Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 646 As Wise as Ever
Thales stared intently at the Seychelles knight on horseback, quickly assessing the current situation.

what happened?

He had just arrived in Emerald City and hadn't even stepped into the Kongming Palace yet.

Is this city so unwelcoming to him?

Of course, a voice inside him whispered: Don't forget why you're here.

Don't forget the ring in your pocket.

People on both sides of the street stopped what they were doing, too intimidated by the imposing presence of the two groups to approach, but they couldn't help but murmur among themselves:

"Was that really a prince? The one who was like Polaris? The one who personally took up a sword at the banquet, causing rivers of blood to flow and wine glasses to shatter all over the floor?"

"Where did you hear that rumor? He only killed one assassin at most!"

"Wow, look at that prince, he's so big, and his expression is like a zombie. He really is a barbarian from the north..."

"Of course, otherwise, how could one survive in a hellish place like Exter, where people eat raw meat and can only hide in caves and eat human flesh in the winter?"

"But you seem to be mistaken. That big guy, although he's a nobleman, doesn't seem to be a prince; he's just a bodyguard..."

"Tsk tsk, they actually need such a big guy as a bodyguard. They must have done too many bad things and are afraid of being targeted. Typical barbarians from the north..."

"Do the cuckolds mean the prince is harboring a fugitive?"

"With such immense power, of course they disregard the law. This is just the tip of the iceberg; who knows what even more despicable things lie beneath..."

"You'd better watch out, or you might get called in by the police station for defamation and slander, and accused of inciting conflict between officials and the public..."

"Since it's neither open and transparent, and no one is allowed to spy on it, of course we can only guess at the dirty stuff..."

"Why do you think the king exiled him? He must have committed a heinous crime! It's just to keep the common people from finding out..."

"Lord Jenn actually wants to marry Miss Hilla off to someone like that. Sigh, what kind of world is this..."

"You think we have a choice? They're from the capital, they want your sister, do you dare refuse? Are you unpatriotic or unsupportive of the royal family?"

At the center of countless gazes, the Star Lake Guard stood firmly in front of the Emerald Legion.

“Your Highness, this matter concerns the face of the royal family, and we cannot show weakness.” Wyatt came to Thales’ side, looking worried.

Thales did not speak.

“But they came prepared and outnumbered us,” Miranda said cautiously, observing his surroundings. “While they may not have our elite troops, the outcome of the battle is still uncertain.”

At the front of the line, Officer Caquere, sandwiched in the middle, earnestly tried to persuade Seychelles and Marius to stop fighting and make peace, but to little avail.

"How about displaying the nine-pointed star flag?" DD had a sudden inspiration. "Although their formation is impressive, they definitely won't dare to make a move against the Starry Sky Royal Family."

The zombie squinted:
"Like when we went to Fuxing Palace last time?"

Doyle's face darkened:
"Can you please not bring that up?"

“No, if we take a hard line, then we will have truly fallen into their trap,” Miranda said coldly. “If we hand them over now, His Highness can still say that he was misled by evil people, but if we take a hard line, then His Highness will become a wicked bully of Yongxing City who harbors evil and bullies others.”

These words silenced everyone at Xinghu Fort.

“So now, if we give them to us, it will be a loss of dignity; if we don’t, it will be seen as bullying us,” Wyman said angrily. “Is this intentional?”

“Yes,” Thales suddenly said, “that was intentional.”

Everyone around glanced at the prince.

"On our first day here, before we've even met anyone, we've already been tricked twice," DD sighed. "Is it really necessary to go to such lengths just because His Highness wants to marry his sister?"

Thales sighed:
"Yes, marrying his sister is really not necessary."

Everyone glanced at the prince again.

“Your Highness,” Miranda was the first to react, “what have you thought of?”

“No, nothing for now,” Thales said absentmindedly. “Who knows in time.”

Miranda fell into deep thought.

Ah, His Highness is starting to ramble on again—this is just so frustrating.

Ah, His Highness is starting to ramble on again—this is the invigorated Wyatt.

