Thales's despairing voice sounded in Ballard's room.
But what greeted the boy was the king's nonchalant answer, as if this thrilling confrontation was over:
"go out."
Thales' breathing was stagnant, and his nails dug into his palms, causing pain.
No.
It's not over yet.
Can't end...
Thales took a deep breath and made his last effort:
"That orphan girl was said to be a bargaining chip to order Xihuang, but it was actually just an excuse - even though this excuse was shocking."
He leaned forward and leaned on the table, gritted his teeth and said:
"And the real bargaining chip, as you said, is me."
But the king remained unmoved, his expression indifferent:
"Do you want to keep your dignity and go out on your own, or do you want the royal guards to come in later and drag you out?"
Thales tried his best to ignore the other party's words and regained the topic:
"Without me, Falkenhauser would not have cooperated with you."
"Without me, the orphan girl of Amore is worthless in your hands."
But King Kessel had obviously lost interest. He bowed his head again in deep thought and stopped responding.
Damn, damn, damn.
Seeing the other party's lackluster appearance, Thales felt anxious.
"The Duke of Xihuang will not let you get what you want."
Thales unconsciously raised his voice:
"Since he dares to take the risk and give out chips, he must be prepared, and he may even lead the Xihuang people to violently rebound, causing the situation to erode..."
But he was disappointed.
King Kessel still showed no reaction.
"At that time..." Thales stopped talking. He looked at the king with his eyes closed and meditating, feeling exhausted and annoyed.
what to do.
what to do?
Anxiety and resentment ignited in his chest at the same time, causing Hell River Sin to become excited at an inappropriate time, making Thales even more irritable.
The man in front of me is stubborn, self-willed, unthreatening, unwilling to compromise, does his own thing, and doesn't listen to criticism.
If you are tough, you won't be convinced; if you are soft, you won't take the bait.
The whole body is full of thorns, which is disgusting.
How come such a person was not beaten to death when he was young?
How did he become a king?
Were the nobles who made him king all blind?
"Hey!"
The king's attitude made the young man Wuming angry. He stood up suddenly and banged the table: "Hey! Man!"
"Don't you hear what I'm saying?"
King Kessel seemed to have turned back into a statue, motionless.
"I'm fucking talking to you!"
Thales threw away all etiquette and shouted rudely:
"Kassel Fucking Star!"
There was a click from behind.
The door to the Ballard Room opened.
What followed was an icy cold wind, and a careful request for instructions: "Your Majesty, we are preparing-"
"The king is alive!"
The prince interrupted the visitor angrily.
"If you really want to kill your king and your father, do it for the sake of the sunset goddess."
Without looking back, he roared angrily:
"I will warn you before I take action, you son of a bitch, Your Excellency Mariko Vanguard!"
Thales's roar echoed in the corridor, causing the royal guards outside the door to whisper.
After a few seconds, someone probably prompted something, and the air became completely quiet.
Across the long table, King Kessel finally opened his eyes and frowned after hearing this.
"Very good," Thales looked at the king and exhaled, his anger still lingering:
"I thought you were having a stroke, Father."
There was a friendly cough from behind, but it wasn't Mariko's.
"Sorry, Your Highness."
The voice of Lord Adrian, the chief commander of the Royal Guards, came along with his footsteps:
"I'm just here...to deliver dinner."
Thales turned around and saw the captain of the general guard skillfully carrying two sets of dinner plates and walking steadily into the room.
The royal guards stood outside, still vigilant.
Thales was a little surprised, but he slowly woke up and calmed down his breathing, but he became more and more disappointed.
it's over.
The royal guards came in.
That means...
"I know, dinner, that's supposed to be Baron Quentin's job."
Lord Adrian walked up to the king and served the meal flexibly to calm the atmosphere:
"But after he came back from settling accounts with several glass merchants, he had a headache and asked for sick leave..."
King Kessel interrupted him directly:
"No need, Adrian."
The king glanced at Thales coldly, and then looked at the vigilant guards outside the door:
"We've finished talking."
Thales felt a chill in his heart.
Captain Adrian, who had just laid out the king's meal, also froze when he heard this.
He put away his smile and turned to Thales, thoughtfully:
"Really, so fast?"
