Kingdom’s Bloodline

Chapter 56 Change of Shift

In the empty banquet hall, Thales and Zhan En faced each other far away.

There were few people in the distance, and the guards and servants were still sending off the uneasy guests, looking cautiously but in awe from time to time.

"Now?"

Zhan En's surprised expression only lasted for a second, and his good self-cultivation made him restrain his expression.

Duke Iris remained silent, and ignored the nervous eyes of a few people in the distance. He just walked slowly, stepped across the mess, and walked towards Thales.

Thales stared at each other coldly.

Until Zhan En stopped and stood in front of the dagger.

"So you're just a blind cat meeting a dead mouse, cheating casually, and trying your luck?"

The owner of Kevin Dill looked at the dagger on the ground, calmly, with a half-smile.

He was at ease, without the slightest gaffe and self-consciousness that the conspiracy was exposed, and the scheme was exposed—just like when Thales exposed the plan of "Nova" at the National Conference six years ago.

This made Thales feel uneasy.

"I got it out of his mouth," Thales said without changing his expression.

"This sword was indeed given to him by a certain guest, not other unknown channels."

The prince glanced at several exits:

"Unfortunately, security is strictly enforced at the banquet tonight."

"There are not many guests who can enter the venue without a personal search."

Zhan En took his time and spoke happily:

"Then why do you think it's me?"

He looked very interested. If someone didn't know it, he might think that the two dukes were talking about something interesting after dinner.

Rather than a thrilling political conspiracy.

Thales frowned slightly.

The young man suddenly discovered that compared to the young and promising Duke of the South Bank who stayed in his impression six years ago, Zhan En's aura is now much restrained, and his figure is much stronger.

The other party is different.

Thales told himself silently.

He was less brisk and bright, and more gloomy and stable.

A thought flashed through Thales' mind: the experience in the Northland may have made him tougher, sharper, and more capable.

Those six years in the stars.

What has become of Jann again?

"We fell apart."

Thales said indifferently, maintaining the Duke of Xinghu's city and decency:

"Before the banquet begins."

Jen's eyes moved.

"But in the middle of the banquet, you eagerly came up to chat, chatting about political gains and losses."

Thales looked straight into each other's eyes:

"Or to put it bluntly..."

"Looking for something to say."

There was a brief silence.

Thales looked at the pillars in the distance, watching the shadowy servants coming and going to clean up the mess of the banquet:

"I know you are well-preserved, Zhan En, and I know you have a thick skin."

"But after all, it's not so good."

Jen nodded slowly, with the corners of his mouth raised, as if tasting a glass of fine wine:

"It can't be that I really want to chat with you..."

Thales interrupted him coldly:

"You noticed.

Jen's eyes froze.

"You have noticed that the royal guards are frequently mobilized to strengthen protection: you realize that someone unexpectedly discovered Anke's existence in advance."

Looking at the dagger lying alone on the ground, the boy stepped forward:

"You can't sit still."

"You need to hold me back to ensure that the plan goes well, and that even after the king leaves, Anker's goal is still there."

"This is your biggest flaw."

Jen didn't speak.

"And in my experience, every time you try to be nice in a hypocritical way, something bad happens."

Thales stopped in front of the dagger, looked directly at the Duke Iris, and called out his name:

"Jane Cavendeer."

old friend.

Thales said silently.

Jen smiled, with a look of indifference.

"You are really suspicious, Your Highness."

"Perhaps when you were still in the north, you were often plotted against by various people?"

To calculate, to injure.

Thales waved away the images of Nunn and Charman, and even the Black Prophet, and said with a light smile:

"And maybe you didn't realize, Jen, tonight, the topic you mentioned when you had nothing to say..."

"King and vassals? Land and security? Domination and rebellion?"

Thales contains sarcasm:

"What you say reflects what you think."

Jen smiled slightly.

"I think, before today, you have probably been troubled by the matter of Yatiao Town and Jinghe, the grievances between Bailar and Doyle, and how to use the opportunity to profit from it for a long time."

