Glover who stopped in doubt:

"You stay."

"Yes, sir." Glover nodded without hesitation, and retreated behind Thales.

Doyle blinked, and was pulled back into the queue by the flag officer, Fubi.

Commander Adrian, who watched this scene, smiled.

Mallos nodded to him, glanced at Thales again, and left in a hurry.

Gilbert cleared his throat, friendly and gentle.

"Your Highness, allow me to introduce to you, the Chief of the Royal Guard, the chief commander, and also the person in charge of the Fuxing Palace and His Majesty's security, Lord Fabio Adrian, who was born in the "Seven Stars" First, the Adrian family of Swan County in the central area..."

Adrian turned around and bowed respectfully to Thales.

Thales nodded to him flatteredly, feeling stunned.

really.

Fabio Adrian.

He is... the Supreme Commander of the entire royal guard from the top to bottom of the Fuxing Palace.

Including all the 'Six Wings'... the captain of the guard.

And it is one of the seven attendants of Canxing.

"Introduction and greetings can be reserved for the future."

While Thales was thinking, Adrian caught the gap between Gilbert's words and interrupted in a decent and timely manner:

"Your Highness, Count."

"His Majesty is in the chamber."

Adrian gestured towards the stone gate behind him:

"Or don't keep him waiting?"

His Majesty.

At that moment, Thales felt his blood froze.

"Your Majesty is here... Has he finished today's imperial meeting?" Gilbert was suddenly excited.

"No."

Adrian responded politely:

"In fact, His Majesty ended the meeting early."

"He was asking about the letter crow from West Wilderness yesterday."

His Majesty.

Thales was breathing in a trance.

He suddenly understood, from the moment he stepped into the Fuxing Palace, or even into the Eternal Star City, the discomfort that had been tormenting him all this time, the lingering sense of strangeness came from.

It is not the environment and decoration of the Fuxing Palace.

It's not the noise and old affairs of Eternal Star City.

but...

Taylor's fist tightened spontaneously.

"Of course," Gilbert looked at Thales excitedly:

"Presumably His Majesty is also looking forward to this moment."

Adrian didn't answer, but just made a "please" gesture to Thales and Gilbert, and walked towards the stone door of the meeting hall.

His Majesty.

Thales felt his footsteps move forward, following Adrian.

Gilbert followed behind, never leaving.

One after the other.

let him……

There is no escape.

Standing in front of the stone gate, the royal guards, who did not know which wing they belonged to, bowed in unison, and pushed open the stone gate respectfully and professionally.

reveal the endless depths within.

There are only a few lights, illuminating the road ahead.

Adrian turned to one side, tactfully motioning for Duke Xinghu to invite first.

No more tandem.

But Thales found that he would rather the other party walk in front of him again.

but……

So, Thales saw again, his footsteps lifted, fell, lifted again, and fell again.

Until passing by Adrian's side, until stepping through the thick stone door, until stepping into the endless depth.

"Not you!"

Adrian's voice suddenly tightened, becoming stern and cold, contrary to his kindness to the prince and the earl.

Thales stopped subconsciously.

But he soon realized that Adrian wasn't talking to him.

"You stay."

The voice of the captain of the guard was very low.

But it has an undeniable meaning.

"Yes... yes, Ai, Ed... sir, sir." A few seconds later, Doyle's nervous and trembling reply came from behind.

Amidst the low sound of friction, the heavy stone door separating the corridor and the meeting hall was slowly closed.

Shut Doyle's murmurs out.

Behind him, the footsteps of Adrian and Gilbert approached slowly.

As if urging something.

A gust of air rose from Thales' chest and was pressed out from his mouth and nose.

He found that he started to move forward again.

Just like six years ago, the meeting hall was narrow and deep, and when viewed from the entrance on one side, the end of the other end shrunk into a small point.

Indistinct.

Once upon a time, there were densely packed vassals standing on both sides of the chamber, listening to the negotiations between the stars and the dragon.

The difference from six years ago is that there are fewer lights in the meeting hall, and many light-transmitting windows are closed.

Even darker.

Now, the platforms on both sides are empty, and a needle can be heard.

But as the pace advanced, Thales quickly saw it.

