When the king stepped into Mindis Hall, Thales breathed with difficulty.
His knees rested on the carpet in Mindis Hall, feeling waves of coolness.
Many footsteps came from the front, one of them steadily in front, the others followed in a blur.
Thales could clearly hear his own breathing, and for the first time, he found it so ear-piercing.
"Rise, everyone." A familiar voice came, heavy as ever.
"This is a banquet, not an Imperial Conference — those old men are annoying enough."
No one dared to answer.
For a moment, the Duke of Star Lake seemed to have returned to six years ago, when he had just arrived at Mindis Hall in a daze.
At that time, when King Kessel met him for the first time, the solemn atmosphere seemed to crush the floor tiles, forcing the little beggar to feel uncomfortable and speechless.
Thales stared at the pattern of the carpet — there should not have been any iron spikes under it. The duke bitterly realized that after six years of training and polishing, when the same scene reappeared, the heaviness he felt did not diminish at all. Instead, it became even stronger.
King Nuven, King Chapman, and all the other great enemies whom he was extremely wary of, none of them could make him feel this way.
Why?
Why was it like this?
Thales still lowered his head.
Whether it was guests or attendants, guards or servants, everyone bowed in a low voice, and the sound of greeting was endless.
But it did not relax Thales' nerves at all.
Finally, the pair of ancient but expensive boots stopped in front of him.
The bottom of the Staff of Constellation touched the carpet, as if it had taken root.
After about a century, a palm appeared in front of Thales.
On it, the bronze ring that symbolized the king's authority shone slightly.
Thales was dazed for a moment, as if he saw the National Conference, when the Iron Hand King stepped into the Hall of Stars, the vassals of the kingdom bowed and kissed the ring on his finger to show their loyalty.
The Duke of Star Lake took a deep breath. He took off his gloves and held the palm, ready to kiss the king's ring according to etiquette.
But to Thales' surprise, the king held his hand in the next moment and stopped him.
Thales looked up in shock, only to see a pair of deep blue eyes staring at him coldly.
"When you were in the north," King Kessel spoke slowly. His tone was normal, but his words were heavy. "When you faced King Nuven, the new king, and all of Eckstedt …"
"Did you bend your knees?"
Thales' heart trembled.
He looked into the pair of bottomless blue eyes for a second and felt the determination and heaviness hidden in them. He gulped.
"No."
The teenager added the title with some difficulty.
"Your Majesty."
In the next second, Thales felt a weight on his hand, and he was involuntarily pulled up from the ground!
"Then don't have bad habits."
Kessel said coldly. The dignified air seemed like it was about to turn into ice water and flow down the wall.
Thales did not even have time to react or think.
The king stared expressionlessly at his heir. "As a Jadestar, even if both my legs are crippled, I will still be a Jadestar.
"I will never bend my knees."
The surrounding crowd let out a fleeting discussion before returning to silence.
"Especially when …"
The Iron Hand King slowly let go. He looked at the statues of the Three Constellation Kings on the spiral staircase, paused for a second, and then looked at the chandelier above his head and the decorations in the hall.
"Here."
Used to the low pressure around the king, Thales was a little surprised.
He did not ask me to kneel, and he did not ask me to kiss his hand.
In the past, the supreme king with a profound aura and heavy footsteps.
Today, this is …
The people who bent their knees to greet him still had their heads bowed. No one knew what they were thinking.
Thales stared at his father inquisitively, but he still answered obediently,
"Yes."
He sensed the difference in the atmosphere and tacitly added,
"Father."
King Kessel stared at him without saying anything. He just gripped his scepter again.
The interaction between the king and the prince was like an order. Only then did the people around them get up and surround the king to perform their duties.
The commander of the royal guards who served beside King Kessel, Lord Adrian, bowed to Thales with a faint smile, and then whispered something to Mallos.
Thales was still deep in thought. King Kessel did not stop or exchange pleasantries, but simply walked past him.
It was as if what happened just now was just a small episode in the royal family.
Until the king stopped again and faced the only person in the hall who refused to kneel to greet him, much less put on a straight face.
Val Arunde was like a dazzling pillar, firmly planted on the floor of Mindis Hall. He looked coldly at his old friend, and did not say a word.
