Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 616 Will Not Succeed
King Kessel paused for a second, then smiled softly.

"I?"

The king put down his knife, seemingly interested but his words were chilling:

"Let me guess, Falkenhausen thinks so too?"

Thales shook his head.

"When branches rot and leaves decay, one must inquire about the root cause."

“If your rule goes wrong, Your Majesty, the first person in the kingdom to pay the price, and the first person to reflect on and take responsibility, is absolutely, and can only be, you.”

A disdainful sneer echoed in the room. He lowered his head again and continued eating.

Thales smiled in return, unperturbed:

"Yes, you probably think that if the kingdom's rule is unsatisfactory and the development of the stars goes wrong, it must be due to the officials' deviation in execution and the poor governance at the lower levels. Minor adjustments and corrections will suffice, and it will not undermine your grand strategy for governing the country, nor will it diminish the wisdom of the officials before you or the sagacity of the monarch seated here?"

"Just like the 'Sand King,' how could it be wrong in your eyes?"

"It must be that the person in charge lacked courage, there must have been a mistake during execution, the enemy must have been too cunning, there must have been unexpected and frequent accidents, it must be... the problem with that unlucky prince."

“However,” Thales’ smile turned cold:
"Only the most simple and kind-hearted people would harbor such naive and beautiful fantasies."

"Only the most insidious and vicious villains could utter such malicious slander."

Thales pointed to the king and said seriously:

"No, the Sand King failed not for any other reason than you, Your Majesty."

His response was the clinking of a knife against a plate.

"Yes," King Kessel replied dismissively, perhaps confident of victory, without even looking up.

"Am I, the King of the Stars, the weakest link in the kingdom?"

But Thales shook his head decisively.

"On the contrary, Your Majesty Kessel."

Thales smashed a spoon onto the plate:

"In fact, you are the strongest link in the kingdom's center."

King Kessel cut the food in two with a single stroke.

He gently raised his head, and the tip of the knife in his field of vision was directly facing Thales's face.

"But that's precisely why we fail."

The prince spoke calmly, as if it were the most common sense imaginable:
"Your Majesty, it is precisely because you are too powerful, too outstanding, too wise, too terrifying, and too decisive."

King Kessel gazed at Thales at the tip of the blade, and remained silent for a moment:

Flattery won't absolve you of your sins.

Thales shook his head, scooped up a spoonful of some kind of broth, and put it in his mouth.

"Think back, Your Majesty, before the 'Sand King,' from the Desert Wars to now, from the Blade Fang Camp to Grace Town, from the 'Emergency Control Order' to the 'Border County Expansion Tax Exemption Order,' from the Wings of Legend to the Standing Army, how many things have you done to the Western Wilderness, how many times have you stabbed them in the back, and they grit their teeth but are helpless?"

Thales raised his head, his voice growing harsher:
"And since when did you replace the treacherous desert as the number one enemy threatening their survival?"

Across the long table, King Kessel's gaze was fixed on the tip of the knife.

"So much so that even today, before you even have a thought to make a move, the Western Wilderness people, like frightened birds, have already prepared hundreds and thousands of contingency plans—nothing else but how to resist the threat of the Restoration Palace. They even dream at night of the royal standing army invading the Western Wilderness in all directions."

"Under such circumstances, Your Majesty, whether it be the army, taxes, land, or rule, whatever you wish to do with that land, the people of the Western Wilderness are determined not to let you have your way."

Thales said coldly:

"So, how could the 'Sand King' succeed? How could he possibly succeed?"

This time, King Kessel remained silent for an exceptionally long time.

Finally, the king slightly raised his head:
You overestimate them.

Thales chuckled and nodded.

"Is it."

"So you think that when you ordered the army to march west, everyone believed they were going to rescue me?"

"Do you really think that the lords of the Western Wilderness have taken your bait and are completely unaware of the conspiracy?"

"You think the main forces of the three major families were spared only because of the Legendary Wings' delay?"

"Do you think that the Kingdom's Secret Service and the Standing Army really messed up the plan because they were incompetent?"

"Who do you think found me in the desert first, you or Falkenhausen, and seized the initiative in the 'Sand King'?"

In that instant, King Kessel's eyes flashed with a sharp light.

