Chapter 653: Holding Out for a Price

Beneath the night sky, Thales raised his head and looked at the lights of Jade City. He watched them gradually grow brighter. According to tradition, the Strife Banquet was about to end, and Queen's Day, also known as the Emerald Celebration, was about to begin.

"I understand now," Thales sighed. "Jade City is far more than a city. It is a history. A history of a hundred years."

Every place had its own shape.

The kingdom was far more complicated than he had imagined.

The prince murmured in a daze,

"From a certain angle, it is even more complete than Eternal Star City. More special. More dazzling. More flawless."

The moonlight gradually dimmed, making Emerald Palace, bright with lamps, look even more like a divine envoy descending to the mortal world, waving its giant arms between heaven and earth, holding back ten thousand tons of force to protect mankind.

And they now stood upon one of those giant arms, feeling more than a century of the past gather into light, turn into the lamps of thousands of households, and collect speck by speck at the envoy's feet, illuminating all of Jade City and even the South Coast Territory.

"Indeed."

The corner of Zayen's mouth curved faintly. He leaned against the stone railing and looked out with Thales at the Queen's City before them.

"And you cannot imagine what courage every generation of the Iris Flower family has shown, and what price they have paid, in order to shape Jade City into what it is today."

Courage.

Price.

Thales frowned and fell into thought.

A few seconds later, the curve at the corner of Zayen's mouth disappeared.

"Unless the Bloody Year repeats itself and war and military disaster are brought to bear, or unless calamity descends and Dragon Clouds City repeats its old story, I truly cannot imagine what other means could crush this Queen's City overnight. A city in the Kingdom of Stars with no opening to exploit and no flaw to strike. A city strong enough to keep Covendier on the ducal throne."

The Bloody Year. War.

Calamity. Dragon Clouds City's old story.

Thales' breath stopped. The scene of the Night of Dragon Blood appeared before his eyes.

But... no.

Thales denied himself with all his strength.

Impossible.

This was not Eckstedt.

He would not do that.

But, the voice deep in his heart calmly reminded him, when you were in Dragon Clouds City, that was exactly what you thought too.

Impossible.

That is your father.

The Iron Hand King.

Are you sure?

At that thought, Thales felt a slight numbness along his spine.

And if...

If that day truly came...

Thales did not dare think any further.

"So."

In the next moment, Jade City's lord turned around. Every word he spoke was steeped in coldness.

"That makes me even more uneasy."

Zayen stared fixedly at Thales. A rare fluctuation rose in his tone.

"Extremely uneasy."

Thales frowned.

"You mean..."

"Thales, do you think the facts even we can discover, even we can see," the Duke of South Coast said, his voice anxious yet restrained, like an archer who had drawn a bow to its limit and still held on while trembling, "would be unknown to the master of Renaissance Palace? To your father? To the Iron Hand King? To His Majesty Kessel the Fifth?"

The Iron Hand King.

Thales' expression changed.

The facts even we can discover...

Would he not know them?

Those words were like a thunderclap, splitting the prince awake from the lights of ten thousand homes before him.

The tower was high and the wind was fierce. Zayen's robes snapped loudly, for a moment even drowning out the singing and dancing behind him.

"But..." Thales began instinctively.

The duke took over his words, still looking down in the cold autumn wind at the city his family had ruled for generations.

"But he, our supreme king, still sent you here. Sent you to Jade City."

"Sent you to the Queen's City."

In that instant, looking into Zayen's eyes, Thales suddenly felt a chill of horror. Gooseflesh rose on his skin.

He was right.

The voice deep in his heart sounded faintly.

That is your father.

The supreme ruler of the kingdom.

Perhaps he cannot have everything go as he wishes.

But he never shoots without a target.

Think of Dragon Clouds City.

Think of Bladefang Camp.

"So, knowing full well that this place is a wall of bronze and iron, easy to defend and difficult to attack..."

Zayen glared at the town below him, his words trembling slightly.

"Your father is still this confident? This decisive?"

"What exactly is he planning? What means does he still have that would be enough to overturn the Covendiers' centuries of rule and take this indestructible city?"

The cold wind grew stronger and stronger, and Zayen's tone grew colder and colder.

"Or has the king already counted the chips and made his preparations, willing to pay an unimaginable price and sacrifice, willing to leave a million corpses and rivers of blood, just to take this special city?"

