Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 662 The Self-Righteous Brother

The round-faced, freckled girl grabbed Thales's hand with one hand and skillfully lifted her skirt with the other, revealing a pair of rough, thick walking boots that clashed with her dress. She stomped up the steps with practiced speed and agility.

Where are you taking me?!

"Watch where you're going; if you fall, you won't be compensated."

As soon as he finished speaking, Thales tripped over something and had to focus on climbing the steps, following Hillai to the third floor of the Sunset Temple.

Thales had mixed feelings about the young lady from Kevin Deer who had suddenly appeared last night, and he didn't even know how to treat her.

Without a doubt, Cecilia Kevindeer was not as innocent and naive as depicted in the portrait or as Janne described—at least not when she was cold and unsmiling.

As for her interest and skill in creating atmosphere, diverting attention, and scaring people by dressing up as ghosts, they are beyond the reach of ordinary people and can be described as unique (Taylor was indignant about this).

Secondly, as Jenn's sister, the secret identity she revealed was truly shocking and unbelievable.

However, considering the capabilities of the Kingdom's Secret Service and King Kessel's confident demeanor, the fact that the noblewoman of the Iris family had been turned by the Restoration Palace did not seem so unacceptable.

Moreover, Thales recalled his official reason for coming to Emerald City and realized that it all stemmed from this young girl.

But that's precisely the problem.

Thales calmed himself down and looked at the girl who was dragging him forward.

That night, King Kessel, who had personally visited Starlake Castle, told him that the "covenant" between father and son, which seemed to be separate but was actually united, was destined to be a top secret that could not be told to outsiders, and the Kingdom's secret department was also among those secrets.

But last night, this noble spy, who was authorized by King Kessel, claimed to be from the Kingdom's Secret Service and was fully aware of Thales's purpose in coming to the Emerald City.

This inevitably aroused Thales' suspicions:

What does she know?
What did King Kessel tell her?
How much did she know about her "covenant" with King Kessel?
To what extent can I trust her?

Will this endanger me?
And there's another point—Thales thought of this and his heart sank:
Thales, how do you know that King Kessel did not conceal, deceive, or mislead you regarding the Emerald City or even the "Covenant"?
For example... the existence of Hilay Kevindir?

Or rather, how much else has he been hiding besides this?
To what extent is the so-called "top secret" that "cannot be told to outsiders" valid for the king?

At that moment, a voice deep within my heart, filled with vigilance, quietly reminded me:

Perhaps, perhaps, that was just empty talk from your father to reassure you and make you obedient.

But he himself never cared.

Once there is profit to be made, once the situation demands it, or once there is a better reason, the Iron-Fisted King will not hesitate to betray you, at any cost.

Just like his past attitude towards you.

Or will it be the same in the future?
Thinking about this, Thales became increasingly uneasy.

Before long, they went up a corridor and could vaguely hear a commotion outside the window.

"Ah, we've arrived!"

Hilly went to a door at the end of the corridor and turned the doorknob.

"Huh, it's locked."

Hilly took a step back, snorted coldly, reached into her hair and pulled out a thin hairpin, then moved it toward the door lock.

Amidst the rustling of mechanisms, Thales's expression subtly changed:

"What are you doing?"

"Pick the lock."

"Pick locks in a temple? You're Kevindir, a duke's daughter!"

"What, never seen a noble pick a lock before?" Hilly didn't even turn her head, focusing only on dealing with the lock.

Thales was taken aback, then became indignant:

"Actually, I've actually seen this technique before... Are you sure you can pull it off?"

Hilla waved his hand:

"Shut up and don't bother me."

She pulled out her hair clip, squinted, and waved her hand around the door lock.

“It’s all about attention, about misdirection,” Hilly muttered to himself, his expression focused, his hands waving faster and faster. “That’s right, so all I have to do is redirect the lock’s attention, and when it’s not paying attention, I can open it… one, two, three, four, five…”

Error guidance...

