Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 276 Playing Chess (Part 2)

Inside Valhalla, after parting ways with the strangely expressionful Putila, Thales, following his habit of the past three years, walked out of the narrow and desolate Blood Courtyard with a book in his hand, and headed directly to the stables accompanied by his entourage.

Wyatt followed behind with a helpless expression, while Rolf seemed to be used to this scene and simply followed the prince's footsteps quietly.

Behind them were a small number of Star Soldiers, a dozen or so—most of them were old comrades recruited from Dragon Fortress who had fought alongside the prince through countless hardships, including veteran Jenard and new recruit Willow, who was no longer a recruit.

Further out, the Grand Duchess of Dragonstreet's personal guards and palace guards were on high alert, relaying messages back and forth. Squads of soldiers were constantly setting out to clear the way, with Lord Justin, the leader, wearing a dark expression and tense demeanor, meticulously carrying out his duty—protecting the safety of this special guest.

After all, this was the Grand Duchess's order.

“For your safety’s sake, I sincerely suggest that you postpone your trip to the palace for a few days, at least until the Grand Duchess’s day of ceremonies is over,” Wyatt seemed to be unable to bear the Second Prince’s leisurely pace. “Back then, the White Blade Guard… I mean the Grand Duchess’s personal guard will have enough manpower to protect your trip, instead of focusing most of their energy on the Hall of Heroes as they do now.”

Wyman's attendant glanced at the surrounding northern soldiers—there were at least half as many as usual when the prince went out: many of the vassals of Dragonscaling City had visited around the time of the court session, and most of the Grand Duke's personal guards in Dragonscaling City, whether they were the remaining former White Blade Guards or the elite soldiers newly trained by the Meteorites in recent years, had been transferred to the Grand Duchess's side.

Thales pulled the brown book from under his arm, fiddled with the words "The Light of Mankind - The Beginning and End of the Knights' Temple" on the cover, and casually whistled the tune Rolf had taught him.

Wyatt Cassel, during the six years he served Prince Exter, returned home only twice. Each time he returned, he seemed much more mature, yet he remained as serious and "overly stressed" as ever, never letting his guard down.

This is not okay.

Especially... when facing an opponent like that.

Thales kept smiling and thought to himself.

The prince casually replied, "Assassins and such safety issues—the people of the North are not idiots. Even children who have been burned are afraid of fire, let alone a country where a king has died."

Lord Justin, a former member of the White Blade Guard, walked to the side and gave a loud "humph" without any attempt to hide it. He muttered something, which, to Thales, who had good hearing, sounded like "How dare the Star People say such things."

Thales pretended not to hear and shrugged: "Besides, being confined in an enemy city like a prison is already miserable enough, don't take away what little fun I have left."

“Miserable? I think you’re enjoying your current ‘prison’ life,” Wyman rolled his eyes, and, unusually, retorted, “Besides, no prisoner has ever been on such good terms with the ‘warden’ that she would promise you free time to ‘go out for exercise’ every month.”

“Don’t make it sound so simple. Going out of the palace to play chess…” Thales laughed, waving his hand at Wyman without turning his head: “That was a pitiful right that I had to endure humiliation and hardship to win from the master of Dragon Sky City and Count Lisban.”

Enduring humiliation and hardship, going through countless difficulties?
Wyatt's face immediately turned as dark as Lord Justin's beside him.

Are you referring to the countless times you dragged the Archduchess to skip class, causing chaos throughout Valhalla?

"Do you really want to play chess today?" Wyman suppressed his urge to continue complaining, his innate personality making him hold back. The attendant said with a straight face, "If it really doesn't work out, you can stay in the palace and play chess—after all, you'll be playing against yourself anyway."

Under the watchful eyes of King Chaman, amidst the treacherous atmosphere of Dragon Sky City, and before His Highness's heavy burden of identity, aside from those deliberately seeking trouble or harboring ulterior motives, which Exeter nobleman would dare to sit across the table and play chess with the sole heir of the Star Kingdom?
“The point isn’t playing chess, but ‘getting some fresh air,’” Thales said, his feet moving without stopping, the book in his hand slowly tapping against his left palm. “I don’t expect people like you who can freely come and go from Dragonstreet to understand the feelings of the prisoners themselves.”