It was the first time Thales had seen Zayen like this.

At that moment, the Duke of South Coast looked like a warrior standing alone before a thousand armies. He trembled, clenched his teeth, and raised his final sword.

Either he would exhaust all his strength in a desperate battle.

Or, for the sake of dignity, he would turn the edge of the sword toward...

At that moment, looking at the man before him, Thales suddenly understood something.

"Fear."

The Duke of South Coast was slightly stunned.

"What did you say?"

The same.

Thales silently told himself.

He and I are the same.

"What you feel is not unease."

The prince turned toward the outside of the viewing platform and slowly spoke.

"It is fear. The fear that comes when you realize you are facing the supreme king."

"Fear?"

Zayen's voice still carried doubt.

Thales turned back and answered with certainty.

"Yes. Believe me. I know it very well."

Of course.

The voice deep in his heart spoke to Thales, filled with profound caution and vigilance.

You know it well.

You know.

You know it far too well.

Zayen's expression shifted slightly. The way he looked at Thales changed.

"Then have you overcome it?"

The master of the Iris Flowers asked softly.

"Or do you still feel that fear every moment of every day?"

In that instant, the prince's eyes became incomparably complicated.

Thales did not answer.

He stood on the viewing platform of Emerald Palace, as if he had fallen into the enormous, broad palm of a divine envoy.

High enough to see far.

Yet battered by the cold wind.

Standing firmly.

Yet with no way to escape.

After a long while, Thales exhaled.

"Put it this way. Yes, compared with Eternal Star City, Jade City is not much worse. In some ways, it may even surpass it."

Thales struck the stone railing before him. His palm hurt.

"But I vaguely feel that it is still missing something. Something only the person sitting on the supreme throne of the Stars can possess, can use, and can scatter."

Zayen looked doubtful.

"You mean... the authority of the supreme king?"

Thales shook his head.

"I do not know. I cannot explain it clearly either. Like you, I do not know what he will do."

Zayen's gaze flickered.

"But, Zayen, honestly," the prince looked at him and spoke with genuine sincerity, "he will strike you in the way you least expect, in the way you are least able to predict."

"And you must prepare for the worst. The absolute worst."

The worst. The absolute worst.

Zayen was quiet for several seconds.

"What do you want?" Jade City's lord suddenly asked.

"What?" The Duke of Star Lake frowned.

Zayen took a deep breath and turned around.

"I know you do not like your father. But you would not help me for no reason, merely because of that, merely because you do not want him to get what he wants."

Thales understood and was a little puzzled.

"I thought we had agreed..."

Zayen interrupted him.

"No, Thales. Let us be honest. You and I have only made peace. We have not cooperated, much less become allies."

The Duke of South Coast narrowed his eyes.

"I do not believe you sincerely want to help me. Of course, I dare say even you do not believe that.

"You are only using me, and perhaps even using your father. The Duke of Star Lake watches the fire from across the shore, holding out for a price, waiting only for the king's blade to fall, waiting for Jade City to run with blood, so he can claim favors, demand repayment, and name any price he likes."

Thales' expression moved.

Holding out for a price.

Naming any price he liked.

So Zayen still thought, thought I only cooperate with him out of greed?

"So name your price, Thales. What exactly do you want?"

At that moment, the Duke of South Coast before him was incomparably cold.

"When that final moment truly comes, what price would make you willing to lend a hand and stop your father, rather than standing aside with folded arms, or even throwing stones into the well?"

Name a price...

What kind of price...

Would make you stop your father...

For some reason, Thales suddenly remembered the passage in the Covenant.

[He who betrays this covenant shall be deserted by lord and kin.]

[Flames shall burn his body, and his soul shall break upon the Prison River.]

What a pity.

The voice deep in his heart sounded again, carrying mockery.

What a pity, Thales. You have already made your choice.

At that thought, Thales tightened his grip on the Covenant.

Or perhaps...

Was this the true choice?

Thales looked at the master of the Covendiers.

Zayen also stared fixedly at the prince.

"I..." Thales began softly. "What I want..."

King Kessel's words rang in his ears once more.

[Depose the duke. Destroy Zayen.]

Destroy Zayen...

"Your Grace?"

A soft call brought the two men locked in confrontation back to reality.

Thales and Zayen turned at the same time. Steward Ashford stood behind them, smiling apologetically.

