Looking at King Charman's steady and indifferent expression, Thales, who was sweating coldly, suddenly realized this sadly.
Even though he thought he had been very vigilant in the past six years, and he was also wary of the eyes and whispers of the Northlanders, but compared with the days when dangers were everywhere and forced him to fight with all his strength, the prince's current life is still too comfortable.
, so leisurely.
I don’t know since when, even Thales didn’t realize that he had unknowingly become accustomed to such a comfortable rhythm, so that he suddenly faced a terrifying and powerful enemy like Charmaine Lombard, especially when he was more powerful than he was six years ago.
In the thrilling game, he seemed to be at a loss as he had been away from the "battlefield" for a long time and was unable to do what he wanted.
Thales even began to suspect that the reason why Lomba suddenly and boldly came to him at this time was to catch the unprepared prince off guard.
"You know," across the carriage, King Charman didn't care about the prince's expression. He nodded with satisfaction:
"It's a good thing you admitted it instead of playing dumb."
There was a dangerous light in his eyes: "It saves me from 'field testing' the power of this truth."
Thales's face became even more ugly.
For six years, Thales breathed in a trance and stood at the top of the country as Lumba stood at the top of the country. In the desperate struggle with the Grand Duke and the vassals, he refined himself and became more sophisticated and skillful. If he makes one careless move, he will lose everything.
But he himself, the prince of the stars, a chess piece called a guest but actually a hostage, was imprisoned at the highest point of this famous city by the king's order for six full years.
Accompanied and protected by his guards, under the supervision and isolation of many forces, he lived in silence and solitude, accompanied by books and servants.
He cannot contact more people or obtain further information. He stays away from the most dangerous and complex games, and is confused and corrupted in the illusion of peace created.
In a way, Lombard won. He fought hard for six years and took six years away from me.
Thales clenched his fists.
Maybe... there was a little voice in Thales's heart calling: Maybe it's time for me to leave.
Leave Longxiao City and return to...
but.
Thales gently raised his eyes and looked into King Charman's eyes expressionlessly.
Breathe, Thales, breathe.
The chess game is not over yet, it is not time to give up yet.
In fact, the battle has just begun.
Right, old friend?
The familiar sin of the Hell River radiated in his nerves and blood vessels, spreading throughout his body, like the fire of hell and the frost of the far north, stinging Thales.
Think about it carefully, Thales.
Fear, tension, frustration, frustration, surprise, and countless unnecessary emotions left him instantly.
Thales leaned back on the seat, crossed his arms, and frowned.
First of all, Thales thought coldly: Rumba said that the Scarlet Witch didn't tell him even a word.
is this real?
If it is true, it means that the king learned the biggest secret of Longxiao City from another channel.
He needs confirmation.
King Charman waited patiently and thoughtfully for the prince's response, as if everything was under control.
"You're not sure either, are you?"
"For this bargaining chip that can overturn Longxiao City and yourself at the same time, the 'field test' and so on are just talk," Thales said expressionlessly: "Since when did you start to doubt it?"
King Charman's eyes showed a considerable degree of interest.
"From day one."
Thales gritted his teeth: The first day, that is to say...
"'Triumph' is a token given to Nekaru by the Revival King. It has a high status and is of extraordinary significance: for many years, it has symbolized the inheritance of Walton and the authority of Longxiao City, and has been worn by successive Grand Dukes of Longxiao City.
It has been passed down from generation to generation and everyone knows it.”
The king's voice came out coldly, giving people a chilling illusion: "But that night, when my men carried Nun's body away, his fingers were empty."
"Until I saw you put a ring on that girl in the Hall of Heroes."
Thales moved slightly, remembering the confrontation in the hall.
"Do you suspect that I took the ring in private and put it on for Thelma?" The prince said softly, "It seems a bit arbitrary?"
King Charmaine shook his head.
"No, I don't think those former White Blade Guards have the guts to desecrate the corpse of the late king, nor do I think they will allow you to remove the supreme token representing the Walton family from Nunn's corpse."
"Therefore, the 'Triumph' could only have been taken off King Nuen's finger when he was still alive and given to his granddaughter."
The look in King Charman's eyes became more and more dangerous: "That would be even more suspicious."
Thales looked stern, he figured out the key.
The news about Rumba did not come from the dark room and the Scarlet Witch.
This terrible hero found this secret on his own.
In this case……
The king snorted coldly: "Nun couldn't have known that he was about to die. Why would he hastily peel off the ring that represents the Dragonlance family, and privately and secretly hand it over to a girl who can't even be trusted by the vassals?"
"Wouldn't it be better to summon the vassals in public, pass the ring in front of everyone, determine the heir, and use the authority of the natural king to endorse the inheritance of the Grand Duke and pave the way for the Grand Duke?"
