Chapter 645: Handshake

The moment Thales finished speaking, the Karabeyan sisters before him both burst into laughter.

"Don't call us 'ladies.' No need to be so distant!" Kasha instantly stuck to his left arm, smiling like a flower.

"For us to more efficiently take things further..." Qina immediately climbed onto his right shoulder, her bright eyes sparkling.

"Just call us by our names!"

"Nicknames would be best!"

"For example, Shasha..."

"And Qiqi..."

Kasha smiled even more charmingly.

"A little more intimate..."

Qina took over and blinked her crystal-clear eyes.

"There are benefits!"

"But... however... may I..." Thales's face reddened. He wanted to remind them to keep a safe distance, but was interrupted every time.

"But if it is little Thay-Thay..."

"You can have an exclusive name!"

Little, little what?

Thales felt his brows slipping beyond control.

"Preferably something cute..."

"And a little shy and naughty!"

"Something that makes people feel between us..."

"There is an unspeakable improper rela..."

At this point, Kasha and Qina both drew in a breath.

The two looked at each other in surprise, as though they had accidentally said something wrong.

But in the next second, they excitedly and shyly patted Thales's hand and shoulder as though patting each other, speaking in unison:

"Eeeh, sister, you are so bad!"

"Bad, bad all the way through!"

No, wait a moment.

Trapped between them, Thales was suffering.

"No, we cannot. We cannot do this. This is not the kind of joke to make. Right, um..."

Dragged nearly to collapse by their nonstop verbal offensive, Thales struggled hard to block the two girls' patting. At that moment, he suddenly had an idea.

"Right! I know your older brother!"

The sisters' movements stopped.

Sunset, thank heaven. That worked.

"So, heh, Cohen. I am his friend, which means I am your friend too. An ally!"

Thales retreated to the wall, panting, and waved his hand to signal a ceasefire.

Hm?

Thales suddenly felt something was strange.

Kasha and Qina stood on either side, one with a tense face, the other deeply worried, looking at each other with two different but equally complicated expressions.

Why had these two human repeating crossbows suddenly stopped speaking?

Was Cohen's name really that useful?

Several seconds later, Kasha finally sighed.

"Sigh, sister. I knew it..."

Qina continued sadly:

"We cannot escape it!"

"We worried our hearts to pieces..."

"And worried the child sick!"

Kasha sighed and comforted her younger sister.

"Forget it, sister. Probably every family..."

Qina took a deep breath and nodded firmly.

"Has a disgrace!"

A disgrace?

"Uh, is it that exaggerated?" Thales frowned. "Cohen?"

Kasha dramatically covered her heart.

"Oh, sorry, little Thay-Thay. You mean that..."

Her younger sister took over:

"That..."

At this point, the two looked at each other and nodded together.

Thales raised his brows.

"Cohen?"

In the next second, the twins widened their angry eyes and inhaled deeply, as though trying to draw in every grudge and resentment in the world.

"You mean Cohen-wet-the-bed-at-twelve-cried-after-being-beaten-by-a-woman-afraid-of-cockroaches-while-sleeping-single-for-life-sword-longer-than-himself Karabeyan?"

The scene became quiet.

Thales froze in place.

What?

After saying that long string, the Karabeyan sisters hugged each other, sighing and patting shoulders and backs, just like a pair of suffering mothers comforting each other.

"Uh, this is the first time I have heard he has so many middle names," Thales clicked his tongue, having refreshed his understanding of Cohen in several seconds. "Before, I only knew 'big fool.'"

"Big fool? Heh!"

"Little Thay-Thay, your heart is too kind!"

Kasha and Qina instantly switched into angry complaint mode, alternating back and forth.

"Our foolish older brother? Stupid playmate? Idiot big brother?"

"That muscle giant baby with only stones in his head?"

"The childish boy who ran away from home as soon as he reached age?"

"A brainless gorilla who only knows how to anger Father and Mother and make his sisters worry!"

The twins looked at each other, disgusted.

"Ew."

Before Thales could speak, the angry Kasha blurted out:

"For my last birthday, he sent me a set of marionettes!"

"For me, it was a pair of cloth dolls!"

Thales carefully said:

"Is that not fairly nice?"

"Fairly nice..." Kasha put her hands on her hips.

"Fairly nice?" Qina sneered.

"He also sent us two dresses!"

"Two dresses!"

Thales spoke quietly, as though walking on thin ice.

