Chapter 697: Fencing

"When I said earlier to 'keep an eye on her,' Your Highness," Duke Zayen's voice sounded in the reception room, carrying deliberate mockery, suppressed anger, and an ominous hint of approaching storm, "I absolutely did not mean kidnapping my sister in broad daylight..."

Across from the duke, however, Prince Thales sat in an expensive armchair with a blank expression, his mind elsewhere.

Kidnapping?

Morning light filled the room. Thales looked at the cup of exotic flower tea on the small table, exhausted beyond words.

Yes.

Kidnapping.

Only, kidnapped by what?

By an assassin? By enemies? By power? By circumstance? By some strange, unspeakable evil?

The defense lawyer's face appeared before his eyes: one moment screaming in a lapse of control, full of pain, the next grinning foolishly, naive and delighted.

Thales' gaze fixed on the reflection in the cup, blurred between true and false.

Or by each person's own fate, from which they could never escape for the rest of their lives?

Zayen's merciless accusation continued.

"As a prince of a kingdom and a duke in your own right, you irresponsibly broke from the planned schedule, self-righteously shook off your guards and companions, all for the sake of taking a curious little tour through the bottom of the city and 'sharing joy with the people'..."

Broke from the plan.

Shook off the crowd.

Thales took a deep breath.

The monster's mad laughter in the ominous white smoke seemed to ring beside his ear, making him more and more irritated.

Really?

He, Thales Jadestar.

What could he truly break away from?

What could he truly shake off?

"Dressing as a clown and a flower seller, going to a place where all sorts mingle to seek amusement, performing on the street, brawling in poor alleys, trespassing into private homes, leaving countless messes behind you all the way, and returning covered in injuries..."

Zayen kept talking without pause.

Covered in injuries.

Thales lowered his gaze. His neck, arms, and legs were wrapped in thick bandages, most of them hidden beneath his sleeves. They gave off a faint medicinal smell. They were all wounds left from yesterday: scrapes, abrasions, cuts, bruises. The pain had yet to fade.

Yes.

He had long been covered in injuries.

Long before today.

But these did not count for anything.

Compared with Mallos, who had been carried back last night and now lay feverish in bed...

Compared with the many subordinates injured in the probing of the Blood Bottle Gang and the hunt for Lausanne II, far beyond his expectations: Mira, Zombie, Ralf, Flaton, Neshy...

Even compared with Srimanny's final end...

Compared with the casualties that had occurred in this struggle...

"...and even lighting an entire cart of festival fireworks in the north of the city, causing the largest crowd gathering in recent years and nearly trampling down North Gate Bridge..."

Zayen's words remained as sonorous and powerful as ever, as though he sat on the highest seat in a courtroom.

But to Thales in this moment, the noble air and aura of authority Zayen had deliberately built up had long vanished within those repeatedly stated falsehoods. Like a rag squeezed dry of water, wrinkled, dry, ugly in shape, and foul in smell.

"The Security Hall and the Jade Legion had to mobilize a large number of people to maintain order, all because the Duke of Star Lake, touring incognito, found shopping too boring and wanted to hear a louder bang..."

Why?

Thales stroked the armrest of the luxurious chair. Zayen's words in his ears felt like the buzzing of mosquitoes, vexing and unbearable.

Clearly, outside the palace gate, on streets separated by only a wall, some people died, some were wounded, some waved blades, spears, sticks, and clubs in poor alleys and hacked one another until blood flowed across the ground. Some went mad, some suffered, some were tortured by hideous lives into hideous people who then made other people's lives hideous in turn. Some were poor, some were bitter, some hid in cramped darkness where the sun never reached, barely surviving by rummaging through the leftovers casually thrown away by those above.

Why?

Thales felt his knuckles slowly tightening.

"And most importantly, your actions showed no respect for House Iris, nor for your father's vassal, nor for noble etiquette, nor for the rules of the kingdom's rule. Had I not taken measures in time and suppressed the negative impact..."

But why?

