Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 135 The Little Rascal and Alex (Part 2)

"Defection?"

“Wait… with such great power,” Thales looked at the disheveled little girl before him, his mind already drifting back to the past: “Switching sides from the side of disaster?”

The words spoken by Ashida Sakorn, the mage of air, standing on the ruins of that card room on that thrilling night in Red Street, echoed in his ears once more.

"Is this also written in this book?" Thales took a deep breath. "Does it specify who exactly turned against us?"

“No, it’s not in this book.” The little girl shook her head, raising her dirty little face, her green eyes blinking behind her thick glasses: “But another political book, ‘The Founding of a Nation: Stars and Dragons,’ mentions this, but not in detail, nor does it say who defected.”

Thales frowned.

“It’s mentioned in Chapter Six, ‘The External Influence of the Establishment of Both Nations,’” The little girl seemed a little afraid that Thales wouldn’t believe her. She quickly put down the thick book in her hand with difficulty, stretched out her small finger, and pointed skillfully in the direction behind Thales: “That book is on the sixth row after you enter, on the fifth shelf of the left bookshelf, between ‘The Collected Works of Rudolf Gangart’ and ‘The Book of Death: The Testament of the Wrathful King.’”

"Wow, such precise location," Thales said, pulling his gaze away from the layers of bookshelves. His eyes darted around, a hint of surprise in his expression. "You're familiar with all these books?"

Who exactly is this girl to have the opportunity to learn, recognize characters, read, and know the books in Valhalla so well?

Was he really just a servant?

"Ah! I, I just..." The little girl seemed startled. She lowered her head, looking somewhat nervous: "I read a lot of books..."

"You have a good memory," Thales said, looking around the vast library with a hint of doubt. "Are you the librarian here?"

The little girl was taken aback, then shook her head timidly but resolutely.

“Well,” Thales shrugged helplessly, “so this is the Walton family’s library?”

“Hmm, I guess so,” the little girl’s eyes lit up again, and the dimple on the left side of her face reappeared: “Legend has it that Her Majesty Kroresis loved reading, so after the war, King Nekaru collected all the books he could find in the entire territory, the whole country, and even the entire continent for her. It’s recorded in the ‘Dragon Sky City Grand Duke’s Handbook’…”

Nakaru Ex.

Thales paused, recalling the majestic warrior statue atop the Hall of Heroes, on the stone bridge leading to the Sky Cliff.

Therefore, many of these books were collected before the final war, when various countries began to eradicate traces of magic on a large scale.

No wonder there are so many ancient imperial texts here, and perhaps many books in other languages, even languages ​​from the non-human world.

Therefore, even after the large-scale purge, these books will contain more clues about disasters and magic than elsewhere.

I wonder how the renowned Starlight Library compares to this place?
The little girl seemed particularly happy as she talked about these things, forgetting her nervousness and fear. She continued to chatter on and on: "...Until the time of Grand Duke Solon, Dragonsreach stopped collecting books and filling the library, because no one had seen Her Majesty the Queen for many years, and this place was originally a corner of Valhalla, so it became more and more desolate..."

"Wait a minute, Chlores?" Thales suddenly realized, his expression surprised. "You mean—Nicaru's... Sky Queen?"

"That female dragon who married a human?"

Hearing Thales address her, the little girl seemed to tense up again.

“You must not be disrespectful to Her Majesty the First Queen,” she shook her head, her glasses threatening to fall off again. The little girl was startled and quickly raised her hands to protect her cheeks, pressing the frames firmly: “You must use the honorific title ‘Her Majesty’ and address her by her first name.”

Thales was taken aback.

“Don’t worry, anyway, she… that queen can’t hear us,” Thales said with amusement as he looked at the comical girl covering her face. “I can wait until I see her in person before I say anything more.”

“No, if you meet Her Majesty for the first time, there will be a different set of etiquette,” the little girl shook her head, pressed her face, and pouted as she mumbled, “Dragons are noble and sacred, and naturally abhor rudeness and disrespect.”

"If a mortal is fortunate enough to see him, he must kneel on one knee, bow his head in respect, and respectfully state his full name. Only after the other party has given his permission can he stand up."

