On the morning of the third day of the Emerald Celebration, Thales pushed aside the obstructing servants and broke into Zhan's dining room roughly.
"Your Highness Thales," the Duke of Nan'an, who was sitting at the head of the table, put down the tableware, wiped the corners of his mouth gracefully, and used his eyes to indicate to the servants not to panic, but to just close the door and leave, "I was still wondering when you would come to me.
…”
But Thales looked at him coldly. "Explain."
"Explain what?" Zhan En's smile remained unchanged.
Thales carefully observed the Duke's every move.
"One of my subordinates died last night," the prince said angrily. "He was seriously injured and couldn't even call a doctor."
Zhan En's smile disappeared, and his hand holding the wine glass paused slightly.
"And you, Jenn Kelvindill, you have to pay for it," Thales gritted his teeth with his eyes like daggers, "I swear, in the name of the little puppet, in the name of Star Lake Castle."
"impossible."
Duke Iris thought for a moment, frowned and replied:
"The ten people under your command, including the heirs of Arlend and Bozdov, as well as your personal guard captain, returned to Kongming Palace in batches last night. Although their faces were sluggish and secretive, they all had to be dressed.
, there are absolutely no seriously injured or dying people! Even if there are unknown hidden injuries, it’s not..."
Zhan En's eyes moved and his words were stagnant.
"Wait, are you deceiving me?"
Thales raised his eyebrows, walked to Zhan, tilted his head, pulled out a chair and sat down.
"So you really know, from beginning to end," the prince snorted coldly, "from the time I sent my men to the time they returned to Kongming Palace."
Zhan's face turned cold.
"I was about to talk about this," the Duke of Nan'an said calmly, "We encountered an unexpected accident yesterday, but it was handled safely, efficiently, and appropriately..."
"No, you didn't," Thales interrupted him coldly, "You still have one more thing to deal with."
Zhan stopped talking.
Thales leaned forward and put his arms on the dining table: "Me."
The dining room became quiet again.
Across the dining table, their eyes met in the air, like two swordsmen standing on the duel stage, slowly drawing their swords.
The atmosphere became solemn.
The next second, the door of the dining room was pushed open violently, and both of them were shocked!
A 'man' with a pale green complexion and a neck as swollen as a gourd staggered in. His facial features were sparsely hung on his face, as if they were melting, disgusting and terrifying.
"Gulu, gulu, gulu..." He made a gritty gurgling sound from his throat, like a bubbling sound.
Thales clasped the arms of his chair tightly, his face stiffened, but at least he didn't lose his composure.
"Xilai," Zhan's expression remained unchanged and he calmly took a sip of wine, "We are talking about business."
"Alas."
A disappointed voice came from behind this 'person'.
The monster's face shriveled up, and Shilai's sweaty face emerged from it, still dressed in the same casual and casual manner:
"The newly made handicraft is based on the legend of the water ghoul in the canal area. Does it look good?"
Water ghoul...
Thales exhaled, looked at the swollen face with melted features, and looked at Zhan, who was frowning behind the dining table.
"It's very beautiful, miss. What a genius idea." Ashford, the butler, followed her with a smile on his face. "Can I suggest pouring some water on it to create a wet effect?"
Hearing this, Xi Lai's eyes lit up:
"It makes sense. No wonder I feel like something is missing. It would be even better if I could walk with pus oozing out from my facial features, dripping and dripping, with footprints and sound and light effects. Then give me a name..."
"Ashford!" Zhan couldn't bear it anymore.
The next second, the water ghoul was instantly transferred from Xi Lai's hands to the butler's hands.
"I'll go work on it right now, miss," Ashford turned and left, closing the door with a smooth movement, "Don't worry."
The door was closed, leaving the three of them alone in the dining room, staring at each other.
"Why do you always like to pretend to be a ghost?" Thales frowned.
"Because everyone likes it," Xi Lai walked up and looked at the prince, then at her brother, with an innocent look on her face, "Look, don't you like it too?"
Thales and Zhan looked at each other.
As old rivals and enemies, they have long been accustomed to a tit-for-tat relationship and a tense atmosphere, but when a third party suddenly appeared in front of them, neither the Duke of Star Lake nor the owner of Iris seemed to adapt.
"What are you doing here, Heeley?" Zhan asked their common question.
Facing the complicated looks from the prince and the duke, Miss Kevin Deere sat down at the dining table without any burden, just on the other side of Zhan and directly opposite Thales. She happily wrapped her napkin, and you're welcome.
He picked up the spare knife and fork on the table.
"I got up early and wanted to find something to eat. By the way, I wanted to ask Taylor, when are you going on a date today?"
