Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 736 That Thing (Part 2)

A moment later, in another room in the Kongming Palace.

"I simply can't believe it."

Jann stared coldly at Thales in front of him: "Tales Star, how could you make such a low-level and stupid mistake?"

Look how happy he is!

Thales, sitting opposite him, coughed upon hearing this:
"So now..."

"You actually let a defenseless little girl with no connections in Emerald City steal your prey right in front of everyone?" Jann asked incredulously, his words dripping with accusation.

No, she's not without a foundation.

Instead, she puts her roots in the ground you can't see.

Thales shrugged:

"She has an Extreme Knight who is at her beck and call."

"And you own an entire Emerald City!"

"A disobedient emerald city."

But Jenn relentlessly criticized him:
"Then why didn't you keep a close eye on her? Why did you let her get involved in such a dangerous game?"

"You mean, you want me to lock her up like you do?"

“We had an agreement, Thales!”

Jenn waved his hand impatiently:

"No matter how bloody we get, it has nothing to do with her. Let her stay away from this mess!"

The other party's attitude was aggressive, and Thales had no choice but to lower his head:
“I know, but this time she made the decision on her own…”

Before he could finish speaking, Thales realized what he meant.

His expression changed, and he retorted suspiciously:

"Wait, something's not right. Why are you the one aggressively accusing me?"

The prince slammed his fist on the table in displeasure.
"Hey! I'm the one who got robbed, the one who should be indignant!"

Jann snorted coldly.

"You brought this upon yourself. It's retribution for sitting in this position, being ambitious but incompetent, having high aspirations but low abilities, acting treacherously and being weak and incompetent."

Jann said coldly, without any sympathy.

Thales took a deep breath.

Great ambition but little talent.

High expectations but low skills.

treachery.

Weak and incompetent.

retribution.

Normally, no matter how harsh or humiliating the insults—even those about being a "star under a skirt"—His Highness could laugh it off without batting an eye. After all, he was a national hero who had endured the barrage of spittle from hundreds of northern men in Valhalla (whose words were always about genitals and family).

Compared to those mindless, venting outbursts of insults, Jenn's rant was so eloquent, reasoned, logical, and earnest that it couldn't help but leave him somewhat speechless...

"The stars are dazzling, but there is a prince like you, truly..."

Jenn was both disappointed and disdainful. At the end, he turned away and lowered his voice, but his hellish senses still caught it:

"It is truly a case of incompetent people in power, which leads to the decline of the nation."

straw bag...

Thales closed his eyes and took another deep breath.

It's okay, it's alright.

Come on, Thales, inhale, exhale, inhale again...

After all, it was his sister who got into trouble. Concern can cloud judgment, so I understand completely.

Let him say a few words and vent his anger.

Breathe in, breathe out...

A country full of incompetent fools—bah! A prince should have the magnanimity to tolerate offense.

No big deal.

Breathe in, breathe out...

It's nothing!
Thales angrily opened his eyes, facing Janne's disdainful expression.

Wait, wait until I recover from this minor setback, and then, with my brilliant strategic skills, I can turn the tide, save the day, and wipe out the enemy's ships and forts with a laugh, before I come back and slap him in the face!

Thales thought fiercely, then slowly exhaled a long breath.

"So, that's how it is."

Thales straightened his face, trying to make his words sound less sarcastic:

"Ms. Cecilia Kevindir is exceptionally brave and resourceful, outwitting even the prince. She single-handedly captured the culprit and brought him to justice, upholding justice for the precarious Emerald City, punishing evil and promoting good, and incidentally, she coerced me into releasing you."

Jann gave a cold laugh, a laugh that was both sarcastic and disdainful.

"As the elder brother, don't you have anything to say?"

“I know you’ve lost face and reputation outside, and you’re furious and want to get back at me,” Jann said without looking at him, “that’s why you came to me.”

Thales choked again.