Why could the man who ought to be responsible for these things still sit here contentedly, calm and proper, earnestly prattling about bullshit like "negative social impact," as though if he stopped his ears, refused to mention it, covered mouths and eyes, then those things would cease to exist?

Just like those murder cases he had covered one by one as accidents and vendettas in the name of "reducing impact" and "considering the big picture"?

Because Zayen sits in that position, a voice sounded in Thales' heart, just as you understood long ago.

Thales numbingly looked at Zayen sitting in his seat, watched his lips opening and closing without end, his expression solemn and grave.

You know that once he sits there, he is no longer Zayen.

He is not even Covendier, nor the Lord of Jade City and Duke of the South Coast.

He is only an empty shell.

A walking corpse.

A puppet.

Like a noble crown glittering with jewels yet dead and lifeless, like a family crest vivid on paper yet utterly motionless.

Again and again, it repeats the same pattern, obeys established norms, and performs ridiculous acts that even it does not realize are ridiculous.

"...and further insulted the Jadestar royal family, while damaging my sister's dignity and reputation..."

"Your sister," Thales' voice sounded faintly, "is she all right?"

Zayen's face cooled.

"I mean, mentally and physically."

"If you truly cared about that, then yesterday you should not have-"

"Srimanny is dead."

Thales' sudden words made the righteous Zayen stop.

"Who?"

"The defense lawyer."

The youth raised his head and looked at the slightly surprised Zayen.

"He is dead."

"You mean Defense Lawyer Srimanny is dead?"

"Stop pretending to be deaf!"

Thales raised his voice, his gaze suddenly cold.

"Yesterday, Srimanny came to the theater to find Security Officer Kaquere, and right after that someone hunted him down, saying they wanted to issue him a 'long leave slip.' Was that not on your orders?"

Zayen frowned faintly, displaying just the right amount of thought and pause.

"I am unaware of this matter. But afterward, you rudely abducted my sister and disappeared together with that defense lawyer..."

Thales raised a hand.

"Listen, Zayen. I am very tired."

Zayen smiled politely and assumed an attitude of listening.

The youth took a deep breath. His eyes burned like a swordsman drawing first blood.

"You do not know, and would not want to know, what I encountered yesterday. But I have had enough, no matter whose trick this is. Yours, mine, your sister's, my father's, your father's, the Secret Intelligence Department's, the Secret Room's, the kingdom's, Eckstedt's, the living's, the dead's, the water ghouls', or some evil existence's."

"I."

"Have."

"Had."

"Enough."

He spoke the last words one by one. Zayen's smile gradually disappeared.

"So, Lord Zayen, the next time you open your noble mouth, please save your words and speak less nonsense."

A straight thrust.

But the timing was proper.

Zayen was silent for a while.

"Very well. You do indeed look unwell."

When he spoke again, the Duke of Iris' tone was far more cautious, like a conservative but steady retreat in fencing.

"What exactly did you and my sister encounter yesterday? How was Srimanny..."

Thales abruptly stood.

"Too much nonsense."

Thales left the cup of flower tea, unwilling to waste even one more second.

"The conversation is over."

Zayen frowned.

"Thales, please listen-"

"Good luck."

Thales ignored him and turned to leave.

Until a long sigh came from behind him.

"Fine!"

The straight thrust scored.

Thales stopped and looked expressionlessly at Zayen.

"Yesterday morning, Special Security Officer Kaquere, who was responsible for receiving you, reported to me."

The Lord of Jade City's expression was rather ugly, but his defensive blade was raised at just the right angle.

"He said that the defense lawyer in charge of the wool merchant's murder case had questions and hinted to him about certain unsettling suspicions. Therefore, as an old acquaintance, Security Officer Kaquere sent someone to invite Mr. Srimanny to the Security Hall for a talk, hoping to clarify some... misunderstandings."

Thales watched Zayen for quite a while before returning to his seat and sitting down again.

"See?"

The prince said:

"Speaking less nonsense is not that hard."

A shadow flashed over Zayen's face, but he quickly returned to the topic.