Thales didn't look at Zhan En's expression, he looked around, looked at the countless tables, chairs, cups and plates broken by Anke's riot, and snorted lightly:

"And all of these endanger the prestige of the Fuxing Palace, alienate Canxing's seven servants, provoke conflicts among nobles, and expose conflicts in the ruling..."

"Just to cause trouble for me?"

In the hall far away, Glover and Piloga, who were seeing off the last batch of guests, were about to enter, but Mallos reached out to stop them.

The watchman looked at the two people who were confronting each other in the hall and shook his head.

The lights are still brightly lit, and the Mindis Hall is still simple and unsophisticated, but compared to the crowded and bustling city before, the banquet hall at this time is silent, cold and empty.

Only Thales and Jen in the middle of the hall stood opposite each other and looked at each other quietly.

The only thing standing between them was the sharp-edged dagger on the ground.

After a long time, Zhan En walked to the long table aside, picked up the wine glass left for him by the butler, and poured a glass of the famous wine of the Principality of Sera:

"Like most Westlanders, Anke Bailar is realistic and pragmatic, and he is not someone who is easily swayed by words."

Thales frowned as he watched his actions.

Jen raised his wine glass and turned around leaning on the long table.

"How can you be sure that he will give up and back down?"

He looked at Thales carefully, as if he wanted to fit the boy in front of him with the boy from six years ago:

"Don't you risk everything in a fit of rage, burn jade and stone, and splatter blood on the spot?"

Anke Bailar.

Thales turned his head, and a shadow flashed across his face.

"It's the same as your method." He said in a low voice.

Zhan En shook the wine glass in his hand, sniffing the aroma of the wine:

"Oh? What?"

Thales looked at the wine glass in the opponent's hand, only to feel thirsty.

"Before he was a pawn, he was a human being."

"He's a human being, a very complex and yet very simple man."

The Duke of Xinghu came to another long table, swept away the obstructions, and picked up a wine glass.

He didn't care who had drunk it before, he just flicked it behind him, spilling the remaining liquid inside.

The wine fell to the ground, and a few drops splashed on Zhan En's boots, making the owner of Iris, who was savoring the aroma of the fruit wine, frown.

Thales lifted a jug of water, leaned on the long table as well, and turned around.

"No matter who instigates him, where he is influenced, or what he is coerced by, all his thoughts and actions, in the final analysis, originate from himself."

Jen left the place calmly:

"You knew him before?"

"No," Thales filled the glass, "but according to the information, Anke has a younger brother and three younger sisters, all of whom are young and live in Yatiao Town."

Thales' eyes were fixed on the wine glass in his hand.

"At that time, I was thinking, what would they do if he died to avenge his father?"

Jen looked at him and raised the corners of his mouth.

Boom.

Thales put down the kettle heavily.

"Single-handedly, broke into the palace to make a statement, killed the enemy with one hand, and avenged the father's hatred."

"It sounds very passionate and very satisfying."

Thales said in a deep voice, looking at his reflection in the wine glass:

"But in reality, this will solve nothing: the royal family will not tolerate the assassination, and his behavior will only be regarded as a crime of contempt for order, as a bad example of destabilization, and severely punished, so as to serve as an example to others."

"As Bailar's family members, they are already in dire straits, and they will only usher in a catastrophe."

Jen's smile became more subtle.

And Thales' eyes gradually condensed into ice:

"But when I thought about it, when he was going to duel with Doyle, I understood."

"Anke didn't want to kill people, it wasn't even fair, maybe revenge was just a pretext."

Thales looked up abruptly.

"Father's huge debt, vassal's betrayal, Doyle's plan...Under the pressure of these three, with little experience and helpless, he just wanted to fight for the last guarantee for his family: to win the sympathy of the public, Force the royal family to come forward to ensure that his family survives this catastrophe safely, so that they will not go bankrupt and lose their land, and their family will be destroyed."

Zhan En still calmly savored the aroma of the wine by smell, but did not drink it.

