Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 513 A Small Favor

Clearly, as the captain of the guard of the Duke of Starlake, Marius was not pleased to see Thales open the door to guests on the very first day of his new home.

But with countless bureaucrats, servants, and guards watching, the second prince's insistence, and the pressure from young master Kalabian's background, Cohen was politely invited into the newly prepared reception room—of course, before that, the Duke's captain of the personal guard, Lord Marius the Watchman, reminded his master:
The other party is the heir of the Karabyan family.

Today is the first day since the prince returned to the capital.

This must mean something.

Hearing this reminder, Thales could only smile numbly.

Then, as always, I remained on edge.

Go and face the people in the living room...

"I knew it. I told them the prince wouldn't have a bad memory, and he would definitely remember me. He would never forget fighting alongside me... and sure enough..."

“I have been writing to Your Highness for the past few years, but for some reason, you have never replied to me… Until one time I ran into the boy Kaso who was returning home, and he told me that the Meteorites had intercepted most of the letters written to you, how despicable…”

Thales sat in the main seat, watching the incessantly talking Cohen, glancing around the familiar-looking reception room, and trying to suppress the emotions in his heart.

I was here back then...

Cohen paused, looked at the lost Thales, raised his hand to measure from his stomach to his chest, and exclaimed in surprise:
"Hey, you've grown taller?"

He's grown taller.

Thales looked at the chair he was sitting in and thought back to six years ago.

Maybe.

Back then, when I was sitting here, my feet couldn't even touch the ground.

Thales remained silent for a long time.

Cohen was somewhat at a loss and subconsciously straightened his posture in the chair.

"Yes."

Thales finally spoke, his smile faint yet meaningful:
"I've grown taller."

But Cohen's smile faded.

He looked toward the open hall door.

There, Marius stood with his arms crossed at the door, smiling as he looked at his two subordinates ("No, no, let me explain, I didn't call him..."—a nervous Doyle), occasionally glancing at the meeting inside the hall out of the corner of his eye.

The guard was very careful:
"Did I... arrive at the wrong time?"

Thales turned his gaze away.

Cohen scratched his head:
"They didn't look very happy, especially the leader, you know, the one with the fake smile..."

Outside the open door, a maid was about to serve tea and refreshments to the Duke and his guests when Marius stopped her with a smile and a raised hand. Doyle, with a bitter expression, and Golov, still stiff as ever, stepped forward to begin their inspection.

Not very "happy".

of course.

Thales thought to himself calmly.

Although the time spent together was short, from the moment he stepped out of the council chamber...

Clearly, even Cohen sensed something was amiss.

Thinking of this, and recalling Marius's words, Thales forced a smile:

“That’s Marius.”

"Tormond Marius".

"The watchman of the royal guard."

"I see," Cohen said, his face lighting up with realization, now filled with respect.

"It's the famous Marius."

Marius

Hmm, this name does sound familiar...

Cohen was desperately struggling with his memories.

Where did you hear that?

Thales composed himself and smiled:
"Don't worry about him, he's just a bit strict. After all, this is my first day back, and Marius is my captain of the guard."

Cohen quickly put the last name he couldn't remember out of his mind.

“Captain of the Royal Guard, wow, Your Highness,” Cohen exclaimed with delight, looking around the reception room.

"It's been upgraded quite a bit compared to the North, hasn't it?"

The guard looked around excitedly and curiously:
“I only came here once when I was very young, with the old man taking me… He said it was a good place, very meaningful.”

Cohen patted his chair with delight:

"Perhaps many important people have sat in this seat before."

“Yes, six years ago,” Thales said with a touch of nostalgia.
"The Black Prophet once sat in that chair of yours."

Cohen, who was in high spirits, suddenly stopped.

Thales smiled slightly, recalling that tense and intense meeting from years ago.

I wonder how I would react if I faced Morat Hansen again six years from now?

The prince unconsciously clenched his fist.

The Black Prophet from six years ago seemed mysterious, terrifying, and chilling to him.

But six years later, he realized that the other party wasn't so scary after all, was he?
At least... the Black Prophet's leg was broken before.

