If Thales were to make a list of the people he trusted the most in the Constellation Palace, then Yodel, who never showed his true face, would undoubtedly be at the top of the list. From their escape from Red Street Market to their encounter in Vine Manor, to the assassination attempt in front of Renaissance Palace, the Masked Protector had risked his life to save Thales many times. The most recent time, he had almost lost his life for Thales.
Not only that, the Masked Protector was the only person in Constellation who knew his identity as a calamity and still kept it a secret for him. Thales especially cherished this.
But now, when he heard Yodel's name in the Kingdom of the Great Dragon, Thales realized that he knew very little about this mysterious secret protector of the royal family. He knew nothing about him, whether it was his appearance, age, background, personality, or experience.
He could not help but be ashamed to admit that Yodel was more like a familiar stranger to him. Yodel had sacrificed a lot for him, but Thales had never cared about his condition.
'No, there is.' Thales thought, 'Gilbert told me that Yodel and the Five War Generals of Eckstedt have a deep grudge.
For example, he stabbed the Fire Knight of Black Sand Region, Tolja, in the back … '
This was also the reason why he could not come to Eckstedt.
'And now …'
A roar of laughter came from the other side of the hall. It seemed like a dozen Northland nobles were playing some game.
Thales then turned his attention back to the kind old woman in front of him.
This old woman from Eckstedt claimed that she was Yodel's …
Thales sized up the old woman named Calshan, trying hard to find similarities between the two of them other than the fact that they were 'mysterious'. He hesitated and said, "Mother?"
"Please do not doubt me. At my age, I will not joke about my son." Calshan smiled and shook her head.
Thales nodded awkwardly and looked at Putray for help.
'What's going on?
Who is this old woman? '
But Putray still stared at the old woman with a vigilant expression. He shook his head slightly when Thales glanced at him.
"I haven't seen him for a long time. I miss him a lot." Calshan did not seem to care about the exchange between Thales and Putray. Her eyes were filled with nostalgia and love as she spoke. "That child has been a man of few words since he was young … He has a stubborn temper and is clumsy in expressing himself. It is really worrying when he is alone outside.
"During the days he served the royal family, he must have brought you a lot of trouble."
Thales was stunned.
'Of few words.
He had a stubborn temper.
Poor expression.
The silent figure of the Masked Guard appeared in front of him.
What followed was the words Yodel said when he confronted Thales in Mindis Hall and when he mysteriously appeared in the Hall of Stars.
[You will be better than him.]
"Please do not worry." Thales pursed his lips as he reminisced. "I believe that he is very well now …"
Another uproar came from the noisy hall — two guests actually started fighting on the table.
Thales suddenly realized that he was subconsciously following Calshan's words and continuing to speak.
He quickly shut his mouth and looked at Calshan warily.
However, the other party still smiled in a friendly manner. "I'm relieved to know that he's doing well."
"Please forgive his shortcomings. After all, as a mother, I still understand my child." Calshan nodded in relief. Then, she sighed and said, "Little Yoder has a rare kind heart."
Thales flashed an ugly smile. The scene of Yodel swinging his sword in the dark and taking a person's life appeared before his eyes.
Benevolent?
He could not help but feel puzzled. 'Yodel's mother? Why is she in Eckstedt?
'This old lady …
'Wait a minute.'
'Old lady?'
A memory flashed across his mind like lightning.
"Ah!"
Thales looked at Calshan. He shuddered and cried out in surprise.
The old lady was still smiling at the Second Prince of Constellation. Her posture was elegant and her expression was kind.
Thales remembered.
On the day he left Eternal Star City and set off for Eckstedt, the king and suzerains came to see him off.
The last person who came forward to talk to him was a terrifying old man dressed in black and holding a walking stick …
'"When you reach Eckstedt, please help this old man pass a message to an old woman.
'"You will know when you see her."
"Don't tell me you are …" Thales widened his eyes.
Calshan was still smiling kindly. "Hmm?"
"Erm, I'm sorry … but, a … senior seemed to have mentioned something related to you." Thales realized that he had lost his composure and said embarrassedly, "You know …"
"Senior?" The old lady, Calshan's smile became even brighter. "Let me guess, is it a sinister old man who likes to hide in the dark and wears black all day long? I heard that he started using a walking stick in recent years? "
Thales frowned. "Do you know Morat?"
His vigilance was immediately raised to the highest.
'A person who can be specially mentioned by the head of the Secret Intelligence Department … Other than' dangerous', he really can't think of any other adjective. '
Hearing the Black Prophet's name, Putray frowned and looked at his prince.