Thales sat up straight and said solemnly:
"You underestimated them."

"Your Majesty the King."

King Kessel remained noncommittal, only his eyes flickered.

“I know I’ve made the same mistake before.”

Thales was slightly lost in thought, recalling the past:
“When I escaped from Longxiao City before the New Year, I thought I had done it perfectly and no one could see through it.”

"With the help of the Secret Service, such a complicated political situation, such strange circumstances, and such a coincidental timing, anyone would first suspect that Prince Thales was kidnapped by the forces in Dragon City, rather than sneaking away on his own."

Thales sighed deeply.

“But I was still caught—on the very first day after I escaped from Dragon City.”

King Kessel's eyes flickered.

Thales reached out his left hand, rubbing a bone that didn't look quite right, his brow furrowed as if he were reliving the pain of its cracking.

"I was caught by a brute in Dragon Sky City who was among the best swordsmen in the Western Continent, but whose political intelligence was among the worst in the world."

Thales gave a faint, cold laugh:
"Although it was later proven that the logic by which the Meteorite tracked me was a complete fabrication and utter nonsense—damn Lyran cardboard."

Thales raised his head, his gaze solemn, and looked directly at the king:

"So, just like you, I've lamented my bad luck countless times, cursed the guy who made me slip up, and cursed that stupid, accidental logic, but I've never doubted my own plan or reflected on my own responsibility."

King Kessel remained silent.

“I was wrong,” Thales sighed, his tone both frank and helpless.

"Because no matter how skillful I am or how clever my schemes are, he is destined to catch me at that time and in that place."

“Because during those six wonderful years in Dragon City,” Thales gripped his left arm tightly, looking sullen:

“The Fallen Star Seri Nikolai, he considers me his greatest and most dangerous enemy: he suspects me when something unexpected happens, he is wary of me when attacked, he looks at me when he makes a mistake, and he still thinks of me when I suddenly disappear.”

“Even if it’s just a clogged sewer in Valhalla,” the prince sneered, full of resentment, “in his eyes, it must be me pulling the strings behind the scenes, a grand conspiracy I’ve been plotting for six years.”

"So I got caught and almost got dragged back to Dragon Sky City."

Thales gazed into the unseen distance:
"And I later realized that the reason I was targeted by him was because I had brought this upon myself: on that night of Dragon Blood, I ran amok and turned myself into the most terrifying, bizarre, and dangerous variable in Dragon Sky City in the eyes of others, thus changing the fate of the entire nation of Exter."

The king listened silently, lost in thought.

"The same applies to the Western Wilderness," Thales sighed, returning to the reality before him:
“Especially when they regard you as their greatest enemy, Your Majesty.”

King Kessel pursed his lips.

"them?"

The king said coldly:
"With that group of selfish, bloated, short-sighted, and decadent nobles?"

"They are a disorganized bunch, constantly fighting amongst themselves, and they can't even unite under one banner."

Thales' voice sharpened:
"Then they will be even less likely to be subservient to you and obey your every command!"

King Kessel raised his chin.

"They will do it."

King Kessel's eyes sharpened, and he raised his voice, his tone resolute and unwavering:
"They have to do it."

"They had to."

Thales smiled.

"Yes, just like King Nunn once thought that as long as there was a bloody massacre and a little political maneuvering, the suffering people of the Free Alliance would bow their heads and obey Exter's orders, and would never rebel against his granddaughter a dozen years later and shake up the entire political situation in the North," he said sarcastically.

The next second, the boy's expression turned cold, and his tone changed:
"But do you really think that as long as you are powerful enough and have clever methods, everyone will submit to you and everything will go smoothly?"

"Then why don't you just declare that everyone in the Western Wilderness, from top to bottom, is a traitor and rebel, and order the standing army to attack and wipe them out, so as to secure the borders?"

"Why go to such lengths to bypass the royal council and keep a low profile in advancing the 'Sand King'?"

"Why would you still use me as a pawn and bait to justify your actions?"

Thales paused, looked at the king, and called him by his first name:

"Because you know this principle too, Kessel."

The king frowned.

Looking at King Kessel's profound expression, Thales understood something.

Unlike his previous opponents, this time he cannot face the Iron Fist King with a sword that is gleaming with its sharp edge.

