Kingdom’s Bloodline

When the king stepped into the Mindis Hall, Thales was breathing hard.

His knees rested on the carpet in the Mindis Hall, feeling the coolness.

Many footsteps came from the front, one of them was steadily leading, and the rest followed behind.

Thales heard his own breathing clearly, and found them so harsh for the first time.

"Get up, everyone." A familiar voice came, as thick as ever.

"This is a banquet, not an imperial meeting - those old men are annoying enough."

No one dared to answer.

For a moment, the Duke of Xinghu seemed to have returned to the time when he first arrived at Mindis Hall in a daze six years ago.

At that time, when King Kessel met him for the first time, the dignified atmosphere seemed to crack the floor tiles, which made the little beggar feel uncomfortable and speechless.

Thales stared closely at the pattern of the carpet—there should be no iron thorns underneath—the Duke found bitterly that after six years of experience and polishing, when the same scene reappeared, the heaviness he experienced was not the slightest Minus, but still more than that.

King Nun, King Charman, and all the enemies that made him fearful, none of them could give him such a feeling.

Why?

Why is this happening.

Thales still lowered his head.

Whether it was guests or attendants, guards or servants, people saluted in low voices, and the audience was heard endlessly.

But it didn't relax Thales' nerves at all.

Finally, the pair of simple but expensive boots stopped in front of him.

The base of the Staff of the Stars touched the carpet, as if taking root immediately.

After about a century, a palm appeared in front of Thales.

On it, the bronze ring that marked the kingship shone slightly.

Thales was stunned for a moment, as if he had seen the state meeting back then. When the Iron Fist King stepped into the Hall of Stars, the vassals of the kingdom bowed their knees and kissed the ring on his hand.

To show loyalty.

The Duke of Xinghu took a deep breath. He took off his gloves and held the palm of his hand, preparing to kiss the king's ring according to the etiquette.

But to Thales' surprise, the king held his hand back the next moment and stopped him.

Thales raised his head in shock, but only saw a pair of deep blue eyes staring at him coldly.

"When you were in the north," King Kessel said slowly, with an ordinary tone, but the content was as heavy as a thousand pounds: "When you are facing King Nun, the new king, and the entire Exeter..."

"Did you bend your knees?"

Thales was shocked.

He looked at those bottomless blue eyes for a second, felt the fortitude and thickness hidden inside, and swallowed:

"No."

The boy added the title with some difficulty:

"His Majesty."

In the next second, Thales felt a weight on his hand, and he was involuntarily pulled up from the ground!

"Then don't have bad habits."

Kessel said coldly, the majestic air seemed to turn into ice water and flow down the wall.

Thales didn't even have time to react and think.

"As a bright star," the king looked at his heir expressionlessly, "even if his legs are useless."

"Never bow your knees."

The surrounding crowd made a fleeting discussion, and then fell silent.

"Especially at……"

The Iron Fist King slowly let go of his hand. He looked at the statue of the Three Star Kings on the spiral staircase, paused for a second, and then looked at the chandelier above his head and the decoration in the hall. No one could know his emotions:

"here."

Accustomed to the low air pressure around the other party, Thales was a little surprised.

He didn't make me kneel or kiss my hand.

The supreme king with deep momentum and heavy steps in the past.

Today it's...

The people who bowed their knees and bowed their heads still bowed their heads, not knowing what they were thinking.

Thales stared at his father inquiringly, but replied obediently:

"yes."

He felt the difference in the atmosphere, and added a sentence with a tacit understanding:

"Father."

King Kessel stared at him closely, without comment, just took the scepter again.

The interaction between the king and the prince seemed to be an order, and then the people around got up one after another, and performed their duties around the arrival of the king.

Lord Adrian, the commander of the royal guard accompanying King Kessel, saluted Thales with a faint smile, and then whispered something with Mallos.

Thales was still thinking about it, but King Kessel walked past him without stopping or greeting him.

It seemed that what happened just now was just a small episode in the royal family.

Until the king stopped again, facing the only person in the hall who refused to kneel down and salute, let alone pretend to speak.

