Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 75 The Alliance of the Two Kings
Fuxing Palace.

"Deng - Deng - Deng -"

A hurried sound came from outside the door.

That was the sound of high-heeled leather boots clicking on the stone ground.

"boom!"

The heavy door to the dormitory was suddenly pushed open!

What's wrong with you?!

A clear, angry female voice rang out loudly.

The maid sweeping nearby was so frightened that she immediately lowered her head and hurried towards the door.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of His Majesty's lover, a first-class lady of the court, a once-famous lady of the capital, a legendary guard, whose dramatic life story could fill a book of bard poems—Ginny Barkway.

This dashing court lady stormed into the room, her voice blazing with anger, and shouted at King Catherine V, who was standing by the window:

"Does he really want to murder his own son?!"

Standing by the window, gazing at the masses below the Palace of Restoration, King Kessel V turned slowly around:
“As a king, I have to do this.”

"That's all."

The authoritative voice replied.

"Snapped!"

A loud slap rang out behind me!
The maid dared not linger any longer and left the room, drenched in cold sweat.

"He is not only a prince, but also your bloodline—not the mastermind behind the destruction of the Starry Sky royal family and the harm to the Star Kingdom!" Ginny was furious, showing no remorse for having just slapped the Supreme King of Star Kingdom hard.

Kaiser V touched his slapped cheek, feeling momentarily disoriented.

The past flashed before his eyes: that dashing, imposing "time-limited vigilant officer".

And their first meeting.

That was a slap in the face, wasn't it?

But the High King regained his senses and said calmly and indifferently, "What a coincidence, Yordle said something similar to that boy."

“That boy?” Ginny looked at the king in disbelief. “That’s your only son!”

“Yes, my only son,” Kessel’s eyes flickered with complexity. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, “so I have chosen the best path for him—the trials that a kingdom’s heir must endure.”

Training?

Ginny frowned, looking at the strong man in front of her.

“Without experiencing true hell,” King Catherine V took a deep breath, a chill creeping into his eyes, “how can one be qualified to be a true king?”

Ginny was startled.

hell?

hell.

Ginny sighed deeply: "K, there are some things... we have to learn to get used to, or even... forget."

The king chuckled expressionlessly, "Is that so?"

He stepped forward and looked directly at Ginny: "I heard from Gilbert that you encountered assassins on your way to the Palace of Restoration."

"Can you really get used to or even forget those things?"

Ginny trembled violently and looked at Kessel with a complicated expression.

Ginny raised her trembling hand, placed it on Kessel's shoulder, and stroked his swollen face, saying painfully and sadly:
"K, you can't live in the past forever."

She gently gritted her teeth and said:

"Please."

King Catherine V trembled, and looking at Ginny's tender gaze and pleading eyes, a pang of sorrow welled up in his heart.

“The past is history,” he answered silently. “All I see is the future.”

past.

future.

really?
Ginny bit her lip, and a cute, innocent boy appeared before her eyes.

Her eyes stung, and she almost burst into tears.

The king looked at Ginny and unconsciously clenched his fists.

“As for that man… Thales,” the king gritted his teeth and closed his eyes cruelly, “you don’t need to worry about him. I will prepare everything for him, everything a star needs.”

"He will never... he will never become the next Lydia or Luther..."

Ginny's hand trembled slightly.

She lowered her head slightly, revealing a sorrowful smile.

“You know, over the past twenty years, I’ve endured countless interrogations and seen countless stares.” She gently wrapped her arms around Kessel’s waist and nestled into the king’s broad embrace.

The court lady said sadly, "You Radiant Stars, whether it's Midil or Horace, or even King Eddy, their eyes have always been filled with vigilance, misanthropy, and struggle, both towards the world and towards themselves. And now..."

Leaning against the king's chest, she continued with a pained expression, "After that year, your eyes also saw that same color."

When Kessel heard the names of his two brothers and the late king, sorrow filled his eyes.

“But his eyes are different, I can feel it, he's different from all of you—”

“Even for a seven-year-old boy, this is so unusual…”

The king sighed: That's because the boy hasn't yet experienced what he has...

Ginny murmured, "Even if his mother... was that kind of person."

In that instant, Ginny could feel the strong body she was leaning against stiffen.

"Don't worry, Ginny," the king said, hugging Ginny tightly, his teeth clenched, his face contorted with pain, "He'll be alright..."

He will be safe.

