Thales and Raphael sat opposite each other in the swaying carriage. They did not speak to each other.
Thales sized up the emissary of the Secret Intelligence Department, who had gone through life and death situations with him in Dragon Clouds City. He recalled the last time they parted in the tunnel.
Raphael remained calm, a faint smile in his dark red eyes.
He was as confident as he was when they first met.
Why was he always so confident?
Then, he would do all sorts of shameful things, and when he messed up, he would need someone else to clean up after him.
Thinking of this, the youth who had just escaped from Ballard Room felt even more gloomy.
"Weren't you supposed to stay in the north and play hide-and-seek with the Star Killer? When did you return?"
Thales was the first to break the silence. He could not stand the other party's enchanting smile.
Raphael smiled and looked out the window.
"Recently."
Look, it's so fast.
Could there be a more mysterious answer?
Thales coughed.
"Those who stayed in Dragon Clouds City, Wya, Ralf, and Putray …"
"Safe."
Raphael's answer was concise and tight.
Thales frowned.
"Gilbert said that he could not find you in the Secret Intelligence Department for the past few years …"
"It's a secret."
"Then the disguise you put on at the Imperial Conference just now …"
"Hide."
"So why did you bring me to the Kingdom's Secret Intelligence Department?"
"It's important."
After going back and forth for a few rounds, Thales, who felt that he was talking to Yodel, laughed out of extreme anger.
"Can't you say a few more words?"
Finally, Raphael turned around. There was a profound meaning in her red eyes.
"But you were the one who said it. If I say another word of nonsense …"
"You're going to marry Miss Miranda?"
Thales choked. After a few seconds, he sighed. He was both mentally and physically exhausted.
How petty.
Thales waved his hands in resignation and logged out of the game.
"Just kidding, okay?"
Raphael smiled, leaning easily against the side of the car.
"I know," he said with a pleased expression.
"Me too."
The corners of Thales' lips curled into a fake smile.
"Is there any point in being so talkative?"
"It's meaningless." Raphael sized up the prince's small, deflated face.
"It's just interesting."
For a moment, Thales did not know how to reply. He could only sigh wordlessly.
A few minutes later.
"Rafael, have you seen Miranda in the last six years?"
Raphael raised an eyebrow.
"You want to hear the truth?"
"Of course."
"Then I have to lie."
Thales took a few seconds to digest this information.
"Oh."
The prince nodded.
"Then … what about meeting Cohen?"
"Who is he?"
"…"
The carriage swayed for a few more minutes before Thales sighed.
"Raphael, if you never plan to leave the Secret Intelligence Department for the rest of your life …"
The prince looked at the Barren Bone man seriously.
"Then what does she mean to you?"
"How are you going to face her?"
Raphael raised her red eyes. "Why do you suddenly ask?"
"He cares about his subordinates' love life."
Raphael smiled sarcastically.
"What about you?"
He asked back,
"What does she mean to you, Your Highness?"
Thales leaned against the carriage and sighed.
"I've already said that I won't marry Miranda …"
But Raphael's next sentence made Thales stop talking.
"But I'm not talking about Miranda."
The air was silent for a moment.
The scenery outside the window changed inch by inch, from a city street to a country road.
Thales was silent.
"When you were in Dragon Clouds City, you had a deep and intimate relationship."
Raphael looked to the north. His voice was light.
"Can you really give up on this relationship?
"And become strangers from then on?"
Thales clenched his teeth.
"Don't talk about other things, Raphael," the prince said unhappily.
"I have nothing to do with her."
Raphael chuckled, unconcerned.
"If you are destined to become the King of Constellation, Your Highness, strategizing in Ballard Room …"
In Thales' ears, the Barren Bone man's words became extremely sharp.
"How are you going to face … her?
"Face what I like?"
Thales felt a wave of irritation.
"I will only say it once, Raphael," the prince turned his head and said coldly.
"I definitely don't have that kind of relationship with her. No! Yes!
"What kind of relationship?
"Why do you care what kind of relationship I have.
"But …
"No buts!
"I just want to say …
"Don't say it!"
After going back and forth, Raphael could only sigh and admit defeat.
"Fine."
Thales snorted and hugged his arms tightly.
The Barren Bone man sighed.
"It's just a pity that you don't like her …"
Thales turned his head even more to the side.
