The dining room fell into silence once again.
Until the girl broke it.
"So, you deliberately provoked Dragon Clouds City this afternoon and let everyone see your rudeness." Saroma furrowed her brows tightly. "Was it to prepare for this step?"
Ian winked pleasantly.
The archduchess seemed to be deep in thought. "A proposal … Will it work?"
"I'll still say the same thing. If you marry someone else …" Ian glanced at Thales, seemingly unintentionally, and patted his shoulder. "Then what should 'we' do?"
Thales felt Saroma's gaze sweep over him from time to time.
That gaze was the helpless gaze the little girl once cast at him in the library, the Hall of Heroes, Shield District, the prison cell, and in front of the five archdukes.
Thales felt a sense of familiarity, but also an awkward sense of unfamiliarity.
'But …
'"But, Thales Jadestar, what am I to you?"'
He could only continue to maintain his stern expression and not respond.
After the archduchess, Ian also cast his gaze on Thales.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
It felt like a century had passed.
Saroma still stared at Thales.
"What's wrong with you two?" Ian finally could not stand the atmosphere anymore. He put on a baffled expression, raised his hands, and waved them. "Or … should I leave?"
Enduring the pressure from the two, the prince finally relaxed.
He put on a faint smile and nodded slightly at the archduchess.
"You will have to face this storm sooner or later," Thales said softly. "You are an archduchess.
It must be you. It is your own decision.
Become who you want to be. "
Saroma paused for a moment.
After listening to the prince's words, she lowered her head and sank into deep thought.
Beside her, Ian frowned. His eyeballs moved back and forth between the two.
A few seconds later, Saroma raised her head.
She looked at Ian, as if she had made up her mind. Her tone was resolute.
"What do you need?"
At that moment, as if a floodgate had been opened, Thales exhaled.
Ian flashed a satisfied smile.
"We need an occasion where all of your vassals — I mean vassals with fiefs, military strength, and ambition — will be present."
Ian muttered to himself, "The sooner, the better. We can't give them a chance to set up their trap, and we can't give Black Sand Region time to counterattack."
"We will be there to cut your ropes and break your chains."
"You too."
Saroma only pondered for a few seconds before she quickly spoke.
"There's still half a month before the hearing." Her reply was straightforward. "But I'll discuss it with Charles. It should be pushed to a few days later. Under normal circumstances, the earls would send their administrators to attend, but I can send a letter to invite them to discuss the matter of dispatching troops. "
This was the first time Thales saw Saroma's swift and decisive side.
He was quite surprised.
"So …" Ian's eyes shone with a strange light. He tilted his head slightly. "Have we reached an agreement?"
"My lady … Oh no, the Archduchess of Dragon Clouds City?"
Saroma looked at him and nodded slowly. "Of course, Viscount of the City of Faraway Prayers."
The corners of Thales' lips curled up. He felt a strange feeling surge in his heart.
It was as if he had lost something.
"Very well." Ian put away his expression and stood up slowly.
At that moment, Thales had the misconception that the viscount's temperament was slowly changing.
Ian raised his right hand, stretched it across the table, and put his fingers together to form a palm.
"Ian Roknee." At that moment, there was no extra playfulness on his face, nor was there any deliberate seriousness on his face. There was only a simple indifference. "For our alliance."
Thales stared at him silently.
He stared at Ian, who had an indifferent expression.
'Perhaps.
'This is the real him.
The real Ian Roknee. '
The archduchess took a deep breath and stood up with a stiff expression. She extended her palm towards Ian.
"Saroma Walton," the young girl said coldly, "For our goal."
But when her palm was about to touch Ian, it paused in midair.
Ian was slightly startled.
Saroma slowly turned her head and looked at the only person left in the hall.
That foreign prince with a complicated expression.
Ian came to his senses. He smiled in realization and looked at Thales as well.
This time, it was Thales who raised his eyebrows.
"I want it too?" he asked in astonishment.
"You are the witness of this covenant, Thales. Don't underestimate yourself," Ian said with a chuckle. "Or do you want to be an indifferent outsider who listens to the entire conspiracy?"
