Kingdom’s Bloodline

Chapter 118: The Legend and the Throne

"Blood of the Kingdom ()" Find the latest chapter!

Thales was walking alone in the promenade of the Fuxing Palace, and the unextinguished lights passed by his side, reflecting his face in uncertain light and dark.

Along the way, the guards and servants all looked complicated when they saw him and avoided him.

But Thales didn't care.

He just takes a step, pins a tile under his foot, drags it behind him, takes another step, and repeats.

It was dark, cold and narrow ahead.

And where is he going?

Where should I go?

where?

"Your Highness?"

A familiar voice came, and Thales paused.

He turned around, looked back from the darkness and cold, showed a gentle smile, and nodded slightly.

"Gilbert, I thought you were leaving first."

The foreign minister came to Thales with his cane, and saluted the prince respectfully and meticulously.

It's like they met for the first time.

"You know, I'm not leaving."

Gilbert stared at him, there was relief in his words, but also in a trance:

"Before you and Your Majesty..."

Thales didn't speak, but just smiled.

The gazes of Gilbert and Thales met in the air, with complicated feelings on one side and delicate feelings on the other.

They faced each other in silence for three seconds.

The person who was with Gilbert, the vice-bishop of the Sunset Church, Guy Styrianides smiled when he saw this, and took a few steps behind knowingly, leaving space for them.

Gilbert showed an apologetic smile to his friend, then turned around, hesitating to speak:

"So, Your Majesty, he..."

Thales nodded, his voice calm: "He let me go."

"that's all?"

Gilbert was surprised for a moment: "With all due respect, His Majesty doesn't, no, the royal guard doesn't..."

"No."

Thales tried his best to make the sarcasm in his words less obvious:

"I guess, His Majesty is tolerant and kind, and loves his children like the people."

The two were quiet for a while, both lost in thought.

"Is that so?" Gilbert didn't pay attention to the small flaws in his words, the foreign minister exhaled and murmured in a daze:

"That's good, that's good..."

Thales remained silent.

At that moment, he suddenly felt that Xingchen cunning fox was much older.

However, the scene of Gilbert driving calmly with a lamp and leading the filthy beggar into Mindis Hall seemed only yesterday.

"By the way, it's a coincidence."

Gilbert came back to his senses and smiled again:

"During your sincere conversation with His Majesty, I felt bored, so I went out for a walk outside the palace. I happened to stroll around the Mindis Hall, so I casually looked around and asked casually..."

Mindy Hall.

Thales' mind moved, and he said in surprise:

"Gilbert..."

The smile on Gilbert's face grew bigger and bigger, just like his wrinkles:

"The Gaitan flag officer in charge of the investigation assured me: After a thorough investigation, the unhappiness at the banquet was just an accident, and the servants of the guards around you are all fine, so they should be released immediately, and the Mindis hall will be unsealed immediately—of course, a little stronger Necessary 'security work', I hope you don't mind."

Thales looked at him in surprise.

"From here to Mindis Hall, you can't get there just by taking a walk."

"Oh," Xingchen's cunning fox expression did not change:

"Then it looks like I'm not old yet, and my feet are fast enough."

Thales didn't speak.

Gilbert suddenly remembered something, his eyes lit up:

"By the way, I just met Mariko Vanguard Officer in the corridor. He was with your subordinates—the ones who followed you into the palace, including Wyah. I also asked , he and them, um, got on well, had a great conversation."

We had a good time talking.

Thales was silent for a long time, feeling complicated.

"thank you."

Gilbert shook his head, smiling as usual, and looked back:

"Thanks Guy, I didn't mean to say that, but,

Thanks to the people who still believe in the sanctity and majesty of the setting sun, especially for the vicar bishop. "

At that moment, Thales only felt tightness in his chest:

"Gilbert."

The foreign minister turned around and sighed:

"And I hope this reassures you a little."

Thales took a deep breath, only feeling his voice trembling:

"me……"

But Gilbert, who has always been good at observing words and expressions, didn't seem to see the prince's embarrassment and hesitation. He just clapped his hands and apologized:

"Oh, my fault, Your Highness, you must be tired. I happened to call for a carriage, why don't we go back together..."

"Gilbert!"

Thales had to raise the volume and interrupted the other party with all his strength:

"Aren't you curious?"

The prince was short of breath, and he stared at his teacher.

"About why I broke into the palace against the law."

