Little Rascal sat on a wooden crate in a daze, watching the White Blade Guards around her bustle about, treating, changing, discussing, and making final preparations before departing.
Every single one of them was respectful to her. Even during the most hectic times, they did not forget to clear a place for her to rest, and ensured her clean water and food.
She was very sleepy.
However, the fear and nervousness that constantly invaded her brain were like alarm bells, waking her up from the brink of sleep.
It made her feel as if she was living in a half-awake state.
'But there's nothing wrong with that, is there?' Little Rascal lowered her head and asked herself bitterly.
'Isn't everything I've experienced from last night a nightmare?
'But I …'
Little Rascal sniffled and touched her small face, which had been wiped clean.
She sat on the wooden crate in solitude, watching people come and go.
Although the clothes on her body were warm, she felt that she had never felt so cold before.
Lost and lonely.
She had nothing to rely on.
At this moment …
"Oh, you're here."
A low sigh was heard.
Little Rascal turned her head and unexpectedly saw Thales walking towards her with a bitter expression on his face.
The Second Prince of Constellation did not stand on ceremony. He sat down on the empty ground beside her.
"Thales." Little Rascal was a little surprised and delighted. "Why are you …"
Thales was in a daze. He picked up a piece of bread from the plate beside Little Rascal, ignoring the angry glare of a White Blade Guard in the distance.
"The food prepared for the Constellatiates over there is very bad. The priests are also Northlanders." Thales casually bit into the fluffy bread. The bread offered to the temple was indeed different. He buried half of his face in it, snorted, and said in a muffled voice, "I came to rub against you."
Little Rascal stared at him in a daze.
Thales clenched his teeth with all his might and pulled his face out of the bread.
The second prince did not raise his head. He only chewed fiercely and stared at the half-eaten bread in his hand.
His gaze was dazed.
Little Rascal looked at him and blinked. For a moment, she seemed to have forgotten most of her troubles.
"You didn't stay with them." Thales swallowed a mouthful of bread without feeling anything. He felt his stomach slowly fill up. He gestured with his chin at Nicholas and Mirk, who were discussing something in the distance. "Did they not treat you well?"
Little Rascal raised her head and looked hesitantly at the two people in the distance.
"No, they respect me very much." The girl shook her head and almost shook her glasses off again. She was so scared that she hurriedly pressed her hand against the bridge of her nose and said with grievance, "That's why I'm scared."
The disheveled girl bit her lip. "You know, they were there before, they all know …"
"It's not important anymore," Thales suddenly said.
Little Rascal glanced at the prince in surprise.
Thales held the bread in his hand and stared straight ahead, but his eyes were not focused.
Only his mouth would occasionally chew.
Thales narrowed his eyes and said bitterly, "No matter what happened in the Hall of Heroes, does it still matter now?"
He shook his head indifferently. "After we escape from this nightmare, none of this matters anymore."
Thales thought absentmindedly.
'Only one thing.
'We can escape from the nightmare, but the nightmare won't let us go.'
"Thales." Little Rascal pressed her hands to her sides and leaned forward worriedly. "Are … are you okay?"
Thales snapped out of his daze and glanced at her.
"No." Thales lowered his head and sighed deeply. "I'm not okay."
Little Rascal smacked her lips timidly. She looked at Thales and blinked, not knowing what to do.
"Little Rascal."
Thales stared at the wooden crate under the girl, then at her tiny feet in the air.
"Do you know," the prince said absentmindedly, "I came with a mission, even though I didn't want to."
Little Rascal stared at him in a daze, not knowing how to react.
"But I failed," he concluded dryly.
His voice was filled with hesitation and pain.
Little Rascal only nodded instinctively.
Thales suddenly burst out in laughter.
"And now we have to escape, leave behind a mess." His laughter was desolate and desolate. Little Rascal felt a pang in her heart when she heard it. "Then run away with our tails between our legs."
Thales listlessly put the bread that he had taken two bites of back onto the plate. He leaned back and leaned against the wooden crate Little Rascal was sitting on.
He stared at the dark ceiling quietly and vaguely recognized the mural on it. In front of a white ball, three blurry figures were born.
'This place belongs to the gods, right?'
