Kingdom’s Bloodline

She is different.

Thales stared blankly at Miranda's current appearance, and couldn't help thinking this way.

Thales has known Miranda for a long time since he met as an inmate in the cell of Dragon Clouds City, and witnessed her wielding a sword in the Palace of Heroes.

There is no doubt that the woman in front of her is a calm warrior, a powerful swordsman, a strong fighter, cautious and reliable, with a little indifference.

Like flowers on the cliffs of snow mountains.

It is worthy of being the descendant of White Eagle and the descendant of Arend.

But this moment, this moment...

Thales looked at her back, and for the first time felt the hotness and vitality emanating from her blood vessels, as well as an unprecedented sense of oppression.

That wasn't the Arend family of Coldhold, or the Tower of the End, or even what the Flower of the Stronghold could teach her.

but...

Thales closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and returned to reality.

"If that's the case, then why don't you go directly to my father, to your Majesty, and make the same promise to him?"

Miranda's hands froze as she adjusted the sheath.

Thales slowly opened his eyes:

"As long as, as long as you tell King Kessel again what you said to me, as long as you are willing to give up what your father and his generation are unwilling to give up..."

The Duke of Xinghu gritted his teeth and said:

"I believe, whether it's title or status, what I can give you in the future, the Iron Fist King can give you now."

You must be happy to give it too.

Thales copied the ridiculous greeting letter, his eyes were threatening:

"So, why not?"

Miranda said nothing, and resumed adjusting her belt and sheath.

"Because you are the one who broke into the palace and rebelled."

Thales' expression changed.

"Korn has always been very dull, but the teachers in the tower said that he is as stupid as him, but he has an unexpected swordsman's intuition."

Miranda didn't look up, she carefully adjusted the tightness of the sword belt and the height and angle of the hilt.

"And that idiot said that the reason why he was willing to risk his life to break into the forbidden palace with you was because he saw your eyes in the lower city that day."

Thales was startled: "What? What look?"

Miranda chuckled lightly:

"He said he believed in you, believed that you were like the paladin Don Quixote, charging towards the impossible goal."

Thales was taken aback:

"Don-don what?"

Miranda tidied up her sword belt and shrugged needlessly:

"I don't know, I've never heard of this knight. But when Cohen said this, he stayed up all night and was dozing off looking through the file, probably confused with the name in a certain file."

At that moment, Thales' expression was stiff.

"But Cohen said that he believed that what you were going to do at that time was more correct and more important than being loyal to the emperor and diligently, so even though he hesitated to enter the Fuxing Palace, he did not refuse."

"It's like in Dragon Clouds City back then."

Thales trembled slightly.

Miranda raised her head and looked directly into his eyes:

"So I know that even after seven years, you are still different from your father."

"You don't approve of the king's methods—whether it's forcing my father to commit treason, or laying out a bloody and debt-ridden conspiracy in Dragon Cloud City, or the ominous border conflict in West Wilderness a few months ago, or other things Unknowable filth."

The female swordsman looked at Thales seriously.

"You, Thales Canxing, you want to be a different person."

At that moment, Thales felt his heart skip a beat.

no the same?

Thales looked at Miranda in front of him, and subconsciously clenched his fists.

Fuck you, fast rope.

You bastard, a different way of life, it's easy to say.

Thales took a deep breath.

He tried, he worked hard, he tried to abandon feelings and weaknesses, and only regarded Miranda as an ordinary queen of nobles, an ambitious vassal.

He thought that he could lead her into the trap with impunity.

But, but now, now Miranda...

Thales' eyes were bitter, and his original determination was shaken again at this moment.

The Duke had to take a deep breath to calm down his irritability:

"Do you think I can finally bring you—what you want?"

"No, you can't." Unexpectedly, Miranda shook her head. "This is a battle that belongs to me alone. You are only a stepping stone at best."

Stepping stones, hum.

Thales nodded sarcastically.

You can fucking talk.