Thales could smell the faint tension in the air.
King Kessel did not speak either. He only stared at the duke silently, his gaze moving back and forth between the shackles on the duke's hands.
Their gazes met in the air.
At that moment, there were too many things hidden in their eyes.
Their tacit silence made the attendants around them anxious and embarrassed.
Until a gentle and pleasant female voice broke the silence.
"Unbelievable … Is this little Thales?"
Thales slowly turned around and faced another lady who came with the king and was surrounded by many women.
He could not help but feel his heart tighten.
The lady's dress was luxurious, her posture elegant, but not lacking in liveliness. Her gaze as she sized up Thales was full of surprise.
"It's been so many years in the blink of an eye. Look at your height … Do you still remember me?"
Thales looked behind the lady. Jines was dressed in a standard female official's dress. Her expression was calm, and she nodded at him almost imperceptibly.
The teenager smiled. With complicated and subtle emotions, he held his stepmother's hand and bowed.
"Your Majesty, you are still as elegant as ever."
Queen Keya's eyes lit up. She sized up Thales while happily turning her head back and said to one of the women, "Look, Elise.
"Look, Elyse, he recognized me at first glance. You have to know that he was so young at that time …"
The queen was radiant, her smile sweet, her speech fluent, natural and friendly, leaving a good impression on anyone who saw her for the first time.
If Thales hadn't met her six years ago, he would have.
"Of course." Another delicate-looking lady among the women who came with the queen also looked at Thales.
"Prince Thales has always been known for his intelligence."
This lady was dressed in a dark dress and wore a velvet shawl. She was equally elegant, but a little more quiet.
"Even in Northland."
Thales looked at the velvet silently.
Keya held Thales' hand and sighed as she sized him up. She turned to Jines with a vexed expression.
"Oh, Jines, you should have asked me to bring the children. Perhaps Lydia is a little mischievous, but you should have at least brought Luther along. Let him learn from his brother and learn how to be a good prince … "
Hearing those two names, the smiles of the people around them froze.
Jines looked troubled. She shot a glance at the velvet lady and said in a slightly hurried tone,
"Keya …"
The servants who came out of Renaissance Palace had a tacit understanding. Two female servants stepped forward without batting an eyelid.
But the queen still grabbed Thales and sized him up. She refused to let go, as if she loved her stepson very much.
"After all, they are both children of the royal family. What will happen when they grow up …"
At this moment.
"Keya."
A deep voice rang faintly, like the tightening of the city gate's hinges.
The next moment, Queen Keya's excited words came to an abrupt halt.
She turned her head with a somewhat timid expression and looked at the king's back.
King Kessel silently extended his arm.
The queen gave Thales an apologetic look, then obediently stepped forward and held her husband's arm.
"Val." Keya looked at Duke Val, who was standing opposite the king. Her eyes lit up. She spoke like an old friend, as if she did not see the shackles on his hands.
"Are you alright?"
The Duke of the Northern Territory, who had been staring at King Kessel, moved slightly. He looked at the queen, his brows furrowed.
Finally, Val spoke quietly. His tone was disdainful.
"I can't be better."
Duke Arunde's voice trailed off. He turned around and walked towards the banquet hall without looking back. There was no need for guidance, but he was familiar with the route.
Gray Patterson and a few guards, who were in charge of escorting him, followed closely behind. They remained vigilant.
"Let's go." King Kessel stared at the back of his childhood playmate. His tone was slightly heavy.
"Someone must be anxious from waiting."
The king strode forward. Without needing Guard Captain Adrian's instructions, the royal guards who served His Majesty secretly followed from the side. Their expressions did not change, their posture was natural, and they were in place in time without being conspicuous.
In contrast, even if they came from the same source, whether it was bearing or grace, the Star Lake Guards belonged to him …
"Is it my imagination?" Behind Thales, Doyle carefully watched the royal family's exchange of pleasantries and whispered to Glover,
"Or has Mindis Hall really turned cold?"
Glover glanced at the faint beads of sweat on the other party's forehead and replied softly,
"It's not an illusion."
Thales sighed.
The next second, he suddenly felt his left hand tighten.
"Mind lending me an arm?"