"Is that not also fairly nice?"

Kasha sneered.

"Of course it was nice, if they were not..."

"Children's clothes!"

The two girls looked at each other and stomped angrily.

"Hmph!"

"Hah!"

"Hah!"

"Men."

"Men!"

"Older brothers..."

"Are also men!"

Kasha turned her neck, showing an exquisitely groomed profile.

"Completely unaware that his sisters are no longer six years old."

Qina turned sideways with one hand on her waist, showing a graceful curve.

"But sixteen!"

"Already able to enchant men..."

"Already able to lift skirts and have fun..."

"Able to marry a powerful husband..."

"Then wait for him to die for no clear reason..."

Ah?

The more they spoke, the more intoxicated they became, and Thales's expression grew stranger and stranger.

Able to do what?

"Then become rich overnight..."

"Or become a widow with power..."

"Then look for the next target..."

"Then wait for him to die again..."

At this point, the overly intoxicated Kasha and Qina suddenly reacted. They glanced at Thales, quickly adjusted their expressions, and gathered together.

"Cough, cough. Sister, too far. Remember, reserved and dignified."

"Mm, you are right, sister. Virtuous and wise."

The two sisters coughed heavily and separated again. The greed on their faces vanished instantly, replaced by solemn seriousness.

"In short, our foolish older brother..."

"Vulgar, old-fashioned, boring."

"Careless, sloppy, heartless."

The more they spoke, the more displeased they became, like two chirping sparrows.

"He even thinks we are noisy!"

"Thinks we are annoying!"

"Tells us to shut up quickly!"

"Tells us not to block the way!"

"Thinks we obstruct his sword brain!"

"Or sword heart?"

"Do not know, and it does not matter!"

Thales listened until his head swelled.

"He practically wants to kill his sisters to prove the Way!"

"Completely unaware that when Father is absent..."

"Who supports the entire family, old and young!"

"Hmph..."

"Hmph!"

The angry sisters held each other and shook their heads with a sigh.

"Our pitiful, hateful, tragic, and slightly adorable foolish older brother..."

"Foolish older brother..."

"Serves him right to be single," Kasha leaned in before Thales. "Serves him right to be suspended."

Qina also came to his side.

"Serves him right that Father cut off his living expenses!"

Across Thales, the sisters looked at each other.

"Hmph!"

"And the only useful thing about him..."

Kasha and Qina carefully studied Thales's expression and turned to each other.

"Fine. At least our foolish older brother did not boast or lie."

"Or he lacks the intelligence to make up lies."

"He really went to the North?"

"Maybe he was dragged there by force."

"And got close to the prince?"

"Certainly not by reason."

"Maybe he leeched off merit?"

"More likely he was lucky."

"Fortunately, he did fulfill a move or two from the Tower of Eradication..."

"And is not a knight ennobled through fraud!"

"So at least he will not anger Father to death..."

"Go thank Sunset quickly!"

"Cough, cough! Um!" Seeing the conversation about to fall into the terrifying loop of a two-person act again, Thales hurriedly caught an opening and interrupted. "I would be very happy to chat with you Karabeyans about family matters, but before that, I still have important business..."

Before his voice fell, Kasha and Qina both cried "ah" and stuck together again, revealing mysterious expressions to Thales.

"Oh my, do not be distant, little Thay-Thay."

"We know."

"We understand."

Kasha blinked.

"You did not come here willingly. You were forced."

Thales's brows tightened.

Qina added proudly:

"Because of status, because of politics!"

Thales clenched his fists.

How...

How did they know...

How did they know that his mission to Jade City was forced...

Of course they knew, the voice in his heart said.

Because you truly resist this mission, and what is spoken reflects what is thought.

But you have no choice, Thales.

Think of the Kortaksa in your pocket.

Thales gritted his teeth.

Seeing Thales's expression change, Kasha's eyes lit up.

"But we have a better choice."

"One that frees you from your current predicament?"

"And does not lose thoughtful arrangements!"

"Perhaps you may even profit. It is no worse than Jade City."

Kasha struck a tempting pose.

"Come marry a better wife!"

Ah?

Thales, who had been on full guard, froze.

"Wives..." Qina poked her older sister from the side and whispered.

"Ah?"

"You forgot the plural, sister!"

"Is that important?"

"Very! Extremely! Especially! Extraordinarily!" Qina whispered through clenched teeth.

"Fine. I will add it. We advance and retreat as one."

