Except for the faint sound of breathing, the Ballard Room was so quiet at this moment that you could hear a pin drop.
But as the chief commander of the Royal Guards, Lord Adrian felt that this was one of the most torturous, tortured and painful moments in his life.
The shadow of the fire blade swayed dimly.
The setting sun shines on the wall, making it bloody and bright red.
Across the table, the Supreme King and Duke Xinghu faced each other in silence, without saying a word.
Everyone else was silent, waiting for this strange and fragile tranquility between fear and tension.
Finally, after an unknown amount of time, the deep and forbearing voice of King Kessel slowly sounded in the room:
"Why?"
Why.
The king's words were calm and slow.
But it contains an unbearable weight.
What responded to him was the young Duke's low laughter.
Thales rested his forehead on the hilt of the bearer's sword, exhaled, and stopped laughing.
"Shouldn't you have expected this scene a long time ago?"
"After you summoned me to the palace for an audience and then ransacked the Mindis Hall."
Thales raised his head, his eyes were like lightning:
"His Majesty?"
The prince's reply was very light and indifferent, but it made many people who had been tense for a long time feel inexplicably relieved.
The king stared at his son, and the blue ocean in his eyes returned to a depth that no one could understand.
He didn't think about it for long before he snorted and turned his head, as if the person on the opposite seat didn't deserve his attention.
"Adrian, Marico."
The captain of the general guard and the second vanguard officer bowed and pressed their chests together:
"His Majesty?"
"His Majesty!"
King Kessel picked up the letter on the table and began to read it.
"Duke Xinghu is overtired and mentally disturbed."
The king's understatement made everyone change their minds instantly!
Even Thales frowned slightly.
"Let the royal guards escort him back to Mindis Hall for rest."
"Be low-key."
"The imperial meeting continues."
Marico happily obeyed, and before he eagerly waved his hand, one or two brave but uneasy guards had already stepped forward.
Gilbert was shocked:
"Your Majesty! No!"
Even Prime Minister Cullen frowned:
"Your Majesty, do you think twice?"
Everyone in the Mindis Hall outside the door was equally anxious, but Wyatt and Rolf, who were the first to move, had already had several swords held around their necks, and Glover was pinned to the ground by several colleagues from the Pioneer Wing, unable to even breathe.
It was so embarrassing that D.D, who was shouting, had his mouth and nose covered, and he could only shout "No".
The battle-hardened Cohen used the black horse as a barrier to struggle back and forth, which caused the royal guards who were afraid of rats to panic. But at an unknown moment, a scar-faced man from the Ballard Room suddenly appeared behind him.
What did he say? The ferocious big man was suddenly stunned, and then he was hit in the back of the head by the scar-faced man, and he fell straight down.
The uneasy Jenny bared her teeth fiercely, but an experienced old guard lit a blazing torch and approached her. The big black horse whimpered, and immediately became obedient and protected himself wisely.
Thales put away his peripheral vision, knowing that he had no backup - even though they were confused when they entered the palace.
"But Your Majesty."
As the captain of the guard, Adrian raised his hand to comfort Marico, who was about to move forward, and tentatively said:
"From here to Mindis Hall—"
"Fabio Adrian." The king concentrated on reading the letter without raising his head.
When his full name was called, Lord Adrian immediately bowed his head and shut up.
"I've been tolerant enough today."
"No matter who."
Although he was speaking to the captain of the guard, everyone present, including Gilbert, the subordinates and guards, all felt trembling in their hearts.
"Don't challenge my patience again."
At this moment.
clang!
There was a sharp sound, and everyone was startled, and all turned their heads:
Thales lifted the hilt of his sword upside down, smashed the tip of the "Load Bearer" sword on the floor tiles of the Ballard Room, and checked the casting quality of the ancient imperial sword.
Clang, clang, clang!
In front of everyone, Thales ignored the gasps. With the help of the Sin of the Hell River, he lifted the load-bearer onto his shoulders and sighed.
Several guards closest to the young man were waiting to step forward. Seeing this scene, they couldn't help but stop.
Load bearer.
