"Defection?
"Wait … with great power." Thales looked at the unkempt little girl in front of him, but his mind had already drifted back to the past. "Defection from the calamities' side?"
The words spoken by the Air Mystic, Asda Sakern, while standing on the ruins of the chess room during that thrilling night in Red Street Market rang in his ears again.
"Is this also written in this book?" Thales took a deep breath. "Does it specifically mention who the traitors are?"
"No, it's not in this book." The little girl shook her head. She raised her dirty little face and blinked her green eyes under her thick glasses. "But another political book, 'The Founding of a Nation: The Stars and the Dragon', mentioned this, but it didn't go into detail, nor did it state who defected."
Thales furrowed his brows.
"It was mentioned in Chapter Six, 'The Influence of External Forces in the Two Kingdoms'." The little girl seemed to be a little afraid that Thales would not believe her. She quickly put down the thick book in her hands with great difficulty, extended her tender finger, and pointed behind Thales in a well-practiced manner. "That book is in the sixth row after entering the door, on the fifth layer of the bookshelf on the left, between 'The Collection of Rudo Gangart' and 'The Book of Decision: The Will of the King of Wrath'.
"Wow, such a precise location." Thales retracted his gaze from the layers of bookshelves. He rolled his eyes and was a little surprised. "Are you … familiar with the books here?"
'This girl … What kind of person is she to have the opportunity to learn, learn, read, and be so familiar with the books in Heroic Spirit Palace?
'Is she really just a servant?'
"Ah! I, I just … "The little girl seemed to be startled. She lowered her head and was a little nervous." I read a lot of books … "
"You have a good memory." Thales looked around the huge library and said suspiciously, "Are you the librarian here?"
The little girl was stunned, then shook her head timidly but firmly.
"Alright." Thales shrugged helplessly. "So this is the Walton Family's library?"
"Yes, you can say that." The little girl's eyes lit up again, and the dimple on the left side of her face appeared again. "Legend has it that Her Majesty Clorysis loves to read. So, after the war, King Raikaru gathered all the books that could be found in the entire region, the country, and even the entire continent for her. It is recorded in the 'Collection of the Archduke's Tokens of Dragon Clouds City' …"
Raikaru Eccles.
He remembered the majestic statue of the warrior on the stone bridge at the top of Heroic Spirit Palace that led to the Cliff of the Sky.
Hence, many of the books were collected after the Battle of Eradication, before the various countries began to eliminate traces of magic on a large scale.
No wonder there were so many books in the language of the Ancient Empire. There might even be books in other languages, or even languages of the non-human world.
So, even though there had been a large-scale purge, there were still more clues about calamities and magic in these books than in other places.
'I wonder how Constellation's famous Jadestar Grand Library compares to this place?'
The little girl seemed especially happy when she talked about these things. She also forgot her nervousness and fear. She continued to chatter on, "… Until Archduke Shawlon was in power, Dragon Clouds City stopped collecting books and filling up the library because no one had seen Her Majesty for many years. This place was originally a corner of Heroic Spirit Palace, so it became more and more desolate …"
"Wait a minute, Clorysis?" Thales finally reacted. He looked surprised. "You mean … Raikaru's … Queen of the Sky?
"The female Great Dragon who married a human?"
Hearing Thales' way of addressing her, the little girl seemed to become nervous again.
"Do not be disrespectful to Her Majesty the First Queen." She shook her head, and her glasses looked like they were about to fall off again. The little girl was so frightened that she quickly raised her small hands to protect her cheeks and held the frame of her glasses tightly. "Use the honorific 'Your Majesty', and call her by her first name."
Thales was stunned.
"Don't worry. She … That Queen can't hear you anyway." Thales looked at the funny girl who was protecting her small face with amusement. He said indifferently, "It's not too late to talk about it when I see her with my own eyes."
"No, if it's your first time seeing Her Majesty, it will be a different set of etiquette." The little girl shook her head and pouted. "Great Dragons are noble and sacred. They naturally hate rudeness and disrespect.
"If mortals are lucky enough to meet her, they must kneel down on one knee, bow their head, and respectfully report their full name. They can only get up after the other party agrees."
"Or else?" Thales was amused.
