Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 556 Chess Player
Amidst the hustle and bustle, Thales stared expressionlessly at the short sword in his hand, silently moving against the flow of the guards as countless guards swept past him.

The prince's figure stood out among the hurried departing soldiers in heavy armor, appearing lonely and isolated.

It is glaring and prominent.

The next second, as if the ban had been lifted, the long-silent guests erupted in excitement.

A wave of cheers erupted, with applause, discussions, and whispers continuing unabated.

"My God, I swear, this party is the coolest thing I've experienced all year..."

"As expected of Shining Star, isn't it? It reminds me of forty years ago... cough cough cough..."

"Of course! Let me tell you, back when Polaris was still in the North... he was a real killer, killing kings and dukes alike... We in Deer City really admired him!"

"Remember, if anyone asks about what happened today, don't say anything more. Just say that the Royal Guard controlled the situation..."

"His posture is so brave, ah, good Senny, I'll whisper this, I really want to be pinned against the wall and kissed by His Highness... Ah, what, Senny, you too? Humph, shameless! Bitch!"

"Let me tell you, go back and immediately invest in the glass merchants' guild, especially those producing wine sets..."

"No, listen to me. You are not allowed to come to the Mindis Hall again, and you are not allowed to comment on today's events, until the Palace of Restoration has made any response..."

"Before that bitch Inosa makes her move, we need to find out details about His Highness the Duke's life in the north, especially what kind of girls he likes..."

"You still can't shake off the Northerner's style, can you? Just kidding, watch out next time..."

"Mommy, I also want to study at Exeter... Oh? Well, then, I'll be a hostage!"

“Did you write it down? Yes, in this order: quail eggs, roast goose, lettuce, especially the lettuce…”

"Tell your father to settle all the high-interest loans your family has taken out... Losses? You're still thinking about losses? Doyle is a prime example!"

"Did you hear that? Did you hear that? 'I have the courage to stand before him and look him in the eye'?"

"No, we can't mention it at all when we get back, especially that bet..."

It seems that the public's enthusiasm, which had been temporarily lost, has finally returned after the situation calmed down.

"Thank goodness, thank goodness, my Sunset... that damned little man, I swear, I swear..." Baron Doyle held his son and wife, crying unrestrainedly, which made DD very embarrassed.

Many people began to look at the Star Prince, who was standing with his back to the hall, amidst the numerous guards, with newfound respect.

But Thales remained silent.

He gently raised his head and looked at the empty highest seat after the king's departure.

It's as if they live in their own world.

Not to be disturbed, and not to be disturbed.

“Alright, take over the Flag Wing from here… take him directly to the Secret Service,” Vogel instructed the men escorting Anke, then glanced at the lost-in-thought Thales, his expression complex.

"Obviously, many people will have to work overtime tonight."

Soon, under all sorts of gazes, Anke was escorted away by a heavily armed guard. Although he did not struggle, the length of the escorting team was still comparable to that of an honor guard.

Thales listened silently to the sound of Anke being led away, without looking at him.

On the other side, Doyle's family, having narrowly escaped death, wept with joy.

Thales did not respond.

It felt as if a huge rock was pressing down on his chest, making it difficult for him to react.

Marius gestured for Golov to put a cloak on the Duke, but Thales stopped him.

As a staunch supporter of the royalists, Earl Godwin coughed, stepped forward, and offered his condolences to Thales like an elder:

"Your Highness, thank you for your hard work tonight..."

"If you don't mind, I'd like to conclude the banquet here..."

But Thales suddenly spoke up:
"Sorry, everyone!"

The Duke of Starlake's sudden loud voice interrupted the buzzing discussion.

Thales turned around.

His expression was cold and indifferent, sending a chill down everyone's spine.

Marius frowned slightly as he looked at the prince's expression.

Thales knew that more than one person had told him: a smile is the best armor.

But the people of the North taught him:

Armor alone is not enough for combat.

The prince pressed down the bewildered Earl Godwin and walked toward the crowd.

"I know, maybe my opening remarks were too gentle today."

Thales's eyes held an unprecedented coldness:
"It's easy for people to misunderstand."

The banquet hall fell completely silent.

Thales lowered his voice, but against the backdrop of silence, his words were crystal clear:

"But for those who don't know me, or don't like me, or even don't want to see me..."

Thales' face was grim:
"I don't mind repeating the welcome speech."

He paced back and forth, his sharp eyes sweeping over each guest.

It makes people want to back out.

"Gentlemen!"

Thales suddenly raised his voice, spitting out a once-habitual, yet deliberately forgotten, strength and intimidation from between his teeth:

"I am Thales!"

He glanced around at the crowd, his eyes filled with anger.

“A name you won’t find even after searching through the entire seven-hundred-year genealogy of the Starry Sky family!”

The guests murmured again, but the whispers quickly vanished under Thales's gaze.

Thales lowered his head and stroked the short sword in his hand, feeling its precious material and pleasant texture, and said in a deep voice:
"So, you may not know..."

"The past six years."