It is indeed a stupid family heirloom sword.
Not only is it of good quality, it's also very heavy.
Just maintaining this posture without collapsing consumed a lot of energy on his part.
Not to mention, you have to prevent yourself from being accidentally injured by its sharp blade that is so close at hand.
Just like his title.
"I always feel that this room is too monotonous."
Feeling the cold edge on his shoulders, the prince raised his head and faced the nervous people with a cheerful attitude: "Maybe there should be one more painting, for example..."
Thales narrowed his eyes and his tone instantly became serious:
""The Ascending King Sacrifice His Son"?"
At that moment, many people couldn't help but hold their breath.
Thales caught a glimpse of their reactions and smiled coldly, becoming more and more uninhibited:
"Or "The Iron-Fisted King Kills His Son"?"
Kill son.
Everyone was startled at first, and then looked at the king nervously.
"Stop messing around, Your Highness!"
Seeing that the situation was getting worse, Gilbert spoke sharply. He, who was always polite to the prince, had a heartbroken face and called him by his name:
"Tiles!"
But Thales just gave him a smile and remained silent.
Only the setting sun fell on his collar, reflecting bright red.
Facing the prince's response, Lord Adrian sighed helplessly and looked at the king again.
At the end of the long table, the Iron Fist King seemed to have come to his senses and slowly raised his eyes from the letter.
"This is the royal council of the kingdom."
He glanced sideways at his son and hummed indifferently.
"I don't have time to listen to an aggrieved little brat crying and screaming."
As the ministers in front of the imperial court looked at each other, King Kessel's tone suddenly became cold:
"If he wants to commit suicide, let him."
Let him.
In shock, Thales couldn't help but grit his teeth.
"Canxing doesn't need idiots."
The Iron Fist King lowered his head and returned his gaze to the letter:
"Or a coward."
Everyone's eyes turned back to Duke Xinghu.
The officials paid nervous attention to his eyes and words, while the guards stared at his movements and the edge of his sword.
Thales felt cold in his heart.
At that moment, he felt like he had returned to Longxiao City six years ago and the Hall of Heroes in the Palace of Heroes.
At that time, the eyes of the natural king and the five great dukes were the same as now, like thousands of sharp arrows, shooting at the sword in his hand that was too heavy to hold.
They wait.
Waiting for him to kill himself.
Or surrender.
Six years.
Nothing has changed.
Except for one thing.
Thales' eyes became firm, and the sins of the Hell River gathered like a trickle, helping him to hold the weight-bearer on his shoulders tightly.
The sword in his hand is no longer unbearably heavy.
"Then you must be an idiot and a coward, father?"
Thales spoke calmly, but his words were as sharp as a knife:
"Or, you don't want to be a shining star anymore?"
"Is it?"
After the words fell, the content that insulted the king was greeted with silence at first, and then sparked an uproar.
The king remained motionless, with only a pair of eyes radiating cold light.
Eighteen years have passed since Kessel Brightstar was crowned king after the Year of Blood.
In the era of the iron-fisted king, the last time someone confronted or even insulted the supreme king was the state council six years ago.
And the treasonous Duke who spoke rudely has already been imprisoned and is destined to end his life behind bars.
Many people who were looking forward to the situation calming down were disappointed, and they couldn't help but sigh sadly.
The royal guards looked solemnly. They pressed their weapons and nodded to each other for final confirmation.
"Your Highness..." Gilbert's face was filled with despair, he closed his eyes and stopped talking.
But unexpectedly, the king moved slightly and put down the letter.
"oh?"
King Kessel's questioning voice rang out, stopping several guards who were preparing to attack from behind.
The king stared at the prince for a long, long time.
But this time, there was something more in Kessel's eyes.
"Why?"
Although there was only one word without beginning or end, Thales knew what he wanted to ask.
It's like a unique telepathy between bright stars.
"You know why."
Thales tapped the spine of the sword and said calmly:
"No matter what the reason is, if the heir to the throne dies in the Fuxing Palace, your rule will suffer an unprecedented devastating blow."
"The same goes for the stars."
Heir to the throne.
Death Palace.