"Faced with domination, a person may cooperate, may be loyal, or may submit," Thales recalled the conversation from his memory:
"But a large group of people? That's like a bottomless beast, an insatiable shark, who will always respond to the ruler in ways that are unexpected and catch you off guard."

The boy pointed behind him:
“If you order Vanguard Maric to whip me, I guarantee he won’t even blink.”

"But what if you give the order to a group of people, such as the entire Royal Guard? I can guarantee that there will be some who hesitate, some who doubt, some who are uneasy, some who are in a difficult position, some who back down, some who are secretly resentful, some who just go through the motions, and some who outwardly comply but inwardly defy."

In that instant, Thales' thoughts returned to the Bone Prison in the Western Wilderness.

I think of those old guards.

King Kessel did not speak; he simply stared intently at Thales.

The boy swallowed hard, stepped back from the past, and continued:

"When your army was ravaging the Western Wilderness, Your Majesty, did you ever imagine that a few months later, the son of one of the Western Wilderness nobles would actually be carrying a sword and break into a banquet, causing chaos and catching the entire kingdom's central government off guard?"

"And when the 'Sand King' failed and you were trapped in the palace with no way out, did you ever think that the master of the Western Wilderness would be crazy and risky to gamble on me, offering up a bargaining chip that was unfavorable to himself, in order to give you another way out?"

King Kessel remained silent, but his expression grew increasingly tense.

Thales leaned back in his chair, looked up at the ceiling, and seemed to be lost in thought.

"As the ruler, Your Majesty, you have countless subjects, from the three most prestigious families to the criminals and prisoners in the Baki Camp, but they will never, ever, ever follow your wishes."

The king squinted his eyes:

“These are not your own words.”

Thales lowered his head, meeting the king's gaze without flinching:
"But this is something you have to admit you can never control—'Sand King' is just one example, and this situation is not limited to the Western Wilderness."

Thales got up from the back of his chair, pushed away his plate, and leaned back against the table.

It was like returning to the battlefield, back to where he had fallen.

"Yes, the orphan of the Amory. She might be able to help you out of your predicament and embarrassment for a while, and the three great families might cooperate with you in a humiliating way to avoid being ruined. But then what? And then what?"

Thales looked grave and repeated:
"and then?"

"What about beyond the Western Wilderness?"

"What about when you reach the Clifflands, the East Sea, the Blade's Edge, and the Northern Border? After the military reforms, as you become stronger and more powerful, and then want to do increasingly outrageous things, you'll inevitably provoke more and more enemies?"

Thales spoke sternly:
"Do you really expect a second Falkenhausen, a second old bone that's both daring and slippery, to accidentally hand over his chips to you and be at your mercy?" Iron Fist King stared intently at Thales, saying nothing, but the emotion in his eyes was different now.

"As for, as for this letter..."

Thales reached out and grabbed the long-forgotten "Petition for the Emerald City Replacement," chuckling.

"What, do you really think that the Lord of Iris, the Duke Guardian of the South Bank, the young Jann Kevindir, is as refined, easy-going, and well-mannered as he appears? And that this inferior horse, hastily made, will successfully pull the chariot, starting from the South Bank Territory, benefiting the entire country, and bringing you the ending you desire?"

The next second, the king's expression changed:
With a sudden burst of strength, Thales tore the letter in two without hesitation!
King Kessel finally spoke, his shock and anger barely concealed: "You—"

But Thales' smile vanished, and he interrupted him:

"Believe me, Your Majesty, even if you send your standing army into the Emerald City's Sky Palace, that cunning Jann—do you know what method he used to get the vampire to catch me back then—will still cause you a lot of trouble, no easier than in the Western Wilderness."

"And this is only the western wilderness, only the southern shore, only the powerful lords here who are annoyed by you, hinder you, and thwart you."

"And next time, there will be other people in other places, countless people, for the same reasons and concerns, who will annoy you, hinder you, and thwart you in more and more varied and unexpected ways."

Thales was exceptionally determined, tearing the letter to shreds without hesitation:

"Not just the 'Sand King,' not just military matters, not limited to lords and vassals, and not just the royal council."

“Going back further, there was the State Affairs Conference six years ago, the ‘rising star’ you thwarted, and Val Arend.”