"Otherwise what?" Thales found it amusing.

“Otherwise, the dragon will hate you.” The platinum-blonde girl with glasses stared at Thales with a serious expression on her cat-like face.

Thales burst out laughing.

Seeing the little girl's eyes filled with a mixture of anger and grievance, Thales tried his best to suppress his smile: "Okay, okay, if I really encounter it... I will definitely do as you instruct."

"But Chlores... Queen, hasn't anyone seen one for over six hundred years? How do you know if the legend of the dragon is true?"

The little girl looked displeased but didn't say anything.

Thales narrowed his eyes: "If they... Nekaru and his queen really fought that earth-shattering final battle, there should at least be some evidence, such as what enemies she defeated?"

enemy.

For example... Ashida?

"That's not true! Her Majesty the Queen is real!" The little girl, covering her face, seemed a little angry: "The evidence is right behind you, in that glass case!"

Thales turned his head and looked at the glass case he had just seen—the agreement between Tormund and Nekaru.

"This is the 'Agreement between Nekaru and Tormund, and between Exter and Star Kingdom in the 11th year of the End Calendar' regarding the handling of border issues." The little girl adjusted her glasses and leaned forward: "It was signed by the two monarchs in the longhouse of the Coldcastle. It is the earliest agreement ever made between Exter and Star Kingdom. The two kings agreed not to interfere with each other and to expand their respective territories."

"Year 11 of the End Era, Nekaru and Tomon..." Thales finally gave up repeating the tongue-twisting title, frowning: "Such a long name?"

“The treaty’s appendix is ​​even longer,” the little girl pouted, pointing to the long glass case: “It’s three feet long on paper—Her Majesty Chloreth’s signature is right before the two kings.”

Thales walked with a headache past the appendix to the first formal agreement in the history of the two countries, which was stored in three glass cases. The agreement stipulated and explained everything from the land and people on the border, the hunting season, the faith they shared, to the relationship between the lords.

Just as Thales' eyes were starting to blur, he finally reached the last glass case and found several names with different handwriting, clearly signed by the person in question.

[Witness: Kroresis Numen Dara Dosal, from across the ocean.]

“Look,” the little girl pressed her face against the glass case, “this is Her Majesty the First Queen’s autograph.”

It was a bold and powerful signature, with each letter connected naturally and smoothly.

But the signature of another witness next to him caught Thales's full attention:

[Witness: Bran Quills Tebak from the Tower of Souls.]

The same skillful and elegant cursive signature, however...

Tower of Souls.

Thales remembered Ramon's words and memorized the name.

and.

Tebak?
One of the six great families of the Star Kingdom, the Blade's Edge Territory, which has ruled the southwest of the kingdom for generations, and whose family emblem is a blood moon—Tebak.

The image of that aloof and beautiful figure in the Hall of Stars appeared before Thales' eyes—the dashing young duchess, Lyanna Tebak.

Then, his gaze fell again.

Those are the signatures of two kings.

[Parties to the Contract:]

The co-elected king of the Kingdom of Exter, the king revered by the northerners, and the lord of Dragonsky City.

Nakaru Brewster Ex
Contracting parties:
Supreme King of the Star Kingdom, legitimate descendant of the imperial family, lord of Eternal Star City.
Tormund Comora Carother Star

Both signatures have one thing in common:

Ox.

ugly.

It's not just ugly, it's incredibly ugly!

Naikaru's signature is like a child who has just learned to use a pen, slowly and deliberately drawing strokes out of the paper, immature and stiff, as if afraid that if she writes too fast, she will make a mistake.

Tormund's signature, on the other hand, was a series of rapid, cursive characters, so illegible that the spelling was almost impossible to read, like someone who was aware of their own handwriting and used rapid cursive to cover it up.

Looking at his ancestor's octopus-tentacle-like scribbled signature, Thales suddenly realized that the handwriting he had learned in the past month was at least legible.

“King Nekaru’s origins are mysterious, but many believe he was a commoner, so he didn’t have much opportunity for education. His handwriting…” The little girl noticed Thales’s gaze and said sheepishly, “And King Tormund was just an illegitimate son of the imperial family. It’s said he was quite ostracized when he was young, probably…”

Thales chuckled to himself.

