Thales was surprised by Viscount Patterson's exaggerated movements. Before he could figure out the meaning behind these words, Gilbert's voice came from behind.
"His Excellency Viscount Patterson!"
"Special seats have been prepared in the banquet hall, if you..."
Gilbert has been receiving lower-level guests on the other side - from important industry meetings to invited royal capital bureaucrats. Apparently they were aware of the unexpected situation here and came in a hurry.
"No need, kid Casso, I'm here for him," Patterson obviously didn't hear Gilbert's words clearly, but this didn't affect his cold treatment when he saw him:
"Just for him."
Viscount Patterson bowed to the prince again, with such a large movement that everyone present broke into a cold sweat, and then he was helped to the banquet hall.
Thales, Doyle, and Glover all breathed a sigh of relief.
Gilbert looked at the Viscount's retreating back and sighed softly:
"Patterson, he is a more individual person among the seven attendants of the Bright Star. He does not bother to attend many occasions, partly because he is old and has no scruples."
"But obviously, it's time for him to think about future generations."
Looking at Thales' confused look, Gilbert added:
"One of his sons is in your guard, Second Punishment Officer Gray Patterson."
Thales felt relieved.
Guests arrived one after another. Although most of them were bureaucrats and nobles with lower status and did not need Thales to greet them, the Mindis Hall was already extremely busy.
It was enough for Marius and Gilbert to just come out to receive them. Even Viscount Conney and Earl Godwin, who were invited to help and acted as half-hosts, came and went and had no time to rest.
But unexpectedly, Patterson was not the only one who came in advance.
"Good luck on the holy day, my highness!"
The VIP who followed Patterson did not give Thales a chance to return to the lounge.
Viscount Adrian came with his wife, so Thales had to give up his plan to rest and adjust his state to a happy state again.
"You have grown up, and you look very energetic and handsome. You have the same style as His Majesty Kessel."
Adrian himself is only in his thirties, looks young, promising and full of energy.
But in the past few days, Thales learned that this viscount's family ruled the fertile land and beautiful scenery surrounding Swan County in the central territory, and he was the most important member of the Seven Servings of the Brilliant Star.
Thales did not dare to neglect at all, and greeted them pleasantly and exchanged greetings.
"Obviously, no matter how strong the cold wind in the North is, how heavy the snowstorm is, how fierce the yellow sand in the Western Wilderness is, and how hot the temperature is," Viscount Adrian looked directly into Thales's eyes, while his wife smiled silently, looking quiet and beautiful.
, “It can’t even cover up the dazzling brilliance of the stars in the sky.”
Thales could only—according to Gilbert's teachings—respond mildly, neither humble nor arrogant, but not lacking, neither too prominent nor too mute.
Like a qualified shining star prince.
Until Adrian bowed down, gently held Thales' palm, and lightly touched the back of Thales' hand with his lips.
"I'm not their lord or lord, am I?"
Thales sent Viscount Adrian away, rubbed the back of his hand that had been kissed twice, and asked doubtfully:
"I mean... not yet?"
"No," Doyle replied absently.
The guard gave an unusual answer, and then Thales realized something was wrong:
D.D nodded and bowed, watching Viscount Adrian leave in an almost flattering manner. Even Glover was respectful and greeted him all the way.
Compared with when the old Viscount was here just now, the attitude is completely different.
"What's wrong?" The young Duke frowned.
"Are they special?"
Only then did Doyle come back to his senses and scratched his head:
"Ah, sorry, um, Your Highness, do you remember Lord Adrian? Our supreme commander, Captain of the Guard?"
Thales frowned, remembering the Lord Adrian who commanded the royal guard when he entered the Fuxing Palace to meet the king.
If the prince realizes something:
"So, the Viscount Adrian just now is not only the Seventh Attendant of the Bright Star, he is also..."
"Yes," Doyle watched the other party disappear from sight, and then he breathed a sigh of relief:
"The nephew of our immediate boss."