“Wrong,” he coughed, “In fact, I went to arrest King Lausanne II, and this assassin who obeys Federico, not for any other reason than to cooperate with you, to clear your name as soon as possible, and to remove you from…”

"Cooperation? Really?"

Jenn's tone was disdainful:

"But how come I remember the last time we met, you were putting on airs and saying you needed to 'think about it'?"

Thales gritted his teeth and continued, forcing himself to continue:

"No, what we discussed last time was that you wanted me to show some 'sincerity' before we could move forward with our cooperation..."

“But what I want is Federico,” Jann continued, “is he dead?”

Thales paused involuntarily.

"That's exactly what I was going to say. In fact, our cooperation took a bit of an unexpected turn because of Hilly's impulsiveness and interference."

Jenn frowned and looked back.

Thales smiled and shrugged:

“You see, without King Lausanne II and the information he should have provided, I wouldn’t have been able to close so many murder cases, nor would I have been able to successfully convict and execute Federico, let alone clear your name in arbitration and prove your innocence—”

“You really can’t,” Jenn interrupted him, “or you don’t want to, you can’t bear to?”

Thales remained silent for a moment.

"You mean, after being humiliated and threatened by your sister in front of so many people, losing all face?" The prince raised his voice. "Perhaps all of that."

Jenn's expression turned cold:
"Stop talking nonsense and stop acting, Thales, tell me: What do you want?"

Thales stared at him intently, and after a few seconds, he sighed and spoke.

“Alright. Because of your sister, I have to expend more resources to correct the situation and maintain the increasingly deteriorating Emerald City. Therefore, I believe you need to take some responsibility for Hilaire's impulsiveness and make amends…”

Jenn interrupted him:

“Alright, as long as Federico dies, I will smoothly return power to Kongming Palace. Not to mention making up for or maintaining it, I guarantee to give you a vibrant and wealthy Emerald City, or even the entire South Bank Territory.”

He looked at Thales with an air of self-righteousness.

Thales hesitated for a moment, then paused.

“Look, it’s Federico again. So we’re back to square one,” the prince shook his head. “This won’t work.”

Jann gave him a cold glance and snorted softly.

"Let me see Hilly, and I'll persuade her to return the prisoners to you."

“Okay, as long as I find her first,” Thales agreed readily. “By the way, do you want to see her alive or dead?”

"I was serious."

"Me too!"

Thales's cold rejection made Jann glance at him sideways.

“You have to understand, Little Flower, the problem isn’t with me,” he took a deep breath and tilted his head, “but with her, your good sister, who is hindering me, blackmailing me, creating trouble for me, and preventing Emerald City from returning to normal.”

This time, Jenn stared at him for a long time.

A few seconds later, he gave a disdainful smile.

“Yes, I can imagine,” the Duke of South Bank scoffed. “Once this gets out, the whole Emerald City will probably laugh at us, saying that the dignified Duke of Starlake was completely fooled by a little girl, that ‘the incompetent prince can’t even catch a murderer,’ or ‘the star under the skirt is easily swayed by women,’ and so on…”

Thales's expression changed slightly.

People really say that?

But he didn't show it on his face; he just kept a straight face.

"You think this is funny?"

"There is a little..."

Jenn shook his head and quickly returned to the topic:

"In fact, I mean, it sounds terrible: the second prince acted rashly and returned defeated, not only failing to protect the people in this critical moment, but also allowing a little girl from the Kevindale family to threaten you without hesitation and openly disobey orders, leaving you humiliated and utterly disgraced..."

Thales's brow furrowed deeper and deeper.

Jenn, however, seemed to be getting more and more carried away with his words, a strange smile playing on his lips:
"It is conceivable that the new rulers are incompetent and unable to command respect. From officials and nobles to ordinary people, the public will be very disappointed, their confidence in Emerald City will further decline, and they will begin to believe that Emerald City has indeed deteriorated and will inevitably decline amidst chaos..."

Thales couldn't help but retort:
"So it will be easier for you to manipulate me, force me to compromise and submit to you and your sister, and release you as soon as possible to save Emerald City?"

