Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 297 The Former King's "Gift"

Thales.

You've become lax, lazy, and complacent.

Looking at King Chaman's composed yet indifferent expression, the weary Thales suddenly realized this with a sense of sorrow.

Although he considered himself to have been extremely vigilant during these six years, living in constant fear under the gaze and whispers of the northerners, compared to those days when he was surrounded by danger and forced to fight with all his might, the prince's current life was still too comfortable and leisurely.

Without realizing it, Thales had become so accustomed to this comfortable rhythm that when suddenly faced with a formidable opponent like Chaman Rumba, in a battle even more thrilling than six years ago, he, long out of practice, appeared lost and powerless.

Thales even began to suspect that Rumba's sudden and bold visit to him at this time was to catch the unprepared prince off guard.

“You know,” King Chaman nodded with satisfaction, seemingly unconcerned by the prince’s expression, across the carriage.

“It’s good that you acknowledged this instead of pretending not to hear it.”

A dangerous glint flashed in his eyes: "It saves me the trouble of 'testing' the power of this truth in the field again."

Thales's face grew increasingly grim.

Six years have passed, Thales breathed in a daze—Lumba stood at the highest point of the country, fighting to the death with the Grand Duke and his vassals, becoming more experienced and skillful in a game where one wrong move could lead to total defeat.

He himself, the prince of the stars, was a guest in name only, but a pawn in reality, and was imprisoned at the highest point of this famous city by the king's orders for six whole years.

Accompanied and protected by guards, and under the surveillance and isolation of various forces, he spent his days in silence and loneliness, keeping company with books and servants.

He couldn't reach more people or obtain information from further afield. He stayed away from the most dangerous and complex games, becoming lost and corrupted in the fabricated illusion of peace.

In a way, Rumba won. He fought tirelessly for six years and took six years from me.

Thales clenched his fist.

Perhaps... a voice whispered in Thales' heart: Perhaps it's time for me to go.

Leaving Dragon Sky City, returning to...

but.

Thales gently raised his eyes and looked expressionlessly into King Chaman's eyes.

Breathe, Thales, breathe.

The game is not over yet; it's not time to give up.

In fact, the battle has only just begun.

Right, old friend?
The familiar sin of the River of Hell emanated from his nerves and blood vessels, spreading throughout his body like the fires of hell or the frost of the far north, sending a shiver down Thales' spine.

Think about it carefully, Thales.

Fear, tension, frustration, depression, and doubt—countless superfluous emotions vanished from him in an instant.

Thales leaned back in his seat, hugged his arms tightly, and frowned.

First—Thales thought coldly: Rumba said the Scarlet Witch hadn't told him a single word.

is this real?
If true, it means that the king learned of Dragon Sky City's biggest secret through another channel.

He needs confirmation.

King Chaman remained calm and composed, patiently awaiting the prince's response, as if everything was under his control.

"You're not sure either, are you?"

"As for this bargaining chip that can simultaneously overturn Dragon City and yourself, 'field testing' is just talk," Thales said expressionlessly. "When did you start to have doubts?"

King Chaman's eyes showed considerable interest.

"From day one."

Thales gritted his teeth: The first day, which means...

"King Nunn's 'triumphant return' included a uniquely styled black ring of extraordinary significance: starting with Nunn I, it symbolized Walton's legacy and Dragonstreet's authority, and was worn by successive Grand Dukes of Dragonstreet, passed down from generation to generation."

The king's voice came coldly, sending a chill down one's spine: "But that night, when my men carried Nun's body away in its coffin, his fingers were empty."

"Until I saw you put the ring on that girl's finger in the Hall of Heroes."

Thales stirred slightly, recalling the confrontation in the hall years ago.

"You suspect that I secretly took the ring and put it on Selma?" the prince said softly. "That seems a bit presumptuous?"

King Chaman shook his head.

"No, I don't think those former White Blade Guards would dare to desecrate the late king's body, nor do I think they would allow you to tear the supreme symbol representing the Walton family off Nunn's body."

"Therefore, the 'triumphant' could only have been taken off King Nuen's finger and given to his granddaughter while he was still alive."

King Chaman's expression grew increasingly dangerous: "Then it's even more suspicious."

Thales' expression hardened; he had figured out the key point.

Rumba's information did not come from the Dark Room or the Scarlet Witch.

This terrifying tyrant discovered the secret on his own.

In this case……

The king snorted coldly: "Nun could not have known he was about to die, so why would he hastily remove the ring representing the Dragonlance family and secretly hand it over to a girl who couldn't even be trusted by his vassals?"

"Wouldn't it be better to summon the vassals in public, pass the ring in full view of everyone, determine the successor, and use the authority of the born king to endorse the Grand Duke's succession and pave the way for the Grand Duchess?"