The prince's tone became tense:

"He took the risk, not for revenge, not even for justice, but for the future."

"And in order not to leave future troubles, to complete this goal perfectly and completely..."

Thales gritted his teeth.

"He must die." Zhan En raised his head and took the words coldly.

Thales was in a daze, and suddenly remembered the expression on D.D's resolute stance to him, and the final duel.

The voice of Duke Iris floated in the hall, ethereal but mysterious:

"He can only use the most legitimate revenge and justice as an excuse to bear it all by himself, and use his own death to take away all accusations and disgust."

"Better to die fair and admirable, dramatic and legendary."

"Like a hero."

"To be the perfect victim who is uncensored and perfect, leaving only nostalgia and sympathy behind."

Jann observed Thales' expression, playing with taste:

"Only in this way can the vicious, selfish and hypocritical onlookers be relieved and their poor empathy released."

"In order to make the royal family and the kingdom have to be under pressure, after this sad story, they have no choice but to help out and take care of his struggling family, so that they will not be dilapidated and perish."

The clear water in Thales' wine glass started to roll slightly.

Like a stormy sea.

"Anke Bailar."

Thales is expressionless:

"He is not the selfish hero in those legendary stories that everyone likes, who commits suicide in a fit of anger, regardless of the lonely and widowed behind him."

"It's not a scum hero who can't think about it for a while, just for the sake of bullshit ideas, so he gets hotheaded and burns everything."

Zhan En looked at him silently, the wine glass in his hand was calm.

The prince raised his head slowly, his eyes dead silent:

"He's just a dilapidated squire in a remote place, with family members and younger siblings."

"In a difficult life, shoulder the responsibility and endure the humiliation."

"A person who is under the power, planning hard, working hard to support his family, and seeking a chance for the relatives around him..."

Thales' breathing became rapid:

"Ordinary people."

That's why Anke backed down.

Thales thought bitterly.

He must back down.

Because he is not alone.

Don't just live for yourself.

Thinking of this, Thales couldn't help the indignation in his heart, and raised his volume:

"And you, Kevin Dill, you took advantage of that, of his humanity, of what was fundamental and caring about him as a human being."

"Turn him into your pawn."

Thales' words are cold:

"Come and deal with me."

Zhan En looked at him quietly. It was a long time ago that he just smiled.

Like spring wind and rain.

"do not you?"

Thales trembled slightly.

Jen shook the wine glass slightly, watching the liquid in the glass turn in one direction orderly and smoothly:

"Didn't you also take advantage of this, seemingly 'persuading' him, but actually persecuting him?"

Jen's smile became cold.

Thales' wine glass trembled.

"Not long ago, when Bailar came to me," Jen said casually:

"What I saw was a poor, scarred and desperate man who wanted to seek help from the well-known and approachable Iris family."

The eyes of Duke Iris flashed brightly:

"He needs hope."

"So I gave him hope."

Jen paused and raised his eyebrows:

"Perhaps, there is also relief from the heavy pressure."

"I told him that to reverse the fate of his family, there can only be one person."

"A 'newcomer' who returns with a heaven-sent halo, who is completely different from the king on the throne and the kings in the court."

Thales gritted his teeth, staring at the clear water in his glass churning back and forth, with waves one after another.

Jen En left the long table, walked forward, and approached Thales, with a complacent tone:

"Until your next duel."

"Until you use your power to cut off this hope: no matter whether the duel is won or lost, whether it is life or death, no matter whether you kill the prince or never reverse the case, his family will never be restored."

Thales shuddered and closed his eyes.

Kevin Dill's master snorted coldly:

"You used his humanity to force him to give up the duel, and even forced him to survive. If you are stingy, you will not even bestow the mercy of death."

"Only more cruel than me."

Thales was speechless.

The Duke of South Bank took a leisurely step, stepping over the dagger on the ground.

"Do you know what kind of future he will face when he walks out alive tonight?"

Thales' breathing stopped.