"You know, we went through a lot of trouble to pick out refined grains for her and prepare to welcome her back to the country …"
Thales froze for a moment and turned his head around.
"Refined grains, welcome her back to the country? Wait, who are you talking about?
"Who else could it be?"
Raphael turned his head around.
"The Secret Intelligence Department carefully selected her for you from thousands of candidates, of course …"
Raphael flashed his white teeth and smiled brightly.
"What a good horse, Jenny."
Thales was silent for a full ten seconds. He stuck close to the carriage and swayed with the wind.
Only then did he give his middle finger expressionlessly.
'F * ck you.'
Raphael laughed heartily when he saw his expression.
Thales swore with a dark expression that if Raphael told this joke again, the first order he gave when he became king would be for Miranda to marry Cohen.
Ah, at that moment, God knew how much he missed Cohen.
Raphael sat back in his seat.
"Are you feeling better now?"
"Not at all," Thales said listlessly.
"But thank you for livening up the mood."
"You're welcome." Raphael did not care about the resentment in the prince's words at all.
"You'll only feel worse later anyway."
Thales' mood, which had improved a little, collapsed again.
"This time, is it because of what happened last night?"
A shadow flashed across Raphael's face.
"What else could it be?"
When it came to serious matters, it was as if the relaxed mood just now had disappeared.
The Barren Bone man sighed.
"Fourteen hours ago, I was still busy sorting out the Alliance of Freedom's battle report, and then I received news of an accident at the royal banquet. Anyway, no matter where you are, you can always stir up trouble."
Raphael clicked his tongue and shook his head.
Thales snorted in annoyance.
"Then depose me, change my face, and disappear. Do you believe that I can be a law-abiding citizen for the rest of my life?"
Raphael glanced at him.
"You? A law-abiding citizen?
Do you believe it yourself? "
Thales was speechless for a moment.
"So, what happened last night," Thales tried to steer back to the topic of concern.
"The grudge between Crow Caw City and Mirror River, that is, between Byrael and Doyle, what is the truth?"
Raphael was silent for a few seconds.
"His Majesty has ordered the court of justice and the House of Nobles Affairs to be in charge of the case.
"Due to the principle of neutrality, I suggest that you not intervene …"
Thales yawned widely.
"Seriously, Raphael, why do you think I'm not dancing with the young ladies at the banquet until dawn, but smelling your sweat in this broken carriage?"
Raphael changed his posture and sniffed his collar without batting an eyelid.
"Or do you think I'm as gullible as Cohen, or as tolerant as Miranda?"
Thales winked at him.
"Just take it as giving me some … personal inside information?"
Raphael frowned.
Thales raised his eyebrows, his gaze inadvertently falling on Raphael's sleeve.
The latter's forearm was as fair and perfect as ever.
It was hard to imagine that it used to be …
The Barren Bone man was silent for a moment and instinctively pulled up his sleeve.
"You should not talk about personal relationships." His red eyes sparkled.
"You are a prince, and I am a servant. We should do business according to the rules."
Hey, who was the one who was trying to establish a personal relationship with him?
"If it were someone else, it might be."
"But you are still different, Raphael," Thales said in a half-sincere and half-conventional manner.
"That night in Dragon Clouds City was different."
Raphael tilted his head at him.
"By the way," Thales added.
"If we really want to work together for the next fifty or sixty years and meet at the Imperial Conference, then it's best to start learning how to get along with each other from now on."
Perhaps convinced by the last sentence, Raphael took a deep breath and sat up straight in the carriage.
He said sternly,
"From the information gathered by the Secret Intelligence Department, this is an unfortunate tragedy."
'Yes, tell me something I don't know …' Thales nodded earnestly and modestly as he swallowed the words.
Raphael continued.
"Baron Doyle of Mirror River is a complete idiot. His greatest strength is his shamelessness.
"But he was lucky. His remarried wife was a business expert. Over the years, she managed the family and amassed wealth — or rather, she speculated and groomed for personal gain, amassing wealth everywhere — so the Doyle family became richer and more daring. Their reach grew longer and more unscrupulous …"
Thales thought of Baron Doyle and his wife and nodded with lingering fear.
Raphael snorted softly.
"On the other hand, the ruler of Crow Caw City is not a good person either. He never had good intentions when he borrowed money.