“Then I thought of you,” King Chaman said quietly. “You were also in Dragonfall City on the day the late king secretly passed the Ring of Triumph to his granddaughter.”

"Tales Shining Star".

The prince lowered his head, not letting the other person see his expression.

"That night, the reason why the late king passed the ring to his granddaughter was so that you could see it, and so that the Shining Star family could see it, was that right?"

"He chose you, Thales," King Chaman said, his voice strangely carrying both respect and disdain. "Because of the Star Family and the Star King's status, and because of the special things you did that night, he chose you as his granddaughter's husband, as the future Grand Duchess's husband, to continue the Dragonlance Family's rule over Dragon Sky City with the power of the stars after his death, and to protect your wife's family."

The prince could hear his own heart beating at a steady, rhythmic pace.

In that instant, the thought patterns he was once so familiar with returned to Thales' mind.

In our conversation just now, he first probed whether I was engaged to Selma.

Then he asked me about my alliance with King Nunn.

Both are for...

"For years, I have had many doubts about the formation of this alliance between you," King Chaman said coldly. "You are right about one thing: Thales, the heir to the Star Kingdom, how can you marry the Grand Duchess of Dragonsky City despite so much opposition?"

The king drew closer to Thales' face, and the prince could even see his own reflection in his eyes.

"Two points of doubt."

"First of all, how could you possibly believe that this fragile alliance, facing numerous obstacles, would remain effective and profitable as King Nuen's life draws to a close? Moreover, can Everstar City really intervene in Dragonsky City based on a fragile marriage?"

"Secondly, how can King Nunn ensure that his actions are not inviting trouble, that the alliances he has made will not fall apart after his death, and that Star will not betray his promises, withdraw while seizing profits, or even send the Walton family and Dragonsky City to hell in order to strike at Exter?"

King Chaman sat back in his seat, his domineering words coming to an end.

The carriage was left with endless silence and deep thought.

Thales narrowed his eyes slightly.

Very well, Rumba's statement, "not a true Walton bloodline," does not mean he knows the whole truth.

What happened in the Hall of Heroes on that cruel night six years ago was far more complex than simply the old king bestowing his surname upon a girl who was not of his blood.

that night.

Thales saw Alex's pale face.

He turned his attention back to the king.

So, the only thing Rumba can be certain of is...

Now it's his turn to make his move.

In the dimly lit carriage, Thales took a deep breath.

“A good guess,” Prince Star carefully considered his words, reminding himself every second of the nature of his adversary: ​​“but one link is still missing.”

King Chaman raised his eyebrows.

Thales said calmly, "Kroeshe, how much did she tell you?"

The carriage fell into silence.

The prince waited patiently.

Sure enough, the next moment, King Chaman's face changed, and a look of surprise appeared in his eyes.

"interesting."

King Chaman seemed somewhat surprised: "How did you know that?"

No, I do not know.

Thales thought to himself.

Until you confirmed this for me.

"Kambida's audience," Thales answered bluntly, "that cold-faced female warrior behaved very strangely, her irritability when facing the messenger, her attitude towards Kambida, and the inexplicable things she said to the Grand Duchess at the end, not to mention her eagerness to fight when she came to invite me to the carriage."

King Chaman looked at him silently, and after a few seconds, King Gongju let out a soft sneer.

"Aishie is a very interesting girl."

"I have never seen anyone as arrogant as LS so infatuated with any woman—I guess the Tower of the End really has a way with things, right? A long time ago, Kaslan was also captivated by a woman from the Tower of the End."

Thales shook his head, not wanting to listen to the king's nonsense, and went straight to the point: "I guess she introduced you to her father, Lord Byrne Milek?"

King Chaman's eyelids twitched.

“Not quite,” the king scoffed. “We happened to be talking about the eldest son of King Suril Walton, who broke down the Freedom Castle, while we were discussing the Freedom Alliance.”

"My lovely deputy captain of the royal guard told me how she was raised by Princess Adele."

“Of course, among them was her father, the late King’s loyal aide, Byrne Mailk,” King Chaman said in a deep voice, “and how he worked so hard to mediate the unhappy marriage of Prince Suril and his wife, protecting the poor princess and persuading the cruel prince.”

It turned out to be the case.

Thales thought to himself silently, but then a thought struck him.

wrong.

If Chloe had known about that from the beginning, there would have been no need to wait until...

Who discovered the problem?

The prince asked calmly, "You can't confirm anything based solely on a little girl's memories."

King Chaman remained silent for a full three seconds.

Even Thales couldn't help but frown after a while.

This time, Charman Rumba's voice was very soft, as if it were drifting from afar, or as if he was afraid of waking a sleeping baby: "It's Harold."

Thales was taken aback.

"Harold?" Wait, he means...

The king gave a cold laugh that was hard to decipher, sounding like both sorrow and anger.

