Kingdom’s Bloodline Chapter 42: That look

Thank you. I will remember your kindness and thank your daughter for your concern for me. I wish her a happy eleventh birthday, Baron Bourbon. "

　　 Thales politely toasted from his seat, sent away a certain guest who had come up to make a toast, and returned his attention to the din of the banquet.

　　 Facts have proved that after successfully passing the embarrassment at the beginning, the Chasing Holy Day banquet was easier than Thales expected.

　　In the melodious music, not only the guests enjoyed the feast and talked eagerly, the servants of Mindis Hall also kept serving dishes back and forth, and many of the guests’ attendants shuttled between different long tables. From time to time, or help serve wine, or spread the word on behalf of the host, complete service and social tasks again and again.

In the center of the 　　 banquet hall, like Exeter, there is an open space. It is both a stage and a dance floor. Bards, clowns, acrobats, performers, dancers, and different performers take turns to show their ability.

　　 For example, at this time, a bard pacing with a piano has already begun his performance:

　　"This song is a new work inspired by visiting the Western Desolation in the past few years. It tells the story of King Kessel leading the army to go deep into the desert and behead the enemy chief in the battle of the altar..."

　　 This feels familiar to Thales. When he was a beggar, there were often such minstrels in sunset bars, but their clothes were never so neat and their singing and piano skills were uneven.

　　In the melodious and atmospheric singing room of the bard, the food is still being updated, and they are put on the long table in order:

　　 There are no less than five kinds of cheese soup, vegetables and fruits, odd-sized grilled bird eggs, sturgeon soup, oatmeal, poorly presented pork sausage, smoked beef, grilled chicken with sauce, venison stew, All kinds of unnamed poultry and game, raw and cooked seashells, terribly big meatballs, more than a dozen different styles of bread, pancakes, pies, and all kinds of magical dishes that you can’t even see the raw materials ...

　　Of course, including essential drinks.

　　 how to say, his father is really rich?

　　 Thales sighed.

　　 Okay, the stars do have a way of eating, at least compared with the northerners in Longxiao City who only know how to cook...

　　Longxiaocheng.

　　Thyls feels down when he thinks of this.

　　 "Why, can't you eat?"

Aunt Elise next to 　　 noticed him.

　　 "No, there are just too many choices..." Thales looked at a plate of beans absent-mindedly:

　　 "No way to start."

　　Princess Iris elegantly divided the vegetables on the plate, seemingly emotional:

　　"You should go to the Dragon Kiss Basin. Talking about the degree of refinement and harshness of the Anrenzo nobles' dishes... Of course, I can’t get used to their tastes... After getting used to a place , It’s hard to adapt to the delicacy of a foreign country......"

　　 Thales grinned reluctantly, but in the end, following his aunt, he extended his claws to a plate of lettuce that looked very small and fresh.

　　 Someone poked him.

　　 Thales turned around and found Doyle on the vice-table behind him, his cheeks bulging.

　　 "Your Majesty, I can take it," Doyle swallowed hard, ignoring the contemptuous eyes of Glover beside him, pointing to Thales' table and whispering:

　　"Can you pass me the seasoning salt, yes, including the beef on your left..."

　　 Thales frowned:

　　 "Isn't there on your table?"

　　 "There is or there is, but well, I always feel that it came from your table, your Highness. It tastes very special..."

　　 Thales sighed.

　　He looked around and found no one was paying attention, so he leaned forward silently, pushed the plate of beef behind the armpit, and gave it to Doyle:

　　"You are really not polite..."

　　 Doyle tacitly and skillfully took the food the prince had brought him, and smiled flatteringly:

　　 "Because the Lord is not here...cough cough, I mean, because you are the best and gentlest majesty in the world..."

　　 Thales rolled his eyes and continued to deal with his lettuce.

　　D.D sent the beef in the direction of Glover, but the zombie just turned his head disdainfully and continued to drink his beer.

　　Doyle shrugs indifferently, and eats by himself:

　　 "Your loss."

　　 As time goes by, the music is played round after round, the performers change one after another, the interest of the guests rises on the contrary, the atmosphere in the banquet becomes more heated, and the guests who left the seat to toast and talk actively more and more.

