Kingdom’s Bloodline

Thales was silent for a long time, with a lot of thoughts in his mind, part of which was the memories of his adventures with Miranda in Dragon Clouds City, and the other part was probably related to the "covenant" bone ring.

Finally, he sighed, turned away from Miranda's fiery eyes, stepped over the dead chair, and sat down on the desk.

If Aunt Valencia was here, she would probably reprimand the Duke for his indecent and unruly posture again with a straight face.

But she is not there.

Luckily she wasn't there.

"So, Ms. Arend, you came to me, asking for a title, land, and power."

Thales sat on the desk, stroking the scar on the palm of his left hand absently.

Miranda didn't move, but looked at the Duke Xinghu who was immersed in his thoughts from a distance.

"I have to say it's really, wow, impressive."

Thales made up his mind, he took a deep breath: "But unfortunately, forgive me—"

"Strange." Miranda interrupted him.

Thales frowned and looked up.

I only heard the daughter of the Yalund family speak softly:

"Isn't it a matter of course for the heir of a duke family to work hard for the sake of title, land and power?"

Thales couldn't help frowning and raised his eyes.

Miranda shook her head and said:

"Then why did you say 'impressive' when you got to my place? Like it's something rare and worth writing about?"

Thales was taken aback, but did not respond:

"What? No, I, I don't think so."

Miranda sneered.

"If I were a male heir, would you still say: 'As the son of a duke, what you want is a title, land and power? Wow, that's impressive!'"

Thales became more and more astonished.

But Miranda stepped forward, aggressively:

"Why, is it that I or people like me are unworthy, inappropriate, unable, or not often have such ambitions for power and gain, and shouldn't have such an 'impressive' appearance, Duke of Thales?"

What?

Thales, who was a little dazed by her robbing him, took a deep breath.

"Please don't get me wrong, Ms. Arend, I don't mean any malice," the young man tried to calm down the conversation, "I don't even mean to look down on you, it's just...a scene."

This time, Miranda stared at him for a long time, as if she wanted to take out his thoughts behind his eyes. She didn't look away until Thales was embarrassed and couldn't help coughing to remind him.

"I know."

Miranda's voice dropped, and she was no longer aggressive.

"I know you mean no harm, Your Highness."

In the feedback from hell's senses, Thales vaguely felt that she was a little more gloomy and depressed at the moment.

"At most, you just don't feel it, you're just used to it, you just don't feel any difference, you just think it's a very normal scene, and you even think I'm too sensitive."

Miranda quietly looked at the Xinghu Lake, which was blown lazily and numb by the warm summer wind:

"But that's the problem."

The cold light in her eyes slowly froze:

"That's why, I have to come here."

After the words fell, Thales looked blank.

But for some reason, looking at Miranda's profile, he felt that the study room was eerily quiet at the moment.

"Ms. Arend, I'm really not..."

Thales wanted to explain something more, but he paused and changed his words:

"I'm sorry ma'am, if I—somewhere I don't realize—said something wrong, expressed a wrong attitude, then I apologize to you, really."

Miranda was silent like a statue for a long time before slowly turning her head around.

She raised the corners of her mouth at Thales,

smile slightly.

That smile was so natural and bright that even the sunlight behind him couldn't hide it.

This made Thales a little dazed.

She is beautiful, isn't she—a voice reminded him in a low voice in his heart—that smile, like the first sprout that emerges against the morning sun on the top of a snowy peak when the snow melts in early spring.

But that feeling is fleeting.

Like that smile, fragile and fragile.

"To be fair, you shouldn't be the one to apologize."

The female swordsman became expressionless again, as if she had never laughed before, which brought Thales back to reality:

"But to be equally fair, I accept your apology."

Thales was stunned again.

The Duke came back to his senses, and quickly changed the subject with a cough:

"So, ma'am, you want to join me and tour the south with me, so that everyone can see that you stand in line, under the command of the Duke of Xinghu, the future king, so as to accumulate qualifications and fame for yourself and invest in the future? "

Miranda thought for a moment, then folded her arms.