Thales turned his head in surprise. The lady with the velvet draped over her shoulders smiled faintly and held his arm.
"Aunt … Elise."
Thales looked at the adopted daughter of the late king whom he had met once six years ago with mixed feelings. His gaze rested on her shoulder, and he felt a faint pain from a scar on his chest.
He said against his will,
"The shawl is beautiful."
Elyse smiled elegantly and beautifully.
"Thank you, and you've grown up — you're a man now."
Thales' arm was held by his aunt, and he could not help but keep up with the king and queen's footsteps. The attendants beside him followed in unison.
"Don't worry."
Compared to Thales' stiffness, Elise's footsteps were calm, and her smile was appropriate.
"You'll slowly get used to it."
'Slowly get used to it.
'Get used to what?'
Thales sighed in his heart. 'Get used to his father's natural aura of an assassin, or get used to the complicated aristocratic circle in the capital?'
They were a few steps behind the king, and they were escorted to the banquet hall.
Elise's voice suddenly became cold.
"Smile."
Thales was stunned.
"If you're going to fight, be fully armed."
Elise still showed her kind smile to the people around her, but her tone became abrupt.
"And on this battlefield, a smile is the best armor."
Thales' eyebrows twitched.
'It sounds familiar.'
But before he could come up with an answer, Elise had already turned her head and looked at the person who had unknowingly followed them.
"I haven't had the time to congratulate you, Tormond." Elise looked at Mallos gently.
"I'm very happy that you've become the watchman of the guards, and also Thales' personal guard captain."
Lord Mallos nodded slightly. His expression did not change, and his tone was as calm as ever.
"Your Highness Elise."
On the contrary, after Elise sized up the watchman, she was rather sentimental.
"Your father will be very proud," the princess sighed.
"His greatest wish is to see your family return to being the Seven Jadestar Attendant —"
Mallos suddenly raised his voice and interrupted Elyse.
"Please follow His Majesty in, Your Grace.
"This is your welcome banquet, you don't want to miss it."
Mallos nodded at Thales in acknowledgment before he sped up towards Adrian.
Thales followed the princess' pace unhurriedly, and he seemed to be deep in thought.
"You and my personal guard captain are old acquaintances?"
Elise looked at Mallos' back and nodded slowly.
"Before the decline, 'Razor' Mallos played an important role among the Seven Jadestar Attendants in Central Territory. His power was overwhelming, and in the genealogy, there were three baronial titles conferred by the royal family alone, comparable to the 'Wild Horse' Barney Family."
Elise seemed to sigh.
"When the late king was alive, the old Viscount Mallos even asked for Princess Constance's hand in marriage for his eldest son."
'Razor' Mallos.
The Seven Jadestar Attendants who played an important role under the royal family.
For the first time, Thales understood the meaning of his personal guard captain's surname, and he could not help but frown.
"From crying and hanging himself to running away from home, Constance made a big fuss. In short, the scene was ugly and chaotic … The marriage did not go through, and the late king felt guilty, so he decided to take a step back and asked me if I was willing to marry him."
Thales moved slightly.
"You mean," Thales looked at his aunt, and then at Mallos' back, and said in surprise,
"You and … him?"
Elise revealed a plain smile. At that moment, she actually looked a little haggard.
Thales took a lot of effort to hide his surprise.
In that case, Tormond Mallos, his favorite personal guard captain, almost became his uncle?
Thales took note in his heart, and secretly thought to himself that when he returned, he would force Doyle to spill all the gossip about his boss.
"What happened after that?" Thales asked.
"After that, I agreed," the princess said faintly.
"But probably because he was indignant, or maybe because he felt that a princess without royal blood did not meet their expectations, the old Viscount Mallos rejected the late king, and instead proposed to Duke Arunde of the Northern Territory."
Thales blinked.
Alright.
The adopted daughter was submissive, and married in place of her willful biological daughter, but was decisively rejected by the man.
Putting aside this old-fashioned otaku style of fighting …
How prestigious was the Mallos family back then?
Thales carefully glanced at his aunt's face, but found that the latter was still smiling amiably, nodding to the guests on both sides from time to time, not at all worried about the past humiliation and sadness.