Kevin Dill came to Thales with a mysterious smile and flicked his wine glass:

"Now, who is the ruthless person, Your Highness?"

Thales was silent for a long, long time.

He just looked at his glass.

Looking at the water surface in the cup, it went from tumbling endlessly to overwhelming, and then returned to silence again.

Just when Zhan En let go of his smile and was about to turn around.

"Aren't you going to drink?"

Jann frowned.

I saw Thales raised his head, with a calm expression, looking at the wine glass in the opponent's hand.

Maybe a little stunned, but the Duke of South Bank looked at the wine in his hand, and still responded happily:

"In terms of aroma, it's worse than the ones imported from Emerald City," Zhan En shook his head, shaking his wine glass with regret on his face: "But if you want to drink..."

"No, not my favorite flavor."

Thales said nothing, just hummed lightly.

But the next moment, he suddenly raised the wine glass and poured the clear water in the glass into his mouth.

Drank it down.

The Duke of Xinghu finished drinking water and relieved his dry tongue, and he didn't shy away from a bad image and bad manners, so he wiped off the water stains around his mouth and flicked it away.

Water droplets splashed, and Zhan En retreated silently.

But Thales stood up and left the long table!

"Why?"

Thales strode forward and asked coldly:

"Just because I didn't agree to your condition just now? To be in love with you?"

Zhan En stood still, but he frowned and found that Thales was moving forward all the way, pressing towards him.

"Or did you make up your mind in the first place that you want to tear your skin apart with me and never stop dying?"

Thales pressed all the way in front of Zhan En, until they were less than a foot apart, leaving only the short sword emitting a cold light on the ground.

The eyes of the two met, like sparks.

Zhan En stared closely at Thales, and his leisurely expression slowly disappeared.

"It's a warning."

Thales snorted softly:

"warn?"

Jen raised the corner of his mouth and called his name directly:

"At the banquet, I came to see you on purpose."

"Thales."

"To be honest, I'm not afraid that you will find out that it's me, no, it's better to say that I want to be discovered by you,"

Thales frowned.

"It's not just about creating opportunities for Bailar," Jann sneered:

"Thales, I will give you one last chance."

Jen lowered his glass and approached Thales who was in a low mood indifferently:

"Bailar's actions are all spontaneous. All I do is point out the way, push lightly, and make a casual move."

"But just like this, you can't bear it anymore, and you are in a mess."

He leaned close to Thales' ear, whispering like a lover, but his tone was cold:

"Can you imagine the scene when the chess game becomes serious?"

Thales didn't answer, but just squeezed his glass tightly.

"I want you to know, Thales, I want to teach you to know: this is my response."

The Duke of South Bank said in a rare harsh voice:

"In response to your offending me, rejecting me, and even threatening me six years later."

Thales was stiff all over.

The opponent's breath left Thales' ear.

The person in front of him changed back to the kind and amiable young Duke Iris who made people feel like a spring breeze.

But after only a few seconds, Thales took a deep breath.

He chuckled.

"Me? Reject you?"

Thales' expression changed. He looked at Zhan En from head to toe, weighing in and out.

Let the latter be unhappy for a while.

Until the prince said frivolously and ironically:

"Sorry, I didn't know you liked men."

"Dear Jan."

At that moment, Zhan En's eyes turned cold.

But Thales didn't care. He even raised his left hand, put it lightly on Zhan En's right shoulder, also close to the other's ear, and shook his head:

"Otherwise, maybe when I rejected you just now, I could be more gentle and gentle?"

Jen stopped smiling.

He didn't move, nor did he look at the hand on his shoulder, but just stared at Thales coldly.

"If you choose war, Thales, be determined to be my enemy."

"Then this move is just the beginning."

Jen looked at Thales as if he was looking at a corpse:

"Prince of the Stars? Duke of Star Lake? The protection of the kingship? Good reputation? The allegiance of the courtiers? The history of the North? The lofty stand?"

He asked coldly, without any ups and downs in his tone.

