Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 99 Unpredictable Fate
Fists and palms meet.

Both Alaka and Sonia trembled slightly.

"puff."

The low, muffled thud sounded just like the sound of a sandbag hitting the ground.

But Thales felt a jolt in his heart, as if a blunt, heavy hammer had struck him!
Is this... the battle between masters of the highest level?

Quiet and simple.

There was not a single wasted effort, nor a single unnecessary movement.

Thales noticed the crowd whispering among themselves.

Many soldiers pointed and whispered about the two men.

"Oh, no—how many times is this?"

"Do they really have to tear each other apart before they can attack from the north?"

The two commanders stood facing each other, neither giving an inch in their stance, their fists and palms locked in a fierce confrontation.

Sonia's eyes turned cold, while Arakka's face was fierce.

The soldiers behind the two men realized what was happening.

"Qiang!"

The veterans behind Sonia drew their swords fiercely and surrounded their commander in an orderly fashion.

"Boom!"

The sword-and-shield soldiers around Arakka, their faces solemn, stepped forward in unison, forming a wall of swords and shields to protect Arakka's flanks.

The two groups of men were filled with murderous intent, glaring at each other with swords drawn.

The chaos in the crowd deepened:

"My God, the Star Guard and the Fury Guard are both here..."

"Didn't the officers on duty deliberately stagger their shifts?"

"Is someone going to die this time?"

"I have a bad feeling."

However, almost everyone watched the conflict between the two commanders with mixed feelings.

"stop!"

Thales frowned and took a step forward.

Everyone turned to look at the prince, whose face was grim.

Thales looked around.

What exactly is going on?

Sonia and Araka...

He sighed.

“That’s what I wanted to say,” Putila whispered from behind. “Only you can step forward, little prince.”

Thales shook his head.

"Step back, soldiers," he shouted to the two tense groups of men.
"For the sake of being fellow Star People, put away your weapons."

But no one paid any attention to him.

Sonia and Arakka both heard him, but the two, looking rather grim, seemed more interested in each other.

Their subordinates behind them—according to the crowd, they seemed to be the Star Guard and the Fury Guard—also stood with unwavering focus and loyalty behind their superiors.

His Highness was left standing there, ignored by everyone.

Putila closed her eyes and shook her head helplessly.

The whispers among the onlookers grew louder, and they pointed and whispered about Thales.

Many people's eyes revealed a mocking smile and disdain.

Is this child their new prince?
Thales felt incredibly embarrassed.

Extremely embarrassing!

Uh, what should we do?
Should we rush up and pull them apart?

however.

Sonia was extremely annoyed, while Alakka seemed to completely disregard him.

We need to find something that will make them care.

His brain was working rapidly.

The conversation between the two of them just now came to mind.

Thales had a sudden thought, and he took a deep breath.

The prince heard his own childish voice proclaim: "I am Thales Star, the second prince of the Star Kingdom."

Thales raised his right hand toward the two groups of people and pointed north.

"Perhaps someone knows—for the peace of the Star Kingdom, and for the lives of everyone in the fortress."

"I will soon be heading north to Exter to avenge their prince."

The soldiers watching erupted in an uproar.

Duanlong Fortress is not an isolated place; news of the National Affairs Conference had already reached here.

Many people looked at Thales with a different kind of expression: pity, resentment, anger, and sighs.

But Sonia and Alaka's eyes remained fixed on each other.

Thales adjusted his breathing, trying to appear casual, and approached the area where they were confronting each other.

“And you two officers, and your subordinates, before you tear out each other’s hearts,” Thales spread his hands, a helpless smile on his face, “for a Prince of the Stars who is about to die…”

"Shouldn't you at least give them some respect?"

"For example, we'll start fighting after I've gone to my death?"

The whispers among the soldiers watching grew louder.

Putila nodded slightly.

Sonia and Arakka noticed that their eyebrows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

But Thales immediately changed his tone, letting out a sarcastic snort:
“Oh, of course, perhaps you’re already used to it,” Thales turned around, looked at the soldiers around him, and casually reached into his pocket.