"Closer still, there's the unexpected royal banquet, and Jenn's hypocritical petition, which has countless hidden traps."

Thales waved his hand, letting the fragments of the letter scatter all over the ground.

King Kessel stared at the fragments from afar, gripping the arm of his chair tightly, his eyes filled with fury.

“Once interests are harmed, rule faces difficulties, and living space is squeezed,” Thales’s voice continued, sounding cold and ruthless:
"Their first reaction will always be to resist and fight back, and their first target will always be the Palace of Restoration."

"It's you."

At that moment, Thales' gaze was like a sword, and he turned on his enemy:
"Because to them, the Iron Fist King is too powerful and too terrifying."

"So powerful that you don't have time to do anything. As long as you're still on the throne, you're already everyone's enemy, and you're bound to face their instinctive vigilance and resistance, whether overtly or covertly."

"Because to them, the Iron-Fisted King is too obvious and too special."

"Now that things have come to this, the excuses and conveniences that the Bloody Year gave you for the 'Revival of the Kingdom' have been exhausted. Your actions can no longer be concealed, and the Palace of Revival has long since surpassed all threats and become their primary enemy without anyone noticing."

King Kessel took a deep breath, suppressing his surging anger, and closed his eyes.

But Thales remained completely unaffected, as if it were all part of the plan:
"So when you look around, you see enemies everywhere; when you take a step forward, every step is arduous."

"Therefore, you will encounter all kinds of misfortunes, both inside and out, and from top to bottom, nothing will go smoothly."

Thales gently shook his head: "No, Your Majesty."

"There's nothing you can do."

"I can't do anything."

His voice was deep and sorrowful:
"Nothing can be done."

The next second, King Kessel suddenly opened his eyes!

"Alarmist."

He said coldly, "Eloquent."

Thales hummed in agreement and spread his hands:

"But there's nothing you can do about it."

The boy's brows gradually furrowed:

"You can defeat them, but you can't destroy them: Faced with a disorganized group and a mess, you are caught in a dilemma and don't know where they will jump out to hinder you, or which link will go wrong. Throughout the 'Sand King' campaign, you seem to be invincible and take the initiative, with no one daring to challenge you. In fact, most of the time you are just swinging your sword in vain and suffering losses in secret."

At that moment, King Kessel's expression turned somewhat ferocious.

But Thales's words continued, unsettlingly:
"And they, they are everywhere in the kingdom, from the highest to the lowest social classes, throughout the entire world, in the east, west, south and north."

"They lurk in every gap of interests, ambitions, desires, positions, and wills, unexpected and unpredictable. They can change from cowardly to fearless, from meek to generous and fanatical, from indifferent and selfish to angry and desperate, and from conservative to bold and enterprising at any time."

"You can never see them: when you swing your sword to kill, your opponent is nowhere to be found, but when you look back, you are surprised to find enemies everywhere."

Thales seemed to remember something and let out a soft hum:
"Like a guard on the streets of a royal capital, it's not enough to just take out the most vicious and ruthless criminals, because he is facing the entire lower city. His enemies are hidden in inaccessible corners and the most inconspicuous mediocrity, taking root and sprouting endlessly, leaving him overwhelmed and powerless."

Thales raised his gaze, looking directly into the king's eyes:
"And you, Your Majesty, what you face..."

"It is the entire star system."

At the end of the long table, the king buried his face in the shadows where the light did not reach.

"When the enemy is weak, we are strong; when the enemy is decayed, we are renewed; when the enemy is scattered, we are united."

Thales said in a deep voice:

"This is your greatest, and only, advantage."

"But when the enemy is divided, we gather; when the enemy is hidden, we reveal ourselves; when the enemy is in the dark, we are in the light; when the enemy is confused, we are clear; when the enemy is numerous, we are few; when the enemy is unorthodox, we are orthodox."

Thales coldly said:
"These are the most painful and difficult predicaments for you."

King Kessel looked at Thales with a strange gaze.

“If you continue as before, and proceed as usual, Your Majesty,” Thales said:
"Then it's not hard to foresee that not only the 'Sand King,' but everything you want in the future will be much more difficult and fraught with obstacles."

The next moment, Thales's gaze sharpened:
"You won't succeed, I'm telling you."