　　 But fortunately, Thales’s burden is not too heavy, because most of the people are diverted to the highest table—his father’s.

　　 A rare royal banquet in more than ten years, there are not a few guests who want to make pilgrimage to the king on this informal occasion.

　　King Kessel still has a calm expression, but he can dine consistently for less than one minute. Every time there are guests from different backgrounds and different classes, or drag friends, or single-handedly, respectfully and look forward to coming to meet him. The king, interrupted his poor rest time, and also affected the captain Adrian and Quentin who were attending, including Gilbert and Jok Man and other royal officials, but also had to come frequently to help toast. , Diversion to rescue.

　　Although the iron-fisted king is cold-tempered, on this occasion, with his face full of boredom, he also had to toast frequently, nodded in response, and posted two warm words from time to time. Queen Keya on the side was quite comfortable. It can be concluded that when he was young, he was skilled in this way.

　　In just half an hour, there were twenty or thirty groups of guests who came to the King of Hajj.

　　 I was surprised by Thales.

　　 "Don't laugh," Aunt Elise was indifferent, ruining his mood in one sentence:

　　 "You will be the same in the future."

　　 Thales sighed.

　　 With something in his mind, he could hardly enjoy his meal at ease, so he abused his lettuce one after another while calling for the crime of prison river to strengthen his senses and pay attention to his surroundings.

　　Compared with the Northland noble banquet, where only male guests are present, besides eating and drinking, it is more open for aristocratic banquets. Not only is it not restricted to men and women (and therefore appears more elegant), it is often seen when drinking When the restless men were eager to try, they left their seats and offered a toast to the beautifully dressed girls.

　　 There are even many young, beautiful, lively and active young women who will take the initiative to leave their seats, ignoring the white eyes and hostility of their family men, leaving their surveillance, talking and laughing with their favorite objects, exchanging cups, and even dancing. When the sound is loud, all join the dance floor and dance together.

　　 It’s fun, the host and the guest have a great time.

　　 But is it true?

　　 Taylor's heart moved, and the sound of conversation from all directions entered his ears through the filtering and strengthening of the senses of hell.

　　 "Oh, is it?'Persuade my father to propose a marriage'? Humph, you said the same last time, and you think that after you say this, I will sneak out at night like before. Baifu? By the way, I'm going to get engaged, and it's not yours in my stomach!" This is obviously an awkward conversation between a male and female couple.

　　"A kiss on the cliff? Yes, the other party has a noble family, but I will marry my daughter there only when I am blind. Those old-fashioned mountain barbarians still believe in the difference of the Lord of the Mountains Cult evil gods, I visited once the year before, and I still can't forget a small village in their mountains, the bonfire mating customs comparable to primitive people..." This is a local nobleman in the central leadership.

　　 Thales kept smiling, and the **** senses feedback to him in the auditory sense. Most of them were various kinds of king capital gossip and social conversation, but in different directions and different long tables, the content of the guests’ conversations was quite different. the difference.

　　"After the **** year, everyone discovered that the 20,000 farmers who were pulled from the farmland with a thousand gold coins are not as effective as the two hundred professional soldiers raised by a thousand gold coins. Do you remember the Duke of Xinghu——oh, the last Xinghu The Duke—Did the two thousand legions drive tens of thousands of rebels all over the mountains..."

　　This is a long table for honorable servicemen, and their theme is sharp:

　　"I was thinking, since the prince is back, should we go north for revenge? If you start a war, how can you be a lieutenant of the guard with your qualifications? You need to know the'horse slayer' After Dila retired, he climbed up to Gao Zhi, and he became a dignified Security Director..."

　　 "My son is studying grammar and theology, and mathematics," this is a certain political bureaucrat at the next table, anxiously chatting with his colleagues about his nephew's way out:

　　"He has a high spirit and wants to stay in Wing Star City. Maybe he will be a civil servant in the government affairs office, maybe want to earn a knighthood. But I hope he will go back to his hometown to apply for a job. Prosperous and comfortable, better than the capital..."