“Your Highness Thales,” Seychelles, weary of negotiating with Marius, spoke directly from the Emerald Legion, “we need to carry out official business. Would you do us a favor?”

Thales told him to wait a bit longer and that he would have someone bring Dagor up later.

"So, you told me before that Jen sent you?"

"Your Highness, Your Highness, I... I don't know what happened. Logically speaking, this shouldn't be..." Dagori was covered in sweat, his pleading evident in his words.

Thales snorted softly:
“I suspect that Jenn sent you to approach me not to gather information, but to smear me.”

Dagori swallowed hard.

At the front of the column, the standoff between Marius and Seychelles continued. Even though Officer Caquere had talked himself hoarse, neither of them would budge an inch.

"He may have discovered that you're doing something wrong, for example, that you're embezzling money and taking kickbacks behind his back?"

Dagori was startled by this and vehemently denied it:

"What? Your Highness, I didn't..."

"Don't try to justify yourself, otherwise he wouldn't have been so decisive in sacrificing you."

Thales interrupted him with a serious sentence:

"So, what will happen to you if you get arrested?"

Dagory suddenly remembered something, and his face turned deathly pale:
"Oh, no, the high seas, the ship..."

Thales nodded and sighed:
"Then you're lucky today."

Having said that, Thales turned around and shouted loudly towards the direction of the Green Hats—the Emerald Legion:
"Seychelles Knight, is that right? I remember you!"

The Emerald Legion and the people of Starlake Castle, as well as the onlookers on the street, were all drawn to the scene.

Seychelles looked back at Thales, but her expression was indifferent, and she did not answer.

“Seven years ago, during an assassination attempt in Everstar City,” Thales continued, “you and Duke Jann saved my life and the hope of the kingdom.”

These words sparked quite a discussion among the crowd.

“Is that so?” Seychelles remained unmoved. “I’m sorry, I don’t remember.”

Thales nodded.

They're really tough to deal with.

“Or to be precise, I saved Jenn’s life first,” Thales said, changing the subject, “and then I saved yours, sparing you the shame of dereliction of duty—I guess you don’t remember?”

These words sparked even louder discussions on the street.

"Did this really happen?"

DD asked in confusion, "He saved His Highness's life? Such a great achievement?"

Wyatt, Rolf, Glov, Miranda… everyone from Starlake Castle narrowed their eyes, their gazes toward Seychelles not exactly friendly.

Seychelles frowned, glanced around at the crowd, and wisely avoided engaging in conversation.

"Your Highness, please order your men to make way so that the Emerald Legion can apprehend the criminals."

That's really meticulous.

Thales muttered to himself.

"Don't worry, considering our past relationship," Thales laughed, "I certainly won't hinder your work."

Dagori, who had been somewhat relieved, was startled by these words, and his knees buckled:
"No, Your Highness! Please—"

But the sins of the River of Hell began to burn, and Thales yanked him up from the ground:
"stand up!"

Thales pulled Dagori in front of him and whispered through gritted teeth:
"You're going to suffer in prison, but do you still want to live?"

Dagori was stunned.

At the front of the procession, Seychelles remained unhurried, seemingly pleased to see Dagory pulling and tugging at the prince's ranks, trying to forge even more connections.

“Then use your skills to persuade me to drink,” Thales whispered, “tell me your secret with Janne, and then beg for mercy—not to me, but to him.”

"what?"

“You heard me,” Thales said, his expression unchanged. “Now.”

"But—" Dagory, terrified, wanted to ask again, but a tremendous force surged from Thales's hand, pushing him two meters away and causing him to fall heavily to the ground.

Seychelles snorted softly upon seeing this.

This prince is quite rational.

He at least knew that unnecessary confrontation would only make things worse for him.

"Lord Zhan!"

A bloodcurdling scream, like a pig being slaughtered, came from Dagori:
"You can't do this to me! All these years, I've served you and the Kevin Deer family wholeheartedly, gathering intelligence and distributing information, working tirelessly and loyally..."

The people on the street erupted in another uproar.

