While Thales was shocked by Viscount Patterson's exaggerated actions and had yet to understand the meaning behind his words, Gilbert's voice traveled into his ears from behind him.
"Your Grace, Viscount Patterson!
"A special seat has been prepared in the banquet hall. If you …"
Gilbert had been receiving guests of a lower level on the other side. They ranged from the heads of important industries to the invited bureaucrats of the capital. It was obvious that they knew about the sudden situation and rushed over.
"There is no need for that, Caso, boy. I came for him." Patterson obviously did not hear Gilbert's words clearly, but it did not affect him from treating Gilbert coldly when he saw him.
"Just for him."
Viscount Patterson bowed to the prince again. His action was so great that it made everyone in the hall break into a cold sweat. He was then supported by someone to the banquet hall.
Thales, Doyle, and Glover all sighed in relief.
Gilbert looked at the viscount's back and sighed softly.
"Patterson is one of the Seven Jadestar Attendants with more of a personality. He disdains to attend many occasions, partly because he is old and has no scruples.
"But it is clear that it is time for him to think about his descendants."
As he looked at Thales' puzzled gaze, Gilbert added, "One of his sons is in your guards.
"One of his sons is in your guards, Second Penal Officer Gray Patterson."
Thales understood what was going on.
The guests arrived one after another. Although most of them were bureaucrats and nobles with lower statuses and Thales did not need to personally welcome them, Mindis Hall was already extremely busy.
Mallos and Gilbert were already having a hard time just coming out to receive the guests. Even Viscount Kenney and Count Godwin, who were invited to help and act as half hosts, had to go back and forth. They did not have time to rest.
But unexpectedly, Patterson was not the only one who came early.
"Your Highness, the Day of Holy Pursuit is blessed!"
The guests who came after Patterson did not give Thales the chance to return to the lounge.
Viscount Adrian came with his wife, and Thales had no choice but to give up on his plan to rest. He readjusted himself to a radiant state.
"You have grown up. You look very spirited and handsome. You have the elegance of King Kessel in the past."
Adrian himself was only in his thirties, and he looked young and energetic.
However, after cramming for the past few days, Thales learned that the viscount's family ruled over the fertile and beautiful Swan County and its surrounding areas in Central Territory. He could be said to be the most important member of the Seven Jadestar Attendants.
Thales did not dare to be negligent in the slightest. He greeted and exchanged pleasantries with them in a pleasant manner.
Viscount Adrian stared straight into Thales' eyes. His wife smiled without saying a word. She was quiet and beautiful. "Obviously, no matter how strong the cold winds in Northland are, no matter how heavy the snowstorm is, no matter how fierce the yellow sand in Western Desert is, and no matter how hot the temperature is, it is still difficult to hide the dazzling stars in the sky."
Thales could only respond gently, according to Gilbert's teachings. He had to be neither servile nor overbearing, but there was no lack of it. He could neither be too prominent nor too hoarse.
Like a qualified Jadestar Prince.
Then, Adrian bent down and held Thales' palm gently. His lips touched the back of Thales' hand.
"I'm not their lord or king, am I?"
Thales sent Viscount Adrian off. He rubbed the back of his hand that had been kissed twice.
"I mean … not at the moment?"
"No," Doyle answered absent-mindedly.
The personal guard's unusual answer made Thales realize that something was wrong.
Doyle nodded and bowed as he watched Viscount Adrian leave in an almost obsequious manner. Even Glover was very respectful and greeted him along the way.
Compared to when the old viscount was around just now, his attitude was completely different.
"What's wrong?" The young duke frowned.
"Are they very special?"
Doyle only snapped out of his daze then and scratched his head.
"Ah, sorry. Um, Your Highness, do you still remember Lord Adrian? Our highest commander, the Chief Guard Captain? "
Thales frowned and remembered Lord Adrian, who led the Royal Guards when he entered Renaissance Palace to meet the king.
The prince seemed to have understood something.
"So, Viscount Adrian just now is not only a Seven Jadestar Attendant, but also …"
"Yes." Doyle watched him disappear from his sight before he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Our immediate superior's nephew."