"No, not to join you," she gently raised her index finger, pointing at Thales, "but to help you."

Thales frowned.

"As your supporter," Miranda said brightly, "not as your vassal."

Not to join, but to help.

Not attachment, but support.

Thinking about the other party's words, Thales also folded his arms with a serious face.

After a few seconds, he took a deep breath.

"Dear Ms. Arend."

Thales' voice was a little hoarse: "You know, after Dragon Clouds City, although I haven't had much contact with you—"

"It's not that there are not many, it's that we haven't contacted at all." Miranda said suddenly.

Thales choked suddenly.

Miranda sneered:

"In contrast, I have seen Wyers at least a few times in the past seven years, that's right, that Wyer. Although I don't know how many Wyers there are, or if everyone is Wyer."

If only Aunt Valencia was here—watch your audience, boy, and shut up when His Royal Highness speaks—she will.

By the way, he waved the pointer in his hand.

"All right."

Suppressing the discomfort of being interrupted, Thales continued:

"This may sound hypocritical, but ma'am, I cherish the experience of Dragon's Blood Night very much. I have always regarded you as an old friend, a comrade-in-arms who once lived and died together."

Miranda nodded lightly:

"It's a bit hypocritical."

Thales sighed, thinking that this girl should have a good conversation with Mallos.

"So I'm not going to lie: what you just said, ma'am, isn't—not a good idea just yet."

Miranda's gaze changed.

"What's not a good idea?"

She chuckled and said, "Marry you? Or join you? Or fight for what I should have—"

"neither!"

Thales suddenly raised the volume, causing Miranda to frown.

"You said you wanted to go south with me, but," the Duke exhaled, squeezed the bone ring in his pocket, and sighed, "you don't understand, you think I have your answer here, you think you can win back here." Northland, I thought I could get back what the family lost for you, but you—"

Thales' words were suffocated here.

But you are wrong.

In his heart, a voice slowly said what he wanted to say but didn't say:

You will only fall into a sinister trap carefully arranged by the king and crafted by me, and become a self-righteous but involuntary pawn, getting deeper and deeper step by step until you become the next victim.

Just like your father.

just like me.

Thales closed his eyes.

He could not refuse the king.

But he didn't want to hurt her.

Former friends.

Even if it's just self-deception.

"Your Highness?"

Miranda asked suspiciously, "What do you want to say?"

Thales came back to his senses.

"Feel sorry."

He opened his eyes and regained clarity:

"Actually, ma'am, I saw your father not long ago."

Sure enough, Miranda's expression changed slightly at this moment.

Thales tried his best to sound sincere: "Master Val asked me one thing. He doesn't want you, doesn't want you to get involved too much... about me and the royal family."

Miranda was silent for a long time.

But when she spoke again, her words were full of disdain.

"My father, right?"

"So you listened to him obediently, and you did what he said, and became a puppet outside the prison of a traitorous prisoner, an obedient pawn?"

She seemed to see through everything, and looked at Thales provocatively:

"He doesn't allow you to fuck me, so you don't dare to fuck me? You can only lock the iron chastity belt by yourself, and you don't even dare to go to the toilet?"

Hold.

Thales had a stalk in his heart.

How can he accept this?

After working under the Flower of Fortress for so long, hasn't she taught you something good?

In contrast, Rafael and Cohen, who also came out of the Tower of Terminator, are so cute.

His Royal Highness had to take a deep breath and rearrange the logic of persuasion:

"What I mean is, you, Miranda Allende, you are the eldest daughter of the Guardian Duke of the North, the heir of Cold Castle, you have an extraordinary status, you have important ties, and you are involved in all parties. The night of dragon blood seven years ago, We accidentally neglected this point, and thus learned the lesson of blood."

Miranda frowned.

