In the Blade Tooth Camp under curfew, there is only the faint sound of wind on the streets.
The two people in the hut looked at each other in silence, each thinking.
"After seeing the tragedy of the Black Sand Territory, and after returning from Fengzhao City, in those days when I was most depressed, decadent, frustrated, bored, and in constant conflict with my father, I returned to my old fiefdom and locked myself up.
"
Kuai Sheng looked at the flickering lights dimly.
"I met Dana in the wild in a remote countryside."
Hearing the unfamiliar name, Thales couldn't help but frown:
"Danna?"
Kuaisheng was still in a daze.
"On the surface, she is just an ordinary shepherdess."
"That afternoon, when I impatiently said that I was a relative of the order officer nearby, and it was just an accident that I broke into the sheepfold she was guarding, let alone stealing her sheep, she immediately asked me for twenty silver coins with shining eyes.
, just because she frightened one of her milk goats.”
Kuai Sheng was immersed in the memories of the past and smiled: "If you lose a milky ewe, you can turn around and knock a rich fat sheep. Why not?"
"That's how we met the domineering shepherdess and the self-destructive sheep thief."
Thales watched the other person's expression and found that Kuaisheng's eyes were extremely gentle.
"Is there anything special about her?" he couldn't help asking.
Kuaisheng raised his head and raised the corners of his mouth.
"Oh, Dana is the most special," Quick Rope said with a funny expression and a proud tone, just like an ordinary person showing off his virtuous wife to his neighbors, "especially after being raised by an old dwarf with a rude temper."
"She was always smiling, lively and unrestrained, even after her adoptive father passed away unfortunately. Even by the standards of the Northlanders, she was very unreserved. Her dwarf adoptive father taught her to herd sheep by teaching her how to swing a hammer, for God's sake.
, it really hurt to be hit by her shepherd’s cane.”
Moral, who had changed his name, was still smiling, and Thales could read the unique relaxation of the fast rope from his complaining voice.
Apparently, he didn't hate Dana's cane as much as he said.
"Dana works two jobs, one is shepherding sheep and milking cows, and the other is helping in the tavern, but she is a shrewd girl who is hard to bully."
Speaking of that girl, my eyebrows dance with joy: "She once waved her cane to drive five or six sheep thieves away, beat the shit out of the village chief who was hiding his lust, and she also used smooth words to win over drunkards who were looking for opportunities to take advantage of them.
After coaxing her money bag to become empty, she knew how to use clever tricks to tease the tavern owner who deducted her wages, and she also had the power to fight back against the boss' daughter who bullied her."
Following the other party's narration, Thales lowered his head and pictured this unusual shepherd girl in his mind: fierce, cheerful, waving her cane like a fierce and cute little wolf cub, protecting her with her forelimbs.
Food, showing teeth and claws around.
"She would often count the coins hidden under the bed with bright eyes, but she was not like other girls in the village, just to save a dowry, and then rely on a man willing to marry her to make ends meet, or dress up in a fancy way,
Looking forward to becoming the mistress of some big shot."
"Because she always believes that her life will not be restricted by anything."
Kuaisheng's eyes dimmed: "It's the exact opposite of me."
He looked at the lights obsessively: “She believed that one day, she would save enough money, then board a carriage heading outside the village, arrive at the port of Elk City, buy a boat, and become a female sailor who would explore everywhere.
Go home, travel around the world, and spend your life's light in the stormy waves and mirages."
Female navigator.
Thales thought of something and subconsciously looked at the fast rope.
"But she doesn't know that, except for passengers, sailing ships do not accept women. They think women at sea are unlucky." Kuaisheng lowered his eyes and still raised the corners of his mouth: "An old sailor told me that it is said that Muhai girls do not like people of the same sex."
Thales said nothing.
"I don't know if it was love, or just a green impression, but at least when I was lying next to Dana, smelling the scent of goat milk on her body, looking at her cheerful and lively smile, and even tasting the texture on her lips
When I am soft, I can forget many unpleasant things."
