Kingdom's Bloodline, page 444
"You are blaming me for the calamities who arrived due to my escape... but how would you know that I would cause fewer deaths if I was the Archduke of Dragon Clouds City, or even the King of Eckstedt? Would I cause less trouble than what I'm causing now? Would I be committing crimes lighter than what I am committing now? Will Dragon Clouds City be more fortunate and stable than it is now?"
Thales gritted his teeth tightly.
"You don't know, Thales." Quick Rope said coldly, "You thought that the disasters and calamities Dragon Clouds City suffered, Eckstedt's turmoil and change, were really the effects of Lampard's plot, or my willfulness, or my father's mistake?"
Quick Rope's back moved away from the wall.
"My father… when he was alive, the Born King's reputation intimidated the entire Western Peninsula. He subjugated all his suzerains, suppressed the nobles, and exhausted all his resources to build his army. He pushed Dragon Clouds City's might to its greatest over the past three generations. He sowed the seeds of fear and obedience over the entire kingdom. The only thing he did not manage to do was conquer all of Eckstedt ." Quick Rope's tone was cold.
"However, this meant that he was fated to become someone's enemy. He was the enemy to all the archdukes, the suzerains, many countries in Western Peninsula, and even an enemy to the lowliest commoner under his rule. Even if there was no Lampard, no Secret Room, no Bloody Year, even if the accident with Soria did not happen, and even if… even if I didn't run away, sooner or later, these enemies would appear before him, and even if they weren't Lampard or the Secret Room, his enemy would be someone else, like Roknee, Lecco, Trentida, and even his most trusted subordinates. The role of his enemy will be replaced by another group who was displeased with him. They will fight back until the throne of Dragon Clouds City is overthrown."
'King Nuven' enemies...' Thales thought deeply. The night when Dragon's Blood was launched six years ago appeared before his eyes. The faces of those who were responsible for the plan also showed up in his mind: The Archduke of Black Sand Region who was forced to a corner; the capricious marquis from Camus Union; the Secret Room who hid themselves perfectly in the dark; the forces of power in the underground black market; and even the Supreme King of Constellation.
Even a commoner like Gleeward, who fussed over every single coin he spent over his daily necessities, also sneered at his king and regarded him with contempt.
King Nuven… only had half of Dragon Clouds City at his side.
"My father did not die because of some failed plan, some accident, or by someone's stupid actions. He died because he rose to a position of power that was too high in this era, and too many people wanted him dead." There was grief in Quick Rope's voice.
Thales was stunned.
There were countless days where he would recall the execution of Dragon's Blood six years ago, and when he did, what came to mind was Nuven's miscalculation, Lampard's viciousness, the sinister Secret Room, the secrets of the Secret Intelligence Department, and all the schemes the suzerains and archdukes concocted after racking their brains, just to set each other up.
'But…'
"There is only one line dividing success and failure; this is what it means to be in power, Thales." Quick Rope's tone grew frantic. "After returning from the sea and experiencing life and death, I understood this: History is not as we think it is. It isn't controlled by the people who seem to have great status and incredible power, but is decided by the countless waves in the world you cannot hope to hold off, by the unfathomable whirlpools, by the tides that shake thousands of miles of land, and the trade winds.
"If you try to block the tide, then no matter how strong your warship is, it will still be crushed. But if you sail with the wind, even the most fragile ship can travel millions of miles. Even if there was a person as mighty as a hero, before it, he has no power to turn the tables; the most insignificant commoner can rise to the top if he just sailed with the wind.
"Too many people only see schemes, plots, open strife, hidden conflicts, the heroes, and the villains. However, before the fierce tide, we are just too insignificant alone. There is far too little that we can do. No one can move against the tide, what we can do is actually very little, no one can move against the tide or turn it, that is just our misconception towards those who rose to the water's surface when the tide receded.
"Forget my father, even if the King of Renaissance and the Dragon Knight were resurrected, it'll be the same for them as well. Even if my father successfully handed the throne into my hands, it'll be the same." His tone quivered slightly.
"I see very clearly that, regardless of who is sitting on that throne, Dragon Clouds City is destined to reach its peak, and fall. Regardless of who is leading the Kingdom of the Great Dragon, Eckstedt, too, will rise and fall."
Quick Rope stared at Thales silently.
"Just like how that bloodline flowing through your veins fell after it reached its peak, just like how the once proud Empire fell after it rose."
Thales subconsciously tightened his fists. Then, he spoke, sounding incredibly tired, "If you were still in Dragon Clouds City when all those things happened, at least Dragon Clouds City could have been more politically stable, at least Lampard would be kept on his toes, and many people would not need to bear—"
Quick Rope lowered his head. "Do you think truly that Dragon Clouds City is in a bad state right now—unstable and in turmoil—because of its archduchess?"
He snorted with the ghost of a smile on his lips.