"Swear in foolish older brother's name?"

"Swear on foolish older brother's entire fortune and life!"

"Good."

After privately negotiating in front of Thales, the two regained their smiles and said together:

"Come marry better wives!"

Wait.

Have you misunderstood something?

"All right, all right, ladies. I know you are resourceful and well-informed." Thales's head hurt. He could only use a higher-level political reason to deflect them. "Yes, I came here nominally and partly to visit Lady Hilley of the Covendier family, but this is for the kingdom's..."

The moment those words came out, Kasha and Qina both paled and jumped backward.

"Ah!"

"Ya!"

"Do not mention that name!"

"Why would you mention that name?"

Kasha recovered and gritted her teeth.

"That disgusting name!"

Qina pouted, her mood awkward.

"That hateful name!"

The two looked at him unhappily, as though seeing something unbelievable.

"Why..."

"Why!"

Thales was baffled.

"Oh, you mean Lady Hilley?"

The twins shuddered again and hugged each other.

"Ah! He said it again!"

"That name!"

"That person!"

"That woman!"

Thales was still confused.

"What, what is wrong? Why?"

Kasha sneered.

"Hah, why?"

Qina clicked her tongue and snorted.

"He actually asks us why?"

"Why does he ask us why?"

"Then we shall tell him why!"

The twins looked ferocious and pointed at the prince together, startling him.

"Because she!"

"She!"

"Hilley-dead-woman-big-pervert-playing-mystic-nutcase-monster-miss Covendier!"

The two girls took a deep breath and shouted with hatred and resentment almost comparable to when they had named Cohen:

"Is a bitch!"

Thales could not help being shocked.

"A bi... a what?"

What was with another long string of middle names?

"Yes, yes, yes, Your Highness," Qina said with disgust all over her face.

"She is a bitch," Kasha said expressionlessly.

"Bitch!"

"A bitch among bitches."

"Bitch!"

"A bitch above bitches."

"Bitch!"

"A bitch bitchier than any bitch!"

"Bitch! Bitch! Bitch!"

Facing the furious sisters, Thales stared with his mouth open.

Hilley Covendier?

"If she is your target, then we offer our condolences, Your Highness." Kasha covered her mouth and glanced sideways, her tone mysterious.

"Deep condolences."

"She is withdrawn, cold, strange, vicious, cruel," Kasha shook her head solemnly. "And..."

"Self-important, pretentious, and two-faced!"

"She only has a good surname, good family, good father, good brother..."

"A fairly good brother."

"Indeed fairly good..."

"As delicious as you..."

Hm?

Thales felt they had gone off-topic again.

"As rich..."

"As lovable..."

"As tempting to bully until she drips..."

Kasha and Qina both trembled.

"Ah, numb all over."

"It claws at the heart!"

"Ah, sister, wipe your drool!"

"Slurp! You too, cover your clothes!"

The twins hurriedly restored their posture, yet could not help turning their heads and whispering.

"Sigh, we lost composure. It is all your fault!"

"All your fault!"

"But he is too delicious..."

"I understand. Then when we go back..."

"When we get in bed..."

"Eeeh, hee hee, sister, you are so bad!"

"Eeeh, hehe, sister, you are the bad one!"

Thales coughed.

The two who were whispering shuddered when they heard him, and their expression management instantly returned.

"Remember, reserved?"

"Good. Dignified."

Kasha cleared her throat.

"Do not mind us, Your Highness."

"We are merely expressing emotion!"

"But this world is unfair."

"There is no justice."

At this point, Qina sighed deeply.

"Why do we not have someone like her..."

"A good brother!"

The two held each other and moved in front of Thales again, blinking and pouting.

As though they were truly especially wronged.

Thales's face twitched as he listened. He stepped back and narrowed his eyes.

"So, you and Hilley... you and she... do not get along?"

Kasha's expression changed.

"Hah, do not get along?"

"Do not get along?"

"Do not get along!"

Thales regretted the words the moment he spoke them. He had poked a hornet's nest.

"She bullied us from birth!"

"Two years earlier than us, yet the same day!"

Kasha hated it to the bone.

"She bullied us the first time we met!"

Qina was extremely indignant.

"Stole our toys, threw our shoes!"

"Embarrassed us! Made us ugly! And hard to talk to!"

"She never attends the balls we host."

"Never comes!"

"Relying on being the eldest lady of House Covendier!"