King Kessel remained motionless.
Thales took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
His heart gradually became cold.
"You really don't care, do you?"
With despair and exhaustion, Thales said in despair:
"I don't understand, if the whole kingdom is destroyed, what's the point of all those things you did - expeditions, reforms, tax increases?"
"What's the point?"
The volume of his desolate questions was extremely high, and his words echoed in the corridor.
Facing the prince's question, King Kessel did not listen and could only curl his lips in disdain.
However, Adrian's expression changed. He turned quickly to the door and signaled his subordinates to close the door.
After doing this, Adrian sighed and came to Thales with the dinner plate.
"Don't bother, Adrian, he won't be dining here."
The king said coldly.
"Of course, but..."
Adrian put down the dinner plate, picked up a small wine bottle, filled the glass for Thales, and forced a smile:
"As far as I know, you haven't had a good meal all day, Your Highness. At least have a glass of wine to sober up."
"Northland rye produced in the north, I hope it suits your taste."
But at this moment, Thales had no interest in dinner. He just stared at King Kessel, his eyes bloodshot:
"I do not drink."
"Oh, yes, I heard Mallos say that."
When Adrian heard this, he had no choice but to take away the wine bottle and sighed:
"What a pity. From raw material picking, brewing and cellaring, long-distance transportation, to choosing meals in the kitchen, countless people have overcome all difficulties and worked hard just to deliver it to you..."
Countless people have overcome all difficulties and gone on and on...just to...deliver to you...
Just like himself, he fought hard just to sit here.
but……
After listening to Adrian's words, Thales looked at the expressionless king, but felt doubly sad.
Snapped!
There was a crisp sound.
Adrian turned his head in surprise: the wine glass in front of Thales was swept to the ground and shattered into pieces.
"Your Highness——"
Before Adrian finished speaking, he was startled again: Thales' hand reached out from nowhere, grabbed the wine bottle in his hand, and jerked it without any doubt.
The prince still stared at the king. He opened the lid of the pot, pointed it at the spout, and drank!
"puff!"
The wine entered his throat, and Thales only swallowed a mouthful before spitting it out in a panic.
Damn it.
"This wine is definitely not produced in the North." Feeling the taste that he could never get used to, the prince coughed painfully while looking at King Kessel with red eyes:
"It's from further north, damn Exeter's goods!"
"Really?" Adrian was slightly surprised:
"Then I admire them even more. How far do they have to go..."
"Adrian."
The king interrupted the captain of the guard with a cold expression:
"Escort Prince Thales back to Mindis Hall."
The panting Thales clenched his fists.
Adrian's smile faded and he turned around and bowed:
"yes?"
The captain of the General Guards, who had been in office for many years, had a clear understanding. His tone of reply was undecided, waiting for the next instruction.
King Kessel paused briefly and looked at Thales deeply.
"My son was young, frivolous, and in love. He was dissatisfied with the marriage arrangement and barged into the palace to demand an explanation."
Thales breathed in a daze.
Seeing that a catastrophic disaster that shook the throne was determined to be an after-dinner affair, Adrian suddenly smiled:
"I see."
Until the king’s next words:
"I was furious and ordered heavy punishments, severe punishments."
Severe punishment.
Thales's heartbeat was in a panic.
The captain of the general guard also frowned:
"His Majesty?"
King Kessel snorted softly before continuing:
"Thanks to the dissuasion of the imperial ministers, we had a face-to-face talk and finally clarified the misunderstanding."
The misunderstanding was clarified.
Adrian nodded and breathed a sigh of relief:
"I see."
"The royal guards, the private soldiers of Bright Star, the palace servants, and the visiting officials and nobles who witnessed the incident today," King Kessel said in a very playful tone:
“Make sure they speak ‘accurately’ when asked.”
"Of course," Adrian's smile faded slightly, "They have good memories and won't make mistakes."
Listening to them arranging the "future affairs", Thales, who knew that the situation was over, sneered when he heard this.
"Correct collective memory?"
Thales looked at the king, and what he said made Adrian look askance:
"I can't convince you with national justice, can I?"
"Even if the Bloody Year is brought out to be a swordsman, you will still be indifferent."
