His eyes were quiet and indifferent, and his movements were slow and leisurely, which was completely different from King Nun's calm self-assertion and King Charmaine's aggressiveness.
But it didn't make the young man feel any less relaxed.
The prince swallowed his throat and tried to relax his tense muscles and spirit.
So far, Thales doesn't know his father.
What kind of person is he?
Cold?
silence?
majesty?
Maybe.
Except for the one in the Bright Star Tomb, which was more of a one-sided listening experience, Thales had spoken less than ten words to King Kessel V in total.
As for the time they spent alone together in the past six years... Thales suspected that it was less than a quarter of an hour.
However, in the young man's limited life, the Iron-Fisted King was like a dark cloud hanging high above his head. It seemed out of reach, but it always cast a shadow and enveloped him tightly.
Whether it is a national meeting, or negotiations with Exeter, whether it is the night of dragon blood, or the day of hearing in Longxiao City, whether it is Gilbert's advice, or the one-eyed dragon Coste's heart-wrenching words...
Many experiences remind Thales:
What kind of person is his father?
But when he really faced that dark cloud, Thales discovered:
I'm still not ready.
I still don't know... how to face him.
"You misunderstood."
Thales lowered his head, avoided those quiet but disturbing eyes, and took a deep breath.
He tried hard to get rid of the negative emotion that he had noticed, but was told exactly by the king, which made it even more obvious:
"I'm not anxious. In fact, leaving Exeter and returning to China..."
But the king gave him no time to defend himself.
"Are you familiar?"
Kessel no longer stared at Thales, and the corners of his mouth curved in a strange way, as if showing disdain:
"Such a tone."
Thales raised his head suddenly, looking puzzled.
familiar?
On the stone steps, the king in the throne said in a cold voice:
"That old bone in Xihuang must be like this, pretending to be profound and blathering around to scare you, right?"
Thales frowned.
That old bone from Xihuang?
Pretending to be profound and rambling?
Frightened?
Thales understood something.
He remembered what Adrian had just said to Gilbert:
The king was still questioning the messenger crow from the Western Wilderness yesterday.
The letter crow from the Western Wilderness...
Speculating on the king's intentions, Thales exhaled and said calmly:
"Yes, Falkenholz did come to see me, but I..."
But unfortunately, the king did not give him any chance to explain.
Or don't care at all.
"Where's the sword?"
King Kessel interrupted him calmly:
"Where is the ancient imperial sword that was given by the prestigious Four-Eyed Skull Family in the Blade Tooth Camp, which made some people doubtful, made some people happy, and made everyone in the kingdom speculate endlessly..."
Thales' words paused.
Sure enough, he knew it too.
The sword called the Warner.
It should be...Legendary Wings.
With a positive thought, Thales answered loudly:
"It's in the baggage, guarded by Lord Mallos's men, but..."
"No."
The third time, King Kessel interrupted the Duke of Star Lake.
"It's not there."
On the high platform, the king slowly leaned back and leaned on the back of the throne.
"It's in your heart."
Thales was suddenly startled.
King Kessel V looked at the Duke of Star Lake at the foot of the steps indifferently.
"And you don't even know where that sword will strike."
Thales was silent for a while.
Obviously, the king was very dissatisfied with what happened in Xihuang.
but……
"I'm sorry for what happened in the Western Wasteland," Thales said trying to regain his composure and treating the person in front of him as another northern prince with whom he could negotiate:
"But Falkenhauser's purpose in coming to me—"
But he still couldn't finish speaking.
"When I send you to the north..."
Unlike the people from the North and even the people from the Western Wilderness, King Kessel's words were very soft-spoken, with very small fluctuations.
But compared to King Charmaine's preemptive remarks and Falkenhausz's alarmism, the interruption effect caused by the King of Stars' soft words is not inferior to the first two.
"I don't have that high expectations for you."
Thales stopped speechless.
King Kessel was almost half-reclined on the throne, his posture seemed relaxed, but his eyes were locked on Thales:
"At least not high enough to expect you to rebuild the Northland and establish a new king."
Rebuilding the Northland.
Promote a new king.
Thales closed his mouth, feeling the weight behind these two sentences, feeling the slight contempt and accusation behind them.