I saw Val Arend, like a dazzling pillar, firmly planted on the ground of Mindis Hall, and he looked at his old friend coldly, without saying a word.

Thales smelled the faint sense of tension.

King Kessel didn't speak either, but just stared at the Duke silently, his eyes turning back and forth on the shackles on the opponent's hands.

Their eyes met in the air.

At that moment, there was too much in their gaze.

The tacit silence between the two made the attendants around them anxious and embarrassed.

Until a gentle and pleasant female voice broke the silence.

"Unbelievable—this is Little Thales?"

Thales turned around slowly, facing another lady who followed the king and was surrounded by many female relatives.

He couldn't help but feel his heart tighten.

The lady's dress was luxurious, her posture was elegant but not lacking in vivacity, and her eyes were full of surprise when she looked at Thales:

"It's been so many years in a blink of an eye, look at your size...do you remember me?"

Thales looked behind the lady: Jini was wearing a standard lady's dress, with a calm expression, and nodded subtly to him.

The young man smiled, held his stepmother's hand with complicated and delicate emotions, and bowed to salute:

"Your Majesty the Queen, you are still in style."

Queen Keya's eyes lit up, and while looking at Thales, she turned her head happily, and said to one of the female relatives:

"Look, Elise, he knew me right away, considering he was so young..."

The queen's face is radiant, her smile is sweet, her conversation is fluent, and she is naturally friendly, which makes people feel good when they meet for the first time.

If Thales hadn't met her six years ago.

"Of course," another handsome lady among the women who came with the queen also looked at Thales:

"Prince Thales is known for his intelligence."

The lady, in a dark gown and velvet shawl, is just as elegant, but a little more serene:

"Even in the North."

Thales silently looked at the piece of velvet.

Keya took Thales's hand, looked him up and down and sighed again, she turned to Ji Ni, showing annoyed expression:

"Oh, Ginny, you should have asked me to bring the children. Maybe Lydia is a little naughty, but at least you should take Luther, let him learn how to be a prince like his brother ..."

Hearing those two names, the smiles of the people around all froze.

Miss Jenny looked embarrassed, and she gave the velvet lady a look, with a slightly urging tone:

"Ke Ya..."

The servants who came out from the Fuxing Palace had a tacit understanding, and the two maids stepped forward calmly.

But the queen still held Thales and looked at her, refusing to let go, quite a bit of love for her stepson:

"You know, the two of them are royal children after all, what will happen when they grow up..."

at this moment.

"Ke Ya."

A thick voice sounded faintly, as if the hinges of the city gate were being tightened.

In the next moment, Queen Keya's enthusiastic words stopped abruptly.

She turned her head with a timid expression and looked at the king's back.

King Kessel stretched out his arms silently.

The queen gave Thales an apologetic look, then obediently stepped forward and took her husband by the arm.

"Val," Keya looked at Duke Val standing opposite the king, his eyes lit up, and he asked like an old friend, as if he didn't see the shackles on his hands:

"How are you?"

The Duke of the North, who had been staring at King Kessel, moved slightly. He looked at the queen, his brows flickering.

In the end, Val still spoke silently, with disdain in his words:

"It couldn't be better."

After the Duke of Aaronde finished speaking, he turned around and went to the banquet hall without looking back. He didn't need guidance, but he was familiar with the road.

Mallos gave a look, and Gray Patterson, who was in charge of the escort, followed closely with several members of the guards, vigilant.

"Let's go," King Kessel stared at the back of his childhood playmate, his tone slightly lower:

"Someone must be waiting."

The king took a step forward, without Captain Adrian's orders, the royal guards accompanying His Majesty followed up from the side faintly. Their expressions remained unchanged, their postures were natural, and they were in place in time without being conspicuous.

In contrast, even if they come from the same source, regardless of their demeanor or demeanor, they belong to his Xinghu Guards...

"It's my illusion after all," behind Thales, D.D carefully watched the scene of the royal greetings, and whispered to Glover:

"Or is it really getting colder in Mindis Hall?"

Glover glanced at the faint sweat spots on the other party's forehead, and replied softly:

"It's not an illusion."

Thales sighed.