Seychelles' expression changed slightly.

"Nonsense!" the knight roared, "Take him down!"

The Emerald Legion was prepared, and its cavalry was about to advance.

"No one is allowed to move!"

Marius suddenly spoke up:
"Protect His Highness!"

Upon receiving the order, the people of Starlake Fort drew their weapons and forced back the Emerald Legion's soldiers.

"Lord Jann, your men made a promise to me back then!"

Dagory, who had been frightened by the soldiers, became even more emboldened upon seeing this. He struggled to his feet and moved toward the Seychelles, cleverly hiding behind Marius.

"As long as I expand my business in the central region and get to know the high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital, the Iris Family and Emerald City will provide me with a continuous stream of funds, raw materials, equipment, distribution channels, and technology—as much as I need!"

He trembled and slipped to the ground, tears streaming down his face, heartbroken.

“Yes, I did a lot of bad things: selling inferior goods, defaulting on debts, bribing officials… but that was his order, all for Kevin Deer! I renege on the grape growers' payment for raw materials, shifted all the book losses onto a few temporary workers who made mistakes, and in the end, I even closed the tavern and secretly ran away to Emerald City, but that was also your wish! It was Duke Janne who ordered me to do it! He said it was necessary, and anyway, it wouldn't affect Emerald City! He said it!”

Thales, standing behind him, rubbed his forehead.

Even at a time like this, they still can't resist shirking responsibility.

Exclamations rose and fell in the streets, and the discussions grew louder and more varied.

Seychelles was both shocked and furious: "Take him down!"

But Marius then deliberately blocked his mount, preventing him from moving forward.

“Duke Jenn, you can’t, you can’t turn your back on us now! You, the people you contacted—Charlie from the Wine Merchants’ Guild, the clerk from the Notary’s Office, and the quarterly reports for the Butler—”

Upon hearing this, Thales suddenly spoke:
"Shut up!"

The prince strode forward and angrily rebuked Dagory:
"Duke Jenn is upright and honest, how could he do such a despicable thing! He will not tolerate your baseless accusations and slander!"

Dagori was startled:
"Your Highness, everything I have said is true. Please, for my sake..."

Thales shouted:

"Shut him up!"

DD paused for a moment, but Miranda on the other side stepped forward first and knocked Dagori unconscious with a scabbard.

“Unbelievable, absolutely outrageous,” Thales exclaimed in surprise, then in anger. “How dare a mere merchant slander our kingdom’s guardian duke with such baseless accusations!”

Seeing that Dagory didn't continue, Seychelles let out a cold snort:
"In that case..."

"This is really unreasonable!"

Thales angrily interrupted him, pointing at the unconscious Dagory on the ground: "Duke Janne has done so much for the kingdom and for the South Bank Territory, yet he has to suffer such slander and defamation from such a despicable person. It is truly infuriating!"

Behind the prince, the people of Starlake Castle stared blankly at Thales, their feelings a mix of emotions.

Miranda coughed slightly:
"The stage presence is too much."

Upon hearing this, Thales quickly adjusted his voice.

Seychelles frowned, instinctively sensing something was wrong: "Since that's the case..."

"How could Jann be involved in such sordid matters? If it weren't for respecting Duke Jann and the laws of Emerald City, I would have killed him with my sword right now!" Thales angrily waved his hand.

DD reacted extremely quickly this time, handing over his sword, but before he could shout "Your Highness, please!", Miranda pressed it back down.

For a moment, Seychelles' expression was complicated: "Since that's the case..."

"In that case, Captain Seychelles!"

Thales finally picked up where Seychelles left off:

"Arrest him now!"

Seychelles frowned: "Of course, someone come here—"

"Let's escort him to the Kongming Palace and confront Duke Janne face to face!"

Thales roared, his voice filled with righteous indignation:
"We swear to restore the Duke's innocence!"

Seychelles was stunned.

Officer Caquere gaped, while Marius turned around and frowned.

what?
The surrounding noise rose again, a cacophony of voices.