Thales muttered to himself for a moment, but he was not thinking about Doyle and Glover's career.
Patterson and Adrian, the two great families of the Seven Jadestar Attendants, came to Mindis Hall ahead of schedule, and even came to me … This can't be a coincidence, right?
His suspicions were soon confirmed.
Five minutes later, when Thales was about to return to the lounge to wait for the next batch of important guests, a man and a woman walked down the carriage hand in hand. They walked into Mindis Hall in different steps, and under the guidance of an attendant, they arrived in front of him.
Glover and Doyle's expressions changed slightly, as if they were facing a great enemy.
"Your Highness," Doyle said worriedly.
"This … We'd better go back … Let Count Caso come …"
But the guests moved very quickly. Before Doyle finished speaking, they had already arrived in front of Thales.
"Your, Your Highness." Under the urging of the woman beside him, the young male noble finally spoke with a muffled voice, his breath weak. "I am … I am Luther, Luther … I am very, very happy …"
Thales frowned.
The man in front of him was very young, only seventeen or eighteen years old, but his entire body was awkward, his expression was tense, and his posture was bashful.
What was even more outrageous was that he had his head lowered and only stared at the soles of his shoes. He did not even look at Thales, as if the floor tiles of Mindis Hall were more attractive.
Thales noticed that although this little noble named Luther was strange and trembling, his makeup was exquisite, and his clothes were gorgeous. It was obvious that he had put in a lot of effort to dress up.
The number of carriages outside the hall increased, and the sound of the wheels colliding on the stone road became louder and noisier.
In the next second, before the stuttering Luther could finish his greeting, his facial features tightened.
Staring at the floor, he suddenly became anxious and struggled to shake the woman's arm.
"Mother, I want to go back, I don't want this place … I want my chess piece …"
The woman's expression changed.
Thales only then noticed the young noble woman beside Luther. She looked to be in her thirties. Her face was elegant, her waist was light, and her posture was decent. However, her expression was a little tired. Her clothes were conservative, and her colors were dark.
She worriedly squeezed out an apologetic smile at Thales. Then, she leaned close to her son's ear and whispered, "Child, you've practiced.
"Child, you've practiced. You've done very well. Do you remember what I told you …"
Her tone gradually became stern.
But Luther's voice became impatient, and his movements became more intense.
"No!"
His voice was bitter, and there was a sobbing tone in his voice.
His arms moved more and more vigorously, "I want to go back, I want my chess piece, I want the chessboard …"
He completely ignored the fact that the Duke of Star Lake and his attendants, as well as the guards and servants in the front porch were watching from the sidelines.
His mother anxiously comforted him, but Luther's struggles became more unreasonable. He squatted on the floor, and his posture was inelegant.
"I want to go back! Go back! Go back, go back, go back … "
Glover and Doyle looked at each other. The two of them nervously moved closer to separate Thales from Luther, who was moving more and more vigorously. They were afraid that this obviously abnormal guest would do something detrimental to the duke.
The elegant and graceful woman's face was pale. She tried her best to pull her son up, and at the same time, comforted him with gentle words, but it was obviously ineffective.
Then, a gentle voice cut into this small accident.
"It's okay, Luther."
As Luther continued to sob, they turned their heads and saw Thales pushing Glover and Doyle aside with a smile. He ignored their attempts to stop him and squatted down in front of Luther.
The noblewoman, who was about to ask the servants for help, was slightly shocked.
"I also like to play chess. The Rise and Fall of the Empire version, right?"
As if the prince's words had some kind of magic, Luther stopped struggling. Instead, he gave up and stared at the floor while he panted.
"It's just that I've never been good at using Swordsman. I always throw away most of them before I upgrade them to Knight." Thales shrugged.
Luther did not say anything. He was still panting.
"I don't have any chess pieces in my hands now." Thales sounded very annoyed. He seemed to be very displeased.
"But fortunately, I have more interesting new chess pieces."
Thales extended his hand to his chest.