"Why...rebel against the king."

Gilbert paused, the smile on his face slowly retracted, and he lowered his head silently, as if avoiding Thales' gaze.

Thales took a deep breath:

"And, what I just said to His Majesty inside."

————

"This is not a joke."

In Ballard's room, Thales quietly listened to King Kessel's words.

"Whether you succeed or fail, if you make a careless move or make a slight mistake, you may be overturned by the horse and abandoned by the chariot."

"Not only is there no crown for eternal life, but he also makes enemies everywhere, and all eyes are enemies. Even his wealth and life are in jeopardy."

Everyone has hatred and is in danger...

The king's warning was palpable:

"At that time, the noble star can't save you."

"The stars are too big to accommodate you."

"Even the king's honor," King Kessel paused, he looked at the star stick leaning on the seat, with a complicated expression:

"I can't keep you either."

Even the honor of the king cannot protect you.

Thales' eyes froze, and Ashida's words sounded in his mind:

【What I am looking forward to, Thales, is not your final success... but... you are caught between your own essence and the eyes of others... eventually torn apart by contradictions, destroyed by conflicts, swallowed by regret... 】

"So just in case, I mean in case..."

After a few seconds, the boy raised his eyes, and his smile was a little blunt:

"You said, Dragon Clouds City will accept political asylum?"

Facing the joke, King Kessel did not respond, only his eyes were deep and he didn't know what he was thinking.

"All right."

In the end, the boy sighed, and put away the ease and banter on his face.

"It seems that you really don't have a sense of humor."

The king stared at him closely and said nothing.

At night, the lights are dim.

The two shadows facing each other silently were projected on the stone floor, extending to the wall, dark and cold.

Bottomless.

"That's for me, Your Majesty."

The prince snorted softly and focused his gaze on the spoon in his hand:

"Please, please stay healthy and live a long life."

King Kessel's eyes flickered.

"At least the trick is over, don't give up halfway and leave me alone on the stage, I can't argue with it."

At that moment, Thales looked at King Kessel, but thought of King Nunn.

And his head rolled into a pool of blood.

"Believe me, it's like a curtain call alone," Thales said with lingering fear and emotion:

"Not so good."

Kessel didn't answer.

Maybe it was late at night, and the lights in the room became softer.

The light and shadow between the two are no longer intertwined sharply like the blade of a sword, and they are clearly separated.

Instead, it is a whole, light and dark.

"you know."

King Kessel suddenly said, "You could have done otherwise."

Taylor's eyes moved.

"Stay safe, follow the rules, don't show any gestures, don't stir up any muddy water, no longer act impulsively like at the banquet and today, and behave horribly."

"Then you wear the nine-star crown, and you will rule the entire kingdom..."

Iron Fist King said softly:

"It's just a matter of time."

Nine star crown.

Thales took a breath.

This word seems to have magical power, seeping out of the air, seeping into Thales' brain, and becoming a growing thought.

"At that time, the entire star will be ruled by you."

The whole star is ruled by you...

The king's voice was long and deep, with indescribable meaning.

The boy squeezed the spoon in his hand.

"It's late," Thales shook his head, driving out the thoughts he shouldn't have:

"I blatantly violated the ban and broke into the palace just to let everyone see it. Now it's too late to go back and show family harmony, father, kindness and filial piety."

The king didn't care:

"that's not important……"

Thales shook his head: "No, besides, in case the kingdom falls into..."

But the Iron Fist King's voice overwhelmed him:

"that's not important!"

King Kessel V leaned forward, imposing:

"The important thing is that at that time you will no longer be restricted and have no scruples."

"You can overthrow the old system and set things right, put all the responsibility on the iron-fisted king, use my faults to consolidate your rule, and use my tyranny to set off your benevolence, just like the 'virtuous king' after the 'red king' .”

Thales found that his breathing was accelerating.

"Then, piece together the kingdom into the shape you want."

The king's language is seductive:

"Wherever the stars go, it's all in your mind."

"Do whatever you want, let me do what you want."

No more constraints, no scruples...

Ren Ershi is...

Thales swallowed his throat.

In a daze, he once again saw the familiar yet unfamiliar figure of the young man wearing the crown and facing the towering palace wall alone.

But this time, the young man was standing behind King Kessel, with luxurious clothes and extraordinary bearing.

Like looking at a chessboard, he looked down at all the living beings in the capital outside the window, with a calm posture and an indifferent expression.