"Whether it's military reform, land investigation, tax increases, centralization of power, or any other nonsense."

You will not succeed.

Thales stared intently at King Kessel, as if trying to dissect the other's skull with his gaze and see into his thoughts:

"Until the day you die with unfulfilled ambitions and resentment, Your Majesty."

He repeated, word by word:
"You will not succeed."

The words fell.

Ballard's Chamber was deathly silent.

For a considerable period of time, Thales and the king faced each other in silence, neither of them uttering a single word.

Finally, King Kessel made a move.

He reached out and grabbed the knife.

Amidst the rustling sounds, the king lowered his head and resumed cutting and eating.

"You've just begun, and you've changed your title," King Kessel said calmly.

"They no longer call me 'father'."

Thales' eyes flickered slightly.

Yes.

"Because I am no longer sitting here as your son, Your Majesty."

The prince remained calm and composed, yet his voice was steady and resolute:

“I am here in the name of the Duke of Starlake to attend the Royal Council and to offer my advice to the esteemed and wise King Kessel.”

The king paused for a second as he cut the meat.

"interesting."

King Kessel's expression was unreadable, but he resumed eating:
"So what's your suggestion?"

Thales took a deep breath and spoke cautiously:
“You know I’m right, you’ve always known.”

“It’s just that you’ve become accustomed to wielding great power and having your word carry weight, so you’re no longer willing to lower yourself and humble yourself,” the prince said, frowning.

"To listen to different voices."

King Kessel picked up a glass of wine, took a sip, and gave a cold snort.

Thales lowered his head and steadied his breathing.

"The old methods no longer work, Your Majesty," the young man said earnestly.

"You need—we need..."

Telston paused for a moment, then reverted to his original statement:
"No, it's still you, only you—you need to change your mindset in the face of this predicament."

King Kessel's eyes flickered almost imperceptibly.

"Get a brain transplant?"

Thales nodded slightly, his expression serious.

"Let me handle the matter in the Western Wilderness, Your Majesty. I will take over and fulfill your wishes."

The king remained silent for a moment, then gave a cold laugh.

"So in the end, it all comes down to the same conditions as before."

He glanced coldly at Thales and said disdainfully:
"The so-called 'changing your mindset' means accepting the deal Falkenhausen makes with me, pushing you out to exchange for his bargaining chips, ultimately causing the royal family to fight each other and destroying the foundation of the Palace of Restoration."

He was rejected again, but this time, Thales didn't react much. He just exhaled, smiled, and shook his head.

"No, screw Falkenhausen."

Thales said with a smile.

King Kessel squinted.

The prince chuckled and said rudely:
To hell with the deal, to hell with the sword, to hell with the chips.

He said sincerely:
"Go to that weird, malicious old man."

“From this moment on, this is no longer his concern, Your Majesty.”

Thales said solemnly:

"But it only concerns you and me."

King Kessel parted a piece of flesh and responded with a cold laugh.

“That is yourself, Duke Thales.”

"Is it your own kindness that's acting up, or your greed that's invading?" The king raised his knife, the tip once again pointing at Thales's cheek in his field of vision.
"You want to advise me to soften my approach and slow down my pace when dealing with those local warlords, and to govern gently and gradually?"

Thales smiled slightly but did not reply.

King Kessel's smile vanished.

“Then I saw it too, and I will return the words to you verbatim,” the Supreme King said coldly.

"You are destined not to succeed."

Thales raised an eyebrow.

King Kessel spoke in a lecturing tone he rarely heard, in a low voice:
“Meditation means compromise, compromise means concession, concession means wavering, wavering means giving up, and giving up…”

King Catherine V paused, then snorted softly:
"That means you've been on the wrong path from the very beginning."

"You will soon be trapped in their seemingly righteous but actually insidious and cunning stance, and you will be unable to control your own destiny."

In that instant, a cold glint flashed in the king's eyes:
“But one day, when you no longer align with their interests, when you no longer echo their voices, when you no longer cater to their desires, you will be opposed, despised, expelled, abandoned, and betrayed by them.”

King Kessel said softly:
"Just like the 'Sand King' back then."

The king paused, then continued slowly:
"And my father."

(End of this chapter)