"Or else the Great Dragon will hate you." The little girl with platinum hair and glasses stared straight at Thales. There was a serious and serious expression on her small face that resembled a tabby cat.
Thales burst out laughing.
Under the little girl's angry and aggrieved gaze, Thales tried his best to restrain his smile. "Alright, alright. If I really meet her … I will definitely follow your instructions."
"But Clorysis … Queen, hasn't no one seen her for more than six hundred years? How do you know if the legend of the Great Dragon is true? "
The little girl showed a displeased expression but did not say anything.
Thales narrowed his eyes. "If they … Raikaru and his queen really fought that earth-shattering Battle of Eradication, there should at least be some evidence. For example, what kind of enemies did she defeat?"
'Enemies.
Such as … Asda? '
"It's not like that! Her Majesty the Queen is real! " The little girl who was covering her face seemed a little angry. "The evidence is behind you, in that glass cabinet!"
Thales turned his head and looked at the glass cabinet he had just seen — the agreement between Tormond and Raikaru.
"This is' Year Eleven of the Calendar of Eradication: Raikaru and Tormond, Eckstedt and Constellation's Agreement on Dealing with Border Issues'." The little girl propped up her glasses and moved closer. "It was signed by the two kings in the suzerain's longhouse in Cold Castle. It is the earliest agreement between Eckstedt and Constellation in history. The two kings agreed not to interfere with each other and expand their territories separately."
"Year Eleven of the Calendar of Eradication, Raikaru and Tormond …" Thales finally gave up on repeating the awkward-sounding title. He frowned. "Such a long name?"
"The appendix to the treaty is even longer." The little girl pouted and pointed at the long glass cabinet. "The paper is three feet long. Her Majesty Clorysis' signature is right before the two kings."
Thales walked past the appendices to the first formal agreement in the history of the two countries, which were contained in three glass cabinets. From the land at the border, the people, the time to hunt, the religion they worshiped, and the relationship between the suzerains, the 'Agreement' had regulations and explanations.
Just as Thales' eyes were about to blur, he finally came to the last glass cabinet and found a few names with different handwriting. It was obvious that they were personally signed.
[Witness: Clorysis Nurmen Dalla Dossal from the other side of the sea.]
"Look." The little girl pressed her face against the glass cabinet. "This is the First Queen's signature."
It was a thick and powerful signature. The connection between each letter was natural and smooth.
But the signature of another witness next to it attracted all of Thales' attention.
[Witness: Bran Quills Tabark from the Soul Tower.]
It was the same skillful and elegant cursive signature. However …
Soul Tower.
Thales remembered Ramon's words and engraved the name in his heart.
'Also.
'Tabark?'
'One of the Six Great Clans of Constellation. He ruled Blade Edge Hill in the southwest of the kingdom for generations. He had a blood moon as his family emblem — Tabark.'
The cold and arrogant figure in the Hall of Stars appeared before Thales' eyes. That valiant and heroic young duchess, Lyanna Tabark.
Then, his gaze shifted downward again.
It was the signature of the two kings.
[Signatories:
The common-elected king of Eckstedt, the king supported by the Northlanders, the suzerain of Dragon Clouds City.
Raikaru Brewster Eckstedt.
[Signatories:
The Supreme King of Constellation, the legitimate descendant of the Empire's Imperial Family, the suzerain of Eternal Star City.
Tormond Camelot Karlose Jadestar.]
Both signatures had one thing in common:
Ugly.
Ugly.
Not just any kind of ugly!
Raikaru's signature was like that of a child who had just learned how to use a pen. Stroke by stroke, he slowly scratched out from the paper. It was childish and stiff, as if he was afraid that he would make a mistake if he wrote too fast.
Tormond's signature was a series of rapid handwriting. It was so sloppy that the spelling was almost indistinguishable. It was like a person who was self-aware of his own handwriting and used rapid handwriting to cover it up.
Thales looked at his ancestor's sloppy signature, which was like an octopus' tentacle. He suddenly felt that the handwriting he learned in a month was at least legible.