These few words made all the officials in front of the imperial court frown and have countless calculations in their minds.
King Kessel still stared at Thales, his eyes slowly widening.
"Forcing me to die here, father, is tantamount to cutting off your own livelihood and digging your own grave."
"Of course." Thales shrugged, relaxed and comfortable:
"If you want to commit suicide, that's up to you."
At that second, the Iron Fist King's eyes turned cold.
But Thales refused to retreat, and his eyes met the king head-on:
"Anyway, Canxing doesn't need idiots."
"Or a coward."
Thales's voice fell.
At that moment, everyone present looked at their prince in shock.
Lord Adrian pressed his forehead helplessly and painfully.
There is no more terrifying father-son conversation than this.
The temperature inside Ballard's room returned to its lowest point.
After a few seconds, King Kessel smiled.
sneer.
"late."
He leaned forward slightly and emerged from the shadows, letting the setting sun carve out his firm outline.
"Too late."
The Iron Fist King's laughter stopped abruptly:
"From the moment the heir to the throne broke into the palace with the intention of treason."
Upon hearing the word "rebellion", several ministers turned their heads in disbelief.
"The rule of the kingdom has been severely damaged and cannot be restored."
Thales' face darkened.
Gilbert covered his face in pain, the Prime Minister pinched the bridge of his nose with a headache, and Archdeacon Guy closed his eyes in prayer.
"Because of your short-sighted folly, child."
King Kessel said calmly:
"Your threats and bargaining chips are worthless."
Thales exhaled, closed his eyes and lowered his head.
correct.
Kessel hasn't changed.
He still has the same character, exactly the same as when he first met him.
He won't compromise.
Will not give in.
Will not retreat.
Only become more determined and decisive.
The sunlight disappeared from the prince's hair.
The hilt of the bearer's sword dropped and touched his knees.
Kessel snorted coldly and turned to the others:
"What are you waiting for?"
But the next second, before the royal guards could react, Thales suddenly opened his eyes!
"Then why?"
"Why do you still think I'm insane?"
Duke Xinghu’s words rang loudly, resounding inside and outside Ballard:
"Why do you have to take me back to Mindis Hall?"
"Since it's irreversible, why don't you just give the order to kill me on the spot?"
Thales tightened his grip on the weight bearer and sat upright again.
facing his opponent.
King Kessel snorted coldly and responded quickly:
"Are you sure I don't dare?"
"Of course you dare!"
The prince responded sharply:
"You can kill me here, secretly send the body out of the palace, and then declare that Prince Thales died of a sudden illness and passed away in Mindis Hall - just like the former 'Fog King' Mindis I!"
King of Fog.
"No..." Gilbert realized the worst outcome and turned pale.
The Iron Fist King's eyes were like daggers, piercing Thales.
But Thales stood up suddenly without waiting for a reply!
"But the premise is!"
Amidst the sounds of unsheathing and orders, the prince held the sword with one hand, put the other hand forward on the table, and shouted angrily:
"Everyone who is here to witness the king's murder of his son, no matter whether he is an official or a guard, you must strictly keep silent for years, decades, or even a lifetime! Even if you don't hesitate to kill people to silence them!"
At that moment, Viscount Conney, Lord Clapham, Advisor Thordo...the royal ministers looked at each other in disbelief.
"ah!"
Manager Qiu Ke reacted very quickly. He pressed his eyes and said tremblingly: "Well, I, I, I, I just came to the meeting and I didn't see anything today -"
But before he finished speaking, Duke Cullen showed off his power like an old lion and shouted at the financial controller:
"Shut up, Qiu Ke!"
Before the Financial Controller could say anything, Soduo on the other side pulled him to his side and sealed his mouth.
Lord Adrian made hurried gestures, trying his best to calm the defense line that was almost out of control due to the sudden change in the situation.
The atmosphere was tense to the extreme.
"only if!"
But Thales didn't care about anything else. He just stared at the king in front of him, gritted his teeth and gasped:
"You will not leak the news and repeat the bad example of the ascended king to sacrifice his son, endangering the authority of the royal family and threatening your rule."