The youth suddenly remembered that Elise's husband died in Red Street Market six years ago, and the culprit was …
Thales looked at his aunt, and knew that her subsequent marriage was not a happy one.
When he thought of this, Thales felt a surge of sympathy.
"But Mallos is no longer among the Seven Jadesters today, so how did they … decline?" Thales cleared his throat, wanting to say something to make his aunt happy.
But Elise shook her head, and did not look happy.
"The Bloody Year."
Thales felt a chill in his heart.
At this point, Elise did not want to say more, and changed the topic.
"Speaking of this, Thales, you've been in Northland for many years, have you noticed any good girls?"
Thales paused.
In Northland for many years …
"Good girls?"
"Yes." Elise smiled and nodded.
"When you came back from Northland, the capital city was talking about this a lot."
Thales suddenly remembered the little girl who foolishly hid in the library, covered in dirt.
And a long time later, the archduchess who held King Nuven's ring, roaring like a young lion in the Hall of Heroes, and ordered the troops to be sent out.
But when he thought of how her expedition was not going well, and her life was uncertain, Thales' mood fell to the bottom of the valley.
'That girl … she will hold on, right?'
He immediately perked up.
"Of course." Thales raised his head, his expression unchanged.
"Miss Jennie is beautiful, lively, cheerful, and interesting. She is also very close to me. I like traveling with her the most."
Princess Elise's footsteps suddenly stopped.
The people around them also fell silent.
"Jennie?"
Elise frowned and repeated the name.
'Very close …
'Traveling together …
'And a Northland girl …'
Doyle cast Glover an evil look that was first surprised, then understood.
Unsurprisingly, the latter ignored it.
Princess Elise gave the eavesdroppers around them a warning look.
"You should not answer directly, this will bring about a lot of consequences."
The servants, guards, guests, and the whispers of discussion rose like a buzz, and spread further and further with the shuffling of footsteps.
There was no doubt about the seriousness of this news.
His aunt tightened her grip on Thales' arm, but could not help but lean over cautiously and whisper,
"So, which family in Northland is it … Jennie?"
At the same time, even though they were firmly separated, the eavesdroppers around them turned their ears to this side, completely ignoring the displeased shouts of the Royal Guards.
But Thales raised his voice. He did not care, and did not have any intention of hiding his romantic history in Northland.
"I don't know."
He said carelessly, causing another round of whispered discussions around him.
"But based on her posture, the color of her coat, her gait, her appetite, her defecation, and how picky she is when it comes to her feed, her stable, and her coachman …" Thales recalled the main points of judging a horse during Nicholas' riding lessons.
"She should be of noble birth."
His aunt was stunned for a second.
"Coat color, stable …"
Elise narrowed her eyes and slowly reacted.
"Jennie … is a horse?"
Thales turned his head and laughed heartily.
"A good horse."
The next moment, the people who paid attention sighed in disappointment and dispersed.
Thales looked at Elise's strange gaze and the disappointed expressions of the people around him with satisfaction.
'Yes, Jennie is a good horse …
'No way.
She knew how to break free from the rope in the middle of the night and sneak out to eat the night fodder in other mangers, causing the entire Heroic Spirit Palace to be nervous and search for the thief. Only when Aida came back from stealing a drumstick in the middle of the night, did the truth come to light …
'Fierce and domineering in front of Wya and Ralf, obedient and innocent in front of Thales and Nicholas, bad-tempered when she saw a coachman with a whip and harness, friendly and approachable when she saw a coachman with fodder and brush …
'Is there any part of Miss Jennie's body that can be associated with the word' good '?'
(In a stable in Northland, a beautiful mare sneezed. She raised her head warily from the manger, and with a light kick, she chased another indignant warhorse back to the corner. Then, she continued to snatch its night fodder.)
A few seconds later, Elise smiled in relief.
"Very good. Even if you touch a sore spot, you deal with it calmly and humorously."
She stared at her nephew, who was not related to her by blood.
"Now …
"You are fully armed."
'Touch a sore spot …'
Thales' heart tightened.
Elise only smiled faintly and did not expose him. She just held his arm and continued forward.
"How nostalgic." Elise looked away from the portrait of the Three Constellation Kings emotionally.