In his eyes, the two dukes had only paused for an instant before both turned back, revealing ceremonial smiles.

Their posture was perfect. Flawless.

"It is almost midnight."

Ashford spoke in a low voice, while glancing at the water pipe beside the duke.

The two reacted and looked at each other.

"Of course." Zayen took a deep breath and patted the front of his clothes, which was full of the smell of smoke. "Forgive me for excusing myself, Your Highness. I must go prepare to announce the start of the Emerald Celebration."

Thales returned the smile and indicated that he should go ahead.

The Duke of South Coast did not stand on ceremony. He immediately moved toward the lounge, while Ashford bowed to Thales and followed dutifully.

Thales lowered his head. At the edge of the viewing platform, the water pipe stood alone where it was.

As if it had always been so.

Another cold gust blew over, and Thales could not help shivering.

Heavy with thoughts, he turned away from the viewing platform. He did not want to rejoin the banquet, so he turned into the corridor. But before he had taken more than a few steps, two familiar figures floated out of a side hall and blocked his path.

"Prince Thales!"

"Well, if this is not a coincidence!"

Thales let out a heavy breath, dispirited and exhausted.

"Kasha, Qina. We meet again, and again, and again, and again."

He helplessly looked back for a savior. Where was Mira? Mallos? Glover?

If there was truly no other choice, even anyone else would do.

After Miranda's baptism, the Karabeyan sisters were somewhat disheveled and somewhat tired. They blinked, giving off an oddly crafty feeling.

"You are looking for that fierce woman, right?"

"She is the star of the banquet now!"

"The men are all fighting to please her, and the women are all fighting to win her over..."

"Mm, she may not be able to get away for a while?"

"It was worth all the thought and planning we put in..."

"Asking where the two prairie clients came from..."

"Then provoking them into fighting..."

"So that she would have a chance to show off her skills..."

What?

Thales' brow twitched.

"Ah, terrible. Sister, you let it slip!"

"Ah, awful. Sister, why did you not remind me?"

"Because I was the one who let it slip first!"

"Ah, that makes so much sense. I wrongly blamed you!"

"Then what do we do now?"

"Ahem. It is fine. Look at him. He is so silly. He probably did not understand..."

"I heard you!" Thales protested loudly. "And I understood!"

The sisters' expressions changed, then smiles spread across their faces.

"Oh, Your Highness, those details are not important!"

"In short, right now..."

Kasha and Qina looked at each other, their brows lifting with delight.

"You are ours!"

Thales sighed heavily.

"I am sorry, but I truly have no mood to get entangled with you right now..."

He waved his hand and continued forward, but the Karabeyan sisters lifted their skirts and skipped along, catching up to him from both sides.

"It is all right, Your Highness!"

"We will not entangle you anymore!"

"Although that was two hundred and twenty-four gold coins."

"But there was a premium, after all, so the loss was not too great."

"Although Karabeyan's lands are barren and our finances are tight."

"We have always lived frugally. We can survive."

"Although our heir is hopeless, born stubborn and foolish."

"Alas, there is no excuse for that one. We can only admit it."

Kasha clicked her tongue and shook her head.

"But, Your Highness, even if we cannot be husband and wife, at least we can make a deal!"

Qina blinked playfully.

"That's right. Even if we cannot be friends, at least we can do business... ah! Sister, why did you hit me?"

"Oh, sister, sorry. I thought you were going to say something dirty!"

"Ugh, sister! Your wording is so filthy!"

"What about my idea?"

"Hee hee. I actually like it!"

"Ahem." Thales had no choice but to cough heavily, interrupting the two who were swaying with embarrassment. "Sorry, I need to go to the restroom right now..."

But Kasha and Qina followed him with a whoosh, full of confidence.

"Your Highness!"

"We saw you having an affair with the duke!"

"A private conversation!"

"We also saw you on a date with him!"

"An arranged meeting!"

Thales' expression became strange, and he quickened his steps.

The Karabeyan sisters put away their smiles and became mysterious.

"So we know what you came here to do!"

"Everything for politics. Everything for royal power!"

Thales paused.

"What?"

He looked in the direction Zayen had left, then at the words "Silly All the Way to Grandma's House" on their fans, and frowned.

"What do you know?"

Kasha's eyes flashed.

"First, we know you did not come here to look for a marriage match!"

Qina raised her brows.

"That bi... that woman is not worthy of you anyway, right?"