Kuai Sheng said blankly: "In front of her, I am Moral, not the heir of the Walking Dead. I can speak out my truest desires and thoughts as much as I can, without saying that my desire to travel around the world is nothing.
The dream of a mercenary to show that he is a tough Northland warrior."
The fast rope stopped, as if savoring the mood of that moment.
The moonlight was shrouded in clouds, the low-quality lamp oil slowly ran out, and the simple house made of clay became darker and darker.
But no one wants to turn the lights back on.
"What happened next?" Thales said in the darkness.
Kuaisheng took a breath and changed his position.
He seemed to have just recovered and continued his story: "In this way, I went back and forth between Longxiao City and the fiefdom. While witnessing the darkness and distortion of power, I felt the happiness and tenderness of Dana."
"For Dana and her ideal of traveling around the world, I tried to cater to my father's request against my will, but I could only resist his urging to marry. I racked my brains time and time again to convince him that the future Grand Duke of Longxiao City
You have to have a wife who is in political interest, so you can’t rush it.”
"Father is actually very pleased. He thinks that I have enlightened myself and know how to weigh the pros and cons of Longxiao City. Although he doesn't know the reason why I suddenly cheered up, he doesn't care so much. He probably thinks that disciplining me is the same as disciplining Suriel.
.”
Kuaisheng sneered, and there was a touch of sadness in his laughter.
"But, of course, this can't last long."
"My father still found a good wife candidate for me and asked me to try it in the name of revising the "Fortress Peace Treaty", even though she and her family are in the enemy country."
"Peace of the Fortress".
enemy country.
At that moment, Thales suddenly raised his head, unable to hide the surprise on his face.
"So, your mission six years ago..."
Kuaisheng nodded and sighed silently: "Yes, six years ago, according to the plan, after the "Peace Treaty" was revised, Longxiao City would fight for their heir to the long-standing enemy of the Lomba family, a noble descendant of the empire, Duke Alende.
An only daughter asks for marriage."
He shook his head in disgust: "Although Exeter just hanged the old Duke of Arend in the Cold Castle more than ten years ago."
Thales frowned: "Miranda? How is that possible?"
Quick Rope sighed.
"Both the marriage proposal and the "Peace Treaty" are just means. My father doesn't want to let the Kingdom of Stars slowly recover after the war, nor does he want to let the Black Sands take the fortress as an excuse to build up troops. He wants to test King Kessel and the Arlend family.
, by the way, knock on the black sand collar, the reactions of these three will tell us what to do next."
"So this is the meaning of your mission," Thales said in a daze:
"Prepare for the next war or negotiation, whether it is the stars or the Black Sand Territory."
Nova, and Dragon's Blood.
He tensed his arms.
Kuai Sheng snorted, his tone revealing sarcasm: "Yes, whether it is to win over your Northern Territory, divide the interior of the stars, or amend the "Peace Treaty" to gain benefits, suppress the Black Sand Territory, and at the same time accumulate prestige for me to choose the king in the future...
…Father, he is always so well-planned and achieves multiple things with one stone. A simple thing can be played by him in many ways and has far-reaching significance.”
Speaking of King Nun, Quick Rope's mood dropped a lot.
"Don't play chess with him on the same chessboard, Thales, because you don't know how deep his methods are and how many hole cards he has in this game." Kuaisheng said with an indifferent expression: "And those who were played by their father and applauded
Those who are superior and don’t know it are extremely miserable.”
Don't play chess with him on the same chessboard...
People who play with applause without knowing it...
Thales' breathing quickened.
He remembered the conversation with King Charmaine in the carriage.
When talking about King Nun, both he and Charmaine could feel a hint of awe and chilling from the other's eyes.
Who would have thought that a person who had been dead for many years could still make them so miserable?
Quick Rope's tone was full of complicated melancholy: "I guess, Charmaine and Conkli, after countless failures against the king, they finally realized this: don't play games with King Nun."
The two were silent for a while.