　　"I really envy my nephew, my nephew is my heir. He is determined to practice martial arts and military, and dreams of becoming an orthodox knight. But you also know that unless you were born with a good surname, the current title of knight is A joke, how can there be any orthodoxy? Look at the three handsome men, they are all knights, but a Yankee, a man-in-law, and a disgusting male prostitute who feeds on his face..."

　　 Thales sighed and sympathized with the legendary Wing that is said to be able to unite the Western Continent with his real name.

　　"Yes, Exter has no hostages in his hands, but it exacerbates the risk of war between the two countries. In addition, they are fighting each other. Believe me, Northern Trade Road is dead. The future potential business is all concentrated in To the west and south, if you are interested, we might as well find a place to talk in detail..."

　　 This is a long table for the head of the line and the businessmen, and the conversation is biased towards practice and business:

　　 "Twenty years, a new round of franchise sales should be on the agenda, maybe we should find the next dead ghost..."

　　"...He has to do this, his family’s loan from the Royal Bank is almost due. If you don’t bet on this voyage fleet, you can only transfer the fiefdom to fill the gap..."

　　 Thales didn’t understand these business ideas, so he turned his attention to the tables of the central dignitaries:

　　"No, the riots on the border of the Western Wilderness in the past few months are only a partial incident and will not affect the policy of the kingdom. The local aristocracy's reaction is only their own actions. The relationship between the royal family and the Western Wilderness is very good...what? No, this is of course not the official statement of the Department of Foreign Affairs, but my personal opinion, although I do work in the Department of Foreign Affairs..." This is Gilbert.

　　 "A lord ordered the dismissal of the service and asked the people to pay off with money, otherwise the land must be sold...No, no, in fact, your Majesty didn't say anything..." This is the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

　　"Of course, the so-called'abstinence is pure and only means divine will' is outdated. On the contrary, if your fief market is prosperous and your goods are abundant, you can attract more money and do more benefits. Government, presumably also in line with the will of the setting sun..." This is the deputy bishop of Stella Nides.

　　"Yes, a certain baron led by the blade died in the plague, but there was only one illegitimate child under his knee... the illegitimate child promised a large sum of money to let the duchess recognize his inheritance... and the baron’s The lower vassals obviously had different opinions, so they found Yongxing City and wanted to ask your Majesty to decide. At this point, the doorway is complicated, and no one dares to take this case..."

　　The Sin of Hell River roared, sending more and more table conversations into his ears.

　　 Thales listened absent-mindedly, trying to figure out the focus of attention of the guests and the circle of the royal capital, while trying to find out the current state of the kingdom from these words, but suddenly felt a strange feeling.

　　In Longxiao City, whether it’s a banquet, a political day, a grand duke, or an earl, the private chats of the nobles of Exter are always straightforward and angular:

　　 fiefdom, feud, power, marriage, the way of the north...

　　 tends to be heavy, heavy, cold, like dark clouds.

　　 But here, in the stars...

　　"In what age, do some people really believe that a marriage contract and two surnames can form a family alliance? Come on, before, the combination of two families meant greater territory and power. Now? Bringing huge maintenance costs and sky-high land fees and title recognition fees, as well as the division struggle within the family......"

　　"Your Excellency, are you still thinking about exploiting the peasants and collecting taxes to get rich? The sunset, you should really open your eyes, study hard and learn from your colleagues in Nan'an and Donghai Ling, from the trade association to the chamber of commerce, from the franchise to Market monopoly, make good use of our identity and power, in this era, we have too many ways to both profit and get our name..."

　　"Stop talking to him... This guy was rough and stupid before, and he didn’t change his mind when he became a lord. The way of ruling is all the most primitive and untouchable. I tell you, It will fall within two generations..."

　　 Thales listened silently and began to understand.

　　In Yongxing City, the social and conversation of the stars and nobles is so...

　　 restlessness.

　　 uneasy.

　　 hot.

　　 is constantly changing.

　　 Thales took a deep breath, and suddenly had a more intuitive understanding of the Star Kingdom.

　　Mindis Hall.