"But compared to your father," the female swordsman said coldly, "maybe your rock is harder."

"By the way, your acting was terrible just now - 'My dear Mira, you want to play the game, you have to pay more'?"

"You can't even pretend to be a pervert," said Miranda contemptuously, "Virgin."

But Thales was not interested in bickering with her.

At this moment, he was in a complicated mood, and lowered his head sullenly.

"Mira," Thales said bewilderedly, "What have you encountered in these years?"

"What made you who you are now?"

Miranda hesitated upon hearing this.

"a lot of."

She spoke slowly, and countless scenes flashed in her eyes.

"So many that I don't even want to count."

But it was only for a moment, she quickly recovered her determination and became that stubborn female swordsman again.

"But when I look back, it all started that night."

that night?

Thales remembered something and looked up in surprise.

Miranda nodded lightly, confirming his doubts:

"The night of Dragon Clouds City."

Thales' eyes widened suddenly.

dragon blood.

"Whether it's the people we met that day," Miranda looked at him intently, "or what we did."

"Also, don't call me Mira."

But Thales didn't hear what she said later.

He just stared at Miranda blankly.

Is there ever a moment in your life when you inadvertently look back on the past and realize that the decision you made based on local conditions and adaptability will have such a significant, far-reaching, and even everything-changing impact?

Unknowingly, the dark clouds covering the sky have dispersed.

Star Lake became blue, clear and sparkling again.

After an unknown amount of time, Thales exhaled a breath, with emotions that he himself could not fully understand, either bitter, relieved, or helpless:

"But you just said, Mira, that you want to make a deal with me, and you want to keep the most utilitarian part?"

Miranda thought for a while, then suddenly smiled:

"Yes, I want to exchange the most utilitarian part of myself for your most ideal part. In this way, you are still at a disadvantage."

"Now—besides stop calling me Mira—do you have any questions?"

But Thales just stared at her saber in a daze:

"Mira?"

Miranda sighed and was about to speak.

"I'm going to Emerald City on business this trip, but I actually have no intentions, even bad intentions." Thales said in a daze.

Miranda was startled, but still nodded: "I know. Don't call me Mira—"

"I'm going to take on Jen and stuff him upside down in my toilet and flush him down the moat."

Miranda frowned. "I know. I said no—"

"So, if you're coming with me, there's a good chance you're going to do some, um, less glamorous things."

"I know!"

Miranda couldn't help raising her volume, but finally couldn't help sighing:

"Don't bark—that's all, so you agree?"

Taylor raised his head slowly, releasing a haggard but relieved smile.

This surprised Miranda a little.

"I understand, Mira, you asked my question as soon as you entered the door." The Duke said softly.

Miranda was taken aback: "What's the problem?"

The Duke of Xinghu also came to the window and stretched himself.

"About Roseanne Arend, her story, I just remembered."

Miranda's eyes moved slightly.

Thales looked at the boundless Star Lake and sighed:

"Historically, the 'arithmetic' Roseanne entered the revival court, and eventually became the queen of the virtuous Lord Mindis III, in charge of the royal family's finances, and even helped the newly established Finance and Taxation Office to calculate the income and expenditure, and broke the accounts with the virtuous monarch's creditors. People called her the 'Smart Queen', thus creating a long story of a king and queen getting to know each other and being in harmony."

Thales silently stared at the intoxicating beauty in front of him.

I said, why did Gilbert always like to tell me about these things when he was in class, and he did it for a long time, it was marriage urging.

"But she didn't do it voluntarily." The female swordsman's voice came.

Thales was taken aback.

Miranda leaned on the window sill with him, looking at the blue sky in the middle:

"Since the birth of the youngest son, the old duke has worried that the eldest daughter's status is too high, her ability and personality are too strong, which will benefit her husband's family too much in the future, and also worried that she will hold grudges for losing the right of inheritance. Bad for the family."

"So he gave Roseanne two options."