The next moment, Jen En suddenly raised his left hand, and pressed Thales' left hand!

"I can destroy them," Duke Iris said with viciousness in every word:

"One by one."

Feeling the strength of the opponent's wrist, Thales pursed his lips.

"Here, on the chessboard I am familiar with, I can make you die of pain."

At that moment, Zhan En's eyes were so sharp that they could cut through flesh and blood and stab straight into the heart:

"When it's time to tear my skin apart, even if I sacrifice everything, I can make you, and I will definitely make you pay the worst price."

The Duke of South Bank snorted softly, and removed Thales' palm.

But to his surprise, instead of letting go, the silent prince quickly grabbed Zhan En's wrist!

Jen's eyes froze.

But it was not the act itself that made him dissatisfied or even disgusted.

"Is it because of that conversation?"

Thales' words sounded softly.

"Six years ago, when I was leaving Eternal Star City to go north, we had that parting conversation."

six years ago.

Leaving Eternal Star City...

conversation.

One second, two seconds.

Zhan En's gaze was puzzled at first, then fell into a deep cold, and fainted sullenly.

"Because I asked your family, your family?"

Thales' words resounded faintly, flowing into Zhan En's ears like poison flowing into a blood vessel:

"The secret of encountering misfortune with them?"

Any expression instantly disappeared from Zhan En's face.

At that moment, the crime of Hell River in Thales' body erupted into an unreasonable restlessness!

Almost made him lose his composure.

At that moment, Thales knew that he was on the right path.

This is it.

Thales firmly restrained the urge to end the power, looked at the Duke of South Bank again, and bit out the words between his teeth:

"look?"

"To some extent, there is not much difference between you and Anke."

There was an opposing force in Thales's hand trying to break free, but he still held on to Zhan En's wrist firmly and would never let go—at least he couldn't let the elegant and decent opponent break free gracefully.

"And you ask, who is the ruthless one?"

Thales stared at Zhan En, staring at his expressionless, gray face like a vampire:

"It's up to you."

"Jane Cavendeer."

silence.

A deadly silence spread out as the two looked at each other as if nothing had happened.

In the hall, the atmosphere between the two finally dropped to freezing point.

On the periphery, the royal guards waiting for the dukes to negotiate seemed to have sensed it, and wanted to step forward, but Mallos stopped them all.

Finally, Jen turned his head away from Thales' sight, and no longer tried to break away from the prince.

But he smiled.

"do you know."

"From 'Black Eye' John, to 'Southern' Heyman, 'Ascension King' Elan, 'Oath Keeper' Midil, 'Northern Conqueror' Alicia..." Zhan En became leisurely again, With ease, but the overwhelming coldness in his eyes revealed the truth:

"In history, there are many star kings who have taught Exeter a lesson."

"And you know what I've learned about how to deal with Northlanders?"

Thales frowned.

Jen no longer pushed Thales outward, but pulled him closer, and whispered indifferently:

"Before they fuck you..."

"You just fuck 'em."

Taylor's eyes turned cold.

"Don't learn how to speak from me."

But Jen smiled slightly.

"Do you think that if you have survived the born king, you are qualified to be complacent and do your own thing?"

"North Star? Hehehehe..."

The owner of the iris said softly:

"Believe me, if you want to imitate Nun VII's style of play in the Kingdom of Stars, you will only die faster, worse, and more inexplicably."

Thales felt a chill in his heart.

This look of Jen is often more disturbing than that sullen and sullen Duke of South Bank.

The next moment, Thales flicked his wrist and was thrown off by Zhan En vigorously!

"Watch your hands, Your Highness."

The Duke of Iris is full of smiles, as if the spring is full and the grass is luxuriant:

"As I said, times have changed."

"It's not as good as before."

Thales remained silent.

his threat...

doesn't work.

or……

Too effective?

Zhan En took a step back and swept his shoulders indifferently, as if it had been defiled:

"You don't want to be fucked to death by me, Your Highness."

"Before you meet the real enemy."