"Therefore, whether you can serve under me is not a matter for me and Sonia to decide. And my father, His Majesty, he—"

"A complete bastard," Miranda cut him off again.

just this time...

ah?

Thales was startled when he heard the words, and then startled.

What?

Who is the bastard?

Miranda sneered, and said without any scruples:

"Isn't it? As a father, he uses you as a bargaining chip for bluffing and deceiving, and keeps the breeding pigs for the best pairing. For this reason, he can ignore your wishes and ignore your safety. He can just grab your little chicken and show it to the whole kingdom. Show off, as long as it brings the slightest benefit—whether it's seven years ago, or seven years from now."

She picked up the greeting letter and slapped it on the table.

Sunset.

Thales took a deep breath.

If Aunt Valencia was here... no, it's a good thing she wasn't.

Regardless of his status or position, Thales could only keep a straight face at this moment, without saying a word.

“而你无论被揍得多惨，都还只能乖乖为他说好话——‘父爱如山，打完有糖。’”米兰达讽刺道。

Thales took a deep breath.

Damn.

He thought that he was already the most daring person in this country to scold the Iron Fist King.

result……

"For the sake of the past, I have the right to pretend that I didn't hear these words."

Thales spoke in a low voice, without looking at the other party.

"As for you, Ms. Arund, you should probably accept the courtesy, keep yourself safe, and maintain due respect to His Majesty the King."

Miranda shook her head and scoffed.

She squinted at Thales, as if looking at the most unlikely thing.

"Then what about you, as the king's son, Thales Canxing, why didn't you know how to accept the gift and keep yourself and maintain the respect you deserve?"

Thales was taken aback.

"On the contrary, you are unscrupulous, impulsive and reckless, trespassing on the palace, leading the rebellion, forcing the king to die, coercing him to compromise, for what? Just for the so-called justice of a mere western squire?"

At that moment, Thales suddenly raised his head!

But Miranda didn't dodge or evade, and stared back at Thales, as if she was the leader of the conversation.

Leading the rebellion, threatening death, the squire of the Western Wilderness...

Well, maybe the news of that day is really overwhelming, but the details here...

"Ms. Arend," the Duke said with a frown, warning, "the rumors are not credible."

There was the sound of guards changing shifts outside the window.

"His Royal Highness Thales," Miranda said sharply, facing each other, "it's not enough to deceive yourself."

At this moment, the air in the study seemed to freeze. The two sat and stood, one with a face as cold as water, and the other with sharp eyes pressing on every step of the way.

But just when the situation was tense to the extreme, Thales' eyes moved.

"Korn Karabyan."

He stared at Miranda closely:

"These things, that guy told you?"

Hearing the name, Miranda hesitated for a while, then hummed and shook his head: "Don't worry, Cohen fulfilled his promise and kept his mouth shut. He denied everything that should be denied."

Thales was startled for a moment, then understood, and sighed:

"In other words, his denial is tantamount to admitting everything that shouldn't be admitted?"

Yes, something similar to "I didn't lend the sword to His Royal Highness, let alone follow him into the Fuxing Palace, and I will definitely not be stupid enough to follow the trend to rebel, let alone see some kid threatening him with suicide." I'm a father, and it has absolutely nothing to do with the previous royal banquet, so Miranda, do you understand?" sentence?

As for the rest, with Miranda's mind, it is not a problem to deduce the truth.

Miranda was silent for a while, as if she wanted to defend her friend, but she finally realized that it was useless, and she could only sigh:

"We all know him."

Thales could only sigh softly.

"Next time we meet, I will beat him up." The Duke said helplessly.

"Then you have to line up," Miranda pouted, "first come, first served."

As soon as this remark came out, Thales and Miranda couldn't help but looked at each other and smiled.

It seems that this is one of the few places where they can find common ground.

But this also made Thales sigh in his heart:

His gamble in the Fuxing Palace had far greater impact than he had imagined.