　　 Thales looked at this royal manor, feeling in his heart:

　　Min Dis.

　　 Look at the good things you do.

　　 Before he finished feeling, Jorge’s voice fell into his ears:

　　"Fuck, let me tell you, when the clouds were covered with lightning and thunder, I saw the dying natural king grabbing your North Star while grabbing our little dragon chicks and closing their little hands. Together, the dying Tuogu: "Only the true love of heart-to-heart can call the true dragon to come and save this city!"

　　 Thales turned black and looked around.

　　 I saw Jorge of Elk City in the side seats of foreign guests who were drunk and spitting:

　　"The king passed away for a long time, and the young dragon was trembling with anger and anger. She saw her facing the disaster and roaring up to the sky:'The dragon sky is immortal, Walton will avenge it!' Polaris stood side by side with her, seeing death as home. :'If you decide to fight, the star will live and die!' The next moment, just listen to a bang, guess what? Wow, they called a real dragon! Say it is too late, then fast, only see the truth The dragon smashed his **** down from the sky and sat dead on the spot..."

　　 Damn it.

　　 Thales listened with a sullen face for a while, only to feel that he was in a worse mood, so he simply turned to listen in one direction.

　　 But he quickly realized that in many conversations, he himself was the protagonist.

　　"I think that we should choose a prince and concubine who is not so tall. Just like Queen Keya, it is best to have a little affinity with the commoners. After all, it is not as good as before, and Prince Thales is not the same year. Dier..."

　　"I heard the merchant from the north say that Prince Thales is someone who dared to fight the Yankees hard, and he dared to fight five princes at a young age..."

　　 "So he experienced the catastrophe firsthand? Did he survive?"

　　 "No, it's not a disaster. I have a gossip. In fact, back then, it was a secret conspiracy of a secret cult, trying to manipulate the political situation and subvert Exeter..."

　　"Don’t believe these gossips! I have an inside line in Longxiao City, which is fairly well understood. Here is the conclusion: it was a major earthquake. After the disaster, the Yankees upper class wanted to shift their focus and escape Everyone talked about it and made up an excuse for disaster invasion."

　　"What did the dragon say?"

　　" is also made up! Boost morale and gather people's hearts. Think about it, when the dragon came to the world, when King Exter died, when Lombard became king, and their detention of the prince, eh, With such a product, the truth is ready to come out? What is the truth? Hey, I can’t go on, I’m fine-grained, and understand naturally. In short, we can’t look at the problem in isolation and one-sided. Do you know, bullshit, big picture! In the **** of national strategy, everything is connected..."

　　 "That's the case, it's your sir that you are far-sighted and know how to slap a bit, you deserve to be professional..."

　　 "Where...Thank you for the invitation, my predecessor was in Exeter, and just got off the carriage. Isn't it? You asked me when I came..."

　　 Thales could only hum inwardly.

　　"But how do I feel that the prince and Rumba are like a gang? You see, they instigated discord among the Northlanders, and first killed Duke Fengzhao, and then jointly killed King Nunn? I dare to pack the ticket. , Our secret department definitely has a share..."

　　 Thales' face changed.

　　 "Shhh, don't talk about national affairs... Just think about it, and you will know what kind of existence is in our Star Kingdom, so many things are too busy every day, so we will do this kind of thing? Two words: worthless."

　　" I heard that the prince hooked the grandfather of Longxiao City into five confuses, and wanted to die and live for him...ha, think about it, the lady who knew all the stinky guys from the north, When I see us handsome, charming, suave, and knowledgeable star men, hey hey, don't you immediately be shocked, you can't extricate yourself, is he not married?"

　　 Hmm.

　　 Hearing this, Thales' cheeks twitched.

　　 Maybe the Star Kingdom and Exeter, what they have in common...

　　 is more than expected.

　　 But, Selma...

　　 Thales clenched his fists.

　　 "You don't drink?"

　　 Thales regained his senses and found that it was Princess Elise next to her. She saw this beautiful aunt shaking the glass in her hand, tilting her head, and looking at him playfully.

　　 drinking.