"What happened later is probably a model for many chivalric novels and bards," Kuaisheng smiled reluctantly: "My father finally discovered that his son and heir was actually obsessed with a country shepherdess, and resisted him for this.
duty of."
Thales raised his eyebrows: "I guess the natural king is not very happy."
"Not too happy?"
Kuaisheng sneered, with a hint of resentment in his tone: "Your wording is too polite, Thales."
"Then what?" Thales asked.
The rope paused for a moment.
From this moment on, his silhouette in the darkness became desolate and desolate.
"Father sent people to my fiefdom privately, Thales."
Quick Rope said in despair: "He found Dana."
"He found her."
There was a long silence.
After a long while, Thales finally asked with difficulty:
"what happens?"
Kuaisheng didn't seem to have the motivation or desire to continue speaking, but he finally spoke again, and this time, his voice became hoarse.
"Danna is dead."
The speaker was like a walking corpse, motionless and lifeless: "On the day I heard the news and rushed back to the fiefdom."
Thales held his breath.
Kuaisheng said dryly, as if he was telling someone else's story: "I pushed away the white-blade guards like crazy, but I could only find her cold body in the sheepfold, with a smile still on her face."
"She was poisoned."
Kuai Sheng's voice trembled, with a faint cry filled with fear and regret.
"They told me that she committed suicide by taking poison, but... Thales..."
Poisoned to death.
At that moment, Thales remembered that night in the Palace of Heroes.
Reminds me of King Nun's exquisite ring.
Triumph.
Reminds me of the girl I used to be, Alex.
Taylor suddenly shuddered.
Prince of Stars held back his words.
The only sound left in the room was Kuai Rope's painful breathing.
Eventually, Kuai Rope's emotions calmed down.
"chain."
Thales came back to his senses: "What?"
"That pair of chains of power, Thales," I don't know where to start. Quick Rope's voice carried a touch of determination:
"That night, I stared blankly at Dana's body, just like I had looked at Suril's body."
"It suddenly dawned on me that I had never broken free from it."
Thales listened quietly, but what came to his mind was the underground tomb in Fuxing Palace, the large and small stone jars and urns.
Lyman Pass in the Black Sand Territory.
The Ghost Prince Tower in the Blade Tooth Camp.
Boom.
The fast rope leaned back, and the back of his head hit the wall hard.
"I have been under such a chain since I was born. Whether it makes me restrain myself, be content with the status quo, and be an obedient and harmless viscount, or it urges me to turn to the way I came from, to be an ambitious person who will overwhelm everyone.
The king never escaped."
He gritted his teeth and said, "I deceived myself and others as it tightened and loosened, and pulled back and forth."
"finally, I understand."
The rope came to the edge of the bed. He put his legs down on the ground, put his elbows on his knees, leaned forward, and stared directly at Thales.
"I can either obey, surrender, and let it lock my body and mind tighter and tighter," Kuai Rope's tone made Thales feel nervous: "Or I can abandon it completely."
"Be your true self."
Thales remained silent.
"Morar is already dead, Thales, not when he was assassinated by the Star People, or when he escaped from the Palace of Heroes," Quick Rope said coldly: "But when he was the son of Nunn, and as Vol.
He was already dead when Dunxue started his own life."
"And it wasn't until the night when I climbed the black path with difficulty and climbed out of Longxiao City that the man named Morar came to life for the first time."
"On that day, I saw that I was really saving myself with my own hands, reversing my fate, and smashing all illusions and luck," Kuaisheng's eyes sparkled in the darkness:
"Completely cast aside this chain of imprisonment, which is called power but is actually a chain of imprisonment. Say 'no' to it and everything it represents, including the forced restraints that are euphemistically called 'responsibility', including those that are praised as 'virtue'."
Hypocrisy, including self-deception called 'righteousness'."
Kuaisheng's voice disappeared, leaving only determination and perseverance.
After a long time, Thales, who was filled with emotion, struggled to speak out.
"So you chose to leave."
