Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 152 Shadow
After the king had drunk his fill, he threw down his wine cup and stretched his joints.

“Little brat,” he scoffed at Peffert lying on the ground, “you dare bring up the war from twelve years ago?”

"How much do you know about the carnage and bloodshed of twelve years ago?" King Nuen stared disdainfully at his prey, who had lost both arms. "You're nothing but a pampered heir to a lord. Your grandfather only kept you in the safest main camp, not even letting you transport supplies..."

In Thales' eyes, the young Grand Duke's eyes were bloodshot, staring blankly ahead.

It was as if he had forgotten even the excruciating pain in his arms.

“But maybe your grandfather was right. Sending someone like you to transport supplies and baggage could have led to a surprise attack by Horace Star, who could have flanked the supply lines…” At this point, King Nunn’s face darkened: “Damn it, then there wouldn’t have been so much trouble later on.”

A few seconds later, Pfeet, who was being held firmly to the ground, let out a cryptic laugh.

"And all that so-called shock you experienced in the war... utter bullshit." King Nunn suppressed his anger until he could no longer contain it: "Without Dragonsreach, without Walton, you are nothing!"

He released his foot from the other man's and kicked him hard in the stomach!
Thales frowned: he remembered the days in the abandoned house, the days when he was beaten and kicked from time to time.

After taking the kick, Peffer curled up and groaned in pain.

“And you shouldn’t have gone after Morar!” King Nunn lowered his head and growled painfully, “He thought you were his friend!”

"Despicable traitor! Hypocritical coward!"

The enraged King Nunn delivered another kick, this time landing heavily on Pefit's chest.

"Thump!" The muffled sound was clearly audible.

Peffert flinched again, coughing incessantly from the heavy blow.

Peffert's cough gradually subsided, and then his curled-up body stretched out again.

The two folded arms looked incredibly ferocious.

The Grand Duke let out a sinister laugh that sounded like he was crying.

“Hahaha…” Peffer suppressed his laughter, but to Thales, the laughter sounded so desolate and tragic.

King Nuen's expression grew increasingly hostile. He glared at his enemy, grinding his teeth with a terrifying look.

The young Grand Duke abruptly stopped laughing, raised his head, and looked at King Nuen with resentment in his eyes.

“Yes, it was me,” Peffert stared intently at the old king, panting, “Moral, he told me all about his secret mission—to visit the stars and renegotiate the treaty! What an honor…”

"You admit it?" King Nuen's face was solemn, his eyes burning with hatred and pain. "Only when facing death do you have the guts to be a man, is that it?"

“Yes, I don’t even need to put in the effort to exploit his trust in me to obtain information about his mission to the stars,” Peffert responded to the king with a mocking smile: “including his itinerary, arrangements, plans, and even the entourage…”

King Nunn's boots slammed into Pefit's abdomen once more.

Pefit rolled away in agony, leaving King Nunn's side.

"Just because you felt you were treated unfairly?" King Nuen sneered, his voice suddenly rising: "You killed my son and betrayed your friends!"

"Your so-called status in Fengzhao City... is nothing but an excuse for your selfishness and indifference! You can even do this to your own father... what else is someone like you incapable of!"

Pefit groaned softly from the excruciating pain of his broken arms, his forehead drenched in cold sweat, but upon hearing the king's words, he struggled to lift his head from the ground and chuckled.

“Unfair?” Peffert’s laughter was eerie and maniacal. “My God, you, you really… you really, don’t even blush… No wonder you’re our born king… Unfair? Hahaha…”

The next moment, Peffert's expression changed, and she turned her gaze to the four grand dukes:
"Stop pretending! You guys!"

The young grand duke's words were filled with anger:

“Oleshchew, Trudida, Ronnie, Lyco… do you dare swear to your ancestors that you have no gratitude or joy for what I have done? Do you dare to say with your hands on your chest that you have no sense of relief or happiness at Moral’s death, or at Walton’s downfall and decline?”

The dukes chose to remain silent, and even the most cunning Trudida remained silent.

Thales felt the atmosphere in the hall had become very tense, as if the scope of the duel had expanded beyond the two of them.

King Nunn remained silent as he slowly walked towards Pefit.

Peppett gasped for breath, shrugged, and slithered laboriously across the ground.