“When Prince Suril was assassinated, my brother, Harold Lombar, was the first to arrive at the scene—of course, the assassin was hidden in his ranks, remember?”

King Chaman's voice gradually returned to calm, as if he were recounting something that happened in someone else's home:
“Harold once described the tragedy to me: the prince lay in the carriage covered in blood, his body cold, while his bodyguard knelt outside the carriage holding the princess’s body, looking at the baby girl in her arms, crying his heart out.”

Thales did not speak.

Rumba sneered: "LS seems quite interested in this detail: why did the White Blade Guards of that time, and later Lord Michael, the clerk, seem to care more about the princess?"

The prince's expression hardened; he was getting closer and closer.

"Following this line, LS also discovered that after the election of the king, the Grand Duchess ascended the throne, but the officer who had been diligently protecting Miss Walton for the past twelve years, who should have continued to protect Dragonstreet City with his life, disappeared. For six years, even Ashe did not know where her father was. It seemed that he had become disheartened overnight and abandoned everything, including his oath of the blade and his loyalty."

The king continued:
"Soon, he found more: a portion of the servants and guards in a certain area of ​​Valhalla had either disappeared or perished in the calamity that struck six years ago, not a single one survived," King Chaman's eyes were like knives:

"And they just happened to be the attendants of that Grand Duchess, who was also the baby girl."

“With Viscount LS Cambida,” Thales sighed, “is that why people call him ‘Night Falcon’? It makes sense, he’s good at hunting with his eyes open in the deep darkness that most people don’t even notice?”

The king shook his head and did not reply.

"LS made a bold conjecture, for which Chloeshi beat him up three times: the current Grand Duchess of Dragonsreach is not her father's daughter, but rather the bloodline of that Officer Myrk."

King Chaman's eyes flashed with a terrifying coldness: "I suspect that, to protect the secret of the bloodline, Regent Risban has made him disappear forever?"

well.

he does not know.

Thales silently told himself: he only knew half the truth.

All he knew was Alex.

But he didn't know Little Sly, and he didn't know Selma.

"To think that the truth was discovered like this," Thales said, rubbing his forehead in pain and seemingly helplessly. "Your subordinates are truly full of talent."

The king gently picked up the sword beside him.

"Finally, I understand the answer to those two doubts: outside of the marriage contract, in order to gain your trust and lure you, King Nuen must have given you more, a bargaining chip that was enough to destroy Dragon Sky City and Walton, and make even a trusted minister like Risban wary, so that even after King Nuen's death, Eternal Star City could still remotely control the restless Dragon Sky City."

"And you are quite satisfied with this."

King Chaman shook his head, whether in sigh or smugness, it was hard to tell: "I think this is one of the reasons why the Red Witch betrayed the late king: although she never admitted it."

Thales let out a deep sigh.

The battlefield is now clear.

“So, this is a secret that can simultaneously eliminate the legitimacy of the Dragon City Grand Duchess and weaken the legitimacy of the co-elected king. We hold each other’s weaknesses,” Thales said calmly. “I guess you want to win over Dragon City? To stand on your side, or at least not on Ronnie’s side?”

“Ah, Thales, we have known each other for a long time,” King Chaman chuckled, “and we have fought each other more than once—that has made us understand each other.”

The prince took a deep breath and shook his head: "Why would I do this?"

“This is just a grudge between you and Longxiao City,” he shrugged seemingly indifferently. “If you want to perish with Longxiao City, then go ahead. I can easily walk away from it.”

Chaman sneered.

"Even if my mutual destruction with the Grand Duchess of Dragon Sky City causes you and the Star Kingdom to lose their hopes and interests in Dragon Sky City?" the king said meaningfully.

"Hopes for Dragon Sky City?"

Thales chuckled softly, then retorted without backing down, "I'm not even a king, it's too early to talk about these things."

King Chaman narrowed his eyes, his gaze becoming intriguing.

"Yes, you are not the king yet, but you have already done so much for Dragon City..."

The next second, the king's tone changed, his words revealing both mystery and eeriness: "But what if I told you that everything you did to support the Grand Duchess to the throne, to fight so hard, and to maintain everything in Dragon City, was actually built on a terrible lie?"

"And all your self-righteousness is nothing but a joke that paves the way for others?"

At that moment, looking at King Chaman's expression, Thales frowned slightly.

He instinctively sensed that something was wrong.

"What do you mean?" The prince unconsciously clenched his fist.

A joke about laying the foundation stone and paving the road?
wrong……

"I remember when we first met, you said to me when you rejected my offer: 'Be careful of those who want to be your allies.'" King Chaman's face was as cold as ice. "No matter how sweet their words or how sincere their intentions."

Thales' brow furrowed more and more.

“Thales, Thales,” King Chaman shook his head, speaking in a tone that sent chills down Thales’ spine:
"You really think that our beloved late King, Nunn Walton, is an ally you can trust?"