In the next second, he suddenly felt his left hand tighten.

"Would you mind lending me an arm?"

Thales turned his head in surprise, and the lady with the velvet shoulders smiled and took his arm.

"Elise... aunt."

Thales looked at the adopted daughter of the former king who had a relationship six years ago with complicated emotions, his eyes stayed on her shoulder, and he felt a dull pain in a certain scar on his chest.

He said against his will:

"The shawl is beautiful."

Alice smiled lightly and beautifully:

"Thanks, and you're grown--a man."

Thales was held by his aunt's arm, and he couldn't help following the pace of the king and queen, followed by all the attendants.

"no need to worry."

Compared to Thales' stiffness, Alice's steps are calm and her smile is decent:

"You'll get used to it."

Get used to it slowly.

What are you used to?

Thales sighed in his heart, is he used to his father's own atmosphere killer attribute, or is he used to the intricate circle of nobles in the capital?

A few steps behind the king, they went to the banquet hall surrounded by crowds.

Alice's voice suddenly became colder:

"laugh."

Thales was taken aback.

"If you want to fight, be fully armed."

Alice still showed her friendly smile to the surroundings, but her tone became abrupt:

"And on this battlefield, a smile is the best armor."

Thales frowned.

It sounds familiar.

But before he could come up with an answer, Alice turned her head and looked at the person who was beside them unknowingly.

"Congratulations, Tormund," Alice looked at Mallos gently:

"I'm very happy that you have become the watchman of the guard and the captain of Thales' personal guard."

Lord Mallorce nodded slightly, his face remained calm, and his tone was calm as before:

"Your Highness Elise."

On the contrary, after looking at the watchman, Alice felt quite emotional.

"Your father will be very proud," Her Royal Highness sighed:

"His greatest wish is to see your family return to the ranks of the Seven Attendants..."

Mallos suddenly raised his voice and interrupted Alice:

"Please go in with His Majesty, Your Excellency the Duke."

"This is your welcome banquet, and you won't want to miss it."

Mallos nodded to Thales, then accelerated towards Adrian.

Thales followed the steps of the princess unhurriedly, thoughtfully:

"You and my personal guard captain are old acquaintances?"

Alice looked at Mallos' back and nodded slowly.

"Before his downfall, 'Razor' Mallos played an important role among the Seven Star Attendants led by the Central Committee, and his power was overwhelming. In the genealogy, there are three baronet titles conferred by the royal family alone, which is comparable to the 'Wild Horse' Barney family. "

Alice seemed to sigh:

"When the late king was alive, the old Viscount Mallos even proposed to marry Princess Constance for his eldest son."

"Razor" Mallos.

Under the command of the royal family, the seven important attendants of Canxing.

It was the first time Thales knew the meaning of his guard captain's surname, and couldn't help frowning.

"From crying and hanging herself to running away from home, Constance made a big fuss. Anyway, the scene was not good, and the chickens were flying like dogs... The marriage was not settled, and the late king felt ashamed, so he planned to back off and ask me if I would marry her. past."

Thales moved slightly.

"You mean," Thales looked at his aunt, then at Mallos' back, and said in surprise:

"You and... him?"

Alice showed a flat smile, and at that moment, she looked a little haggard.

Thales finally retracted his surprise.

So Tormund Mallos, his favorite captain of the bodyguard, almost became his uncle?

Thales paid attention in his heart, and secretly planned to force D.D to pour out all the gossip history of his boss after he went back.

"What happened next?" Thales asked.

"Later, I agreed." The princess said lightly:

"But it was probably out of resentment, or perhaps because they felt that a princess without royal blood did not meet their expectations. The old Viscount Mallos rejected the former king and turned to the Duke of Arend in the north to propose marriage."

Thales blinked.

okay.

The adopted daughter, with a low eyebrow and pleasing eyes, married in place of her wayward biological daughter, but was resolutely rejected by the man.

Leaving aside this full of old sayings, house fighting style aside...

How powerful was the Mallos family back then?

Thales carefully glanced at his aunt's face, but found that the latter still smiled kindly, nodding to the guests on both sides from time to time, without any worries about the humiliation and sadness of the past.