"King Raikaru's background is mysterious, but many people think that he is a commoner, so he did not have the opportunity to receive education. His handwriting …" The little girl noticed Thales' gaze and said sheepishly, "And King Tormond is just an illegitimate child of the Imperial Family. It is said that he was ostracized when he was young, probably …"
Thales could not help but laugh.
It seemed that the founding monarchs of the two kingdoms were boorish people who could not even write their own names properly.
Compared to the neat and beautiful signatures of the witnesses on the first row, Thales could even imagine the hesitation and embarrassment of the two kings when they signed their names, as well as the affection and appreciation they felt for each other after they saw each other's signatures.
But at this moment, Thales was slightly stunned.
Tormond Camelot Karlose Jadestar.
Tormond's full name.
Even though Tormond's handwriting was sloppy, Thales could still make out the initial letters of each name.
T – Tormond
C – Camelot
K – Karlose
S – Jadestar
Thales shuddered violently!
The little girl noticed Thales's abnormality. She reached out to wipe off the stain on the glass that was smeared by her own face. Then, she raised her head curiously. "What's wrong?"
At this moment, another voice came from afar.
"Little Rascal! Little Rascal! "
Hearing this voice, the bespectacled little girl's face trembled. Like a mouse that had encountered a cat, she could not stop herself from trembling.
Thales raised his head in surprise.
It was an extremely impatient, childish voice that came from behind the bookshelf. "Why are you dawdling? Are you done?! "
As the voice got closer, its owner appeared in front of Thales and the little girl.
It was another teenage girl. She looked to be a head taller than the sloppy bespectacled little girl.
This new girl had brown hair and blue eyes. Her face was exquisite, and she wore a gorgeous handmade dress. The sleeves and collar were exquisitely decorated. She even had a beautiful hair accessory in her hair. If it was not for the angry expression on her face, she would have looked like a perfect doll from his previous life.
The new girl saw Thales, but she only glanced at his clothes, which were covered in dust due to the fall. She then turned around arrogantly and looked at the trembling, thin, bespectacled girl. "Little Rascal!"
The bespectacled little girl's face was full of panic. "Miss …"
"The homework that the teacher gave me for etiquette is due tomorrow. Why aren't you done yet? If I find out that you're secretly reading … "The new girl's dissatisfied voice paused. Her eyes drifted to the stack of books behind the two of them.
She first showed an expression that said, "I knew it." Then, she frowned and glared at the bespectacled girl whom she called Little Rascal.
Little Rascal trembled and cast a pleading look at Thales, who did not know what was going on.
"Okay!" The new girl tugged at her neat dress and walked forward with a furious expression. "You're really reading! You Little Rascal! "
The next second, under Thales' surprised gaze, the new girl raised her hand high.
She hit the bespectacled girl named Little Rascal on the head!
"Ah!" Little Rascal cried out in pain. Her lips trembled, she closed her eyes and crouched down with her hands on her head in fear.
"You should be good and finish my homework for tomorrow!" Thales stared in shock at the new girl's disgusted expression. She took a step forward and raised her hand again. "Instead of …
"Ignoring Master's homework, slacking off and reading!"
This time, she hit Little Rascal's face!
* Thud! * The little girl's black glasses fell to the ground.
"I didn't … Miss Alex." Little Rascal seemed to be used to this kind of treatment. She did not resist at all, but sniffled and cried. "I didn't … have homework for etiquette class … To find … the topic, you have to look up … the founding of Constellation and Eckstedt …"
"You're still talking back!" The new pretty girl pouted angrily. "You're just my maid! How dare you! "
But Thales grabbed her hand tightly when she raised it again.
"Wait!" Thales looked displeased. "You're a noble? It's not appropriate to beat and scold a servant! "
The brown-haired, blue-eyed girl glanced at Thales in displeasure. "And who are you?!"
The black-haired boy let go of the girl's hand and looked angry. "Thales Jadestar!"
Poor Little Rascal crouched on the ground in fear. She squinted her eyes and trembled as she reached for her glasses.
"Oh, the prince who came to beg for mercy from Grandpa." The new girl was stunned. She then looked at the boy who was a head shorter than her and smiled in disdain. "I'm giving my maid the punishment she deserves. You better stay away!"
'Damn it.'
Thales frowned and looked at the unruly young lady in front of him.