While the lock wasn't looking...

Thales's expression was strange:
"Um, the trick to magic might be this... but are you sure the trick to picking locks is also this?"

Hilaire turned around abruptly, her gaze dark and hostile:
"Are you doubting me?"

Remembering the girl's methods, Thales quickly put on a smile:
"No! I was just pointing out something trivial..."

Just then, the door lock clicked open.

Hilly's expression brightened, and she quickly turned around:

"Look! When the lock wasn't looking!"

Thales looked at the slowly opening door, then at the hairpin still clutched in Hilly's hand, and frowned.

Are you sure you opened it?

Just then, an old man dressed in a priest's robe peeked out from behind the door, cautiously:
"Who—Miss Hillary?"

The old priest behind the door breathed a sigh of relief:

"Hey, I thought it was some audacious little brat... Uh, it's you again, Prince Thales?"

Thales looked at the Chadwi priest he had met not long ago and forced an awkward smile.

“Chadwi,” Hilla said, unsurprised, “I remember telling you to go away from the confessional door, didn’t I?”

"Yes, yes, but..."

Chadwi looked behind him, then at Hilay, his eyes filled with unmistakable grievance:
Isn't that far enough?

Thales followed his gaze and looked back, only to discover that behind the door was the rooftop of the temple.

Hilly pushed open the door and stepped out, looking completely at ease:
"Make room, get out, and go do whatever you need to do."

Chadwi's expression changed:
"But miss, this is one of the few places where you can skip work—"

“Get out now,” Hilly shrugged. “I’ll pretend I didn’t know about your affair with Earl Pingtor’s mother.”

Thales's lips twitched, while Chadwiz's expression changed drastically:
"I—you, you can't do this..."

"Do you want me to tell you which house in the new suburbs you two meet in every Wednesday?"

The next second, Chadwi nimbly darted away and disappeared from their sight.

Thales then followed Hilly onto the rooftop, and was immediately startled:
Citizens crowded into the temple square below, queuing and dividing into sections. Some listened to the sermons of several priests, while others prayed with the priests and received communion.

"You have given so much this year, for yourself, for your family, and even more so for the Emerald City and the Goddess of the Sunset." A priest closed his eyes and led everyone in prayer.

“Repent sincerely, and act in accordance with what you have gained,” a priest proclaimed from a high place, “the setting sun will forgive your sins!”

But no matter which one, they never forget to bring the donation box.

“What is this?” Thales asked.

"Day of Public Prayer".

Hilly nonchalantly leaped onto the edge of the rooftop, her boots dangling in mid-air, causing Thales to frown repeatedly.

It seems she doesn't have a fear of heights.

"While the great men and the rich pray in temples and altars, in churches and sermons, the common people—I mean the poor and the ordinary—pray here."

"I see."

Hilly gave a soft hum:
"The Emerald Festival is a carnival for the whole city, but unfortunately, the Temple of the Setting Sun believes that all revelry—drunkenness, overeating, games, drug abuse, pleasure, and even excessive sexual activity—is a depraved act that violates the doctrine and is an extremely irresponsible manifestation of one's own body and even soul."

Having said that, Hilly braced herself with her arm behind her, leaned her upper body back, and looked up at Thales:
"But here, in the Emerald City, customs and precepts have achieved a clever and convenient balance."

Thales instinctively covered his eyes and turned away, but Hilly did nothing.

"The temple presides over public prayers, and the church is responsible for preaching. They will judge your actions over the past year—which, of course, mostly depends on how much you have donated—and then declare that your seven days of revelry are a well-deserved reward for your dutiful and hard work, as it is, as it is, and as it should be, with Goddess's blessing. So after you have eaten communion, heard the sermon, left the temple and the church, you can go off to drink and revel without any burden or satisfaction."

"So convenient?"

"To be more practical, there's an even more convenient method—celebrate for six days first, then come over drunk on the evening of the seventh day after the celebration to perform public prayers. It's still effective, but the donations might have to double. However, it turns out that the donations on the last day are the highest."