Miranda's voice is ethereal:

"Either, bring a large amount of dowry and marry a humble knight from a humble family, so as to eliminate the threat of her husband's family in the future; or, directly abandon the surname and inheritance rights, and leave Cold Castle, depriving her of the possibility of joining the family from blood."

Thales was taken aback.

Is there such a paragraph in the records about the shrewd queen?

Miranda looked sad:

"Rosanna, who has a strong nature, chose the second option, and this is the story behind - she didn't become the queen because she was born in Arend, but because she became the queen, the Arend family suddenly remembered They scrambled to add her back to the family tree and announced to the world that the new queen's surname is Arend."

Thales listened to this story in surprise: "I... I didn't know there was this part."

Miranda nodded:

"White Eagle has always been proud of being united and rarely infighting, but... this disgraceful history was only recorded in the writings of the sunset priest who secretly witnessed this agreement at that time, and it was hidden deep in the restricted area of ​​the sunset temple. It has been unknown to outsiders for a long time."

In other words, how much of the "family unity" praised by the Aarond family in history was formed under the "precautions" like the old duke who exiled his relatives and suppressed his children to avoid brotherhood?

Thales rolled his eyes and clapped his palms:

"No wonder, it's no wonder that when the virtuous monarch was in power, the Aaronde family, as the number one family in the north, was suppressed so badly by the Fuxing Palace and the Imperial Conference, and was regarded as a typical example of the virtuous monarch's reform."

Damn it, Gilbert also analyzed a lot of high-sounding topics like 'the balance of power between relatives and courtiers' with him, and the relevant papers were stacked up to three feet thick.

Miranda smiled indifferently:

"In this way, the first Northern Duchess did not appear, and was replaced by the 'Smart Queen'. This is a story that the world can accept. The father is kind and the daughter is filial, brothers and sisters are fraternal, the husband is strong, and the story is happy and beautiful."

The female swordsman crossed her arms: "But I think, compared to the 'Queen Roseanne' in the eternal story..."

Thales took over the conversation:

"Or is 'Duchess of Roseanne' more suitable to be sung by bards?"

Miranda glanced at him, but said nothing.

"But are you ready?" the prince whispered.

The next second, Thales reached out without warning and touched Miranda's waist!

The female swordsman's gaze sharpened, and she shot instantly, firmly holding Thales' left hand!

But she frowned immediately: Thales' outstretched palm was pressed on the hilt of the sword at her waist.

Thales smiled apologetically at her.

She looked at Thales warily, but let go slowly.

Thales then slowly raised her hand, and pulled out "Eagle Flying" from her scabbard.

"I think the story of your ancestor—no, Roseanne is the queen, and mine—tells us that, unlike Exeter, he was caught off guard by inexperience and had to bite the bullet and accept a Grand Duchess As far as the northerners are concerned, the people of the stars have learned from the past: they are used to it and know how to deal with such a situation."

Yingxiang's blade rubbed against the leather, gradually revealing it.

It is as cold as it was seven years ago.

It is different from seven years ago, and has gone through hardships.

Thales looked at the blade and said slowly:

"Just look at the Duchess Lyanna of the Blades. Rather than directly objecting loudly, they know how to tear you apart in a gentle and polite way within the current system of rules."

The prince sighed:

"You know, even the Queen of the North Conqueror who ascended to the Supreme Throne three hundred years ago did not end well."

Snapped!

Just when the blade was pulled out by a third, Miranda held Thales' hand again, exerted strength slowly, and undoubtedly sent Yingxiang back to the scabbard:

"That's because she's not strong enough."

Thales raised his eyebrows:

"Not strong enough? Queen Elijah marched six times to seize the Cold Castle and defeated Exeter."

Miranda narrowed her eyes:

"At least not strong enough to make those who oppose her bow their heads, such as her younger brother."

With a soft sound, Ying Xiang's whole body fell into the scabbard, Thales could only sigh and let go.

Miranda shook her head at him.

