Kingdom's Bloodline, page 330
Thales lowered his head. His mind felt exhausted.
Moriah's survival, Saroma's identity, Nuven's plan, and Chapman who was right in front of him… All this gave him the misconception that his mind had exploded due to an information overload.
'This is too much, I'm so tired.'
"Let's say that this is true, that means I have been deceived and made a fool of by a dead man for a whole six years?" The prince chuckled, unsure of what to make of it. "This feeling is really quite peculiar."
Across from him, the king's expression changed somewhat. "It has only been six years. It's not too bad."
Thales raised his head. "What do you mean?"
King Chapman only stared quietly at him and snorted, soft yet cold.
"Don't forget that generation after generation of ambitious, brutish and bold Eckstedtian archdukes, and group after group of Constellatiate nobles who were good at planning, were experienced and astute... They were all deceived and fooled for over a century by a seemingly mediocre and cowardly King of Constellation who died over a hundred years ago."
In the next moment, Thales' gaze became clear and bright again. He stared seriously at Chapman Lampard.
"Lampard, what do you want?"
Finally, King Chapman leaned his body forward and he smiled faintly… as though the conversation had just begun.
"Lisban and the Star Killer keep too close a watch on Heroic Spirit Palace, and I can't approach that young girl. But you can." The king's gaze was profound. "You know what I want."
Thales snorted softly. "It isn't easy to fight against the condemnation of the four archdukes, is it? Roknee, Lecco, Sentry Region's Stustel, and Glacier Sea's Cameron."
He shrugged. "And that's why you're putting in a lot of effort to provoke the Alliance of Freedom, and scheming so that Dragon Clouds City sides with you."
King Chapman nodded.
"I told you before that this isn't an easy errand, and that the archdukes are not easy to deal with," he said seriously. "But if—"
Thales cut him off.
"You know, you said six years ago in Heroic Spirit Palace that every single one of you were born into a pair of shackles where the king and the archdukes are in constant battle, shackles that you can't free yourself from for the rest of your life… And that you want to break those shackles."
Thales spoke in a tone that the king had never heard from him before. It sounded as if he was lamenting something, but there was a faint hint of derision in his voice as well. "I don't know why, but everything you're doing now keeps reminding me of King Nuven."
For a moment, Thales saw that the tendons on King Chapman's hands tremble slightly.
"A person who wanted to break the shackles binding him racked his brains to study the structure of those shackles, and in the process went mad when he tried to free himself from the game," Thales said softly. "Then, one day, when he realized that the shackles binding him had already become part of his body, he was no longer able to leave the shackles he once wanted to break."
Thales subconsciously snorted and asked another question that he had once asked the other king six years ago, "Don't you feel tired? Or would you say that the pain those shackles give you makes you no longer able to feel its weight?"
King Chapman said nothing. The expression on his face, though hidden in the dim carriage, did not change at all. The silence continued for a long while.
Thales exhaled and laughed despite himself. He directed his gaze elsewhere and paid no more attention to King Chapman, who still had the same expression on his face. Thales shook his head.
"This reminds me that perhaps his—Moriah's—choice to run away from home had allowed him to escape those shackles and be free forever."
'Unlike us. Whether Lampard finds him or not, to a certain extent, Moriah Walton, that wilful prince who abandoned everything and fled far away, had already distanced himself from the shackles that came with his bloodline.
'But… what about me? What about Thales Jadestar? When will I be able to free myself from these shackles?'
At that moment, Thales suddenly thought of the Air Mystic, of the Mystic's hand that reached out to him.
However, the thought was then followed by High Priestess Holme's seemingly admonishing gaze in Bright Moon Temple.
King Chapman's expression was so grim that his face practically resembled a thundercloud.
"He didn't."
A few seconds later, the king spoke through clenched teeth, and tightened his grip a little on the sword sheath. "Walking away from a problem doesn't mean that one has escaped it, and avoiding something like a coward doesn't mean that one is free.
"But he will be." King Chapman's tone became even more solemn. There was a terrifying meaning contained in his words. "...After we find him."
Thales let out a long breath and tried to focus on the vortex of problems at hand instead of his emotions.
"If it's like you said, that Moriah is still alive…" The prince forced himself to remain focused and made himself gaze into the king's eyes. "Where would he be?"
When he heard this, King Chapman also recovered from his anger and resentment. He tapped his hand-and-a-half sword softly.
"The last we heard, there was an appearance of a person who matched Moriah's characteristics at the southern part of the Great Desert near the Sera Dukedom. That's all that we managed to investigate as the location is Constellation's territory. Even the Secret Room had difficulty reaching it.
"But we won't stop. Thales, let's find Moriah together, and then kill him," the king said coldly. "Regardless of who does it, let's get rid of this baffling threat, and let Nuven and his little trick that deceived the whole world go to hell."
King Chapman inched his face closer to the prince. "Thales, after this incident, I hope you understand who your friends and enemies are in this seemingly serene Dragon Clouds City. I hope you understand who sees you as a worthy opponent, and who sees you as a puppet in a comedy."
