When the king stepped into Mindis Hall, Thales breathed hard.
He leaned his knees on the carpet of Mindis Hall, feeling the coolness.
Many footsteps came from the front, one was leading steadily, and the others were following behind.
Thales heard his own breathing clearly, and for the first time he found that they were so harsh.
"Get up, everyone." A familiar voice came, as thick as before.
"This is a banquet, not a royal meeting - those old men are annoying enough."
No one dared to answer the call.
For a moment, Duke Xinghu seemed to have returned to six years ago, when he first arrived at Mindis Hall in a state of confusion.
At that time, when King Kessel met him for the first time, the solemn atmosphere seemed to crack the floor tiles, forcing the little beggar to feel uncomfortable all over and speechless.
Thales stared closely at the pattern of the carpet - there should be no iron thorns underneath - and the Duke discovered bitterly that after six years of experience and polishing, when the same scene reappeared, not only did the heaviness he experienced not disappear at all.
If it is reduced, it will still be excessive.
King Nun, King Charmaine, all the enemies that made him fearful, no one could give him such a feeling.
Why?
Why is this happening?
Thales still lowered his head.
Whether they were guests or attendants, guards or servants, people bowed in low voices, and the sound of greetings could not be heard.
But it didn't relax Thales' nerves at all.
Finally, the pair of simple but expensive boots stopped in front of him.
The base of the staff of the stars touches the carpet, as if it has taken root immediately.
After about a century, a palm appeared in front of Thales.
On it, the bronze ring symbolizing royal power shone slightly.
Thales was dazzled for a moment, as if he had seen the national meeting back then. When the Iron-fisted King stepped into the Hall of Stars, the vassals of the kingdom knelt down to salute and kissed the ring on his hand to show their loyalty.
Duke Xinghu took a deep breath, took off his gloves and held the palm, preparing to kiss the king's ring according to etiquette.
But to Thales's surprise, the king held his hand in the next moment and stopped him.
Thales raised his head in surprise, only to see a pair of deep blue eyes staring at him coldly.
"When you are in the north," King Kessel spoke slowly, his tone was ordinary, but the content was as important as ever: "When you face King Nunn, face the new king, face the entire Exeter..."
"Did you take a knee?"
Thales was shocked.
He looked at those bottomless blue eyes for a second, feeling the perseverance and weight hidden inside, and swallowed:
"No."
The young man added the title with some difficulty:
"His Majesty."
The next second, Thales felt a heavy weight on his hand, and his whole body was involuntarily pulled up from the ground!
"Then don't have bad habits."
Kaiser said coldly, the majestic air seemed to turn into ice water and flow down the wall.
Thales didn't even have time to react or think.
"As a shining star," the king looked at his heir expressionlessly, "even if his legs are useless."
"I will never bend my knees."
The crowd around him made fleeting comments and then fell silent.
"Especially at……"
The Iron Fist King slowly let go of his hand. He looked at the statues of the Three Star Kings on the spiral staircase. He paused for a second, then looked at the chandelier above his head and the decoration in the hall. No one could know his emotions:
"here."
Tails was a little surprised as he was used to the low pressure surrounding his opponent.
He didn't let me kneel down or kiss his hands.
In the past, he was the supreme king with deep momentum and heavy steps.
Today this is...
The people who knelt down and saluted still lowered their heads, not knowing what they were thinking.
Thales stared at his father inquiringly, but still answered obediently:
"yes."
He felt the difference in the atmosphere and added tacitly:
"Father."
King Kessel stared at him closely, without saying anything, he just held the scepter again.
The interaction between the king and the prince seemed to be an instruction, and the people around him stood up one after another, surrounding the arrival of the king, and performed their duties.
Lord Adrian, the commander of the royal guard accompanying King Kessel, saluted Thales with a faint smile, and then whispered something to Mallos.
Thales was still thinking to himself, but King Kessel did not stop or exchange greetings, he just passed him and walked forward.
It seemed as if what happened just now was just an episode in the royal family.
Until the king stopped again and faced the only person in the hall who refused to kneel down and salute, let alone make pretentious remarks.