He prepared to take out the nine-pointed star emblem pin of the Shining Star Royal Family and show it to everyone.

Thales’ next sentence will rely on his surname.

But he couldn't touch the nine-pointed star pin.

In his pocket was only the fang bracelet—a keepsake given to him by the Queen of the Night when she left, a token of the Corleone family.

Thales' smile froze for a fraction of a second.

Damn Cortina...

She didn't give me back my nine-pointed star brooch!
But the prince immediately broke into a smile.

He transformed his helplessness at having "empty pockets" into a "pockets in pockets for a photo" pose, turning around in front of him.

Thales turned back to the two men facing off and laughed mockingly:
"After all, this isn't the first time either of you have seen a shining star..."

"Did he die right in front of me...?"

The voice just fell.

The two people facing off were breathing more rapidly.

Sonia was startled.

Arakka's face showed struggle.

The past flooded their minds.

The voices of the onlookers grew louder and louder:
"so?"

"You've heard, haven't you? They're both..."

"I just don't understand why they can't stand each other..."

One, two, three... Thales counted the seconds in his mind.

Please, have some respect!
His embarrassment returned.

Finally, the two commanders each let out a cold snort and abruptly released each other.

The guards on both sides sheathed their swords, but their expressions remained grim as they looked at each other.

Thales breathed a sigh of relief.

Putila, standing to the side, grinned wickedly and winked at him.

Gilbert would never be so disrespectful.

Thales returned an angry glare.

But he knew the matter was not yet resolved.

“Very well, shall we… first deal with the matter at hand?” Thales rubbed his hands together with a smile and pointed at Willow Ken, who was standing there dumbfounded.

Araka gave an impatient snort: "Do you want to personally judge me, little prince?"

"What, you have a problem with that?" Sonia snorted. "With His Highness's status, he is the most suitable person here."

Thales sighed.

No.

This is more than just a trial.

It could also be due to friction and disagreement between the two commanders.

And—he looked at Willow, who was pleading—it concerned a man's life or death.

He looked up at the officer in charge of the hanging:
"Can anyone corroborate his story? Who did he save?"

The officer in charge, who appeared to have never spoken to anyone from the royal family, took a step back, flattered, and shook his head: “Not a single one… so we all suspect he’s lying.”

Thales frowned.

Not good.

"To determine if he is a deserter... please bring his weapon up."

The officer nodded nervously.

Soon, under everyone's gaze, a pair of wooden sticks, much shorter than spears, were brought forward—these broken sticks still bore dried bloodstains, with only the iron-plated tips barely visible on one side.

On the surface, it does indeed look like a broken spear.

However… Thales looked at the black-haired young man:

"You can use... dual pistols?"

Willow nodded vigorously: "I, I can!"

“Another lie,” the officer shook his head. “No soldier has ever received such training, let alone a fisherman!”

Thales let out a deep breath.

He looked at the soldiers around him with their burning gazes, at Sonia's hopeful eyes, at Arakka's piercing gaze, and at Putila's complex expression.

“If he can use dual pistols skillfully…” Thales pondered.
But at that moment, Alaka snorted softly, interrupting him.

"Whether he was a deserter or not, there's no doubt that he disobeyed orders and ran back on the battlefield," the powerful man said to the prince with a hint of sarcasm.
"What? If he can use dual pistols, are you going to use the privileges of Radiant Star to declare him innocent?"

"Your Highness, the Second Prince?"

Thales was taken aback.

Disobeying orders?

Oops.

"So you're going to execute him outright?" Sonia retorted sharply, her voice cold. "If he's innocent..."

"On the battlefield, no one cares whether you're innocent or not!" Alaka abruptly interrupted her.
"Whether it's to escape or to save someone, if you disobey orders, you will pay the price."

Sonia paused, speechless.

She could only turn her head and look hesitantly at Thales: "I respect your decision, Your Highness."

“Go on,” Alaka said dismissively, looking at Thales. “Pardon him, and then see if he disobeys again—maybe then he’ll kill more than just himself.”

