Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 266 What a pity (Part 1)

"What the hell are you spouting?!"

Grand Duke Ronnie, realizing what was happening, could no longer contain his anger and roared at Thales.

Thales calmed his breathing and looked at Ronnie with composure.

They didn't like the suggestion—the prince came to this conclusion after observing everyone's expressions.

Not only Ronnie, but almost all the Grand Dukes, except for Rumba, were extremely dissatisfied—even the slick Trudida snorted in disdain.

But Thales had anticipated their reaction.

Next…

"In my opinion..."

Archduke Aurelius raised his greatsword again, his eyes blazing: "Shall we kill this little serpent of the stars first, and then kill each other?"

"Prince Thales!" Grand Duke Lyco's deep voice was now filled with sternness: "I advise you..."

Thales took a deep breath, while Selma shook her head frantically at him from a distance.

“Not two minutes have passed yet,” the prince said, adopting the most serious expression he could imagine. “Keep your word and let me finish—after that, you can cut me into pieces as you please!”

Grand Duke Lecce remained silent, his face filled with disgust and anger.

Thales immediately turned his head.

Rumba was looking at him with a complicated expression.

"I have to find out what they care about..." Thales told himself.

“If you become their new king,” Thales said firmly to Lombard, “even if you let them leave here alive, the dukes cannot openly oppose you, nor can they fabricate reasons to attack their own king—because that would be a violation of the co-rule oath!”

"Besides getting rid of their threat to you, you will also gain the status, prestige, and tax revenue of the king, and continue to pursue your ideals in Exter without having to face the wrath of Dragonsreach after the Grand Duke's death."

Rumba's brow furrowed and relaxed, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Impossible!" Grand Duke Ronnie interrupted them through gritted teeth. "I would never choose a regicide as my king!"

"This is the greatest trampling and insult to the pledge of co-governance!"

"I knew it..." Thales thought to himself.

Thales could only close his eyes and breathe again, then turn to them.

"This is a necessary compromise!"

The prince said firmly, “Grand Duke Ronnie, I know your vassals have always been unstable, and Nuen has used this as an opportunity to try to interfere with you—consider this: if your Qiyuan City lost its lord today…”

"Think about Dragon Sky City now!"

Ronnie was speechless for a moment.

Thales looked at the others, his face anxious and his tone earnest:

"Gentlemen, please set aside your unnecessary emotions and think carefully: this is already far better than your original ending!"

"If I hadn't appeared, think about what would have happened to you: unknowingly falling into Rumba's 'wise king' trap, falling apart in war and interests, weakening under his one scheme after another, becoming stepping stones to the power of the Black Sand Grand Duke without knowing why, sacrificing your own families as burial goods for the co-rule oath."

"To lay the foundation for that newborn kingdom of Exter, where there are no grand dukes," Thales gasped, "to helplessly wait for his family and territory to be wiped out."

Aurelius straightened his face and stared directly at the Grand Duke of Black Sands.

Upon hearing this, Rumba lowered his head, his eyes narrowed, and his brow furrowed, as if brewing a storm.

"But now you have successfully avoided that fate and obtained such important information," the prince's voice rang out again, "yet you will die in vain in Valhalla, leaving behind an Exter whose fate is unknown, plunging your family and lands into turmoil?"

“Accept my proposal, and at least you can safely return to your territory, to your families, to see your brothers, wives, children, relatives, and friends, to arrange everything in an orderly manner, and then stand together again to fight against your new king and be wary of new threats lurking in the shadows!”

Grand Duke Trudida snapped his fingers inexplicably, his expression subtle.

Thales eagerly awaited the dukes' response.

“You mean,” Grand Duke Lyco said, composing the prince’s suggestion clearly and deliberately, “you want us to grant this regicide the power and status of a king, to hand over the initiative and shield of the struggle to this traitor, in exchange for our own survival…”

The bald old man's tone changed, and his eyes became sharp as knives.

"And then wait for him, as king, to crush us one by one? To establish his own kingdom?" At this moment, the eldest duke was like a volcano about to erupt, unsettling: "You underestimate us northerners, Prince Thales."

