Seeing the situation take a turn for the worse, Baron Doyle, who was being held hostage, shouted repeatedly in severe pain:
"Wait! We can actually talk again..."
But Anke, who was already offended, was obviously not in the mood to listen to the plea. He grabbed the old baron's neck and choked the latter's words in his throat.
"I've had enough of your family's viciousness and hypocrisy! Doyle!"
The kidnapper spoke angrily:
"No matter men, women, old or young!"
Behind Thales, D.D, who was still hesitating, had his eyes splitting and his arms trembling.
Piloga had to rush forward and help Glover hold him down.
As the captain, Mallos remained silent, only looking at the kidnapper with cold eyes.
The old baron's breathing became obviously difficult, and his face quickly turned red, causing the baroness to scream:
"Ah! You cold-blooded brat! If you dare to touch my man, I swear, I will kill you..."
Seeing that the situation was not going well, Earl Godwin quickly made a gesture and asked several female family members to hurriedly hold down the Baroness, trying to pull her back into the crowd to prevent her from further irritating the hostage taker.
Panic and worry spread, and the guests began to talk again, relying on the guards to maintain order.
"You! Doyle's son!"
Anke's hair was trembling, furious, and he pointed his sword at the D.D on the steps:
"Stop hiding behind women!"
"Come down!"
Thales looked at Anke who looked crazy from a distance, feeling heavy in his heart.
That man, he was desperate.
Thales said silently.
hysteria.
Just for a duel.
But he is just a pawn: he exists to complete one small step in someone's game.
Thinking of this, Thales felt even sadder.
The guards who separated the crowd from the assassins became nervous, but Anke seemed to maintain his last sense of reason and did not kill the assassin or use his sword rashly.
He just stared at d.d:
"Let's deal with this! Like men!"
"Son of a bitch——" Doyle subconsciously wanted to rush downwards, but was stopped by Piroga and Glover who were well prepared:
"let me go!"
"At least she has gained some advantages, and people's perceptions have been shaken," Vogel ignored D.D's gaffe. He looked at the crowd around him and frowned:
"If we kill him now, maybe..."
"No," Mallos looked at Anke in the field and shook his head:
"Our audience is not just in the hall, but the entire kingdom. They are as stupid as ever and only care about the results."
"The chess game remains unsolved."
Chess game.
Thales looked at the situation in the field that not only did not ease, but even worsened, feeling exhausted and bitter.
In the distance, Zhan En, Coster, Val and others were still watching the situation in the field silently, with no intention of intervening.
Lady Eleanor, Lozano, Adrian, Patterson, Stowe and other guests from the Seven Shining Stars family seemed to feel the same way. They locked their eyes tightly on the prince, looking forward to his reaction.
"So……"
Vogel frowned and leaned toward D.D.
"Have you made up your mind? Vanguard Officer Doyle?"
Vogel repeated Mallos' words in a low voice:
"Leave your soldiers behind."
Hearing these words from the deputy guard captain, Doyle shuddered slightly and his mood changed.
"Duel and die."
Vogel said lightly, like an emotionless machine.
Doyle's angry struggle subsided.
d.d stared blankly at his kidnapped father.
With his last glimmer of hope, he turned to Thales and Mallos for help.
But the prince just pursed his lips and said nothing.
What can he do?
Tell d.d not to move, and then let Anke kill his father?
Let d.d go to a duel and then deliberately die by the opponent's sword?
Besides "giving up soldiers", what else can he do?
Think quickly, think quickly!
Marius on the side looked at the prince's brows that kept beating and remained silent.
"Now, you are the only one who can save your father and resolve the deadlock," Vogel said coldly in Doyle's ear:
"Be enlightened early."
Doyle turned back stiffly, with despair in his eyes.
"Duel, death..."
He stared in the direction of Anke and the old baron, but his eyes were in a daze and he kept mumbling:
"Duel, die, duel, die, duel, die..."
Thales couldn't help but turned his head, forcing himself to concentrate and think of a way out.
Or should he just ignore it and give the order to let the guards kill the kidnappers in front of them, once and for all?
As for the aftermath, the subsequent impact...
That's all, as long as we get through the unbearable hardship and pain at this moment, why bother about the flood later?
Let his father clean up the mess?
No, no...
Thales's mind was getting more and more confused.
Glover couldn't stand the look of his colleague. He pressed Doyle's shoulders from behind and said solemnly:
"d.d, cheer up."
But Doyle subconsciously shook his hand away.