Before my eyes, Cohen moved sideways and quietly changed seats:
"You might not believe it, but the time the old man brought me here..."

"He was summoned by the Crown Prince, and I suddenly needed to urinate, but my servant was nowhere to be found. Then, unable to find a place, I suddenly discovered a vase in the corridor..."

"Cough cough!"

Doyle, coughing loudly, came up with tea and snacks, interrupting Cohen's oblivious narration.

“Cohen,” Doyle said in a normal tone, but glared at the guest fiercely from an angle that Thales couldn’t see:
"This is His Highness's palace, and it is thanks to His Highness's generosity that you are the first to visit here."

"Mind your manners."

Cohen snorted, completely unconcerned, acting as if he knew the prince well. He watched Doyle leave while defiantly downing his teacup in one gulp.

The next second, the guard's expression changed, and he spat the tea back into the cup.

"Ah, wow, ah... swinging, swinging, swinging to death... tapping, tapping on purpose..."

Cohen stuck out his burned tongue and awkwardly fanned himself.

Thales watched Cohen and Doyle's interaction with surprise, then picked up his teacup and tried it.

Yes, the temperature is just right.

Under Cohen's resentful gaze, Thales coughed to break the awkward silence:
"So, you've known Doyle for a long time?"

"Ha, ha... Damn... Do, do... Oh, you mean DD!"

Cohen finally managed to get his tongue back on track:
"He's my... um, that..."

Cohen's tone was somewhat uncertain: "The grandson of some great-uncle's brother-in-law?"

"Well, probably."

The grandson of his great-uncle's brother-in-law.

It's amazing he remembered it.

Thales looked at Cohen's bright blond hair, then at Doyle's dark blond hair, and suddenly found himself feeling a little better.

At least, the oppressive atmosphere emanating from the Fuxing Palace is no longer like a dark cloud looming overhead, making it hard to breathe.

“But you’d better spend less time with him, Your Highness,” Cohen’s expression changed, and he leaned closer to Thales, whispering to Doyle’s retreating figure, “That guy is a…”

"Playboy".

Ok.

Thales's expression was strange, but he unconsciously curled up the corners of his mouth.

As for tattling...

You two really are relatives.

"So...where is the Casso kid? The one with the single-edged sword?"

Cohen ignored the little incident, straightened up, and searched for the figure he remembered:

"And that scheming, smoking uncle?"

Cohen scratched his chin and recalled:
"Including that mute guy who can fan the air..."

Cohen paused for a moment, then asked suspiciously, "Wait, the mute isn't here, right?"

Wyatt Castle.

Putila Niemann.

Midila Rolf.

Thales was slightly lost in thought.

"They are still handling my legacy in the North, but they will be back soon."

The prince quickly recovered and gave a flawless answer.

Cohen breathed a sigh of relief and cautiously touched his throat.

Well, it's better to avoid that mute guy.

Looking at Cohen's expression and then at the familiar yet strange surroundings, Thales found himself missing his old friends even more.

"Unbelievable, Your Highness!"

Just seconds later, Cohen regained his energy and was full of excitement:
"Six years ago, we were still in the north, fighting and killing each other..."

The guard's enthusiasm for the prince was somewhat overwhelming for the latter.
"But... look at this place again, Your Highness, you are a duke now! The Duke of Starlake!"

Cohen took a deep breath, a look of delight spreading across his face, as if he had remembered something that brought him great pride and satisfaction:

Even my old man has to bow to you!

However, you did not bow.

Thales rubbed his forehead in exasperation.

"So, why is it the Mindis Hall?"

Cohen, still brimming with enthusiasm, patted the chair:
"You're still a minor... why not Fuxing Palace?"

Thales was about to answer, but hesitated and stopped himself.

He glanced at the royal guards outside the door.

“I… am in poor health and am quite sensitive to the cold,” Thales said with a smile, recalling the story of the ‘Mist King’ who had left the palace to recuperate.
“My father let me live here.”

Thales felt a bit upset.

He suddenly realized that compared to six years ago...

He can no longer treat his friends with such openness and honesty.