As soon as these words came out, Thales and Zhan En both froze.
What?
"He's here to see who his fiancée is, isn't he? Or am I mistaken?" Healy answered very naturally.
Thales and Zhan looked at each other, one was embarrassed, the other was cold.
They exchanged countless emotions and information in a short period of time, and finally reached a rare agreement:
not now.
The two swordsmen on the duel stage sheathed their swords again.
"Xilai, pay attention to the title, it's 'Prince Thales' or 'His Royal Highness'," Zhan En's face was so cold that water dripped from his face, "Don't lose your etiquette."
"That's right, Ms. Sikkandil," Thales nodded with difficulty, "We're not that familiar yet."
Xi Lai clicked his tongue and shook his head:
"Ha, that's not what you said yesterday when we were on the rooftop of the temple."
Rooftop…
Zhan's eyes became more and more terrifying, like a butcher sharpening his knife.
Sin of the Prison River felt the terrifying atmosphere. Thales took a deep breath and stood up from his seat:
"It's late today, ma'am, and I think it's time for me to leave..."
Zhan also put down his wine glass on the other side: "Yes, we just finished talking..."
But Shealey's next words changed the story:
"By the way, Jenn, I just heard from the Kaguire Police Officer that a murder occurred in the Midas District yesterday?"
Murder in the Midas.
As soon as these words came out, Thales and Zhan both frowned.
Their eyes met in the air.
It was as if the duel that had just ended was beating the war drum again.
But Shilay at the center of the duel was just looking at the food on the table, unaware:
"I heard that the person who died was a businessman? What happened? Did something big happen?"
Diop.
Thales frowned deeply when he remembered the name of the deceased.
Zhan looked at Thales and said calmly: "No, it's just an ordinary..."
But before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Thales.
"In fact, I also heard from my subordinates," Thales sat down on the chair again, his eyes blazing, "Yesterday, the Security Hall and the Emerald Legion dispatched a large number of manpower, causing people to panic. I don't know if it is related to this murder.
Is it related to the case?”
Zhan En's eyes turned cold when he heard this.
"Wow, is that true?" Sheila was minding her own business picking up the dessert.
Zhan and Thales looked at each other for a long time, and then took a look at his sister.
"Listen to your subordinates?"
The Duke of South Bank picked up the wine glass again and observed Thales' distorted face through the glass: "I wonder which subordinate your Highness heard this from?"
This time, the two swordsmen no longer sheathed their swords.
"I have a subordinate named Huaiya." Thales naturally picked up an empty cup and went to get the kettle containing Tai Lunbang's clear spring drink. "He said that when he was wandering on the street, he saw something from a distance.
A large number of vigilance officers and military officers are blocking the streets and searching for prisoners."
"As far as I know," Zhan's eyes were sharp, and he held down the lid of the Qingquan Yin bottle to prevent Thales from taking it away, "Attack Wyatt Kasuo has been with you since noon yesterday.
Why are you wandering on the street?"
"You don't know something about this," Thales sneered, grabbing the handle of the pot and wrestling with Zhan, "Many of my men are named Wyatt."
"Which Wya is that?"
"The one you don't know..."
"Hey!"
Xi Lai finally couldn't bear it anymore. She bit the teaspoon and pointed at the kettle between the two of them:
"Can you please stop grabbing it? The pot is empty."
Thales and Zhan looked at each other and let go in embarrassment and displeasure.
Only then did Heeley smile,
Miss Kevin Deere reached out her hand gracefully, took away the kettle, tilted the spout freely, and poured herself a cup full of clear spring drink.
Thales and Zhan were startled, looking at each other strangely.
"Oh, it turns out there are more," Xi Lai shook the kettle with a look of surprise on his face, "There are quite a few."
The prince and the duke looked at each other and breathed out.
The conversation was interrupted, but the atmosphere in the room became better.
Zhan looked at Heeley again:
"That's right. Yesterday, a vigilance officer in the Midian District received a report from an enthusiastic citizen, saying that a stranger was coming in and out of a private residence and the appearance was suspicious."
Thales smiled sarcastically: "An enthusiastic citizen? Which enthusiastic citizen?"
Zhan En moved his fingers. "Emerald City citizens are enthusiastic."
"Especially the Duke himself?"
"No more impatient and righteous than His Highness..."
"Don't go off topic, what happens next?" Hilley interrupted them.
Duke Iris sneered: "Then, the Security Department and the Emerald Legion jointly dispatched, and finally discovered that a wool merchant and his mistress were both killed in the mansion. The death was horrific and heinous."
The dining room was quiet for a moment.
Xi Lai took a sip of the clear spring drink and stared with big eyes:
"Wow, that's really scary."