Just as Thales was wondering if he could survive and leave Emerald City if the girl were to fall, and whether Star Kingdom could avoid the brink of civil war, he suddenly realized that Hilaire's strange action was not meant to frighten him again, but rather to reach for something on the ground and lift it up.

“This is… a hookah?” Thales frowned as he looked at the hookah that was being brought up.

"Wow, you have good insight."

"No way, at the Sunset Temple?"

“Chadwi is a heavy smoker, he has a full set of equipment,” Hilla said without even glancing at him, expertly pulling out his tools. “I only need to bring the mouthpiece and tobacco leaves—ah, here are the tobacco leaves he left over, the good stuff imported from Tolo.”

"Jane is one thing... but how come you're so skilled at it too?"

"Who do you think taught my brother to smoke?"

Thales had no choice but to shut up.

Hilaire quickly lit his hookah:
"Want a bite?"

Thales gave an awkward laugh and waved his hand, politely declining.

“I remember now,” Thales said, looking at the hookah. “I met that Chadwi priest a few days ago at a dinner party—he said that ‘only civilized and devout marriages are blessed by the goddess of the sunset,’ and then he made a sarcastic remark that I was neither civilized nor devout.”

“It must have been my brother who instructed him to do it,” Hilla said, taking small puffs of his cigarette. The smoke made him appear elegant and mysterious. “When I was a child, I almost got sent to the temple to be taught etiquette and improve my manners because I played a little joke on the Karabyan sisters.”

"A little joke?" Thales looked skeptical.

"At that time, it was Chadwi who spoke up for me and helped me get away with it."

“Oh, speaking out for justice to get away with it…” Thales’ expression was peculiar. “Don’t you think there’s something wrong with that statement?”

The sun was shining brightly, and Hilly exhaled a puff of smoke:
"It was from then on that I discovered that although the old guy wasn't a devout believer, he had a good taste in tobacco."

If she weren't holding a hookah, the scene would have been quite beautiful.

No, actually, holding a hookah and surrounded by swirling smoke has a unique charm.
Thales shook his head, waved away the smoke, sat down on the ground, and returned to reality:
"Did you learn to smoke from Chadwi?"

Hilaire exhaled another puff of smoke: "You're insulting me, Your Highness. Do you even need to learn this?"

"..."

"In addition, Chadwi has a follower who was originally a street magician, which is why he can appear full of miracles and radiant during rituals and sermons—and of course, I have benefited a lot from him."

I benefited greatly...

Recalling what had happened to him yesterday, Thales swallowed hard.

“Alright, let’s begin,” Hilly said, lounging lazily on the rooftop, basking in the sun. “Now’s the time to ask you anything.”

"Right, right here?"

Thales stepped forward, looked at the crowd below, and said sarcastically:
"That's fantastic! There are at least ten thousand people down there, and they can see us as soon as they look up!"

"No, at most eight thousand."

Does it matter?

Thales suppressed his urge to complain:
"Why didn't we go to that confessional room? It was more secluded..."

“Only those who have been brainwashed by chivalric romances would think that spies meet in airtight, dark places, believing that's the safest way and no one will see them,” Hilla said coldly. “If you want to talk about something in private, it’s best to do it in public, casually and openly, like this.”

"Really? But why do I feel like everyone's watching me?"

"How about we change locations? Find a dark, narrow, and secluded corner, and let something happen? Perfect, I have a few new ideas for scaring people in the dark, and I'm just worried about not having anyone to test them on..."

Thales's expression changed, and he sat up straight:

"You're right, it's fine here."

Hilly stared at him expressionlessly, a hint of mockery in her eyes.

Looking at the strange girl lying in front of him, Thales's brows furrowed even more.

“To be honest, Ms. Kevin Deer, I’ve been thinking about your role since last night.”