Wyman shook his head helplessly, about to speak again.

"Alright, alright, Wyman, have some mercy, say less," Thales flicked his index finger behind him, casually ending the conversation: "Learn from Midila next to you, he never says a word."

Wyatt frowned, his suspicious gaze shifting back and forth between Midila Rolf, the Ghost of the Wind.

As expected, Rolf, who was mute, remained silent and expressionless, extending a provocative middle finger at Wyman.

“I can’t deny that,” Wyman sighed painfully, rubbing his forehead as he looked down. “He really doesn’t talk much.”

Thales whistled.

Just then, a young and exaggerated female voice rang out from above:
"Oh! Little Thales, are you leaving the palace again?"

Several of the newly arrived Grand Duke's guards nervously raised their crossbows, but the others were relaxed and used to it. Wyatt and Rolf rolled their eyes almost simultaneously.

With a thud, a short figure completely wrapped in a cloak jumped down from a tree, put one hand on his hip and followed, giving a thumbs up with the other: "Don't worry, with me here, he'll be perfectly safe!"

"Why do you always like to perch on tree branches, Miss Ada?" Wyatt questioned the cloaked lady, who was supposed to be the prince's first bodyguard, with dissatisfaction.

"With such a bright sun, of course we need to find some shade!"

Wyman looked up in disbelief, unable to understand what "shade" and "tree branches" had in common.

“Sorry, Ada, I’m just going to the Spear District to play chess.” Thales sighed and replied irritably, “I’m not going to the outskirts to hunt rabbits.”

"Eh?"

Ada, with her hands behind her head, walked backwards in front of him. The cloak covering the upper half of her face couldn't hide the disappointment in her voice: "Couldn't you have walked a few more steps?"

"Two more steps from the Spear District to the outskirts of the city—you mean the dragon's 'two steps'?"

Ada said pitifully, "The food in Valhalla is always served cold, don't you think... kid, think about it, hot rabbit meat!"

"The cold food in Valhalla was for your safety. Check the food..."

“Speaking of safety,” Ada clenched her fist, sighing bitterly, “As your devoted bodyguard, I fought tooth and nail, covered in wounds, to rescue you from the enemy and ultimately save the entire Dragon Sky City… Now all I want is some hot meat, and you won’t even grant me this small request…”

"Are you talking about that lady who arrived at Valhalla six years ago, her mouth greasy, only to find everything was over, and then happily asked me for money to pay off her debts, just to prove she wasn't a burglar?" the prince replied without a ripple.

The next second, Thales turned his foot and skillfully tilted his head, perfectly dodging the enraged elf lady and avoiding her finger that was poking him from on tiptoe.

"Eh, eh, eh, you dodged it again! The third time!" The cloaked lady stood there dumbfounded, raising her right index finger and trembling as she said:

"How come you're so skilled at this?!"

Thales exhaled, shook his head, and continued walking forward, leaving Ada looking dejected and helpless ("Where did the lovely little Thales who could never avoid my death finger go?"), and countless soldiers and guards ignoring her as they walked on.

Over the past six years, everyone had grown accustomed to the guard's peculiarities: Wyatt looked at him with sympathy, while Rolf simply whistled a low, fading, and trembling tune to reflect her mood.

Thales felt the peculiar fluctuations that had gathered in the soles of his feet and the sides of his neck slowly disappear, and he frowned as he felt a faint fatigue in his tendons.

Just now, it was this familiar fluctuation that helped him dodge Ada's fingers.

With a solemn expression, Thales recalled the words spoken by the man wielding a black longsword on a bloody night long ago.

This is a cursed power... You can only enhance it through special methods...

Sure enough, six years have passed...

The effects and costs of this thing... Thales clenched his fists, feeling the tingling and numbness in his legs and neck.