That's right.
Recreate...New King...
This is indeed what he has done for the past six years, but...
The bloody storm in Longxiao City is littered with corpses, and the situation in the Palace of Heroes is at a critical moment...
The boy bit his lower lip.
With a slight displeasure, Thales raised his head again.
"I don't want to be like this, it's just——"
Talking about what happened six years ago, he thought he would think of the injustice and injustice of that year, and then sneered and asked about the king's conspiracy, satirized the failure of the secret department, and asked why he was put in danger...
But at that moment, when he looked into King Kessel's eyes as calm as water.
He doesn't care.
There was a small voice in Thales's heart.
He won't care.
Thales pursed his lips.
He suppressed the dissatisfaction in his heart and turned around and said:
"That was...an accident."
silence.
Thales was not used to the darkness in the meeting hall: six years ago, this place seemed spacious and bright.
The young man suddenly remembered the only day he lived in Fuxing Palace, and his first impression of the palace: the cold room, the hard stone bed, the biting cold, and the deep darkness.
Like...
Abandoned house.
"No."
The king snorted softly and brought Thales back to reality.
"That wasn't an accident."
King Kessel stared at his son with a strange tone:
"you."
"It was an accident."
Thales' heartbeat was a little erratic.
"At least, that's what the secret science says."
Secret science.
Thales's heart sank.
It's... the secret science again.
The king's eyes narrowed slightly:
"It should be noted that there are not many things in this world that can catch the Kingdom's secret department...by surprise."
This is not necessarily the case.
Thales replied silently in his heart.
Upon hearing the secret, Thales's unhappiness that he had just suppressed rose again.
"All right."
The prince took a deep breath:
"Let me put it this way, if there is an accident, it must be you..."
Taylor paused for a moment, even changing the title:
"They don't trust me."
The lights in the meeting hall dimmed slightly, and the shadows on the throne became increasingly blurry.
King Kessel hummed, seemingly asking but not asking:
"They don't trust you?"
Thales replied with a hum:
"Yes, whether it's a disaster or a rumba... the Secret Service blocked all news before the operation and kept me in the dark - even if it was harmful to me."
The young man breathed out:
"There were several times when I almost died."
Thales stared at the king, trying to see something in the dim light.
The meeting hall was quiet for a few seconds.
But what chilled him somewhat was that Kessel still sat still, his tone not changing at all:
"Is it."
The king's indifferent gesture made Thales clenched his fists subconsciously.
"I do not have any choice."
Thales felt that his words were getting tougher:
"I have to... adapt to circumstances and find a way out."
The king remains the same:
"Is it."
Thales felt a lump in his chest.
"yes!"
He raised his voice and said unhappily:
"Whether it's for yourself or for..."
The young man paused, glanced at the king, and then said:
"Kingdom of Stars."
Kessel’s eyes were unclear, but this time, what he said was different:
"Like you did at the State Council?"
Thales paused slightly.
The country is a conference.
He suddenly remembered the scene six years ago when he was unwilling to be a puppet in that meeting, so he made shocking remarks and angrily denounced the major princes.
Can't help but feel a little sad.
But Thales still nodded:
"yes."
The young man's words were slightly gloomy:
"I...had to do it."
The king raised his eyes and looked at the other end of the chamber.
He seems to be thinking about something.
After a few seconds, he chuckled and repeated:
"have to do."
"They don't trust you," the king said playfully, turning the scepter in his hand:
"And you have to do it?"
Thales didn't know how to answer.
Perhaps it was too long since he had seen Kessel, or perhaps the hearsay over the years had distorted his understanding of the king. Thales found that he could not understand the emotions and actions of the Supreme King.
It's like... there's a curtain behind it.
And this is a situation that has never been encountered before when facing Nunn, facing Lombard, facing the five Grand Dukes of the North and the three Grand Dukes of the Stars.
The king finally chuckled:
"You mean..."
The next moment, King Kessel raised his eyes, which were as calm as before, but inexplicably deeper:
"It's because they didn't trust you to be friends with King Nun, so when he fell, you were trapped in a cocoon, causing disaster and being trapped in the enemy's hands."