Thales pondered for a moment, but what he was thinking about was not Doyle and Glover's workplace situation.
Patterson and Adrian, the two major families of the Seven Shining Stars, unexpectedly came to the Mindis Hall in advance and asked me... couldn't this be a coincidence?
His inner suspicions were soon confirmed.
Five minutes later, when Thales was preparing to return to the lounge and wait for the next group of heavyweight guests, a man and a woman stepped out of the carriage holding hands and walked into the Mindis Hall. Under the guidance of the waiter,
Come to him.
Glover and Doyle's expressions changed slightly, as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
"Your Highness," D.D said worriedly:
"Well...we'd better go back...let Count Casso come..."
But the guests walked very quickly, and before Doyle could finish speaking, they arrived in front of Thales.
"Your Highness," at the urging of the woman beside him, the young male noble said in a vague voice, breathless, "I am... I am Luther, Luther... I am very, very happy..."
Thales frowned.
The man in front of me was very young, only seventeen or eighteen years old, but he was awkward all over, his expression was tense, and his posture was awkward.
What's even more outrageous is that he lowered his head deeply and just stared at the soles of his shoes without looking at Thales, as if the floor tiles of Mindis Hall were more attractive.
Thales noticed that although this little nobleman named Luther was eccentric and timid, he had exquisite makeup and gorgeous clothes. He had obviously been carefully groomed.
There were more and more carriages outside the hall, and the sound of the wheels colliding on the stone road became louder and more complicated.
The next second, the hesitant Luther had not finished his greeting, but his facial features tightened.
Staring at the floor, he suddenly became anxious and struggled to shake the woman's arm:
"Mom, I want to go back, I don't want this place... I want my chess pieces..."
The woman's face changed.
Only then did Thales notice the young aristocratic woman next to Luther - she looked to be in her thirties, with a pretty face, a light waist, a decent posture, but a slightly tired expression, conservative clothes, and dark colors.
She worriedly forced out an apologetic smile to Thales, then approached her son's ear and whispered:
"Child, you have practiced and you have done well. Do you remember what I told you..."
Her tone gradually became stern.
But Luther's voice became impatient and his movements became intense:
"No!"
His voice was bitter and crying, and the width of his arms became wider and wider:
"I want to go back, I want the chess pieces, I want the chess board..."
Completely ignoring the fact that Duke Xinghu and his attendants, including the entire front porch guard servants, were watching.
His mother comforted her anxiously, but Luther's struggle became more and more unreasonable. He squatted directly on the ground with an inelegant posture:
"I want to go back! Go back! Go back, go back, go back, go back..."
Glover and Doyle looked at each other, and the two nervous people stepped forward to separate Thales from Luther who was moving more and more, for fear that this obviously abnormal guest would do something wrong.
Things that benefit the Duke.
The elegant and graceful young woman's face was pale. She tried her best to pick up her son and comforted him with gentle words, but it was obviously not effective.
Until a gentle voice intervened in this little accident:
"It's okay, Luther."
Amid Luther's unrelenting cry, several people turned their heads and saw Thales pushing aside Glover and Doyle with a smile, ignoring their dissuasion and squatting down in front of Luther.
The lady who was about to ask the servant to help was slightly startled.
"I also like to play chess, the 'Rise and Fall of Empires' version, right?"
As if the prince's words had some magic power, Luther no longer struggled, but stopped and stared at the floor, panting.
"It's just that I've never been good at using 'Swordsman', and I always lost most of them before upgrading to 'Knight'." Thales shrugged.
Luther said nothing, but continued to breathe heavily.
"I don't have any chess pieces in my hand now," Thales said in an annoyed tone, as if he was also unhappy:
"But fortunately, I have something more interesting - new chess pieces."
Thales stretched his hands to his chest.