There's been absolutely no progress.

Thales walked into the stables on the side of Valhalla and kicked his boots on a treadmill, concealing his intention to relax his muscles.

Surrounded on both sides, the prince arrived at the familiar stable. A strong black horse poked its head out of the fence and affectionately stretched its nose toward him.

"Have you treated her well?" Thales smiled, scratched the black horse's chin, looked at her teeth, and said to the coachman beside him:

“You know, Jenny likes cleanliness.”

The palace groom patted his chest with pride and assured the prince that his steed had never been so healthy.

Jenny the Black Horse—the prince's personal mount—was brought to Dragon City three years ago by an envoy from the Star Kingdom. She was a fine young lady carefully selected from hundreds of mounts. As a hybrid of a northern warhorse and a plains horse, she inherited both her mother's fiery temper and her father's powerful gait, showing no mercy to any rider who tried to subdue her.

Surprisingly, Thales, who had never been gifted at riding, got along very well with Jenny, a fact that even Viscount Connie, who led the delegation at the time, found remarkable.

Thales chuckled softly, stuffed the book in his hand into the bag on the saddle, and untied Jenny's reins. At the same time, Wyman and the other soldiers began to look for their mounts.

Just now.

"Good day, Your Highness Prince Thales."

A deep and calm female voice came from outside the stable: "As a fifty-six-year-old elder, I feel it is necessary to remind you to be careful on this trip."

Soldiers and guards made way and bowed to the newcomers, while the Star People frowned in unison.

Thales closed his mouth, which had been open with a smile, turned his back to the new lady, and sighed.

"Good day, Lady Jinx," he said without turning his head, continuing his preparations for departure. "I thought you should be by the Grand Duchess's side right now, helping her to present herself gracefully and elegantly to her vassals and nobles."

Jinx, one of the Grand Duchess's personal ladies-in-waiting: a noblewoman in her fifties but looking like she's in her thirties. She dresses simply, has simple hair ornaments, and behaves with propriety. She always has a more serious face than Wyatt, but she is impeccable in her language and etiquette.

It is said that she was the widow of a powerful vassal of the late King Nunn. Six years ago, she was invited to Valhalla by the Regent of Lisbon to take care of the Grand Duchess's daily life and teach her the corresponding etiquette. She should have been an excellent and competent lady-in-waiting, like Ginny Bakwi in the Palace of Restoration—if she had not required the Star Prince, who was originally leisurely reading, to also come to the Northland etiquette class.

By the way, she was also one of the reasons why Thales first took the Grand Duchess to skip class.

Ms. Jinx still spoke in that voice that made people unconsciously tense: "In addition, I have brought words from several other adults. I suggest you listen carefully—even if you come from the South."

Upon hearing this, Thales reluctantly stopped what he was doing, turned around, and bowed to her.

Ms. Jinx nodded in satisfaction, raised her neck at an angle comparable to a swan's neck, and cleared her throat.

"Her Excellency the Grand Duchess of Dragonrise asked me to remind you that during her regency," the lady said haughtily, "those new books that arrived at the palace..."

“Yes, Ms. Jinx,” Thales scratched his ear in exasperation, “please inform Her Excellency the Grand Duchess that I will wait until she returns before opening the gift.”

Lady Jinx narrowed her eyes. Although her expression remained unchanged, Thales knew that she was unhappy with the prince's interruption.

But a few minutes later, the woman spoke again.

“The Earl of Risban also asked me to remind you that while he was accompanying the Grand Duchess Regent,” the lady-in-waiting lowered her tone slightly this time, but still looked directly into Thales’ eyes, “for your safety and the reputation of Dragonhill City, please obey the King’s decree…”

“Yes, Lady Jinx,” Thales stroked Jenny’s horse’s head, calming her restlessness at her master’s delay in untying her harness. “Please thank the Earl of Lisbon for me, who is busy with the Regent but still finds time to care for me, and tell him that I will not run away from the Axe and Spear districts.”

Jinx frowned slightly.