I saw Val Arend like a dazzling pillar, firmly stuck on the ground of Mindis Hall. He looked at his old friend coldly and said nothing.
Thales could smell the faint sense of tension.
King Kessel did not speak, but just stared at the Duke silently, his eyes turning back and forth on the shackles on the other's hands.
Their eyes met in the air.
At that moment, their gazes contained too many things.
The tacit silence between the two made the surrounding attendants anxious and embarrassed.
Until a gentle and pleasant female voice broke the silence.
"Unbelievable - this is little Thales?"
Thales slowly turned around and faced another lady who followed the king and was surrounded by many female relatives.
He couldn't help but feel nervous.
The lady's dress was luxurious, and her posture was elegant but lively. Her eyes as she looked at Thales were full of surprises:
"It's been so many years, look at your size...do you still remember me?"
Thales looked behind the lady: Jinni was wearing a standard official dress, with a calm expression, and nodded imperceptibly to him.
The young man smiled, held his stepmother's hand with a complicated and subtle emotion, and leaned forward to salute:
"Your Majesty the Queen, you remain as charming as ever."
Queen Keya's eyes lit up. While looking at Thales, she turned back happily and said to one of the female relatives:
"Look, Elise, he recognized me at first sight, you know he was so little then..."
The queen is radiant, has a sweet smile, speaks fluently, and is natural and friendly, making people fall in love with her when they first meet her.
If Thales hadn't met her six years ago.
"Of course." Among the female relatives who came with the queen, another pretty lady also looked at Thales:
"Prince Thales is known for his intelligence."
This lady is wearing a dark dress and a velvet shawl. She is equally elegant, but a little more tranquil:
"Even in the Northland."
Thales looked at the piece of velvet silently.
Keya held Thales' hand and sighed while looking him up and down. She turned to Jini with an annoyed look on her face:
"Oh, Jinny, you should have asked me to bring the children. Maybe Lydia is a little naughty, but she should at least bring Luther and let him learn from his brother how to be a good prince.
…”
Hearing those two names, the smiles of everyone around him stopped.
Female Officer Ji Ni looked troubled. She glanced at the velvet lady and her tone was slightly urging:
"Keya..."
The servants who came out of Fuxing Palace had already had a tacit understanding, and the two maids calmly stepped forward.
But the queen still grabbed Thales and looked at her, refusing to let go, which seemed to suggest that she couldn't let go of her stepson:
"You know, they are royal children after all. What will they do when they grow up..."
At this moment.
"Keya."
A thick voice sounded faintly, like the hinges of a city gate tightening.
The next moment, Queen Keya's enthusiastic words suddenly stopped.
She turned her head with a timid expression and looked at the king's back.
King Kessel stretched out his arms silently.
The queen gave Thales an apologetic look, then stepped forward obediently and took her husband's arm.
"Val," Keya looked at Duke Val standing opposite the king, his eyes lit up, and he spoke like an old friend asking, as if he didn't see the shackles on his hands:
"How are you?"
The Duke of the North, who had been staring closely at King Kessel, moved slightly. He looked at the queen, his eyebrows narrowing and disappearing.
Finally, Val spoke silently, with disdain in his words:
"It couldn't be better."
After Duke Arend finished speaking, he turned around and headed to the banquet hall without looking back. He didn't need any guidance, but he knew the road was familiar.
With a look from Mallos, Gray Patterson, who was in charge of escorting, and several members of the guard followed closely, alert.
"Let's go," King Kessel stared at the back of his childhood playmate and said in a slightly serious tone:
"Someone must be waiting impatiently."
The king took a step forward. Without Captain Adrian's orders, the royal guards accompanying His Majesty followed him faintly from the side. Their expressions remained unchanged, their postures were natural, and they arrived in time without being conspicuous or obtrusive.
In comparison, even if they come from the same origin, regardless of their demeanor or grace, they belong to his Star Lake Guard...
"It's my misunderstanding after all," behind Thales, D.D carefully watched the scene of royal greetings and whispered to Glover:
"Or is Mindis Hall really getting cold?"
Glover glanced at the faint sweat spots on the other person's forehead and replied softly:
"It's not an illusion."
Thales sighed.