Thales was suffocated.

"But, but..." He wanted to speak, but it was difficult for him to speak.

In the dead silence, King Kessel's voice came faintly to his ears:

"My mother said that when I was a child."

"Only in two places can the blood of the emperor's veins be as brilliant as gold, with endless majesty."

It is as bright as gold, and its majesty is endless.

I saw King Kessel raised his head slowly and looked at the portraits of famous officials in Ballard's room:

"legend."

The light was dim, but the historical figures on the portraits were still alive, looking at them with burning eyes.

Never faded.

Never move.

Thales pursed his lips tightly.

The Iron Fist King lowered his head and knocked on his seat in a trance:

"throne."

The night wind brushed against the window sill, and the eternal flames in the room trembled and tilted in the same direction.

Neat and uniform.

Without exception.

Thales held his breath.

"Four hundred and fifty years ago, the 'Alien' who questioned the church's classics became a legend."

"The king who ascends the height will rule the stars and live in peace on the throne."

In the cold wind, the king and Thales met eyes, and said indifferently:

"Which one do you want to choose?"

————

"I, I understand, Your Highness."

Gilbert just closed his eyes lightly, but this action seemed to exhaust all his strength.

Thales frowned:

"Really? Do you understand?"

Gilbert let out a long sigh.

"Yes."

When he opened his eyes again, he seemed to have aged many years:

"Whether it was at the royal banquet or when the Mindis hall was raided afterwards, you are young and energetic, and you are naturally unhappy when you are wronged."

Young and energetic, he was wronged and felt angry.

Thales listened silently, clenching his fists unconsciously.

This is the significance of Gilbert's actions today?

Gilbert tried his best to put on a smile:

"Obviously, during the six years in Dragon Clouds City, you have gotten used to the way people from the Northland get along with each other, that's why when you entered the palace... ha, I know, I have met you before, the first time I met King Nuen , he almost forced me to jump off the top of the fortress... Northlanders, the way they express their opinions is always impressive."

Thales didn't speak.

But the Foreign Secretary just looked at him with kindness and kindness, and seemed to tolerate all his audacity.

"Gilbert," the prince said indifferently, "this morning, after causing a disaster, I was able to attend the imperial meeting with dignity."

"I heard from my father, is it because of your advice and persistence?"

Gilbert was taken aback, then smiled emotionally:

"You know, when I got up this morning, I thought nothing could be worse than a hangover - until I heard the news of you coming forward at the royal banquet last night."

He sighed:

"Your Highness, I just feel that if you have any misunderstanding with Your Majesty, there is no better way than clarifying it face to face."

"And if you want to explain to His Majesty what happened at the banquet, then you can show your face in front of the lords at the imperial meeting first, which can help you to some extent."

Thales was silent for a while, before uttering a sentence with difficulty:

"Thank you."

"teacher."

"For... all of this."

Gilbert smiled gratifiedly, and he waved his hand:

"It's not worth mentioning what's in the job."

Thales has mixed feelings.

He wanted to end the conversation and leave as soon as possible, but couldn't help blurting out:

"But you know, Gilbert, what I did today, they have consequences."

Gilbert paused.

"No, listen to me, Your Highness," the Foreign Minister took a deep breath and said with a smile:

"Prince Thales wanted freedom, resisted the marriage contract, and pursued true love, so he broke into the palace and interrupted the imperial meeting-this is probably a classic love scene that people like to see. It is romantic and bold, and it echoes your experience in the Northland .”

He looked at Thales seriously:

"Everybody, everybody will understand."

Thales frowned: "But that's not what I want to say—"

Gilbert chuckled and raised his hand to stop his words:

"But I don't recommend using that blazing blood lady as a cover. Well, the influence is not good, especially after she led the Northerners to a big victory..."

Thales' brows became tighter and tighter:

"Gilbert, you know that I wantonly forced the palace, which is tantamount to treason—"

"Your Highness!"

The usually gentle Gilbert suddenly raised his voice and interrupted him.

This surprised Thales a little.

I saw Gilbert took a few deep breaths, and finally eased the twisted face:

"I must admit that I was negligent before."

Gilbert squeezed out a smile:

"It's been six years. Whether it's you, me, Eternal Star City, or even Your Majesty, we all have to go through a process of re-adjusting and adapting to each other."

"It's not advisable to rush."