No, in this case, he couldn't take Miranda with him when he was in a dangerous situation, together...

Thales raised his head and became serious.

"You choose to join my ranks, to give my personal allegiance, or as you say, to help me, to support me. But do you know the price of doing so?"

Miranda smiled softly.

"Of course," the daughter of the Arund family spread her hands and looked around, "It's like the treatment you received after being exiled by the king."

Thales closed his eyes gently.

No, you don't know, girl.

You are far from knowing.

Thales tried hard to get rid of King Kessel's words, and tried harder:

"I understand your current predicament and unwillingness, and I'm honored that you chose me as the answer, but please believe me, it's not that I don't want to help you, it's just...you have a better way out besides Xinghu Fort."

But Miranda shook her head.

"I used to think that Broken Dragon Fortress was the way out."

"There is my best example there, isn't it? As long as I am by the side of Chief Sonia, learn her military strategy, inherit her reputation, take up her responsibilities, and prove to the kingdom my ability to hold a sword and my ability to rule The northern border is essential, so I can..."

"But I was wrong."

Miranda lowered her head, looked at the letter stamped with the nine-pointed star, and smiled ironically:

"Officer Sonia can teach me everything on the battlefield, but there are always some things that she can't teach."

She raised her head again, staring at the silent Thales:

"There are more things that I can't get on that battlefield."

Thales looked at her with complicated eyes, feeling her firmness and determination at the moment.

But the more determined and decisive she was, the more he felt...

The two fell into a long silence.

Until Thales took a deep breath and broke the silence:

"I just met Raphael in the secret department not long ago."

Miranda shuddered slightly.

"He, well, although he doesn't admit it, he cares about you."

Can't even crack a joke.

Thinking of this, Thales couldn't help but smile.

But the smile was pale.

Just like Miranda's face.

"Don't be like this, Your Highness," the female swordsman said slowly, but there was a hint of danger in her words, "First my father, then that man."

"In our identities, we should not play such amateur sensational games."

But Thales ignored her.

"If Raphael sees you now, sees you bargaining with me here, talking about... things."

"As a member of the secret department, as a tool for loyalty to the Fuxing Palace, what will he think? Most importantly, what will he do after he knows?"

Thales looked straight at each other.

Miranda also looked at him quietly, her eyes fixed, and she fell into deep thought.

But when she spoke again, she turned back to that calm and indifferent female swordsman.

"Thals Canxing."

"I found that you are not as cute as when you were a child."

Miranda stared at him coldly:

"So impulsive, so adventurous, so goofy, so straightforward."

Thales frowned, feeling that he had failed in persuasion again.

All right.

At least I was cute.

"But one thing, you have not changed like everyone else."

The next moment, Miranda's eyes turned cold:

"When will you be able to see me as an independent and complete 'person'?"

Thales, who was sighing, was startled when he heard this.

"Instead of someone's daughter, someone's friend, someone's lover, someone's wife, or someone's future mother?"

Thales stared at her blankly.

whole person...

"If you can't even do this, Your Highness, then it's better to keep only the most utilitarian and cruel part," Miranda snorted coldly, "just see me as a tool, a sharp sword, a piece."

Hearing this, Thales trembled slightly.

These words are so familiar.

utilitarian.

cruel.

"At least it'll make us both feel better," Miranda finished her sentence coldly, "and not just put on some 'I've got you as a friend' and 'For your own good' hypocrisy."

For your own good.

Thales gritted his teeth.

She is firm.

The voice in my heart sounded:

She won't give up.

In other words, this is what she asked for, no one else, right?

Thales clenched his fist subconsciously, and his fingertips touched the scar on his palm.

And you have to.

Like she said, leave the most utilitarian and ruthless.

A voice in his heart reminded him:

Compared with the poor "friendship" between you and her, think about King Kessel, and think about the covenant you made with him.

