Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 530 Alien
“Very good, Your Highness. Please stretch your arm out so I can double-check. Yes, that’s right, just like that…”

Thales stared blankly with lifeless eyes, like a dead fish in a hot pan, and raised his arm with a creaking sound as the royal tailor spoke.

“If it were a welcome banquet, I wouldn’t normally prefer cuffs that are too imposing—I’d appreciate it if you straightened your back and stretched your legs, oh right—but Count Cassel’s requirements are very clear: you must have ‘royal composure and princely fresh air’…”

Immersed in the "Prince's New Style," Thales was expressionless, numbly swaying his back, feeling as if he had lost the last bit of hope worth fighting for in life.

This should have been his math class—look at Scholar Julio standing awkwardly in front of the blackboard, his hands unsure of what to do. But clearly, as the date of the welcoming banquet approached, his schedule became increasingly tight and his days were packed. To make matters worse, all sorts of things kept piling up like moths to a flame, so he had to have his dress tailored during the break between math classes.

Or, in Thales' view, it was a "pre-exhibition of royal rare animals" for the tailoring world.

"Six years ago, I missed your debut. As a result, you stood in the Hall of Stars wearing that outfit, which made you look down on by those arrogant dukes and earls. Oh my, it broke my heart to see you like that. When I got back, my colleagues were all congratulating me, saying, 'Wow, the prince's new style is so great!' Pshaw, it was ridiculous. I had to explain for a long time that it wasn't a new design, just an old style that had been reused. I missed the second prince's outfit, but who can say who's wrong? After all, you were going to make a surprise appearance for the royal family, and secrecy was very important..."

Thales disliked the scene of the tailor taking his measurements.

This gave him the illusion that his every move was being controlled, that he was under constant pressure, and that he was not free (as if he hadn't been before). This feeling became even more profound and intense when his personal tailor was a greasy, powdery old man who liked to have thick wigs and hair oil continuously implanted on his head for a long time and who was also constantly talking.

"But I can guarantee, Your Highness, with me here this time, you'll definitely be the star of the banquet, even more stunning than Princess Saoirse at her wedding back then... um, sorry, I mean, even more eye-catching than Prince Hyman at his coming-of-age ceremony. His appearance back then... hehe, oh my, hehe... You know, that's not even my proudest achievement. The most impressive one is another royal wedding—or perhaps you could broaden your shoulders a bit more? Oh, right, that was fantastic..."

Master tailor Damon gracefully placed a bundle of measuring tapes from a plate presented by an apprentice, then picked up a stiff ruler from another apprentice's plate, who was trembling with fear at the prospect of meeting the prince, waving it almost like a conductor's baton to accompany his "casual conversation":
"Oh, yes, I'm usually reluctant to boast, but since Your Highness has taken the liberty of asking (Tails would swear by the name of the little rascal he didn't ask), I couldn't very well avoid answering. Well, that's right, I designed and tailored their formal wear and the reception area. Hehehe, well, it's really nothing to brag about, my humble work... After all, you know, my family has been tailoring clothes for the royal family since my great-grandfather's generation."

"Back then, the famously beautiful and discerning 'Witch Queen' Bella, from among so many tailors competing for the position, chose his work at first glance... So, after all these years, my family has been around for a long time, and we're used to the fame. It's not a big deal. It's just that after our designs are released, tailors in the market always like to copy our styles. Within a few weeks, the whole kingdom is filled with the same designs... Hey, sometimes they even copy one of our flawed designs verbatim and call it a classic. It's hilarious... I'm not saying we make mistakes, Your Highness, but I feel it's necessary to be humble. After all, for so many years, our Damon family has remained the royal family's official tailors, serving as the highest judge in the capital's costume design competitions. We rely on humility, modesty, a willingness to improve, and diligence..."

Fortunately, someone saved him.

“If you can’t finish measuring,” said the vanguard officer, Golov (Doyle had been punished by Marius to help the servants carry lamp oil in the kitchen), who was supervising from the side.
"The Zawak family, who specialize in tailoring for the Sun Sword and Shield family, said that taking measurements only takes thirty seconds."

Master Damon looked like he'd been bitten by a dragon.