"In the past, your little aunt often dragged me here to play."
"Little aunt?" Thales was slightly moved when he heard that.
"Constance, what kind of girl was she?"
The two of them were silent for a moment.
Elise's gaze was bleak as she looked at the past that could not be returned to.
"Constance, she was not a girl who knew her place. Every time she came here, she would either jump off a building or demolish the house. I could only pretend to be sick to avoid her enthusiasm. So much so that the considerate Brother Midier specially prepared an exclusive 'ward' for me."
'Constance, jumping off a building, demolishing the house …'
Thales thought of the urns of cinerary ashes in the Jadestar family tomb and frowned.
"When she rejected the marriage," Elise giggled, "she ran away from home four times.
"She ran away from home four times, and she even wanted to bring me along with her. In the end, she was caught twice by Lord Zakriel, once by Jines, and the last time, even Brother Midier personally came … The late king could not bear to hit her, and he also did not dare to hit Madam Aida, who secretly helped her. So, he could only let Lord Zakriel whip Kessel, who was in cahoots with her …"
Elise paused at this point. She looked at the king in front of her, sighed, and continued.
"Now that I think about it, running away from home with her and starving on the streets together, sigh, it's actually not that bad."
Thales was a little dazed as he listened.
"Constance sounds like …" Thales said faintly.
"She's a very lively and adorable girl."
"Lively and adorable?" Elise laughed involuntarily, "You haven't experienced her pranks …
"Including when she painted cute kittens on the back of Horace's armor. The entire military camp saw it, but no one dared to say anything. It was a captive who reminded him …
"Because she was afraid that Third Brother could not find a wife, she used Bancroft's name to send love letters to all the future sisters-in-law she had her eyes on, and arranged dates …
"Because she thought Herman was too smug, she secretly changed his perfume to dog urine when he had a cold and could not smell it …
"Interested in adult sex, she secretly followed Kessel to Red Street Market, eavesdropped on him, and even came out from under the bed to ask him about his thoughts …"
Thales could not help but laugh as he listened.
"The only person who could discipline her was Brother Midier," Elise shook her head helplessly.
"But even so, Constance's plan still worked once. She successfully applied a delayed-effect pepper spray on Midier's wheelchair, and he looked like nothing had happened. He attended the Imperial Conference for an entire day without batting an eyelid …"
Thales was still laughing, but he suddenly realized something and froze.
"Aunt Elise, you just said …"
Thales frowned, and said softly, "Midier's … wheelchair?"
The atmosphere between the two of them sank slightly.
A few seconds later, Elise frowned slightly.
"You don't know?"
Thales narrowed his eyes.
"That's true," Elise sighed slowly.
"It's a long past, and it involves the deceased. It's normal that you don't know."
The Duke of Star Lake subconsciously turned his head. He realized in hindsight that all the stairs in Mindis Hall had slid down a considerable proportion.
It seemed like … it was not just for decoration?
"And …"
Elise spoke faintly, her gaze focused on the void. At this moment, she seemed to have cut off the noise of the outside world and was immersed in the past.
"Although his smile is always the most gentle, caring, tolerant, and caring for everyone, although his shoulders are always the toughest, supporting, supporting, and protecting everyone, although his shoulders are always the most tenacious, supporting, and protecting everyone.
"But even though he was so understanding, gentle, and considerate, no one could truly …
"Understand his pain."
Thales turned around and looked at her in surprise.
"That's right.
"When Brother Midier was young, he encountered an accident on a trip," Elise said faintly.
"Since then, his legs have been disabled, and he can't walk.
"With a wheelchair as his companion for life."
'What?'
Thales was stunned.
Midier Jadestar.
The former master of Mindis Hall.
The former heir to the supreme throne, the wise prince that everyone praised.
'It's actually this …
'The wheelchair-bound crown prince?'
Thales suddenly remembered the scene when Kessel pulled him up from the ground just now.
And his cold words.
"As a Jadestar, even if both legs are crippled …
"Never bend your knees.
"Especially in …
"Here."
In the next second, without any pause, they followed behind the king and queen and walked into the banquet hall.
They welcomed the surging tide of people and the cheers of the mountains.
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