It seems that the founding monarchs of both countries were uncouth men who couldn't even write their own names properly.

Compared to the neat and beautiful signatures of the witnesses above, Thales could even imagine the hesitation and embarrassment of the two kings as they wrote their names, and the sudden feeling of kinship and mutual appreciation that arose in their hearts after seeing each other's signatures.

But at that moment, Thales paused slightly.

Tormund Comora Carother Star

Tormund's full name.

Despite Tormund's illegible handwriting, he could still make out the first letter of each name.

T-Tormond

C-Comora

K-Carloser

S-Star
Thales shuddered violently!
The little girl noticed Thales's strange behavior. She reached out and wiped the smudges from her face off the glass, then looked up at him curiously: "What's wrong?"

Just then, another voice came from afar. "You little rascal! You little rascal!"

Upon hearing this voice, the little girl wearing glasses trembled, shaking uncontrollably like a mouse encountering a cat.

Thales looked up in surprise.

It was an extremely impatient, childish voice coming from behind the bookshelf: "What are you dawdling about? Have you finished writing yet?!"

As the sound grew closer, its owner appeared before Thales and the little girl.

That was another teenage girl, who looked a head taller than the sloppy girl with glasses.

The new girl had brown hair and blue eyes, a delicate face, and wore a gorgeous handmade children's dress with exquisite details on the sleeves and neckline. She also had a beautiful hair accessory in her hair. If it weren't for the angry expression on her face, she would almost look like a perfect doll from a past life.

The new girl saw Thales, but she only glanced at his dusty clothes from the fall before turning away haughtily to look at the trembling, thin, bespectacled girl: "Little rascal!"

The little girl with glasses looked utterly panicked. "Miss..."

"The etiquette homework the teacher assigned me is due tomorrow, and you still haven't finished it! If I find out you're secretly reading something else..." The new girl paused in her dissatisfaction, her eyes glancing at the stack of books behind the two of them.

She first gave a "I knew it" look, then frowned and glared fiercely at the bespectacled girl she called "little rascal".

The little rascal trembled and cast a pleading look at the bewildered Thales.

"Fine!" The new girl straightened her neat dress and stepped forward with a face full of anger: "You were indeed secretly reading something! You little rascal!"

The next second, to Thales's astonishment, the new girl raised her hand high.

It hit the bespectacled girl named Little Sly hard on the head!

The little rascal cried out in pain, her lips trembling, her eyes closed, and she crouched down in fear, clutching her head.

“You should obediently do my homework for tomorrow!” Thales stared in shock at the new girl’s disgusted expression. She stepped forward and raised her hand again: “Instead of…”

"Ignoring his master's homework, he's slacking off by reading idle books!"

This time, she struck the little rascal directly in the face!

"Thump!" The little girl's black glasses fell to the ground.

“I didn’t… Miss Alex,” the little rascal seemed used to this treatment, offering no resistance whatsoever, only sniffling and sobbing, “I didn’t… do the etiquette homework… to find… the topic, I have to look up… the founding of Star and Exter…”

"You dare talk back!" The pretty new girl pouted angrily. "You're just my maid! How dare you!"

But Thales grabbed her hand tightly as she raised it again.

"Wait!" Thales said, looking displeased. "You're a nobleman? It's not proper for you to beat and scold your servants at will!"

The brown-haired, blue-eyed girl gave Thales a disapproving look: "And who are you!"

The dark-haired boy released the girl's hand, his face contorted with anger: "Tails Star!"

The poor little rascal crouched on the ground in fear, squinting his eyes, and tremblingly reached for his glasses.

“Oh, that prince who came to beg for mercy from Grandpa,” the new girl paused, then looked at the boy who was a head shorter than her and smiled contemptuously: “I’m giving my maid the punishment she deserves. You’d better stay away!”

Damn.

Thales frowned, looking at the spoiled young lady in front of him.

I thought that after escaping the abandoned house, I could finally escape the naughty kids.

Just now.

"Miss Alex!"

Thales and the new girl paused for a moment.

Lord Myrk, the Valhalla clerk who had led Thales into the Hall of Heroes, appeared before them, his face grim as he stopped the fight between the children.