"You certainly did not come here for travel either!"

"Otherwise, you would not be so poor..."

Thales' brow jumped.

"Because not long ago, you offended Daddy and were kicked out of Eternal Star City!"

"Now you live in some remote place where birds do not even relieve themselves, and your days are tight!"

"You probably wish you could split every copper coin in half before spending it!"

Thales frowned solidly.

"Uh, about that. Do not believe rumors and do not spread rumors..."

In the next second, the Karabeyan sisters' smiles disappeared at the same time.

"But we know..."

"We know!"

"You are a prince."

"You are a Jadestar!"

"You are the future heir to the throne."

"The future helmsman of the kingdom!"

"You will not be content with mediocrity."

"Nor will you ever settle for survival in one corner!"

"You are accumulating strength."

"Preparing for a resurgence from the ashes!"

Uh?

Thales looked awkwardly to the left. Kasha was filled with righteous indignation.

Then he glanced to the right with complicated feelings. Qina's eyes were full of fanaticism.

"Are you two perhaps misunderstanding some..."

"There is no misunderstanding. It is too clear, Your Highness," Kasha said coldly. "You took in the daughter of a northern criminal official, that fierce woman from the Arunde family!"

"And also Paul, the 'Silly Lion' of the Borzdorf family, that little stiff who pretends to be proper!" Qina's eyes gleamed sharply.

"No..." Thales' expression changed, and he wanted to explain.

"You even endured humiliation and lowered your status to befriend Karabeyan's heir!"

"Although you may be disappointed, because silly Brother Cohen is an idiot and a brute!"

"And just now, you set aside past grievances and private hatred to negotiate in secret with the Duke of South Coast!"

In the next second, Kasha pressed both hands to her chest and sighed deeply.

"Ah, wanderer of Eternal Star City, how lonely you are!"

Qina bit her lip, her eyes shining.

"All of it, all of it, is only to recover the rights and interests of the Jadestars!"

"For this, you vow to achieve dazzling results."

"Only then can you contend with Daddy in Renaissance Palace!"

"You must win the benefits of alliance with the six territories' lords."

"Even if it means marrying that woman and selling yourself!"

"Poor love and politics, forced apart on two paths!"

"The pillow at night, ah, is covered with mottled tear stains!"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait. I have heard this part before." Thales' features tangled together. "Those are lines from The Usurper Reaps the Palace..."

But the Karabeyan twins did not give him any chance.

"Without question..."

"You travel through the lands to befriend the world!"

"Your banner, ah, will one day stand high and proud!"

"Enduring humiliation, bearing heavy burdens, your grand plan is plain to see!"

"Young ambition, worthy of imperial golden blood!"

"What?" Thales tried hard to keep up with their logic.

But Kasha and Qina's expressions and movements changed again. Their bodies trembled, and the atmosphere inexplicably became tragic.

"But, alas..."

"But, ah!"

"Your opponents fill the land!"

"Your crisis has never rested!"

The twins waved their hands in unison, one on the left and one on the right, one high and one low.

"The hope of the kingdom..."

"The fate of the Jadestars!"

The two sisters changed places with perfect tacit understanding and waved again in reverse.

"The bloodshed of the throne!"

"The treacherous court!"

Kasha snapped her fan, her expression vigilant.

"Enemies from the shadows spread rumors and slander the heroic experiences you endured as a hostage in the North!"

Qina clenched her fist and shook her head in bitter grief.

"Villains lurking in foul gutters make wild accusations and maliciously speculate about the true purpose of your visit to the South Coast!"

Thales' brow twitched.

Huh?

"They deceive the masses and say you are not worthy of that bi... beautiful and lovely Lady Hilley!"

"Their consciences are rotten. They say you and Duke Zayen are hostile to each other and both wish the other would die first!"

"They want to drive you out of Jade City!"

"Kick you out of the South Coast Territory!"

Thales inhaled deeply, then exhaled painfully. He decided to accept his fate, lie flat, and give up explaining.

"Fortunately..." Kasha's gaze was sharp.

"Fortunately!" Qina's tone was cold.

"At your side, there is still Kasha!"

"And Qina!"

"No matter how long the road ahead!"

"The youth shall one day become king!"

Thales, who had originally given up explaining and only treated himself as a dead fish, froze at those words.

"Ah?"