"I have a question," the prince pondered. "If I really wanted you to marry me and become my queen just now, I would accept you and be willing to help you get back the northern border..."

Miranda thought for a while:

"Are you trying to say that you're willing to help me get back to the north because I made you feel good about my self-recommended pillow mat?"

Mira, Star Lake Fort is not Broken Dragon Fortress, we have time to talk about your choice of words in front of the prince.

Thales sighed:

"And if so?"

Miranda sneered.

"If you really do that, it will prove your character, and it will prove that Cohen is wrong. Then whether I surrender to your father or surrender to you, it is the same."

She said indifferently: "So, I will break your leg first, and then go to the Fuxing Palace with the grievance of being 'attempted to occupy' by the prince."

Thales frowned:

"To ask my father for justice?"

The female swordsman shook her head:

"No, I will prove to him and the kingdom that after this incident, I and the prince are at odds, so in the confrontation between the two bright stars, I must stand on the side of the king. Then, I will take advantage of the situation to give your father Offer the same: I give him the North, he promises me the dukedom—and I get my wish."

Thales showed an expression of disbelief.

"As I said," Miranda shook her head, "anyway, I have to find my own way."

Just... one missing stepping stone.

Thales swallowed his throat.

really.

Take care of your lower body and be happy for the rest of your life.

"Then, Ms. Miranda Arend."

Thales sighed, turned around and said seriously:

"Will you be my wife?"

Miranda was taken aback when she heard the words, but she looked at him for a long time and understood something:

"No, I don't want to."

Thales nodded.

"So, will you be my queen?"

"No, I don't want to either."

Thales looked into her eyes.

"In that case, Miranda Arend, would you be my knight?"

In the study of Star Lake Fort, the boy and the female swordsman faced each other silently.

After a moment, Miranda smiled.

She took a step back and faced Thales:

"I will, Your Highness."

Thales narrowed his eyes: "Even if I might order you to do unpleasant things, such as swinging a sword at Raphael?"

Miranda was silent for a moment.

"Raphael is very important to me, Your Highness."

Thales chuckled and shook his head, waved his hands and said, "I know, Mira. So I'm just joking—"

"But he's not my whole life."

Miranda interrupted him with sharp eyes:

"Far from it."

This was beyond Thales' expectations, and he looked at the female swordsman in front of him in surprise.

"So, Your Highness, if he blocks your way and blocks ours, I will be sad."

At that moment, the Neverwinter sword of Broken Dragon Fortress reached out and grabbed the hilt at his waist, overflowing with murderous aura.

"But never hesitate."

Thales was stunned.

He stared at her for a long, long time.

Miranda Arend.

what is she

A sharp sword?

Yes, but not all.

A pawn?

Maybe, but there are discrepancies.

A chip?

Possibly, but is it light or heavy?

What do you say, King Kessel?

Thales held the bone ring in the placket.

She gathered under my banner just as we had planned.

But it's not like we think, for - at least not in our impression - power.

No matter how you look at it, it doesn't look like it exists on your chessboard or under your rules.

Thales raised the corner of his mouth.

Because she is human.

Damn, the... people off the board.

What do you say, father?

Thoughts flashed like a flash, and the next second, Thales smiled slightly:

"Then, Mira, welcome to Star Lake Castle."

Although we will be on a journey soon.

Miranda laughed too.

"etc."

She shook her head, pulled Yingxiang from her waist, and put it on her palm: "Northern ancient ritual."

Thales was taken aback, then sighed.

He pulled out the JC dagger on his lower back, and pressed the palm of his hand in the same way, only to feel a headache of familiarity in front of him: "Sworn as an alliance?"

"As expected of the prince who returned from the north," Miranda's eyes lit up, "You have seen a lot."

More than a few.

Thales thought helplessly.

More than you can imagine.

In the next second, the two of them exerted force at the same time, feeling the pain between the palm and the blade.

"So, Thales Canxing, from today onwards, I will pledge my allegiance to you and serve you."