Jann glanced at him and gave a disdainful snort.

"Believe me, I didn't know beforehand. Hillary was so eager to save lives that she underestimated the impact of her actions."

“However, I’m the one who has to clean up the mess,” Thales said coldly.

Jenn smiled.

“Then you should understand even more, Thales, that your chips are dwindling,” he leaned forward, exuding a subtle sense of threat. “If you lose your wallet, you should try to find it or make money through legitimate means to make up for the loss, instead of getting angry and blackmailing your good neighbor.”

Even if the person who stole my wallet was my neighbor's sister?

"Stop making excuses for your incompetence, Thales. Do you really think your situation would have been better without Hilly's interference? Many things that seem accidental are actually inevitable."

Jenn clicked his tongue and shook his head:

"For rulers, it is always easier to blame others, especially the weak, than to reflect on their own actions."

He squinted:
"However, choosing the easy over the difficult is often the origin of tyranny."

After hearing this, Thales remained silent for a long time.

Jenn refused to back down.

And he was right. After Hillay's outburst, Emerald City was in even greater danger.

He didn't have time.

Thinking of this, the prince raised his eyes.

“Let’s be frank, Jan. With Federico dead, I’ve lost my leverage over you,” Thales said firmly. “That’s something I can’t accept.”

Jenn gave an ambiguous hum.

Thales tapped on the table:

"Unless you show me right now that even if you regain your position as city lord, our previous agreement will still stand."

Jenn smiled and said:
"For example, we'll pay off your debts right now and give you back a complete Emerald City so you can supply the Restoration Palace?"

Thales did not speak.

Jann's smile vanished, and his expression turned cold.

“Then I will lose my leverage over you,” the Duke of Iris retorted, “and you could very well unseat me after that and put Federico in the position.”

Thales frowned:
"So this is a dead end, with no room for negotiation?"

Jann scoffed softly.

“Remember, Thales, you were putting on airs here, trying to blackmail me for every single second. Emerald City and even the South Bank Territory are burning, and rebuilding the burned parts will require even more cost and time.”

Jenn turned his face away.

“And once it’s burned to the ground and completely destroyed, we’ll both suffer,” the Duke of the South Bank scoffed. “Your father won’t be satisfied.”

Seeing the other party's attitude, Thales' heart sank.

He couldn't help but recall Federico's earlier words:

"Please consider my suggestion, Your Highness. Using this matter to manipulate Janin might yield some pleasant surprises."

Thales gently closed his eyes and sighed inwardly.

“He will never be satisfied, no matter what,” the prince said in a low voice.

Jenn turned around, his eyes filled with doubt:
"What did you say?"

Thales opened his eyes and looked up, his expression exhausted.

“You know what? I tried to persuade him the same way,” he shook his head, his voice bitter. “My father.”

Thales let out a long sigh.

“I advised him that his plan to subdue the Western Wilderness had encountered so many unexpected problems, which seemed to be due to his bad luck, but in fact it was all inevitable,” the second prince leaned back in his chair and said with a wry smile, “It is the consequence he deserves for his domineering and aggressive behavior over the years.”

Upon hearing such impressive words as "conquering the Western Wilderness," Jann frowned.

“And I also advised him not to blame others, but to look for the reasons within himself,” Thales said, his gaze fixed, as if talking to himself, “to solve the problem, not the person who caused it—more often than not, they are just the ones who discovered the problem.”

Perhaps because it was the first time he had heard Thales speak of the King so emotionally, Jann was caught off guard and stunned.

“Because, as you said, ‘choosing the easy over the difficult is often the origin of tyranny,’” Thales remarked, “from ‘The Art of Governing’, right?”

"Oh?"

Jann's eyes flickered with slight surprise: "I thought you had only read books written by Northerners, or that mysterious author Hegel who I couldn't find anywhere in my library."