"But," Gilbert looked at him eagerly and expectantly:

"Since you and His Majesty have cleared up the misunderstanding, the biggest problem will be solved, isn't it?"

Thales stared back at him blankly, not knowing how to answer.

"As for everything else, running in or something, we, and the whole kingdom, we can take our time."

"Take it easy."

Unknowingly, Gilbert's gaze took on a hint of pleading:

"Just like... before."

just like before.

This made Thales feel strange.

and guilt.

"If not."

Thales heard his voice echoing in the palace:

"If I break into the palace, it's not just because I feel wronged."

He can't lie to him.

"If Your Majesty and I haven't cleared up the misunderstanding?"

You can't pretend everything is ok as the other person wants.

"What if we can't go back to the past?"

Gilbert fell silent, and with it his eagerness.

"Your Highness..."

The Foreign Secretary took a deep breath, as if to summon up courage with this gesture:

"what happens?"

Thales squeezed out a smile:

"Let's put it this way, my conversation with him... didn't go very well."

Gilbert didn't answer right away, he looked at Thales, hesitant to speak several times.

"No, I mean," Gilbert's voice trembled after hesitating for a long time:

"What's the matter with you, Your Highness?"

Thales looked back at him, maintaining a smile:

"What?"

"There's something wrong with you."

Gilbert shook his head and looked at Thales with extremely complicated eyes:

"Compared with this morning, you are a completely different person. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would even suspect that you were replaced by someone else."

perhaps you're right.

Thales said in his heart.

"During the period after leaving the palace, what happened to you?"

Thales was silent for a while, and replied truthfully:

"I went downtown."

Gilbert was taken aback:

"Downtown? But it's not you..."

"Yes."

Gilbert was silent for a while, and said:

"You are reckless, Your Highness, you must know that your status is noble, and your every move is..."

But before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by Thales' vague answer.

"I'm afraid of him."

Gilbert was taken aback:

"What?"

Thales looked at him, smiled, and looked back towards the end of the deep corridor.

"When I was still abroad, even though my life and wealth were at my fingertips, and there were many dangers, I was never afraid of the insidious vampire, the powerful natural king, or the ruthless Charmain Rumba."

Well, most of the time not afraid.

"But until I went back to the country and saw him."

he.

Thales looked at the darkness at the end of the corridor, gradually fascinated.

Gilbert frowned.

"When I was in the same room with him, I always felt like an idiot and a coward. I couldn't help trying to figure out the meaning of his behavior, guessing the meaning of his words, suspicious and uneasy."

The prince sneered slightly:

"Yeah, I know it sounds ridiculous, but yeah, I'm scared of him."

Thales turned his head and looked directly at Gilbert, his words were painful and sincere:

"But tell me, Gilbert, why should I be afraid of him?"

Gilbert just stared at Thales blankly, at a loss, which was very different from Xingchen Fox's usual self-confidence and calmness.

"That's right, he is the supreme king of the stars, but is he more cunning than vampires, stronger than King Nun, and more ruthless than King Charman? Is he more unpredictable than thinking about my Shadow Shield every day?"

With sharp eyes, Thales unknowingly sped up his speech:

"Compared to the countless wolves, tigers and leopards that are going to harm me along the way, are they more sinister, deadly and terrifying?"

Gilbert couldn't understand such a question, his lips parted in disbelief:

"But he, he is your father, Your Highness!"

Thales smiled.

"do you know."

"In the downtown area, I met a decent business owner. He was absent-minded and submissive in the face of a tall and vicious police officer," Thales said in a daze, "but when he faced a shady gangster, he was trembling. Panic."

"In the same place, there was an ordinary girl who resolutely rejected the rich clothes and fine food promised by the nobleman, preferring to continue to guard that mediocre, incompetent, petty and cowardly husband, and live her mediocre life without bright spots. People are puzzled."

Thales' voice was erratic:

"And in my hometown, a former ruthless gangster was unfortunately disabled. He hid in a small dilapidated house and gave up on himself. fraternity."

Hearing these words, Gilbert became puzzled again.

"Like you, these things baffle me."

Thales looked at Gilbert and became firm:

"But I finally figured it out."

"The authority of the security officer is not small, but the small boss who has been doing business on the street for so long without incident is not due to the lazy police department, but the long-term relationship with those gangsters who bully and dominate the market. and tacit understanding."

