Kingdom’s Bloodline

"How are you?"

Jen looked puzzled.

Thales tried his best to adjust his disordered breathing so as not to show any clues.

"Yes," Thales forced a smile, and pushed the plate of lettuce away from the scene:

"It's just that I'm full, and I can't bear it."

Jen was silent for a moment, his eyes sharpened.

"So in your opinion, vassals like me are still the chief culprit? Is it the source of selfish desires to disrupt the country?"

Thales didn't admit it, nor did he deny it.

He looked at the Duke, trying to forget what he had seen in his mind:

"Maybe."

"But it's not an accusation because there's nothing you can do."

powerless.

Jen savored this sentence for a while.

He said blankly:

"According to what you said, everything is inevitable, and there is no room between us?"

Thales looked at the Duke for a long time.

He suddenly remembered the first time they met. At that time, they encountered the killer sent by Arend together—according to Qianzi, it was the hands of the Shadow Shield.

If the hidden assassin jumped out at this time, wouldn't Zhan En be the one to block him again?

Thales shook off this boring thought, remained silent for a while, and shook his head:

"Who knows."

"But now that the crisis is approaching, new demands must originate from it."

Thales was a little dazed:

"I think, when history gets tired of repeating, when people get tired of disputes, when the country gets tired of internal strife... When the time comes, the absolute, unique, and supreme power of the monarch may be called, needed, and overthrown again. For the protagonist of history."

Jen frowned.

"Just like in the past, after the uncompromising kings flourished and declined," Thales pointed at the other party and said with a smile:

"The vassals divided the land, divided and ruled, expanded the territory, and became the protagonists of history."

Jen pondered for a few seconds.

"In this way, the protagonist of history is first the king, then the vassals, and then back to the king?"

He looked at King Kessel in the distance, and then looked back at the prince:

"Only these two, nothing else?"

Thales snorted.

"King or vassal, one or many, gathering or dispersing, exclusive or all, central or block, bureaucrat or squire, united or divided, centralized or autonomous, hierarchy or absolute power, with various names and manifestations And feet, call them whatever you want."

He shrugged:

"But like you just said: duality, two-way, two-way, two sides of the scale, two ends of the road."

Jen snorted coldly:

"It looks like it's spinning in circles and back to the starting point."

Thales shook his head disapprovingly:

"It's like spinning in circles... Maybe it's because you're standing in the wrong place, at the wrong angle?"

Jen looked at him.

"If you're only standing in front of history, or behind history, yes, it does look like it's going back and forth, : Thales forgets what he just saw in his mind,

The tone became lighter:

"Up and down, back and forth, rising from a low place to a high place, and then falling from a high place to a low place."

"But if you three-dimensionally—I mean, move your noble ass, climb higher up in history, and look down."

Thales said slowly:

"Perhaps you will find: in this angle, in countless factors, in unknown details..."

"History is always moving forward, making new choices."

"Never go round in circles."

Jen frowned, thinking for a long time.

Just when Thales sighed and was about to continue, Jann suddenly said:

"Like waves on the sea?"

"When you look at it from head to toe, it goes up and down, but when you look at it, it rises and falls, but it is actually a wave that is always moving forward?"

wave.

Thales was surprised at first, then smiled.

"good."

He was going to talk about the "spiral rise" of the bad street, but since the other party's awareness is so high...

Thales leaned back on his seat, silently watching the king and duke on the steps, and the various guests below.

"Whether it's a king or a good vassal, in addition to going up and down, going back and forth, every struggle, every turn, every collision in history, there may be new sparks."

Thales' words became clearer:

"From the rise of ancient chauvinism to the division of kings, from the juxtaposition of city-states to the conquest of empires, from the union of heroes to the final empire, from the final battle to the establishment of stars, from the restoration of kings to the reform of virtuous kings—under the sun, every Everything is new.

He thought of the old crow and felt a little emotional.

Jen thought carefully about Thales' words:

"History advances like waves, and we are like small boats on the waves. Most of the time we go with the waves, and occasionally we can ride the wind and waves?"

Telston paused.

"A small boat on the waves is an interesting saying."

"But unfortunately, I think, the metaphor is both self-righteous and self-deprecating."

Facing this contradictory answer, Zhan En gave him a puzzled look.

Thales turned his head and smiled.