Thales shook his head, offering no further explanation:
"But even when I forced him to abdicate and was exiled from the capital, he still refused to listen to advice. He remained obstinate, insisting on taking Emerald City into his possession as quickly and forcefully as possible, at any cost."

Jann's breath hitched.

“That’s why I volunteered to come, because I know that if we let him do this,” the prince said, his eyes filled with sorrow and despair, “it’s only a matter of time before not only Emerald City is destroyed, but the entire kingdom is destroyed.”

He recalled his confrontation with King Kessel in the Chamber of Ballard and felt utterly weary.

Jenn's eyes darted around:
"Then you shouldn't have come with me at all..."

Thales continued speaking to himself, interrupting him:
"But during this time, whether it was the battles with him, with you, or even with Hilly, I've been exhausted and disheartened—I've had enough."

Really enough.

Thales raised his head and looked directly at the Duke of the South Bank.

“Especially after meeting you today, I understand even more,” the prince gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing with anger, “He absolutely, absolutely will not listen to my advice.”

In that instant, Jenn had a bad feeling.

“As your uncle said, Janne, the strong, especially those in power, never have to and will not back down.”

Thales pressed his knees and slowly stood up.

"And I want to persuade him, or rather, to stop him, there is only one way."

only one.

Thales closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Jann's eyelids twitched, and he instinctively stood up as well: "Taylor, we don't need..."

“That is to return to the Palace of Restoration,” Thales opened his eyes, his gaze firm and his tone resolute, “and to put on that damned—Nine-Star Crown—as soon as possible.”

Nine-star crown.

Jann frowned slightly.

These words seemed to possess some kind of magic; once they were spoken, the entire room fell into a deathly silence, like a tomb.

Even the noise outside the window cannot penetrate it.

It's very depressing.

Thales straightened up and stared intently at Jann.

"So, you have to understand, Jen."

He withdrew his finger and tapped his chest.

“I am Thales, and I am the Second Prince,” he gritted his teeth and spoke with great force, enunciating each word clearly, “Tales is going to be the King’s Star.”

When Jenn first saw Thales like this, he was surprised.

"So, I don't care who sits on your damned Iris Duke's throne, nor do I care who is right and wrong, who is in charge and who is out of charge, between you and Fede in this dispute, and I'm even less interested in who killed whom between your father and his father..."

Jenn met Tyles's gaze and was startled.

"And the only thing I care about..."

Thales raised his finger, his eyes filled with anger and resentment.

"When all this is over, how much of Emerald City's wealth will be left for me to give to the Palace of Restoration in exchange for my—"

At this point, Thales's gaze turned icy.

He pointed to the top of his head:
"Future Crown?"

At that moment, Jenn's expression changed slightly.

"But both Hilly's unexpected actions last night and your perfunctory response now have disappointed and angered me greatly."

Thales took a deep breath, gritting his teeth as he spoke each word:
"If I were to compromise with Hilai because of the declining Emerald City, and clear your name, allowing you, you son of a bitch, to walk out unscathed and regain power, continuing your carefree life, then nothing would have changed. I would have given the Restoration Palace a blank paper..."

"If I refuse to compromise and watch the economy of Emerald City collapse, the rule of the South Bank descend into chaos, and the prosperous Queen's City fall into decline, then what I will hand over to the Restoration Palace will be a red paper that is wrong from beginning to end and will even have points deducted from it..."

"Or worse, imagine if Hilaire really digs out something incredible and the truth from Lausanne II, and counters me with reason and evidence, allowing you to win a fair and square victory... That would be even better, I wouldn't have to hand in anything, I could just tear up the exam paper before returning to the Palace of Restoration."

In stark contrast to his previous composure, at this moment, with each resolute word the prince uttered, Jann's expression inevitably grew more serious.

To this end, Duke Iris coughed, attempting to ease the tension:

"Indeed, you are at a disadvantage facing His Majesty, but you are not necessarily at your wit's end. Many insightful people throughout the kingdom..."

"And do you know what these three situations have in common?" Thales unconsciously raised his voice.