“I understand,” Hilla exhaled another puff of smoke. “A good performance always keeps the audience tossing and turning, unable to sleep all night, anxious and unforgettable.”

Thales ignored her ramblings and got straight to the point:
"Besides those coded messages, what else did my father tell you?"

"Are you referring to the parts you should know, or the parts you don't need to know?"

Thales was taken aback:
"Are there parts that I don't need to know?"

Is the second prince, heir to the kingdom, and the king's secret collaborator really just a figurehead?

Hilly shrugged, neither confirming nor denying.

“Okay,” Thales cleared his throat, suppressing his annoyance, “what if I ask you about the former—the part I should know?”

“The stars are revived, the royal power is elevated, and Emerald City and even the South Bank will soon come under royal rule and submit to royal culture,” Hilla answered decisively. “And we will be witnesses to this history, and of course, if things don’t go as planned, we will be participants.”

Witness of history.

Participants.

“I don’t understand,” Thales said, crossing his arms. “Why would he tell you this? The sister of his primary target?”

Hilly turned to the side and waved his pipe at Thales.

“Yes, just like I didn’t understand at first,” the girl exhaled two puffs of white smoke from her nose, “why would His Majesty tell you this? To those in the kingdom who openly oppose him?”

Thales shook his head: "It's not the same."

“But I can understand,” Hilla replied quickly, “because His Majesty needs a surprise force in this mission—there are some things that the Kingdom’s secret police can neither do nor should know.”

Surprise attack.

The Kingdom's secret police can neither do it, nor is it best if they know...

Thales frowned slightly.

“Alright, my turn,” Hilly’s expression changed, becoming aloof. “What did you say to my brother in that suspicious, soundproof little confessional, about me?”

“I…” Thales hesitated for a second, remembering the girl’s threat from last night, “Nothing.” “Oh, I see,” Hilly’s expression was intriguing, “Then what did Jenn say to you?”

"As for Jenn, he said," Thales had to be on his guard with this lady, even more so than with Jenn, "that he did not kill Dagory Moss."

"The wine merchant who followed you into the city?"

“Yes,” Thales stared intently at the girl, trying to glean clues from her face, “So, did you kill him?”

But Hilly shook her head.

"No."

"Really?"

Thales looked skeptical: "You showed up to warn me that 'someone else will do it,' and then Moss died. What a coincidence!"

“Don’t stare at me. More than one thing happened last night,” Hilla said thoughtfully. “So perhaps, perhaps it was the Kingdom’s secret service that did it.”

"Maybe?"

Thales was taken aback: "Aren't you with the Secret Service? Don't you know what they've done?"

“I’m not affiliated with them, how could I possibly know?” Hilly said calmly.

"You're the king's secret agent, how could you not know!"

“And you are the king’s son,” Hilaire said calmly and coldly, “you must know that, right?”

“I—” Telston was momentarily speechless.

The rooftop remained quiet for a long time, with only the sounds of the square able to be heard.

“Alright,” Thales sighed, “at least you know how to contact the Secret Service, right? I need to find out what happened in prison last night…”

"No."

Thales was taken aback again upon hearing this, and asked further:
"what?"

“It’s not that I don’t want to help,” Hillai shook his head indifferently, “but unfortunately, I have no way to contact the Kingdom’s Secret Service.”

"You are the king's secret agent!"

"You are the second prince."

Thales didn't know what an incredulous expression was; all he knew was that he was grimacing and his brow was twitching.

"Then what are we doing here? Two incompetent spies who can't do anything right—"

Hilly raised an eyebrow: "There's only one."

"—Want to see you do magic tricks?" Thales asked incredulously.

“Oh—” Hilla took a leisurely puff of his cigarette, pulled out a ghost mask from under his sleeve, and waved it at him.

Thales shrank back a little.

"you forgot?"

Hilla remained calm, as if it were a trivial matter.
"We're here on a date."

Thales was stunned.

Hilly stared at him intently, expressionless, for a very long time.