Thales sighed: "No matter what kind of reputation you may have: coward, timidity, or evasion."
Kuaisheng laughed disapprovingly: "Whatever you think, but I..."
But Thales' next words made Kuai Rope slightly stunned:
"Perhaps sometimes, it takes more courage than obeying the world's eyes and taking the path expected by others."
Thales' tone was filled with a little sigh.
"Maybe." Kuaisheng's eyes slowly changed when he looked at him. It was no longer the kind of casual teasing, but serious and serious.
The moonlight emerged from the clouds again, casting a silvery glow.
The two princes looked at each other quietly.
Thales felt the firmness and determination in the other person's eyes, as well as the vague hesitation and confusion.
"But how do you do it, run the rope quickly?" Thales couldn't help but ask: "Never look back?"
"Those... can you really let go of that easily?"
"Didn't you regret it when you left?"
This time it was the fast rope's turn to stall.
he pondered.
For a moment, Thales found a trace of struggle in his eyebrows.
But Kuai Rope finally relaxed his brows.
"Six years ago, when I survived the sea and heard the news of the drastic change in Exeter and the death of my father... I was also shocked, despaired and regretted."
"But like I said," Quick Rope sighed deeply:
"My father's fate is destined, whether I am here or not."
"As for Longxiao City and Exeter...I am there, they may get better or worse, but I don't think they will get better or worse just because of me."
At that moment, Quick Rope was like an old sailor who had experienced too many storms and waves, telling everyone a story around the stove at dusk after returning from his last voyage:
"I don't want to and can't be too greedy, trying to control things that are beyond my scope. If history has two outcomes, then should I cry bitterly because Longxiao City will wither without me, or should I shed tears for Longxiao City?
You survived without me and cheered?"
Thales was stunned.
"The only thing I can do is save myself."
"That's all."
He said quietly: "That's enough."
"And here I am, in the desert and on the sea, trying my best to maintain the operation of a small fleet, the livelihood of a small shop, the survival of a small team, and help these little people who can be counted on one hand...
…”
Kuaisheng looked through the window at the same mottled walls and desolate alleys outside: "In fact, I don't feel that what I am doing here, or the value I can find here, is more valuable than
In the secret room of Longxiao City, moving the chips like a motionless elder, chatting and laughing with the princes, frequently involving historical missions, national economy and people's livelihood, it would be smaller or more humble."
"I just... chose a life that belongs to me."
Thales listened quietly, with surprise in his eyes.
Finally, the Star Prince looked away and let out a sigh of relief.
He seemed to have just fought a big battle and was quite tired.
"I'm sorry, Quick Rope," Thales leaned against the wall, relaxed and smiled slightly: "Just now, I said some inappropriate and self-righteous words, accusing you, you know, suddenly met the person who caused you to be in a foreign country.
When I held the culprit hostage for six years..."
Thales spread his hands.
Kuaisheng raised his eyes with a smile in his eyes: "I understand."
"So you calmed down? The interrogation is over?"
The two looked at each other and smiled, and the hostility that was once unfamiliar slowly dissipated.
"Yes."
"I understand, that's your choice," Thales said softly, putting aside his grudge: "And I have no right to comment."
"I respect your choice."
Kuaisheng took a deep breath.
He spoke softly, two short words, but there was some uncontrollable emotion in his words: "Thank you."
"Don't get me wrong, I don't entirely agree with your views," Thales twisted his waist and soothed his bleeding back: "Especially about the operation of history, or your views on responsibility."
Kuaisheng blinked: "But you said you respect my choice."
"This is far more valuable than total agreement."
Quick Rope quietly watched Thales' silhouette in the dark night.
He smiled.
"Thanks."
Thales raised his eyebrows.
"Okay, I accept." He hummed softly.
But Kuaisheng shook his head.
"No."
"This thank you is for Alex."
At that moment, Thales froze.
I saw Kuaisheng looking at Thales seriously: "In your story about Longxiao City, you told so many secret things, such as duels, disasters, Rumba, and coronations. It was as if you had witnessed it with your own eyes, but you didn't.