The next second, he suddenly felt a tightening in his left hand.
"Would you mind lending me an arm?"
Thales turned his head in surprise, and the lady with velvet shoulders smiled and took his arm.
"Elise...aunt."
Thales looked at the adopted daughter of the late king, whom he had met six years ago, with complicated emotions. His eyes stayed on her shoulders, and he felt a faint pain in a scar on her chest.
He said against his will:
"The shawl is beautiful."
Elise smiled elegantly and beautifully:
"Thank you, and you've grown up - a man."
Thales was held by his aunt's arm, and he couldn't help but keep up with the pace of the king and queen, and the people accompanying him all followed suit.
"no need to worry."
Compared to Thales' stiffness, Elise walks calmly and has a decent smile:
"You'll get used to it."
Get used to it slowly.
What are you used to?
Thales sighed in his heart. Is he used to his father's inherent atmosphere killer attribute, or is he used to the intricate aristocratic circle in the royal capital?
A few steps behind the king, they headed to the banquet hall surrounded by people.
Elise's voice suddenly became cold:
"laugh."
Thales was stunned.
"If you want to fight, be armed."
Elise still showed her friendly smile to everyone around her, but her tone became abrupt:
"And on this battlefield, smile is the best armor."
Thales' eyebrows moved.
Something sounds familiar.
But before he could come up with an answer, Elise had already turned her head and looked at the person who had followed them unknowingly.
"Congratulations, Tormund," Elise looked at Mallos gently:
"I'm very happy that you have become the watchman of the guard and the captain of Thales' personal guard."
Lord Mallos nodded slightly, his face remained calm, and his tone was as calm as before:
"Your Highness Elise."
On the contrary, Elise felt quite emotional after sizing up the watchman.
"Your father will be very proud," Her Royal Highness the Princess sighed:
"His greatest wish is to see your family return to the line of Seven Waiters..."
Mallos suddenly raised his voice and interrupted Elise:
"Please follow your Majesty in, Your Majesty the Duke."
"This is your welcome party, you don't want to miss it."
Mallos nodded to Thales and walked quickly towards Adrian.
Thales followed the princess' pace unhurriedly and thoughtfully:
"You and my guard captain are old acquaintances?"
Elise looked at Mallos's back and nodded slowly.
"Before his decline, 'Razor' Mallos played a very important role in the Seven Shining Stars of the Central Territory, and he had all the power. In his family tree, there were three baron titles granted by the royal family, which was comparable to that of the 'Wild Horse' Barney family.
"
Elise seemed to sigh:
"When the late king was still alive, the old Viscount Marius even proposed to marry Princess Constance for his eldest son."
"Razor" Mallos.
The seven important servants of the Brilliant Star under the royal family.
It was the first time that Thales knew the meaning of his personal guard captain's surname and couldn't help but frown.
"From crying and hanging to running away from home, Constance made a big fuss. In short, the scene was not good-looking, and there was a lot of excitement... Before the marriage was consummated, the late king felt guilty, so he decided to give in and asked me if I wanted to marry.
past."
Thales moved slightly.
"You mean," Thales looked at his aunt, then at Mallos's back, and said in surprise:
"You and...him?"
Elise showed a plain smile, and at that moment she actually looked a little haggard.
Thales finally managed to retract his surprise.
So Tormund Mallos, his favorite captain of the bodyguard, almost became his uncle?
Thales kept an eye on him and secretly planned to force D.D to reveal all the gossip about his boss after he went back.
"What happened next?" Thales asked.
"Later, I agreed." The princess said calmly:
"But probably out of dissatisfaction, or because he felt that a princess without royal blood did not meet their expectations, old Viscount Mallos rejected the late king and instead proposed marriage to Duke Allende in the north."
Thales blinked.
Okay.
The adopted daughter lowered her eyebrows and submissively, and married in place of her wayward biological daughter, but was decisively rejected by the man.
Putting aside all the old sayings about house fighting style...
How powerful was the Mallos family back then?
Thales carefully glanced at his aunt's face, but found that the latter still smiled kindly and nodded to the guests on both sides from time to time. She was not at all worried about the humiliation she had suffered.