"I think, we are water, but also waves."

Taylor's expression was extremely serious:

"We are history itself."

Jen's face changed slightly.

This time, he turned his head and remained silent for a long time.

Not far away, Mallos, who had been busy all night, and Glover, who came back from outside, just met:

"Still nothing?"

Glover rubbed his hands that were red from the cold, and while putting on his gloves, he shook his head:

"No."

"The guests were searched carefully before entering the venue, and nothing that could be used as a weapon or poison was found in the gift warehouse."

"The guests who approached His Majesty and several dukes tonight - that's nearly a hundred people - have all been investigated. They are all people of identity, there are no impostors, and there is nothing suspicious, at least not particularly suspicious."

Mallos' face became more and more tense.

"Outside the hall, the security officers blocked the road all night and found nothing."

"In the hall, the royal guards—whether it's from the Fuxing Palace or us—have also been watching for several hours, and no assassins have been found."

"Also," Glover hesitated, and said:

"I... heard from my acquaintances in the Vanguard Wing that even people from the Kingdom's Secret Division have come and used some taboo methods to detect threats."

Kingdom Secrets.

Mallos blinked.

Glover continued:

"But in the entire Mindis hall, there is neither high-energy pitch crystal resonance nor high-concentration refined eternal oil reaction."

"At least, no one among the guests is hiding unknown alchemy balls or magic guns."

But Mallos suddenly reached out and wrapped his arms around his shoulders!

Glover was taken aback, only to see Mallos lower his voice with a serious expression:

"What about other indicators?"

"Formation interference? Spell fluctuations? Anomie of laws? Mutual repulsion of the origin? Return to balance phenomenon? Traces of different descending? What about other indicative magic tests? What about the secret department?"

Glover was stunned by several unfamiliar words:

"magic?"

"I, my friend didn't say so much..."

Mallos frowned.

Unexpectedly, another voice came from behind and answered him.

"Neither." In the vigilant eyes of the two, the deputy captain, Vogel Talen, walked from behind them coldly:

"There are no long-lost mage tricks."

"At least it's not a magical assassination."

Glover looked at his two superiors worriedly.

But Mallos was still thinking and didn't say anything.

"Ha, in the empty room in the side hall, Patterson caught a couple of lovebirds with disheveled clothes..."

D.D yawned and looked exhausted, and came from the other side to report:

"Also, Shi Tuo caught a few naked men and women "chatting" in some carriages, Bastia caught a few lazy guys who left their posts from the servant passage, and a few sneaky people in the kitchen ...but nothing major, and the basement and fireplace are empty."

"In addition, two men were caught in the bathroom, and they played the role of 'four-legged beast' in a single room. You know, hehe... Lao Pi wanted to report it, but I stopped him... Cough cough, anyway, We have an extra sum of money this month, which can improve the food..."

Doyle smirked and shook his head.

Until he saw Vogel, he was shocked and tensed his body like an electric shock:

"Ah! Tower, Chief Taron—sir!"

Vogel glanced at him, hiding the disdain in his eyes.

Doyle coughed hard and became serious again:

"Report sir! Many older and important guests have already left the venue one after another: Earl Casso is too drunk, Baron Gals and his widowed lover have returned home early, Duke Aarond will be escorted back to his cell in a while, and it is said that Prime Minister Cullen will also Ask the steward if you can leave..."

He turned his head and looked at the guests who were getting more and more crazy in the middle of the hall:

"These young people are left..."

Mallos frowned, watching a guest snatch away the minstrel's lute, and singing a love song on his own, confessing his love to a distressed girl:

"Aren't you tired after eating, drinking, singing and dancing all night?"

Doyle narrowed his eyes and watched as the guest was stopped by another angry young man, and after a few harsh words between the two, they fought violently, staged a scene of jealousy between brothers (“Stop fighting! "—a girl with a tired face), until their sweetheart waved a handkerchief and successfully pulled them off ("The one I really love is your father!"——a girl with an affectionate face):

"That depends on who you dance with."

Vogel snorted softly:

"So, we have to be ready all night? Wait for your assassin to show up?"

Both Glover and Doyle glanced at Mallos, but the latter didn't respond.

"You should be glad that His Majesty doesn't have much to do tonight, and all of them have been completed," Vogel said displeasedly:

"Captain Adrian is persuading His Majesty to drop the minor arrangements and leave early."