Thales' complexion changed.

He raised his head slowly.

"The enemy I can see, so far, is only you."

Jen En laughed dumbfounded as if he had heard some joke.

"How to choose friend and foe is a science, Your Highness."

"The Kingdom of Stars is prosperous and peaceful, and the prospects are bright." His smile remained the same, but his words became more subtle: "All you can see are friends."

"What you can't see is the enemy."

Zhan En held the wine glass in his hand, the liquid in the glass was still there, and its color was as new.

"It is better to die because of friends than to die because of enemies."

He smiled warmly, and immediately let go of his fingers.

Thales' pupils froze.

Snapped!

The wine glass fell to the ground and shattered, splashing crystals everywhere.

Every piece of fragments reflected the lights in the hall in a different way.

Zhan En didn't miss it any more, turned around and left.

"That's my property."

Behind him, Thales looked at the debris on the ground and spoke coldly.

"That's right," Jann didn't look back:

"So you feel heartache."

Thales frowned.

"Aren't you afraid?"

Watching the other party go further and further away, Thales couldn't help but raised his voice:

"In Yongxing City, they openly provoked the authority of the royal family, separated Canxing and its vassals, destroyed the relationship between Fuxing Palace and Xihuang, and endangered the heir of the kingdom."

"Or, are you still thinking about the death of the Canxing royal family, and your idea of being crowned?"

Thales stared at the back of the other party, lowered his voice:

"My father won't be happy."

Jann sneered.

"After something like this happened, you might be busy tomorrow."

He still didn't look back, only left his back to Thales, and replied loudly:

"But if you have time, you might as well visit Bailar in the prison."

Thales was taken aback.

"Trust me, His Majesty will be delighted."

Jen's voice became farther and farther away, echoing:

"Maybe you are the only one who is unhappy."

Taylor's heart moved:

"Why?"

"Because I said so, it's just a warning."

Zhan En's steps are as elegant as before, and his posture is calm and noble:

"So I left you with a little windfall."

Thales was puzzled.

"Be smart, Your Highness, and be quiet."

The voice of the Duke of South Bank gradually faded away:

"I said, next time, it will be a declaration of war."

What?

declare war?

Thales looked at each other in disbelief, displeasure, anger, and hatred all gathered in one place.

What the hell is this bloody, superior woman doing?

next time?

Does he still think that Thales offended him tonight?

Thales was frightened and angry, and for a moment didn't know whether to be angry or to laugh.

Zhan En's figure went away, left the hall, and joined his butler.

"it's over?"

Mallos' footsteps came from behind.

Thales sighed.

No.

just started.

When I think of the hardships I have experienced today, and what I will face tomorrow...

This is the first day, the first banquet.

Thales, who forced himself to pretend to be human (forced) all night, let out a sigh of relief, and sat down on the chair tiredly, feeling resentful in his heart:

"I still don't understand why he hates me so much."

Thales snorted coldly, looked at the broken glass on the ground, became more and more unhappy, and wanted to throw out the empty glass in his hand to vent his anger.

But with his arm stretched halfway, the Duke of Xinghu, who is rich in family and rich in wealth, still took a few deep breaths, and calmly and rationally... put the cup back on the table.

"It's as if I've harmed his whole family." Thales said sullenly.

Mallos came behind him and nodded silently:

"Then are you in trouble?"

The prince turned his head and gave him a blank look.

"I asked Doyle to change shifts early, he has to go back and settle down with his family," Mallos was obviously used to the death sentence in the Duke's eyes, and reported indifferently as before:

"Of course, tomorrow..."

tomorrow.

oh no.

Thales covered his face, let out a painful groan, and interrupted the captain of the personal guard.

"By the way, Mallos."

The watchman showed the color of listening.

"Your temporary sniper team," Thales raised his head weakly:

"Have they changed shifts yet?"

Mallos glanced at the periphery:

"No. What?"

Since there is no shift...

Thales snorted coldly, and glanced in the direction where the Duke of South Bank was leaving.