"And you have to fight back desperately, return to the Palace of Heroes, and create a new king?"
Thales trembled all over.
King Kessel's words continued, each word carrying a peculiar charm:
"Or do they not trust you to have a passionate relationship with the little girl from Longxiao City, so that she abandoned everything in order to force you to stay, offended the public, and openly broke with all the vassals?"
"And you have to meet with Lombard secretly to find another way out?"
Thales only felt that his throat was a little dry.
The king continued to sneer:
"Or maybe they don't trust you to remain anonymous in the Western Wilderness, be confused with a group of sword-selling mercenaries, and then be discovered by them, and in turn blackmail Baron Blade Ya?"
"And you have to..."
The king didn't say any more, he just curled his lips.
But this is enough.
Thales closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
really.
he knows.
He knows it all.
but……
Thales suddenly found that all the self-defense and rationale he had used to rely on himself in the past six years became pale and powerless in the face of these few words from the other party.
He can explain.
But whether it’s Asheida and Giza in the Night of Dragon Blood, or the life experience of Little Slippery, or the secrets of Quick Rope and the old royal guard...
He couldn't explain it.
He can't explain.
Thales opened his eyes and said with difficulty:
"Is that...what the secret department says?"
This time, the king stared at him for a long time.
long time.
Finally, King Kessel spoke again, but his tone gradually became harsh:
"Morat's report says that as a prince, you don't know how to reflect on yourself, and your progress is slow. You always make your own decisions and act daringly, so that everyone has to bear the bitter consequences you have caused."
Kessel narrowed his eyes:
"Or as they say: wipe your ass."
A boy's meal.
Morat.
Thales exhaled heavily and showed a smile that was uglier than crying:
"I understand."
"I'm very sorry."
But the king chuckled again:
"But Gilbert told me again and again that you have made rapid progress. You have learned from difficulties, grown from beatings, and gained wisdom through every hardship. You are a rare genius."
Gilbert.
Thales felt warm in his heart.
"He, he's over-praised."
Kessel looked at him, and the scepter in his hand stopped turning.
"But Ada, she has a third opinion."
Ah...
The moment he heard that name, Thales was stunned for a moment:
"who?"
Thales raised his head in confusion and saw the king leaving the back of his seat and leaning forward to look at him:
"She said in the letter that you grew up too slowly and too fast, which made her very upset."
wait wait wait?
After hearing the gender title clearly, Thales repeated it in disbelief:
"E-Ada?"
A crazy, bouncing short figure appeared in front of his eyes.
Thales stared and moved his lips stiffly.
That guy...can still write letters?
Fake, fake right?
But Kessel V did not seem to feel the sense of comedy and absurdity at all, and His Majesty the King continued to speak:
"She said you were growing up too slowly, and she didn't even have the guts to let her go to the forest outside Longxiao City to hunt rabbits for extra meals."
Thales' face darkened.
His father snorted again:
"But you grow up so fast that every time she wants to go out to poach, you have already predicted it and sent people to keep an eye on her behavior."
Thales confirmed that this was what the king said, and couldn't help but wonder:
"Okay, Ada hunts rabbits...does it matter?"
The king did not answer.
He just looked at the second prince silently under the dim light.
Because of Ada's name, Thales' mood eased slightly, but the king's gaze made his heart tighten again.
"But I can see that after six years, you are indeed different."
The king said quietly.
Thales was startled for a moment.
He slowly turned his head to avoid the other party's condescending eyes:
"Six years is a long time."
But Kessel shook his head.
"No."
"Either Morat or Gilbert."
The king whispered:
"They were all wrong."
Thales's breathing began to quicken.
The king’s eyes became sharper:
"As for Ada, huh..."
Kaiser's words were very strange. At that moment, he didn't know whether he was showing disdain or feeling emotional.
This made Thales suddenly curious:
I wonder if the Black Prophet Morat, who is said to be able to see through lies, can see through the king in front of him?
"No……"
The King of Stars' words drew Thales' attention back:
"You don't grow up fast enough."
Kaiser said slowly:
"It's not slow enough either."
Neither is fast enough.
It's not slow enough either.
Doubts came and Thales frowned slightly.