The young man suddenly remembered that Elise's husband died in Hongfang Street six years ago, and the culprit was...
Thales looked at his aunt and knew in his heart that her subsequent marriage was not a happy one.
Thinking of this, Thales suddenly felt a sense of sympathy.
"But Marius is no longer among the seven servants today, so...how did they decline?" Thales cleared his throat and wanted to say something to make his aunt happy.
But Elise shook her head, not happy either:
"The Year of Blood."
Thales's heart trembled.
Speaking of this, Elise did not want to say anything more and changed the topic:
"Speaking of this, Thales, you have been in the Northland for many years, have you paid attention to any good girls?"
Thales had a meal.
Having lived in the Northland for many years...
"Good girl?"
"Yeah," Elise smiled and nodded:
"When you come back from the North, the capital will be talking about it a lot."
Thales suddenly remembered that silly little girl with her cat in the library, covered in dirt.
And a long time later, the Grand Duchess held up the ring of King Nun, roaring like a young lion, roaring in the Hall of Heroes and giving orders to send troops.
But when he thought that she was going on an expedition that was not going well at the moment, and her life or death was uncertain, Thales's mood fell to the bottom.
That girl... she can hold on, right?
He immediately cheered up.
"Of course," Thales raised his head without changing his expression:
"Miss Jenny is beautiful, lively, cheerful and interesting, and she is very close to me. I like to travel with her the most."
Princess Elise's steps suddenly stopped.
The people around him were also silent.
"Jenny?"
Elise frowned and repeated the name.
Very close...
Traveling together...
Still a girl from the North...
Doyle cast an evil look at Glover that was first surprised, then clear.
Unsurprisingly, he was ignored by the latter.
Princess Elise gave the surrounding eavesdroppers a warning look.
"You shouldn't answer directly, it will have a lot of repercussions."
Servants, guards, guests, the rustling chatter sounded like a buzzing sound, and spread farther and farther with the footsteps back and forth.
The seriousness of this news cannot be questioned.
His aunt tightened Thales's arm, but couldn't help but cautiously leaned over and lowered her voice:
"So, which family in the North is...Jenny?"
At the same time, despite being firmly separated, the surrounding bystanders all turned their ears this way, ignoring the displeased orders of the royal guards.
But Thales raised his voice and didn't care. He had no intention of hiding his romantic history in the North:
"have no idea."
He said carelessly, causing another round of low discussion among the surrounding people.
"But judging from her body shape, coat color, pace, food intake, defecation, and how picky she is about concentrate feed, stables, and grooms," Thales recalled Nicolai's riding lessons on horsemanship and said sincerely
answer:
"Should be of noble birth."
His aunt was stunned for a second.
"Coat color, stable..."
Elise narrowed her eyes and slowly reacted:
"Jenny...is a horse?"
Thales turned his head and smiled heartily:
"A good horse."
The next moment, the people who were paying attention all let out disappointed sighs and dispersed one after another.
Thales looked at Elise's strange eyes and the frustrated expressions of those around her with satisfaction.
Yes, Jenny is a good horse...
That's weird.
He knew that he broke away from the rope buckle in the middle of the night and sneaked out to eat the night food from other mangers, making the whole Palace of Heroes nervous and searching for the thief. It was not until he was accidentally bumped into by Ada who came back from stealing chicken legs in the middle of the night that the truth came to light...
He is fierce and domineering in front of Wyatt and Rolf, but he is well-behaved and innocent in front of Thales and Nicolai. He has a bad temper when he sees the groom with a riding whip and harness, but he is kind and approachable when he sees the groom with a riding whip and harness...
Is there any part of Miss Jenny that could be related to the word "good"?
(In a stable in the Northland, a graceful mare sneezed. She raised her head from the stable with vigilance, and with a nimble back kick, drove another unwilling horse back to the corner.
, and then continue to grab its night food)
After a few seconds, Elise smiled in relief.
"Very good. Even if it touches a painful spot, I will take it calmly and respond with humor."
She stared at her unrelated nephew:
"Now……"
"You are fully armed."
Touch the sore spot...
Thales's heart tightened.
Elise just smiled slightly and didn't point it out. She just held his arm and continued to move forward.