"That was Kaquere acting on his own initiative. I neither sent anyone, nor needed to send anyone, to kill that defense lawyer."

Thales did not speak at once. He stared at Zayen for a long time.

Yes, he truly had no need, the voice in the youth's heart told him softly.

Because he, Zayen Covendier, sits in the dignity of a duke. With one lift of his hand, one movement of his foot, he can influence the entire Jade City.

That is enough to shape an environment capable of crushing Srimanny, whether the cowardly and honest Srimanny of the past or the cold-blooded and snobbish Srimanny of later years, forcing him to make unimaginable bargains and pay a price heavier than life.

Enough to make the demons on the far side of this world cheer with joy.

"The person who killed Srimanny was no nameless nobody," Thales said. "That assassin was called Lausanne II. He was once a supreme-class expert of the Blood Bottle Gang. Do you remember him?"

Zayen thought briefly, his brows gradually tightening.

"Yes. Lausanne II, Old Turnbull's executioner. But I remember that many years ago he had already-"

"Died?"

Thales' blade turned, his cold laugh carrying a pointed implication.

"But are you certain he died, rather than being saved by some great figure behind the Blood Bottle Gang, hidden away, chained up, his claws and teeth sharpened, his savagery nourished, kept until a critical moment to be released for dirty work that the Security Hall and Jade Legion could not conveniently do?"

Zayen's face also cooled.

"I dislike the implication in your words, Your Highness."

"Speaking of which, is the Blood Bottle Gang not your dog?" Thales asked. "When was the last time you disciplined them?"

"For the sake of maintaining order and stability, and minimizing the harm of organized crime to the greatest extent, Your Highness, Jade City and even the South Coast Territory do indeed maintain strict and systematic control over civilian associations and forces from every trade, place, and circle. But that does not mean the relationship between the officials and street gangs is as conspiracy theorists imagine..."

Thales rudely interrupted his official tone.

"Right. Last time, it was you who ordered them to cover up information, forge clues, and alter murder cases, such as wine merchant Dagori Moss, who used to be your money-making white glove; wool merchant Diop, who managed the secret accounts for Emerald Palace; and perhaps in the future, the famous great defense lawyer Srimanny..."

Zayen's face darkened.

"We have had similar conversations. All those measures were for the big picture, for stability, to prevent the Secret Intelligence Department from stirring up-"

But Thales spoke over him.

"And former Security Chief Jeff Rene, murdered in his own home, only for the Blood Bottle Gang to drag him into their gambling den and fake an accidental death?"

Zayen stopped.

An unexpected move.

Several seconds later, he took a deep breath.

"Rene... This was all told to you by that defense lawyer, yes? The report says Rene was once his superior and had recognized his talent. What did he tell you?"

Thales' face cooled.

"Why? Moss, Diop, Srimanny, Rene, perhaps others too... Zayen, why kill them?"

"Since we are speaking less nonsense, I will say this only once as well."

Zayen's voice lowered.

"I did not kill them."

"Then why them? What exactly did they do that made their deaths necessary?"

"We have also communicated about this."

Zayen remained calm, his logic clear.

"The Secret Intelligence Department sent people to commit these murders. Their goal was to draw your attention, provoke and mobilize you against me, while we-"

"Do you know what is interesting?"

Thales interrupted him again.

"This claim of yours, this so-called 'the kingdom's Secret Intelligence Department wants to provoke us into fighting one another' claim, was something I told you. On my first day in Jade City."

Zayen quietly looked at him.

"Correct. And I am grateful for your frankness."

"But it was all nonsense I made up. In truth, I had no idea about provocation or anything like that, and I did not believe it at all. I only said it to shock people so I could remain in Jade City."

The reception room was quiet for several seconds.

Zayen frowned at the Thales before him. The latter's expression was calm, without the slightest embarrassment.

A clever thrust.

At last, the Duke of the South Coast curled his lips. A trace of strangeness appeared in his once perfect and polite smile.