Despite having clashed with him countless times, Jenn suddenly found himself at a loss for how to react when faced with such a serious Thales.

“That is,” Thales took a deep breath and forced an ugly but chilling smile, “no matter which I choose, that damned crown is getting further and further away from me.”

"I could only sit here in despair, watching helplessly as he ran rampant on the throne, pushing the entire kingdom toward..."

“Taylor!” Jenn interrupted him sharply.

Thales suddenly looked up!
"so!"

The prince spoke softly, but each word carried immense weight:
"So I'm really, really, really fed up."

“I know,” Jann tried to explain, “but that’s precisely why you can’t let Emerald City fall into his hands…”

But Thales ignored him.

He simply walked to the door, then turned around and looked sincerely at Jan.

"Therefore, for the sake of what's to come, I have to apologize to you first: Jenn, I'm sorry, but I really, really, really sorry."

He closed his eyes and nodded slightly in apology.

But Jenn sensed something was amiss.

"What do you mean? What are you going to do?"

He got up from his seat and looked at Thales suspiciously.

Thales looked up, smiled wryly, and sighed helplessly.

“I confess, I cannot unravel your financial and ruling trap in Emerald City, nor can I disregard the wishes of the Palace of Restoration,” the prince shook his head, acknowledging his powerlessness. “In this situation, whatever I do is wrong, and Emerald City is descending into chaos day by day. I have no time left; I must…”

Jenn's brow furrowed more and more:
"What are you going to do?"

Thales looked at Jan.

“I know this is hard for you to accept, and it is for me too. I’m not willing either… and even Hilla herself may not be so willing.”

Jenn's eyelids twitched:
"Who are you talking about?"

Thales shook his head wearily:

“But my father will be satisfied, and I believe Emerald City will be too.”

Jenn strode forward to Thales, suppressing his unease and anger:
"Satisfied with what? What are you going to do to Hilly!"

“You won’t budge, and neither will my father, but the Kevin Deer and the Star Family will,” Thales said bitterly. “I’ve made up my mind. If I marry Hilly, then the Emerald City’s predicament will be over…”

Boom!
Before he could finish speaking, Thales, who was caught off guard, felt a numbness on his face and saw a bunch of stars in front of his eyes!
He fell to the ground with a thud, feeling a ringing in his ears, and the numbness in his cheekbone gradually turned into unbearable pain.

"You son of a bitch!"

Jenn's furious roar was deafening:
"impossible!"

Thales painfully propped himself up, touched his cheek, and hissed in pain.

But he still insisted on speaking:
"I'm afraid that's not up to you. If Hilly knew this could save you, she wouldn't have objected..."

boom!
Jenn delivered another powerful punch, this time landing on Thales's arm as he was protecting his face!

"how dare you!"

Thales had never seen the Duke of Iris so out of control.

“I understand your anger, Jenn,” Thales gritted his teeth, blocking Jenn’s next punch, “but I swear, I swear I will treat her well. I will not let her suffer. She will be the most honored queen of the stars, and the Starry Sky royal family will not have disgraced her…”

Enraged, Jenn grabbed him by the collar and yanked him up from the ground, his expression terrifying.
I'm going to fucking kill you!

boom!
With a muffled thud, the door was kicked open, and Wyman, DD, and the others rushed in in a panic, only to be startled by the scene before them: What happened?

"Your Highness—"

"Help!"

"Stop him!"

"Hold him down!"

Although the royal guards were surprised, everyone had experience in handling such matters. Jann was quickly pulled away and separated from Thales. Wyatt looked at the injuries on Thales' face and was shocked.

"This is also the best outcome for Emerald City."

Thales released DD's hand that had helped him up and spoke with difficulty:
"For the kingdom, for the future I want, or even more superficially—for that crown, I must do some things... things I didn't want to do."

On the other side, despite the guards' best efforts to stop him, Jann, in his rage, struggled with unexpected force:
"You dare! No, no, no, you bastard! We had an agreement! We had an agreement! Come back! Come back! I'm going to kill you! Kill you!"