Thales' expression remained unchanged, his eyes fixed on Zhan:
"So, has the murderer been caught?"
"Of course," Zhan said with a calm expression, without any fluctuations, "The Police Department and the Emerald Legion arrived quickly and efficiently, and arrested the suspect on the spot."
Thales' eyes narrowed:
"Suspicion?"
Zhan stared at Thales and smiled: "Lord Bedlon was found drunk in a neighborhood not far away, with a bloody weapon in his hand. When he woke up, he couldn't tell how he got here.
.”
Thales frowned.
"Lord Bedlon?" Hilley rolled his eyes, "Oh, the family whose ancestors were barons, but were punished for bullying the people and were demoted?"
Zhan En nodded and said decisively:
"It's him."
Thales was silent for a while:
"Why? Why would a drunkard break into a house and kill a wool merchant?"
Duke Iris was silent for a moment.
"According to the vigilance officer's investigation, the debt owed by Lord Bedlon is about to become due, and the debt belongs to the Wool Chamber of Commerce."
"This reason doesn't seem to be sufficient?"
"Yesterday, some citizens saw him looking for creditors everywhere. He might have been drunk and angry, and took risks..."
In this way, Diop's death became a case of murder caused by anger over a debt dispute.
Thales clenched his fists.
Of course, the voice in his heart sneered: This is his usual method, isn't it?
From Moss to Diop.
who is the next?
"Dear Zhan," the prince suddenly spoke, his tone tightening, "Are you sure?"
Zhan frowned, and Shilai also raised his head.
"Are you sure that the perpetrator is really Lord Bedlon?"
Duke Xinghu's voice was extremely soft, but his words seemed to have some kind of power that made people hesitate.
Zhan En didn't answer, he just stared at his wine glass.
Hilley looked at his brother and then at Thales.
"Speaking of which, Prince Thales."
The next second, Duke Iris spoke slowly, his tone was gentle, and he had a completely different feeling from the prince:
"I remembered. I just heard Ashford say that many of your people, such as the Wyatt I don't know, were 'wandering' in the city yesterday and just came back at nightfall. Some people even took them with them.
hurt."
Thales frowned fiercely.
I saw Zhan En looking at Thales with cold eyes:
"Maybe they happened to pass by the crime scene and have any clues to solve the crime?"
I happened to pass by the crime scene...
The atmosphere between the prince and the duke cooled down again.
"oh?"
Xi Lai's eyes lit up: "Really? Have they seen the murderer?"
Thales and Zhan looked at each other silently.
"No, in fact, they did as the Romans did. They got carried away while enjoying themselves with the people in the city. They got into a fight with someone for no reason and got injured." Thales lowered his head and said in a cold tone, "It's funny, right?"
Jenn smiled.
"Wherever, the Emerald City is now a mixed bag, especially those foreigners with complicated backgrounds who are always looking for trouble and causing trouble that they shouldn't cause," the Duke said lightly, "Prince Thales, your people should be more careful when traveling outside.
Be careful."
Thales sneered.
"They will be careful. After all, not everyone is like the wool merchant, who has a special status and extraordinary significance, so that he can work for Duke Zhan to personally investigate the case?"
"Every citizen and guest of Emerald City, no matter what their status or significance, their safety, freedom and rights are under the protection of Emerald City and under my protection," Zhan En said without changing his expression.
"We don't allow Xiao Xiao, who has ulterior motives, to interfere with us."
"The Emerald City is truly blessed to have a ruler like you. The murdered businessman will probably be able to smile in the river of hell." Thales said sarcastically.
"It's all thanks to His Majesty Kessel's ability to govern the country that a remote country like ours can enjoy peace."
"My father would be very happy if he knew of your loyalty."
"His Royal Highness and His Majesty, father and son are united, and they must be equally happy."
Hilley looked to the left and then to the right, revealing an intriguing expression amid the bickering between Thales and Zhan:
"Do you think it could be a water ghoul?"
The prince and the duke, who were facing each other tit for tat, were stunned for a moment when they heard this meaningless sentence:
"What?"
"Water ghoul?"
Hillai enthusiastically picked up the kettle, poured out two cups of clear spring drink, and handed them to them respectively:
"You know the ancient legend of the Emerald City. During the Emerald Festival, the water ghoul under the canal will wake up, come out of the river, and wander the streets of the Emerald City, looking for people who are alone at night... So every year the Queen
Many people died unexpectedly every day."
The conversation was interrupted, and Thales and Zhan had to retract their aggressive attitudes.
The atmosphere in the restaurant is no longer so scary.