"I think, Thales, that is probably the frankest sentence you have said to me since arriving in Jade City."

"Since I am being this frank," Thales ignored the sarcasm, "will you stop hiding things too?"

Their gazes confronted each other in the air for several seconds.

"Yes. I knew from the beginning that you were talking nonsense."

Zayen's tone no longer carried the earlier official cadence. In its place was an unsettling coldness.

"A bluff. Borrowed authority. From the National Conference to the royal banquet, this is the only trick you know."

"So you never believed me, never believed the bullshit that 'the king sent me here to provoke us into fighting.'"

"You said it yourself. It was bullshit you made up."

Zayen returned the jab.

Thales did not linger over it and changed direction.

"In that case, when wine merchant Moss was murdered and we laid our cards on the table in the confessional, you in turn went along with my bullshit and told me Moss' case was only 'misdirection,' only a method the Secret Intelligence Department used to provoke us..."

"That is interesting."

"Ha. You suspect me because of that?"

"Not only that. You also, contrary to your usual ways, were willing to 'entrust' your sister to me and have me 'keep an eye on her.' You even brought up the terms 'New Star' had offered me, as if you wanted to help me ascend the throne."

Zayen's eyes moved.

"But as far as I know, ever since that failed palace coup at the National Conference eight years ago," Thales' tone tightened, "'New Star' became the greatest political stain in the Duke of Iris' life, a scar that hurts the moment you touch it."

Zayen was silent for a long while.

A thrust aimed at an old wound.

When he spoke again, his voice was light and slow.

"That was largely thanks to you, Your Highness."

Thales snorted coldly.

"I know you too well, Zayen. Just like when you returned Genard to me on the road to the North. Just like when you suddenly became talkative at the royal banquet and showed me goodwill. When you turn around and agree with the bullshit I made up, even work hard to use it to persuade me, then there must be a serious problem here."

"Dagori Moss was absolutely not merely a chess piece used to provoke confrontation between us. His death was not insignificant. On the contrary, he was crucial. Important enough that you misdirected me, unwilling to let me notice him. Is that right?"

Thales' blade came out of its sheath, attacking again and again.

"Tell me. Why kill him?"

Zayen looked at Thales for a long time before taking a deep breath.

"This is the last time. I did not kill him."

He spoke one word at a time, clearly suppressing something, but Thales pressed on.

"Later, when that wool merchant was murdered, you used the same old trick. You told me Diop was killed by the kingdom's Secret Intelligence Department, but that he himself was unimportant. It was only to expose Emerald Palace's illegal secret accounts, to lead me into action, to provoke me into attacking your weakness..."

"Enough!"

Zayen interrupted with a cold snort.

"I do not want to argue with you over these things-"

But Thales ignored him entirely.

"So I brought up Lausanne II in black. I said it was a pity my people failed to catch that white-clothed assassin of the Secret Intelligence Department."

"Black clothes, white clothes, assassin..."

Zayen first paused, then murmured to himself, his expression dawning.

"You were deliberately testing me, wanting to see whether Lausanne II was sent by me?"

Thales observed the other man's expression, nodded, and smiled.

"And you answered that your people had not caught that white-clothed assassin either, and even said it was the kingdom's Secret Intelligence Department, so failing to catch him was normal."

"Because that assassin was never my man."

Zayen was decisive and deeply disdainful.

"Whether his clothes were black or white, I knew no more than you."

Thales continued staring at the duke's face. Zayen looked back at him fearlessly and openly.

This blade had no flourish, but it pinned Thales' edge in place.

"Correct. You passed the test. At least judging from the words themselves, your answer was natural and smooth, flawless. Perhaps you truly did not know what color Lausanne II wore."

The Duke of Star Lake changed direction.

"But the key point was never the color of his clothing. It was your attitude."

Zayen's eyes froze.

Thales' tone grew colder and colder.

"Whether Lausanne II was your man or not, when I deliberately said 'white-clothed assassin,' someone as cunning and seasoned as you, how could you possibly fail to see that it was a test?"

