He remembered.
Thales stared fixedly at the floor under his feet.
Six years ago, in the secret tunnel under the gatehouse, the group of people who escaped were intercepted by the Red Witch. They could not advance or retreat.
At that time …
The exhausted Star Killer went forward alone and used "a very large bargaining chip" in exchange for their safety.
Thales could not help but feel a deep suspicion rising in his heart.
'What did Nicholas tell the Red Witch that made Madam Calshan turn around and leave so decisively? What made her ignore existences like the Prince of Constellation and Miss Walton, as if they were just unnecessary outsiders?
'Is the Secret Room really so unconventional that they could leave without any hesitation after making up their mind to overthrow the stubborn King Nuven a moment ago, and leave without any involvement in anything the next moment?
'If, as Lampard said, Saroma's existence is just …'
Thales took a deep breath. Veins popped up on his hands.
"Ridiculous."
He stared coldly at King Chapman in front of him.
"The heir of Dragon Clouds City who was publicly acknowledged to have been dead for six years is still alive? And me going north alone and being a hostage for six years, including our life-and-death battle in Heroic Spirit Palace six years ago, was all just part of a conspiracy?
"You expect me to believe you? What kind of baseless words are these? "
The prince looked offended. He stared at the king's eyes in dissatisfaction and retorted, "Why did Moriah deliberately fake his death? Why did he let his family be on the verge of collapse and Dragon Clouds City be in turmoil? Why did King Nuven come up with such a strategy where the gains did not make up for the losses, and even lost his life in vain under your counterattack? "
* Bang! *
"Because he did not deliberately fake his death, and Nuven did not do it on purpose either!"
King Chapman punched his scabbard and responded to Thales' aggressive words with a frosty expression, "Do you think this is some kind of fun? Do you think I would be so bored as to fabricate such a lie to drive a wedge between you and Dragon Clouds City? Ever since I received this damned news, God knows how many methods, time, and resources I have used to get to the bottom of it, just to find out whether that useless prince is dead or not! To find out how long I can wear this crown I got six years ago! "
The King's sharp eyes were filled with murderous intent. "Believe me, if he is not dead, there is no one in this world who would want him to disappear as quickly as possible, without anyone knowing!"
Thales looked suspiciously at the anger and coldness hidden on the king's face. He had a vague feeling that the other party's emotions were not fake.
The carriage was silent for a few seconds.
"So, 'I didn't deliberately fake my death'." Thales calmed down and tugged at his sleeves. "What do you know?"
King Chapman snorted coldly and said, "This is from the Secret Room. To be exact, it's from my spy in the Secret Room. It's said that the Red Witch has been investigating this matter for a whole six years, regardless of the cost. She only found some clues half a year ago."
Deep in thought, Thales repeated slowly, "Six years."
The King nodded solemnly.
"Six years ago, Prince Moriah returned to Dragon Clouds City from his fief. In Heroic Spirit Palace, he had a fierce argument with King Nuven. Even though King Nuven had gotten rid of most of the people in the palace before he died, there are still people who are alive to testify to this." When King Chapman said this, his eyes shone with a strange light. It lingered between disdain and disgust.
"A few days later, Moriah left without saying goodbye and disappeared without a trace."
Thales' gaze froze.
"Left … what?"
"Yes, Thales." King Chapman snorted in disdain. "A prince who shouldered the heavy responsibility of a kingdom left home in a fit of anger because he was scolded by his dear father!"
The prince took a second to digest this news. He then looked at King Chapman with a burning gaze.
"Can you imagine Nuven's expression at that time? His son irresponsibly left behind everything, including his own identity and his original mission to Constellation. In one night, he disappeared from Nuven, Dragon Clouds City, and even all of Eckstedt's sight. In order to escape safely, he even deliberately leaked his itinerary to Poffret as a cover. That's how everything happened after that. "
"Moriah Walton, Nuven's useless son," the king said through gritted teeth in contempt and anger.
"He is practically the greatest disgrace of the Walton Family in the past six hundred years. Even if you search all over Eckstedt, you probably won't be able to find a piece of trash worse than him."
'My God …
'A prince …
'Left everything behind …
'Ran away from home?'
For some reason, another person's figure suddenly appeared in Thales' mind. Decades ago, Lady Jines was not as mature and charming as she was now. She was penniless and in a sorry state, but she resolutely walked out of her family's manor, followed the prince's fleet, and walked towards an unknown future.
The king used a few seconds to regulate his breathing. He snapped out of his anger and resentment.
"Because of that, the Born King, who was badly battered and exhausted, could only use a substitute with a similar face to replace his runaway son on a diplomatic mission to Constellation. Anyway, as a symbol, the prince only needed to smile."