"Afraid of the cold?"

Cohen looked at him in surprise:
"But you've been in the North for six years!"

Thales forced a smile:
"Maybe that's why they sent me back."

"To prevent me from freezing and dying in the north."

Cohen was stunned.

He looked at the prince with suspicion, scrutinizing him once more.

One second later.

"what!"

Cohen suddenly realized what was happening, and his smile returned:

"Your Highness, you must be joking!"

"Afraid of the cold? You are a hero who bravely stormed the Palace of Heroes and saved Dragon City!"

Thales could only continue to smile.

"But you can't fool me."

At this point, the guard's eyes lit up:

"So, how did you get back from the North?"

Thales' smile froze.

This is another difficult question to answer.

"Although the announcement said that the Kingdom of Exter sent you back with courtesy, along with a letter of greeting from their king to His Majesty..."

Cohen seemed thoughtful, a shrewd glint in his eyes:

“But I’m a man who has fought in the North and the West, I know those places well, so I know things…”

Cohen smiled mysteriously:
"It's definitely not that simple."

Thales shuddered.

But to everyone's surprise, Cohen looked completely confident and showed no intention of pressing him for answers.

“I know,” the guard snapped his fingers with considerable certainty:

"This year, whether it's the war within the Freedom Alliance, the internal strife in Black Sand Territory, or anything else, these are merely the surface of the matter."

Looking at Cohen in front of him, Thales was somewhat surprised.

He means……

"But the truth is, someone with ulterior motives had already planned everything in secret..."

Cohen waved his hand, his face clearly saying, "I know everything, stop pretending."

"Just for your safe return!"

At that moment, Thales was suddenly startled.

what?
Cohen?

When did he...

Was it the Secret Service? Did Raphael tell him?

"Hehe, not only that, I also know about that scheming person..."

The guard looked shrewd:
"And the planners of all this..."

Thales looked at the other person with a slight nervousness.

It must be said that Cohen in front of him gave him a sense of unfathomable depth and made him look at him with new respect.

Cohen stood up abruptly, and said with an air of arrogance:
"...It is Your Highness!"

The entire reception room fell silent.

Only Cohen's voice lingered in the living room, never fading away.

Meanwhile, the guard maintained a cool and dashing pose as he pointed out the murderer.

Thales froze on the spot at the tip of his finger.

Doyle, standing outside the door, peered curiously in this direction, only to be driven back by a smile from Marius.

Several seconds later, Thales, having recovered, struggled to open his mouth:

"what?"

However, as if he had rehearsed it beforehand, Cohen changed his footing, withdrew his right hand but swung out his right arm, confident and composed: "I know you too well, Your Highness!"

"I know that someone as clever as you is the one who initiated all the schemes!"

Cohen was thrilled:

"Just like six years ago..."

"This time, it was you who orchestrated everything, successfully instigating internal strife between Dragonsky City and Black Sand Territory through the Free Alliance and the Black Sand vassals..."

Thales' eyebrows began to twitch.

"At a time when the two major powers were locked in a fierce battle and had no time to spare, you managed to escape safely and return home!"

"And it severely weakened the Kingdom of Exter!"

Cohen's posture remained as charismatic as ever. He knew that at this moment, his eyes were gleaming with wisdom.

Waiting for the response from the person in front of me.

Before Cohen's expectant gaze, Thales strained his eyebrows as hard as he could.

"Um, not bad, about the same."

Cohen's eyes lit up when he received the affirmation!
“Those Yankees,” the guard said, quite pleased.
"You must have given them a good beating, right?"

Thales took a deep breath:

"Um, well... more or less."

Cohen became increasingly agitated:
"That's why you were granted the title of Duke as soon as you returned, after serving the country!"

Upon hearing this, Thales numbly replied:
"Bad, bad, about the same."

Upon hearing the prince's admission, Cohen withdrew his arms and clenched his fists tightly!
yeah!
Completely unaware of the complex expression on Thales' face at that moment.

"Hehe, how about it? Ever since I learned my lesson six years ago, I've been cramming on politics for the past few years," the guard squinted, crossed his arms, and looked very knowledgeable.