Because of the other party's status and position, the guards usually treated the Duke of the South Bank with great courtesy. Now, although he had offended His Highness the Prince, they did not dare to use force. They could only hold his arm down with difficulty, so the effect was not good, and he almost broke free again.

"You're not allowed to touch her! You're not allowed! I'm going to kill her, I'm going to kill you!"

Just then, a figure suddenly stepped forward, decisively parted the crowd, and faced the furious and struggling Jenn, delivering a heavy punch to his face!
Boom!
Jenn collapsed to the ground with a thud, his roar abruptly ceasing.

Everyone was stunned.

The man who had just given Duke Kevin Deer a sound beating—the prince's attendant, Wyatt Cassel—stood above Jann, breathing heavily and gritting his teeth.

He turned and glared at the others, shouting angrily:

"Is it that difficult?!"

DD, Nehi, Piloga, Morgan, Itariano... No one dared to speak. They all just glanced at each other, awkwardly and guiltily suppressing Jenn.

As time went by, Wyman, though serious and upright, was always kind and tolerant. As a result, the members of the Star Lake Guard were not afraid of him at all. Instead, they got used to joking around with him. Some of the bolder ones, like DD, would even tease him about his personality and family background from time to time.

But for the first time in history, no one dared to look him in the eye.

She simply obediently accepted his reprimand.

Only the civilized and polite Morgan, having seen precedent, happily followed suit, delivering a hard punch to the stomach of the still struggling Jen.

boom!
Wyatt steadied his breathing, turned around, and looked at Thales, whose cheek was red and swollen but who was equally startled. He felt deeply guilty.

"Your Highness, it was all our fault for not protecting you..."

But Thales raised a hand to stop him from speaking, while gesturing for the others to release the dying duke.

He stepped forward, looking at Jenn, whose face was covered in blood and whose eyes were unfocused, with mixed feelings.

"I'm sorry, Jen."

Thales was saddened.

"Really. But I believe... you can understand."

Jann lay on the ground, his bloodshot eyes staring blankly and weakly at Thales.

As everyone waited in hushed silence, Thales shook his head dejectedly, turned around, and left the room. Wyman quickly followed, not forgetting to give Jenn, who was lying on the ground, a fierce glare.

Everyone looked at each other, and then breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally left.

No need to face it anymore...

Just now.

"and many more……"

Jann's voice, barely audible, rang out.

Thales paused and turned around.

Everyone tensed up again.

"Hey," DD, who had been the first to help the prince up but still felt he hadn't gotten the credit, said righteously, grabbing Jann by the collar and raising his fist high, "If you dare to do anything indecent to His Highness again..."

Jann, trembling, pushed him away and stared intently at Thales, who was surrounded by guards.

"Speak, Your Highness Thales..."

His nose was bleeding profusely, and his eyes were bitter and gloomy.
"You, what do you want... what can I do for you?"

In that instant, after seeing the other person's expression, Thales sensed something:
It became.

He won.

As Federico said.

Jenn gave in.

The guards exchanged bewildered glances, wondering what these two powerful figures intended to do after their brawl.

With the problem solved, Thales should have been happy, but looking at Jenn at this moment, he felt complicated and couldn't manage a smile.

He won't believe it.

He recalled his conversation with Federico.

But he has it, so he'll believe it, and that's enough.

That thing.

Thinking of this, and looking at Jenn, who looked like a defeated warrior, Thales' eyes darkened and he felt sorrow.

That's right, Thales.

This is the thing.

At that moment, a voice deep within his heart, carrying an indifferent acceptance of what was to come, silently said to him:
Janne knows you very well.

He certainly didn't believe you were a treacherous villain with no bottom line, willing to exploit his sister and even sacrifice Emerald City.

But he would believe that you would be willing to do anything and sacrifice anything for that crown.

Just as he believed, if it were him...

He would be willing to do something.

This is……

That thing.

(End of this chapter)