Zayen no longer looked at Thales. He turned his gaze to the tabletop, his pupils slowly shrinking.

"If that wool merchant truly had no importance, if that assassin truly was not your man, then in the face of such a deliberate and clumsy little test like 'white clothes or black clothes,' with your personality and attitude, you should have directly scoffed with 'idiotic,' 'boring,' or 'I cannot be bothered with you.' At most, you would disdainfully add something like 'this test is too low-level' or 'go home and ask your father.'"

Thales snorted.

"Why would you need to stand on guard, weigh every word, and reply directly with watertight precision? Why would you need to pass through the language trap so carefully, each word in your answer neither more nor less, exhausting every effort to show that 'you knew no more than I did'?"

Zayen did not answer, but his eyes remained locked on the tabletop.

"Yes. You cared too much about that question. You were too clever. So clever that cleverness defeated itself."

Thales' voice fell. The reception room became silent.

"Your cunning, Thales," Zayen finally said softly, "is always hidden within your stupidity. It is difficult to tell one from the other."

This thrust came from an odd and tricky angle, but scored once more.

"Just like Dagori Moss, this wool merchant Diop was absolutely not insignificant."

Thales ignored the sarcasm.

"What did he do? Why did you have to kill him to silence him and hide him from view?"

Zayen suddenly raised his head.

"I. Did. Not. Kill. Him."

He spoke slowly.

"That line again?"

Thales answered with a cold laugh.

"I thought the previous one was the last time."

Zayen's gaze grew colder.

The two dukes' gazes met in the air, one sharp and cold, the other sinister and shadowed, clashing soundlessly.

But just as the confrontation reached its peak and the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, one side suddenly smiled.

"I believe you."

Thales put away his blade and followed with a faint smile.

"I do not care whether you belie- What did you say?"

Zayen's words turned sharply. Caught off guard, he looked at Thales in disbelief.

"I said, Zayen, I believe you."

Thales took a deep breath.

"I believe Lausanne II was not your man. I believe that from Moss and Diop to Rene and Srimanny, though it was indeed you covering up information, none of them were killed by you."

What?

Zayen froze.

This was not the rule of fencing.

"Why?"

He asked instinctively.

Thales leaned against the back of his chair, his expression gradually tightening.

"Because yesterday, while I was busy chasing Srimanny, my people were busy chasing me, and your people were busy chasing my people..."

"A serious internal conflict broke out in the Blood Bottle Gang. The Phantom Blade, Catherine, and her supporters lost power and fell. The Red Viper, Necra, and the Wanderer, Fogg, seized power and rose."

Thales finally seized the other man's fatal opening.

"And behind them was none other than the former assassin of the Blood Bottle Gang: Lausanne II."

The reception room fell into dead silence.

In the next second, Zayen raised his head and called loudly for his steward.

"Ashford!"

Thales picked up the flower tea and calmly watched as the duke, no longer caring that the prince was present, hurriedly entrusted the steward to secretly investigate the Blood Bottle Gang's situation. Ashford gave Thales a strange glance, accepted the order, and left.

The steward departed. The two dukes faced each other coldly.

"You asked me earlier when I last disciplined the Blood Bottle Gang."

Several seconds later, Zayen's breathing steadied.

"That was to test me, to see whether I knew about this?"

Mm.

After the winner and loser had been decided, an accurate review.

Unfortunately, only a review.

"Looks like you only just learned about it. No need to thank me."

Thales' voice was calm.

"Relax. Lausanne was killed by me yesterday. They will have to go through a good period of chaos before they can sort themselves out."

Zayen took a deep breath.

"You killed that resurrected executioner?"

"Did you think my guard eats vegetables? Did you think there was no reason every one of them came back yesterday wounded and bandaged? Did you think I truly went on a date with your sister yesterday? Did you think Srimanny died for nothing?"

Thales laughed softly.

"You might as well look and see whether you can still find the Phantom Blade Catherine, or any local boss who can be ordered around and sent to run errands for you."