“I am neither the Prince of Stars nor the Duke of Star Lake.”

The guests looked at each other in bewilderment.

Thales toyed with his short sword without looking up, but every word he spoke was in a deep, low voice, causing the guests to instinctively prick up their ears:

“I witnessed the princes killing each other and the death of Nuen.”

"I have experienced the descent of a dragon from the sky and the burning of the city."

“I witnessed the upheavals of war and Chaman’s ascension to the throne.”

Thales' pupils narrowed, and he abruptly looked up:

"Black Sand Territory hates me like a mortal enemy, and Dragon Sky City sees me as a jinx!"

His sudden cold voice sent a shiver down the spines of many listeners.

Thales strode forward, his gaze resolute, piercing everyone who met his eyes.

As he approached, the crowd instinctively stepped back.

"And throughout the entire Exter, millions of living beings call me by the name—"

Before the words were even out of his mouth, Thales suddenly drew his short sword and plunged it fiercely into a long table in front of him!

Boom!
With a heart-pounding thud, Thales roared in fury:

"Polaris!"

With the help of the River of Sin, his voice echoed in the banquet hall, causing the lights to flicker and the figures to dart about.

The entire hall was completely silent.

Hundreds of people, including many high-ranking figures, dared not utter a sound at this moment.

Thales stared intently at the blade on the table, his breathing erratic.

one second.

two seconds.

three seconds.

Thales finally released his short sword.

Only the hilt of the sword trembled slightly.

But the silence lingered, and the guests remained silent.

Until Thales spoke coldly:
"Gentlemen, welcome to my... Mindis Hall."

He turned around, expressionless, and concluded in a cold voice:

Have a great time!

"The banquet is over."

No one moved.

It wasn't until Marius sighed and stepped forward that he instructed the royal guards and the guards of the Mindis Hall to maintain order and persuade the guests to leave.

Vogel and Earl Godwin also stepped forward and arranged for everyone to leave.

The banquet hall gradually regained its liveliness, and the sounds of discussion and footsteps returned, but in a much more orderly and low-key manner, seemingly deliberately avoiding the presence of the Duke of Starlake, who was in a bad mood.

Thales remained standing in the hall, with the short sword that had ruined his banquet behind him.

“I remember asking you to fetch the Warning,” Thales said without turning around, addressing Marius, who had come up behind him as if he had something to say.

"Why haven't they retrieved it yet?"

As Marius gestured to the passing guests to apologize on behalf of the Duke, he replied nonchalantly:

"The sword is hidden in the locker in your study. I don't know the password."

Thales was slightly taken aback.

Why didn't you ask me just now?

“Because,” Marius glanced at the short sword behind him:
“You never intended to use that sword from the beginning.”

"They just want to get rid of me."

Thales was silent for a moment, then smiled with relief.

"Since you saw through it, why didn't you stop me? Weren't you afraid he would really kill me?"

Marius chuckled softly, raised his clenched fist, and looked up.

Thales followed his gaze and looked up.

He soon saw five or six members of the Star Lake Guard emerge from the shadows high above the banquet hall, each holding a crossbow and watching them warily. Marius slowly released his fist, which he had been clenching for a long time.

The next second, the royal guards in the shadows put away their crossbows.

“Those are… Toledo, Morgan, and Itariano beside you…”

Thales recognized these people and was surprised.

"The sniper squad you arranged on the spot," Thales said, suddenly realizing.
"How come I remember Vogel stopping you?"

Marius snorted softly and looked at Vogel, who was saying goodbye to several nobles in the distance.

"He thought he had stopped me."

Thales let out a breath.

"Did you consider the consequences of doing this before?" Marius asked softly.

Thales shook his head:
"No."

"now what?"

Thales felt heavy-hearted and fell silent.

Marius said nothing, his expression remaining indifferent.

The guests in the hall gradually began to move around. Many people squeezed together to bow and say goodbye to Thales, but many more lingered, seemingly wanting to stay a little longer.

For example, the Seven Star Attendants.

"You handled it very skillfully, Your Highness. You truly are Count Cassel's prized student."

This is Baron Stoddard of the Seven Stars, whose face remained gloomy, his thoughts unknown.

“These despicable and treacherous men have dared to be so audacious,” the elderly Viscount Paterson grumbled indignantly.

"Your Highness, you must be determined to make progress and set things right, otherwise such underhanded schemes will only become more rampant."

Viscount Adrian's farewell was concise and to the point:
"This matter is of utmost importance, Your Highness, please take care."

"Your Highness's great kindness is beyond the means of the Doyle family... except..."

This was the weeping old baron, but long before he could even begin his speech, the observant DD dragged him away, and before leaving, he apologized profusely to Thales.

"Your Highness, your act of standing up for your subordinates has deeply impressed everyone," Lady Eleanor said softly as she led her son Luther to say goodbye.

“A benevolent ruler will surely be blessed.”

Thales remained expressionless in their presence, at most giving a slight nod.

Until Val Arend, in shackles and escorted by guards, came before him.