"How then, would you know for sure that the new king, the former suzerains of the late king, and the late king's enemies—be they hidden or well-known—would not deliver terrifying pressure that is a hundred times heavier than it is now, or use methods that are much more frightening than what they're doing right now to the current Dragon Clouds City if it lost King Nuven but was then taken over by a legitimate male descendent of the Walton Family whom are still a powerful force regarded warily by all these people? How can you guarantee that they won't attack us like ants eating away at animal carcasses, gnawing on us until there is nothing left?
"How can you be certain that Dragon Clouds City won't be suffering even worse damages and casualties than what it is suffering right now?"
Thales was slightly stunned.
"Besides, I am not them, Thales. I am not my father, I am not Soria, and I am most definitely not my cousin, Chapman Lampard, who killed his own brother."
Quick Rope sighed slowly.
"As for sitting on that not-at-all comfortable throne, plotting day and night, figuring out the people's thoughts, and forcing myself to be the cruelest and most pathetic tool?"
In the dark room, he stared at Thales with eyes brimming with sadness.
"That is not power, Thales, it is a pair of shackles called 'power'."
Chapter 390: Perhaps I Have |
Thales gazed at the emotionally unstable man before his eyes. Quick Rope's chest was heaving. Thales did not speak for a long time.
"You care a lot about them…"
Thales' gaze did not move. "Your father and elder brother."
Quick Rope froze for a moment.
His gaze dimmed.
"Do you have family members, Thales?"
Thales pursed his lips.
'Family members.'
A feeling he could not put into words surged through his mind.
'According to those memory fragments, I probably do.
'But here…'
Quick Rope arched an eyebrow as he remembered something.
"Sorry, I forgot." Quick Rope waved his hand under the dim light and flashed an apologetic smile. "Of course, that's what made you the only heir. You have a delicate status and you're forced to be the center of attention of all parties."
Thales nodded without a word.
"But I do."
Quick Rope's smile slowly faded. "Ever since the day I could remember, I was told that I had a wise, might father and an exemplary brother.
"My father was very strict and cold. As the king of the entire Kingdom of the Great Dragon, he always had endless governmental affairs to deal with. Additionally, the reasons he gave for the things he did were always irrefutable.
"On the other hand, my elder brother was very outstanding. He was dazzling, bold, and battle-seasoned. His prestige was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people."
Quick Rope shifted his shoulders, and his face was hidden in the darkness where the light from the flame could not reach. His expression could not be distinguished. "As for me, King Nuven's second son and Prince Soria's younger brother…"
He was silent for a while before he lifted his head.
"Thales, for eighteen years, the pitiful second son could only live in the shadows of his outstanding father and elder brother. I ran after their footsteps and ran after their world. But no matter how hard I worked, how good I was in my studies, how eloquently I spoke during banquets, and how many preys I hunted…"
Quick Rope paused for a short moment.
Thales listened attentively, but Quick Rope chuckled, as though he disagreed with what he just said.
"Then, Ginghes told me…"
The light from his lamp was reflected off his eyes, and in them was an indescribable emotion.
"I'm his brother; I was born to assist him and serve him while he ruled. Soria was fated to become the Archduke of Dragon Clouds City and even the King of Eckstedt. In contrast, I had to respect, follow and be loyal to him from the bottom of my heart, becoming his assistant as well as helper.
"I could only finish my studies, grow up and reach adulthood while I behaved and kept proper conduct. I had to become an ordinary and plain Northland noble who was neither outstanding nor lousy. That was enough."
Quick Rope inhaled deeply, and there was a barely-noticeable mocking tone in his voice.
"As the younger brother of the future king, once I reached adulthood, I would be given full ownership of a small land after I am conferred the title of baron or viscount. I would have my own family name and my own family as I bask in the glory of being an offshoot of the Dragon Spear Family. Or, I would become a chess piece for a political marriage and get married, have children, grow old and die under the king's watchful eyes. Then I would just wait for the later generation to write my name in the family archives of both families.
"Any behavior they considered overstepping my boundaries was wrong, and any disrespectful thought was a crime. If I appeared too extraordinary or remarkable, people would suspect that I was being goaded to do so by deceitful and untrustworthy officials hidden in the dark."
Thales looked at Quick Rope as he tried his best to imagine how the former Prince Moriah was like.
Quick Rope returned to his aloof self and said without any shred of emotion, "That was the first half of my life, or the life I once thought I would have."
There was silence.
"However, that did not continue." In the silence, Thales spoke in a soft voice, "Accidents always happen all of a sudden."
Quick Rope turned to Thales and curled up the corners of his lips a little.
"Yes, it's exactly as you think," the former prince faintly said.
"Eighteen years ago on the night before the war, when I was sleeping, Nicholas and his guards brought me out of the castle in my rural territory. It was the place I thought I would grow old and die in. But they took me back to Dragon Clouds City."
Quick Rope's gaze froze, and his voice was empty.
"Soria lay there."
Thales sighed and recalled what many people said about Nuven's eldest son.
"Yes, that Soria. The elder brother I once regarded with deep respect and awe, the one who made me ashamed of my own unworthiness, and whom I was resentful towards, was lying down quietly in the Hall of Heroes just like that. He was not moving at all. His face was pale, and gold coins covered his eyes. Meanwhile, there was a longsword in his hands.