"Rest assured, Jen is my friend, and may even become my brother in the future," Thales said without any hesitation, claiming kinship. "I swear to the setting sun, with me, Thales the Star, here, I will not let him suffer any injustice!"

After saying that, Thales snatched the reins from Jenard's hand, grabbed Jenny, and charged forward, startling the Emerald Legion's horses into stamping their feet: "Let's go!"

Seychelles struggled to control his horse's reins and signaled to his fellow riders, whose horses were also out of control, not to bump into the prince. His mind was in turmoil as he anxiously said:

"No, this criminal has nothing to do with the Duke—"

"Oh, I see, you have something you can't say about it!"

Thales, realizing what was happening, pulled Jenny (who was looking at him with a wronged expression) forward while loudly ordering:
"In that case, Starlake Guard, in the name of law and justice, arrest Dagory Moss immediately!"

"Yes!"

Doyle, who had been holding back for so long, finally found an opportunity to use his skills. He roared, took a step forward, and grabbed the wrist of the unconscious Dagor on the ground:
"Arrest complete, Your Highness! The criminal has been captured!"

Wyman frowned and whispered from behind:

"His actions and lines look familiar?"

“The last time we broke into the palace,” Golov reluctantly reminded him, “it was Big Penis.”

The group that had passed through Fuxing Palace suddenly realized what was going on.

Seychelles, desperately reining in his horse, realized what was happening and coughed:
"No, Your Highness, we appreciate your kindness, but Emerald City has its own laws and regulations. We will follow the proper procedures..."

"That would be even better, Captain Seychelles!"

Thales, overjoyed, climbed onto Jenny's saddle:
“I know the courtroom is also in the Kongming Palace, so let’s go straight there. Today I want to see this man tried and confess, and then announce it to the world, in front of the entire Emerald City, to clear Duke Jann’s name of injustice!”

Seychelles struggled to control his inexplicably agitated mount, utterly shocked and speechless.

no……

Propelled by DD, the Star Lake Guards set off in unison, pushing forward with the prince. The Emerald Legion, unsure of what to do, was thrown into disarray.

"Let's go, everyone from the South Bank! Let's go to the Sky Palace!" Doyle tossed Dagori onto the back of the (disgruntled) Golov, stirring up a commotion among the people on the street, with Rolf adding fuel to the fire.

Seychelles ordered his soldiers around, still trying to control the situation.

"Captain Seychelles! This matter concerns the dignity of the kingdom and the reputation of the Duke; it cannot be delayed! Look at the people around here; if we delay even a moment, rumors will spread!"

Thales approached him and asked, seemingly eagerly:

"Now, is there anyone who wants to stop us?"

----

Kongming Palace, the main palace, the reception hall.

A huge portrait of Lenster Kevindeer, the first Guardian Duke of the South Bank from seven hundred years ago, hangs on the wall that you will never miss as soon as you enter the door, while the wall hangings in the hall are covered with tricolor iris patterns.

Jann Kevin Deer sat expressionlessly beneath a portrait of his ancestor, waving away a cup of tea that his butler, Ashford, had brought him.

"Sir, the specific situation is... well, that's how it is."

The Seychelles knight gritted his teeth and looked at Dagory Moss, who was bound tightly to the ground and still unconscious.

Seychelles glanced to the side:
His Highness the Duke of Starlake was sitting diagonally opposite Jann, comfortably sipping tea and grapes while admiring the portrait of the Deadly Iris.

That wretched little...

Jann sighed, drawing Seychelles' attention back.

He looked at Dagori on the ground and snorted coldly.

Meanwhile, across from him, Thales pouted and slurped his tea loudly, making rude and unrefined noises, oblivious to everyone around him.

Jenn frowned.

Don't royalty teach etiquette?
Damn barbarians.

Two seconds later, the butler Ashford appeared silently, took away Thales' teacup, and returned it with a wooden straw attached.

“For children only,” Ashford said with a smile.

day.

Thales felt awkward and put down his teacup.