"The rich clothes and fine food given by the nobleman are very good, but if this has not changed the girl's fate of being subordinate to others, then I am not much better than her husband—at least she still understands her useless husband and knows how to deal with him .”

"As for the ruthless character of the gangster, although he is full of resentment, he knows better than anyone else that his former glory was bought with a body that can fight hard. Losing this body, returning to the gang is just for himself It's humiliating."

Thales took a step forward, looking directly into Gilbert's eyes:

"Between what they can do and what they can't do, they know: what is really in control of them."

Gilbert subconsciously took a step back.

"So I thought, maybe it's time for me to figure it out, too."

Standing in the deep and cold corridor of the Fuxing Palace, Thales said faintly:

"What the hell is controlling me?"

"What else can you control?"

————

"Perhaps you are right, Your Majesty."

In Ballard's room, Thales lowered his head slightly.

"Maybe I can wait quietly until that day comes, and then there will be no constraints or worries."

Thales unknowingly tightened his tone and sped up his speech.

"At that time, I sat on the throne and held great power. Whether I want to amnesty the kingdom or ease conflicts, I can do whatever I want, do whatever I want, carry out my will, and achieve everything you reject me today."

King Kessel stared at him silently.

Thales looked at the darkness outside the window with blank eyes:

"As many 'smart people' say, if you don't like the system, join it, influence it, build on it, and ultimately, change it from within."

In the next second, Thales' eyes refocused.

"But we all know that was just the most vile and shameless lie."

At the end of the long table, the Iron Fist King frowned.

Thales looked directly at the king firmly:

"It's like you are unwilling to compromise even a little bit with the princes and nobles no matter what, even if it actually helps your short-term dominance."

"'Join it, change it' - that bullshit is how it tricks you into bewitching you, restricting your freedom, dismantling your resistance, taking away your weapons, softening your will, and ultimately defeating you effort."

Thales' tone became more determined and unquestionable:

"If you believe it, you lose."

"Because once you compromise, you will be the first to be changed, not it."

Thales stared at the king firmly, saying every word:

"Because you're just one person, one person."

King Kessel watched the prince silently, and he suddenly spoke with a blank face:

"it?"

The king snorted coldly:

"Where is it?"

Thales stared at the king closely, as if the most terrifying beast was hidden in his eyes.

"Then look around, Your Majesty."

Thales spread his hands, chuckled and asked:

"Where is it?"

The lights are flickering and the night wind is blowing.

The two faced each other silently.

The Ballard Room seemed to be business as usual, nothing had changed.

King Kessel didn't look back, but he frowned deeply.

But Thales didn't pay attention to his reaction, but leaned back in the chair and continued talking on his own.

"Six years ago in Broken Dragon Fortress, that was the first time I met Grand Duke Heisha."

Thales gradually lost his mind, as if returning to the winter six years ago:

"He is worthy of being a hero of a generation, with lofty vision and extraordinary bearing, worthy of making countless heroes die loyally."

The young man paused and hummed softly:

"To be honest, she's much more attractive than you."

King Kessel's expression remained unchanged.

Thales became serious again:

"In Dragon Clouds half a year ago, I saw him again—Charmain Rumba."

Thales' complexion changed:

"But guess what I saw this time?"

King Kessel remained unresponsive as usual.

"I saw King Exeter, Kinslayer, Charmain I."

Thales continued to speak, his eyes became more serious:

"I saw him sitting in the seat that belonged to King Nun, and he started to think, play chess, and make arrangements like King Nun."

"He began to enjoy the same pleasure as his uncle, entered the same perspective as him, walked the same path as him, encountered the same troubles as him, and fell into the same vicious circle as him."

"Those chains that once bound King Nun are also slowly holding him, and have already begun to make him panting and sweating profusely."

Thales widened his eyes, as if he was watching the most incredible drama:

"King Charman thought that he put all his eggs in one basket to kill the king and succeeded in overthrowing King Nun and completely destroying him."

Having said that, Thales' eyes darkened:

"Physically, yes."

"But in spirit, in value, in a larger sense..."

Thales gritted his teeth:

"He didn't."

The boy raised his head abruptly, meeting the Iron Fist King's eyes:

"Because he has to be ruled by the values of the born king, imprisoned by his vision, oppressed by his means and habits, occupied by his way of thinking, and haunted by Nun's dead soul day and night , Sinuen thinks, does Nuun's deeds, and is in it, unable to extricate himself."