As Thales looked at the Grand Duke struggling on the ground, he felt no relief at the revelation of the truth or the avenging of his great grudge.

All that remains is an unspeakable sorrow.

“Ten Grand Dukes,” Peffert said through gritted teeth, struggling as he crawled, “Ten Grand Dukes…after you die…will choose a king fairly and justly, right?”

King Nuen abruptly stopped in his tracks.

Pefit, with his back to King Nunn, crawled to the center of the hall, struggled to turn over, and faced King Nunn, speaking with hatred:

"To the south...you already promised Rebuilding Tower that you would arbitrate for Trudida and obtain the disputed territory bordering Elk City in exchange for his support."

"You hold the young Aurelius who fled to Dragon City after failing to seize the throne, and you have the leverage to interfere in the succession of the Wilan Territory. This makes Grand Duke Aurelius, no matter how dissatisfied he is, dare not speak out."

“Starting with your father, you have relied on the location of Dragon Sky City to forcibly renegotiate the trade route to the northeastern Glacier Sea, threatening the Camaron family to cut it off unless they choose you as their king.”

"Of course, there's also us—the Pefit family that you and your father helped rise to power, your tamed hounds, the Fengzhao City that obeys at the slightest whistle."

King Nuen frowned deeply.

A murmur rippled through the hall.

Thales also had some doubts in his mind.

Peppet continued his words, filled with grief and pain:
"Heading north, the old bald man Lyco, who guards the city, will only remain neutral and choose the family that will surely win at the most crucial moment."

"In the far north, the Shuster family of the Outpost Territory has always chosen whoever supports them in resisting the orcs as their king."

Pefit rose from his knees, straightened his upper body, and abruptly turned to look at the cold-faced King Nunn, his voice mournful:
"At the next election, you and your Walton family have already made arrangements for four of the votes... and with those votes, the two from the North are destined to choose you!"

King Nuen's face turned pale, and his clenched fists cracked.

"At the future election of the king, we so-called grand dukes will have absolutely no chance!"

"unfair?"

“This is the real injustice!” Peffer roared in a low voice, his words sending a chill down the spines of everyone in the hall.
"Decades ago, your grandfather arranged the selection of a king and the coronation of your father before he passed away..."

"From that time on, you've been using the guise of fair competition and open elections to secretly manipulate everything with all sorts of disgusting tactics!"

"By pushing his chosen one to the forefront and suppressing all dissent and opposition, our election of kings is nothing more than a formality, simply placing his pre-selected person on the throne!"

King Nuen strode forward.

Thales sighed inwardly: Is this the truth about choosing a king?

He recalled what Putila had told him about the history of the establishment of the Electorate of Exte.

Those grand dukes who had been at odds with Naikaru since his death.

Peffert's face showed disgust and revulsion as he stared directly at his livid opponent.

“From that time on, ‘Grand Duke Walton of Dragonsky City’ disappeared, and only ‘His Majesty Walton of Exeter’ remained!”

"Pah!" He gritted his teeth, as if he wanted to crush King Nuen in front of him: "Don't you know why we call you 'Born King'?"

"It's not because you're so talented or amazing..."

"Instead, you were destined from birth to be the co-ruler of Exter!"

"Damn, the born king!"

"What disgusts me most is that you still have the nerve to proudly claim that Exter is a co-governed elective monarchy?"

Peffert's face dragged across the cold floor tiles, his emotions beginning to spiral out of control: "Under Walton's oppression, what's the difference between us and the corrupt hereditary monarchy of Star Kingdom, or the tyrannical system of the Empire? Sooner or later, we'll have a madman like Eddie II of Star Kingdom, dragging his entire country to hell!"

Upon hearing that familiar name, Thales felt a chill run down his spine.

That was his grandfather.

Dragging his entire country...down to hell?

Suddenly, he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder—it was Putila behind him.

Thales exhaled with difficulty through his nose, turning his attention back to the scene.

King Nuen stepped forward with a cold gaze and tripped him without hesitation.

"Boom!"

With both arms useless and unable to maintain his balance, the young grand duke was swept back to the ground. Peffert fell back to the ground, but he continued to roar relentlessly:

"They verbally praise the greatness of the co-governance oath, hypocritically claiming that we have the freedom and right to elect a king, but secretly they monopolize all power, pre-determining the throne and interests..."