Bring yourself up."
"Either you're just bragging, like a street vendor who hears about it."
He narrowed his eyes: "Either you were there at that time, Thales Bright Star."
"So, thank you, the current Grand Duke of Longxiao City, for helping her on that night that sounded so scary."
Thales exhaled heavily.
"You just said," Thales frowned, "your grades in politics class were very poor?"
Kuaisheng shrugged and smiled again: "Of course it's not as good as someone who killed everyone at the national conference..."
"No." Thales shook his head and asked himself the question before he could speak.
"I was thinking, Quick Rope, you might be smart."
"Smarter than most nobles who seem to be sophisticated and wise."
Thales sighed:
"It's just that your teacher didn't notice."
Kuaisheng's smile faltered slightly.
He sneered and continued the topic.
"I know what that girl's character is like."
Kuaisheng said calmly: "Although Alex is very annoying, in addition to her mother's appearance, she also inherited her father's self-esteem and arrogance, but she is not a bad girl, but her undisciplined childhood made her a little arrogant.
.”
Thales' heart seemed to be tightened all of a sudden.
Alex.
Listening to Kuaisheng talking about the girl in his memory, his heart felt empty.
What appeared in her eyes was the painful convulsions before her death.
No.
Thales thought dully as if his soul had left his body.
No, Moral.
He doesn't know yet.
he does not know……
"I'm very happy to have you taking care of her."
Quick Rope smiled: "So, thank you, Thales."
"Thank you for doing so much for her, whether it's what I know or what I don't know."
but.
But she... But in his impression, the girl he was talking about was already...
Thales gritted his teeth.
"Be careful, Thales," Kuaisheng squinted at him and changed the topic: "Although I just said, no matter who cares or is cared about..."
"But the love between you may be more bumpy than that between Dana and me."
At this moment, Thales froze on the spot.
love?
"Quick Rope, you misunderstood..." Thales sighed.
But the fast rope interrupted him.
"Don't think this is far away from you, Thales. In this era, bloodline and family background are a curse."
Kuai Rope supported his knees and pointed at Thales with a serious expression: "With your identity, one day, someone, a relative, a friend, a prestigious person, someone you trust, will come to you.
Let me tell you in all seriousness: for some higher benefit, for some more people, for some greater goal..."
"You must hand over yourself, including your love, your life, and your freedom, surrender to them, become their captive, and join their game."
Thales was stunned.
"And your choice will determine what kind of person you are."
Quick Rope stared closely at Thales, making the latter quite uneasy.
"But no matter how you choose, no matter what you have to sacrifice or leave behind," Quick Rope said without moving his expression, "you have to make sure that this is your own choice, Thales."
"Don't let others decide for you."
The former prince of Exter's eyes tightened: "Never."
Thales looked at him blankly.
He was filled with mixed feelings at the moment, and his whole brain was filled with pity for Alex, guilt for deceiving Moral, worry for the little slicker's future, lamentation about the chains of power, and laughter at the misunderstanding.
Incredibly complex.
Speechless.
"As for me, don't worry," Kuaisheng raised his eyebrows with a sincere and simple smile: "After dealing with Dean, I will go far away and will neither go back to Longxiao City nor show up."
"I won't cause trouble for my niece, and of course I won't cause trouble for you either."
"This is my promise, the Northlanders' promise."
The light was too dark, so he didn't notice Thales's expression that was not right, and said seriously: "If you really love her, Thales, you and Alex..."
"Then you have my blessing, although you can't trumpet Moral Walton's blessing."
"The separation is only temporary."
"I hope you will meet again soon and eventually get married."
Wish me... Alex and I...
See you soon?
Where to meet again?
The young man's face twitched slightly, not knowing whether to expose or reject.
Finally, he sighed and said nothing.
Facing Kuai Rope, who was full of hope, Prince Xingchen forced out an ugly and embarrassing smile.