Zayen stared fixedly at Thales.

"Yesterday, the Gold Point District Security Hall received a report of unrest at the docks, but in the end they said it was a false report and let it go. Was that this matter?"

"Perhaps."

Thales said frankly:

"To be honest, because of everything I mentioned earlier, I suspected Lausanne was your man, and the Blood Bottle Gang's internal conflict was only him carrying out your will, cleaning house and reshuffling the chips for you."

"Then why did you suddenly believe me?"

Thales breathed out and remembered Glover's report about what he had seen in the Blood Bottle Gang.

"The trigger for the Blood Bottle Gang's internal conflict was the strange casualties and losses they have suffered these days. The reason the Red Viper and the Wanderer used to stir up the conflict was to blame that debt on the Brotherhood of Black Street and promise revenge. As for the bosses purged in the conflict, they were the original vested interests in the gang."

Zayen's expression grew increasingly serious.

"Every move in this chain pushes the existing order toward turbulence and chaos, and severs Emerald Palace's connection to the Blood Bottle Gang, weakening my control over Jade City's bottom layer."

Thales nodded.

"That does not accord with your interests, and even less with Jade City's interests."

Zayen said nothing.

"Do you understand now, Duke of Iris?"

Thales leaned forward slightly.

"Yes. You used the Blood Bottle Gang to cover up the deaths of Moss and the others, blocking their first wave of attacks. So they then turned on the Blood Bottle Gang, on your eyes, ears, claws, and teeth at the bottom and in the streets. Perhaps you still control most of Jade City, but after yesterday, at least in the streets and alleys, you are blind and deaf, no longer as sharp as before."

Thales ended coldly:

"You and Jade City are suffering an unprecedented attack. If you continue to remain stuck in your old ways, you will only become isolated and helpless."

The reception room sank into a long silence.

Finally, just as Thales began to suspect that the flower tea had gone cold, Zayen slowly spoke:

"What do you want?"

Thales smiled.

"The murders of Moss and the others. I know you were not the mastermind, and you did not kill them to silence them. But as I said, even if you were not the culprit behind the scenes, you must know the inside story."

"You know who killed them. Or rather, you know why they were killed."

Thales tried to make himself appear sincere.

"That is why you placed such importance on those murders and those dead men, and covered them at all costs, refusing to let them appear before the world, including before me."

Zayen frowned.

"Tell me. These people, what matter were they connected to?"

Thales' tone became urgent.

"What could make the Secret Intelligence Department unable to let them go?"

Zayen remained silent.

"Please, Zayen."

The prince pressed him.

"You once asked me what price you would need to offer for me to lend a hand at the critical moment."

He leaned closer to Zayen.

"Now, I can help you. But you must tell me more. More details, more truth, more inside information."

Thales extended his palm.

"Whatever happened in the past, this is your final chance, your final chance to name your price to me."

Please.

Zayen's gaze fixed on his palm.

"If I tell you, Thales..."

Several seconds later, the Duke of the South Coast slowly raised his head.

"When will you make your move against me?"

Make my move?

In that instant, Thales suddenly felt that something was wrong.

"What do you mean?"

Like an opponent whose defeat seems irreversible, suddenly counterattacking from the brink, unexpected and sudden.

Zayen laughed softly.

"Have you looked in a mirror?"

"What?"

"People cannot see themselves clearly. The self in another person's eyes and the self in one's own eyes are entirely different."

Zayen quietly watched him, his gaze like an ancient well without waves.

"That is why people need mirrors."

Thales frowned.

"Zayen..."

"Thales Jadestar, you say you believe me, believe I am not the murderer."

Zayen decisively interrupted him.

"But have you ever wondered whether I believe you are not the murderer?"

Thales' heart tightened.

"You claim you did not come to Jade City willingly. You claim you and your father are like fire and water. So you wanted to abandon past grudges with me and cooperate. And in each confrontation, you have worked hard to win my trust. But do you know the best method for winning trust?"