Standing beside Thales, Marius asked in a low voice, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Thales coughed and turned to cover his mouth slightly:

"Our top priority is to gain a foothold in this hostile town, not to be left besieged and helpless..."

“I can hear you, Your Highness.” Jann’s voice, filled with barely suppressed rage, came through the phone.

Thales sat up straight awkwardly and picked up his teacup again:
"Um, do you have any herbal tea? Here, Thor, have a cup too. Unbelievable, I've finally had some tea that's not bitter or overpowering..."

Jenn let out a heavy sigh.

"Seychelles, take the prisoner away."

The Seychelles, feeling depressed, should be bowing their heads.

Sure enough, that damned boy's voice started crackling again:

"Ah, aren't you going to take him for trial? Let the whole Emerald City see..."

“We have herbal tea here,” Jann said, barely suppressing his temper. “We have teas from all over the world, so please take your time and enjoy them, Your Highness.”

Thales chuckled and nodded:
"of course."

Just as Seychelles and his men were about to take Dagori away, Thales suddenly looked up again: "Hmm?"

The hum made them pause again.

A few seconds later, Jenn exhaled again:

"Seychelles, be civilized."

Thales then beamed with joy and waved for Marius to leave:

"Thor, relax, make yourselves at home, feel right at home."

These words deepened the furrows on Jenn's forehead.

Soon, the large reception room became empty, leaving only Thales and Jenn.

And the deadly iris in that portrait.

"I knew this trick wouldn't be difficult for you."

Once the door closed, Jenn spoke softly.

However, what awaited him was—

Clap!

There was a crisp sound.

Jann frowned as he looked at the shards on the ground: "Those are porcelain cups imported from the Eastern Continent."

I know it's about paying back the debt from last time.

The next second, Thales' smile vanished, and he cut straight to the point:

"what do you mean?"

Jenn didn't care at all: "That's a question I should be asking. You've come to my city..."

“You, you sent that wine merchant with a criminal record to approach me,” Thales stopped talking and met Jann’s eyes. “So he knew I was coming, as did that little count who was dueling for love. They knew in advance that I would be waiting there to enter the city.”

Jann gave a soft snort.

"And you, Your Highness, knowing he had problems, still accepted him into your ranks? This reminds me of that veteran I sent to your ranks seven years ago—what was his name, Jason?"

The Duke of Starlake and the Duke of South Shore met in the air, both equally cold and sharp, yet equally reserved.

It's like the opening round of a sword fight.

“His name is Jenard—you really dare to bring that up.”

Thales remained expressionless.
“I took Morse in because I guessed he was sent by you and that keeping him around might be useful—of course, what happened later confirmed my guess.”

"You guessed it?"

Jenn gave a sarcastic smile: "Or did you already know?"

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” Thales shook his head. “What matters is that Morse is indeed one of your men and has been serving you for many years.”

The Duke of the South Bank looked at him calmly.

“My men have audited Dagory Moss’s assets over the past few years,” Jann did not deny. “To be honest, given all the dirty work he’s done these past few years, the best thing he should do now is leave the country immediately, go into hiding and don’t let me find him again, instead of volunteering to be a spy for you—that’s not normal, is it?”

Damn secret service.

Thales cursed inwardly.

You guys really are here to scam me.

He remained expressionless.
“But according to Morse, you forced him to come close to me.”

Jenn sneered:
“I bet if we interrogate him now, he’ll be crying his eyes out and saying that it was you who forced him to betray me.”

I didn't force you to do it.

Thales thought to himself.

But... it seems about the same.

He coughed and said, "So this time, I suspect he's one of your men, and you suspect he's one of mine. We're just making a mess of things and hurting each other, which is pointless?"

Jenn did not answer.

But a few seconds later, his gaze sharpened.

“I know what tricks you’re playing, my dear prince. Do you think that by turning one of Emerald City’s pawns against me, you can run rampant on my territory and trace the whole thing from the inside out?”

Thales frowned.

Jenn snorted coldly:
"But this chessboard isn't yours, and it's more complicated than you think."

