When Thales, who was in a complicated mood, watched Heisha lead the group away amid Huaiya's complaints, the rapid sound of horse hooves sounded behind him.
The vigilant Huai Ya and others subconsciously blocked the prince, but Thales, who had expected it, sighed and turned around calmly.
It came so quickly.
It's so urgent.
Amidst the dissatisfied neighing of the horses, the visitor fell off his mount. Accompanied by his entourage, he passed through the guards and walked toward Thales with a stiff face. Lord Justin on the side saluted him respectfully.
That's the Earl of Lisbon.
The regent of Longxiao City, who was old but still energetic, stood in front of Thales with an unwavering expression on his face.
"Lord Regent," the prince glanced at the Longxiao City patrols who followed the count, and nodded politely to Earl Lisban, as if he was not surprised at all by his sudden appearance: "You actually care about me so much.
Amazing trip, should I be surprised?"
But the earl who came after hearing the news had a dark face and had no intention of chatting with the prince: "Do you know how arbitrary and reckless this is? Just board the carriage in the Black Sand Territory?"
Thales shrugged helplessly and walked towards his mount Jenny with Lisban. Wyatt, Rolf and others were one step behind, keeping a distance of not too far but not too close.
The former Prime Minister's eyes were solemn and he looked around, making the guards who had just breathed a sigh of relief become nervous again: "What happened?"
"Black Sand Leader, what did they tell you?"
What did you say?
The prince couldn't help but feel depressed when he thought of the secret that King Charmant told him.
Moral...
Selma…
"They are very interested in Longxiao City, but they cannot directly contact the Grand Duke." Thales pouted in the direction where Heisha led everyone away, with a relaxed expression on his face: "For this reason, they want to win me over."
Lisban's eyes changed several times.
"You? They tried to win over you?"
"Do you want me to remind you of the relationship between Longxiao City and King Charman? Or what role did you play in the storm six years ago?"
Thales blinked.
"I don't think the Black Sand Territory will place its hopes on a foreign prince who is almost an old enemy without any confidence," the Earl said with a gloomy face: "Or do they have a very good reason to talk to you?"
Thales clenched his fists slightly in his sleeves and began to look at Lisban in front of him again.
So sharp.
"So, Prince Thales," Lisban's words were polite but compelling: "Is there anything I can do to help you?"
Thales couldn't help but feel a touch of vigilance in his heart.
How credible are Lombard's words?
In Longxiao City, who are the enemies and who are the friends?
How should he choose?
Thales took a deep breath and couldn't help but think of the terrible secret that Rumba said.
A gift from the late king.
The prince looked at the count in front of him with complicated emotions, his eyes passing over his gray temples.
In the past six years, what kind of mood did the most powerful minister of Longxiao City have as he watched Thelma grow up?
And what does he think of Thelma, his titular lord?
The Grand Duke? The wife of the future Grand Duke? An inexperienced little girl?
Or...
"yes."
The prince sighed slightly: "They gave me a very convincing reason."
The Count looked attentively and listened.
"They said," Thales raised his head and said calmly: "As long as I can help them, King Charman will personally give the order..."
The prince paused for a moment, then softly bit out a sentence:
"Let me return home."
At that second, the old regent's eyes were fixed on Thales' face.
Thales forced a forced smile and spread his hands.
"Really? It's really interesting." After a pause for a few seconds, the count pursed his lips and said in an intriguing tone, "Then how did you answer?"
Thales stood in front of Jenny, looking at the girl's joyful expression, thoughtfully.
"I have to think about it," Thales replied slowly:
"That's my answer."
Lisban said nothing.
After a few seconds, the regent raised his eyebrows slightly: "You know, you are in Longxiao City."
Thales nodded: "I know."
Lisban looked at him intently: "You also know that the female justice is protecting you."
Thales took a deep breath: "I know."
"But you also need to know..."
This time, Earl Lisban raised his voice slightly, and his eyes radiated with sternness: "At the King Selection meeting six years ago, when the five Grand Dukes unanimously agreed that they could not let you leave Exeter...
…”
"How the lonely Ms. Thelma stood in the Hall of Heroes and threatened the princes in front of the High Priest of Holm: If she is not allowed to leave you in Longxiao City, then she will refuse to choose the king and follow them for five years.
Everyone was destroyed together in Longxiao City."
Thales was stunned.
He lowered his head and looked at the ground blankly, recalling how Archduke Lecco patted his shoulder sincerely in the Palace of Heroes, telling him to take care of himself.
"I really don't know about this," the prince said in a daze.
Lisban looked at Thales' expression and nodded slightly: "Please don't let her regret that decision."
"It's time for you to return to the palace. You don't want to offend Lord Nicolai at this time. There will be outdoor classes tomorrow." After the regent finished speaking, he glanced at the contemplative prince and turned to leave.
"The Regency of Lisbane."
Thales stopped the count: "Will you miss him?"
Lisban turned around and looked at His Highness the Prince expressionlessly, his eyebrows slightly raised.
"Will you miss King Nun?" Thales added: "You know, the born king, the real Walton tough guy."
The prince looked gloomy, looking like a sentimental poet, "thinking, 'How great would it be if he were still here'?"