The boy suddenly remembered that Alice's husband died on Red Square Street six years ago, and the culprit was precisely...

Thales looked at his aunt and knew in his heart that her subsequent marriage was not happy either.

Thinking of this, Thales suddenly felt sympathy.

"But Mallos is no longer among the Seven Attendants today, so...how did they fall?" Thales cleared his throat, wanting to say something to make his aunt happy.

But Alice shook her head, but she didn't look happy:

"The Year of Blood."

Thales' heart trembled.

Having said that, Alice didn't want to say much, so she changed the topic:

"Speaking of this, Thales, you have been in the Northland for many years, have you noticed any good girls?"

Thales paused.

Having been in the North for many years...

"Good girl?"

"Well," Alice nodded with a smile:

"When you came back from the Northland, the king talked a lot about it."

Thales suddenly thought of that silly little girl who was in the library with a dirty body.

And a long time later, the Grand Duchess held King Nun's ring and roared like a young lion in the Hall of Heroes, ordering troops to be dispatched.

But when he thought that she was going on a bad expedition and her life and death were uncertain, Thales' mood fell to the bottom.

That girl...will she hold on?

He cheered up immediately.

"Of course," Thales raised his head without changing his face:

"Miss Jenny is beautiful and lively, cheerful and interesting, and she is very close to me. I like going out with her the most."

Princess Alice's footsteps stopped instantly.

The people around also fell silent.

"Jenny?"

Elise frowned, repeating the name.

very close...

travel together...

Still a girl from the north...

Doyle shot Glover an evil look that was first surprised and then understood.

Not surprisingly, it was ignored by the latter.

Princess Alice gave a warning look to the Qiè tīng surrounding pricked up ears.

"You shouldn't answer it head-on, it has a lot of repercussions."

The chatter of servants, guards, and guests sounded low like buzzing, and then spread farther and farther with the back and forth footsteps.

The seriousness of this news cannot be questioned.

His aunt tightened Thales' arm, but still couldn't help leaning over cautiously, lowering her voice:

"So, which family in the Northland...Jenny?"

At the same time, despite being firmly separated, the spectators all turned their ears to this side, ignoring the displeased orders of the royal guards.

But Thales raised his voice and didn't care. He didn't mean to hide his romantic history in the Northland at all:

"have no idea."

He said carelessly, causing another burst of murmurs around him.

"But judging from her body shape, coat color, pace, food intake, defecation, and how picky she is about concentrate feed, stables, and grooms," Thales recalled Nicolai's horse riding lessons, sincerely answer:

"Should be of noble birth."

His aunt froze for a second.

"Color, the stable..."

Alice narrowed her eyes and slowly reacted:

"Jenny...is a horse?"

Thales turned his head and smiled heartily:

"A fine horse."

The next moment, all the people who were paying attention let out sighs of disappointment and dispersed one after another.

Thales looked at Alice's strange eyes and the disappointed expressions of the people around him with satisfaction.

Yes, Jenny is a fine horse...

That's weird.

Knowing that he broke free from the rope buckle in the middle of the night and sneaked out to eat night food from other mangers, causing the whole Palace of Heroes to be nervous and hunt down the thief. It wasn't until Ada, who came back from stealing chicken legs in the middle of the night, accidentally ran into the truth...

Vicious and domineering in front of Wyatt and Rolf, cute and innocent in front of Thales and Nicolai, bad-tempered when seeing a groom with a whip and harness, and kind and approachable when seeing a groom with a hay brush...

Miss Jenny's whole body, is there any place that can be related to the word "good"?

{In a certain stable in the north, a beautiful mare sneezed, she raised her head from the manger vigilantly, and with a brisk back kick, drove another unwilling war horse back to the corner , and then continue to grab its night food to eat}

After a few seconds, Alice smiled in relief.

"Very well, even if it touches a painful spot, take it calmly and be humorous."

She stares at her nephew who is not related by blood:

"Now……"

"You are fully armed."

touch the pain...

Taylor's heart tightened.

Alice just smiled and didn't point it out, just took his arm and moved on.