"We found information about that substitute. He was born in a small noble family in the suburbs of Dragon Clouds City. His ancestors were blood relatives with the Waltons. He was found by the White Blade Guards eighteen years ago, and from then on, entered Dragon Clouds City to 'work'. Of course, he was actually being trained to become Prince Moriah's substitute."
King Chapman continued coldly, "You know what happened after that.
"You know what happened after that. Moriah's substitute died in Constellation. I guess Nuven was very surprised, but he took advantage of the situation and made it real. He pretended to be angry and demanded corresponding compensation from Constellation, but internally, he cleaned up the restless archdukes."
Thales tried his best to pull himself out of the shock Moriah gave him. He looked at the king with an indescribable feeling.
"This is why I began to suspect the archduchess' identity. There is no reason for Nuven to leave behind an archduchess and a son who can overthrow the former. He caused Dragon Clouds City to sink into a terrifying whirlpool of a fight for succession. Believe me, from Olsius of Prestige Orchid Region to Rose of Anlenzo Dukedom, this is the most terrifying disaster for a noble family.
"Of course, his biggest surprise should be you, Thales. You are the Prince of Constellation who can save the Dragon Spear Family in the future when Moriah disappears, when Dragon Clouds City is beset with difficulties both internally and externally, when his power is waning, and when he passes away.
"An excellent tool."
The king stared at Thales with a complicated gaze, as though the prince before him was an object.
"Just like that, Nuven used a fake archduchess to trap you and Constellation, stabilized the Walton Family's rule in Dragon Clouds City, and allowed the Dragon Spear Family to live through the years when the Born King was not around. At the same time, he hid the biggest secret from all of you. Perhaps one day, Lisban or the Star Killer will welcome back Moriah, who is tired of playing outside. Dragon Clouds City will return to the Waltons' hands, and all of Constellation's schemes will fail."
King Chapman ended his speech and stared at Thales quietly.
Thales did not say a word. His eyebrows furrowed as he pondered in silence for nearly two minutes.
'How … could this be?'
King Nuven's back appeared before his eyes. The heroic and shrewd former king turned around in his mind and flashed a cold smile that made people shudder.
'Nuven Walton.
'He dared to fight in front of the vassals, and used a vicious scheme without hesitation.
'He could poison a young girl to death without batting an eyelid, and put the family's inheritance in his and Little Rascal's hands without a care.
'And now …
'Nuven, the Born King.
'What kind of person are you?'
"Is this what you want to say?"
The second prince said in a weary tone, "Everything that happened six years ago, the grudges between our two kingdoms, the conspiracy in Renaissance Palace, the confrontation in front of the fortress, the disaster in Dragon Clouds City … all originated from Moriah's willful departure?
"It's hard to believe, isn't it?" King Chapman sneered. "But the origin of everything is so absurd, ridiculous, comical, and completely unreasonable.
"You were a hostage in the north, trapped for six whole years because of an unjust accusation …
"I almost gambled everything, and I almost lost everything …"
With each word, the hatred in King Chapman's eyes intensified.
"Arunde was reduced to a prisoner, Poffret's neck was twisted, and Eckstedt even had a new king …
"Since then, all the bloodshed and turmoil … All of this originated from a good-for-nothing who left his home!"
The king suppressed his hatred. His gaze was ruthless, as if he was about to open his mouth and eat someone in the next second.
The carriage was silent for a few seconds, as if they wanted to remember the heaviness of this moment.
The prince closed his eyes gently and slowly opened them again.
"But what Nuven did not expect was that his nephew in Black Sand Region would do something beyond his expectations. When he had just started setting up his plan, Nuven had already taken the king's life and put on the crown himself.
"That's why you're sitting here and talking to me." Thales' gaze on the king became calm again, and there was no emotion in it.
In the carriage, King Chapman's breathing gradually calmed down.
"It's not just me, Thales." King Chapman leaned back against the carriage. His eyes were bright and piercing. "There's also you."
Thales narrowed his eyes.
"Don't forget, we built my crown together," the king said faintly.
Thales sighed softly, then snorted.
"It's still baseless nonsense." The prince rubbed his forehead sleepily. "Moriah's death … Everything is based on the empty words you told me."
"Yes, so that's all I have to say," King Chapman answered without hesitation. "But I believe that you have your own conclusions, and you've been here for six years. You're more familiar with the people and things in Dragon Clouds City than I am. You can absolutely find the truth on your own."
Thales lowered his head. He only felt tired.
Whether it was Moriah's life or death, Saroma's identity, Nuven's schemes, or Chapman before him, all of them made him feel like his brain was about to explode.
'This is too much.
'So tiring.'
"Assuming this is true … Then, I've been deceived and toyed with by a dead man for six whole years?"