"Old Byrael doesn't know how to manage money, but he's good at the traditional arts of coercion, intimidation, and blackmail. Over the years, just the number of victims he blackmailed, threatened, and reneged on their debts is enough to form a team of guards. Perhaps there's even a reserve force."
Thales frowned when he heard this.
"It's only been a day, and the Secret Intelligence Department has already investigated so thoroughly?"
Raphael laughed and shook his head.
"Of course not."
"But we found out that one of the parties involved in this case has long been registered in the Department of Finance: Sir Kirkirk Mann has been eyeing the Doyle family for a long time, eyeing their gray income, waiting for them to fatten up so he can slaughter them."
'Chief of Finance Kirkirk Mann has been eyeing the Doyle family for a long time?'
Thales understood a little.
Raphael said disdainfully,
"So there's no need for an investigation. Our people just moved the tracking files and investigation files that have been piling up for a few years here overnight — of course, the people in the Department of Finance might not be too happy about being intercepted."
'Department of Finance, overnight, intercepted …'
Hearing this, Thales had a strange expression on his face.
He recalled Sir Kirkirk Mann's loss of composure at the meeting this morning when he vehemently rejected the budget proposal.
Now that he thought about it, he did not lose composure at all …
That was basically "Brother Chen lost a few thousand dollars tonight"!
He already had good self-restraint by not flipping the table.
"So in this way, the suddenly rich and greedy Doyle, and the arrogant and scoundrel Byrael, these two families are now at odds …"
Thales exhaled and said helplessly,
"I've really met my match."
Raphael nodded.
"It's nothing much to begin with. After the nobles' internal strife and a great deal of damage, the two families who are stuck in a stalemate will probably return to the negotiating table as usual …"
Raphael glanced at Thales.
"But at this time, because the Legendary Wing left the camp, Blade Fangs Camp was ambushed by the orcs and the Barren Bone people. Old Byrael, who was stationed there, was unfortunately hit and died in fright.
"The balance is now out of balance."
Thales pressed his palm against his forehead in frustration.
'Why is it me again?'
But Raphael's words continued.
"Moreover, recently, Doyle, the Baron of Mirror River, who fawns on the rich and powerful, relied on his son to get close to a newly returned important member of the royal family. He has become especially prestigious in the capital and has become more upright."
Thales' expression became increasingly unpleasant.
Raphael deliberately dragged out his words and repeated them, "Important — people — of the royal family. Do you understand? "
Thales sighed.
'Why is it still me?'
"If that's the case, then it's fine. It's just a win and a loss. One side benefits, the other falls.
"Until old Byrael's eldest son returns from the Tower of Eradication — as you can see, he's a hothead.
"His mind is filled with radical ideas that the traditional nobles in the country don't have, and he decides to go to a banquet and make a big splash."
Thales curled up in the corner of the carriage and smacked his lips numbly.
'Why is it always me?'
Raphael said helplessly,
"So, Your Highness, you have to stay here and smell the stench of my sweat."
As soon as he said that, both of them sighed at the same time and hugged their arms.
"So, Anker Byrael, how is he now?"
"We're still interrogating him according to procedure, from the motive process to the mastermind behind it," Raphael said calmly.
"In my opinion, among the 'guests' the Kingdom's Secret Intelligence Department has received, that child is considered very strong."
'Interrogation …'
Thales' heart dimmed.
"What else is there to ask," the prince said indignantly, "The mastermind is Zayen Covendier. That guy admitted it in front of me last night.
"He's the one who should be here smelling the stench of your sweat."
Raphael's expression was a little strange when he heard this name.
"I think you should know, Your Highness …"
"Guardian Duke of South Coast, Zayen Covendier, left the capital this morning due to urgent family matters and returned to Jade City."
Thales was shocked at first, then he understood.
'That was fast.'
"Of course, as the mastermind, he has to save his own life," Thales sneered with his arms crossed.
"Isn't it an urgent matter?"
If the Archduke of Beacon Illumination City had Zayen's ability to slip away, perhaps his neck would not have been broken by King Nuven.
But Raphael's tone was grim.
"Before he left, Duke Covendier sent His Majesty the 'Jade City Substitute Servitude Petition'."
Thales did not react for a moment.
"What?"
Raphael glanced at Thales.