He leaped up from beside the stool with a fierce air, almost reaching Thales' shoulder, glaring angrily amidst the face oil and powder:

"Hey kid, let me tell you, if you don't believe me, go get a piece of clothing from the Zawak family. You can tell from the stitches that they're heretics in the sewing world! They're only where they are today because of their ancestors' dirty connections with the cotton guild..."

Grover, nicknamed "Zombie," was clearly not buying it and turned to instruct another young guard:
"Neshi, go and make an appointment with the Zawak family right away..."

"OK OK!"

Master Damon swiftly wrapped up his tools with both hands, kicked the two apprentices away, then turned gracefully to Thales with a slicked-back smile, his palms making a gentle, gesturing clapping motion in the air:
"Oh my, Your Highness, please rest assured. With your... such an upright appearance, and wearing my..."

He didn't get to finish speaking because Golov had already led the royal guards present and unceremoniously dragged Damon, who had taken up half the class time, and his two nervous, trembling apprentices out.

Thales then stepped off the stool and exhaled a dizzy breath towards the ceiling.

He felt that the hope for his life that had been far away was now tremblingly crawling back.

Scholar Julio coughed softly, drawing Thales' attention back.

Of course, he can't get back the half-class period he lost.

“You should be more polite,” Thales’ math teacher said, sticking his head out in awe to examine the magnificent sample that Master Damon had deliberately ‘forgotten’ to include.
"I heard that Master Damon's fee for one job is equivalent to eight months of my salary... Of course, I have no intention of asking for a raise... Well, for now, not..."

Thales was somewhat helpless:
"I suspect that a stunningly gorgeous outfit for a banquet is more likely to evoke admiration and boasting than mathematical skill in calculating the error in the annual cycle of the holy day?"

The young and promising Julio withdrew his envious and jealous gaze, and said pitifully:
"I can only express my unfortunate and regretful agreement."

Thales smiled and returned to his desk.

“Very good, Your Highness. It seems you have a good understanding and application of Archbishop Lischel’s concept of a two-dimensional coordinate system… So, it should be much more intuitive for you to calculate the pairwise related variables now…”

Julio returned to teaching mode, syllabus in one hand and chalk in the other, worrying about how to cover today's content in half a class period.

"Yes."

Thales looked at the graphics and numbers on the paper and sighed:

"It is truly astonishing that such mathematical knowledge was first invented hundreds of years ago by a traditional and devout theologian."

Julio's eyes lit up:
“During the reign of Sumerian III the Jackal, Saint Risher was not merely a theologian; his mathematical expertise was in no way inferior to his divine knowledge and philosophical speculation.”

"The method you just used, which uses a geometric coordinate system to express the rate of change of numbers, was developed by him to solve the problem of crowd evacuation after city celebrations, and it is included in 'The Enlightenment of Gonghai City'."

Julio's smile was excited as he introduced "Saint-Lischer," delighted that the prince was actually interested in this obscure knowledge that many nobles scoffed at.

"I see."

Recalling his theology class a few days ago, Thales couldn't help but sigh:

"The Sunset Church, a religion that regards God as supreme, actually has such a talent. How interesting."

Julio nodded, but his expression faltered immediately, as if he hesitated about something:
“Your Highness, this may be somewhat presumptuous, but... but I know you have begun to study theology, to attend classes with God…”

Thales raised his eyebrows:
"you know?"

Scholar Julio shrugged and lowered his voice.

"I think you should... cultivate a good relationship with the church. Sometimes, it's okay to ignore minor ideological conflicts; it can save you a lot of trouble..."

This is a rare thing.

Thales shifted his position, leaned back in his chair, and looked on with interest.

"How to say?"

You should know that the grammar professor, Bona, is old-fashioned and slow-paced, but he often says things that are so surprising that he could choke a few Thales to death ("Your Highness, are you in such a hurry to get out of class? Are you going to make a date?").

Gilbert, in addition to his history class, also took on the responsibility of teaching politics. Despite it being a hastily crammed course on "royal pretentious knowledge," he always couldn't resist the former foreign minister's personal opinions on key historical events, and the whole class would fly by, causing the progress to fall far behind ("Ah, Your Highness, wonderful times always pass too quickly, how about adding an extra class period today?").