"at last……"

"Captain Serrey Nichollai asked me to remind you that, because of the special nature of the day of the council, you must cooperate with Lord Justin and the Royal Guard when you are out," the woman's voice softened, but it was still tense: "Also, because of your bad record two months ago, returning after eight o'clock..."

"This time, if you return after 5 p.m., he will prepare to recall all his guards and lock the city gates, and will also advise you to arrange your own food and lodging."

Thales frowned, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly.

He automatically filtered through the idealized version of Ms. Jinx in his mind, reconstructing the original words spoken by the Meteorite, arms crossed in annoyance, beneath a pale, lifeless face: "Tell him not to come back after five o'clock. He might as well just die out there!"

The prince pushed open the fence, stepped onto the treadmill, and mounted the horse.

“Yes, Lady Jinx,” the prince said, turning to the stern lady-in-waiting, and hesitated for a few seconds. “And again, please tell that dead… tell Lord Nicholas…”

Lady Jinx raised her eyebrows.

"Five o'clock?" Thales sighed, then said seriously:
"Why doesn't he just die?"

The next moment, Thales did not hesitate to flick the reins and gallop off at Jenny's loud neigh!

Without looking back, the prince rushed past the astonished lady-in-waiting, followed by his entourage and soldiers, including the helpless Wyatt, the composed Rolf, and the sulking Ada.

He flicked the reins, spurred his horse out of the square in front of Valhalla, and headed toward the First Gate.

----

The journey from Valhalla to the Spear Quarter did not take long, especially with the combined efforts of the Grand Duke's guards and patrols, the streets and avenues were virtually unobstructed.

In his earlier teasing remarks about Wyman, he wasn't lying about one thing: this was a hard-won opportunity for Thales to get some fresh air—to play chess in the Spear Quarter, not far from Valhalla.

As Thales swayed on his horse, controlling the rise and fall of his body, he watched Jenny's ears and her cheerful steps from behind, a smile playing on his lips.

In six years, at least his horsemanship improved by leaps and bounds—Extt may be slightly inferior to the Stars in terms of culture, but when it comes to the importance attached to military skills, even the most rude and lowest-ranking northern nobles are far ahead of their Stars counterparts.

Thales recalled that during one of his outdoor lessons with the Grand Duchess (a polite way of saying it), when Nicolai, who was in charge of the "lesson," discovered that his only two students—Thales himself, who was allergic to horses and therefore not a good rider, and the Grand Duchess, who was afraid to mount a horse—…

The expressionless Meteorite asked for thick ropes, tied them securely to the horses, and then set the horses' tails on fire.

Once a day, for two hours each time.

The effect was immediate—ten days later, both he and the girl, despite vomiting and dizziness, became equestrian "experts," or at least skilled ones.

Once this step was done, Nicolai untied the ropes and began to leisurely correct their riding posture and technique, and introduce the horse tack.

Then it was time to pick up weapons... and then it was time for horseback hunting...

Later, a former bayonet guard privately told Thales: multiply the duration and frequency by two, and turn the torches burning the horse's tail into a honeycomb, and that's the standard riding training for the bayonet guard.

The prince sighed as he thought about this.

The next second, Thales pulled on the reins, exerting a little force, and at the same time sat back deeply, his legs gently sliding back into a relaxed position.

The clever Jenny immediately slowed down, and Thales, having confirmed this, also loosened the reins in time to encourage her, soothing the excited, passionate, and eager-to-release beautiful girl—she let out a dissatisfied hum.

Jenny's horse trotted heavily, and a few seconds later, she stopped in front of their destination.

Wyatt and Lord Justin's mounts also came to a stop.

As Thales stroked and purred the smug Jenny—who had recently developed the bad habit of using whining to get her owner's attention—he marveled at how difficult horses could be to handle, no less so than humans.

He thought of the hundreds of cavalrymen in Black Sand Territory—heaven knows how much time and effort it takes to train a skilled galloping cavalryman.

Thales dismounted, handed the reins to Jenard behind him, and looked up at his destination—a card room in the Spear District.