The prince chuckled for some reason. "This feeling is really strange."
Across him, the king's expression changed slightly.
"Only six years. That's not bad."
Thales raised his head. "What do you mean?"
But King Chapman only stared at him quietly and snorted softly.
"Don't forget, whether it's the generations of Eckstedt's boorish and unrestrained archdukes, or the groups of Constellation's scheming and astute nobles …
"All by a seemingly mediocre and cowardly King of Constellation, a dead man who passed away a hundred years ago …"
He sighed with emotion and said, "Deceived and toyed with for more than a century."
In the next moment, Thales' gaze became clear again. He looked at Chapman Lampard seriously.
"What do you want, Lampard?"
Finally, King Chapman leaned forward and curled up the corners of his lips slightly.
It was as if this conversation had just begun.
"Lisban and the Star Killer have been keeping a close eye on Heroic Spirit Palace. I can't get close to that girl, but you can." There was a profound look in the king's eyes. "You also know what I want."
Thales snorted softly.
"Roknee and Lecco, Stustel of the Sentinel Region, and Camarron of the Glacier Sea. The joint condemnation of the four archdukes is not easy to deal with, is it?"
He shrugged. "That's why you spent so much effort to incite the Alliance of Freedom, and even schemed about Dragon Clouds City's choice of stance."
King Chapman nodded.
"I've said it before, this is not an easy task, and every archduke is not easy to deal with," he said seriously. "But if —"
But Thales interrupted him.
"You know, six years ago in Heroic Spirit Palace, you said …
"Every one of you was born shackled by the endless struggle between the king and the archdukes, and you will never be able to free yourself. You want to break it."
The prince spoke in a tone the king had never heard before. He seemed to be sentimental, but there was also a hint of mockery in his voice. "But for some reason, your current actions remind me of King Nuven."
For a moment, Thales saw the tendons in King Chapman's hands tremble slightly.
"Those who want to break the shackles rack their brains to study the structure of the shackles, and are fascinated by this game of escape," Thales said softly.
"Until one day, he realizes that the shackles on his body have grown into a part of him.
He can no longer leave the shackles he once wanted to break. "
Thales sneered subconsciously and asked the same question he asked another king six years ago, "Don't you feel tired?
"Or is it that the pain the shackles inflict on you has already made you unable to feel the heaviness they bring to you?"
King Chapman did not speak. His face did not move in the dim carriage.
The silence lasted for a long time.
Thales exhaled and laughed involuntarily.
He averted his gaze and no longer paid any attention to King Chapman, who did not bat an eyelid. He shook his head. "This reminds me. Perhaps his choice — Moriah's choice to run away allowed him to escape from this shackle and be free from it."
'Unlike us.'
Regardless of whether Lampard would find him or not, to a certain extent, Moriah Walton, the willful prince who abandoned everything and ran away, had already left the shackles given by his bloodline.
'But … what about me? What about Thales Jadestar?
When will he be able to break free from this shackle? '
At that moment, Thales suddenly thought of the Air Mystic and the hand he had extended to him.
But what followed was a warning look from High Priestess Holme, who was in Bright Moon Temple.
King Chapman's expression was so dark that it looked like it was about to drip water.
"He did not."
A few seconds later, the king gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on his scabbard. "Walking away is not an escape. Running away weakly is not a form of release either."
"But he will." King Chapman's voice grew deeper, and there was a terrifying meaning hidden in his words.
"After we find him."
Thales heaved a long sigh and tried to pull his thoughts back to the vortex in front of him from his emotional state.
"Moriah, assuming that he is still alive, as you said …"
The prince braced himself and forced himself to meet the king's gaze. "Then, where will he be?"
When he heard this topic, King Chapman also recovered from his anger and resentment. He tapped his saber gently.
"Recently, a person who matches Moriah's description appeared on the southern side of the Great Desert, near Sera Dukedom. We only managed to investigate up to this point. That is the Constellatiates' territory, and it is difficult for the Secret Room to infiltrate.
"But we will not stop."
"Let us work together to find Moriah and kill him, Thales," the king said coldly. "No matter who does it, let us put an end to this baffling threat together. Let Nuven and his joke to fool the world go to hell."
King Chapman slowly drew closer to Thales' face. "After this incident, I hope that you will understand, Thales. In this seemingly peaceful Dragon Clouds City, who are your friends and who are your enemies? Who treats you as a worthy opponent, and who treats you as a puppet in a farce?"
The corners of Thales' lips curled up. He imagined the prince roaming the world with his name hidden. He then thought of Lisban and Nicholas.
"You have a good idea. Killing two birds with one stone."
The prince shook his head and spread his arms. He leaned back against the carriage without a care for his image. "But you know, I can still shout now, or simply reveal the truth about what happened in the carriage. Then, your words, your secrets, and your ideals …" Thales narrowed his eyes.