Thales' breathing gradually slowed down.

"Do you think he'd be so generous as to hand over the stakes that could destroy the family to you, to trust you wholeheartedly, and to believe that you would risk everything to protect the Walton family?"

"You think you've made a win-win deal with Nunn? You get a wife representing Dragon City, he gets the continuation of Walton, and everyone gets what they want?"

"Do you think Nunn would be so tolerant as to tolerate someone who isn't of his blood sitting on the throne of Grand Duke, while all he cares about is that empty and meaningless family name?"

The king said softly, "You underestimate our former king."

Thales looked at King Chaman with a face full of suspicion, completely bewildered:
"If you have nothing more to say..."

"Moral is still alive," the king said quietly.

At that moment, Thales, caught off guard by the slightly unfamiliar name, paused for a moment.

Feeling uneasy, he subconsciously said:
"Who?"

A strange and terrifying expression appeared on King Chaman's face.

“Moral,” the king murmured a name the next moment, “Moral Walton.”

Morar...?

Thales chewed on the name, his face turning pale without him realizing it.

what?
That's... that's...

"I was even more shocked than you when I first found out."

The king added nonchalantly, "Yes, six years ago, it all began with that assassination in the Star Realm, which led to a series of dramatic changes in our two nations, laying the foundation for our future destinies, and causing you, Prince Exter, to become a hostage..."

At that moment, it seemed as if a terrible fire was burning in King Chaman's eyes.

"Alive."

Time seems to stand still at this moment.

It seemed as if even the air inside the carriage froze in the face of this terrifying moment.

Thales was truly stunned.

What is he saying?
That prince?

That... that Prince Moral who was assassinated by Rumba, Pefit, Arend, and the 'new star' of the stars?

still alive?

That means……

A terrible thought instantly crept into his mind.

God knows how much effort Thales put into suppressing the trembling all over his body and the dramatic changes in his expression.

Several seconds later, Thales stared wide-eyed, his face grim, incredulous: "You...this...is impossible."

“Don’t you understand, Thales?” King Chaman’s eyes flashed with barely suppressed resentment as he spoke each word as if chewing on the deepest hatred: “In Dragonfall City, whether it was the late king, or Risban or the Fallen One, they all knew and understood this matter.”

Thales struggled to keep thinking amidst extreme shock and disbelief.

“They all know it, and they are all patiently waiting for the day Prince Moral returns. Until he returns, they are using a fake Grand Duchess to temporarily preserve the Walton family’s power, while also feigning friendship with you and seeking the Stars’ help.”

Charman I's words were like the most terrible poison, penetrating every inch of Thales's mind: "From beginning to end, only two people were kept in the dark and knew nothing."

“That’s why I’ve come to you, Thales,” the king said, looking at Thales, whose expression was almost frozen, his gaze sweeping over Thales’ trembling left hand resting on his knee. “You, and that poor Grand Duchess herself, are nothing but puppets manipulated by King Nunn.”

"Xingchen thought he held the key to counterbalance Longxiao City, painstakingly maintaining relations with Longxiao City and diligently supporting the Walton family's rule, hoping to one day reap the rewards from the marriage of the king and the grand duchess?"

"However, many years later, when Morar returns, his legitimacy will prevail over all else, the Grand Duchess's existence will be overthrown, your marriage will become a laughing stock, the promises you received from King Nún will be proven to be nothing but a foolish joke, and everything you have built will vanish overnight."

He is lying.

He must be lying.

That's all Thales could tell himself.

In order to let me...

Thales stared at the king with disbelief in his eyes.

He felt as if he were back on that terrible night.

Alex, convulsing.

Michael cried out in anguish.

King Nuen sneered repeatedly.

and also……

Selma... no, she's a little rascal.

And the ring in her hand.

In that instant, the prince felt as if his thoughts were being frozen.

“I’ve said it before, I know my uncle too well, unlike you, who only spent a short day with him.”

“Nun, he has everyone under his thumb.”

The king's hand brushed against the sword at his knee, and with a cold laugh, he uttered the following words: "He used an unprecedented lie to deceive you and gain your trust and faith, and used a seemingly sweet and sincere bait to lure out your perseverance and loyalty, and from your self-righteous thoughts, he harvested the prey that the dragon most wanted."

King Chaman slowly raised his right hand and gently closed his fingers:

“This is King Nuen’s true means and strategy, a ‘gift’ from the late king.”

The next second, Chaman Lumba's right hand clenched tightly.

It was as if someone had just been choked.

A chilling sweat broke out on Thales's back, and his breath hitched.

"Welcome to the cruel real world," a grim, cold smile appeared on King Chaman's colorless face in the dim light.

"Your Highness Thales, the guardian of Dragon Sky City."

Passengers, for your health, please fasten your seatbelts at all times.

By Wujian, who looked completely serious.

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(End of this chapter)