"My strategic thinking has improved, hasn't it?"

Thales silently watched Cohen, who was beaming with joy.

“Hmm,” Thales gave an awkward smile a few seconds later:

"Yes, yes."

Cohen immediately beamed with joy, like a squirrel that had found a pine cone.

"So, how have the people of the North treated you all these years?"

Thales, still reeling from Cohen's "clever" attack, sighed.

"Well, how should I put it..."

But Cohen, brimming with confidence, waved his hand to interrupt him.

"Oh, I understand."

Cohen looked up, his face showing deep empathy:
"Back in the Tower of the End, my teacher was from the North, and Miranda was technically from the North too... They, oh my..."

Cohen seemed to remember something, and a chill ran down his spine.

The guard, halfway through maintaining his disdainful expression, suddenly turned around and squinted at Thales:

"You understand?"

Thales stared at him blankly:
"Um, I... that..."

Faced with Cohen's expectant and eager gaze, the prince could only manage a weak smile.

"Yes, I understand."

"Look!"

Cohen slapped his thigh excitedly:
"I knew you'd understand!"

Thales struggled to suppress the twitching at the corner of his mouth.

Cohen sighed.

"It's a pity that no one else understands."

But then he perked up and looked at the bewildered prince with the same eagerness one would show a younger brother:

"But it's okay, it's enough that we understand!"

Thales could only nod and grin awkwardly along with Cohen, suppressing the dreaded question:

What do you know?

During this fruitful conversation, His Excellency the Duke of Starlake felt for the first time that his intelligence was somewhat lacking.

While Thales was immersed in the sadness of his impaired intelligence, Cohen suddenly stood up and slapped his thigh.

"Okay, it's time for me to go."

Telston was immediately taken aback.

"Leave? Now?"

The guard officer smiled and said:

"Your Highness, please take care!"

Thales looked at Cohen, who had a happy expression, and asked in confusion:

"This...is it over?"

Cohen blinked, seemingly not quite understanding:
"correct."

Thales paused for a few seconds before saying:
"You...don't you have anything else to do?"

“Yes,” Cohen’s eyes darted around, his mood turning dejected:

"I need to go to the hall to sign in this afternoon, otherwise the director will deduct my attendance again..."

and many more.

Is this over?

As the heir of one of the thirteen prominent families...

On the second prince's first day back in the capital...

There was no probing, no enticement, no ulterior motive, no flattery, no coercion or inducement, no conspiracy or trickery.

Without everything that Marius reminded us of?
The Duke stared blankly at Cohen, who looked dejected.

For the first time since returning to the stars, Thales felt somewhat out of place.

Thales snapped out of his reverie and shook his head:
"No, I mean..."

The prince hesitated for a moment, his gaze toward Cohen becoming somewhat serious.

"How is your father?"

Thales finally spoke, his voice tinged with discomfort and guilt:

"Count Kalabyan of the Vora Territory?"

Cohen was also taken aback:
"he?"

"I don't know, but I guess he's doing well... It's been a long time since I wrote to him."

The young duke was quite surprised:

"But...you came all this way just to spend a few minutes... chatting with me?"

Cohen paused for a moment, deep in thought.

A few seconds later, after racking his brains to no avail, he shrugged:

"Yes, I just came to see you."

The guard scratched his head, looking completely bewildered.

"if not?"

Now, it was Thales' turn to be stunned.

In that instant, the faces of many people flashed through Thales' mind: the legendary Winged One, Nob of the Mystic Kingdom, the Duke of the Western Wilderness, Dele Clomar, Earl of the Black Lion, Watchman Marius, Gilbert, Captain Adrian... Since returning home, these faces had been a constant presence in Thales' mind.

but……

Compared to the people in front of them...

Thales stared at the foolish Cohen in front of him, his feelings complicated.

The burly guard looked at him with equal confusion and blinked.

After a long while, the Duke, who was deeply moved, finally came to his senses and took a deep breath.

"Cohen."

"You're the eldest son, right?"

"The Karabyan family of the Twin Towers Longswords?"