"Our age gap was really big, and we didn't usually talk to each other that much. Yet, that moment felt like the closest I had ever been to him, and we were no longer estranged."
In a dull manner, Quick Rope said, "That day, my father, who once cut a bold and heroic figure, seemed to have suddenly aged by twenty years. He said many things to his second son, whom he had always been indifferent towards and let do whatever he wanted. He spoke of the king's power, the relationship between the archdukes, their attitudes towards their vassals, and the impending war… But I wasn't able to take in anything; my mind was filled with Soria's pale face.
"That night, I became the heir to the throne."
Thales sighed softly. For some reason, he thought of the day he was recognized as the Second Prince of Constellation in Renaissance Palace.
"During the first ten or so years of your life, everyone reprimanded you and made you a submissive, obedient teenager who couldn't even go the slightest bit out of line. But after one night, all of them then turned and forced you to become a brilliant, majestic prince."
Quick Rope's tone was dull and lifeless. There was a hint of mockery in his words. "This damned fate. After I experienced confusion, envy, jealousy, hatred, pain, indignance, and eventually gave up, fate toyed with me again, as though my life is a dramatic play or something."
He sneered.
"Did you know what I saw in that hell when I sat in that seat?"
Thales lifted his head and looked straight into Quick Rope's eyes.
"The twisted nature of man," the former Prince Moriah uttered these words with a cold expression.
"At some point in time, Conkray Poffret, the once simple-minded boy from Beacon Illumination City who grew up together with me became paranoid. It seemed like he had many things weighing on his mind. When he spoke, he was secretive, pretentious, and civil.
"I tried to approach him as a friend, but… ever since Conkray's grandfather and father passed away, and he became the young Archduke of Beacon Illumination City, and ever since I became the heir to Dragon Clouds City, his gaze towards me had been filled with something I could not decipher."
Thales furrowed his eyebrows. Archduke Poffret's hysterical and pained confession towards the end of the duel crossed his mind.
"I persuaded my father against irritating and provoking him. I took the initiative and offered to convince Beacon Illumination City to become allies with us." Quick Rope trembled a little.
"Yet, no matter how hard I tried, how hard I expressed my sincerity as well as regret, and how I guaranteed that I would… There was no more warmth in Conkray's smile.
"Hatred, envy, and madness... That was all I could decipher from him. It was no longer possible for us to drink without any grudges between us like we used to in the past."
His last few sentences were extremely bleak.
"As for Chapman Lampard, the first time I saw him after the war, I understood something of importance."
Quick Rope chuckled. "My cousin brother, Chapman, who used to be level-headed, gentle, and well-behaved ceased to exist anymore. There was only a dead look in his eyes, along with pain, emptiness, and coldness. Only the taciturn and quiet Archduke of Black Sand Region was left in his body. It was as if the souls of his deceased family members still hung over his head, and they refused to leave.
"Every time I talked to him, a chill ran down my spine, even if it wasn't cold. Either I was talking to a dead person, or in his eyes, I was the dead one."
Thales thought of the Archduke of Black Sand Region. He remembered how the archduke's would vary between shades of brightness and darkness under the illumination of fire, and he clenched his fists.
"They were all twisted, Thales, twisted," Quick Rope's voice echoed in the room.
"All of them, including my father and elder brother, were twisted and held captive, Thales. They were held captive and enslaved by power. They lost themselves because of power."
The former Prince of Eckstedt coldly said, "They became something else while they were bound by those shackles. They were apathetic tools, cold-blooded scums, and paranoid tyrants. They were everything but themselves."
Thales was taken aback.
A conversation he had a long time ago with someone else echoed in his mind again.
'"The things that are truly scary and terrifying are not the calamities."'
'"But ourselves."'
'"To what extent will we normal people fall for the existence of these so-called calamities? How much will we degenerate, and how much of our morals will we sacrifice?"'
Quick Rope's tone became hurried.
"Thales, if you want to enter this circle and even climb to the top, the first thing you have to is to submit to power and let go of your body and mind. You have to let its world and its perception of the world rule every single inch of your being. You have to become someone that even you can't recognize. Only by doing so will you be able to start playing the game and excel in it.
"I heard that they found you from among the commoners, Thales," Quick Rope called out to him softly, jolting the absentminded Thales out of his thoughts.
"If that's the case, think carefully about what sort of person you've become after taking the role of a prince.
"Can you still choose your own path and do what you want to do?"
Quick Rope's words were like a sharp knife, stabbing straight into Thales' heart. "After becoming a prince, are you still yourself? Are you still Thales?
"Or have you… become something else?
"What have you gained, and what have you lost?"
Thales listened quietly.
'"You know, I suddenly realized that I... I almost can't recognize you anymore."'
'"Hahahaha… It's not just you. A lot of times, when I stare at the man in the mirror… I almost can't recognize… who he is."
When he thought of this, he subconsciously reached behind his back and gripped JC's dagger tightly.
The dagger he brought over from the Abandoned House...
His past...
A few seconds later, Thales shook his head with a dreary expression.
"I don't know," he said