Thales curled up the corners of his lips and imagined how the prince was hiding his identity and roaming freely all over the world. He then thought of how Lisban and Nicholas were like.
"You have a very good point there, killing two birds with one stone."
The prince shook his head and threw him arms open, leaning against the carriage seat with no regards for his image. "But you know, I can still scream loudly right now, or simply shout the truth you just told me inside the carriage to those outside. And then, your words, your secret, and your ideals…"
Thales narrowed his eyes. "Will go to hell with you."
Chapman stared at him without averting his gaze for a long time. The temperature in the carriage seemed to drop to freezing point again.
After an indefinite amount of time, the king said slowly, "Thales, I have a question: Once Moriah returns, what will happen to that little girlfriend of yours?"
Thales' mood darkened.
"You know the answer. Did you think the 'kind-hearted' Lisban and 'merciful' Star Killer would give her a certificate of commendation to honor her contributions to Dragon Clouds City's stability those the six years when she sat in Heroic Spirit Palace pretending to be the archduchess?"
The king continued to laugh coldly.
"If what happened to Moriah is true, this secret won't be buried together with my death. And one day, together with your enemy, it will deliver a violent backlash against you and that girl. That is the significance of the choice you're facing today."
Thales stared at Chapman without moving. His gaze was dim and without emotion.
'Choice. Another choice...' He clenched his fists.
The prince said coldly, "I can totally withdraw myself and watch on the sidelines without doing anything, and all of you can go ahead and play this game of chess."
The king laughed.
"You won't, Thales. You're different compared to many people."
King Chapman shook his head confidently. His gaze was as sharp as knives as he stared straight into Thales' heart. "As long as you have the ability, strength, and belief, you won't withdraw yourself and be impassive. You won't leave a hell behind you and watch apathetically as other people cry out in pain from it, all while hypothetically consoling yourself about it being the best and most realistic choice."
In the darkness, he raised his hand and pointed outside the carriage at the highest point in Dragon Clouds City. "Or else, six years ago, you wouldn't have come walking right into the trap and return to Heroic Spirit Palace."
Thales clenched his fists with growing strength, almost tearing into the skin of his palms.
'Damn it.' He sighed wearily in his heart.
No one else spoke in the carriage and the silence lasted for a long time. It was as though a century passed.
"If you have nothing else to say, then let's end this talk." Thales shook his head with a gloomy look. "I'm already tired."
"Of course." Staring at him quietly, King Chapman simply nodded as though they were not enemies at all. "If… you know where to find me."
When he heard this, Thales snorted.
"Still unwilling to leave? You know, the storm is coming, the oncoming days in Dragon Clouds City won't be peaceful ones."
At that moment, the king's gaze became filled with subtle emotions. There was an indescribable meaning contained in his eyes.
"Thales, I'm not the one who's unwilling to leave," Chapman Lampard said while staying calm. His words provided much food for thought. "As you said, the storm is coming."
Thales furrowed his eyebrows, his Adam's apple bobbed up and down. He then rose and placed his hand on the carriage door.
"Another thing, Thales."
With his back to the king, Thales stilled, then turned a little. King Chapman tilted his head and stared at him with a strange gaze.
"Six years ago before Broken Dragon Fortress, you dared to risk your life to charge towards the opposite direction, gambling with me without leaving any route to retreat on that ruthless battlefield.
"But six years later, today in the tranquil Dragon Clouds City, you don't dare to wage with the archduchess' life, don't dare to stay stubborn, or gamble to the end with me on this battlefield that has a storm brewing right under it."
Thales froze.
The king smiled and said, "Well, Thales? Could it be that it's easier to make a decision during a situation of extreme peril and violence compared to a situation where it is confusing and has indistinguishable elements mixed in? Or is it harder to choose when it involves someone else's life instead of your own?"
Thales gritted his teeth and scowled.
'That was different. That year, me and the people by my side were all doomed. That was why I could risk my life without hesitation since I had practically no hope for survival.
'But today… Saroma…'
"Or is it because throughout these six years in Dragon Clouds City, you have become cowardly, hesitant and benevolent?" Chapman asked softly.
He kept his hand on the carriage door, but Thales' expression turned solemn.
"Lampard, we're different." The second prince did not turn around. He still only had his side-profile turned towards Lampard, and he said coldly, "You are a cold and heartless gambler."
King Chapman raised his eyebrows a little.
"Then, what about you? What are you?"
This time, Thales did not hesitate anymore. He pushed open the carriage door and walked down without turning back.
"Thales, be careful." The king's voice echoed indistinctly from behind him. "When your enemies smell your weakness—"
*Bang!*
Thales shut the carriage door without a pause, keeping all the words in the carriage shut behind him. He had heard enough today, there was no need shake up his mood any further.
'Moreover… Weakness…?'
Remembering the Black Prophet's horrifying look, Thales' heart clenched.