But he obviously made the wrong calculation.
"King Ascend? Evil example?"
King Kessel on the throne laughed angrily:
"If we can really recreate the great achievements of Elam I, why not sacrifice a prince?"
As soon as these words came out, the ministers and guards were frightened again.
Thales frowned hard and gritted his teeth.
No one knew that his shoulder was so painful from the pressure of Cohen's heavy sword that it had already begun to numb.
The sin of the Hell River poured into his blood vessels, soothing his pain but tightening his nerves.
Compared with many enemies - King Nun, King Charmaine, Zhan, Falkenholtz, Asheida, Giza, Ugly Face Po, Shazi - the Iron Fist King may not be the strongest or the strangest.
, the most terrifying.
But he is definitely the toughest.
No threats allowed.
Don't worry about the worst outcome.
He would not hesitate to burn both jade and stone.
Compared with him, Roman Williams, with his shoulders and skull covered, is simply the most gentle, considerate and talkative person in the world.
"Your Highness Thales! Your Majesty!"
Seeing that the situation was deteriorating out of control, Prime Minister Cullen, the host of the Royal Council, had no choice but to speak calmly.
"We are both shining stars, and we are like father and son," the old Duke sighed with emotion, speaking with sincerity at this moment:
"Why is this so?"
Both are shining stars.
Tethered to father and son.
These words made Thales clench his fists and look at the sharp face of the Iron Fist King again.
But at the same time, what echoed in his ears was the desolate question of the traitor Samir under the prison of bones:
[Is it the son who kills his father or the brother who kills his brother?]
Son kills father.
The Sin of Hell River began to roar, like a ferocious beast, tearing at the cage that trapped him.
Thales looked at the Iron Fist King's neck expressionlessly.
He couldn't help but think of the night of dragon blood, when the born king's head fell to the ground.
The facts told him: the king's head was nothing special. Just like ordinary people, it would ring, roll, and bleed when it fell to the ground.
Like a hollow, rotten watermelon.
Thales once again grasped the hilt of the sword in his hand.
"Sit tight, Bob," Kessel said grimly, rebuffing the Prime Minister:
"Since it's a family matter, outsiders don't care."
These words were blunt, vulgar and merciless, and the senior and respected Cullen suddenly looked ugly.
Others were even more afraid to interrupt.
Housework.
Thales sneered lightly and tried to give up.
"Yeah, like domestic violence."
Thales lowered his voice and spoke coldly:
"If you don't kill people, no one will listen."
Perhaps because his tone was so different this time, the king stared blankly.
On the other side, Advisor Sodo thought of something and couldn't help but sigh:
"You remind me of His Highness Horace, Duke of Thales."
Lord Adrian frowned, put his hands behind his back for the first time, and secretly gave orders to the guards.
"Horace. Horace?"
The king sneered:
"He's still far from it."
The next moment, Kaiser V no longer gave him a chance:
"The farce is over, kid."
"You have ten seconds to put down your weapons." The Iron Fist King stopped his smile and raised his hand coldly towards the royal guards:
"Or heads on the ground."
The sin of the Hell River was boiling uneasily, and the senses of hell were naturally activated, allowing Thales to hear the tiny footsteps and the friction of clothes as countless guards quietly surrounded him.
lay down your weapon.
Or the head falls to the ground.
Ten seconds.
all of these.
It can only be exchanged for his... ten seconds.
The river of sin is so raging that it is difficult to contain it.
Thales stared into King Kessel's eyes and resisted the urge to leap forward and swing his sword.
He knew that King Kessel was serious.
But it's a pity.
So does he.
"I know, Father."
Thales had a stern expression and cold words, just like his opponent.
"You don't bother to compromise and never show weakness. You still want to be decisive and resolve this matter vigorously and decisively like before."
Thales knocked on the sword spine of the bearer, and there was a dull metallic sound.
"But in the final analysis, you are not willing."
The young man forgot about the different looks of the ministers, the footsteps of the guards following the king's gesture, and even the heavy sword beside his shoulder and neck. He could only see the end of the long table, the opponent he could not choose but could only face.