“Your Highness Thales,” Lord Mailk bowed to Thales, then said slowly, “you have gone too far.”

Michael's arrival seemed to make the girl hesitant; she pouted and turned her head to look in the other direction.

“Your Excellency,” Thales nodded, then turned to look worriedly at the scruffy little rascal who had just touched his glasses: “Here…”

Michael frowned, his gaze towards the brown-haired girl revealing worry.

“This is Alex,” Myrk sighed, extending his hand to the beautifully dressed little girl. “Miss Alex Walton is His Majesty Nunn’s granddaughter.”

“Miss Alex, and this is His Highness Thales Starlight, son of King Kessel from the Star Kingdom.”

As Michael introduced her and gave her an urging look, the little girl Alex first raised her head haughtily, then snorted through her nose before reluctantly lifting her skirt and giving Thales a weak bow.

Thales nodded, frowning: Alex Walton?
It sounds like a boy's name.

And, King Nunn's granddaughter? I've never heard of Prince Morar having a daughter.

Didn't King Nunn say that Prince Moral is not yet married?

Then, Myrk turned to Alex and earnestly advised his master's granddaughter: "Miss, your actions were inappropriate, especially in front of Prince Thales of the Stars..."

“Mailke!” Alex, granddaughter of King Nunn VII, pouted in dissatisfaction. “This is my maid, and our family pays for her food and lodging…”

"And this prince is going to..."

“Miss Alex!” Myrk’s gaze turned unusually stern, his words laced with anger: “This is not your bedroom! This is King Nekaru’s library!”

Alex was startled; she flinched, seemingly somewhat afraid of Michael.

“Hmph,” Alex tugged at his hair ornament, his eyes blazing with anger, and unceremoniously grabbed the little rascal who was still squatting on the ground: “Come with me, you little rascal.”

The little rascal was pulled and slipped a step; she gripped her glasses tightly, her eyes red-rimmed.

“Let’s go back to the bedroom and settle this!” Alex said fiercely, glancing at Thales and Myrk before turning and leaving.

The little rascal, with an uneasy expression, followed behind with his head down and trembling. He glanced back at Thales, his eyes filled with fear.

Thales clenched his fist.

Watching the two girls walk away, one neat and one disheveled, Michael sighed.

He picked up the books the little rascal hadn't had time to tidy up and stuffed them into the bookshelf one by one: "Miss Alex is Prince Moral's elder brother and the daughter of the deceased eldest son of the king, Prince Sulir. Because she lost her parents too early, and because His Majesty Nunn doted on her excessively, so..."

Michael shook his head.

Thales gave an awkward smile.

It turned out to be the case.

Is he King Nuen's eldest son who died young?

Therefore, coupled with the assassination of Prince Morar...

The Walton family, the lords of Dragonrise City and the Dragon Spear of Clouds, indeed have no direct male heirs.

"How did he die?" Thales stared at the dragon emblem in the glass case and murmured, "That...Prince Suliel?"

Michael lowered his head, his brow furrowed.

“More than a decade ago, a hunting accident,” Tyrell said, his eyes dimming and his tone dejected. “I was in the White Blade Guard at the time, and I was supposed to be responsible for his safety, but I failed to protect him.”

Michael shook his head numbly.

Thales turned his gaze away.

“Please follow me back to your bedroom,” Myrk said, seemingly unwilling to say more. He quickly composed himself, turned around, and added seriously, “I believe your entourage is getting impatient—and you have to attend the banquet tonight.”

Thales was startled and looked up.

Right, he has to go find Putila.

Tell him everything that has happened here, and then seek his wisdom and help.

especially……

"Furthermore, His Majesty has entrusted me to deliver a message to you, a reply to what you conveyed through Nikolai," Myrk said calmly.

Thales paused, his gaze lingering.

King Nuen?
Lord Milek narrowed his eyes:
"His Majesty has agreed; he will temporarily set aside his original plans."

"Please go ahead and do it, as long as His Majesty's wishes are fulfilled."

"Find the murderer and avenge his blood relatives."

That chain post about "surviving" in the Qidian book review section...

I think you guys are incredibly audacious; you're practically doomed!
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(End of this chapter)