"We'd rather die here!"

Rumba gave a perfectly timed cold laugh, earning him glares from the dukes.

Thales let out a painful sigh.

Damn northerners.

I need to address their concerns.

The prince closed his eyes, stretched his head to the left as far as possible, and then swung it back sharply:
"No!"

“Even if he becomes king, he won’t succeed,” Thales winced with a headache. “At least now you know about Rumba’s schemes, his ambitions, the threat he poses, and you are wary of his existence. Even as his vassals, you can use appropriate means to counter him…”

Thales desperately tried to recall what Gilbert, Putila, and the little rascal had told him about Exter's current situation, attempting to piece together a compelling argument: "For example..."

The prince's words caught in his throat; he didn't know what reason to give to convince them.

"for example……"

However, just as Thales was in a dilemma, a childish female voice interrupted the conversation.

“You are not dukes of the Star Kingdom… The power and status of Grand Duke Exter are far greater and higher than those of the Guardian Dukes…”

Thales was stunned.

With surprise and astonishment, the dukes all turned their gazes to one side.

Young Selma, her voice trembling with lingering timidity, rubbed the triumph ring on her hand and stammered:

“Even if the king has a higher status than you, even if you have to pay taxes to him, it will still be the same as before…”

“You…” Selma choked up, but then she swallowed hard, clenched her small fists, and squeezed them tightly, her face flushed:

"Article 7 of the Co-governance Oath stipulates: 'I obey the King's command, and my land follows my will'—as long as there is a legitimate reason, you can still refuse the King's command and refuse to enforce his laws on your own land..."

The dukes were all taken aback.

"There is also Article Fourteen: 'Under the greater good, one must not refuse war.' Its opposite means that when faced with a war that violates principles and the greater good, as long as you provide reasons and persuade your vassals and subjects, you have the right to reject the king's summons, even if it is necessary to send troops, and the number of troops sent is up to you..."

Rumba's face turned very pale.

Selma continued timidly, "And then there are the precedents that aren't written in the oath but are recorded: if the king wants to send officials to mediate affairs within your territory or conflicts between lords, they must be nobles of considerable status..."

“You may have to pay taxes to him, but the proportion is generally determined by your own council, based on the annual harvest and income—this is the practice that followed the ‘Tanne Strife,’ first proposed by the first Archduke Aurelius.”

Archduke Aurelius's expression immediately became quite interesting.

“So you don’t need to be afraid of the king,” Selma took a deep breath. “In Exter, both the king and the grand dukes are the owners of the land—this is a right the grand dukes tacitly agree to under the co-rule oath.”

Rumba closed his eyes tightly: So, this is why the co-governance oath must be destroyed...

With such restrictions...

Exter will forever remain a ten-headed dragon.

Selma continued, "However, in the last ninety years, under the high pressure of Dragon City, many dukes have been forced by various pressures to refrain from openly raising this issue."

“But Black Sand Territory is not Dragon Sky City. It neither controls your trade routes, nor your grain reserves and output, nor is it related to you by blood or marriage—therefore it does not interfere in your internal affairs.”

Selma breathed a sigh of relief, her face flushed. After saying all that, she suddenly realized that the dukes were all looking at her.

The girl quickly and nervously lowered her head.

The dukes, including Rumba, looked at her in surprise, as if they were seeing this girl for the first time.

That girl...

What exactly is...

Thales breathed a sigh of relief and gave Selma a grateful look.

"Correct!"

Thales clenched his fists resolutely and clenched them against his chest: "Just like you, as Grand Dukes, resisted King Nunn's oppression: So what if he is a king? Can he issue a decree for you to surrender? Is a frontier Black Sand Territory worse than the mighty Dragonsky City?"

Thales added emotionally, "As people of the North, are you afraid? Or are you unwilling to give up that damned shared throne?"

Ronnie looked up abruptly, grinding his teeth in annoyance: "Say another insult to the North..."

Aurelius coldly chimed in, "I'll cut your tongue out."

Thales shuddered.

“Alright,” Thales swallowed, nodded, and wisely refrained from replying, “I know you’re not afraid to die… but isn’t that a million times better than you dying here without knowing why, plunging Exter into chaos, and leaving your territory in turmoil?”