The moment he heard "eldest son," Cohen wilted like a frostbitten eggplant.

"Yes?"

Cohen was listless and utterly dejected.

Thales silently looked at the young master of the Karabyan family and the rightful heir of the Vora territory.

"So after you graduated from the Tower of Endings, you went straight to the Western Wilderness? To 'Thunder Raven'?"

The guard waved his hand:

"Yes."

"Didn't your father stop you?" Thales gently stroked the teacup in his hand:
“You know you are the heir to the family estate and title…”

"Oh, speaking of this..."

Cohen tried to pull himself together and face these headaches.

“My old man… wait, how did you know I served in the Western Wilderness, and even went to the ‘Thunder Raven’?”

The guard looked at him suspiciously.

However, Thales remained unfazed:

"Everyone knows."

Cohen thought about it carefully, and then it dawned on him:
"That's right, everyone knows that."

“As for my father, of course, he stopped me. He didn’t want me to join the army, nor did he want me to go to the Western Wilderness. I mean,” Cohen replied thoughtfully, his tone gradually darkening.

"At least he tried to stop it."

Thales stared intently at Cohen.

For the first time, he felt he saw something different in this big guy.

"But you still went."

The prince said silently.

Cohen slowly exhaled:

I still went.

There was a moment of silence in the living room, as if both sides needed time to process those few words.

"Didn't he put pressure on you afterwards?"

Thales stared at his reflection in the teacup, lost in thought, and asked:

"Forcing you to go back and become... a qualified successor?"

Cohen was slightly startled, as if recalling some unpleasant memories.

But he still smiled:
"Of course."

"You can't imagine."

Cohen's words trailed off with a hint of barely perceptible regret:
"The way he forced me to leave the military..."

He didn't say anything more.

“But you’re still here,” Thales said calmly, “in the capital?”

"Yes."

The guard was also slightly lost in thought.
“At least in the capital, the old man wouldn’t dare to act recklessly,” Cohen sighed, his voice filled with helplessness.

"If I leave the capital, I suspect he'll send a large army to kidnap me... cough cough..."

Cohen shrugged and gave him his usual smile.

As cheerful as ever.

Thales watched him silently.

He is laughing.

The prince told himself.

Cohen.

At that moment, Thales suddenly felt:
I realized I wasn't alone.

There was another moment of silence between them.

A soft knock came from afar.

It's time to receive guests.

"Cohen."

Thales put down his teacup and slowly raised his head.

"Thank you……"

The prince gave him his gentlest, yet most genuine, smile of the day:
"Nice to meet you."

Cohen raised his eyebrows:

"Yes, I also..."

But the guard was interrupted.

Thales then spoke to himself:

"...I saw familiar faces."

"very nice."

Thales' expression was calm, but his words were meaningful.

As soon as he finished speaking, Cohen's expression changed.

He stared blankly at the prince, a look of confusion on his face.

"What's wrong?" Thales asked with a smile.

Cohen squinted, as if wanting to take another closer look at the owner of the Mindis Hall:
"You're different now."

Thales chuckled to himself:
"Really? You think so too?"

Cohen nodded seriously.

"Yes, you've changed, you've changed..."

He tried to scan the Duke of Starlake before him.

Finally, after racking his brains for ages without finding an adjective, Cohen could only manage to utter one sentence:

"It's gotten... bigger."

Thales chuckled.

Cohen frowned as he looked at the prince's smile.

He turned his head, remembering the child he had tucked under his arm in the tunnel years ago.

Yeah, they were cuter when they were little.

Thales' heart skipped a beat, as if he remembered something.

"By the way, do you remember Rolf?"

Cohen's thoughts were in disarray, and he said blankly:
"Luo what?"

"My subordinate, the one wearing the mask..."

“You mean…” Cohen pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized:
"...A mute!"

Seeing Cohen's happy expression, Thales sighed:
This might be a bad idea.

but……

"Cohen."

Thales paused for a moment, then looked up.

This time, the prince's expression was extremely serious.

"I... want to ask you for a small favor."

"In private."

(End of this chapter)