"Until he lives for all eternity, and is Nuln's slave—as Nuln was, in his lifetime, the kings that preceded him."

At that moment, Thales suddenly thought of the black prophet in the kingdom's secret department.

He sat in a wheelchair made up of those devil vines and relied on them to maintain his life, but he was also firmly bound by them and could not leave.

"Six years, just six years."

There was rare pain and fear in Thales' eyes:

"I am very surprised and very sad. King Nun, who died for a long time, only took six years to eat his nephew, the former Charman Rumba, from inside to outside, from head to toe. "

"Not at all."

King Kessel still didn't say a word, but his eyes were extremely serious.

"As far as I've ever met, Charmain is the best of the best."

Thales exhaled, full of emotion:

"Since the night of dragon blood, he has been clear: his enemy is not Nun, but the things that dragged and defeated Nun—bigger, taller, and more terrifying enemies."

"He killed King Nun, neither for revenge nor for profit, but to prevent another Nun from appearing again."

Thales' eyes darkened, remembering the meeting between King Charman and him in the carriage.

【Thales, you know better than anyone else that after six years, the ideal Exeter is getting farther and farther away from me. 】

"Until he himself became Nuln's successor, put on the crown, sat on the throne to replace him, and became the second natural king."

"He was aware of it and struggled hard, but with little effect and powerless."

King Kessel snorted coldly.

Thales came to his senses and chuckled, but his words were sad and helpless:

"Don't get me wrong, Charmain Rumba is still dangerous and scary."

"But as far as I can see, there is not much in this man that truly belongs to him."

Thales stared at his dinner plate complicatedly, watching the spoon sink into the soup.

"It started when he had to compromise with reality and rules, and bowed his head to the pledge of co-governance."

"From when he gave up his big idea 'for a while'."

"He was collared again."

Thales said quietly:

"Become another Nun VII."

King Kessel was lost in thought and did not speak.

On both sides of the long table, the king and the prince faced each other quietly.

At this moment, the Ballard room was extremely quiet, and even the noise of the wind was no longer loud, as if this scene could not be disturbed.

Until Thales took a deep breath and looked at the Iron Fist King seriously again.

"In Xingchen, I can't understand your methods and don't accept your will. Of course, I can dormant and endure it, take it slowly, take the opportunity to seize power, and wait for the superior."

"This may be a more recognized and approved approach, the so-called 'smarter' approach that will be praised by history books and future generations-just like the previous two months."

But Thales changed the subject, showing hesitation:

"But after that scene at the banquet, I was scared."

King Kessel sneered slightly:

"Fear?"

Thales took a deep breath, nodded and said:

"I'm afraid that in my repeated acquiescence and concessions, in the repeated silence of 'I actually disagree but I don't speak', I will gradually get used to it, slowly become numb, and compromise to 'it'."

He said in a low voice:

"I'm afraid, I'll get used to your cruelty of quietly destroying countless people, I'll get used to your indifference in the face of desperate help, I will pay the price for being punished today, and I will meet the next Anke in the future Bailar, the next injustice will happen, and he will start to hesitate and hesitate."

Thales' voice trembled:

"I'm afraid that one day, I'll be completely oblivious to everything, take it easy, and finally lose myself and accept the status quo."

King Kessel's eyes slowly changed.

"I am afraid that when I actually sit on the throne and wear the crown, I will sit back and watch others die for me without any burden, without hesitation, and with peace of mind."

"And I am not only used to it, but I also feel that it is only natural and even worse-as long as someone is unwilling to sacrifice for me, unwilling to die for King Thales, I will be dissatisfied and angry, and I will think that he does not love me, not patriotic, It is treason, even treason."

Thales looked straight into King Kessel's eyes, as if he wanted to see through all the defenses behind it:

"I'm afraid I'm going to become unrecognizable to myself."

"I will no longer be Thales Canxing, but an empty shell occupied by the 'Star King'."

Thales' tone calmed down, leaving nothing but emptiness and exhaustion:

"That scares me more than death, than failure, than being ruined."

The voice fell.

Dead silence returned to the Ballard room.

But this time, the surrounding lights seemed to be brighter.

A few seconds later, King Kessel raised his head slightly, and his eyes fell on the portrait of "Wise Minister" Halwa on the wall.

"It seems that you have already made a choice." He said quietly.

Thales snorted lightly.

"I won't play by your rules," he affirmed, "and I won't play by their rules."