.
The river of sin keeps rolling.
"You don't want to lose the whole chess game just because of one piece."
Thales looked deeply at King Kessel and moved the sword in his hand an inch closer to his neck.
"The whole chess game?"
The Iron Fist King sneered.
"Ten seconds are up, and you're not as important as you think, kid."
"And you too, father!"
Unexpectedly, Thales shouted loudly. He put both hands on the hilt of the sword and held the blade across his throat.
The crime of the prison river agitated crazily.
"Compared with the six hundred and eighty-year-old kingdom and the two-thousand-year-old empire, you and I are nothing!"
Thales' eyes widened with anger. He pressed his abdomen against the table and leaned forward to the limit. The epee on his shoulder trembled due to lack of strength:
"No more than a speck of dust."
The sin of the prison river screamed, unwilling to give up and angry.
King Kessel sneered and waved his raised palm down.
"Unless, father," Thales gritted his teeth and ignored the stinging pain in his neck. He felt that except for the pair of blue eyes, everything around him was in a trance:
"We are born for the stars."
Born for the stars.
The Iron Fist King's expression changed.
His gesture stopped in mid-air, motionless.
Time seemed to stop at this moment.
"Stop! Go back! Back! Back!"
Lord Adrian spoke hastily, shouting to stop a few royal guards who could not restrain themselves and wanted to take action before His Majesty gave the order.
"Well," Viscount Connie took a deep breath and mustered up the courage to smooth things over: "How about we——"
But then Prime Minister Cullen's big slap hit him hard on the shoulder!
He slammed the loyal words and criticisms of the Minister of Commerce and Trade back into his stomach.
Duke Donghai had no expression on his face and just put his index finger to his lips.
He is used to seeing strong winds and waves, and he knows that this is a conversation that only the bright star can participate in, and a language that only the royal family can understand.
The silent depression lasted for a long time.
Until the king's voice came faintly.
"what are you up to?"
The sound is as fine as quicksand, and the words are like a sharp edge hidden in a sheath.
Thales took a deep breath and smiled.
At this moment, his tone was relieved and relaxed.
"A quarter of an hour."
The prince said in a daze:
"Above and below the stars, the entire kingdom, all they need is for us to be alone..."
"This quarter of an hour."
Gilbert's eyes widened: between Thales' sword edge and collar, a few drops of scarlet blood seeped out and fell onto the discussion table.
King Kessel made no answer.
His eyes were fixed on the blood on the discussion table.
One second, two seconds.
Finally, the king slowly lowered his left hand that was about to move.
Instead, his right hand clenched his fingers into a fist and slammed it onto the table!
"Everyone."
King Kessel’s voice was cold and stern:
"Back off."
As soon as this statement came out, everyone was in an uproar.
Only Thales let out a sharp breath after hearing this.
Damn him.
The crime of Jinghe reluctantly subsided.
The prince took a few deep breaths, fell back into his seat, and lowered the load-bearer between his knees.
Only then did he realize that although winter had arrived, the hilt of the sword in his palm was already soaked with sweat.
At this moment.
"No, Marico!"
At that moment, the sin of the Hell River in Thales suddenly woke up and roared!
Oops!
Thales subconsciously wanted to raise his sword.
But he was late.
As Adrian exclaimed.
Boom!
Thales felt a figure flash in front of him, his jaw hurt, and stars suddenly appeared in his eyes!
boom!
There was another muffled sound, and Thales suffered severe pain in his abdomen, pulling all the power of resistance out of his body.
"Clang!"
Under everyone's astonished gaze, the load-bearer fell to the ground and shook endlessly.
Three seconds later, Thales, who was dizzy, opened his eyes and gasped in pain.
"The rebellion is over, Your Highness."
I saw the second vanguard of the royal guard. Marico pinned him to the ground, locked his arms under his armpits, and put his knees on his neck, making it difficult for the prince to breathe and unable to make a sound.
"This punch is for the brothers guarding the palace gate."
The pioneer officer looked at the blood at the corner of the prince's mouth, closed his fists bitterly, and spat to the side.