The two sisters looked at each other. One stretched out her left hand, the other her right, decisive and speaking in one voice.

"We will help you, Your Highness!"

Kasha was full of confidence.

"Fight back against these rumors. You are not an unwanted northern barbarian!"

Qina's eyes shone.

"Drag out these opponents and send them all to hell!"

"Display your royal bearing and advance and retreat with us!"

"Raise your Jadestar banner and spread the prince's authority!"

"Elevate your status. Stand proud in Jade City!"

"Show your honor. The queen comes from Walla Territory!"

"Ah, sister, you let it slip again!"

"Ah, that one does not count, that one does not count..."

The Karabeyan sisters cleared their throats, both wearing expressions of noble endurance.

"In short, Your Highness, do not be afraid!"

"Even if you stand against the world, we are not afraid!"

"You two, wait, wait!" Thales hurriedly raised his hand, filled with doubt. "No, why would I stand against the world?"

Kasha and Qina trembled together.

"It is all right, Your Highness..."

They covered their mouths and looked at each other.

"It is all right, Prince..."

The twins took a deep breath, filled with hope and emotion, and nodded heavily.

"We will help you!"

Looking at the two sisters before him, whose faces were full of expectation, Thales' expression darkened.

I knew it.

"Uh, thank you for your reminder. Thank you." Thales broke into a light jog. "It is just that Duke Zayen and I still have a meeting..."

"But, Your Highness!"

Kasha and Qina lifted their skirts and quickly followed.

"In Jade City, we can give you many things..."

"Many things!"

"To realize your political ambitions!"

"Ambitions!"

"That woman is not so great anyway..."

"Except for having a good brother..."

"It truly makes one jealous!"

"Although her surname is Covendier, there are nothing but rumors behind her..."

"They even say she is a malformed monster..."

"Unlike certain better choices, reserved and dignified, virtuous and gentle..."

"And she comes with a silly brother who will hit wherever you point..."

Just then, as Thales was filled with infinite melancholy, a bundle of black and eerie hair suddenly dropped from the ceiling.

"Ah!"

The twins screamed and jumped back a large step, instantly hugging each other.

A dry and terrifying human head slowly appeared from within the long hair.

Thales looked at the head, which trembled like a living thing, and frowned.

"Again?"

But this time, Kasha and Qina were clearly prepared. The sisters held each other and shivered for a while, then finally mustered their courage.

"Do not panic, sister. It is fake!"

"No panic, sister. It must be fake!"

"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. No panic, no fear, no crying!"

The two sisters bravely pointed at the head in the hair and gnashed their teeth.

"Wisdom on the left!"

"Sword to the right!"

"Kasha, Qina!"

"One left, one right, ahhh!"

Amid Kasha and Qina's frightened cries, Thales' eyelid twitched.

A servant carrying a tray ran over from behind. He accidentally bumped into Kasha and Qina, knocking them down. The tray fell to the floor with a loud crash.

"You! Do you not watch where you are going?"

The sudden accident drew Kasha's attention away, and she no longer paid attention to the head on the long hair.

Qina was likewise in so much pain that tears filled her eyes.

"That's right. Do you not have eyes?"

The servant was extremely frightened. He climbed up and was so scared that he could not speak, only bowing again and again.

"It is all right, Kasha, Qina..."

Thales quickly helped the twins up, but before he could say anything more...

"Aaaaaah!"

Amid the Karabeyan sisters' terrified screams, Thales painfully covered his ears.

In the next second, Kasha and Qina turned and stepped forward, only to fall flat on their faces with a thud.

"Terrible! My left shoe!"

"Awful! My right shoe!"

The two sisters looked back and discovered the key point while trembling.

"They were tied together!"

"How hateful!"

"Hey, it is only a prank. Can you two calm down..." Thales gritted his teeth and turned to look at the dry head in the long hair. But unintentionally, amid the wavering lamplight, he saw the servant clearly.

The servant kept bowing. As he rose and lowered again and again, the candlelight illuminated his face and revealed his lips.

However.

The youth froze.

It seemed...

Amid the trembling candlelight, the servant finally stopped bowing.

He raised his head.

And grinned.

Thales' breath caught.

Empty.

His mind empty, he reacted at last.

On that man's face, the skin was smooth and flat.

No ears.

No eyes.

No nose.

It was empty.

Only a mouth.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Kasha and Qina screamed again.