Saroma stared at the prince expressionlessly. Although her gaze was complicated, it did not leave for even a moment.
Thales sighed and stood up helplessly.
"Thales Jadestar." The prince followed his memory of the five archdukes' action of swearing an oath of alliance. He extended his right hand and subconsciously closed Saroma's palm. "For …"
He muttered to himself for a moment before he said coldly, "For our common enemy."
Ian stared at the two tightly clasped palms and raised half of his eyebrows.
He sighed and shrugged, closing the back of Thales' hand from the outside.
The three palms clasped together and shook vigorously in the air.
The covenant was formed.
"And you have to attend as well, Thales. We and Dragon Clouds City can't be the only ones at that kind of event. There must be outsiders with sufficient status as witnesses to give them considerable pressure." Ian let go of his hand and gestured to the south. "But inviting Black Sand Region is obviously a bad idea."
Thales frowned. "Do you need anything else?"
"No. The faster, the shorter, and the simpler it is." Ian pursed his lips, seemingly a little anxious. "The higher our chances of winning."
But a few seconds later, the serious Ian revealed his true colors and returned to smiling.
"Of course, our Prince of Constellation can also write a letter and ask Constellation to dispatch troops from Western Desert Hill, cross the Great Desert, and attack the Alliance of Freedom from the south.
"And with us being attacked from both the east and the south," Ian laughed and picked up another piece of cheese to ease the tension. "The war will end in less than two months."
Thales rolled his eyes.
'Right, then I'll be in trouble when I'm a hostage in Eckstedt. Guess, will Lampard publicly order the execution or hire an assassin?'
"I think, rather than Constellation, you should ask for help from the orcs in the desert. It's more realistic."
Ian mumbled and began to struggle with the cheese.
Saroma's expression darkened. "What are our chances?"
Ian shook his head and said vaguely, "Let's see how far we can go."
He did not even look at them. His gaze was focused on the food in his hand. His cheeks moved back and forth as he chewed, but the words he said could not help but startle them. "As I said, we are writing our own legend.
"It was a pleasure talking to you, Madam, Your Highness."
Ian swallowed the last mouthful of cheese, turned around without hesitation, and walked out of the dining room without the slightest bit of politeness.
Thales was left behind, deep in thought.
And the baffling Saroma.
The two of them looked at each other in silence in the dining room.
Saroma sat down and did not say a word. Thales watched her quietly.
After a while, the young girl suddenly said, "A proposal, right?
Did you know from the beginning, or did you only realize it after? "
There was no need for anyone to remind them. The atmosphere instantly became awkward.
Thales exhaled and said awkwardly, "That was just a tactic, Saroma."
But the archduchess immediately interrupted him.
"You believe him?" She looked outside the door, her emotions indiscernible.
Thales looked at the young girl's side profile and forced a smile.
"No.
But I believe you. "
Saroma's expression changed slightly.
Thales walked to the window and looked out at the lights outside Heroic Spirit Palace.
'Six years.
'Dragon Clouds City.
'What is this city to me?'
The second prince closed his eyes and shut Dragon Clouds City out of his sight. He sighed.
"Promise me, Saroma.
"On the next day of the council hearing, no matter what happens, don't do anything stupid."
Saroma was stunned. "What?"
"Don't care about others. Don't care about anything else. Don't hesitate or hesitate.
"Just choose the path that suits you and the archduchess best. That's enough." Thales turned around. His expression was as cold as ice, as if he was about to face the most difficult test in the world. "I will solve the rest of the problems."
Saroma looked at him, wanting to say something but hesitating.
But in the end, she closed her mouth and did not say anything.
Thales forced a smile. He nodded slightly, turned around, and walked out of the dining room.
The young girl behind him was left behind.
Thales walked out of the corridor. He walked past Ginghes, the female officer's still cold and solemn gaze, past the maids' pointing fingers and whispers, and past the guards' malicious gazes.
Just like how he had walked past them countless times in the past six years.
Then, as he was about to leave the palace gate, he was stopped.
"This afternoon, in the hall, I noticed the way they looked at you."