"As long as, as long as I die in the duel," D.D said in a daze:
"Father...can be saved? Can the problem be solved?"
Thales became more and more intolerable, but just as he was about to speak, Mallos suddenly spoke:
"not that simple."
All the guards looked at him.
The watchman's eyes were still on Anke, who had a distorted face:
"From just now until now, this Anke's eyes have always looked at death, and it has never changed."
"I think he may have the same goal as you."
Marius took his time and calmly concluded to Doyle:
"I also want to die in your hands in a duel."
Doyle's dazed eyes suddenly moved.
Thales frowned and looked at Anke.
"Yes, that's the only way," Vogel said gloomily:
"Only can bring the greatest benefit."
Mallos nodded:
"See, as their pawn, he is the same."
He looked at d.d. with deep meaning.
"Leave your soldiers behind."
The watchman glanced at Thales again.
"General."
Thales closed his eyes.
Give up soldiers.
General.
Whose pawn should I give up?
Whose army will it be?
Doyle was still breathing in trance, mumbling to himself from time to time.
But Anke was tired of waiting.
"Answer me! Doyle's son! Do you have the guts to fight me in a fair duel?"
The kidnapper's anger and the old baron's cry of pain further stimulated the nerves of the crowd, provoking exclamations and uproar:
"Or I could start with the old silverfish's limbs!"
"Look how much blood he can bleed!"
Seeing Anke move the sword blade to the Baron's wrist, Thales' heart tightened.
Oops.
"Okay," seeing D.D fall into panic-like confusion, Vogel snorted to Mallos dissatisfied:
"If you're not willing to get your hands dirty, Watchman, then I'll do it."
He turned to his subordinates:
"Assemble the flag-bearing wing, select four people, and want the best sniper..."
But the next moment, a high-pitched voice interrupted them all.
"Duke Thales!"
There was a sudden silence in the banquet hall.
Everyone looked at the speaker.
It's Doyle.
It was not Anke who shouted the Duke's name loudly, but D.D.
I saw him slowly raising his head, and there was no confusion in his eyes.
But there is an extra layer of darkness.
"Please give the order, Your Majesty the Duke!"
Doyle spoke loudly so that everyone could hear clearly.
But there was a bitterness that Thales could hear in his voice:
"I, Danny Doyle, son of Baron Mirror River!"
Under the gaze of the entire hall, d.d took a step forward and gritted his teeth:
"For the sake of my father and family, I am willing to follow the ancient customs of the empire, and in the presence of Duke Thales and everyone else, I will respond to his challenge and confront this despicable villain..."
"A showdown of life and death!"
Thales looked at his bodyguard in disbelief, then turned to Marius.
But the latter seemed to have expected it and responded indifferently.
Doyle stared at Anke who was full of provocation and desire, trying his best not to look at his stunned father.
"I am willing to defend our dignity and reputation."
d.d spoke mechanically, as if the mouth was not his:
"As long as... let my father go."
After saying these words, Doyle, who was covered in cold sweat, seemed to be deflated and shook his whole body.
Until Glover held him firmly.
The guests were quiet for a moment, then a small commotion broke out.
The sound of controversy once again flooded the hall.
"very good!"
"There are still men in the Doyle family."
After receiving the response, Anke looked at the lost Doyle and showed a slight smile, but Thales could not feel happy or satisfied from it.
There is only a different kind of desolation.
Thales gritted his teeth:
"Doyle..."
Deputy Guard Captain Vogel pursed his lips and looked at D.D with complicated eyes.
Mallos was also silent, but his expression was much calmer.
"No, no, no!"
In the hall, the old baron, who was held hostage by Anke, could no longer care about his pain and embarrassment. He shouted angrily:
"You brat, you... what are you doing?"
d.d came back to his senses, glanced at his father, and forced out a weak smile.
The old baron looked at his wife in horror:
"Honey, stop him, stop him!"
But the Baroness was also frightened. She looked around hastily, but could only find sympathy.
"Your Highness? Is there anyone? Anyone?"
The old baron was so anxious that he cried:
"Anyone! Stop him and knock this damn scoundrel out! Doyle will be punished and thank you very much!"
"Half, no, 40% of my income this year will be given to him! Forty percent? Okay, then half! Sixty percent? Seventy percent?"
The baron's shout echoed between the pillars of the hall, and there was no answer except the flickering firelight.
Desolate and helpless.
Looking at this scene, Thales felt even more uncomfortable and unspeakable.