"Can we end this farce?"

Mallos pondered for a moment, his eyes lit up:

"Maybe, maybe the assassin is still biding his time."

"Still waiting?" Vogel said disdainfully:

"After His Majesty and the dukes have left..."

Mallos raised his head:

"That will take away a large number of guards and let the rest relax."

The watchman looked up at the prince's seat. There, Duke Iris and Prince Thales seemed to be talking speculatively, chatting enthusiastically, as if there was no one else around.

He frowned:

"It also brings the target closer."

Beside Thales, Jen raised his glass again, looking at the romantic anecdote in the banquet hall that attracted everyone to watch:

An old baron with a livid face was quarreling with an old friend he had known for many years, accusing him of seducing his daughter, whom he had planned to marry to his son, in spite of age, shame, and the friendship of the two families.

Jen looked back:

"King, vassal, and king."

"Earl Caso told me proudly just now that your teacher in the north is Meri Hexer."

"Is this his teaching?"

Hearing the familiar name, Thales was in a trance.

"Half of it," he said nostalgicly:

"The old crow provided me with a lot of historical materials and details, and I would also like to thank him for his persistent questioning, forcing me to think about every possible or impossible answer."

As if the previous life wasn't enough.

Jen raised his glass to him:

"What about the other half?"

Thales shook his head.

"That's another person's... It's a way of thinking."

Jen looked puzzled.

"Three-stage," Thales said with a little distraction:

"Affirmation, negation, negation of negation."

Looking at the bewildered expression of the other party, Thales smiled:

"Or you can understand it this way: the king, the vassals, and then the new king."

Jen understood immediately, but he still frowned.

"Thinking method? Who said it?"

Thales sighed:

"Hegel."

"I have no impression, who is he?"

Thales shook his head: "You won't know, if you really want to talk about it, he is considered a long, long, long time ago..."

The prince thought for a moment, then smiled and said:

"Mage."

Jann was stunned.

Mage?

He looked at Thales, with even more serious eyes.

"I see," Duke Iris said lightly:

"Very inspiring."

Jen En's eyes froze, not knowing what he was thinking.

Thales looked at the other party thinking hard and wanting to get something, and suddenly smiled.

"You know, according to this logic..."

Thales felt something:

"You have an apple, I have an apple, we exchange, each still has an apple."

Jen showed doubts.

Thales raised his finger:

"But you have a mind, and I have a mind, and when we exchange..."

Zhan En realized a little bit, and then said:

"Two minds?"

But Thales shook his head.

"No, more than that."

He was slightly lost in thought: "So..."

"We'll have an unprecedented third..."

"New ideas."

Jen was silent for a long time.

At this moment, Thales suddenly saw: King Kessel got up from his seat, and the accompanying guard Staley put on a cloak for him.

The troops accompanying the king started to move.

Some guests noticed the king's actions and came forward to say goodbye, but King Kessel didn't seem to want to make a high profile. He just waved his hand casually and disappeared through the side door surrounded by the royal guards.

Queen Keya and Jini were absent, and Kessel's back looked even more lonely and cold.

And the royal guard around him seemed to be facing a formidable enemy.

Thales' heart tightened: If the assassin wants to do something, now is the last chance.

He ignored Zhan En's eyes looking at him, and looked around vigilantly.

However, a minute passed, and until the king's huge entourage walked out of the banquet hall, no one jumped out with weapons, shouting slogans to assassinate the king.

Thales was relieved to see the last person in the king's team disappear.

Well, he didn't expect the other party to come and say hello, "Son, I'm leaving".

The prince subconsciously broke his perfect sitting posture, stretched his waist, and hurriedly sat up again before someone corrected him.

For some reason, without the presence of the king, Thales felt much more relaxed, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

Obviously, Thales is not the only person who thinks so - the biggest evidence is that after the king left, the music in the banquet hall was not weak but strong, and the restlessness of the crowd did not decrease but increased.

but……

What if the assassin's target, not the king?

Thales touched the table knife on the table, turned his eyes, and confirmed with Mallos.

Fortunately, the Xinghu guard guarded the main roads around him very well.

"Your Majesty is leaving now?" Zhan En frowned.

"Yes."

Thales turned his head, and the absurd idea of ​​Jann blocking the knife for him appeared in his heart again:

"There are other guests present, I think it's time for you..."