“I’ll return your words. You think that by presenting a sword at a royal banquet you can strike at my weakness and make me look bad?” Thales retorted. “Now, I’m just collecting interest.”

Jenn smiled.

He reached out, grabbed a stack of letters from the side, and tossed them in front of Thales:
"You mean this?"

Thales frowned; he recognized him.

That was a letter from King Kessel on his behalf, addressed as "for breeding"—it seems the only difference between the letter to the Aarond family was the title and salutation.

It's really rough.

Besides this, there is another one of his paintings...

“This portrait isn’t very good,” Thales said with a smirk. “You know, I grow up very fast.”

But the other party didn't mean to joke.

“I don’t care what you’re here for, Thales.”

“I don’t care if you come looking for trouble or to die,” Jann threatened. “But if you come, I’ll welcome you, just like today. If you want to stay, I’ll give you… the proper hospitality—until you get out of my territory.”

entertain.

Thales inwardly curled his lip.

Poor guy.

Does he know?

I came here not just to cause trouble.

It's far from being a personal grudge.

In that instant, Thales vaguely felt the weight of the bone ring in his pocket.

You've come to destroy him.

The voice in my heart said.

For the stars.

“Jane,” Thales said meaningfully after a long silence, “do you and I have to be enemies, fight to the death?”

For a moment, the prince's tone was somewhat low.

Jann caught this, and his eyebrows twitched slightly.

"What do you mean?"

Thales sighed and put down his portrait.

“Okay, Jen, actually, the first thing I did when I got here was…”

“Don’t even think about it,” Jann shook his head slightly. “Hilay isn’t in town; you won’t see her.”

I paused for a moment.

"Actually, I wanted to say that I'm here to apologize, Jen."

Jenn frowned.

"apologize?"

Thales nodded: "I understand your anger about the sword at the royal banquet. You probably think that my actions towards your sister as soon as I returned to the country were revenge and provocation? So you want to retaliate?"

This time, Jenn stared at him for a long time, seemingly surprised yet extremely wary:

"but?"

Thales took a deep breath: "But—let me state upfront, I still resent you using vampires to assassinate me—but what about this, your sister?"

The prince held up the letter that read "Let's mate," and sincerely said:

“I swear, this is not my intention, and I didn’t even write this letter myself.”

Jenn stared at him and gave a soft snort:
"Otherwise, how can you show your contempt and provocation?"

"Okay, would it make you feel better if I wrote it myself?"

"will not."

"That's not right."

The two people in the reception room were silent for a while, seemingly deep in thought.

“Anyway, I apologize for this,” Thales began, shaking his head. “But please believe me, I had no intention of coveting your sister, much less to take revenge on you—I’m not that despicable. I swear it was my father’s idea, and I was unaware of it beforehand; in fact, I only recently learned the truth.”

Jann stared at him, his gaze probing, before finally speaking after a long while.

"Why should I believe you?"

"Because you understand me, just as I understand you."

“You don’t know me,” Jann denied. “Not at all.”

"Then you must believe me."

Thales composed himself: "For what I'm about to tell you."

"And that is?"

Thales took a deep breath.

“Listen carefully, Jann Kevin Deer. I have received highly reliable intelligence,” the Duke of Starlake said solemnly. “Right now in Emerald City, someone is plotting against you.”

The reception room fell silent.

Jan looked at him and suddenly smiled.

“I know this trick: someone wants to harm me, and you just happen to be able to help,” the Duke of South Shore sneered. “So, to save my own life, I’d better cooperate with you and be your confidant?”

"Okay." Thales sighed, somewhat helplessly.

That man is my father.

His words caused Jann's expression to change.

Thales leaned forward, looking intently into Jann's eyes:

“That’s right, the Supreme King of the Star Kingdom, King Kessel V, wants to harm Emerald City—and you.”

"At this moment, here and now."

"Bearing the king's authority."

At that moment, time flowing through the hall seemed to be struck hard by a hammer, shattering its balance and becoming uneven.

Jenn remained expressionless.

But his gaze remained fixed on Thales' face, lingering there for a long time.