Willow turned ashen-faced and broke out in a cold sweat, his gaze darting back and forth between Arakka and Thales.

Thales frowned.

Trouble.

Arakka, Sonia, Putila, and the surrounding soldiers, including that Willo, all had their eyes on him.

How to do?
Hang him.

What will Sonia and the soldiers around her think?
Forgive him.

Alaka, what about military orders and regulations?
Or perhaps we should simply switch to other forms of punishment.

No, that's not right... Damn it.

Gilbert never taught this...

and many more.

Gilbert?

Thales pondered.

He made a decision.

"Willow Ken".

“I cannot be certain whether you are a deserter,” the second prince said to Willow, “therefore I cannot convict you or hang you.”

Willow breathed a sigh of relief.

"Look, this is where the war started to end..." Arakka scoffed as expected, and as expected, received a glare from Sonia.

Some soldiers who agreed with Arakka began to shake their heads.

But Thales' next words made Willow tense up again.

“But if you really disobeyed the order,” Thales shook his head, “then I cannot exonerate you.”

"I cannot issue a verdict."

The entire room fell silent for a moment.

Then everyone was in an uproar.

Sonia frowned deeply: What does this mean?
"Ha, guilty and innocent?" Arakka sneered.
"So what are you going to do, my prince? How about shortening the noose in half?"

Thales remained expressionless.

He gently raised his hand and clenched his fist.

Let the room quiet down.

“But you said, Willow,” Thales said softly, “that you retreated to save your comrades.”

Willow raised his eyes, his gaze trembling as he looked at the second prince. "Whether you actually did it or not—the spirit is noble."

Thales' voice echoed through the narrow crowd:
"Therefore, I cannot hang you."

Willow was startled and looked at the prince in disbelief.

Thales continued:

"It's not because your actions are innocent or not."

"But I cannot allow others to hesitate to save their comrades because they are afraid of your fate—this is not something to hesitate about."

Thales said calmly.

The way everyone looked at Thales changed.

Sonia's face lit up with joy, while Arakka frowned deeply.

Only Putila's gaze held a complex and profound depth.

"but!"

Thales's expression turned serious, and he said sternly:
"This does not mean you are innocent, nor that you will not have to pay the price for disobeying orders."

"Willon Ken!"

Willow's breathing began to quicken.

"In the battles to come, you must save the lives of more than ten of your comrades," Thales said solemnly.
"Only by doing so can you atone for your crime of disobeying orders and clear yourself of suspicion of desertion."

"Ten!"

Under everyone's gaze, Thales drew his JC dagger, walked expressionlessly behind Willow, and pointed the blade at the rope binding his hands.

Thales took a deep breath and forcefully cut with his hands.

a bit……

Two clicks...

three……

Eh?
Thales was embarrassed to discover that he hadn't used enough force.

At this rate, it would probably take more than ten seconds to cut the rope.

He felt the gazes of those around him.

This is this...

That's really ruining the atmosphere!
Just then, that familiar surge of energy flowed into Thales' hands.

As if his blood had instantly accelerated, the muscles in his right hand twitched, and a much greater force than usual burst forth!

"laugh!"

The rope binding Willow's hands was cut instantly.

Thales sheathed his dagger, forcing himself not to look at the bloody wound he had unintentionally made on the back of Willow's hand—cough cough.

"Therefore, I have traded your future actions for your life and freedom at this moment."

"Do you understand, Willow Ken?"

He looked solemnly at Willow, who had regained his freedom.

Willow, panting, knelt on the ground and looked at Thales.

He opened his trembling lips.

"Yes……"

“Yes… Your Highness Thales!” he exclaimed excitedly.
"Save ten people! I'll remember that!"

“There’s one more request,” Thales said calmly.

Willow was taken aback.

Thales suddenly broke into a long-lost smile and said, "Go and get your dual pistols replaced—they're so worn out they can't even kill a fish in the river."

Willow Ken took three breaths.

Then, he smiled, relieved to have escaped, and nodded frantically, "Yes, yes, I will obey your orders!"

Thales turned his head and looked around.