Thales stopped smiling and said coldly:
"When will you understand that the stars are not yours alone?"
"tyrant?"
Adrian's expression suddenly changed.
The Iron Fist King finally raised his head and looked squarely at Thales.
"Adrian."
This time, the king’s answer was unwavering:
"Today, those followers who instigated the prince to violate the ban and supported him to break into the palace..."
Thales' heart tightened,
"Whether it is a guard servant or a lover, whether it is a commoner, a noble, a descendant of the Seventh Attendant, or a royal family, you make a list and submit it to the Noble Affairs Office, the Security Office, the Discipline Office, the Flag Wing and the Secret Service
division."
The king looked at Thales and narrowed his eyes:
"They know what to do."
Thales trembled slightly.
Wyatt, Rolf, Glover, D.D., Cohen...
"As you command, Your Majesty," Adrian said without hesitation.
"Let's do it now."
The prince stared at King Kessel, breathing raggedly.
But it's not over yet.
"As for Mindis Hall being negligent and allowing assassins to sneak into the royal banquet," the king raised his chin and glanced at Thales condescendingly:
"Tell Flag Officer Vogel: It concerns the safety of the prince and the face of the royal family..."
"It must be strictly investigated and scrutinized."
The king paused for a moment and his eyes grew cold:
"punish severely."
punish severely.
Thales' feeling gradually became trance-like.
"Also, let Mallos return to his post. Maybe you are right, he is not suitable for this position."
King Kessel retracted his gaze and hummed softly:
"For the prince's guard captain, let's choose another one: Vogel or Mariko are both good."
Adrian did not speak when he heard this, but bowed again.
At that moment, Thales' nails clenched tighter and tighter in his palms, almost tearing his flesh and blood.
"You won't succeed."
The prince's voice sounded coldly in the room, full of resentment and anger.
"You will only drag the whole star with you to hell."
"Just like the late king."
As soon as these words came out, the temperature in the room seemed to drop a little.
The king was silent for a while, and Adrian also lowered his head and said nothing.
"That's it, Adrian."
King Kessel said calmly but unquestionably:
"Now, take him and get out."
Thales sneered and lowered his head.
"As commanded."
Adrian bowed, but was suddenly stunned:
"Oh, Your Majesty, I remembered something..."
The captain of the guard raised his head, and the king looked back at him calmly.
Adrian hesitated and said:
"Just now, everyone on the way saw me coming in with dinner."
King Kessel frowned:
"so?"
"So, if the misunderstanding about breaking into the palace is really resolved and we make peace..."
Adrian tentatively said:
"Then at this time, His Highness Thales should be ashamed, ashamed and embarrassed, but you tolerantly and lovingly invite him to have dinner together?"
have dinner together.
King Kessel frowned.
Thales also raised his head in confusion.
What.
Adrian smiled kindly and pointed to the door with his hand:
“In this way, everyone can remember ‘accurate’?”
precise.
The king was silent for a while, and Thales looked at Adrian in surprise.
"The imperial meeting is not over yet," King Kessel said coldly:
"I didn't spend the whole night with him."
Adrian's eyes lit up.
"Oh, speaking of this, please don't worry, Your Majesty."
"Half an hour ago, Baron Quentin had arranged the accommodation and meals in the palace tonight for all the gentlemen in the Royal Council, in case you are summoned at any time if necessary for government affairs."
King Kessel's expression changed slightly.
Lord Adrian nodded with a smile and gestured to the food on the table:
"Relax, Your Majesty, you do have a whole evening."
King Kessel paused for a few seconds, frowned and questioned:
"You just said that after paying the glass bill, Quentin felt unwell and took leave."
Adrian raised his eyebrows:
"Is it?"
Facing the cold look in the king's eyes, the captain of the guard chuckled, with a exposed expression on his face, helpless and embarrassed:
"Okay, then I will take His Highness out now to see if I can keep a low profile and let less people see..."
Adrian sighed, walked towards Thales, and smiled apologetically.
At this moment.
"okay."
The king interrupted him coldly.
King Kessel glanced at Thales and said disdainfully:
"He stays."
"You should consider your time and take him away later."