"I do not understand?"
Fortunately, the king did not interrupt the boy again this time, nor did he change the topic.
But Kessel’s next words were full of profound meaning and made him fall silent:
"You either grow up fast enough."
King Kessel looked up at the ceiling, his eyes blurred, as if looking towards the past:
"It's so fast that it's unexpected and gratifying. It's so fast that in just six years, it can bear the weight of the entire star."
The king's eyes focused back on Thales, returning to coldness and plainness:
"But you didn't."
Bear...the weight of the entire star.
Thales swallowed his throat and felt his body stiff.
The king looked at him from a distance, showing a bit of disappointment.
"You either grow up slowly enough."
Kessel lowered his head, looked at his open left palm, and said a little lonely:
"Slow enough to be content, slow enough to be step-by-step, slow enough for us to unload the burden of the kingdom step by step, bit by bit."
The king clenched his fists and looked at Thales again, his eyes slightly cold:
"But neither did you."
Stay safe and follow the rules...
After understanding what the other party meant, at that moment, Thales didn't know how to answer.
"Now you are growing neither fast nor slow."
The king said coldly, his tone becoming colder and colder:
"No hurry, no slowness."
"No up, no down."
Kessel snorted softly, with a bit of disdain and confusion.
"It both exceeded expectations," he shook his head, "and also disappointed."
Thales took a few deep breaths and stopped talking.
This time, the silence between father and son was particularly long.
They just looked at each other in silence for a long time without saying anything.
Until the young man could no longer bear the depression in his heart.
"I……"
Taylor paused.
With unspeakable depression and depression, he exhaled a few breaths and tried hard to laugh, but couldn't.
"I thought that on the first day I returned to Yongxing City, you would talk about some positive topics about the reunion of father and son."
Thales turned his head, trying to find some soothing words:
"Father."
But Kessel obviously didn’t mean the same thing:
"And I thought that after experiencing so much, you would understand what it means to be 'born for the stars.'"
The king's eyes were burning and his tone was cold:
"prince."
Thales froze.
Kessel looked at Thales and snorted slightly, seeming to be disdainful:
"But fortunately, we still have time to teach you how to be a new person..."
"Prince of the Stars."
Do it again...
Prince of the Stars…
Thales said nothing.
He could only feel an inexplicable emotion rising from his chest.
Make him feel uncomfortable all over.
Hard to get rid of.
But he didn't say anything after all.
"Your welcome banquet is in a week."
"As an opportunity for you to reappear."
The king turned his head and ignored Thales' silence. He didn't know whether he regarded it as acquiescence or disdain:
"During this period, just keep a low profile."
"Let the kingdom slowly digest the return of the heir."
"do you understand?"
Kessel said coldly.
Thales was silent for several seconds before he answered with difficulty:
"Like six years ago?"
Kaiser V raised his eyes and spoke in a long tone:
"Even more so than six years ago."
Even more so six years ago.
Thales stood there, motionless.
A few seconds later.
"Yes," Thales felt his voice was hoarse, like an old instrument:
"His Majesty."
Kessel stared at him for a few seconds before slowly speaking.
"Very good," the king said with a hint of sarcasm:
"son."
Kessel V leaned back again and fell into the shadows.
The meeting hall returned to dead silence.
Thales took a few breaths and calmed down.
"I think you have nothing else to say."
He forced himself to say respectfully:
"His Majesty."
There was no answer from the throne above.
Thales took this as his default.
Duke Xinghu bowed and walked back with complicated and unspeakable emotions.
"Stop."
The king's words echoed in the council chamber.
Thales stopped:
"Your Majesty, is there anything else?"
But King Kessel just shook his head in the shadows:
"Gone."
"But you have to stay here."
The king said coldly:
"At least a quarter of an hour."
Thales was startled:
"Why?"
Kessel maintained his posture, only revealing a pair of eyes reflecting the cold light in the shadow, which contrasted with the star staff in his hand:
"Because in the eyes of outsiders, 'a positive topic of father and son reunion' probably takes this long."
Thales' breathing was stagnant.
He swallowed hard.
I see.
It turns out that the reunion between His Majesty and the Prince...