"I can imagine how you feel, Your Highness." Calshan smiled. "I think, knowing him is not something to be happy about, is it?"
Thales had an answer.
'Maybe Morat is reminding and warning me.'
The second prince sighed. "He said, if I meet an old woman in Eckstedt who takes the initiative to come up to me … I'm sorry, these are … these are Morat's exact words."
"It's okay.
"That old man looks polite, but he doesn't know what manners are." Calshan shook her head nonchalantly, and the wrinkles on her face smoothed out. "Heartbreakers are best at provoking people's hearts. I won't fall for it."
'Heartbreaker?'
Thales opened his mouth slightly in surprise, then tried his best to close it.
'There's a lot of information contained in this sentence.'
He tilted his head and said awkwardly, "In fact, the Black Prophet … I mean, Lord Morat Hansen, asked me to bring you a message."
"He actually asked a prince to bring me a message." Calshan raised her eyebrows. Under her narrowed eyelids, a pair of smiling eyes were revealed. "I'm really looking forward to it, Your Highness."
Thales only felt that the old woman's kind smile in front of him gave him a lot of pressure.
Compared to the overbearing, almost tangible pressure he felt when he faced the Black Prophet, this Granny Calshan revealed information that made him frown with a gentle and friendly attitude. It really made him feel awkward and helpless, and he did not know how to defend himself.
"He said …" Thales laughed dryly.
"Don't cross the line."
As soon as he finished speaking …
Thales suddenly realized that the old woman in front of him revealed a strange expression.
'Don't cross the line.'
Calshan closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She sighed and lowered her head. Her expression was complicated and indecipherable.
She murmured faintly, "So what?"
Before the puzzled Thales could react, Calshan put away her reminiscence and smiled again.
"You're in a difficult situation now, Your Highness. You're struggling to survive in the gap between Constellation and the Dragon, and you're also struggling to stay afloat in the maelstrom between the king and the archduke." Calshan sized up Thales with a gentle gaze. "But please believe me, compared to Morat … these are not worth mentioning."
The next moment, under Thales and Putray's puzzled expressions, the old woman nodded gracefully and turned to leave. "Thank you for your time."
Thales retracted his gaze from the old woman's slowly departing figure.
He could not help but notice that all the nobles, servants, and guards on the old woman's path bowed respectfully to her and made way for her.
Thales frowned.
He could roughly guess the other party's identity.
"Oh my God," Wya exclaimed softly behind them. "I just saw the Red Witch?"
Thales turned his head and looked at his attendant.
"I'm sorry, I thought they all …" Wya's face was full of surprise. "You know, they don't appear in front of people easily."
"Them?" Thales exhaled and helplessly grabbed a piece of buttered bread. "So, my guess was right?
That Granny Calshan, she is … "
"That's right," Putray replied with a solemn expression, using the bardic poem he was good at.
"The stars shine, and the dim places are pitch-black.
"The great dragon soars in the sky, and the shadows under its wings are endless."
Thales and Wya looked at the bard vice diplomat together.
"That lady is a terrifying figure who is as famous as the Black Prophet of the Kingdom's Secret Intelligence Department." Putray's eyes were filled with fierceness as he said softly, "She is the person with the highest authority in Eckstedt's Secret Room.
"The Red Witch, Calshan."
Thales, who had a huge headache, rolled his eyes.
"To be able to establish a foothold in Eckstedt's palace as a woman and let people call her the evil witch legend … Be careful, Your Highness. She's definitely not just here to watch the show.
"You may not believe me when I say this, but after I saw that lady," Thales put the bread into his mouth dejectedly and looked at the two Northlanders who were fighting fiercely with their bare fists in the distance, he said listlessly, "I miss Morat so much now."
"Also, who is Yodel?" Putray looked at Thales doubtfully. "Does he serve the royal family?"
"This … hmm, a royal secret." Thales picked up an iron fork and stabbed it into the onion in front of him.
'The secret protector of the Supreme King of Constellation is actually the son of Eckstedt's Head of Intelligence … Ah, another bottomless pit of gossip.'
In this banquet specially organized for the Prince of Constellation's arrival and the gathering of the five archdukes, the Prince of Constellation, as the one being welcomed in name, was undoubtedly neglected. Fortunately, nothing troublesome happened. Some Northland nobles who were here to watch the show would occasionally come up to greet him, and Thales could also return their greetings appropriately under Putray's advice.