Adrian's eyes lit up and he answered fluently:
"As you command, Your Majesty."
Thales stared at Adrian blankly.
What's this?
"But before you go."
The king's conversation changed at the right moment.
King Kessel nuzzled his chin towards Thales:
"Take this idiot to Marico and tell him that the king teaches his son strictly and orders him to replace the punishment wing and carry out the punishment of the royal family members."
Raise your children strictly?
Thales gritted his teeth.
He stared at the king, with thousands of thoughts filling his mind.
Adrian was silent for a while, then suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, speaking of this, I'm so sorry, Your Majesty, I just remembered..."
The guard captain raised his head with a smile on his face:
"Mariko left for some reason - he was just sent to Mindis Hall by me to join the flag wing to express condolences to the Star Lake Guard brothers who were detained for some reason."
The king sneered:
"Just? Left for some reason? Like Quentin took a leave of absence due to illness?"
"Yes, just like Quentin -" Adrian replied without thinking, but he realized something was wrong halfway through the words, and he chuckled:
"Ah, maybe it's still different."
There was silence in the room for a while.
The king turned his head and glanced at Thales, who had a complicated expression:
"You take good care of him."
"certainly."
Adrian didn't blink and answered without hesitation, as if he couldn't hear the hidden meaning:
"Mariko is still young, so she should run more errands and exercise more."
boom!
The king slapped the chair with his palm.
"Adrian."
King Kessel snorted angrily and looked at him like a sword:
"Have you made up your mind to go against my wishes?"
Adrian looked serious.
"My fault, Your Majesty."
He took a step back and bowed deeply.
"Maybe it's against your wishes."
The captain of the guard said respectfully:
"But it suits your needs."
King Kessel stared at his guard captain coldly, anger boiling in his eyes.
Suitable for your needs.
Thales watched silently the confrontation between Adrian and the king.
have dinner together.
He suddenly understood what the other person was doing.
But, but what's the use of this.
His battle in the Fuxing Palace...
Ten seconds of silence.
King Kessel did not answer, but the anger in his eyes slowly diminished.
"It's Gilbert. Is he the one who begged you to come and soothe his cheeks?"
Adrian raised his head, confused at first, then suddenly realized:
"What? Oh, Your Majesty, if you want to summon Count Castle, I will..."
King Kessel exhaled a breath, feeling helpless and bored.
"That's enough, get out."
The king waved his hands impatiently:
"I'll give you five minutes to come back and take him away."
Lord Adrian nodded, submissive:
"As you wish."
But the guard captain's steps immediately stagnated:
"But in the eyes of outsiders, His Highness should at least finish his meal here, finish talking, and then leave with me..."
Adrian said awkwardly:
"A quarter of an hour?"
A quarter of an hour?
The king and Thales were both stunned for a second.
Bang!
The next second, King Kessel, who couldn't bear it anymore, knocked over the wine glass with his palm and glared at Adrian: "Ed——"
"I obey your Majesty!"
Lord Adrian bowed and replied quickly before the king:
"Then just a quarter of an hour!"
After speaking, without waiting for the king's response, Adrian turned around and left, but stopped midway.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but I have to take away your knife and fork."
The captain of the guard walked up to Thales, glanced at the stunned prince, and apologetically took away the knife and fork beside the dinner plate:
"I believe the spoon is enough - you know, people in the Far East can eat with only two thin wooden sticks."
Thales looked at the guard captain with a complicated expression.
"Thank you, my lord." He said hoarsely.
Thank you and Gilbert for fighting for me...
A quarter of an hour.
But that's it.
What else could he... do?
"You're welcome, Your Highness," Adrian smiled and weighed the knife and fork in his hand:
"By the way, your sword is indeed quite heavy and difficult to hold in your hand."
Thales smiled bitterly and ignored the king whose expression was almost frozen into ice.
"That's not mine, it's Karabyan..."
But Adrian didn't let him go on, and instead said to himself:
"But it will be much easier after we find its scabbard."
The captain of the royal guard nodded meaningfully:
"After all, ancient swords..."
"There is no escape from its sheath."
Can't escape its sheath.
The next second, Thales suddenly looked up!
"What?"
He looked at Adrian in surprise.