Thales frowned and turned around. Ian Roknee was standing at the corner. He called out to him while flashing a fake smile at a guard who did not look like someone who was easy to deal with.
The heir of the City of Faraway Prayers turned around and quickly caught up with Thales, leaving behind the guard's knife-like gaze. He smiled and said, "I don't think she can protect you, especially among these Northlanders."
Thales sighed slightly.
'So, you did it on purpose. You pushed me to the front of the stage again to be scrutinized.'
They walked past a pair of patrolling guards in the corridor. They seemed to be the archduchess' personal guards. The leader narrowed his eyes and sized up the pair.
Ian shrugged slightly and said in a low voice, "You know, the City of Faraway Prayers is the most remote territory in Eckstedt. It is far away from the king's tentacles, and we are adjacent to the Great Desert."
Thales raised his eyebrows. "So?"
"So, if you are in the City of Faraway Prayers, you don't have to worry about the king's threat. My father also welcomes you." Ian winked. "And, from where we are, as long as you cross the desert, you don't even have to pass through other archduchies to return to Constellation's Western Desert Hill."
Thales paused and shook his head helplessly in his heart.
'Yes.
'But the premise is that Dragon Clouds City and King Chapman will allow me to leave.
'And if you're really kind enough to let me go, to let a chess piece that can be used to threaten Constellation leave.'
Ian raised his head and revealed his signature unruly smile again. "If things go wrong, please remember that the climate in the City of Faraway Prayers is much better than here."
"I can't thank you enough," Thales said without batting an eyelid. "I will keep it in mind."
The two of them walked side by side towards the palace gate. They could already see Wya, Ralf, and a few guards from the City of Faraway Prayers waiting at the gate.
"Ian."
"You said that you want to write your own legend," Thales asked softly. "What do you mean?"
Ian raised his head. He rubbed his chin, as if his interest was piqued by the question.
"What do I mean …?"
He chuckled.
"The Roknee Family hasn't had a king for more than three hundred years, and Dragon Clouds City just happened to give up its monopoly on the throne.
"And the City of Faraway Prayers has always been neglected." Ian turned his head. His smile made him look like he was joking. "Maybe it's time to balance the distribution of power in Eckstedt. What do you think?"
Thales' gaze froze.
He understood what Ian meant and thought of the long-haired, resolute warrior. "Archduke Roknee intends to fight for the throne?"
Ian shook his head.
"Ha." He lowered his head and flicked the Knight's Canon emblem on his shoulder. He hid his gaze in a corner where Thales could not see. "Of course not."
Ian raised his head. His eyes shone with an indecipherable light.
With a rhythmic tone, Ian said softly, "At least it's not him."
Thales stopped walking.
Wya bowed respectfully to him from a distance when he was still more than ten meters away from the palace gate.
Ian also stopped walking and looked back at Thales with a calm and composed expression.
The prince chuckled. "You know that you're going to face Lampard, perhaps the most difficult king in Eckstedt's history?"
Ian also smiled. "Yes, my father has to remind me at every meal how terrifying the person under the crown is."
The two of them looked at each other.
"But …"
Ian's smile slowly disappeared. "Since we're going to write our own legends, we can't leave too much ink for the supporting characters."
Thales curled up the corners of his mouth and shook his head in resignation.
"Are you sure he's a supporting character?" The prince fixed his gaze on Ian. "Chapman Lampard."
Ian put on an innocent expression and shrugged.
"I don't know.
But I know that if I want to be the main character, he must be a supporting character. "The nineteen-year-old viscount sighed.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Thales looked at him with a complicated expression and nodded. "Is that so?"
Ian pursed his lips. "All successful legends are written in this way, there are no exceptions."
The Second Prince of Constellation and the heir of the City of Faraway Prayers stared at each other for a few seconds.
Both of their expressions gradually disappeared.
"Now I'm starting to believe it." The second prince slowly narrowed his eyes.
Ian raised his eyebrows and said in a clear tone, "Believe in what?"
"Ian Roknee. There's no doubt about it." Thales exhaled deeply and sighed a little.
"You are indeed your father's son."
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