"I really miss it," Elise looked away from the statue of the Three Star Kings with emotion:

"In the past, your little aunt often took me here to play."

"Little aunt?" Thales moved slightly upon hearing this.

"Constance, what kind of girl is she?"

The two were silent for a moment.

Alice's eyes were bewildered, and she looked at the past that could not go back:

"Constance, she is not a girl who keeps her own place. Every time I come here, she either jumps off a building or demolishes her house. I can only pretend to be sick to avoid her enthusiasm-so much so that the considerate brother Midil specially prepares for me. A dedicated 'ward'."

Constance, jumped off the building, demolished the house...

Thinking of the ashes urns in Canxing's tomb, Thales frowned.

"When she refused to marry," Elise chuckled:

"I just ran away from home four times, and wanted to take me with me, but two times were captured by Lord Saker, one time was captured by Jinie, and the last time was even brought back by Prince Midil himself. Go out...but His Majesty the late king neither had the heart to beat her nor dared to beat Ms. Ida who secretly helped her, so he could only ask Lord Sackel to whip Kessel who was in collusion with her..."

Alice paused at this point, she looked at the king in front of her, then sighed, and continued:

"Thinking about it now, the years when I ran away from home with her and starved on the streets together, hey, it's actually not that bad."

Thales was a little dumbfounded.

"Constance sounds like that," Thales said quietly:

"She is a very lively and lovely girl."

"Lively and cute?" Alice laughed uncontrollably, "Have you never experienced her pranks..."

"Including painting cute cats on the back of Horace's armor, the entire barracks saw it, but no one dared to speak, it was a prisoner who reminded him..."

"Because I was afraid that my third brother would not find a wife, I used Bancroft's name to send love letters to all future sister-in-laws she had hoped for, and arranged dates..."

"I think Heyman is too stinky, so she secretly replaced his perfume with dog urine when he had a cold and couldn't smell it..."

"I was interested in the adult bed, so I secretly followed Kessel to Red Square Street, listened to his corner, and came out from under the bed halfway to ask him how he felt..."

Thales couldn't help laughing when he heard it.

"The only person who can discipline her is Brother Midil," Alice shook her head helplessly:

"But even so, Constance succeeded in a trick once and successfully applied a delayed onset of chili water to Midil's wheelchair. As a result, he attended the entire day's imperial meeting as if nothing had happened... "

Thales was still laughing, but when he realized something, he was taken aback.

"Aunt Alice, you just said..."

Thales frowned, and said softly, "Middle's... wheelchair?"

The atmosphere between the two sank slightly.

A few seconds later, Alice frowned slightly:

"do not you know?"

Thales narrowed his eyes.

"Yes," Alice sighed slowly:

"This is an old story, and it's about the deceased. It's normal for you not to know."

The Duke of Xinghu turned his head subconsciously, and he realized that all the stairs in the Mindis Hall had a landslide of a considerable proportion.

Seems... not just for decoration?

"and……"

Alice opened her mouth quietly, her gaze concentrated in the void. At this moment, she seemed to be cut off from the noise of the outside world and immersed in the past.

"Although his smile is always the gentlest, caring, tolerant, and caring for everyone, although his shoulders are always the toughest, supporting, supporting, and protecting everyone."

"But even though he's so understanding, gentle and considerate, no one has ever been able to really..."

"Understand his pain."

Thales turned his head and looked at her in surprise.

"That's right."

"When Brother Midil was young, he went on a trip and encountered an accident," Iris said faintly:

"Since then, he has suffered from ailments in his legs and is unable to walk."

"Lifelong companions in wheelchairs."

What?

Thales was stunned.

Midil Canxing.

Former owner of Mindis Hall.

The former heir to the supreme throne, the wise prince praised by everyone.

It's actually a bit...

A crown prince in a wheelchair?

Thales suddenly remembered the scene of Kessel pulling himself up from the ground just now.

and his cold words.

【As a bright star, even if my legs are useless...】

[Never bend your knees. 】

【Especially at……】

【here. 】

In the next second, without any pause, they followed the king and queen into the banquet hall.

Ushering in the surging crowds, the mountain shouts and the sea drinks.