But Jen cut him off.

"Your opening toast today was good."

"Cheers for God, for the country, for the king, for others, and for the faith," Zhan En focused on Thales, obviously not wanting to leave:

"But few people would say: Respect yourself."

Jen said lightly:

"Own."

Thales frowned slightly.

He felt that Jen's mood had changed.

Because the king left the field, there were more guests who wanted to squeeze into the Duke of Xinghu, but they were all stopped by the Xinghu guards. The reason was ready and obvious: His Royal Highness Thales was having a good conversation with Duke Zhann , do not disturb.

"Tell me, Thales."

Jen called the prince's name directly again, he turned the wine glass in his hand and said softly.

"Have you ever thought about..."

Duke Iris raised his head on his seat, looking at the huge colonnade in the hall, with serious eyes:

"Back then, if that Ms. Serena hadn't caught you by surprise, she had taken you captive to the Grass Manor, making you and me enemies from the very beginning..."

"Later, if she hadn't mixed into your convoy and attracted the Queen of Night's pursuit..."

"Then we will be in a different situation today?"

Thales stared at Jann with a serious expression.

"What's the meaning?"

But Duke Iris smiled slightly:

"Canxing and Kevin Dill, Nine Pointed Star and Iris, we don't need to be enemies."

"You and I, we can put aside our past and stand together..."

Jen looked at him, his eyes rolling with emotion:

"In the future, in this crumbling world..."

"Achieving success."

Taylor's eyes moved.

Zhan En approached him slowly, raised his glass for the third time, showing his signature smile that made people feel like a spring breeze:

"As long as you are willing to accept peace - no longer be my enemy."

Thales was stunned.

Jen raised his eyebrows, moved his wrist, and gestured to Thales' wine glass on the table.

The two stared at each other for several seconds.

At that moment, Thales seemed to go back many years ago.

At that time, in the army tent of the Northlanders, another man who was much rougher did the same thing, pushing his wine glass to the prince at that time and inviting him to drink together.

Thales quickly came back to his senses. He looked at Zhan En's expression and smiled.

"Abandon the past, stand together..."

"That sounds really familiar," the prince said playfully:

"Did you say something similar when I was sent to Exeter six years ago?"

Jen's face darkened.

Thales looked at the other person's expression, and remembered the words of Duke Falkenhauser in the Ghost Prince Tower:

[But you have to be more careful and vigilant. 】

[The powerful nobles and lords will rush to find you, win over the prince who has not returned to the country for a long time, try their best to win you to their side, and turn you into the vanguard of the Fuxing Palace. 】

Thales stared at Jen's face, chuckled and said:

"I'm sorry, but maybe you should say: Canxing and Kevin Dill, let's just marry into a family, and in the future, the blood will blend together, advance and retreat as one, and share the Star Throne together?"

At that moment, the prince saw clearly: Zhan En's expression turned cold, and his breathing intensified.

Like a gentle spring breeze, it suddenly crashed into a mass of air-conditioning.

On the periphery, Doyle, who came back to guard, yawned and pushed the honest-looking guard Ferry next to him:

"Your Highness and the Kevin Dill family, what did they talk about? The relationship is so good? They haven't left for so long..."

"By the way, Ferry, don't you think that although many girls are trying to get close tonight, His Highness, he, prefers to stay with men?"

Maybe he didn't expect D.D to answer him, and Ferry, who stared at the guests loyally, was stunned for a second:

"Uh, it seems so?"

Doyle looked suspicious:

"Why do you say this is?"

Ferry replied without hesitation:

"Because His Highness is also a man."

Um?

Doyle was taken aback, feeling that something was wrong, he thought for a while, but couldn't find the flaw in this sentence.

In front of Thales, the Duke of South Bank gently put down his wine glass.

"Our past conflicts were all caused by accidents or forced by the situation, but they were definitely not intentional or personal grievances."

Jen took two deep breaths, and seemed to be adjusting his mood:

"But this time, I mean it."

"This time it's just you and me, and it has nothing to do with the family behind us, so there's no need to involve them."

Duke Iris's tone was very blunt, as if he was trying to bear it.

Just me and you, nothing to do with the family...

This time, I'm serious...

Thales chuckled in his heart:

What's going on with this script full of scumbags?