"Where else in this world are rulers so shameless, despicable, hypocritical, and utterly repulsive!"

"You have long since turned Exter into a hereditary kingdom of the Walton family! The Walton royal family! How ironic! The co-rule oath of Nekaru has been utterly ruined by this shameless family left behind by his nephew!"

Thales felt his unsteady breathing.

Everything happening before his eyes was like a mirror to him.

At that moment, as he listened to Peffert's accusations, he didn't think of Exter.

It is the Kingdom of Stars.

It was Kessel's cold expression and the solemn look in the eyes of the one-eyed dragon, Köst.

It is a hall of stars filled with suspicions and hidden agendas, housing six powerful families and thirteen noble clans.

Thales sighed inwardly and unconsciously clenched his fist.

"That's not all!" Peffert struggled with all her might to get up from the ground again:
"Your father married his daughter off to the previous Grand Duke of Black Sands at a young age, attempting to interfere in the affairs of Black Sands by controlling the bloodline of the Lumba family!"

"You maliciously purchased crystal ore from Commas and supplied it to Deer City in the East at a low price, ostensibly to guard against threats from the Eastern Continent, but in reality to cut off supplies at a critical moment and force the Gadero family to submit!"

"Heaven knows what other tricks you've prepared for the west, for Ronnie of Qiyuan City—I bet it's that Cornass man whose territory is near Qiyuan City, that hypocritical Marquis of Shanliu City, right! And this time, what is it, a contract that looks glamorous but is full of traps?"

Upon hearing this, Thales couldn't help but turn around and look behind him.

Marquis Slade of Cornmas felt the gazes of the crowd, coughed awkwardly, and turned his head away.

Peffert's face had lost all color. He no longer tried to get up, but resignedly lay on the ground, his voice sorrowful and low.

"Not only that, you also want to emulate the Star Kingdom in the south, to establish tax collectors directly under the king throughout the entire territory, to interfere with the lords' tax collection in their own territories, and to send the king's officials to all parts of the country—starting from our Beacon City!"

“This humiliation, this oppression, this injustice… it’s not just me, and it’s not just for a day or two…” Peffer gasped, her voice growing weaker and weaker: “How can we not resist?”

"Rebel? So you killed Moral to seek revenge on the Walton family?" King Nunn's eyes flickered slightly. "Betraying your friends? Only a coward like you could do that..."

Peffert paused, his gaze becoming complex and subtle.

“Yes, Moral,” Peffert gasped, his voice low, “we used to be friends…”

"I kept telling myself that everything would be alright, but... but..."

"Nun Walton!" The young Grand Duke's expression changed, as if he had made a painful decision. He lay on the ground, tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and let out a mournful laugh: "It's all your fault! You forced me to do this!"

"Me?" King Nuen's voice was like a muffled thunder before a storm, deep and terrifying.

Peffert's voice rose, and he looked up, trembling, his gaze vicious: "Five years ago, after I refused your appointment of officials for Fengzhao City..."

"Immediately, some of my vassals suspiciously jumped out to question my legitimacy, Trudida began to arrogantly provoke on the border, and the people of my territory began to discuss my abilities... Soon, my vassals began to rebel, the people began to resist taxes, and the territory was in chaos... When I was at my wit's end and at a loss, you finally sent Moral with a letter to mediate!"

"As I read your hypocritical and pretentious letter of comfort, I looked up at Moral standing in front of me, listening to him chuckle foolishly as he recounted our past... It was then that I realized he and I were never friends!"

"I'm just a dog in Dragon Sky City!"

“And don’t you know what kind of person Moral is!” Pefit’s face was contorted with bulging veins, his brown hair stuck to his forehead, making him look ferocious and disheveled.

"I've had enough of that good-for-nothing's smirk! In his mind, the whole world is so wonderful!" Peffert's eyes were bloodshot. He struggled to his feet and roared madly at everyone in the Hall of Heroes:
"That's a naive, weak, hesitant, incompetent, short-sighted, and unambitious piece of trash!"

"Hahaha..." Under King Nuen's gloomy face, Pefit shook his upper body and laughed wildly, almost laughing until tears streamed down his face:
"You know what... that guy, Moral, that good-for-nothing... his biggest dream is actually... to become an adventure mercenary... to travel the world... hahahahaha... mercenary, adventure... hahahahaha..."