Think about the path you want to take, and think about the chaotic future that the stars will usher in if you don't intervene and let the iron fist king do whatever he wants:

Conflicts, contradictions, and wars, how much will there be at that time, how much blood, how many families will be destroyed?

And she was right, she would make a good sword, a good chess-

The next second, Thales suddenly opened his eyes!

"very good!"

The expression in his eyes was indifferent and dark, and the crime of prison river was flowing faster in his blood vessels.

"Miranda Arend, if you have thought everything through and are determined to serve me loyally, of course you can, and I don't even welcome you."

Miranda raised her head slowly upon hearing this.

His eyes are as sharp as a sword.

Thales changed the topic, as if winter was approaching:

"But you have to know that you are not the first person to come to me. The Duke of Xinghu's visitor list in the past few months is so thick that it can be used as toilet paper."

Thales looked indifferent and spoke coldly.

"If I take you in and accept you, I will allow you to join the Duke of Xinghu's team, and allow you to share the aura and glory of the prince's close servant."

The Duke narrowed his eyes and looked at the female swordsman in front of him:

"Then what benefits can I gain?"

Thales forced himself to laugh coldly, speaking in an unfamiliar tone:

"As you said, in addition to the value of being a wife and mother—or what you asked for, the utilitarian point is lust and reproduction, and the cold point is the value of being a vagina and womb..."

The prince's words were frivolous and presumptuous, and Miranda subconsciously clenched her fists.

Thales on the desk leaned over, put his elbows on his knees, felt the coldness that made him extremely uncomfortable, and curved his mouth in an arc:

"What else can you give me?"

A dark cloud drifted across the sky, just covering the sun.

The waves of light on the star lake dimmed, leaving only a deep darkness.

Miranda looked serious.

"So, this is a deal?"

Thales bent his fingers.

"I took your suggestion and only left the most utilitarian part."

Filled with discomfort, he unscrupulously looked at Miranda:

"Does that make you feel better, Myra dear?"

Mila.

Miranda's nerves tensed.

This is obviously a close nickname, but it sounds...

"Cohen doesn't even dare to call me that." She said coldly.

Thales chuckled, and then his eyes turned cold.

"So I am not Cohen, but your master. If you want to stay, you'd better get used to it early, Miss Mira."

Miranda looked at Thales who looked like this, and frowned.

She was silent for a long time.

And Thales was happy to be quiet and didn't rush.

After a few seconds, Miranda let go of her fist and smiled unexpectedly.

"Very well, I like trading," the female swordsman licked her chapped lips, as if licking the blood of her prey, "making everything direct, simple, naked, and bloody."

Thales was startled at first, but then he also smiled.

"You know, I was thinking, if Raphael knew about our conversation at this moment," Thales shook his head sarcastically, "he would definitely kill me."

"Then he, or anyone, has to step over my sword first."

Miranda said coldly:

"Or a corpse."

The two people in the study looked at each other, as if swords were clashing:

"This is the first benefit that my allegiance brings to you, my lord duke."

Thales looked at her expression and fell silent for a while.

"Yes, you are good at martial arts," the Duke couldn't help but change his words when he saw her raising her eyebrows. "In fact, you are quite good."

But he immediately dismissed the sneer.

"But don't forget: the Xinghu guards are all elites carefully selected from the royal guards. Most of them have the title of imperial knights, and they are all heroes of the highest stature."

Thales spoke as usual, his face was not red and he was not out of breath:

"I have no shortage of masters under my command. There are some people in Star Lake Fort who can compete with you 50-50, or even better."

Miranda didn't answer, but her face was serious.

Thales straightened up, sneered and added:

"And they can go through fire and water for me without hesitation. Even if they want to raise the flag of rebellion, they won't even bat an eyelid."

Miranda swallowed.

Thales stared at his opponent closely, the corners of his mouth slightly raised:

"My dear Mila, I want to join the game..."

"You pay more."

"More."

:. :