“You’ll be in trouble, boy,” Duke Arend scoffed, watching Thales with interest.
"A lot of trouble, a big trouble."

Thales suddenly moved, slowly raising his head to stare intently at the other person:

"Bigger than you?"

Val raised his eyebrows, smiled, said nothing, and then gave instructions to his escorts:

"Let's go, I miss my deluxe single room."

After Val left, Lozano Golov, one of the seven servants, came before him:

"Your Highness, the long-standing problems in Mirror River and Crow Cry Town are not a recent issue, nor are they isolated incidents. They will inevitably affect many parties. Please pay close attention when dealing with them."

Thales nodded, his mind blank.

Viscount Lozano paused slightly, glancing at Golov, who was coordinating things on the other side.

“My younger brother, Jia Lun, is taciturn and reserved. He often works tirelessly, forgetting to eat or sleep, and rarely comes home,” Lozano said, looking at his brother with a complicated expression.

"Please allow him to return for leave regularly so that he can better serve the royal family."

Thales' eyes flickered slightly:
"I will."

Lozano nodded, bowed, and left.

"Is this the end?"

Thales turned around, and Kusder Nanthurst blinked his one eye, looking at the prince with disdain.

“No,” Thales said softly, trying to ignore the dark cloud hanging over him.
"This is just the beginning."

Kusder snorted.

"I will be back in Junlin City soon."

The Duke of Cliffland smirked: "Tonight, among the gifts I brought for you are several unique stones characteristic of Cliffland. Find a few trustworthy people to keep them safe."

Thales frowned in confusion:
"why?"

“Because they are military harbingers,” Gosd said nonchalantly.

"It connects to several military intelligence ravens that have not yet been registered at the post office and are unknown even to the secret service."

Thales exhaled:

Why didn't you say so just now?

Kusder snorted and shook his head:
"Because at that time, your banquet had not yet begun."

He glanced at Marius, who was arranging things not far away:
"Because at that time, you didn't need it."

Thales was taken aback.

But the one-eyed man left without looking back.

People hurried by, saying goodbye repeatedly. Thales, tired and indifferent, watched as today's "unique" banquet came to an end.

Until he saw one of the figures.

Thales took a deep breath, recalling everything that had happened that night.

He smiled.

Amid the clamor of the guests, Thales looked up and called out to the figure preparing to leave:
“My dear Jen!”

The hall fell silent again, and many people stopped and looked in this direction.

In the crowd, the approachable Duke of Iris turned around.

"Your Highness?"

Proper etiquette and elegant demeanor.

Thales looked at him and suddenly said:
You forgot something.

Jenn was immediately stunned:

"Things? I don't understand..."

But the next moment, his expression changed.

Because Thales turned around and, without hesitation, drew the short sword from the table!

Bang!

The metal dagger flew several meters and crashed onto the stone ground, making a continuous sound.

This caused bystanders to quickly move away.

"The sword you brought," Thales said coldly, without any attempt to hide his intentions, in front of everyone:
"Aren't you going to take it back?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed drastically, utterly shocked!
The hall fell completely silent.

Jann opened his eyes slightly, staring at him in surprise.

Amidst the hurried figures of countless people, Thales and Jann's gazes met unobstructed as they passed through the crowd.

Soon, Jenn's gaze lost its surprise, leaving behind a cold sternness.

To confront Thales head-on.

As if by unspoken agreement, after a period of fearful whispers, the remaining guests rushed to leave in droves, including Vogel.

It's as if there's a plague in the banquet hall right now.

Before long, most of the guests in the hall had left.

Marius frowned, waved for the equally surprised royal guards and servants to leave, and then quietly stepped back.

Jann hesitated for a few seconds, then turned around and dismissed his old butler.

“You know, in these six years,”

Thales chuckled softly:
"Did you learn anything from Dragon City, from the Northerners?"

Duke Jann frowned slightly.

He didn't speak, but his expression grew increasingly serious, a far cry from his previous elegance and composure.

In the empty hall, Thales spoke softly, his tone gradually turning grim:

"You fucked them."

Thales stared intently at Jenn, his gaze sharpening:
"They'll fuck you back."

In the chaotic banquet hall, the Duke of Starlake's voice, chillingly cold, echoed in every corner:
"Only heavier."

"Even more ruthless."

"It hurts even more."

In an instant, the banquet hall fell into a suffocating silence.

Only the two people facing each other from afar, using their gazes as swords, dueled in the air.

Until Jenn sighed and chuckled.

"How did you find out?"

Thales did not speak.

He frowned, took a step back, sat down in a chair, and stared at the short sword, his thoughts unreadable.

“You told me that,” the prince hissed.

"Is that so?" Jenn laughed even more heartily, completely unconcerned.

"When?"

A few seconds later, Thales looked up at Jenn again and said seriously:
"Now."

After watching news about the fight against the epidemic all day, I feel like my nerves are overloaded, my threshold has reached its limit, and I'm about to break down.

Writing is still more enjoyable.

What did the Six Dynasties accomplish? Only to serve their own private interests.

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(End of this chapter)