Thales, who had been holding his face in his hands for so long, could barely keep going.

A few seconds later, she seemed to see something on Thales' face, and then gave a meaningful hum.

"do not go."

"Don't go to what?" Thales didn't react for a moment.

“Don’t try to find or contact the Kingdom’s Secret Service,” Hilla’s voice drifted away with the smoke in that instant, “My brother not only rules this city, he controls it, owns it, and dominates it to a degree you can’t even imagine.”

Possess it, dominate it...

Thales' expression changed slightly.

“But at the banquet,” he asked tentatively, “Jane was very uneasy, spending the whole night in fear, wary of the King’s next move…”

"I would rather die for a friend than for an enemy."

Hilly interrupted him.

"Do you consider yourself my brother's friend, or his enemy?"

Thales squinted:
"Does someone like him even have friends?"

The girl snorted coldly, ignoring Thales:
"And does my brother consider you his friend or his enemy?"

Thales was stunned.

He was about to speak when Hilly interrupted him again:
"In conclusion, which side of him do you think he will show you?"

Thales' expression vanished, and he fell into deep thought.

Hilly looked at Thales, his gaze deep:

"If you try to contact the secret service, it's fine if you fail, but if you succeed, there's a risk of exposing each other and bringing utter destruction to their operations."

Hilly turned around:

"And I don't need to remind you how important our mission is."

Thales snapped out of his complicated thoughts and took a deep breath.

"In that case, what role should I play here?"

“That’s the part His Majesty meant by ‘you don’t need to know.’” Hillay shrugged.

“Ha, thank you,” Thales said sarcastically, “thank you for telling me that I’m not my dad’s favorite child.”

“Try to look on the bright side. Everyone has their own role to play in this mission, even me,” Hilly scoffed. “Just like His Majesty must have told you that there are certain things that only a prince is entitled to know, and that I ‘don’t need to know,’ right?”

Some things only a prince deserves to know...

Thales forced a confident smile:

"Correct."

No, he didn't say a word to me.

"So, we're even. Are you happier now?"

Thank you, but not at all.

But the next moment, Thales's expression changed.

"Then why?"

He stared at Hilla, who was casually reclining and about to take a puff of his cigarette: "As Kevin Deer, why are you siding with the King against your brother?"

Hilly paused, his hand holding the pipe still.

"Skip that, let's ask another question." The girl said expressionlessly.

Thales squinted.

"So, do you know what fate awaits Jann Kevin Deer, your brother, once our mission is complete?"

Hilly's gaze froze.

"You've broken the rules."

"what?"

Hilly turned to him, her eyes cold:

“I believe that you have disobeyed His Majesty’s instructions and spoken of things that I ‘don’t need to know.’”

His Majesty's instructions...

Thales frowned.

"So that means you actually knew, right?"

He asked:

"So, why?"

Hilly frowned:

"You've asked the same question we just skipped."

On the rooftop of the temple, the boy and girl gazed at each other, silently facing each other.

But a few seconds later, Thales laughed.

"what happened?"

“It’s nothing, I was just thinking,” Thales shook his head, sighing, “If Jenn knew that Emerald City’s greatest enemy came from right beside him, from his closest relatives…”

Hillay's expression turned cold.

"Don't worry, he's not you. Even if the truth comes out in the end, he won't cry."

Thales' expression changed slightly: "What do you mean 'he is not me'?"

Hilai snorted coldly, her freckles twitching slightly.

"Known my brother's personality, he would only grit his teeth, wipe away a tear in an unseen corner, and then raise his head the next second, forcing out a smile that was as fake as could be, yet as real as could be: 'That's wonderful, sister. As expected of Kevin Deer, always loyal to the king and patriotic, never lagging behind! Your brother is proud of you!'"

Hilly turned to Thales:
"Then, while he appears respectful and obedient on the surface, he will continue to devise ways to cause trouble and sabotage in the ways he is best at—why are you looking at me like that?"