Thales thought absentmindedly.
'According to High Priestess Holme, the Bright Moon Goddess probably doesn't care about the conflicts between these mortals.
'If only I could be like them, indifferent to everything, that would be great.'
Thales smiled bitterly, then his expression relaxed again.
Little Rascal stared at him quietly, not saying a word.
She was like a docile kitten.
"Do you know?" Thales continued to stare at the ceiling. His gaze was unfocused and his voice was faint, as if there was a veil between them. "Eckstedt will probably use the excuse of me assassinating the king to send troops south — not just one archduke."
Little Rascal nodded lightly.
"Uh-huh."
Thales' vision became blurry. He seemed to see Arracca and Sonia's figures, as well as the Fury Guards falling one by one. "Broken Dragon Fortress might be lost, and the Northern Territory might also be lost. We can't stop them."
"Uh-huh.
"Many people will die." Thales seemed to have seen many more people die. They died in the Abandoned House, in the manor, on the streets, in the birch forest, in front of the fortress, and in Dragon Clouds City. This made him feel even more exhausted. "They die in war, they die in famine, they die in chaos, they die in a world without order or reason."
"Uh-huh."
"Also, because of the diplomat group and the heir's incompetence and failure, the Jadestar Royal Family will probably face the most severe criticism and attack in history. The nobles are all looking forward to this opportunity," the prince said flatly, as if this was a trivial matter.
"Uh-huh.
"As for Lampard, Lampard will get everything he wants, no matter what it is." Thales rested his head on his arm and said in a daze, "He is the final victor, standing on top of our failure. Do you know, I even talked nonsense in his tent, mocking him for being despicable, shameless, cold-blooded, and heartless?"
"Uh-huh."
Thales sneered indecipherable.
"Little Rascal." His voice became deeper and more solemn. "I failed, and I can't do anything about it."
"Uh-huh."
"I always thought I could do it." Thales laughed bitterly, remembering Gilbert's earnest teachings in Mindis Hall. "Although I'm not very smart, I'm not too stupid either. I also had Putray and the others' help …"
"Uh-huh."
Thales suddenly felt a pang in his heart.
"But I can't do it," the prince said bitterly, as if his tongue weighed a thousand pounds. "It's too difficult."
Little Rascal jumped down from the wooden crate, leaned against him, and sat down. She nodded slightly. "Uh-huh."
Thales shut his eyes hard and exhaled a long breath.
His heart surged with endless gloom and resentment.
"It's not just Lampard, it's not just King Nuven …
"The self-righteous Kingdom's Secret Intelligence Department, always wanting to control everything in their hands …
"The so-called arbitrary father, who never cares about other people's wishes and feelings …
"They always catch me off guard." Thales rubbed the space between his eyebrows, as if he wanted to spit out all the dissatisfaction he had for the past month. "I really want to do something …"
"Uh-huh.
"Of course, they probably even blame me for acting smart and ruining their plans." Thales immediately sneered and said mockingly, "Of course, if it weren't for me, they would probably be celebrating their victory in a corner somewhere."
"Uh-huh."
Thales sighed.
"And I have neither the right nor the right to criticize them," the prince said desolately, "Just like you, I'm nothing at all."
"Uh-huh.
"Stop saying 'Uh-huh'."
"Uh-huh."
"Alright, it seems like your mind is indeed wandering."
"Uh-huh?"
Little Rascal raised her head as if she had suddenly woken up.
Thales leaned against the wooden crate and tilted his head. There was a helpless smile in his eyes as he fixed his gaze on the frightened girl.
Little Rascal lowered her head in embarrassment and covered her face with her hands. "That, I just …"
Thales exhaled through his nose and smiled faintly.
"Forget it."
He shook his head helplessly. "Alright, thank you for your thoughtful 'comfort', and thank you for patiently listening to me pour out my grievances …"
But at this moment, Thales suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder.
He turned his head in astonishment and saw Little Rascal move closer to him. She spread her tiny arms, one in front of the other, and hugged his neck tightly from the side.
Thales stared blankly at Little Rascal, who was right in front of him. He stared at her clean and fair face, but her big eyes behind her thick-rimmed glasses stood out.