"He will live." "He is not only a descendant of the Star, but also a descendant of the Imperial Family, and the son of that woman—let alone a mere Exter, even if he were in hell, he would grit his teeth and survive!"

----------

"Kill me to avenge Prince Moral and quell King Nunn's hatred—that's what His Majesty said, isn't it?"

Thales walked to the lobby on the first floor, watched Gilbert gesture towards the kitchen, and continued:

"From this perspective, Exter seems to be a very dangerous place. After all, we have the old grudge of the Fortress Treaty, and there was the assassination of the mission. Among the dead was the only heir to their king. King Nunn is furious, and the various lords of Exter are also coveting our territory. Under these circumstances, Prince Star is practically a lamb to the slaughter."

Thales sighed in relief: "But is my current situation any better than my future mission to Exter?"

Gilbert was slightly taken aback.

“As the sole heir of the Starry Sky, I was born to be at odds with all the major lords. Look at Southrest, look at Kevindir, not to mention Aarond who was just imprisoned. After all, if something happens to me, they will have an opportunity.”

Thales walked up the steps, passing the portraits of the three Star Kings, his eyes blank: "Before I appeared, their focus was on His Majesty, but after I appeared, I was destined to be the target of the new generation—even with the strength of the Restoration Palace, we cannot guarantee my safety. There is a Far Eastern proverb: 'A spear in the front is easy to dodge, but a cold arrow in the dark is hard to defend against.'"

"But in comparison, the lords of Exter may want to take advantage of the Stars, or they may dislike me, but they are certainly not to the point of wanting me dead—on the contrary, whoever has the blood of the Star Prince is destined to become the target of everyone's hatred. The entire Stars will be their enemy: the loyal will seek revenge for the royal family, and the ambitious will seek the righteous cause."

“Exter employs an electoral system, where ten grand dukes elect the next co-elected king at an electoral assembly after the death of each co-elected king, who then reigns for life—every grand duke has a chance, and every grand duke also competes with one another; in terms of division, Exter is even more divided than the stars.”

"The Stars may not have recovered their strength and may not be able to match the power of Exter, but under the lure of the crown, they would be more than capable of crushing a single Exter lord together. Moreover, the other Exter lords would probably be happy to stand by and watch their rivals in the election fall."

"In the Far East parlance, I'm like a hot potato. No matter which lord of Exeter has me in their territory, not only can they not harm me, but for their own benefit, the lords will do everything in their power to protect me."

Gilbert raised an eyebrow.

It seems I was indeed overthinking things. After spending so many days together, I can see that His Highness is mature and steady, not someone who would cause me worry.

"In that case, the only thing I need to worry about in Exter is King Nunn."

Thales entered the study, watching the guards bring in lunch. He smiled at Gilbert, whose brow had visibly relaxed, and said, "But perhaps many people overlook one thing: when Prince Moral died among the stars..."

“King Nuen was destined to be an ally of the Starry Sky Royal Family.”

Gilbert finally smiled.

Thales yawned, sat down in the study chair, pushed aside the mess of books and notes on his desk from the night before, and continued confidently:
"In the absence of a direct male heir, Star Realm allows female heirs to inherit their father's titles, territories, and property—our Duchess of Blade's Edge is such a person."

“But women in Exter have no right of succession… Now that the aging King Nunn has lost his only male heir, the succession of Dragonsreach City will be in trouble, and the Walton family has no hope of winning the next election: they are destined to decline.”

“In this situation, if Exter were to wage war against the stars, or kill an equal heir like me, it might alleviate King Nunn’s pain and hatred at losing his only son. But once he calms down, he will realize that this will only lead to the final destruction of the Walton family.”

"The territories that can be acquired through wars or negotiations with the stars are all adjacent to the three Grand Dukes of southern Exter: the Grand Duke of Black Sand Territory, the Grand Duke of Weyland Territory, and the Grand Duke of Rebuilding Tower—all of whom are popular candidates for the next election of kings. Even if the land acquired under these circumstances is given to the Walton family as an exclave, it will be gradually encroached upon by the three Grand Dukes in the near future because it is too close to them."

"In other words, in the conflict between stars and dragons, the three grand dukes, as the biggest beneficiaries, will only grow stronger, while Walton, having lost his direct heir, will only grow weaker under King Nunn—even to the point of eventual demise."