It was not that there were no drunkards who came up to provoke him … but Lord Mirk was always able to mobilize his men at the right time and pull away wave after wave of drunkards.
Thales was able to enjoy his feast in peace, even though a seven or eight-year-old child could not eat much.
"How much longer will it take?" After a few hours, Thales looked at the bustle in the hall and asked Wya, who was beside him, "I feel like I'm almost becoming a Northlander."
Just now, a few drunken feuding nobles caused a group fight that involved three battlefields. It made the noisy hall even more excited until the White Blade Guards and the palace guards stepped forward to stop it — with their fists.
"It's been a long time. It's only eleven o 'clock at night." Wya frowned and stared in disbelief into the distance. A guest with a swollen face was helped back to the dining table. He could not stop cursing as he gulped down another glass of wine, then threw the wine glass at another person's face.
The prince's attendant shook his head and said, "I once heard from my Northlander friends that Eckstedt's banquets often last until dawn. Especially since this is the king's banquet, it represents the face of Dragon Clouds City, and there are five archdukes gathered here."
Thales shook his head with lifeless eyes.
The originally casual order in the hall began to gradually collapse. There were even drunkards who staggered and swayed all over the place. Some nobles hugged their maids and walked out of the hall. Then, strange noises came from outside the hall.
Even the vassals and attendants around the five archdukes began to leave their seats and participate in the drunken banquet.
King Nuven and Nicholas had already left for a long time. Only Mirk was still calmly monitoring the banquet.
'As for Putray …' Thales narrowed his eyes and looked at the skinny Constellatiate man who had his arm around the shoulders of countless Northlanders and laughed from time to time. He even dared to compete in drinking.
'How did this guy blend in so well?'
Thales pressed his face against the table and exhaled in pain. "Please tell me that the banquets in Constellation are not this crazy."
"Probably not." Wya smiled awkwardly.
"Of course not!"
Thales raised his head and saw Putray carrying a barrel of rye wine that was specially provided by Heroic Spirit Palace. He closed his eyes and swayed as he walked over. He clicked his tongue and said, "Constellation's banquets are more civilized and appropriate. The craziness is hidden underneath, such as the meeting room specially prepared by the host of the banquet, the bushes in the garden, and the quiet and uninhabited basement.
"As far as I know, your father, King Kessel, was an expert in this when he was young."
Thales rolled his eyes at him.
But Putray opened his eyes and his expression changed slightly.
The vice diplomat of Constellation said flatly, "I received Shiles' signal."
Thales' spirits rose.
"The king has left the banquet. The people around the five archdukes are also swaying." Putray nodded solemnly.
"I think it is time to go and have a chat with them."
When the banquet was nearing midnight, the Grand Duke of Prestige Orchid, Reybien Olsius, walked out of the banquet hall accompanied by two attendants. He stood by a deserted window outside the banquet hall and gazed at the moon outside.
He seemed to be waiting for someone.
Until two footsteps, one big and one small, came from behind him.
Archduke Olsius turned around.
He immediately frowned.
"You are the one who asked me out to meet?"
The archduke pinched the note that had just been passed to his hand and looked at the person before him in disbelief — the Prince of Constellation, Thales Jadestar.
Accompanied by Wya, Thales stared at the archduke's full beard and flashed a bright smile. "Yes."
Olsius looked at Thales before him, then at the note in his hand. The expression on his face gradually changed.
Thales took a deep breath.
'It's here.
'It's about to begin.'
He heard himself speak slowly, "Your Grace —"
At this moment, Archduke Olsius suddenly snorted coldly and interrupted him.
Thales, who was halfway through his sentence, suddenly froze.
"Boring."
Olsius glanced at him disdainfully and shook his head.
Then he turned around and left.
Thales widened his eyes.
'Am I that annoying?'
"I spent a lot of effort to find this opportunity to meet in private, Your Grace." Thales followed behind him and frowned. "At least listen to what I have to say!"
"There is nothing to say to a seven-year-old." Olsius had no intention of turning back.
Thales gritted his teeth.
'There's no other way.'
The next moment, the Second Prince of Constellation shouted at the back of the Archduke of Prestige Orchid.
"Reybien Olsius!
Do you know who is going to be the next King of Eckstedt?! "
Archduke Olsius' footsteps came to a halt.
He slowly turned his head and looked at Thales with a strange expression.
Under Olsius' strange gaze, Thales panted excitedly.
"Lampard …"
Olsius' expression changed slightly.
Thales calmed his breathing slightly, raised his head, and looked at the bearded man with a determined gaze.
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