"Starting from age four, whether naming ceremony, learning ceremony, coming-of-age ceremony, or a whole pile of balls we used to tease men..."

"Not once. Not even once!"

"We suspect that in the future, our weddings..."

"Hah, she will not come to our funerals either!"

The angry sisters issued a long string of accusations and only calmed down under Thales's signal. They helped each other smooth their hair and straighten their skirts.

"Sister, dignified."

"Sister, reserved."

The two recovered their calm and nodded with noble bearing.

Until the next second.

"She tore my hair ornament!"

"She dirtied my dress!"

Kasha screamed:

"Poured water into our powder boxes!"

Qina added painfully:

"Urine water!"

"And mixed sweet-sour drink into it!"

"And told us ghost stories about Ancestor Rock manifesting!"

"And the tortured soul of the Fatal Iris!"

"The water ghoul of the Canal District!"

"The toothed eel of Archsea City!"

"The tidal hunters in the deep sea!"

"She even drew ghost faces on the mirror in our bedroom. Ghost faces!"

"With special glowing paint!"

"It would only glow at night!"

"Once the lamp was out, it would appear!"

"Glow!"

"Glowing ghost faces!"

"Ghost faces!"

The more the sisters spoke, the more sorrowful they became.

"And my unstitched boots!"

"My favorite handkerchief, with a shit smell on it!"

"Our combs!"

"The romance novel from my best friend! She wrote the ending on the first page!"

"Daggers and leather whips!"

"My treasured needles..."

"Handcuffs and chains!"

"And the iron wire used to choke necks!"

Hm?

Thales sensed something wrong.

"Wait, the last few seem to be used for..."

Kasha waved unhappily.

"Do not mind those details..."

Qina shook her head without revealing a flaw.

"Irrelevant..."

"Because we are very dignified."

"And very reserved."

"But most importantly..."

"Serves her right!"

"Even the temple thought she lacked the qualification and talent to be a noble apprentice!"

"Serves her right that her engagement failed!"

"And we must say it three times..."

"Three times!"

The two sisters looked at each other and gnashed their teeth.

"She is unloved!"

"Disliked!"

"Detestable!"

"Hateful!"

"Three times." The Karabeyan sisters took a deep breath together and shouted fiercely:

"Bitch! Bitch! Bitch!"

Thales stared in astonishment at the grand denunciation.

"All right, but..."

Before Thales could finish, a strange bundle of black hair suddenly hung upside down from the dark ceiling, dropping before Thales, Kasha, and Qina.

All three froze.

What?

In the next second, a withered human head emerged from the black hair and opened its pale eyes upside down.

"Ah..."

As the head slowly opened its mouth, a hollow and terrifying bubbling voice faintly echoed in the corridor.

Thales's hair instantly stood on end.

What... was this?

Was Emerald Palace haunted?

He blinked and looked at the hair falling from the ceiling to the ground, and the head within it. He could not help remembering his experience on the Black Path.

This was a little similar.

But beside him, the deathly pale Karabeyan sisters instantly hugged each other.

"Ahhhhhh!"

Amid miserable screams, the sisters turned and fled with a whoosh, vanishing without a trace.

"Hey, hey, wait a sec..."

Anxious, Thales had only just stretched out his hand, but it was too late.

You two...

Do you have no loyalty at all?

What happened to better wives?

Wait.

Thales came back to himself and trembled as he turned back.

Within the endless long black hair, that withered human head just happened to turn toward him.

Its eyes were pale.

"You, you, you..."

Enduring his fear, Thales greeted it with a nearly crying face.

"Hi?"

The withered white-eyed head did not move.

At that moment, no small commotion came from the direction the twins had fled.

"I knew it was you two!" A familiar voice rang from the end of the corridor. Miranda Arunde's voice echoed along the walls, righteous and stern. "Kasha! Qina! Demon twins! Who were you talking to? Who are you planning to trick again? Did you run into His Highness?"

"Yaaah!"

Kasha and Qina's screams rang out again. The fear and panic in them were no less than when they had just run into the ghost.

"It is her..."

"It is her!"

"It is really her!"

"Our savior..."

"Fierce woman!"

"Woman who can fight!"

"Woman made of iron!"

"Woman made of snow!"

"The woman in Cohen-beaten-by-a-woman-until-he-cried Karabeyan!"

"We are saved!"

"What?"

Confusion appeared in Miranda's voice.