Miranda put down Eagle Flying, solemnly stretched out her hand, and blood flowed from her palm:

"In return, you will fully support my inheritance orthodoxy, and if necessary, you will not hesitate to end the battle yourself, and announce to the kingdom that there is only one Lord of the North that you recognize..."

Thales exhaled, stretched out his scarlet hands, and took her words:

"Duchess Miranda Arend."

With a snap, the palms of the two clenched tightly.

"So, from today, I..."

In the middle of Thales's speech, he suddenly remembered the unpleasant memory of "Guertaxa".

He couldn't help sighing:

"You have said everything I want to say, as for what I didn't say..."

Blood dripped from their wrists.

Thales pursed his lips listlessly:

"Well, it's all in the blood."

Miranda frowned, but still shook her palm uncomfortably, and made the oath.

But with his thoughts together, Thales couldn't help asking:

"Are there checks, like taking an oath, putting a curse on something—what if someone betrays?"

Miranda shook her head in disdain, and pressed her palms hard:

"Only one occasion will I break my contract."

"When you're not strong enough."

Damn, it hurts a bit.

Thales looked at her suspiciously.

"Don't get me wrong, although we have fulfilled our oath, Your Highness, if you fail to meet my expectations, or even hold me back," Miranda blinked maliciously uncharacteristically, "I will abandon you without any hesitation." hesitate."

Thales' smile was a little stiff.

It's so heartwarming.

The prince rolled his eyes:

"Then what if I betrayed you?"

The next second, Miranda's palm twitched, and Thales couldn't help being pulled forward by her!

The prince finally stopped, and was about to complain, but found that Miranda was right in front of him.

And their distance was so close that they could almost kiss each other, Thales could even see the female swordsman's eyelashes clearly, and also saw the determination hidden behind those eyes.

"Your eyes, they are gray, really rare." Miranda observed him carefully, said quietly.

Thales looked strange:

"Yeah, uh, your eyes are pretty—"

But Miranda's voice quickly turned cold:

"Remember, you are the descendant of Canxing, and I am the descendant of Arend."

"Unfortunately, but betrayal is destined to be part of our lives."

I saw Miranda's eyes turned cold:

"Like revenge."

Thales froze.

"So, little brat..."

In the next second, the hostility on Miranda's face disappeared.

It was replaced by an unprecedented bright smile that made people feel cold.

Before she turned and left, she pinched Thales' stunned face with a smile:

"Hey, don't be naughty."

————

Under Thales' stunned and exasperated expression, D.D walked into the study, and watched Miranda leave with a smile in surprise.

Difficult, could it be that...

"Wow, Your Highness!"

Doyle wanted to understand something, with a look of surprise on his face, he clicked his tongue again and again: "Tsk tsk tsk tsk, congratulations!"

Thales looked at him suspiciously:

"What's wrong? Congratulations?"

"Nothing, nothing, just, hehe..."

In the next second, D.D quietly pointed to Miranda's back, proudly gave a thumbs up, and showed an evil smile that said nothing:

"Awesome!!!"

At that moment, D.D's smile was so bright, so dazzling, so sincere.

So much so that he didn't notice that the expression of His Highness Thales had unconsciously become more and more terrifying.

"D.D, I heard from Officer Sonia that you met her during the night watch before?"

"Ah? Oh, yes! Your Highness, the flower of the fortress, hey, she was talking about some academic topics with the zombies at that time, you know, 'academic' topics! Don't worry, I didn't bother you, hehehe After all, it can be regarded as an important diplomatic victory for our Star Lake Castle..."

"..."

That night, Star Lake Castle was not peaceful.

It is said that the always good-tempered Lord Duke was furious, and he rarely personally ordered Patterson's punishment officer to execute the Star Lake Guard's first-class vanguard Danny Doyle, D.D for short, strictly and quickly. Since its establishment, the most horrible and inhuman cruel punishment:

Confiscated the puppet bear next to his bed.