　　 He looked at the new glass of wine and thought of someone who had invited him to drink.

　　The Duke of Xinghu is slightly distracted:

　　 "No kid... I mean, I don't like drinking."

　　 Iris was clear.

　　 "Drink as much as you want, or just a few sips."

Princess 　　 has a little blush on her face, and she obviously enjoys the things in the cup:

　　"According to the rules, members of the royal family, it’s better not to let people see the regularity of eating habits..."

　　 "Yes, I heard."

　　 Thales sighed with a headache and looked around the warm banquet hall:

　　 "Fortunately, we sit high and no one is watching me."

　　 Iris gave a chuckle, staring at the wine in the glass.

　　 "Yes, no one is watching," the princess shook the cup, her voice changed a little, her eyes looked deep:

　　 "But I bet you will feel everyone is watching you by tomorrow."

　　 Thales saw his aunt's drunkenness, smiled, and didn't answer.

　　 "Are you used to it?"

　　Iris looked at him:

　　"Your first banquet after returning to China, um, is probably the first one held by the royal family in more than ten years. Everyone will thank you."

　　 Tellston gave it a bit.

　　 He looked at the hotter banquet scene and twitched his mouth.

　　 "I think it's good."

　　 "It's safe and peaceful."

　　 Thales let out a sigh of relief.

　　 "Neither dozens of nobles have identified with one voice, you are an illegitimate wild species."

　　 "There is no **** king to force you to find the murderer of his son."

　　"Or a group of vicious northern men are clamoring and want to cut you off."

　　 Thales is a little surprised:

　　 "If you omit the part of meeting and greeting..."

　　"I haven’t encountered such a peaceful and festive gathering of nobles in a long time."

　　 Thales was silent.

　　He suddenly felt a hot wrist.

　　 "It's okay, Thales," Thales returned to his senses and realized that Aunt Elise was holding his wrist under the table and said softly:

　　 "It's okay."

Princess 　　 stared at him quietly, the gentle pity in her eyes made Thales a little unbearable.

　　 At this moment, Mallos appeared next to them.

　　 "Your Royal Highness," the watchman leaned down and whispered:

　　 "You should go now."

　　 Iris let go of Thales’ hand and frowned:

　　"Your Lord?"

　　 I saw Mallos lower his voice:

　　 "The queen needs to go back to the palace, now."

　　 "She..." Iris turned to the queen's direction, and then reacted:

　　 "Oh."

　　 Thales narrowed his eyes: On the side of the king, Queen Keya was pale and murmured in her mouth. She was held tightly by one of her wrists by Jini, while the maids beside her were orderly preparing.

　　 Thales then heard a voice from the **** senses: "Where are my children? Luther is still young, he wants to change diapers...".

　　He was sad.

　　Some guests noticed the queen, but most people turned aside their eyes and turned a blind eye.

　　 Mallos nodded:

　　 "The queen needs your help."

　　 Princess Elise sighed slowly, she smiled helplessly at Thales, and then stood up.

　　 Mallos thoughtfully put on her a cloak.

　　 Thales could only say goodbye to her.

　　 But just as she turned and left, the princess suddenly spoke.

　　 "Tormond."

　　 Hearing his own name, Mallorston took a while.

　　Iris looked at the queen, tightened her cloak, but said quietly:

　　 "Have you regretted?"

　　 Hearing these words, Thales frowned, and his hands froze while pulling the lettuce.

　　 Mallos frowned, he paused and repeated:

　　 "The Queen needs you, Your Highness."

　　 "I know."

　　 Iris smiled, glanced at the watchman, her eyes dim and clear:

　　 "I regretted it."

　　 Mallos was startled.

　　 In the next second, Iris floated away and joined the queen's team.

　　 one second.

　　 two seconds.

　　 In an extremely embarrassing silence, Thales cleared his throat, looked at the back of the captain who was standing extremely stiff, and tentatively said: "Um, you and aunt she..."

　　 "Don't ask."

　　Malios sat down gently beside the prince without looking back:

　　 "You are still my favorite Duke."

　　He has a respectful tone and does not show his expression.