"He applied to His Majesty that the vassals under Iris Flower can voluntarily pay a new quarterly tax according to their needs, and be exempted from military service and labor accordingly. Jade City's business is prosperous, and there are many suzerains who are willing to do so. The Covendier Family will lead by example and pay taxes to the royal family in lieu of servitude to make up for the loss in the form of subsidizing the regular royal army."
Thales took a few seconds to understand the meaning of this sentence.
'What?'
'The Covendier Family will lead by example …
'Pay taxes …
'Substitute servitude …
'Subsidizing the regular royal army …'
In the next second, the shocked Thales struggled to get up from the back of the chair.
"We just argued about this at the Imperial Conference … But isn't this too fast?"
'And it's a major matter concerning the suzerain's rule of the entire South Coast.
Unless it's in advance … '
Raphael shrugged.
"The official announcement will probably arrive in the afternoon."
Afternoon.
Thales suddenly remembered his father's words in Ballard Room:
"The meeting will be held in the afternoon to discuss how to help Kirkirk solve the budget problem …"
Afternoon.
Budget.
At that moment, some joint connected at that moment.
"Zayen, he and my father actually …" Thales was in disbelief, "F * ck."
He cursed in displeasure.
The prince then looked at the Barren Bone man, not without disappointment.
"So our Duke of South Coast, he won't be held accountable, right?"
"At least not for instigating assassins to harm the Duke of Star Lake?"
Raphael patted his shoulder sympathetically.
"Not only that, the Secret Intelligence Department has to send someone else to 'refute' the rumors," Raphael said with a displeased look.
"There are always people spreading ignorant lies like 'the Duke of Star Lake accused Covendier in public last night'."
Ignorant lies …
Thales took a while to put away his incredulous expression.
'No way.
'Not only did I gain both fame and fortune …
'And even control the comments?'
"So … I messed up your business again?" Thales asked woodenly.
"It doesn't matter." Raphael looked as if he had nothing to lose.
"The Secret Intelligence Department is used to it anyway.
"In the past six years, I've set up a special emergency response team. You're their favorite — you've greatly increased their sense of existence and budget.
"By the way, their nickname is' the prince's bum '…"
Thales, who was immersed in depression, frowned.
"The prince's what?"
The Barren Bone man helplessly lifted his cheek.
"You know, every time you poop," Raphael gave him a particularly annoying look,
"You have to wipe it."
Thales was flabbergasted and speechless.
Raphael even gave him an evil smile.
"Alright, Covendier …"
Having figured something out, the prince exhaled in annoyance, buried his face in his palms and rubbed it up and down.
"I really should have gotten rid of him last night …"
"What did you say?"
"Nothing." Thales pulled his face out of his palms and put on a serious expression.
"Anker Byrael, what will happen to him?"
Raphael put away his doubtful expression.
"If His Majesty has no other opinion, the court of justice will convict him …
"But based on the facts, he stormed a royal banquet with a weapon, injured fellow nobles, threatened the Duke of Star Lake, assassinated a member of the royal family, despised the dignity of the royal family …"
Listening to Raphael's list of crimes, Thales recalled Anker's desperate gaze and his last conversation with him. His heart felt heavy.
"If I let go, what should I do?"
"I don't know, but I'll try my best."
"I've tried my best."
"No, you haven't. You didn't see me. "
Thales subconsciously clenched his fists.
"What about his family? What about his family? "
Raphael glanced at him but did not speak.
Thales sighed.
But his gaze immediately sharpened.
"Listen, Raphael."
"If I say, with your help, the Duke of Star Lake wants to do something and affect certain outcomes, is it possible?"
Raphael's red eyes flashed with a similar light.
"It depends on what you want to do," the Barren Bone man said cautiously.
"Different options, different outcomes."
Thales was silent for a while.
"Alright then, from difficult to easy."
The prince gave it some serious thought and asked three questions in a tentative manner.
"Jailbreak?
"Release?
"At least — avoid death?"
Raphael silently recited these three options and smiled amiably.
Without hesitation, he answered the three corresponding answers in a considerate manner.
"Impossible."
"Impossible."
"And — impossible."
There was a minute of silence in the carriage. For a moment, only the sound of wheels could be heard.
"Raphael Lindbergh."
"Your Highness?"
"What do I need you for!"
"Alright, there's one last way."
"What?"
"You're crowned king."
"That's not funny."
"I know."
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