"Then I thought of you," King Charman said silently: "You were also in Longxiao City on the day when the late king privately passed the ring of triumph to his granddaughter."
"Tiles Bright Star."
The prince lowered his head to prevent the other party from seeing his expression clearly.
"That night, the reason why the late king wanted to pass the ring to his granddaughter was because he wanted you to see it and also the Canxing family to see it, right?"
"He chose you, Thales," strangely enough, King Charman's voice was filled with respect and disdain at the same time: "Because of the status of the Bright Star Family and the King of Stars, and also because of the specialness you showed that night.
He chose you to be the husband of his granddaughter and the husband of the future Grand Duke. After his death, you will use the power of the stars to continue the rule of the Dragon Spear family over Longxiao City and protect your wife's family."
The prince could hear his heart beating at a steady pace.
At that moment, the once-familiar thinking pattern returned to Thales' mind.
In the conversation just now, he first tested whether Selma and I were engaged.
Then, he asked about my alliance with King Nun.
It’s both…
"For many years, I have been full of doubts about the formation of this alliance between you," King Charman said coldly: "You are right about one thing. How can Thales, the heir to the Kingdom of Stars, with so many objections?
The Grand Duke of Longxiao City is getting married?"
The king gradually approached Thales' face, and the prince could even see himself reflected in his eyes.
"Two doubtful points."
"First of all, how could you possibly believe that when King Nun was about to die, this fragile alliance was still effective and profitable in the face of many obstacles? Moreover, with a fragile marriage, Eternal Star City could really intervene in the dragon
Xiaocheng?"
"Secondly, how can King Nunn ensure that what he does is not to lure wolves into the house, and that the covenant reached will not fall apart after his death? How can he ensure that Xingchen will not betray his trust, seize profits and run away at the same time, or even attack Ein
Buster, send the Walton family and Longxiao City to hell?"
King Charman sat back in his seat, and his powerful words came to an end.
Leaving behind endless silence and deep thoughts in the carriage.
Thales narrowed his eyes slightly.
Very well, Lombard's words, "not the real Walton blood", do not mean that he knows the whole truth.
On that cruel night six years ago, what happened in the Hall of Heroes was not just as simple as the old king giving his surname to a girl who was not of his blood.
That night.
Alex's pale face appeared in front of Thales' eyes.
He turned his attention back to the king.
In this way, the only fact that Rumba can confirm is...
From now on, it's up to him to make his own decisions.
In the dim carriage, Thales took a deep breath.
"A good guess," Star Prince carefully considered his words, reminding himself every second of the existence of the opponent he faced: "But there is still a link missing."
King Charmaine raised his eyebrows.
Just listen to Thales say calmly: "Chloë Ash, how many things did she tell you?"
The carriage fell into silence.
The prince waited patiently.
Sure enough, the next moment, King Charman's face moved, and an emotion similar to surprise appeared in his eyes.
"interesting."
King Charman seemed a little unexpected: "How did you know?"
No, I do not know.
Thales said silently in his heart.
Until you confirmed this for me.
"Cambida's audience," Thales replied simply: "The cold-faced female warrior behaved very abnormally, her irritability when facing the herald, her attitude towards Cambida, and finally towards the Grand Duchess.
Those incomprehensible words she said, and of course, her eagerness to invite me into the car without hesitation."
King Charman looked at him silently, and after a few seconds, King Gongju sneered softly.
"Ashe is a very interesting girl."
"I have never seen anyone as arrogant as Elasa. Who has been so fascinated by a woman? I guess the Tower of the End does have its own tricks, right? A long time ago, Kaslan was also fascinated by a woman from the Tower of the End."
Thales shook his head, not wanting to listen to the king's nonsense, and went straight to the point: "I guess she introduced you to her father, Lord Byrne Michael?"
King Charman's eyelids twitched.
"Not exactly," the king snorted: "When we were discussing the Freedom Alliance, we accidentally talked about the eldest son of King Suriel Walton who broke the Castle of Freedom."
"My lovely deputy captain told me how she grew up under the care of the prince's concubine, Lady Adele."
"Of course, among them is her father, the late king's loyal officer Byrne Michael," King Charman said solemnly: "And how he tried his best to mediate in the unfortunate marriage of Prince Suril and his wife, while protecting the poor
The prince and concubine who persuaded the cruel prince."
I see.
Thales thought silently, but then his heart moved.
wrong.
If Crowe had known about it from the beginning, there would have been no need to wait until...
"Who discovered the problem?"
The prince asked calmly: "You can't confirm anything based on the memories of a little girl."
King Charmaine was silent for three seconds.
It was so long that Thales couldn't help but frown.
This time, Charmaine Lombard's voice was very soft, as if coming from afar, or as if he was afraid of waking up the sleeping baby: "It's Harold."
Thales was startled.
"Harold?"
Wait, he means...
The king sneered with an unknown emotion, which seemed either sad or angry.