Zayen spoke softly:

"It is actually very simple. So simple it exceeds your imagination."

At that second, Thales felt his breath catch.

It was like swinging a sword through empty air.

"When I covered up Moss' death and told you it was for the big picture," the duke said unhurriedly, "what you should have done was not launch accusations and search up and down. You should have tacitly understood and turned a blind eye. Then I would have known your attitude."

"When Diop's murder happened, and I hinted both openly and secretly that you should not dig too deep, what you should have done was not pursue it to the roots until you forced out his identity as the secret accounts' accountant. You should have smiled faintly and quietly stepped back. Then I would have known your position."

Thales stared at him, expression numb.

"When yesterday's events happened, whether Srimanny, Lausanne II, or the Blood Bottle Gang," Zayen continued, his tone increasingly calm, "what you should have done was not attack with all your strength, seize all these chips in your hands, and only then come to negotiate with me and claim credit. Instead, you should have come to me from the start and laid everything out. We would have decided the direction together. Then I would have understood your signal."

Zayen raised his head. His gaze was distant, just missing Thales' eyes.

"Then perhaps at some moment, I would have believed that you truly wanted to cooperate with me. At least, you would have shown sincerity through action."

Thales swallowed.

"But the fact is, every action you have taken since coming to Jade City, every reaction you have had when encountering matters, every clash with me, every time you defended yourself by saying 'we need to put on a show for the king'..."

Zayen shook his head.

"All of it was for the sake of participating in the game, for the sake of controlling the chessboard with all your strength, and for the sake of finally grasping the chips that would put me to death."

The blade pierced layer after layer of defense, pointing straight at the vital point.

"Remember? You once proposed that I and Jade City take a step back voluntarily."

Zayen spoke as if lost in thought.

"Correct. As my father said, as long as there are still people willing to step back voluntarily, there will always be room."

Thales took a difficult deep breath.

"My proposal was sincere..."

"But it was said to me."

Zayen's tone was calm.

"My uncle said that my father's words apply only to the strong, because they never need to step back."

The prince's gaze trembled.

"Thales, perhaps you do not feel it, but these days, when you have faced me in Jade City, you have been so aggressive, so quick to seize the initiative from the guest's seat. Yet you yourself have never voluntarily stepped back even half a pace. Or rather, only you yourself believed you were stepping back. This is why people need mirrors."

Zayen continued:

"That is precisely what those who hold sufficient chips and are confident, those who consider themselves the strong party in the game, will do. That is the awareness they possess. Because you can no longer see the option of stepping back voluntarily, and you are more used to watching others step back."

Thales stared blankly at that cup of flower tea.

"At the National Conference eight years ago, in the New Star operation, I made such a mistake."

Zayen looked at him coldly.

"Now, it is your turn, Your Highness."

Thales said nothing.

He suddenly realized that his own sword moves were soft and powerless.

They had long been seen through layer by layer, and broken move by move.

"Yes. Perhaps you truly have nothing to do with the kingdom's Secret Intelligence Department. But that is not because you and they are not on the same side, but because..."

Zayen's gaze sharpened.

"Because even if you are on the same side, you believe yourself to be the player holding the pieces, believe your position is higher than theirs, second only to His Majesty the King."

Thales' eyes moved.

What?

"Perhaps others would be deceived by the contradictions you and Renaissance Palace display, but I will not. I cannot. Because I know you too well, Thales."

Zayen smiled.

"Look in a mirror. Do you not feel that every word and action since you came to Jade City, whether cooperating with me, showing goodwill to me, unwillingly participating in politics, or clumsily grabbing for chips, all of it is completely incompatible with you, with yourself, with Thales Jadestar's consistent inner logic, even self-contradictory?"

Incompatible.

Self-contradictory?

Thales listened to Zayen's words in a daze.

Why?

"Where did the boy who loudly rebuked rotten nobles at the National Conference go?"

Zayen approached step by step.

"Where did the prince who stood up for his subjects at the royal banquet go?"

The other man's blade was cold as ice.