Glover saw the Duke's movements clearly and was shocked:
"Your Highness——"
I saw Thales taking off the badge representing the nine-pointed star from his chest and twirling it in front of Luther's eyes like a treasure:
"Look, it's inlaid with crystal. It's sparkling under the sun. There's a wheel here. Changing the angle can reflect different brilliance - count, how many colors are there?"
Luther raised his gaze blankly.
The noble lady looked at the prince's actions blankly and hesitated to speak.
"And there is also a mechanism here that can hide some letter paper and so on... put it on the chessboard, maybe it can replace a king - ahem, replace a knight."
Thales played with the badge representing his identity with great interest and slowly stood up.
Luther's eyes slowly rose along with the prince's badge, and he stood up subconsciously.
Thales suddenly grinned:
"Do you like it? Take it."
Luther stretched out his palm blankly.
But Thales' hand stopped halfway.
"But today, you have to listen to your mother," the prince said with a smile:
"Otherwise I'll take it back."
Luther just stared at the emblem of the Bright Star with a focused expression.
I don’t know how much he understood.
Thales was a little helpless, but still put the badge into the opponent's hand.
The latter got the nine-pointed star badge, lowered his head and began to study the mechanisms and light refraction inside.
Thales breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the focused Luther with a smile.
Glover and Doyle, who had always maintained a state of combat readiness, looked at each other and then returned to their original positions.
The young lady inhaled gently, and then exhaled slowly.
She looked at her son first, then turned to Thales, with a sincere smile and gratitude:
"Your Highness Thales, although I have heard about it for a long time, compared with your intelligence and genius, your kindness and tolerance are more touching."
"As expected of the master of this hall."
The young woman lifted up her skirt gracefully and tilted her head slightly, showing a graceful and charming figure:
"Eleanor Barney, hello."
"The suffering is over. May you overcome the difficulties and spread your wings and soar."
"Of course, thank you, Mrs. Eleanor." Thales nodded politely, but couldn't help but glance at Luther on the other side.
Eleanor noticed the prince's gaze and took a deep breath.
"Luther, he hasn't grown up yet," the young woman pursed her lips and tried hard to put away the sparkle in her eyes that was either caused by embarrassment or shame:
"But teenagers can also create miracles."
There was stubbornness in her eyes.
"I believe you know it all too well, Your Highness."
Eleanor extended her right hand gracefully.
Thales held the mother's hand respectfully and respectfully, preparing to kiss her in return:
"Of course, Lady Eleanor."
"I am clear."
But the next second, Thales felt his palms tighten and his face change!
Mrs. Eleanor smiled apologetically, but unconventionally turned over Thales's palm and knelt down.
"Please don't mind me. As a vassal, it is my duty to kiss my master's hand."
Thales watched in astonishment as Mrs. Eleanor put her hands on his palms, gently pulled off his gloves, and gently kissed the back of his hands.
Her lips were very soft, and the intensity was different from the previous two, more like gentle friction.
"My son is unable to perform his duties," the mother then let go of His Highness the Prince and smiled to relieve her embarrassment:
"Nature does it for the mother."
"The Barney family will always be by your side."
Thales was so shocked that he could not speak, but subconsciously retracted his hand.
Mrs. Eleanor didn't take it seriously, just smiled gently, turned and left, grabbing her son who was focused on toys, and headed to the banquet hall.
Thales was stunned for a second before turning his head and looking at the equally stunned expressions of the two guards.
After a long while, Doyle took a deep breath:
"I believe you have seen the 'Little Iron Thorn'."
d.d scratched his head, a little embarrassed:
"Um, Your Highness... I know these words coming out of my mouth are very unconvincing..."
"I also know that mature women are very attractive..."
Thales arched his eyebrows.
"But Your Highness, please don't be mesmerized by beauty..."
Thales snorted helplessly to relieve his embarrassment.
But he immediately paused.
"Little Iron Thorn? You mean Lady Eleanor?"