It was almost more unbearable than the "covenant" in Thales' pocket.

Thales felt thirsty, but when he looked down, he realized that his cup of tea had been smashed.

He could only sigh.

"So yes, to survive, Janine, you'd better cooperate with me, go on a blind date—"

I paused for a moment.

"Yes, just cooperating is fine."

Jenn didn't say anything.

He simply scrutinized Thales' face again and again.

It's as if there's some code hidden on it that's waiting to be cracked.

"that's it."

Finally, Thales couldn't stand the gaze any longer and stood up:

"If you want to know more, if you're still interested, you know I live—well, even I don't know where I live right now."

Just now.

“How do I know you’re not just making this up?” Jann said softly. “Your father?”

Thales smiled.

“That wine merchant, if what we’re saying is true, then I think he was sent by you, and you think he was turned by me,” Thales shrugged. “But whether he dared to return to Emerald City to face you, or he came here voluntarily to spy on me, there’s something that doesn’t make sense.”

Thales' voice suddenly tightened:

There is only one explanation.

Jann narrowed his eyes: "Kingdom Secret Service."

Thales laughed: "You're not so stupid."

These words made Jann's face turn cold.

“And this letter of marriage proposal that my father wrote to you in my name, as far as I know, he sent to no fewer than ten families,” Thales spread his hands, gesturing to the furnishings in the Emerald City, “but here I am now, in the Emerald City.”

The lines on Jann's face gradually disappeared, revealing no emotion.

Do you think it's because he likes the Jade Festival? Or because he likes you?

Jenn didn't speak; he looked straight ahead, his expression calm.

Just like the ancestors behind us.

Thales couldn't wait any longer, and he sighed:
"Okay, let's get back to the main topic: where does your sister live?"

Jann's gaze shifted, piercing Thales like sharp blades.

“Just kidding,” Thales had to surrender, “Let’s see if you’re still alive.”

But Jenn's gaze remained sharp, almost unbearable.

Thales gave an awkward laugh and walked towards the door.

Ok.

It's at least a gesture.

More things will have to wait until...

"Go find Ashford."

Thales stopped and turned around.

“He will arrange a room for you,” the master of Emerald City said calmly beneath the huge portrait of the Deadly Iris, “and new teacups as well.”

“Uh, thank you?” Thales raised an eyebrow.

Jenn didn't look at him again.

The Duke of the South Bank simply lowered his head again, looking at the pile of broken porcelain shards on the ground.

They lay helplessly on the floor tiles of Kongming Palace, each piece lonely.

Never perfect.

"There's one more thing: Hillay isn't in town."

Jenn said calmly:

"That statement is true."

----

"Your Highness?"

Marius followed Thales as he walked out of the drawing room.

"We are safe."

Thales' smile vanished.

"For the time being, there won't be any petty nobles fighting with me, or any disreputable merchants coming to join me."

Marius remained unfazed: "Only temporarily?"

Thales glanced at him: "Don't set your expectations too high, Thor. Do you know what the hardest thing in the world is?"

"Hmm, reject a wine merchant with obvious problems from joining the team?"

Thales was speechless upon hearing this.

"My dear captain of the guard, can you spare me even a single day from mocking me? Not even a day?"

"Of course, Your Highness. What's the hardest thing? Let me think. Based on your recent experience, I guess it's: lying?"

lie.

Thales was silent for a second.

“Yes, but no,” Thales scoffed. “The hardest thing is mixing lies into the truth and then embedding lies into the truth.”

Marius smiled slightly.

"It doesn't sound like something a human could do."

"Isn't that right—are you calling me inhuman?"

"I wouldn't dare. I mean, only Your Highness could do something so difficult."

"You were indeed insulting me."

"Your Highness is very intelligent."

"How do you manage to praise someone without using a single swear word, while actually insulting them?"

"The key is not me."

"Then who else could it be... You're insulting me again?"

"Your Highness is as wise as ever."

Although it's not a daily update, it can barely be considered a "three-day update" update, right? (Besides, each update is 9000 words.)
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(End of this chapter)