But he can't reveal it.
He must maintain the most elegant, detached and noble posture.
Because he is the second prince.
It's the Duke of Star Lake.
Under the glare of countless eyes, d.d took a deep breath, adjusted himself, and strode forward.
"Bailal! I have promised you!"
Doyle yelled at Anker:
"Now, let go of my father and I will play with you!"
"Let's settle the score!"
Anke smiled.
He did not let go of the old baron, but turned to Thales.
"Duke Thales, Your Highness?"
"The initiator and recipient of the duel are both present, and only the noble witnesses remain."
Anke's eyes were mixed with desire and expectation, despair and madness.
Doyle also turned around and looked at Thales with a rare gray look in his eyes.
The old baron stared at him, shaking his head wildly, his eyes full of pleading.
The people in the royal guard looked at him with low-key and restrained expressions, not discerning his appeal.
"Your Highness."
Vogel quietly stood beside him:
"This is the right thing to do and the necessary evil."
Mallos also sighed:
"When it comes time to break up, you should give up your death."
Thales tightened his fist.
Give up soldiers.
It's a fucking bastard again.
Death.
The guests in the hall looked at him eagerly and aggressively, full of various emotions.
At this moment, countless eyes focused aggressively on the prince, waiting for his response.
Zhan En's eyes were full of amusement, Coste's expression was as chilling as the autumn wind, and Val was looking at Thales intently at this moment without any emotion.
The seven servants of the Bright Star stared at him intently, as if the prince's next decision was an irrefutable oracle.
No one knew that at this moment, what the expressionless Thales wanted to do most was to sit in the chair, lower his head, close his eyes, and ignore any looks or sounds.
Leave troublesome matters to your subordinates to handle.
In this way, he might be able to rely on the inviolable majesty of the royal family to get through his anxious and overwhelmed moments.
But he can't.
Because he is the second prince.
he can not.
He is the Duke of Star Lake.
"Your Highness, announce it."
d.d's words are quite weak, like a terminally ill patient whose hope has been dashed.
"Let it come, the sooner the better."
"Save you any further trouble."
Thales' face was expressionless and his heart was bitter.
All right.
The sooner the better.
Save yourself the trouble.
Finally, after several seconds (which seemed like a lifetime to Thales), the Duke of Star Lake maintained the most upright and noble posture, stood up slowly, and spoke in a loud voice:
"Ank Bailar."
The moment the voice sounded, everyone in the hall, from courtiers to bureaucrats, from nobles to businessmen, listened carefully to the words of the returning prince, displaying - at least on the surface - the same uniformity of respectful obedience.
"In the name of the Duke of Star Lake and the second prince of the Kingdom of Stars, Thales Bright Star."
The Duke's voice was extremely deep, making people awe-inspiring. However, only those who have been with Thales for a long time would realize that at this moment, the Prince's voice was much hoarse and darker than usual.
Much more tired.
"Following the time-honored imperial tradition, I hereby grant you permission to initiate a life-or-death duel against another nobleman, Danny Doyle, to avenge your blood relatives."
d.d lowered his head and exhaled a long breath.
Thales looked at the long-awaited Anke with a gloomy face and a gloomy look:
"And I will witness the results myself."
"Guarantee that it is fair and just."
"Is that enough?"
The Duke had finished speaking, and there was silence in the hall.
Until a few seconds later, Anke's equally tired voice sounded:
"Thank you, Your Highness, thank you."
Under the gaze of everyone, he seemed to be freed from his restraints and pushed the old baron away.
Baron Doyle fell to the ground, but did not leave. He just collapsed on the spot, sobbing softly and panting in pain.
The guards saw the opportunity and stepped forward to help the baron away.
Several people hesitated to take the opportunity to attack the kidnappers, but Earl Godwin sighed and shook his head, indicating that they didn't have to.
"Believe it or not, Your Highness."
Anke smiled miserably and said:
"You and this Doyle brat, you are the only ones among the hundreds of people I have met in the past few months who are willing to respond to my request."
If you don't shock the world, no one will listen.
Thales couldn't help but feel sad when he thought of his words.
"Whether we win or lose, Thales Bright Star, Your Highness the Prince, Your Excellency the Duke."
Anke took a deep breath, knelt down on one knee sincerely, clasped the hilt of the sword in front of his chest, and bowed his head deeply:
"I will remember it forever..."
"Your grace."
Thales sat down weakly and closed his eyes.
I actually updated 80,000 words this month. What’s wrong with me?