'I thought I could escape from this brat after escaping from the Abandoned House.'
At that moment …
"Lady Alex!"
Thales and the new girl froze.
The administrator of Heroic Spirit Palace, Lord Mirk, who brought Thales into the Hall of Heroes, appeared before them. With a cold expression, he stopped the children from getting into a fight.
"Your Highness." Lord Mirk bowed to Thales and said slowly, "You've gone too far."
Mirk's presence seemed to have caused the girl some misgivings. She pouted and turned her head to the other side.
"Your Grace." Thales nodded. He turned his head and looked worriedly at the scruffy Little Rascal who had just touched her glasses. "This place …"
Mirk frowned. He looked at the brown-haired girl with concern.
"This is Alex." Mirk sighed and extended his hand to the little girl in the exquisite dress. "Lady Alex Walton is King Nuven's granddaughter."
"Lady Alex, this is King Kessel's son from Constellation, His Highness Thales Jadestar."
Following Mirk's introduction and Mirk's urging gaze, the little girl first raised her head arrogantly, then snorted through her nose. Then, she reluctantly pulled up her skirt and bowed to Thales.
Thales nodded and frowned. 'Alex Walton?
Sounds like a boy's name.
'And King Nuven's granddaughter? I've never heard of Prince Moriah having a daughter.
Didn't King Nuven say that Prince Moriah is unmarried? '
Then, Mirk turned to Alex and tried to persuade his master's granddaughter. "My lady, what you're doing isn't appropriate, especially in front of Prince Thales of Constellation …"
"Mirk!" Nuven the Seventh's granddaughter, Alex pouted in dissatisfaction. "She's my maid. My family pays for her food and lodging …"
"And this prince is going to —"
"Lady Alex!" Mirk showed a rare stern look. His words were laced with anger. "This is not your bedroom! This is King Raikaru's library! "
Alex was startled. She flinched as if afraid of Mirk.
"Hmph." Alex tugged at her hair ornament, her eyes blazing. She pulled Little Rascal who was still squatting on the floor. "Come with me, Little Rascal."
Little Rascal slid a step due to the tug. She clutched her glasses tightly, her eyes red.
"Let's go back to the bedroom and settle this!" Alex said fiercely. She glanced at Thales and Mirk, then turned to leave.
Little Rascal looked uneasy. She lowered her head and followed, trembling. She turned to look at Thales, her eyes filled with fear.
Thales clenched his fists.
Mirk heaved a sigh as he watched the two girls walk away from him.
He picked up the books that Little Rascal did not have time to tidy up and stuffed them into the bookshelf. "Lady Alex is Prince Moriah's elder brother, the daughter of Prince Soria, the late king's eldest son. Since she lost her parents and King Nuven dotes on her too much, so …"
Mirk shook his head.
Thales flashed an ugly smile.
'I see.
'The late King Nuven's eldest son?
'So, with Prince Moriah's assassination …'
'The suzerain of Dragon Clouds City, the Walton Family of Cloud Dragon Spear, does not have a direct male heir.'
"How did he pass away?" Thales stared at the emblem of a dragon head in the glass cabinet. He said quietly, "That … Prince Soria?"
Mirk lowered his head and frowned.
"More than ten years ago, during a hunting accident." In Thales' eyes, Mirk's gaze was gloomy, his tone dispirited. "I was still in the White Blade Guards then. I was supposed to be responsible for his safety, but I failed to protect him."
Mirk shook his head numbly.
Thales shifted his gaze.
"Please follow me back to your bedroom." Mirk seemed reluctant to talk more. He quickly adjusted his expression, turned around, and added sternly, "I believe your attendants are waiting anxiously, and you still have to attend the banquet tonight."
Thales was shocked. He looked up.
'Right, I have to find Putray.
Tell him exactly what happened here, and ask for his wisdom and help.
'Especially …'
"Also, His Majesty asked me to bring you a message in reply to what you said through Nicholas," Mirk said flatly.
Thales' gaze froze.
'King Nuven?'
Lord Mirk narrowed his eyes.
"His Majesty agreed to put aside his original plan for the time being.
"Please do as you wish, as long as His Majesty wishes."
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