"To live with hope requires more courage and responsibility than to die with despair."

Leko didn't speak again, but fell into deep thought.

Thales' chest heaved as he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

But this time, it was Rumba's turn to clench his fists and question him with hatred. "If that's the case," the Black Sand Grand Duke said coldly, "why should I let them go, sit on that dangerous and unstable throne, and become a king in name only?"

"Leaving behind troubles and allowing these treacherous enemies to use various means to oppose me in secret will eventually lead to a great disaster?"

Rumba's expression turned serious: "I'd rather take their heads right here than play cat and mouse with them."

Upon hearing this, the three men in the standoff immediately turned ferocious, and there were signs that they were about to start fighting again.

Thales painfully raised his hands and scratched his hair violently.

Ahhhhh!
These bastards!

"Rumba!"

Thales took a deep breath: "If you don't do this, you might as well say goodbye to your future!"

"Six Grand Dukes died in Valhalla in one day. You came out with an army and tried to explain to Prime Minister Lisban's army and the angry Dragon City: This was all done by the Star People, and you were just passing by?"

Rumba snorted coldly.

He gripped the sword hilt tighter and tighter.

This kid...

this……

hateful.

"As for the threats the Grand Dukes have made against you—aren't you Chaman Lumba?" Thales suppressed his inexplicable anger and said in a deep voice, "The Palace of Restoration, Dragon Fortress, the Shield District, and now! We've clashed with each other so many times, and you, who never yield, have always managed to pull hope out of the most desperate situations..."

"Don't you dare to take the risk again, for your ambition and ideals, for your Exter, to sit on that dangerous and unstable throne and continue your perilous gamble on a second battlefield?"

"Is it better to die here hopelessly, or to walk into danger with a glimmer of hope... Do I need to tell you the choice?"

Rumba's breathing gradually became erratic.

Thales, recalling Rumba's past, subconsciously added:
"Believe me, after killing several grand dukes, your ambition has come to an end. All your preparations and efforts over the past half-life have been destroyed, and the tragedy of your family will continue to unfold!"

"Think of your family, think of your subordinates... Are you content with this?"

Rumba stood frozen in place, staring blankly at the sword in his hand, speechless for a long time.

Harold...

“Boy,” Archduke Aurelius said gravely, “you keep switching sides, one minute you’re on this side, the next you’re on that side. Whose side are you really on?”

Thales had to turn back to the four grand dukes.

He felt like a firefighter, running back and forth, completely exhausted.

“No matter which side I’m on…” Thales sighed, utterly exhausted.
“But none of you want an Exter that’s adrift, teetering on the brink, lost in chaos and unsure of its future—whether you face it alone or leave it behind, right?”

The dukes still looked displeased, but Thales keenly noticed that Lyco had suppressed his anger and thoughtfully lowered his hands, while Trudida remained silent.

We need to work harder.

Thales frowned, a thought suddenly occurring to him.

"You may not understand, but I can vouch for it..."

“Kaiser… my father, His Majesty Kaiser, would be very, very pleased to see such a scene,” Thales mentally sketched the ruthless image of the iron-fisted king, trying to find the angle that best suited the grand dukes’ thinking:
"As for whether he will, after the stars recover, take advantage of the terrible internal strife following the deaths of the six... or perhaps the seven grand dukes, to send troops north and, using Exter's blood, unify the nobles within the country..."

“That’s beyond my imagination,” Thales said, narrowing his eyes. “Especially since the seven include three grand dukes from the southern neighboring stars.”

Aurelius's expression changed.

Grand Duke Lecce sighed and closed his eyes.

“He makes a good point,” Grand Duke Trudida, who had been silent for several minutes, suddenly said. “It’s not worth dying here; it will only lead to bad consequences.”

Aurelius glared at him sternly: "Perseus!"

Thales' eyes lit up, as if he had found a breakthrough.

"Look, this is where our consensus lies," the prince slammed his fist into his palm, his sharp eyes sweeping over everyone. "The situation developed too quickly, leaving you unprepared, with no choice but to hastily draw your swords and fight to the death..."