"Under these circumstances, King Nunn can only do everything in his power to prevent the conflict between the stars and the dragons—whether it be war or negotiation—and prevent any territory or resources of the stars from falling into the hands of the three southern dukes, so as to maintain the balance of power among the ten dukes in Exter and ensure that the weakened Walton family does not perish step by step."

"Moreover, to divert the attention of the three southern dukes and exert pressure, is there a more suitable ally than the Star Kingdom, a behemoth that serves as the 'Shield of the Western Continent,' or the prestigious and powerful Star Royal Family? Only by having us, the Star Kingdom or the Star Royal Family, as natural allies and ensuring our recovery and even greater strength can we guarantee the survival of the Walton family and the opportunity for the next election of kings."

“In this situation, their interests are aligned with ours—the Walton family and the Starry Sky Royal Family—more than ever before.”

"Walton and Starstar are already natural allies."

"Presumably, the king's attempt to have King Nunn 'kill' me was merely a tactic to calm him down—once King Nunn's rage subsides, a tacit understanding will sprout in the hearts of both King Nunn and King Kessel. No agreement, no oath, no negotiation is needed; it is a natural alliance."

"The 'Alliance of Two Kings' between the Walton family of the Cloud Dragon Spear Banner and the Brilliant Star family of the Nine-Pointed Star Banner."

Thales sighed deeply: "The two human heroes of the final war, Nekaru and Tormund, their respective descendants, can only cooperate so sincerely when the two nations are more hostile than ever before—how ironic."

Therefore, it can be seen how immature the two nations of Star and Dragon are in this world that is clearly a feudal society but has many unreasonable black technologies. On the surface, the highest ruler holds the country's diplomatic and military power, but in reality, they are walking on thin ice and proceeding cautiously in the life-and-death struggle with local lords.

The state autonomy is pitifully small and painfully weak.

The prince put away a fragment of his past memory, raised his head, and continued:
"Therefore, compared to the seemingly calm but actually dangerous Star Kingdom, the seemingly hostile but actually safe Exter is the best place for me—this must be His Majesty's intention."

hope so.

Thales added a sentence in his mind.

After all… he saw that expressionless king before him… and in that king’s eyes, I saw no kinship.

He snapped out of his daze and said with a smile:
"Therefore, as the representative of the Starry Sky Royal Family, I may be tested by King Nuen in Dragon Sky City, may be harassed by petty people, may be ridiculed by lords, may be used as a bargaining chip in the game against the Star Kingdom, and may even encounter conspiracies from various forces with different motives. However, I am definitely safer than I am at home..."

The next second, Thales' eyes blazed with intense confidence and certainty:
"Therefore, I will definitely live on!"

Gilbert chuckled softly.

But then he raised his head and said seriously, "Since that's what you think, Your Highness, I have nothing to worry about. I've come here today to discuss the selection of the delegation and your attendants."

Thales nodded.

"However, before that—"

Gilbert bowed slightly: "Your Highness, someone wishes to see you."

"See me?" Thales, who had just picked up his knife and fork, raised an eyebrow at the question.

You want to see me now?

“If you’ve come here out of curiosity to see rare animals and hope to meet the last Prince Star,” Thales said nonchalantly, picking up a potato and taking a bite, “please turn me down—be polite, I’ve already offended too many people.”

But Gilbert shook his head:
"No, I think this person is one of the few who came to visit you not because of your status as a prince—in fact, he has been recuperating in the barracks at the back for more than a month."

“You mean…” Thales remembered something and looked up in surprise.

A series of clattering sounds came from outside.

Gilbert nodded and said with emotion, "He was so badly injured that he could only eat through a tube, and even the doctors thought he wouldn't survive. But his will to live was amazing, and we never lacked medicine."

Gilbert stepped aside to let the visitor into his study, and sighed softly:
"Come in, this is the person you insisted on seeing."

"The second prince of the Star Kingdom, His Highness Thales Starlight."

Thales put down his knife and fork, his brow furrowed.

The man's left hand was wrapped in thick bandages and a wooden board, and he was leaning on a pair of crutches. He was clearly not very skilled at it. He struggled to walk into Thales' room, one crutch at a time.

His throat was a tangled mass of flesh and blood with terrible scars, and his legs only reached his knees.

Although he had a full beard, was extremely thin, had cut his hair short, and the tattoos on his face had faded considerably, Thales recognized him immediately—the man who had once wept in despair but was now recovering from serious injuries.

A ghost that flies with the wind.

Midila Rolf.

(End of this chapter)