"When Prince Suriel was assassinated, my brother, Harold Lombard, was the first one on the scene. Of course, the assassin was hiding in his ranks, remember?"
King Charman's voice slowly returned to calmness, as if he was describing something that happened in someone else's family:
"Harold once described the tragedy to me: the prince fell in the carriage covered in blood, and his body was cold. His personal guards held the body of the princess and knelt outside the carriage, looking at the girl in her arms.
Baby, I cried so hard that my heart broke."
Thales said nothing.
Lumba sneered: "Ilasa is very interested in this detail: why did the White Blade Guards and later the officer Lord Michael seem to care more about the prince and concubine?"
The prince looked stern, he was getting closer and closer.
"Following this thread, Erasa also discovered that after the king was chosen, the Grand Duchess ascended the throne, but Meier, who had been diligently guarding Miss Walton for the past twelve years, should have continued to protect Longxiao City with her life.
Ke became an official but disappeared since then. For six years, even Ai Xi did not know the whereabouts of her father, as if he had become disheartened overnight and gave up everything, including his blade oath and loyalty."
The king's words continued:
"Soon, he found more: some of the servants and guards in a certain area of the Palace of Heroes had either disappeared or been killed in the disaster six years ago. No one was left, and they happened to be the Grand Duchess.
That is, the baby girl’s personal attendant.”
"Viscount Lasa Cambida," Thales sighed: "Is this why people call him 'Night Falcon'? It makes sense. He is good at hunting with his eyes open in the deep dark night that ordinary people don't care about?
"
The king shook his head and did not answer.
"Ilasa made a bold guess, for which Croash beat him three times: the current Grand Duchess of Longxiao City is not her father's daughter, but the blood of the official Michael."
King Charmaine's eyes shone with a terrifying cold light: "I guess, in order to protect the secret of the bloodline, the Regent of Lisban has made him disappear forever?"
very good.
he does not know.
Thales silently told himself: He only knew half of the truth.
He only knows Alex.
But he didn't know Little Slicker or Selma.
"To find out the truth like this," Thales rubbed his forehead in pain and said helplessly, "Your subordinates are really full of talents."
The king gently grabbed the sword beside him.
"Finally, I understand the answers to those two doubts: In addition to the engagement, in order to win your trust and seduce you, King Nun must have given you more, and given you a plan that is enough to destroy Longxiao City and Walton, and make Reese
A close friend like Ban is also afraid of the three-point bargaining chip, so that Yongxing City can still control the restless Longxiao City even after the death of King Nuen."
"And you're pretty happy with it."
King Charmaine shook his head, whether he was feeling emotional or proud: "I think this is one of the reasons why the Scarlet Witch betrayed the late king: although she never admitted it."
Thales sighed deeply.
The battlefield is already clear.
"So, this is a secret that can simultaneously eliminate the legitimacy of the Grand Duke of Longxiao City and weaken the legitimacy of the co-elected king. We grasp each other's weaknesses," Thales said calmly: "I guess you want to win over Longxiao City.
?On your side, or at least not on Ronnie's side?"
"Ah, Thales, we have known each other for a long time," King Charman snorted, "We have fought each other more than once, which helps us understand each other."
The prince took a deep breath and shook his head: "Why should I do this?"
"This is just a grudge between you and Longxiao City," he shrugged seemingly indifferently: "If you want to destroy Longxiao City together, then go ahead and I can stay out of it."
Charmaine sneered.
"Even if the Grand Duke of Longxiao City and I die together, will you and the Kingdom of Stars lose all your hopes and interests in Longxiao City?" the king said with deep meaning.
"What are your hopes for Longxiao City?"
Thales smiled softly and responded without any sign of weakness: "I'm not even a king. It's too early to talk about this."
King Charmaine narrowed his eyes, his expression became intriguing.
"Yes, you are not the king yet, but you have done so much for Longxiao City..."
The next second, the king's tone changed, and his words revealed mystery and weirdness at the same time: "But if I say, you try your best to support the Grand Duchess to ascend to the throne, and fight hard to maintain everything in Longxiao City. , are they all based on terrible lies?"
"And everything you think is self-righteous is just a joke to pave the way for others?"
At that moment, looking at King Charman's expression, Thales frowned slightly.
He instinctively felt something was wrong.
"What do you mean?" The prince clenched his fists unconsciously.
A joke about laying the foundation and paving the way?
wrong……
"I remember when we first met, you said when you rejected my proposal: Be careful with those who want to be your allies?" King Charman's face was as cold as if it was dripping water: "No matter how young they are, Sweet words, sincerity?"
Thales's brows became more and more serious.
"Tales, Thales," King Charman shook his head, and said calmly in a tone that made Thales feel terrified:
"Do you really think that our beloved late king, Nunn Walton, is an ally worthy of your trust?"