"What are you doing?" he asked in a daze.
Little Rascal's chest was pressed tightly against Thales' shoulder. Her expression was sincere and solemn. "Comforting you."
"Comforting?" The puzzled Thales was slightly stunned. He did not know whether to laugh or cry.
"A long, long time ago, my mother did this." Little Rascal tightened her arms around Thales' neck. Her expression was especially stubborn and serious. "When I was sick or hungry, my mother would hug me. I didn't want her to, so she hugged me from the side, from night till dawn."
Thales narrowed his eyes as he was hugged by her. "You remember your mother?"
Little Rascal pressed her chin against Thales' shoulder. "Yes, but I don't remember it clearly."
Thales looked at her serious expression and asked subconsciously, "What happened after that? What happened to her? "
Little Rascal's body trembled slightly.
Her expression dimmed.
"She sold me," Little Rascal said dejectedly. "She was very poor. She went to work early every day and only returned home late at night with very little food.
"She couldn't not sell me, or else," the little girl said quietly. There was a rare stubbornness on her face. "Or else, she wouldn't be able to live."
Thales sighed.
From afar, Nicholas saw the scene: the two children snuggled up to each other tightly.
The Star Killer frowned and strode forward.
But a hand clamped down on his shoulder.
"They're just children." With a cold expression, Mirk pressed down on Nicholas' shoulder and shook his head slightly.
Nicholas cast a profound glance at his former colleague and did not say anything else.
"So, this is your way of comforting me?" Thales chuckled softly.
"I have a suggestion. When you grow up, you better get rid of this habit. You can't just comfort people like this."
Little Rascal nodded and said innocently, "Oh."
"Alright, let me go." Thales patted Little Rascal's hand and said with a smile, "Before Nicholas rushes over with a knife."
Only then did Little Rascal let go of the little prince.
"That … don't worry about losing." She seemed to be unconvinced by the effect of her comforting words.
She continued to mutter, "A moment of victory or defeat is but a fleeting moment. A hundred years of chess is the foundation of all ages."
Thales raised his eyebrows and mulled over this sentence. "Who … said this?"
Little Rascal's eyes lit up. She seemed to be extremely excited because she found a topic that interested Thales. "Your king."
Thales furrowed his brows. "Ours?"
"Yes."
"The 'Virtuous King' from more than a hundred years ago, Mindis Jadestar the Third." Little Rascal nodded. She seemed to have entered the reading mode where her eyes shone brightly. "He ascended the throne after the Red King's nightmarish and bloody rule ended. He governed the country with superb political skills and safely survived the Fourth Peninsular War."
Thales thought of something.
'Mindis the Third.'
"I remember now. Mindis the Third's reign was obviously later than Midier the Fourth's." Thales seemed to have realized something. "But in Constellation's currency, Mindis's portrait is engraved on the silver coins. It's even more valuable than Midier's copper coins."
'Wait a minute.
'The Virtuous King?
This title … '
Both King Nuven and Chapman Lampard mentioned him at the same time. Their words were laced with emotion.
On the way to the Northland, Putray had also mentioned that Mindis the Third was the one who led the alliance between the sea and the Clear Night Continent, thus changing the form of the continental war in one fell swoop.
"The hundred-year-old chess game is the foundation of all ages?" Thales mumbled.
Thales turned his head abruptly.
"Tell me about Mindis the Third." The young prince's serious expression seemed to have frightened Little Rascal. "What exactly did he do? Only then can one be called a Virtuous King? "
"After Archduke Shawlon, the number of books in the library increased by a lot, but," Little Rascal said timidly, "Although Constellation calls him the 'Virtuous King', but …"
"Among the famous Three Kings of Constellation, the Northlanders admire the 'Oath Keeper' Midier the Fourth the most, who came to the north alone to provide reinforcements. The second most admired was the King of Renaissance, who opened up new territories. They, on the other hand, did not think much of the 'Virtuous King', who did not have many achievements in battle. In fact, the Northlanders' 'Brief Political Affairs of Years 500 to 600 of the Calendar of Eradication' even said that he was a weak king who compromised with the commoners.
Thales' heart trembled slightly.
Weak King?
He came back to his senses, and his gaze sharpened.
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