"But actually, none of you want such a heavy price to pay!"

Thales turned his head left and right and said sincerely, "So, both of you need a way to ease things up, a way to back down."

“Trading the throne for security,” Grand Duke Ronnie said calmly, shaking his head. “This is not an option at all; we can’t solve anything.”

Thales nodded, a bitter feeling welling up inside him.

"This may not be the way to solve the problem."

"But remember this: in this round, no one surrendered, no one admitted defeat, and no one abandoned their principles and beliefs," Thales solemnly said, watching the gradually quieting grand dukes.

"You have only temporarily covered up the halfway point of the game, temporarily withdrawn the swords that were clashing, and are now ready to fight again, leaving the outcome to the next encounter."

Archduke Aurelius's face contorted, and he let out a low growl of displeasure.

He thought of his Weilan territory, and then of the family precepts and stories passed down through generations...

This guy surnamed Canxing...

Shining Star!

Thales turned to Rumba, whose face showed hesitation.

"This is my proposal."

"You, Rumba, you will become king, freed from the guilt of regicide and the threat of the Grand Duke, and gain new power and status. Although the road ahead will be fraught with difficulties, you will still be able to restart your ideals and will not be trapped in the perilous Dragon Sky City."

Rumba didn't speak.

Then Thales looked at the grand dukes again:

"You, the Grand Dukes, will survive a seemingly hopeless situation, learn where the real threat lies, re-form alliances, return to your territories to protect your families, maintain the integrity of the co-rule oath, and avert the turbulent fate of Exter."

Thales gasped for breath, silently praying for the dukes' reaction.

Grand Duke Leco slowly opened his eyes and looked at Trudida, who gave him an ugly smile.

Aurelius stared intently at Rumba before him, spitting out a few words through gritted teeth: "To choose a king like this, so childishly..."

"This is not child's play, it's politics."

Unexpectedly, it was Trudida who interrupted him.

The cunning man narrowed his eyes and said, "It's a necessary compromise, an exchange of interests."

Thales, as if he had found a lifeline, nodded gratefully: "You're right, this is another way of fighting."

"To know that there are better options, yet still blindly charge into battle and sacrifice soldiers—that is the act of a fool."

Ronnie turned to their "traitor," Trudida, his face grim: "So you're on his side?"

“If we all get slaughtered by the Black Sands here, then we won’t stand on any side,” Trudida said grimly. “The same goes for Chaman—he slaughtered us, and then he got slaughtered by Risban.”

Grand Duke Ronnie let out a low growl, seemingly quite indignant.

“To bow down to a regicide against our will and elect him as king,” the grand duke, his long hair tied up, gritted his teeth, his face darkening. “And to cover up his regicide—can you imagine anything worse than this, a trampling of the covenant of co-governance?”

The dukes' faces darkened, and they looked at each other.

The atmosphere was solemn.

Thales had no choice but to speak again, even though he was hesitant.

"Didn't you prepare to do the same thing when you swore your oaths before?"

Thales steadied his breathing, feeling his palms sweating: "Back then, faced with the threat of the stars, you made a painful but necessary decision, and I can understand that..."

"Now, faced with Rumba's threat, you too must make a painful but necessary decision..."

“This is the responsibility and duty of a lord.” Thales felt like he was about to collapse from exhaustion, his brain completely overwhelmed: “It is what you, standing in this position, must bear.”

Thales shook his head helplessly and said something that even he found ironic: "For Exter."

Upon hearing this, Rumba exhaled, looked away, and gave a silent, mocking smile.

After Thales finished speaking, he felt sweating profusely and on the verge of collapse.

He has tried his best.

If that still doesn't work...

Then...

"It's been well past two minutes."

After a long silence, Grand Duke Lyco opened his weary eyes, as if he had just experienced a fierce duel: "Prince Thales."

Oleshu and Ronnie instinctively raised their swords and looked at Rumba, who had also become alert.

"I'm sorry," Thales swallowed hard, his mouth dry.

"Perhaps my flow of time is different from yours."

(End of this chapter)