“Although your description is strange,” Thales squinted, “my intuition tells me that you might be right.”

Hilly and Thales stared at each other for a few seconds.

“I know what you want to ask, Your Highness.”

Hilly said coldly:
"Yes, that's right, I know, I know what fate my brother will ultimately face in the current situation."

The next second, Hillay's expression hardened:

That's why I'm doing this.

"Because it's the only way to save him."

This time it was Thales's turn to have a change in expression:
"Save him? You're doing this to save Jenn?"

The round-faced girl nodded.

“I’m not a fool, Your Highness, and neither is my brother,” she said, looking up at the sky, her pipe still in her hand. “But when faced with the same situation, many people make different choices.”

“It’s as if His Majesty has given you the power of discretion,” Hillai said, gazing intently at the sun obscured by clouds atop the Temple of Sunset. “And I, as long as I fulfill the mission and goals His Majesty has given me, can, under that premise, do my utmost to reverse the fate of my brother.”

Thales frowned:
"Is that so?"

"if not?"

“I… I thought…” Thales stammered, but Miranda’s image appeared before his eyes.

"You think I wanted to become the duke and steal his position?"

Hilly raised an eyebrow and sneered disdainfully:
"Don't joke around, that seat is very tiring—once you sit in it, you're no longer human."

Thales' heart skipped a beat.

“That makes sense,” the prince sighed. “However, it is precisely those who are still human who envy those who are no longer human.”

“That makes sense,” Hilly nodded in agreement, “but unfortunately few people listen.”

"In that case, why not try talking to Jen?"

Thales couldn't help but say:
"With your help, we can work together to negotiate a deal with him and settle this matter amicably."

"And there's no need for a bloodbath," Thales thought to himself.

"Decent?"

Hilly shook her head.

“Don’t be fooled by his pretentious, gentle, and rational demeanor,” the girl put down her pipe and absentmindedly pulled a rather exotic pendant from her collar—several golden threads spiraling around a red gemstone—“but deep down, Jann is an obnoxious and stubborn guy who will never give up until the very end.”

I will never give up until the very end.

Upon hearing this, Thales fell into deep thought.

Hilly gazed at the slowly rotating pendant:
"Besides, in his eyes, I'm just a clueless little girl, aren't I?"

“That’s why you came to me,” Thales suddenly realized, “to identify yourself, to increase your chances of getting what you want.”

Hilaire clenched the pendant in her hand, her gaze sharp.

"So, can you help me?"

She jumped in front of Thales and slowly extended her right hand:
“That way, I can help you—we can help each other.”

Thales lowered his head, looked at the girl's outstretched hand, and frowned.

“Alright, I’ll add one more thing,” Hilly sighed, withdrawing her hand. “If you help me, I won’t scare you anymore, okay?”

Thales looked at her and suddenly laughed.

"Why are you laughing again?"

Thales shook his head and looked up at the sky—the sun broke through the clouds, forcing him to squint.
“I think Jenn probably thinks he’s been protecting you all along.”

Hillay's expression shifted.

“Maybe,” she said, lowering her head and tucking the pendant inside her collar, “just like all those self-righteous brothers in this world.”

I recently realized something I've been misunderstanding for a long time: the difference between a priest and a rite.

"Sacrifice" refers to sacrificial activities, while "priest" is the person in charge of those activities.

Therefore, expressions such as "Sunset Ritual" in this book should be changed to "Sunset Priest" (this has been corrected in recent chapters). As for the errors in the previous text, let's read a few chapters each day and gradually correct them.

Oh, and also, I was listening to a football match commentary the day before yesterday and realized that all the phrases in this book, "好整以暇" (hǎo zhěng yǐ xiá), were misspelled as "好整似暇" (hǎo zhěng sì xiá). The correct word should be "以" (yǐ) instead of "似" (sì). However, this word doesn't appear very often, so I've already corrected them all.

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(End of this chapter)