Lord Monton in science class was the epitome of sweating profusely and awkwardly smiling. His teaching objectives had long since shifted from the initial grand vision of "opening the eyes of the world on behalf of the monarch and advising the lord to see the ways of the world" to "Your Highness, why don't you guess this question first?"

As for Master Uhran's art lessons, thank goodness, Thales always fell into a deep, blissful sleep to his melodious piano music and shovelful paintbrush, so he can be considered the kingdom's hero who saved Duke Starlake from dying young due to lack of sleep.

But what about Julio, the math teacher?
Although he was a legitimate scholar, his awkwardness and taciturnity contrasted sharply with his quick wit and shrewdness. His straightforwardness and simplicity complemented his lack of worldly wisdom, which often made Thales wonder how he had managed to get such a lucrative and prestigious position (of course, Thales later learned that Julio's father-in-law had been a big shot in the tax office, which explained why the latter was always able to produce clear and concise financial statements).

But to ask him to say something like "I suggest you get along well with so-and-so" in class... Thales would rather believe that the tailoring session hadn't ended yet.

Scholar Julio glanced at the Duke's desk a few times, looking somewhat uneasy:
"You know, there was a time when certain knowledge and research were considered illegitimate by the church, and mathematics, unfortunately, was a major part of that..."

Thales' interest grew stronger:

"why?"

Julio took a deep breath: "Because some things, if investigated too deeply, will touch upon ancient taboos and incur the displeasure of the gods."

Ancient taboos.

Thales pondered for a moment.

"And you believe it?"

Julio shrugged innocently, looking helpless.

"Of course I don't believe it. But every event has its cause: for example, the science of calculating liquid volume was once considered evil, and pharmacy owners were once forbidden from using measuring instruments..."

As his speech became more fluent, Julio realized something, and his expression changed:
"I'm sorry, I'm not here to teach you history..."

“No, no, no, I’m very interested,” Thales politely raised his hand:
"Please do not hesitate to answer my questions."

Julio forced a smile, somewhat flustered, and only after confirming that the prince was in a good mood did he cautiously speak:
"In short, hundreds of years ago, in the infamous Mbora massacre, the main cult priest was a medicine merchant. His superb knowledge of pharmacology was key to their practice of human sacrifice, as was his knowledge of geometry for inscribing runes..."

Cult rituals.

Human sacrifice.

Inscribe the array of runes.

Thales raised his eyebrows.

Julio coughed:
"From then on, pharmacology and geometry became infamous along with the legends of witches, demons, and evil gods."

"What does that have to do with my theology class?"

Julio paused for a moment before remembering what he was about to say:

"Oh, thank you for that, you reminded me, I almost forgot the topic..."

"In short, back then, the churches, including Sunset, were still quite traditional. For a long time, the lives of scholars were not easy—even at Dragon Kiss Academy."

If it were a contest of "speaking long, hesitant sentences," Thales thought his father's masked bodyguard would be the undisputed champion. But Yodel couldn't afford to be complacent, because if the contest were about long sentences outside their field of expertise, then Maester Julio would certainly be a strong contender for the title.

If we add another item, "completely off-topic," then without a doubt, we'll bet everything on Julio.

Thales stared at him, wide-eyed. “Until the Archdeacon St. Lischel, with his ecclesiastical affiliation and a thirst for knowledge, could conduct research safely… it is thanks to their foresight that you and I are here,” Scholar Julio said, his gaze tender and affectionate as he looked at the numbers on the paper, like that of a young lover.
"Building upon the foundations laid by our predecessors, we study these lovely little formulas."

Julio took a breath, his expression turning serious again:
"Therefore, Your Highness, there is no harm in befriending the Church, especially when they are at the height of their power, even if you may not like what you are doing."

"In this way, many difficulties are easily resolved."

Thales looked at Julio with an unprecedented and intriguing gaze.

"What about you?"

Julio's eyes lit up. He raised his finger and waved it at Thales like a treasure, then pulled out a brass-colored discipline chain from his chest.

“Look, I am a devout believer of the Sunset Church and an honorary priest of the Royal College of Theology. I often go to the temple to pray, and I also visit the church often when I go back to the countryside.”

Julio's eyes were full of smugness and boastfulness.