At the other end of the line of sight, the solitary peak protrudes, rises above the ground, and falls on several steps...

throne.

Thales' breathing slowly tightened.

A strong but lonely figure appears on the throne above the steps.

That figure bowed its head deeply, hooked its back, and was entrenched in the throne.

His right elbow rests on the arm of the seat, and his right hand, clinging to the scepter, stands in front of his knee.

His forehead was pressed against the back of his hand, immersed in the shadows, and his face was invisible.

Taylor's footsteps stopped.

He stared blankly at the figure he hadn't seen in six years.

Difficult to distinguish emotions.

The prince's pause forced Gilbert to also stop, but the foreign minister quickly reacted, he raised his voice, and spoke enthusiastically to the figure on the throne:

"Your Majesty, I am honored to bring you the new Duke of Star Lake, your..."

Boom!

The bottom of the scepter lightly hit the ground once, and the dull sound echoed in the meeting hall.

It also choked Gilbert's words.

Soon, a heavy, thick, majestic, thunderous voice that had appeared in Thales' dream came from the throne and echoed throughout the hall:

"Gilbert..."

The voice on the throne paused:

"Thank you."

Compared to six years ago, this voice is hoarse, long and dull.

It seems that there is still indescribable fatigue.

Thales listened to the other party's words in a daze, his eyes fixed on that figure.

Gilbert frowned and took a deep breath:

"His Royal Highness has been exhausted all the way, Your Majesty, on his way from Dragon Clouds City to the desert..."

But he was interrupted again by a voice echoing in the hall from the throne:

"my friend."

"I said," the voice on the throne was calm at first, but gradually became firm and short: "Thank you."

"I'll find you later."

Gilbert froze.

Captain Adrian, however, understood what the king meant.

Adrian stretched out his arms towards the hall door behind him, and gestured politely to Gilbert:

"Count Caso?"

Gilbert looked at the shadow on the throne, and then glanced at Thales thoughtfully.

But he didn't say anything after all, but after giving Duke Xinghu an encouraging look, he bowed and turned around resentfully.

Thales forced a smile and nodded, but suddenly realized that the back of the foreign minister was so old.

"The same to you."

The voice on the throne rang again:

"Yordle."

Thales was shocked.

Gilbert's footsteps also paused for a moment, but they resumed their rhythm and walked away slowly.

Nothing happened around.

And Lord Adrian accompanied Gilbert away as if he didn't hear this.

But Thales knew that something was different in the surrounding air.

This made him especially terrified.

The footsteps became farther and farther away, and became smaller and smaller, and finally disappeared at the end of the hall with the sound of the stone door opening and closing.

Only Thales and the shadow on the throne were left, facing each other silently in the dead hall.

"Come forward."

The boy trembled slightly.

Thales is also considered to have experienced hundreds of battles, from bloody battlefields to insidious schemes, he is well-informed.

But for some reason, when he heard these words, he still clenched his fists involuntarily.

Thales raised his head, stared at the figure on the throne, walked slowly, and moved forward to the distance where he could clearly see the steps of the throne.

But in front of his eyes, the figure on the throne was still blurred, flickering back and forth in the eternal light behind him.

"Closer."

The shadow on the throne cranks up the volume a bit.

The boy was silent for a while, then moved again.

This time, he was close enough that he could even see the boots that rested on the bottom of the scepter under the throne.

"Closer."

The voice on the throne seemed a little impatient, he prolonged the tone, shaking the flame of the unextinguishable lamp slightly shaking.

Thales took a deep breath.

Ever since, the next moment, the prince resolutely raised his footsteps and continued to move forward.

Until he saw that the shadow on the throne was also slowly moving and bouncing.

Thales froze.

Under the dim light, the thirty-ninth generation of Star High King, King of the Iron Fist, who seemed to be more than six years old, Kessel Canxing V raised his eyes from the scepter and faced the prince.

Thales had to look up at him, and his breathing began to speed up involuntarily.

Unable to control.

Bearing the eyes that he had seen many times in dreams but always woke him up, a name blurted out from Thales' mouth:

"His Majesty."

As soon as the words came out, Thales subconsciously added:

"Father, father?"