Sonia smiled and looked at him with satisfaction.

“Very proper, Your Highness.”

The Fortress Flower walked over without any hesitation and, despite Thales's unpleasant expression, picked him up!

It's unclear who started it, but the surrounding soldiers all burst into applause!

"Clap clap clap..."

Some people even started cheering.

Some people were even shouting, "Our prince!"

Sonia laughed, hoisted the ashen-faced Thales onto her shoulder, and vigorously rubbed his head: "A proper Star!"

"Cunning brat." Alaka glanced coldly at Thales, muttered something, and waved his hand before leaving with his men amidst applause.

Only Ada looked puzzled and asked Putila, who was deep in thought, "What did he just do?"

------

When Thales, already weak and even more dizzy after being swayed around by Sonia, was finally put down, he could only weakly tug at Putila's robes and dry heave.

Led by several soldiers, Putila walked with him toward the barracks prepared for the prince, followed by Eda, whose face was once again pale from the cold.

Thales sighed. "I thought the trouble would come after we got to Exter."

But Putila did not respond to him.

“Your Highness,” Putila said quietly, unaware that he had used a respectful form of address:

How did you come up with that method?

Thales was taken aback: Huh?
"Should we spare that soldier for now and let him contribute in the future?" Putila said as he walked.

“Well, this idea,” Thales rubbed his frozen red hands and breathed out a puff of warm air, “was actually told to me by Gilbert, and it’s related to my uncle, Midil Star.”

Putila's expression shifted, and his brow furrowed.

“Gilbert said he once botched a diplomatic mission because of poor cooperation with his colleagues,” Thales recalled, not noticing Putila’s expression. “But instead of punishing him, His Highness Midil made him incur a ‘debt’ to the stars, to be repaid with many times more merit in the future.”

Putila frowned deeply, while Thales raised an eyebrow:

"There is also a saying in the Far East about 'making amends for sins with merits'—but that only applies to important figures. Low-ranking soldiers like Willow can't say that directly, so they have to use the reason of saving their comrades to persuade others."

“But this isn’t a good solution,” Thales shrugged. “Think about it, what if all the deserters came back saying: I did it to save my comrades…”

“So, you are imitating His Highness Midil?” Putila didn’t listen to him speak, but slowly said, “Gilbert probably hopes that you will become the next Midil.”

Thales was taken aback.

“Uh,” he scratched his head, “this probably affected Gilbert a lot.”

“Ah, yes,” Putila sighed thoughtfully. “Gilbert did indeed save the entire planet in the negotiations of the Fortress Treaty, making amends for his sin of alienating the Steel City—otherwise, according to the laws at the time, this would have been enough to put him in jail.”

Thales turned his head curiously: "Oh, Putila...you know about this too?"

“Of course, Your Highness,” Putilai seemed to have gotten used to addressing him as Your Highness, and said calmly, “Gilbert did not mess up that matter back then because of poor cooperation with his colleagues.”

Thales opened his eyes wide.

“Gilbert was just a descendant of a fallen noble family. He was a newcomer to the Foreign Affairs Department as a prince’s attendant, and was ostracized and even deliberately framed by his colleagues, which is why he ended up in such a state,” Putila sighed.

"Huh?" Thales asked in surprise, "Really?"

Putila nodded slowly: "That's why he later devoted himself to the stars... He believed that this was a debt he owed to Midil and to the stars."

“Everyone has their own life journey, and circumstances are unpredictable,” Thales sighed, shrugging casually. “He told you about it?”

“No, he didn’t,” Putila said, her eyes deep, her words tinged with a hint of sorrow and regret.

“But I know more than he does.”

Thales looked up.

Putila took a deep breath and slowly uttered the words:
"because……"

“I was the one who ostracized and framed him in the Foreign Affairs Department back then.”

Thales was stunned.

so awkward.

“Well, this,” he said awkwardly, “perhaps, if you hadn’t done that back then, Gilbert wouldn’t have become such an outstanding diplomat and political officer.”