Thales thought for a moment, found the answer in his recent star history class, and was immediately relieved:
"To have such a nickname, this lady must be extraordinary."
Iron thorn, this is not some strange and evil sex tool.
Historically, this means that four hundred years ago, in the middle of the third century, a certain great-great...great-grandmother of Thales (even earlier than someone who liked to eat chicken legs):
‘Iron Queen’ Eleanor.
This legendary woman became the noble Queen of the Stars at the age of twenty-six, and spent the next seventy years experiencing all kinds of hardships.
She has experienced twelve wars, four coups, and eight supreme kings in her life. She has witnessed the "Change in the Palace of the Cutler", "The Return of the Young Man to the Dynasty", "The Humiliation of the Giant Spirit", "The Evil Waves of the East China Sea", and "Only the Bloody Edge"
The legendary stories have been turned into historical dramas, but they still stand at the top of the times, firmly holding the rudder of the fate of the kingdom in that era of rising dragons and dim stars, turbulent times and frequent wars.
But Thales immediately wondered:
"But why 'Little Iron Thorn'?"
Doyle was beaming and seemed very happy that the prince asked him about noble gossip:
"Because there is another person in the 'Little Iron Thorn', and unfortunately she is also in the Barney family - it is the old great-grandmother of the Baron Doll."
"That little old lady is still alive. I saw it once when I went to Barney Manor. I thought I met the legendary evil tree demon..."
Glover cleared his throat heavily.
Doyle realized that he had said the wrong thing, and he quickly changed the topic:
"In short, Mrs. Eleanor, who likes to kiss your hands, married into the prosperous Barney family when she was still a child - it was the eve of the Bloody Year. The old lady 'Little Iron Thorn' had superb skills, so that
They have important ministers in the court, fiefdoms outside the court, and even two collateral relatives in the royal guard who hold important positions."
Doyle was carefree and seemed to enjoy this kind of gossip.
At the height of their power...the Barney family.
Thales had a meal.
"only……"
d.d looked at Mrs. Eleanor's back and said softly: "What a pity."
"What's wrong?"
"Lady Eleanor's new husband, Viscount Barney at that time, was not only old enough to be her father, but he was also a consumptive man who was bedridden all day long. He died within a few years of the Bloody Years."
Doyle curled his lips and looked sad:
"Leaving her to be a widow at such a young age, with a foolish posthumous son, it would be troublesome for her to even remarry."
But Doyle then thought about it:
No, with the "little iron thorn" around, who dares to let her grandniece and granddaughter-in-law remarry?
"You know, many people in the aristocratic circle near the royal capital are secretly laughing at her, saying that the seed in her belly is not..."
Doyle's words were still in his ears, but the prince's attention was once again attracted to the mother who had been widowed in her early years and raised her children alone.
Thales stared at Lady Eleanor's figure.
He saw her unhurriedly grabbing her son who was different from ordinary people, clasping his fingers without any explanation, taking a few deep breaths, then holding her head high, walking calmly, and walked into the Duke of Star Lake's grand banquet hall.
.
Ignoring the strange looks from all kinds of people around me.
Only then did Thales notice that Eleanor's makeup was very good, but she couldn't hide the micro wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.
But her neck is white and slender, and her waist is attractive.
Never bent.
Thales suddenly remembered: after the ups and downs of Queen Mother Eleanor's magnificent life came to an end, later generations had mixed praise and criticism for her.
Critics accused her of being keen on power struggles, manipulating the court, tormenting the people and persecuting loyal people in her conspiracy to dominate politics.
Supporters praised her for her superb skills, tenacity and courage, supporting the kingdom and turning the tide during the years when the stars were silent.
However, what is most widely remembered by the world is the comment left by an unknown minstrel, which shines through the annals of history:
"I no longer remember whether Eleanor was beautiful or graceful."
"I only know that even if I step on thousands of iron thorns..."