Thales narrowed his eyes. "I'll go to hell with you."
Chapman stared at him and did not look away for a long time.
The temperature in the carriage seemed to have dropped to freezing point again.
"I have a question, Thales." After an unknown amount of time, the king said slowly, "Once Moriah returns, what will await your little girlfriend?"
Thales' mood darkened.
"You know the answer.
"Will the kind Lisban and the kind Star Killer give her a certificate of commendation after Moriah is restored to the throne, in recognition of her contributions to the stability of Dragon Clouds City while she sat in Heroic Spirit Palace pretending to be an archduchess for the past six years?"
The king sneered.
"If Moriah's matter is true, then this secret will not be buried with my death. One day, together with your enemies, it will fiercely devour you and that girl. This is the meaning of the choice you face today."
Thales stared at Chapman without moving. His eyes were dull and devoid of emotion.
'Choice.
Another choice. '
He clenched his fists.
The prince said coldly, "I can leave and watch from the sidelines. You can play your own game of chess."
The king smiled.
"You won't. You're different from a lot of people, Thales."
King Chapman shook his head confidently. His gaze was like a sword that pierced straight into Thales' heart. "As long as you have the ability, the strength, and the belief, you won't leave without doing anything and leave a hell behind you. You'll cold-bloodedly watch others cry in pain, and you'll hypocritically console yourself that this is the best choice and the most realistic one."
He raised his hand in the darkness and pointed outside the carriage at the highest point in Dragon Clouds City. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have walked right into the trap and returned to Heroic Spirit Palace six years ago."
Thales clenched his fists tighter, almost to the point where his palms were about to break.
'Damn it.'
He sighed tiredly in his heart.
No one in the carriage spoke again. The silence lasted for a long time.
It felt like a century had passed.
"If you have nothing else to say, then so be it." Thales shook his head with a gloomy expression. "I'm tired."
"Of course." King Chapman, who was watching him quietly, nodded casually, as if they were not enemies at all. "If … you know where to find me."
When Thales heard this, he sneered.
"You still can't bear to leave?
You know, a storm is coming, and Dragon Clouds City's future will not be peaceful. "
In that second, the king's gaze became very subtle, and there was an indescribable meaning hidden in it.
"I'm not the one who can't bear to leave, Thales," Chapman Lampard said in a calm and thought-provoking manner.
"Just as you said, a storm is coming."
Thales frowned. As his Adam's apple bobbed, he stood up and placed his hand on the carriage door.
"There's one more thing, Thales."
With his back facing the king, Thales stopped in his tracks and turned his head slightly.
King Chapman turned his head to the side and glanced at him with a strange gaze.
"Six years ago, under Broken Dragon Fortress, you dared to charge in the opposite direction, even at the risk of losing your life. You made a bet with me on the battlefield where swords and sabers are blind.
"But today, six years later, in the peaceful Dragon Clouds City, you don't dare to risk the archduchess' life. You don't dare to be stubborn to the end and make a bet with me on the battlefield where there are hidden undercurrents."
Thales was stunned.
The king laughed and said, "What's wrong, Thales? Is it easier to make a decision in a dangerous and bloody situation than in a strange and indecipherable situation? Or is it because it's harder for you to make a decision when you're facing another person's life than when you're facing your own? "
Thales gritted his teeth and frowned.
'That's different.
'Back then, the people around me and I were all in a dangerous situation. I could risk my life without hesitation, even if it was hopeless.
'But today …
'Saroma …'
"Or did you become cowardly, hesitant, and merciful during your six years in Dragon Clouds City?" Chapman said softly.
Thales maintained his posture of pressing against the carriage door. His expression was stern.
"We are different, Lampard." The second prince did not turn his head. His side profile was still facing Chapman. He said coldly, "You are a cold-blooded gambler."
King Chapman raised his eyebrows slightly.
"What about you?
What are you? "
This time, Thales did not hesitate. He opened the carriage door and got off without turning his head.
"Be careful, Thales." The king's voice traveled faintly from behind him. "When your enemies smell your weakness —"
* Bang! *
Thales closed the carriage door without hesitation and shut the words behind him inside the carriage.
He had heard enough today.
There was no need for his emotions to be shaken.
'Besides …
'Weakness …'
The prince remembered the Black Prophet's terrifying appearance and his heart tightened.
In the carriage, King Chapman stared at the carriage door that was slammed shut with a complicated gaze. He lowered his head to inspect his scabbard and said the second half of his sentence in a seemingly unconcerned manner.
"… They won't let you off so easily."
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? I've spent the past four days without updating the novel on revising the first few chapters. If you're interested, you can go back and download the first few chapters again.
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