Lord Adrian smiled slightly, blinked, and immediately left, stepping out of the Ballard Room as the door opened and closed.
Thales stared blankly in the direction he left.
Tormund Mallos.
You son of a bitch watchman, my most hated personal guard captain.
Aren't you being interrogated by the flag-bearing wing and having too much time to think about yourself?
Do you still have time to take care of my business?
Thales clenched his fists.
The door is closed.
Silence returned to the room.
"It seems you are very popular." The king looked at the door thoughtfully.
"And this makes you uneasy?" Thales took a deep breath, returned to reality, and looked at his father.
The king snorted coldly.
"Eat," King Kessel grabbed the knife and fork nonchalantly:
"Unless you want to be whipped while hungry, it won't be pleasant."
Thales grabbed the spoon and looked at his soup bowl.
He cannot fight against the king.
He cannot become another sword.
Just like the Temple and the Imperial Wind, the roots of their formation fundamentally determine that they are bound to compete with each other and are incompatible with each other.
Neither of them will bow to the other easily.
And he, Thales, looked at his reflection in the bowl.
Therefore, he cannot take the bargaining chip Falkenhausz gave him and go to King Kessel to negotiate terms.
He cannot hold the sword given by the people of Xihuang and ask for credit from Fuxing Palace.
That won't work.
Thales squeezed the spoon in his hand and frowned slightly.
not enough.
He didn't pay enough.
not enough.
Far from enough.
The sins of the prison river surged forward, flooding his brain, but making him think more clearly.
He has to pay more.
More.
[A sword from ancient times cannot escape its sheath.
Hiding a thousand blades, he calls it evil.]
Thales looked at King Kessel who was dining silently, slowly lost in thought, and gradually understood.
Are you ready?
Deep in his heart, a small voice reminded him:
Thales?
The next second, the prince suddenly raised his head!
"I know."
Thales looked at King Kessel steadily, his tone was calm and calm:
"I know that I can't hide Amory's affairs from you."
"As long as I still want to use it as a bargaining chip, I can't hide it from you, let alone convince you."
But Taylor's tone changed:
"Yet you will not succeed, even if you have the orphan girl at your disposal."
"But it's not because Falkenhauser won't compromise, nor is it because you don't have enough means."
Kaiser V said nothing, just minding his own meal with his head down.
Thales took a deep breath, and his next words were addressed to both the king and himself:
"But because: it's meant to be."
What responded to him was the king's cold snort.
But Thales was not discouraged or impatient. He pierced something that looked like a sausage with a spoon:
"Your Majesty, I just figured out something."
"That is, whether there is a 'Sand King' or not, whether you want to centralize power, expand the army, reform, or make the country rich, no matter how many years it takes, you are destined to have everything.
lose."
Across the long table, King Kessel, who was cutting meat, took a meal with his knife.
The prince's expression remained unchanged and he continued to concentrate on his dinner plate:
"Remind me: How did Sand King fail?"
"From vision, purpose to idea, from planning, preparation to execution, it is grand, precise and logical. However, it fell short at the last moment and was forced to take a step back, give up and stop the loss. Lose less and win instead."
"What exactly went wrong?"
The king did not answer, but he slowly raised his eyes and looked at Thales.
"Is it the Imperial Council that is holding each other back? The kingdom's secret department has been exposed for a long time? The standing army is eager for quick success? The legendary wings are short-sighted? The princes of the Western Wilderness are shrewd and vigilant? Or are the desert forces unruly and not cooperating with your performance?"
The prince chuckled and took a bite of the sausage, but he couldn't taste it at all:
"Or is it that no one here actually has a problem, or that everyone has a problem?"
King Kessel did not move, his eyes were fixed on Thales.
"Wait a minute," Thales narrowed his eyes:
"You don't really think it's my fault, do you?"
The king still didn't respond.
But Thales didn't expect the other party to answer.
"No……"
The young man hummed and smiled:
"The fact is: Even if everything goes well for 'Sand King' and everyone does their duty..."
The second prince looked sharply:
"It's also destined to fail."
"Because there is a link in it, which is the biggest problem in itself."
Thales completely gave up his table manners and pointed at King Kessel with his spoon while chewing: