Kingdom's Bloodline

"His Royal Highness Thales," the Duke of South Bank, who was sitting at the head of the table, put down the tableware, wiped the corners of his mouth gracefully, and used his eyes to signal that the servants don\'t need to panic, just close the door and leave, "I\'m still thinking, when will you come to me? …”

But Thales looked at him coldly. "explain."

"Explain what?" Jenn still smiled.

Thales carefully observed the Duke\'s every move.

"Last night, one of my subordinates died," the prince said with anger on his face, "he was seriously injured, and he didn\'t even have time to call a doctor."

Jane\'s smile disappeared, and his hand holding the wine glass paused slightly.

"And you, Jenn Kevin Dill, you have to pay for it," Thales clenched his teeth with eyes like knives, "I swear, in the name of the little puppet - in the name of Starlake Castle."

"impossible."

Duke Iris thought for a moment, then frowned and replied:

"Your group of ten people, including the heirs of Aarend and Bozdorf, as well as your personal guard captain, returned to Kongming Palace in batches last night. , no one is seriously injured and dying! Even if there is an unknown secret injury, it is not..."

Zhan\'s eyes moved, and his words stopped.

"Wait, are you cheating on me?"

Thales raised his eyebrows, walked over to Jan, turned his head, pulled out a chair and sat down.

"So you know, from start to finish," the prince snorted coldly, "from when I dispatched my men to when they returned to Kongming Palace."

Jane\'s face froze.

"I was about to talk about this," said the Duke of South Bank indifferently, "We had an unexpected accident yesterday, but it has been handled safely, efficiently and properly..."

"No, you didn\'t," Thales interrupted him coldly, "You still have one thing to do."

Jann stopped talking.

Thales leaned forward and put his arms on the dining table: "Me."

The dining room became quiet again.

Across the dining table, the eyes of the two met in the air, as if two swordsmen were standing on the duel stage and slowly drawing their swords.

The atmosphere became solemn.

The next second, the door of the dining room was slammed open, and both of them were shocked!

A \'person\' with pale skin and greenish complexion, with a neck swollen like a gourd, staggered in, his facial features sparsely hung on his face, as if melting, disgusting and terrifying.

"Grump gurgling..." He made a gritty gurgling sound from his throat, like a bubbling sound.

Thales clasped the arm of the chair tightly, his face stiffened, but he didn\'t lose his temper.

"Xilei," Jenn\'s expression remained unchanged, and he took a sip of wine calmly, "We are talking about business."

"Ah."

A disappointed voice came from behind the \'person\'.

The monster\'s face shrivels, and Xilai\'s sweaty face "drilled" out of it, still dressed casually:

"The newly made handicrafts are based on the legend of water ghouls in the Canal District. Does it look good?"

Water ghoul...

Thales exhaled, looked at the swollen face with melted facial features, and looked at Jenn who frowned behind the dining table.

"It\'s beautiful, miss, a genius idea," Ashford, the housekeeper, followed her with a smile on his face, "May I suggest pouring some water on it to create a wet effect?"

Xiley\'s eyes lit up when he heard the words:

"It makes sense, no wonder I feel that something is missing. If you can see pus from your facial features while walking, it will be ticking, with footprints and sound and light effects, it will be even better, and then give a name..."

"Ashford!" Jenn couldn\'t bear it any longer.

In the next second, the water ghoul was instantly transferred from Xilai\'s hand to the butler\'s.

"I\'m going to work now, miss," Ashford turned and left, closing the door smoothly, moving in a coherent manner, "Don\'t worry."

The door closed, leaving the three of them in the dining room, staring at each other.

"Why do you always like to play ghosts?" Thales frowned.

"Because everyone likes it," Sheila stepped forward, looked at the prince, then at her brother, with an innocent face, "Look, don\'t you like it too?"

Thales and Jen looked at each other.

As old rivals and old enemies, they have long been accustomed to the tit-for-tat relationship, and the atmosphere is tense, but when a third party suddenly appears in front of them, whether it is the Duke of Xinghu or the owner of Iris, they are not very suitable.

"What are you doing, Hilla?" Jan asked their common question.

Under the complicated eyes of the prince and the duke, Miss Kevin Deere sat down at the dining table without any burden, just on the other side of Jenn, directly opposite Thales, she wrapped her napkin with great interest, you\'re welcome. Picking up the spare knife and fork on the table.

"Get up early, get something to eat. By the way, ask Thales, when are you going on a date today?"

As soon as these words came out, Thales and Jenn froze together.

What?

"He\'s here to see who his fiancée is, isn\'t he? Or am I mistaken?" Sheila answered very naturally.

Thales and Jen met eyes, one embarrassed and the other cold.

They exchanged countless emotions and messages in a short period of time, and finally reached a rare agreement:

not now.

The two swordsmen on the duel platform drew back their swords and sheathed them.

"Xile, pay attention to the name, it\'s \'Prince Thales\' or \'His Royal Highness\'," Jen\'s face was so cold that water dripped, "Don\'t lose your courtesy."

"That\'s right, Xi-Ms. Kevin Deere," Thales nodded with difficulty, "We\'re not that familiar yet."

Sheila tutted and shook his head:

"Ha, you didn\'t say that when you were on the roof of the temple yesterday."

Rooftop...

Jane\'s eyes became more and more terrifying, like a butcher sharpening his knife.

Sin of Hell River felt the terrible atmosphere, Thales took a deep breath and got up from his seat:

"It\'s late today, ma\'am, I think it\'s time for me to leave..."

Jane also put down his glass on the other side: "Yes, we just finished talking..."

But the next sentence from Sheila brought a change:

"By the way, Jenn, I just heard from Officer Caquere that there was a murder in Point Gold District yesterday?"

Murder in Dianjin District.

As soon as these words came out, Thales and Jen both frowned.

Their eyes met in the air.

As if the duel that had just stopped, the drums of war were sounded again.

But Shi Lai at the center of the duel just looked at the table full of food, unaware:

"I heard that the deceased was still a businessman? What\'s the matter, did something happen?"

Diop.

Thales remembered the name of the deceased and frowned deeply.

Jane looked at Thales and said calmly, "No, it\'s just an ordinary..."

But he was interrupted by Thales before he finished speaking.

"Actually, I also heard from my subordinates," Thales sat down on the chair again, his eyes burning brightly, "Yesterday, both the Police Department and the Emerald Legion dispatched a large number of people, which caused people to panic. I don\'t know if it has anything to do with this murder. case?"

Jane\'s eyes turned cold when he heard the words.

"Wow, is that true?" Sheila picked up the dessert to herself.

Jane and Thales looked at each other for a long time, and then glanced at his sister.

"Listen to your subordinates?"

The Duke of South Bank raised his glass again and observed Thales\' distorted face through the glass: "I wonder which subordinate your Highness listened to?"

This time, the two swordsmen no longer put their swords back into their sheaths.

"I have a subordinate named Wyah," Thales naturally picked up an empty glass and took advantage of the opportunity to get the kettle with the Tairenbang Qingquan drink. "He said that when he was walking on the street, he saw it in the distance. A large number of vigilantes and military officers are blocking the block, searching for criminals."

"As far as I know," Jen looked sharply, he held down the lid of Qingquan Drink, preventing Thales from taking it away, "Wyah Caso\'s attendant was with you at noon yesterday. How do you go out and wander around the streets?"

"You don\'t know that," Thales sneered, grabbed the handle of the pot, and wrestled with Jenn, "Many of my subordinates are named Wyah."

"Which Wyah is that?"

"The one you don\'t know..."

"Hey!"

Xile finally couldn\'t bear it anymore, she bit the teaspoon and pointed to the kettle between the two:

"Can you stop robbing - that pot is empty."

Thales and Jen looked at each other, and both let go in embarrassment and discomfort.

Sheila smiled,

I saw Miss Kevin Deere gracefully stretch out her hand, take away the kettle, and then tilt the spout freely to pour herself a full glass of clear spring drink.

Thales and Jan were startled, their eyes strange.

"Oh, so there are," Shi Lai shook the kettle with a surprised expression, "There are quite a few."

The prince and the duke looked at each other and both exhaled.

The conversation was interrupted, but the atmosphere in the room was better.

Jane took another look at Shi Lai:

"Yes, yesterday, a vigilante in Dianjin District received a report from an enthusiastic citizen, saying that it was a private mansion with strangers waiting to enter and exit, with a suspicious shape."

Thales smiled sarcastically: "Enthusiastic citizens? Which enthusiastic citizens?"

Jane moved his fingers. "The citizens of Emerald City are enthusiastic."

"Especially the Duke himself?"

"Not more urgent than His Royal Highness..."

"Don\'t digress, then what?" Sheila interrupted them.

The Duke of Iris sneered: "Then, the Vigilant Office and the Emerald Legion jointly dispatched, and finally found out that a wool merchant and his mistress were both killed in the mansion. The death was horrific and heinous."

The dining room was quiet for a moment.

Xilei took a sip of the clear spring and stared wide-eyed:

"Wow, that\'s scary."

Thales\'s expression remained the same, and a pair of eyes pinned on Jenn\'s body:

"So, has the murderer caught?"

"Of course," Jen\'s expression was calm and unwavering. "The vigilance hall and the Emerald Corps were put in place quickly and efficiently, and the suspect was arrested on the spot."

Thales\' eyes narrowed:

"The suspect?"

Jenn stared at Thales and smiled: "Lord Bedren was found drunk in a block not far away with a **** murder weapon in his hand. When he woke up, he couldn\'t tell how he got here. ."

Thales frowned.

"Lord Bedren?" Hilley rolled his eyes, "Oh, that family whose ancestors were barons, but who were punished and demoted for oppressing the people?"

Jane nodded, decisively:

"It\'s him."

Thales was silent for a while:

"Why? A drunken man, why would he enter the house and kill a wool merchant?"

Duke Iris was silent for a moment.

"According to the vigilante\'s investigation, the debt owed by Lord Bedren is about to come due, and the debt belongs to the Wool Chamber of Commerce."

"This reason does not seem to be sufficient?"

"Yesterday, some citizens saw him looking for creditors everywhere. Maybe he was drunk and became angry and took risks..."

Having said that, Diop\'s death has turned into a case of angry murder under a debt dispute.

Thales clenched his fists.

Of course, the voice in his heart sneered: This is his usual technique, isn\'t it?

From Morse to Diop.

who is the next?

"Dear Jenn," the prince said suddenly, his tone tightened, "Are you sure?"

Jane frowned, and Shirai also raised his head.

"Are you sure, the perpetrator is really the Lord Bedren?"

Duke Xinghu\'s voice was extremely soft, but his words seemed to have some kind of power, which made one have to hesitate.

Jane didn\'t answer, he just stared at his glass.

Sheila looked at his brother, and then at Thales.

"Speaking of which, Prince Thales."

The next second, Duke Iris spoke slowly, his tone was gentle, and he had a completely different feeling from the prince:

"I remembered, I just heard from Ashford that many of your people, such as Wyah, who I don\'t know, were \'hanging\' in the city yesterday, and only returned at night, and some people even brought them with them. hurt."

Thales frowned fiercely.

I saw Jan looking at Thales with a cold look:

"Could they just pass by the crime scene, do they have any clues to solve the case?"

Just happened to pass by the crime scene...

The atmosphere between the prince and the duke turned cold again.

"Oh?"

Xilai\'s eyes lit up: "Really? Did they see the murderer?"

Thales and Jen looked at each other silently.

"No, in fact, they follow the local customs and get carried away while having fun with the people in the city. They got into a fight with someone inexplicably and got injured." Thales lowered his head and said in a cold voice, "It\'s funny, right?"

Jane smiled.

"Where, the Emerald City is now mixed with fish and dragons, especially those foreigners with complicated origins, who are always looking for trouble and cause some trouble that shouldn\'t be caused," the duke said lightly, "Prince Thales, your people are walking outside, you need to add more. Be careful."

Thales sneered.

"They will be careful. After all, not everyone is like the wool merchant, with a special status and extraordinary significance, so that Duke Jenn can work on the case in person?"

"Every citizen and guest of the Emerald City, no matter what their status or significance, their safety, freedom and rights are under the protection of the Emerald City and under my protection," Jen said without changing his expression. "It\'s not allowed to have ulterior motives and encroach upon the violation."

"It is a blessing to have a ruler like you in the Emerald City. The businessman who was murdered must be able to smile in prison." Thales sarcastically said.

"It is all thanks to His Majesty Kessel\'s good governance that we can enjoy peace in a remote country like us."

"My father would be very happy if he knew of your loyalty."

"His Royal Highness and His Majesty\'s father and son are connected, and they must be equally happy."

Xile looked at the left and then at the right, in the quarrel between Thales and Jenn, showing an intriguing expression:

"You said, could it be a water ghoul?"

The prince and the duke, who were in tit-for-tat confrontation, were stunned for a moment when they heard these endless words:

"what?"

"Water ghoul?"

Xile raised the kettle with great enthusiasm, poured out two cups of clear spring drink, and handed them to them respectively:

"You know, the ancient legend of the Emerald City, every time the Emerald Festival comes, the water ghouls under the canal will wake up, get out of the river, and wander the streets of the Emerald City, looking for people who are alone at night... So every year the queen Today, many people have died unexpectedly.”

The conversation was interrupted, and Thales and Jen had to withdraw their aggressive attitude.

The atmosphere in the dining room is not so scary anymore.

"Sixty percent of those who died during the Emerald Celebration were drunkards who fell into the canal on the day of the night tour." Jen took the cup handed over by his sister and exhaled, "The remaining thirty percent are for each other. All kinds of murders, vendettas, gang fights, or this debt dispute, it\'s just being covered up by the Emerald Celebration, most of which are man-made."

Thales took the cup:

"How about 10%?"

"The vigilantes in Emerald City are not detectives either," Zhan snorted softly. "There will always be cases that cannot be solved, such as missing persons."

Thales found that Hille had only poured him half a glass of clear spring drink, and when he was drinking from the rim of the glass, the inner wall of the glass showed two grimaces like the previous "Soul Bone Jacques". Fluorescence composition vocabulary:

【Don’t conflict. 】

Thales frowned slightly.

"eaten."

Xile said suddenly.

Thales and Jen looked up in confusion:

"what?"

Xilei rubbed his gloves and rolled his eyes: "If it\'s really a water ghoul, then of course those who are eaten can\'t leave a body behind, they can only be \'disappeared\', right?"

Thales narrowed his eyes

"Uh, right?"

The next second, Xilai frowned. She took a deep breath and stood up with difficulty:

"Ah, sorry, I have to leave."

Thales asked suspiciously: "Hey—Ms. Kevin Deere?"

And Jenn\'s eyes tightened and he stood up:

"Sheila, are you not feeling well?"

But Hillary just waved his hand indifferently and exhaled:

"It\'s nothing, it\'s just menstruation."

Ah?

Thales and Zhan were stunned for a moment, they quickly turned their heads and looked away awkwardly.

"Ah, I have to change the menstrual cloth, I feel like I\'m sitting in a pool of blood every hour..."

Zhan\'s color suddenly changed, and he said sharply:

"Cecilia!"

Xilai waved his hand indifferently:

"You should be happy, you bleed every month, which means your sister doesn\'t have a big belly..."

Thales pretended not to hear, lowered his head and drank his drink, and by the way painted out the fluorescent words on the wall of the cup.

Jann looked at Cecilia in disbelief, then looked at Thales again, and said angrily:

"Cecilia! Stop talking about it! What about your upbringing?"

"What\'s the matter, is everyone okay with this?"

"Men - half of them don\'t have any!"

"That\'s right!" Shi Lai pushed open the door and turned around and said fiercely, "Then you\'re doing so much shit!"

The door closed, and there were only Thales and Jenn left in the dining room again, and the two looked at each other.

"This girl never gives you peace of mind," the duke snorted coldly, and also bowed his head to hide his embarrassment, "You see, she is not a good girl, let alone a good wife, she will only make your court chicken fly. Jump."

Thales hooked the corner of his mouth: "Well, I don\'t think it\'s that bad..."

Fortunately, before Jenn\'s eyes turned cold again, Thales reacted and stopped in time.

But after Sheila\'s interruption (and perhaps Sheila\'s reminder), the tension between them is less fraught.

"I thought we agreed yesterday: I will continue to investigate Dagory Moss, and pretend to be hostile to you in order to confuse our enemies." Thales adjusted his mood, became serious, and returned to the topic again .

"Exactly," Jen put down his glass heavily, "so I cooperate with you in acting, as always, obstruct you, oppose you, and let everyone - whether it is your own people, enemies, smart people, stupid people, or stupid people who think they are smart. ——They all thought that the Emerald City staged a fight between the prince and the duke to mislead the kingdom\'s secret department, didn\'t they?"

Thales was silent for a while, then chuckled.

"So you took the lead, cut off the investigation leads, and almost took the blame for the subordinate I sent to investigate, and even tried to frame me - \'the prince\'s personal guards entered the house to kill\', a sensational topic, right?"

Jane shook his head, watertight:

"If you don\'t do this, how can you convince the Kingdom Secret Service and your father that the two of us are indeed fighting brutally, and it\'s a matter of life and death?"

"But judging from the wool merchant, you seem to be very involved."

Jane raised the glass again and observed Thales through the glass: "Remember, since you want to pursue the effect, then follow through to the end?"

Thales was silent for a while.

"Dagory Morse went to see the wool merchant before he was silenced."

"I know."

"If the Kingdom Secret Service ordered him to do this, there must be a reason."

"I know."

Thales frowned:

"Then why did you—"

But Jenn interrupted him first, no doubt:

"Because I already understood it!"

The owner of the iris looked at him coldly:

"In the kingdom\'s secret department\'s plan, their trump card is none other than others."

"And it\'s you."

"Second Prince, Thales Brightstar."

At that moment, facing Jenn\'s blade-like eyes, Thales\' heart tightened.

There is one more chapter, which can be finished in the early morning.

(end of this chapter)