"Sixty percent of the people who died during the Emerald Celebration were drunkards who fell into the canal after being drunk on the night of the carnival." Zhan En took the cup handed by his sister and exhaled, "The remaining 30% were from various people.
All kinds of murders, vendettas, gang wars, or this debt dispute are just covered up by the Emerald Celebration, and most of them are man-made disasters."
Thales took the cup:
"Then what's the remaining 10%?"
"The security officers in Emerald City are not detectives," Zhan En said softly. "There will always be cases that cannot be solved, such as missing people."
Thales discovered that Hilley had only poured him half a cup of clear spring drink, and when he leaned over the rim of the cup to drink, two faces similar to those of the "Soul Bone Jacques" appeared on the inner wall of the cup.
Words made up of fluorescence:
【Don’t conflict.】
Thales frowned slightly.
"eaten."
Hilley said suddenly.
Thales and Zhan En both raised their heads in confusion:
"What?"
Xi Lai rubbed his gloves and rolled his eyes: "If it is really a water ghoul, then of course there will be no corpses of the people who were eaten. They can only be 'missing', right?"
Thales narrowed his eyes
"Um, that's right?"
The next second, Xi Lai frowned. She took a deep breath and stood up with difficulty:
"Ah, sorry, I have to leave."
Thales asked in confusion: "Ms. Shikandire?"
Zhan En's eyes tightened even more and he stood up:
"Xilai, are you feeling uncomfortable?"
But Hilley just waved his hands indifferently and exhaled:
"It's nothing, it's just menstruation."
ah?
Thales and Zhan En were both stunned. They quickly turned their heads and looked away awkwardly.
"Ah, I have to change the menstrual cloth. I feel like I'm sitting in a pool of blood every hour..."
Zhan En's expression suddenly changed and he said sternly:
"Cecilia!"
Hilley waved his hands indifferently:
"You should be happy. You bleed every month, which means your sister doesn't have a big belly..."
Thales pretended not to hear, lowered his head and drank the drink, and at the same time painted out the fluorescent words on the wall of the cup.
Zhan looked at Cecilia in disbelief, then looked at Thales, and said angrily:
"Cecilia! Don't mention this again! Where is your education?"
"What's wrong? Is this okay for everyone?"
"Half the men are not!"
"That's right!" Xi Lai opened the door and turned around and said fiercely: "Then you are doing so many things by pointing your fingers!"
The door closed, and Thales and Zhan were the only ones left in the restaurant again, looking at each other.
"This girl never makes people worry," the Duke snorted coldly, and also lowered his head to take the cup to cover up his embarrassment, "You see, she is not a good girl, let alone a good wife, she will only make your palace fly.
Jump."
Thales curled up his lips: "Well, I don't think it's that bad..."
Fortunately, Thales reacted and stopped in time before Zhan's eyes turned cold again.
But after Heeley's interruption (and perhaps Heeley's reminder), the atmosphere between them was no longer so tense.
"I thought we agreed yesterday: I will continue to pursue Dagory Moss's affairs and pretend to be hostile to you in order to confuse our enemies." Thales adjusted his mood, became serious, and returned to the topic again.
.
"Exactly," Zhan put down his wine glass heavily, "so I cooperate with you in acting, obstruct you and fight against you as always, so that everyone, whether they are your own people, enemies, smart people, stupid people, or stupid people who think they are smart, will think that
What is being staged in the Emerald City is the struggle between the prince and the duke to mislead the kingdom about its secrets, isn’t it?”
Thales was silent for a while and chuckled.
"So you took the lead, cut off the investigation clues, and almost brought trouble to the subordinates I sent to investigate. You even tried to frame me for the sensational and explosive topic of 'the prince's personal guards broke into the house and killed people', right?"
Zhan En shook his head and said:
"If you don't do this, how can you convince the Kingdom Secret Service and your father that the two of us are indeed fighting cruelly, a matter of life and death?"
"But judging from the wool merchant's story, you seem to be quite into it."
Zhan raised his wine glass again and observed Thales through the glass: "Remember, since you want to pursue results, you must follow through to the end?"
Thales was silent for a while.
"Dagory Moss went to see the wool merchant before he was silenced."
"I know."
"If he was ordered to do this by the Kingdom's Secret Department, there must be a reason."
"I know."
Thales frowned:
"Then why are you"
But Zhan interrupted him first, leaving no room for doubt:
"Because I have understood it a long time ago!"
The owner of the iris looked at him coldly:
"In the plan of the Kingdom's Secret Department, their trump card is none other than someone else."
"And it's you."
"The second prince, Thales Bright Star."
At that moment, facing Zhan En's razor-like eyes, Thales' heart tightened.
There is still one chapter left and I will probably finish it in the early morning.