Glover saw the duke's actions clearly, and he was instantly shocked.
"Your Highness …"
Thales took off the nine-pointed star emblem on his chest and twirled it in front of Luther like he was presenting a treasure.
"Look, it's embedded with a crystal. It sparkles under the sun. There's a wheel here. When you change the angle, it can reflect different colors. Count, how many colors are there? "
Luther looked up in a daze.
The noblewoman stared at the prince's actions in a daze. She wanted to say something, but she did not.
"And there's a mechanism here. You can hide some letters or something … If you put it on the chessboard, it might be able to replace a king … Ahem, replace a knight."
Thales toyed with the emblem that represented his identity with great interest. He slowly stood up.
Luther's gaze followed the prince's emblem as it slowly rose. He stood up subconsciously.
Thales suddenly grinned.
"Do you like it? Take it. "
Luther stretched out his palm in a daze.
But Thales' hand froze halfway.
"But today, you must listen to your mother," the prince said with a smile.
"Or I will take it back."
Luther only stared at the Jadestar emblem. He stared with a focused expression.
Thales did not know how much he understood.
Thales felt a little helpless, but he still placed the emblem in Glover's hand.
The latter took the nine-pointed star emblem, lowered her head, and began to study the mechanism and the refraction of light inside.
Thales breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the focused Luther with a smile.
Glover and Doyle, who had been in a battle-ready state, looked at each other at a loss before they returned to their original positions.
The young noblewoman inhaled gently and exhaled slowly.
She first looked at her son, then at Thales. She smiled sincerely, and there was gratitude in her tone.
"Your Highness Thales, although I have long heard of you, compared to your intelligence and genius, your kindness and tolerance are more touching.
"As expected of the master of this hall."
The young noblewoman elegantly lifted the hem of her skirt and tilted her head slightly. She looked graceful and charming.
"Eleanor Barney, greetings to you.
"Your suffering is over. May you overcome all obstacles and spread your wings to soar."
"Of course. Thank you, Lady Eleanor." Thales nodded politely, but he could not help but glance at Luther on the other side.
Eleanor noticed the prince's gaze and took a deep breath.
"Luther has not grown up yet." The young noblewoman pursed her lips and tried hard to hide the tears in her eyes that were either due to embarrassment or shame.
"But teenagers can also create miracles."
There was stubbornness in her eyes.
"I believe that you are very clear about this, Your Highness."
Eleanor extended her right hand gracefully.
Thales held his mother's hand gently and respectfully. He was prepared to kiss her in return.
"Of course, Lady Eleanor.
I am clear. "
But in the next second, Thales felt his palm tighten, and his expression changed.
Lady Eleanor smiled apologetically, but she flipped Thales' palm over in an unconventional manner and bent her knees.
"Please do not take it to heart. As a vassal, it is our duty to kiss the master's hand as a greeting."
Thales watched in shock as Lady Eleanor held his palm with both hands and gently pulled off his gloves. Then, she turned the tables on him and kissed the back of his hand.
Her lips were very soft, and the strength was different from the previous two kisses. It was more like a gentle brush.
"My son cannot carry out his duties." The mother then let go of the prince and smiled to resolve the awkwardness.
"Naturally, I will do it for you, Mother.
The Barney Family will always be by your side. "
Thales was so shocked that he could not speak. He only subconsciously withdrew his hand.
Lady Eleanor was not bothered. She only smiled gently and turned to leave. She dragged her son, who was focused on playing with toys, to the banquet hall.
Thales was stunned on the spot for a second. He then turned his head and saw that the two guards were also dumbfounded.
After a long while, Doyle took a deep breath.
"I believe that you have already seen 'Little Iron Spike'."
Doyle scratched his head, feeling a little troubled.
"About that, Your Highness … I know that these words are not very convincing coming from my mouth …
"I also know that a mature woman is very charming …"
Thales arched his eyebrows.
"But Your Highness, you must not be bewitched by her beauty …"
Thales snorted in resignation to resolve the awkwardness.
But he immediately paused.