I heard that this place was originally a finely decorated aristocratic hotel. However, the owner, who ran it alone, was killed by robbers in the catastrophe that swept through Dragon City six years ago. One of his fellow countrymen from Cornushi then invested in the property and converted it into an entertainment room for aristocrats, and I heard that business is quite good.

Of course, the phrase "good business" is no longer applicable to this place today—since Prince Star chose this place as his monthly travel spot three years ago, this card room has had to accept being cleared out once a month to await the prince's fate. But obviously, this is not a bad thing, because its business has not only not declined but has increased since then, with everyone rushing to see the place where the mysterious prince who has lived in the palace for so long "fought".

Thales stepped into the card room amidst the boss's fawning words: hundreds of Grand Duke's guards and patrols had already thoroughly searched the place and isolated the surrounding area.

The prince looked at the empty hall and sighed.

He slowly ascended the steps to the second-floor private room, followed closely by guards ranging from Justin to Wyatt and Rolf.

Led by the boss, Thales skillfully crossed a large door and entered the largest private room—a semi-open-air room with a large area. One side of the terrace faced the street of the Spear District below, and the prince's chessboard was right next to the terrace. From here, one could take in the entire street scene.

Through the terrace, Thales could not be surprised to see countless guards and patrols guarding key points from the street to the nearby buildings. There were at least two hundred men, with bows and arrows drawn, patrolling regularly, keeping a close watch on any possible uninvited guests. Almost all of them were staring intently at him on the terrace.

With this kind of force and atmosphere, plus martial law, even if the number of people is reduced by half, it is impossible for the tragedy of six years ago to happen again.

Once bitten by a snake...

The prince shrugged, sat down, and put down his book.

He turned his gaze to the chessboard and pieces in front of him—the book "The Rise and Fall of Empires," which had been circulating in the Western Continent for nearly a century since the Kingdom of Allenbia and was still very popular—but the seat opposite him, where a player should have been, was empty.

“Alright,” Thales said, looking at the red king standing upright on the chessboard, glancing with a touch of nostalgia at the familiar yet unfamiliar black and red pieces in the chess box, and then at Wyatt and Justin, who were still tirelessly checking their surroundings. “You can go out now. Anyway, the door isn’t closed and there’s a terrace, so it’s the same whether you guard the door or the street.”

"As before, I want to be by myself."

Behind Wyatt, Rolf nodded slightly. After putting down a plate of inspected food and water, he grabbed the boss, who was still preparing to say a few flattering words, and headed downstairs. Ada, on the other hand, was nowhere to be found—probably on the roof.

“Prince Thales,” Lord Justin, a former member of the Whiteguard, said cautiously, “the usual, three hours, if you need anything…”

The prince exhaled: "I will let you know as soon as possible."

Lord Justin nodded, exchanged a glance with Wyatt, and together they walked to the door ten meters behind Thales, guarding the entrance and keeping a close eye on the prince who was simultaneously reading and playing chess.

“It’s always the same.” Thales shook his head and chuckled softly, continuing to take out chess pieces from the box and begin placing them one by one on the chessboard.

The private room and the street fell silent again, with only the occasional sound of soldiers' footsteps and the faint sound of Wyatt complaining to Rolf behind them.

Guards, slingers, shield warriors, foot soldiers...

Just as Thales had placed the second-to-last piece and was about to take the last piece,

Two long, slender, fair fingers with beautifully manicured nails suddenly appeared.

Fingers descended from the sky, catching the black king and gently placing it in Thales' chessboard, arranging it properly, straightening it, and even aligning it with the squares, turning its face to be perpendicular to the red side.

Meticulous and extremely precise.

"Thank you."

Thales raised an eyebrow, looked up, and nodded slightly to the unexpected visitor, unsurprised.

The prince's long-lost friend—the air mage, Ashida Sakorn—sat elegantly and quietly in the opposite seat, staring at the chess pieces on the board, a slight smile playing on her lips.

(End of this chapter)