"What do you mean saved? What do you mean you did nothing to His Highness? What do you mean there is a ghost in the castle? Hey, no, no, no, do not think you can muddle through! Come, let big sister see whether you are still as cute as when you were little..."

"No! Iron-armored female warrior!"

"You cannot! Northland madwoman!"

"Ahhh!" The sisters' heart-rending screams came from deep in the corridor.

While the head's attention was drawn over there, Thales tiptoed and turned.

"Where are you going?"

An unfamiliar voice sounded by his ear, and Thales's steps stopped.

He did not dare turn back and could only smile apologetically at the withered head behind him.

"I, well, still have important business..."

"Isn't your important business to come here for a marriage meeting with me?"

Hm?

Thales froze.

He suddenly turned around to face the long black hair descending from the ceiling.

"Ah! You are..."

But at that moment, Miranda's shout came from behind Thales.

"Your Highness!"

"Mira!" Thales turned back and found Miranda hurrying over. Her eyes were confident and firm now, with none of the dazed despair from before.

"I am very sorry for losing focus for a moment!" She bowed deeply. "But it is fine. I just found the fools who can bring me into local balls, and there are two of them at once..."

Thales had no heart to listen to the story of how she bullied the twins. He turned back to ask the unexpected visitor from the ceiling:

"Right, this is..."

But when Thales turned back, he froze.

The corridor was empty.

Where was even half a ghostly shadow?

Strange.

Where was she?

"Mira, just now... did you see it?"

Miranda was still immersed in the great confidence of conquering the demon twins. Hearing him, she frowned.

"See what?"

Thales widened his eyes.

Although the fright had only just passed, he still turned and ran forward a few steps, wanting to find the person who had been playing ghostly tricks.

Impossible.

Footsteps came from ahead in the corridor.

Unfortunately, they did not belong to the person he had in mind.

"Ah, Duke Thales, Your Highness." Duke Zayen, who rarely appeared in ordinary times, was walking toward him with a cold face. "You are here. It seems you truly treat Emerald Palace as your home. And you as well, Lady Arunde of Cold Castle."

Miranda bowed respectfully.

Normally, Thales would have had to trade a few pointed jabs with him, but at this moment, the prince had no attention to spare for this old enemy.

He looked wildly left and right, up and down, found nothing, and only then spoke in annoyance.

"Ah, Zayen. Why is it you?"

Zayen's tone was unhappy.

"This is my castle. Why would it not be me?"

"No, no, no. I mean... why is it you again?"

"I am the Duke of the South Coast and lord of Jade City. Of course I am here every day. Of course it is me again."

"No, I mean did you just... forget it."

"Did I just what? What is wrong with you? You look as though you saw a ghost."

Because...

"Because I saw you?" Thales answered irritably.

Zayen sneered, but did not become angry.

"Regarding the matter we spoke about last time, Your Highness, I have recently had some thoughts."

The Duke of the South Coast's gaze was sharp.

"Shall we talk?"

Talk? Talk about what... oh, that matter.

Thales reacted.

Whether the demon twins or the castle ghost girl just now, both had frightened him badly. Even so, Thales worked hard to adjust himself back into his most familiar "against Zayen" mode.

"Oh, so you spent several days and finally figured out where I should stay?"

"In fact," Zayen answered without yielding, "I do not know whether you are staying there."

Thales frowned.

"Fine. Then let us... talk?"

Zayen smiled faintly and waved Ashford, who was hidden in the shadows, away. Thales also signaled Miranda to withdraw.

The two walked side by side in sync on the road toward the outer castle.

"Right." In the end, Thales could not hold back his first question. "Your sister still has not returned to Jade City?"

Zayen's expression cooled.

"I thought we finally had some consensus."

Thales chuckled.

"Just joking."

"Then," just as they passed Emerald Palace's huge foundation, the Ancestor Rock carved with the names of every past Duke of Covendier, the prince immediately changed the subject, "is Emerald Palace haunted? Such as... legends of Ancestor Rock manifesting?"

"Of course," Zayen said expressionlessly. "If you have ghosts in your heart."

Thales laughed awkwardly and shut his mouth.

"So, your father?" Zayen walked down the steps, his shadow stretching long behind him.

Thales's mood grew heavy.

"Yes."

"What will he do?"

"I do not know. But I have reason to believe his forces have already infiltrated this city. The Secret Intelligence Department's covert agents are everywhere."