　　 But Thales felt cold in his heart for no reason.

　　 Fortunately, someone showed up in time.

　　 "What a bad luck."

　　 Behind, Doyle, who came back from the toilet, patted Glover on the shoulder, and sat down broadly:

　　"As the prince’s guards, we have to bolster our stomachs in advance, we can’t go to the banquet, we can’t dance with the girls, we can’t...God, it’s so boring, I miss the past."

　　 Doyle yawned.

　　 "You can," the watchman turned his head from his seat and glanced at D.D lightly:

　　 "You can do the same as before."

　　 "Go down and join your father's table, join the party, dance and laugh with the girls."

　　Doyle shook suddenly!

　　 Under the sympathetic eyes of Glover and Thales, he realized stiffly that in the seat of Princess Iris was sitting—his boss.

　　 "Lord...Lord?"

　　Doyle realized that the disaster was imminent and forced an ugly smile.

　　 Mallos gave a cold snort:

　　 "You know, I can let Fulateng come up to take your place, so that you can enjoy, receive, feast, and meet."

　　Doyle trembled and authentic:

　　"Replacement——Replacement?"

　　 "Yeah, don't you know?" Mallos looked at him blankly: "In Mindis Hall, no matter when and where, I can always find someone to take your place."

　　 "Whether it is today."

　　 "It's still the rest of your life."

　　 Mallos's gloomy authentic way:

　　 "Total energy."

　　"Do you still want to go to the party?"

　　Doyle looked at Glover and Thales in horror, but they both shook their heads at him pityingly:

　　 It's not your fault, boy.

　　D.D swallowed, and then reacted. He shook his head and made a serious expression:

　　 "No, no, sir, what you said is wrong."

　　 Mallos raised his eyebrows:

　　"What?"

　　 I saw Doyle with his arms raised, awe-inspiring and generous:

　　"This body may be buried in the throne’s breath, or buried halfway through the emperor’s life, nothing else ends."

　　Doyle looked righteous:

　　 "The banquet or something...As the royal guard, we should be loyal to our duties, how can we be selfish?"

　　Glover looked at him contemptuously.

　　 Thales chuckled:

　　 "Really? But tonight, there are many ladies and ladies, many nice unmarried girls..."

　　 "Hey, I'm not going to mention this again," Doyle waved his hand, his expression resolute and unmoved: "Since you have Your Highness Thales by my side..."

　　 "...what girl do I want?"

　　 Thales just shook a piece of lettuce gracefully from the plate.

　　 Mallos hooked the corner of his mouth, he was about to say something, but he trembled slightly.

　　 In the next second, Mallos suddenly turned his head and looked towards the hall!

　　 At that moment, Thales shivered.

　　 He suddenly had an illusion: The watchman in front of him had become a sharp blade.

　　 I saw Mallos staring at the whole banquet hall, coldly said:

　　"Doyle, you go to the banquet right away, mix in with the guests, pay more attention, especially those who look stiff and stiff..."

　　Doyle still keeps his face straight:

　　 "No! I want to guard your Highness here..."

　　 But Mallos turned his head~IndoMTL.com~He looked very serious:

　　 "I mean it!"

　　 his appearance surprised all three of them:

　　 "Glover, you go and inform Captain Adrian, let him guard your Majesty away quietly, and then gather the manpower."

　　 "Sir," Glover looked at each other suspiciously:

　　 "What's wrong?"

　　 In the melodious and light music, Mallos looked down at the lively banquet again, his eyes alert:

　　 "Just now, someone looked up from below."

　　 took a look?

　　 Thales frowned:

　　 "Who?"

　　 "I don't know," Mallos shook his head:

　　 "But I recognize the look in that look, it is the resentment and despair of seeing death like home..."

　　 Thales was startled.

　　 regard death as home.

　　 resentment and... despair?

What does 　　 mean?

　　 "At the banquet tonight."

　　Under the stunned eyes of the three, Mallos slowly held down the long sword at his waist, and came to a conclusion blankly:

　　 "There are assassins."

　　 doesn't feel right how to write it, it makes me desperate.

　　 (End of this chapter)