The man on the throne propped his chin and frowned slightly.

He lost weight.

This was Thales' first feeling.

Although the opponent's figure under the leather robe is still strong, although the scepter in the opponent's hand is still stable, although the pair of eyes still emit a faint cold light.

But he can see that:

King Kessel's face was much thinner, his eye sockets were slightly sunken, and his cheekbones were slightly raised.

And more wrinkles have already climbed up the king's face.

The other party's knuckles holding the scepter are more protruding, which looks quite sharp.

Compared with six years ago, the only thing that remained unchanged or even worse was probably the silence, dull, suffocating, but uneasy feeling like the eve of a storm.

The silence seemed to last for a long time, but Thales just looked at the king quietly, feeling that he couldn't look away.

Finally, the king's expression changed:

"anxiety."

The voice is the same as before, calm and thick.

It is especially obvious in the empty and long meeting hall.

Thales came back to his senses and cleared his throat:

"Feel sorry?"

Six years later, King Kessel snorted softly.

"How you feel now."

The king said slowly:

"anxiety."

anxiety?

Thales frowned, not knowing why:

"I……"

But the king continued talking on his own, ignoring the boy's doubts:

"Anxiety, it's weird."

"It's not panic, it's not panic—these are the feelings that tend to pop up when you're not expecting them, leaving you bewildered and powerless."

The boy's breathing stagnates.

King Kessel's voice echoed in the hall, feeling like it was coming from all directions, without any gaps:

"For example, you are about to meet a certain big test, accept a certain judgment, and do a certain big thing..."

"For another example, you are about to become the heir of an ancient kingdom, and you will be burdened with a much heavier and tiring burden than ever before."

The king snorted heavily, as if the whole hall shook:

"Yet you know you're not good enough, you know you can't take it, you know you're doomed."

"At that moment, you were terrified, you didn't want to face it, you just wanted to escape, and you were desperate."

"This feeling is panic and panic."

Facing the pair of eyes that seemed to see through something, Thales tried his best to maintain a decent expression and posture.

He felt that the movement of raising his head was getting more and more tiring.

But it seemed that there was some strength supporting him, and he didn't look away, or just bowed his head.

King Kessel exhaled slowly:

"But once there is such a moment..."

"Before the final moment, there was an opportunity, a solution, and a turning point."

"It makes you feel that there is still a glimmer of hope in the situation, that the consequences may come later, and that the judgment may be postponed for a moment."

"And you can procrastinate a little longer without facing the outcome you fear the most."

King Kessel's chin was raised from the back of his right hand, revealing the faint blue light of the staff of stars.

"For example, you can face that test a few days later, bear the judgment a few weeks later, and accept your inevitable... identity a few years later."

Thales stared at the king's calm face, listening to his words with deep meaning:

"In that moment, that was literally redemption."

"It's luck, it's numbness, it's the ecstasy and relief after surviving a catastrophe."

"It makes you feel that 'the end is still far away' and that 'I can still be saved'."

Hearing this, the boy couldn't help but tremble.

"But when all this is over, when the probation period given to you by God is over," the king chuckled, his eyes were deep, but his face was still expressionless:

"Those illusions that make you think you're relieved."

"They'll just... all disappear."

Thales listened blankly, his palms were cold.

On the throne, the Supreme King slowly straightened his waist, under the dim light, it seemed as if dark clouds were over his head:

"And those lucky ones who escaped will be poured back into the eyes, together with the remorse and anxiety of 'I knew this', self-blame and panic."

"In the end, it turned into a well-known but irresistible..."

"anxiety."

Thales and the king looked at each other, feeling an inexplicable emptiness in his heart.

There is no way to fill it up.

Kessel, on the other hand, rubbed the scepter in his hand coldly, staring at the weird blue light from its top:

"It's this nagging anxiety that, amidst the pain of scratching your head and fidgeting, makes you understand that six years of evasion, fluke, delay, and illusion were all meaningless."

six years.

Thales breathed in a trance, listening to the king finish speaking:

"It's like a damned but useless leather whip, forcing you to face it, facing the things you knew a long time ago and will come eventually, but in the end you can't do anything about it..."

"destiny."