"I miss you so much," Elise looked away from the statue of the Three Kings of the Stars with emotion:
"In the past, your little aunt often dragged me here to play."
"Little aunt?" Thales moved slightly when he heard this.
"Constance, what kind of girl is she?"
The two were silent for a moment.
Elise's eyes were filled with sadness, looking at the past that she could never go back to:
"Constance, she is not a law-abiding girl. Every time she comes here, she either jumps off the building or demolishes the house. I can only pretend to be sick to avoid her enthusiasm - so much so that the considerate Brother Midier even specially prepared some for me.
A dedicated 'ward'."
Constance, jumped off the building, demolished the house...
Thales thought of the stone urns of ashes in the Bright Star Tomb and frowned.
"When she refused to marry," Elise chuckled:
"He ran away from home four times, and he wanted to take me with him. But twice he was captured by Lord Sak'el, once by Jinni, and the last time even by Brother Midir himself.
Take action... But His Majesty the late King could not bear to beat her, nor did he dare to beat Ms. Ada who was secretly helping her, so he could only let Lord Sackel whip Kessel who was colluding with her..."
Elise paused for a moment when she said this. She looked at the king in front of her, then sighed and continued:
"Now that I think about it, the years I spent running away from home with her and starving on the streets together, well, it wasn't actually that bad."
Thales was a little crazy after hearing this.
"That sounds like Constance," Thales said quietly:
"She is a very lively and lovely girl."
"Lively and cute?" Elise laughed out loud: "You have never experienced her pranks..."
"Including painting the cute cat on the back of Horace's armor. The entire military camp saw it. No one dared to speak. It was a prisoner who reminded him..."
"Because I was afraid that the third brother would not be able to find a wife, I used Bancroft's name to send love letters to all the future sisters-in-law that she favored and arrange dates..."
"She thought Heyman was too stinky and pretty, so she secretly replaced his perfume with dog urine when he had a cold and couldn't smell..."
"I was interested in adult sex, so I secretly followed Kessel to Hongfang Street, listened to his talk, and popped out from under the bed to ask him what he thought..."
Thales couldn't help but laugh after hearing this.
"The only person who can discipline her is Brother Midir," Elise shook her head helplessly:
"But even so, Constance succeeded in her trick once and successfully applied delayed-acting pepper spray to Midiel's wheelchair. As a result, he actually attended the royal meeting for a whole day like nothing happened...
"
Thales was still laughing, but he realized something and was stunned.
"Aunt Elise, you just said..."
Thales frowned and spoke softly: "Midiel's...wheelchair?"
The atmosphere between the two of them dropped slightly.
After a few seconds, Elise frowned slightly:
"do not you know?"
Thales narrowed his eyes.
"That's right," Elise sighed slowly:
"This is an old story, and it involves the deceased. It's normal that you don't know."
Duke Xinghu turned his head subconsciously, and belatedly discovered that all the stairs in the Mindis Hall had a landslide of considerable proportions.
It seems...not just decoration?
"and……"
Elise spoke quietly, her eyes focused on the void. At this moment, she seemed to have cut off the noise from the outside world and was immersed in the past.
"Although his smile is always the gentlest, protective, tolerant, and caring for everyone, although his shoulders are always the toughest, supporting, supporting, and blessing everyone."
"But even though he is so understanding, gentle and considerate, no one can ever really..."
"Understand his pain."
Thales turned back and looked at her in surprise.
"That's right."
"When Brother Midir was young, he encountered an accident while traveling," Iris said quietly:
"Since then, he has had problems with his legs and has difficulty walking."
"I will be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life."
What?
Thales was stunned.
Midir Shining Star.
Former owner of Mindis Hall.
The former heir to the Supreme Throne, a wise prince praised by everyone.
It's actually a...
The crown prince in a wheelchair?
Thales suddenly remembered the scene where Kessel pulled him up from the ground.
and his cold words.
[As a shining star, even if both legs are useless...]
【I will never bend my knees.】
【Especially at……】
【here.】
The next second, without any pause, they followed the king and queen into the banquet hall.
The crowds are surging, and the mountains are shouting and the sea is shouting.