Thales spoke with deep feeling.

Zayen was silent for a while.

"How did you learn your father had such plans?"

"I do not know either." Thales shook his head. "I only sensed it by experience."

"Experience?"

"You know he is a father. But whenever he shows a little common father-son warmth, acknowledging my identity, sending people to the Western Desert to rescue me, and this time arranging my marriage, you should know something is wrong, because he must still be planning something else."

Something else.

This time, Thales's words came from the heart and were sincere.

But they carried another kind of bitterness.

"Then why tell me this?" Zayen's expression became increasingly calm. "You and His Majesty, even if you are not the same kind of person, at least have the same surname. His throne will be yours sooner or later. You should not hinder him."

Thales smiled mockingly.

"Believe it or not, he and I had this conversation. He said the same thing." The prince shook his head. "We each have our own insistence. The topic did not go very well."

You will help me push the kingdom rolling forward, remove obstacles, and break shackles.

Thales's gaze froze.

"Then why not? What are you insisting on?" Zayen asked. "Do you think being king is beneath you? Are you not interested?"

Thales laughed.

But his face soon darkened.

"Then, Zayen, what are you insisting on?" the prince asked back. "Do you think being king is too valuable, so even now you refuse to let go?"

Zayen stopped and looked out from a viewing platform.

Thales followed his gaze. All of Jade City was bustling before them, day and night without rest.

"Your conversation with him," the Duke of the South Coast did not answer. His face was against the light, and his expression could not be seen clearly. "To what degree did it not go well?"

"Have you not heard the news from the capital? I was exiled by my father."

"Only because you broke into Renaissance Palace with a sword?"

"You know quite a lot."

Zayen sneered.

"Should I care? The quarrel between you and His Majesty as father and son? Perhaps tomorrow you will be reconciled as before?"

"If you do not care, why did you ask so much earlier?"

Zayen was silent for a long time.

"But how do I know you are not acting? That this is misdirection meant only to lure me into a trap you and he arranged together?"

Thales's heart sank.

This guy.

Truly difficult to deal with.

"When you think that, you have already been misdirected," the prince said calmly. "My father knows the new and old grudges between us. My guess is that he sent me here to confuse and attract you, enticing you to attack me, just like what that wine merchant you incited the other day tried to do."

Zayen hummed, neither agreeing nor denying.

"Then according to our grudges, you should be happy to see me suffer. Why not stand by and watch me make a joke of myself?"

Thales sighed.

"To be honest, I am happy to see you suffer. I even want to stuff you into my chamber pot headfirst and flush you into the moat."

Zayen snorted softly.

"But compared with the needs and benefits of cooperation," the youth blinked, "the grudge from back then was only you trying to kill me with another's knife. What does such a small matter count for?"

Zayen stared at him without speaking.

Thales turned around.

"So now, you probably do not want to die under an unknown blade. And I do not want to be used as my father's sword, only to end up with nothing."

The youth spread his arms.

"Therefore, can you set aside the grudge between us, compromise once for benefit and reality, and cooperate this time?"

Zayen was silent for quite a while, as though weighing gains and losses, and also carefully examining him.

"I must say, this exceeds my expectations."

"But I also know that you have always been quick-witted and eloquent," the Duke of the South Coast said softly, his tone steady. "It is hard to guarantee this is not another scheme of yours, exaggerating the threat of a third party, then demanding benefits you should not have, or numbing my vigilance. This is very common in diplomacy."

"But my father is not a third party. He is never a third party anywhere," Thales said gravely. "You or I, we are the third parties."

This time, Zayen stared at him for a very, very long time.

"Rather decline because of friends," he suddenly said.

"Than perish because of enemies," Thales replied very quickly.

"I heard Ashford arranged lodging for you," Zayen said with a smile. "In the end, do you know where you are staying now?"

Thales smiled when he heard this.

He smiled very happily.

He almost forgot the bone ring in his pocket.

"Yes. I heard it was the former residence of the wise king, and I have already stayed there for a while." The prince shrugged. "To be honest, it is quite comfortable."

As he spoke, the youth stretched his palm toward the leader of the Iris.

It was the palm that was often cut open.

The scar in his palm was long and ugly, like a crack.

Zayen's gaze sharpened.

But several seconds later, he also extended his palm.

And so, before the Ancestor Rock of House Covendier, two young men from two families were about to shake hands.

At that moment, a commotion came from the lower level of Emerald Palace.