Only worth a quarter of an hour.
The second prince turned around and looked at his father on the throne. His emotions were unspeakable and his tone was slightly angry:
"But we don't need to."
Kessel snorted: "We don't."
"But the kingdom needs it."
Thales felt unhappiness in his heart again.
I see.
He didn't need to be anxious.
Because what was destined six years ago, six years later...
Still the same.
Thales adjusted his breathing and sneered:
"So I have to stay here for a quarter of an hour. Only in this way, the whole kingdom will not know about any rumors and gossip about 'royal conflicts and father-son discord', right?"
Facing the prince's slightly provocative words, the shadow on the throne froze slightly.
A few seconds later, King Kessel also snorted coldly.
"They didn't know."
There was a deep chill in the king's words:
"Until you take that sword away."
That sword?
Thales paused suddenly.
He doesn't understand:
"That sword is just..."
But Kessel raised his voice and interrupted him:
"But they still won't know."
At some point, the king had left his seat again and stared coldly at Thales under the firelight, as if staring at his enemy:
"Because I have to terminate all laws related to the Western Wilderness this year, from taxes to land quotas and even conscription, to show the greatest goodwill to your new friends."
New friends.
Thales thought for a moment.
Kessel snorted angrily:
"Just for that damn sword of yours."
Facing the king whose expression remained the same but whose mood seemed to have cooled down for more than a winter, Thales frowned and expressed his incomprehension.
"If you are dissatisfied because of this, I can return the sword at any time. You don't need to consider me. You can continue your plan to conquer the Western Wilderness..."
But the king suddenly asked:
"Did that change you?"
Thales stopped talking.
"Change...what?" the prince asked doubtfully.
Kessel on the throne on the high platform narrowed his eyes:
"What you said was this journey of 'almost dying several times'..."
"Have you learned anything?"
A journey where I almost died several times...
Thales's mood cooled down.
"Yes."
After a few seconds, he said calmly: "I learned a lot."
"No."
But Kessel decisively rejected him.
"If you really learned something," the King of Stars looked at the Duke of Star Lake from a distance:
"Then you should know."
I saw incomprehensible anger flashing in the king's eyes:
"If it weren't for that sword..."
"Then you will never become the Duke of Star Lake."
Thales was stunned.
"Why?" he asked subconsciously.
The light in the meeting hall seemed to be dimmed again.
"Why?" Kessel laughed angrily.
The king sneered and paused his scepter, and the muffled sound spread throughout the hall:
"because of you……"
"Not worthy."
Not worthy.
The moment he heard the last word clearly, Thales' whole body froze.
But he didn't have a chance to think about it, let alone reply.
"Gilbert! Adrian!"
King Kessel V no longer looked at Thales, but spoke loudly and shouted coldly.
The door of the stone hall opened, and two footsteps sounded calmly.
Gilbert's slightly confused voice came from behind:
"Your Majesty, how..."
But the king immediately interrupted him, his tone was decisive and left no room for doubt:
"Let the edict draft it... No, Gilbert, you draft my warrant yourself and show it to everyone."
Gilbert looked surprised.
"Prince Thales returned from a long journey to commend his glorious achievements and show his noble status..."
The King of Stars paused and hummed from his nose:
"And my favor and love."
Hearing these words, Thales gritted his teeth.
King Kessel looked at his son and said quietly under Gilbert's strange eyes:
"From now on, among the royal family's properties, the Mindis Hall located in the Dusk Star District will be given to the Duke of Star Lake as his property in the royal capital..."
"Chartered residence."
Gilbert glanced at Thales. The foreign minister's eyes were full of surprise and confusion at the same time.
"Yes, please read a book, Your Majesty." Gilbert nodded quickly and obeyed.
Thales slowly raised his head, only to find that King Kessel didn't even look at him.
But the king's unequivocal orders were not over yet:
"Adrian, you accompany the Duke out and ask your people to take him directly to Mindis Hall - he should be familiar with it."
Gilbert hesitated to speak.
Adrian bowed:
"As you command, Your Majesty."
Thales stood aside, silent.
"Of course, that has to be..."
The king snorted coldly and fell into the shadows again:
"In a quarter of an hour."
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