Thales's breathing gradually became smaller.
"Do you think he would be so generous as to entrust you with a bargaining chip that could destroy the family, trust you wholeheartedly, and believe that you will risk everything to protect the Walton family?"
"Do you think that you and Nunn made a good win-win deal? You get a wife who represents Longxiao City, he gets Walton's continuation, and everyone gets what they need?"
"Do you think Nunn would be so tolerant as to tolerate a person who is not of his family's blood, sitting on the throne of the Grand Duke, and all he cares about is the false and empty family name?"
I saw the king whispering: "You underestimate our late king too much."
Thales looked at King Charman with suspicion, not knowing why:
"If you have nothing more to say..."
"Moral is still alive." The king said silently.
At that moment, Thales, who was unable to react when faced with a slightly unfamiliar name, was slightly startled.
Feeling uneasy, he subconsciously said:
"who?"
A strange and terrifying expression appeared on King Charman's face.
"Morrel," the next moment, the king softly spit out a name: "Morrel Walton."
Mor...Moral?
Thales chewed on the name and turned pale unconsciously.
What?
That's, that's...
"When I first found out, I was more shocked than you."
The king added as if nothing had happened: "Yes, six years ago, the one who started everything was assassinated in the Star Territory, which led to a series of drastic changes in our two countries and laid the foundation for our respective fates.
Prince Exeter, whom you are holding hostage..."
At that moment, King Charman's eyes seemed to be burning with terrible fire.
"Still alive."
Time seems to stand still at this moment.
It seemed that even the air in the carriage was freezing at this terrible moment.
Thales was truly stunned.
What is he saying?
That prince?
That... that Prince Morar who was jointly assassinated by Lombard, Perfit, Arend, and the 'New Star' of the Stars?
Still alive?
That means……
A terrible thought suddenly came to his mind.
God knows how much effort Thales put in to suppress the trembling all over his body and the drastic change in his expression.
After a few seconds, Thales stared with an ugly expression on his face and said in disbelief: "You...this...is...impossible."
"Don't you understand yet, Thales?" King Charman flashed his eyes with uncontrollable resentment, word by word, as if chewing on the deepest hatred: "In Longxiao City, no matter whether it is the late king
, whether it’s Lisbane or Fallen Star, they all know and understand this matter.”
Thales' brain struggled to keep thinking amidst the extreme shock and shock.
"They all know it well, and they are all waiting patiently for the day when Prince Moral comes back. Before he comes back, they use a fake Grand Duchess to temporarily preserve the power of the Walton family, and at the same time, they are still making excuses with you.
Get help from the stars."
The words of Charmaine I were like the most terrifying poison, penetrating into every inch of Thales's thinking: "From beginning to end, only two people were kept in the dark and had no idea."
"That's why I came to you, Thales," the king looked at Thales, whose expression was almost frozen, and glanced at his trembling left hand on his knees: "You, and that poor woman
The Grand Duke himself, you are nothing more than dolls manipulated in the palm of King Nun's hands."
"Xingchen thought he held the bargaining chip that could check and balance Longxiao City, so he worked hard to maintain the relationship with Longxiao City, and supported the rule of the Walton family conscientiously, hoping to one day receive rewards from the marriage between the king and the Grand Duchess.
?”
"However, many years later, when Morar returns, his legitimacy will overwhelm everything, the existence of the Grand Duchess will be overthrown, your marriage will become a laughing stock, and the promises you received from King Nun will be proven to be ineffective.
It's a stupid joke, everything you build will be destroyed overnight."
He is lying.
He must be lying.
Thales could only tell himself this.
In order for me to...
Thales still stared at the king with disbelieving eyes.
It seemed like he was back to that terrible night.
Twitching Alex.
Michael howling in pain.
The sneering King Nun.
besides……
Thelma... no, it's Little Slippery.
And the ring in her hand.
At that moment, the prince felt that his thoughts were almost frozen.
"I said, I know my uncle very well. Unlike you, I only got along with him for just one day."
"Nunn, he has everyone at his fingertips."
The king's hand touched the sword between his knees and sneered as he bit out the following words: "He used an unprecedented lie to deceive your trust and belief, and used a seemingly sweet and sincere bait to win your persistence.
With loyalty, harvest the dragon's most desired prey from your self-righteous thoughts."
King Charman slowly raised his right hand and slowly closed his fingers:
"This is the real method and strategy of King Nuen. It is a 'gift' from the late king."
The next second, Charmaine Lombard's right hand clenched suddenly.
It was as if he had just strangled someone by the throat.
In a terrifying cold sweat, Thales' breathing trembled.
"Welcome to the cruel real world," in the darkness, an ugly and cold smile appeared on King Charman's colorless face:
"Guardian of Longxiao City, His Highness Thales."
Passengers boarding the bus, for your health, please fasten your seat belts at all times.