This time, the silence between the two lasted for a long time. It was so long that Huaiya, who was a few steps away, couldn't help but signal Thales, but Rolf stopped him.
"Every day," after a long silence, Earl Lisban finally said calmly: "Every day I miss him, especially when mountains of official documents and chores pile up on the table again."
"You can't imagine how deep our friendship is."
Thales looked at him steadily: "Yes."
"You know, when King Nun was still there, Longxiao City and even Exeter were far from this." Thales sighed: "The vassals are in their respective positions and behave in an orderly manner.
The people perform their duties in an orderly manner."
Thales stared closely at the Earl's face, with a touch of emotion: "But after he left, during the years when the Grand Duchess was in power, the entire Longxiao City was in turmoil, and people were panicked."
"Now, even the Black Sand Leader dares to openly come to Longxiao City to contact me."
Lisban looked at him motionless.
"She has not ruled for a long time and people have not gotten used to it yet. We need time and patience." The earl answered accurately.
Thales narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Yes, maybe for Longxiao City, a fragile and powerless girl is still a step away from the position of Grand Duke Walton." The prince shook his head lightly, and there was something in his words.
"Perhaps, she is far from qualified to rule Longxiao City."
Lisban frowned slightly and said in an unhappy tone: "Please don't interpret my words at will, Prince Thales."
Thales closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.
"Lord Regent," the prince asked seemingly nonchalantly, "if one day, the bloodline of the Dragonlance family is cut off, and Walton has no successor."
The Earl of Lisban's expression froze.
"How will you and your family deal with yourself in Longxiao City?"
As soon as he said this, Lisban looked at him deeply.
"Even if we are allies, your words just now can still easily lead to misunderstanding, Prince Thales, especially after your meeting with the envoy from the Black Sand Territory," the earl's words were already polite but unquestionably harsh: "
Even now, six years later."
Thales smiled apologetically: "Please understand that the current situation in Longxiao City is very worrying to me, whether it is the Freedom Alliance and Qiyuan City in the west, or the Black Sand Territory envoys in the city, of course, including Longxiao City
I have to think more about the vassals of Xiaocheng and make plans in advance."
Lisban stared at him, motionless.
"Longxiao City will always belong to the Walton family," the Earl said slowly: "The descendants of Nekaru have ruled this land for nearly seven hundred years, but the Dragon Spear Flag in the Cloud is still passed down to this day. It is not unreasonable."
"And whether it's the Freedom Alliance or Qiyuan City, there will be news."
"Don't have unnecessary and unnecessary worries."
Thales stared at Earl Lisban for a long time, with many thoughts in his mind.
"I see."
The prince said meaningfully.
The next second, he nodded slightly, climbed onto Jenny's saddle without hesitation, and rode away, leaving the Earl of Lisban and the patrols far behind.
After entering the first city gate, Thales was not surprised to see Nikolai at the palace gate, but the Fallen Star just glanced at him from afar, then turned around and gathered the people who had just gathered together as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
The Grand Duke's bodyguards dispersed and turned to leave.
them……
The prince frowned.
That night, Thales did not fall asleep.
For the first time, he felt that the walls and floor tiles of Longxiao City were extremely hard, causing pain on his back.
"Let me summarize."
In the Grand Duchess's study, "Old Crow" Merry Hickser sat in his favorite seat. Just like before, he neither used books nor strokes, just leaned on a cane, smiled tremblingly, and said to
The two students nodded slightly.
Thales held his chin in his hand and looked at Xixer seriously.
"As for how the oath of co-governance was reached, dear Thelma gave us many interesting and powerful explanations: for example, why the most powerful Nun I was willing to compromise."
The strongest force...
Nunn...
What on earth was that terrible old king thinking?
Xixer's voice continued: "For example, the prestige of King Nekaru and Sky Queen is still deeply rooted in the hearts of the people."
Descendants of Nekaru...
prestige……
Selma, how much prestige does she need to have in Longxiao City to stabilize her rule, even her bloodline...
"For example, the glacier defense line requires far more power than a local prince to support and maintain."
The Grand Duke of a Land...
What impact will the game between the princes have on Selma's rule?
"For example, as we mentioned in the first lesson, the limits of rule: If the system of autonomy among the major princes is not maintained, then with just one king and his vassals, Exeter will not be able to
Maintain and protect this vast land that spans four ancient provinces from Xitao to the North, second only to the ancient empire..."
The limits of domination…
At this moment, Thales felt a pain in his ribs!
He turned his head blankly, watching Thelma on the side retracting her elbow as if nothing had happened.
Thales looked at her blankly.
What's wrong?
until
"Sorry, let me repeat myself."
Xixer looked straight at the Star Prince.
The old crow said with a smile: "Is there anything else you need to add about the achievement of the co-governance oath, Thales?"
Only then did Thales wake up.
Unconsciously distracted, he hurriedly opened his notes, shook his head apologetically, and nodded again: "I'm sorry... I'm a little confused about why Exeter's co-governance oath can be achieved.
Things need to be replenished..."
Xixer raised his head slightly, showing an interested expression.
"Kingdom of Stars."
Thales raised his head and replied: "The achievement of the "Co-Governance Oath" is largely due to the contribution of the Kingdom of Stars."