"Oh, and he even became infatuated with a prostitute! A flirtatious slut!"

"And he kept saying he wanted to marry her!"

Thales shook his head, recalling what King Nunn had said about Prince Moral when he first met King Nunn and the Grand Dukes.

Pfelt laughed so hard tears almost came out.

King Nuen's brow furrowed deeply.

Pefit laughed maniacally, writhing on the ground amidst the excruciating pain in his arm and surging emotions, tears streaming down his face: "Your Highness Moral, the future Grand Duke of Dragonrise City, is going to marry a lowly whore! Hahahaha..."

"And he was the appointed King of Exter—just imagine, the great Exter, with a prostitute queen! All his subjects had to bow and kowtow to a whore… Hahaha…"

Everyone in the hall looked at him, and many people lowered their heads and sighed.

King Nunn did not interrupt him, but continued to stare at Pefit with that terrifying gaze.

“This guy, this piece of trash, this garbage, this shameful being utterly devoid of self-awareness and responsibility, is actually Walton’s heir!” Peffert finished laughing, raising his eyes filled with resentment and hatred: “And I have to pledge allegiance to him against my will, to make him my king—not because of his abilities, but because of his surname and his father!”

"You still ask me why I chose Rumba? Why that Black Sand Duke, who is as black inside and out as the name of his territory? That beast who murdered his own family?"

Grand Duke Peffert's eyes blazed with fury, his voice booming like thunder: "I have not chosen Rumba! I have chosen a future without Walton! A future without the appointed King Exter!"

“I’m glad I’ve finally destroyed your last bloodline,” he said through gritted teeth, staring at King Nunn. “The next King of Exeter will never be named Walton!”

His response was a vicious kick from King Nunn, which struck Pefit squarely in the face.

“Before that,” King Nunn grabbed him by the collar and said coldly, “I will destroy you first.”

The young grand duke laughed sadly, shook his head, turned his gaze away, and looked to the side.

He looked toward—Tales Star.

Thales' heart tightened immediately.

what happened?

“Hey, you! Starry Night’s little brat!” Peffert yelled, drawing everyone’s attention to Thales.

“You,” the Grand Duke, covered in wounds, managed to utter with difficulty, a shrill laugh escaping his lips, “you’re quite pleased with yourself, aren’t you? A prince of the stars, swaggering around in the capital of Exeter… making a fool of all these Grand Dukes?”

Thales frowned; he felt the unfriendly gazes of everyone in the room.

He was, after all, in Exeter.

"Your days are numbered!" Peffert said venomously. "You think that assassinating you was just an act of self-preservation?"

The Grand Duke's next words startled Thales.

“You have no idea how much those guys want you dead,” Peffer gasped, his arm throbbing with pain. “When I hired them, I figured out their motives…it wasn’t just about the money…”

Thales felt his breathing quicken.

The young Grand Duke continued:

"They dream of wiping out your entire Starry Sky family and taking over the Restoration Palace!"

“They are wanted criminals throughout the entire planetary realm, so of course we can’t harm them… But here, in Exter…”

“When they took my money, they didn’t react at all,” Peffert’s eyes blazed. “But those assassins, when they heard that the target was you, the heir to the Starry Sky Royal Family…”

"The expression on his face, how excited he was..."

"what?"

"What assassins?" Thales stared at him blankly, only reacting after a few seconds: "Who are they?"

“Who else could it be!” Peffert shouted gleefully. “Of course it’s those sneaky assassins! Those shadowy killers! They’re the ones who infiltrated Rumba’s army and used his magic-powered gun units to assassinate you beneath the fortress!”

"They are the greatest enemy of your Starry Sky!"

Thales looked at him in disbelief.

Shining Star, the greatest enemy?

The next moment, Pfeiffer laughed wildly and called out a name that made everyone frown:

"Shadow Shield!"

Thank you to the readers who gave me tips last week: Mantoumei, Daoxuanan, Kohz87, Universe Knight 1, Panwangbo, Tianmaxingkong998, Lishuifengtian, and Babimofidila!

If I said there would be two updates today, would you believe me?

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(End of this chapter)