“Yes, perhaps,” Putila said bitterly, “Star is lucky to have someone as outstanding and selfless as him…”

"No!"

A familiar voice came from behind me.

He seemed to be suppressing his anger.

Thales and Putila turned their heads in surprise.

Behind them stood Wyatt Cassel, the second prince's attendant, looking displeased.

“Wyatt…” Thales began, puzzled.

Is he... angry?
“Your Highness!” Wyatt seemed to be struggling to control his emotions. He took two deep breaths before regaining his composure and slowly said, “Jora…Jora is dying.”

Thales' expression suddenly changed.

------

Jorah, the leader of the Star Family's private army, was lying pale-faced on his bed in the barracks.

“I…I have a sister,” Jorah said, her eyes unfocused and her mind incoherent, “in the capital, in the capital…”

“Your Highness,” Wyatt Castle, his face bandaged, said regretfully, “the vampires injured him too badly…”

Thales let out a long sigh: "Is there no other way?"

“We’ve searched all the medics in the fortress.” Wyman shook his head, his face sorrowful. “But they’re just medics; they probably don’t have that kind of medical skill…”

Thales frowned: "Are there any other doctors?"

Putila frowned: "Coldburg is the closest, and there are doctors there. But... I'm afraid it's too late."

"Moreover, the Exter people have cleared it out... In short, the roads are very unsafe."

“Let’s accept reality,” Ada sighed from under her cloak. “At least let him leave in peace, without any regrets on his journey to the River of Hell.”

Thales looked at Jorah on the bed and remembered the first time he had made Jorah laugh in the Mindis Hall.

He also led his swordsmen in battle against the mercenaries.

Together with his colleagues, he stood between himself and Serena.

And then there's the battle in the birch forest against the vampires...

He closed his eyes sadly.

hateful.

"Your Highness Thales!"

Everyone turned around.

At the entrance of the barracks stood a young man with black hair and brown eyes.

It's Willow Ken.

That "deserter" who almost got hanged.

Willow bowed respectfully to Thales, a grateful smile on his face: "It's such a pleasure to see you! I was sent to inform you..."

He glanced into the barracks and saw Jorah lying on the verge of death.

Willow immediately suppressed his smile and said tremblingly, "Um... well... the two commanders request that you and the deputy envoy come over..."

Thales sighed, looking at Jora on the bed with a heavy heart.

He nodded and walked out of the room with Putila and Eda.

“Those are…” Willo asked cautiously, “Your Highness, your subordinates?”

"Yes, but we can't save him."

“I hope he leaves in peace.” Thales said absentmindedly, “Willow, how did you become a handyman?”

“Hey,” Willow shrugged, looking exasperated, “After all… a lot of people still think I’m a deserter…”

Thales nodded absentmindedly, but then stopped in his tracks.

No.

"Let the commanders wait a moment, I'll see him off on his final journey."

"He died for me..."

Thales turned around sadly and looked at Jorah, who was on his deathbed.

Putila shook his head and waved to Viro.

Thales walked back to the bedside, looked at Jora who was muttering inexplicably, and clenched his fist.

If Jorah, and the other Star Guardians who sacrificed themselves in the birch forest, hadn't followed me...

Ugh.

Just now.

"Your Highness... um..."

Willow couldn't help but speak up.

Putila and the others looked at him with displeasure.

“Please don’t rush me,” Wyman said unhappily. “Give death some dignity—even if you are the ferryman of the River Hell.”

“No,” Willow waved his hand anxiously.
“Yesterday I was mistaken for a deserter and thrown into the dungeon… that dungeon…”

“Now is not the time to express gratitude,” Putila said, frowning.

“Oh no, that’s not right,” Willow shook his head, panting.

"I met someone in the dungeon, someone who was locked up as a suspect..."

The young soldier shouted:

"That person said..."

"He's a doctor!"

Thales and the others were startled and looked at Willow.

"Yes, he also said his name is... Ramon!"

Willow finally spoke, scratching his head and breaking into a hearty smile:

"Still a doctor from the capital."

"According to him... his medical skills are superb."

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(End of this chapter)