"Little Iron Spike? You mean Lady Eleanor? "
Thales thought for a while and found the answer from the Constellation History lessons he had recently crammed. He immediately felt relieved.
"This lady must be extraordinary to have such a nickname."
'Iron Spike. This is not some strange and evil sex toy.'
In history, this meant that four hundred years ago in the middle of the third century, one of Thales' great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother of Thales.
'Empress Dowager Iron Spike' Eleanor.
This legendary woman became the noble Queen of Constellation at the age of twenty-six. For the next seventy years, she went through all kinds of hardships and experienced all kinds of things.
She experienced twelve wars, four coups, and eight supreme kings in her life. She witnessed the 'Rebellion of the Cutters' Palace ',' The Return of the Young ',' The Humiliation of the Great Spirit ',' The Evil Waves of the Eastern Sea ',' Sharpening the Edge with Blood ', and many other legendary stories that were changed into historical dramas. But she still stood at the peak of the era. In that era when the Great Dragon rose, Constellation dimmed, and war occurred frequently, she firmly held the helm of the kingdom's fate.
But Thales was immediately puzzled.
"But why 'Little Iron Spike'?"
Doyle was beaming with joy. He seemed very happy that the prince asked him about the gossip of the nobles.
"Because 'Little Iron Spike' has someone else, and unfortunately, she's also in the Barney Family. She's this young baron's great-great-grandmother.
"That little old lady is still alive. I saw her once when I went to Barney Manor, and I thought I ran into the legendary evil tree demon …"
Glover cleared his throat loudly.
Doyle realized that he had said the wrong thing. Being quick-witted, he immediately changed the topic.
"In short, when Lady Eleanor, who likes to kiss your hand, was still young, she married into the Barney Family, which was at its peak. That was before the Bloody Year. The old lady, 'Little Iron Spike', was very skillful. She gave them an important minister in the court and a fiefdom outside the court. They even had two collateral relatives in the Royal Guards, and they even held important positions."
Doyle spoke in a carefree manner. He seemed to enjoy this kind of gossip.
'The Barney Family, which is at its peak.'
Thales was stunned.
"But …"
Doyle stared at Lady Eleanor's back and clicked his tongue softly, "What a pity."
"What's wrong?"
"Lady Eleanor's new husband, Viscount Barney at that time, was not only old enough to be her father, but he was also a sickly man who was bedridden all day long. He died a few years after the Bloody Year."
Doyle pursed his lips and sighed.
"She was left as a widow at a young age, and she even brought up a foolish child. Even remarrying would be troublesome."
But Doyle changed his train of thought.
'No, with' Little Iron Spike 'around, who would dare to let her grandniece and granddaughter-in-law remarry?
"You know, there are many people in the noble circle near the capital who secretly mocked her, saying that the child in her womb is actually not …"
Doyle's words were still ringing in his ears, but the prince's attention was once again attracted by the mother who was widowed at a young age and raised her child alone.
Thales stared at Lady Eleanor's figure.
He saw her calmly grab her son, who was different from ordinary people, and without any explanation, she clasped his fingers. She first took a few deep breaths before she walked into the Duke of Star Lake's banquet hall with her head held high and her chest puffed out.
She completely ignored the strange gazes from the people around her.
Only then did Thales notice that Eleanor's makeup was good, but it could not hide the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.
But her neck was fair and slender, and her waist was alluring.
It had never been bent.
Thales suddenly remembered that after Empress Dowager Eleanor's life, which was full of ups and downs, came to an end, her descendants had different opinions about her.
Her critics criticized her for her passion for power struggles, her manipulation of the palace, her schemes to monopolize politics, poisoning the people, and persecuting the loyal.
Her supporters praised her for being skillful, tenacious, and courageous. She supported the kingdom during the years when Constellation was silent, and she turned the tide.
However, the most widely remembered comment by the people was left behind by a nameless bard. It was a comment that shone in the annals of history:
"I can no longer remember if Eleanor was beautiful, or how graceful she was.
"I only know that even if there were thousands of iron spikes beneath her feet …
"She could still walk calmly without a change in expression."
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