This appears to be some kind of achievement.

"I study mathematics in the name of God!"

Thales chuckled.

This caused Scholar Julio's expression to stiffen, unsure whether to raise or lower his hands.

"why?"

Thales coughed a few times to cover up his laughter:
Why did you specifically tell me this?

Julio put down the chain of discipline, wiped his hands on his clothes, and then carefully pointed to Thales's desk.

"You...have been holding that book for several days."

"I almost pressed my handprints into the cover."

Thales looked down.

Underneath his draft paper was the book "Acts of the Sunset Apostles".

Duke Xinghu was taken aback.

A few seconds later, Thales sighed and pressed his head in exasperation.

How could he make such a basic mistake?

Is it because of the immense pressure you've been under since returning to the stars?

If this were in the North, in Valhalla, Thales would definitely be careful to change to a new book every day, so as not to be easily discovered.

Well, you can’t say that.

After all, Nicolai's intelligence shouldn't be underestimated.

“You are a bright child, Your Highness,” Julio said with some concern. “I mean, not many people can understand so many complex mathematical problems at this age, especially since you have come from the barbaric North—no offense intended.”

"People with such a mindset are often unwilling to engage in dry theological preaching or religious sermons. I know this; I've experienced it myself, but..."

Julio pointed to the wrinkled cover of the religious book:
"When you feel like tearing up books to vent your anger, don't let anyone see it."

Thales stroked the fingerprints on the Acts of Life, which were noticeably clearer than they had been a few days earlier, and remained silent for a while.

"I was just... reading too intently."

"Well, then there's no need to worry too much," Julio said sheepishly, now it was his turn to worry about whether he was interfering too much in the prince's life.

"Fortunately, we live in a more enlightened era. In ancient times, doing this would have had dire consequences."

Thales chuckled lightly.

"Don't worry, at least I'm not too old or too young, so I guess you could call me a prince?"

“Ha, more than four hundred years ago, ‘Alien’ Hyman was also the eldest son and heir of ‘King Ascendant’, but he was still implicated in blasphemy—”

Scholar Julio's words came to an abrupt halt.

Thales' smile froze instantly.

The room fell silent.

A few seconds later, Julio realized what he had said. He stared at Thales in horror and looked around in a panic.

"I, I, Your Highness..."

Thales put on a stern face.

"Scholar Julio, have we solved this problem?"

"Oh, of course, of course, Your Grace, Your Highness... Shall we end get out of class?" Julio looked like he was about to cry.

Thales was silent for a moment before raising his head and smiling.

"Ok."

Julio breathed a sigh of relief, grabbed his textbooks and tools and left in a flustered state, not even remembering that the monastic chain was still hanging outside his clothes.

“Um, Your Grace, what I said today, um, Earl Cassel…”

Thales sighed softly:

“Gilbert won’t know.”

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Julio left, trembling.

"Julio."

Julio's back trembled violently.

"Thank you too," Thales said softly.

Perhaps realizing he had said something inappropriate, Professor Julio, who was used to running overtime, was much more considerate than usual, ending get out of class half an hour early.

During the afternoon history class, before Gilbert arrived to deliver his "Political Gains and Losses of the Blade King," he had a rare moment of free time.

Thales sat quietly in his study, his gaze lingering on the cover of Acts of the Sunset, but he couldn't shake off Julio's words.

"Glov, close the door, I want to take a nap."

The "zombie" at the door didn't react much, neither offering any concern nor making a fuss; it simply nodded silently and closed the door behind it.

His voice, giving instructions to the guards on duty, could be heard from outside the door.

From this perspective, the Golova Vanguard is indeed much more competent than the DD.

Be discreet and obedient.

Silence and indifference.

I never do anything unnecessary.

Thales thought sullenly.

He was probably the type of person King Kessel trusted.

For some reason, the thought of this made his heart tighten.

If he had to choose, Thales would still feel that it would be easier to get along with someone like Doyle.

why?

Thales sighed.

He glanced around the empty study, picked up the book containing the secret, "The Biography," stood up, and walked to the bookshelf behind him.

The Duke skillfully pried open a panel to reveal a mechanism, and pulled open the bookshelf.

Enter the secret room inside the study.

(End of this chapter)