In the carriage, King Chapman stared at the carriage door that was slammed shut. He lowered his head to examine his sword sheath and finished his sentence, seeming nonchalant about how Thales had left.
"...They won't let us go so easily."
Chapter 299: Friend and Foe |
There was the sound of horses galloping behind Thales. He had complicated emotions in his heart as he listened to Wya's complaints and watched the group from Black Sand Region leave into the distance.
The vigilant Wya and the others instinctively blocked the prince from view, but Thales, who had long since expected this, sighed and calmly turned around.
'They sure arrived quickly, and in a hasty manner to boot.'
While the horses neighed in discontentment, the person who arrived got down from his mount. Accompanied by his attendants, he moved through his team of personal guards to walk towards Thales with a stiff expression. By the side, Lord Justin greeted him respectfully.
It was Count Lisban.
The aged but still spirited regent of Dragon Clouds City stood in front of Thales. His expression never changed from the moment he arrived.
"Your Grace." The prince's gaze swept past the patrols of Dragon Clouds City who came with the count before he politely nodded at Count Lisban. He did not seem to be surprised at all by his sudden appearance, "Should I be shocked that you are so concerned about my holiday?"
But the Count who rushed there after the news had a dark expression and did not want to make small talk with the prince. "Do you know how much of a ruthless act it is to directly go into Black Sand Region's carriage?"
Thales shrugged in resignation, then moved towards Lisban on his steed, Jennie. Wya and Ralf took a step back and maintained a set distance from them.
The former prime minister looked around with a serious gaze, which made his team of personal guards, who had just let out a sigh of relief, to become nervous again. "What happened?"
"What did Black Sand Region say to you?"
'What did they say?'
The prince recalled the secret King Chapman told him and could not help but feel solemn.
'Moriah…
'Saroma…'
"They're very interested in Dragon Clouds City, but they cannot establish direct contact with the archduchess." Thales turned his head in the direction of the people from Black Sand Region and gestured at them by jutting out his bottom lip. He then said with a relaxed face, "For this reason, they want to draw me to their side."
Lisban's gaze changed a few times.
"You? Do they want to draw you to their side?
"Do you want me to remind you of the relationship between Dragon Clouds City and that King Chapman? Or, what kind of role you played in the storm six years ago?"
Thales blinked a couple of times.
"I think Black Sand Region will not put its hopes on a foreign prince who is almost an arch enemy to them with no certainty of success," the count said gloomily. "Or do they have a very good reason to talk to you?"
Thales furled his fists in his sleeves and began to reevalute Lisban, who was in front of him.
'How sharp.'
"So, Prince Thales," Lisban sounded polite but oppressive, "what can I do for you?"
Thales could not help but feel a surge of wariness rising in his heart.
Were Lampard's words credible?
Who was his foe and who was his friend in Dragon Clouds City?
How on earth should he choose?
Thales took a deep breath and could not help but recall the terrible secret Lampard told him.
The former king's gift.
The prince looked at the count in front of him as his gaze swept past his graying temples.
During the past six years, just what sort of emotion did the most powerful official in Dragon Clouds City harbor as he watched Saroma grow?
What did he think of Saroma, his superior in name?
An archduchess? The wife of a future archduke? A little girl who was naive of the workings of the world?
Or was it…
"Yes."
The prince sighed slightly. "They gave me a very convincing reason."
The count was all ears.
Thales looked up and said without changing his expression, "They said that as long as I can help them, King Chapman will personally give the order…"
The prince paused for a while before he spoke between gritted teeth.
"...to let me go home."
That second, the old regent's gaze was fixed on Thales.
Thales forced out a smile as he spread out both of his hands.
"Oh, really. That's interesting." After pausing for a few seconds, the count pursed his lips. His tone when he spoke was intriguing, "How did you answer?"
Thales stood in front of Jennie and looked at the finny's jolly attitude. He seemed to be deep in thought.
"I have to think about it," Thales answered slowly. "This was my answer."
Lisban did not utter a word.
After a few seconds, the regent raised his eyebrows a little. "You know, you are in Dragon Clouds City."
Thales nodded. "I know."
Lisban looked at him with a glint in his eyes. "You also know that the archduchess is protecting you."
Thales exhaled. "I know."
"But you also need to know that…" This time, Count Lisban increased the volume of his voice slightly. There was a fierce look in his eyes. "...six years ago, during the king selection, when the five archdukes agreed not to let you leave Eckstedt…
"...the solitary Miss Saroma single-handedly stood in the Hall of Heroes and threatened the archdukes in front of High Priestess Holme. If she was not allowed to leave you in Dragon Clouds City, then she would refuse to elect the king and die in Dragon Clouds City with the others."
Thales was stunned.
He lowered his head and looked at the ground with a dazed look. He remembered how Archduke Lecco patted him on the shoulder in Heroic Spirit Palace and told him to take care of himself in a somber tone.
"Now this, I really don't know," the prince said in a daze.
Lisban looked at Thales' expression and nodded a little. "Please don't make her regret that decision.