"Where did that North Star of folk legend, wild and heroic beyond imagination, go?"

And he had no way to parry.

"From the first day, I knew. This was not the former you, the true you."

The Duke of the South Coast was calm and unhurried.

"It was only a you whose back was pressed by the king's blade, yet who had no choice but to smile."

At that instant, Thales resisted the impulse to touch the bone ring in his pocket.

No matter how strange your sword moves.

No matter how clever your sword forms.

All blades must ultimately return to the sheath.

"Goodbye, Thales," Zayen said softly. "The king's boat is not easy to board. The things he wants you to do are even more malicious."

The king's boat...

The things he wants you to do...

"Be careful of being smashed to pieces."

The duke's words fell.

The reception room was silent.

How ugly, Thales.

The voice in the youth's heart sounded, quietly complaining.

And you thought your acting was flawless, without a crack.

But before a true expert, one poke and it breaks.

And you cannot even strike back.

How wretched.

You self-righteous idiot.

So hard to tell whether you are cunning or stupid.

Is this all you have?

Are you surrendering?

"You seem to have mentioned a ghost story to me before, about someone called Soulbone Yake."

Thales heard his own voice sound. It was a cold laugh.

"You said it was a legend of a flesh-eating ghost that circulates around the East Sea?"

Zayen was slightly stunned.

"I went back last night and looked it up."

Thales sighed.

"It is said that flesh-eating ghosts take on the appearance of others. After deceiving and defrauding them, they tear open their faces, reveal their true form, open people's hearts, and eat their hearts and spleens."

Zayen frowned and snorted.

"Whose heart and spleen?"

Thales examined the Duke of the South Coast's expression, wanting to find some clue within it.

"Do you know your sister is very special? Very charming?"

Thales slowly shook his head.

"Practically charming enough to kill."

Zayen looked back at the prince faintly.

"I take back what I said earlier."

The expression vanished from the duke's face.

"From now on, you are forbidden to meet her, forbidden to speak with her, forbidden to pass letters to her, much less go out together with her..."

"Do you think Hilley will listen to you?"

"She must listen. And you as well."

Zayen's tone grew heavy, brooking no doubt.

"So long as I still sit in this position, so long as I rule Jade City for one more day."

Thales snorted softly.

"You know, the Blood Bottle Gang's seizure of power yesterday did not completely succeed."

The prince said:

"The Phantom Blade escaped pursuit. The weeds were cut, but the root was not removed."

Zayen was stunned.

"What? Where is Catherine?"

"You do not need to know."

Thales shook his head.

"You only need to know this: they will be very nervous, because they will certainly worry that the Phantom Blade came to find you, making you alert and causing you to discover their operation."

Zayen frowned.

Thales' gaze turned.

"In fact, they are right. Because they will notice that just now, you could not wait to send people to contact or probe the Blood Bottle Gang."

In that second, Zayen's eyes changed.

"You did it on purpose."

Zayen understood something. He stared in disbelief.

"You concealed information, waited for me to move first, and watched me force myself into a corner."

Thales smiled.

This time, his blade was ruthless and cold.

And carried the smell of blood.

"A long night breeds many dreams. They will not tolerate unexpected changes. So whatever they mean to do, they will not wait any longer."

Thales said softly:

"They are coming."

Zayen glared fixedly at him.

"I dare say that this time, it will no longer be a small disturbance, no longer pruning feathers and wings."

Thales' gaze was gloomy.

"It will be a fatal strike."

Until he can no longer turn over.

The prince slowly stood.

"Without my help, Zayen, do you think you can block it?"

Zayen did not speak.

His gaze went toward the door. First it was dazed, then firm, and finally it turned ruthless.

"A Covendier does not perish by the enemy."

He spoke with difficulty.

No swordsman was willing to retreat.

So this fencing match had no winner.

Only casualties.

"Then I can only wish you good luck."

Thales extended his hand and straightened his collar, as though preparing himself, and as though saluting.

"May the empire endure forever."

Zayen did not answer.

At that moment, the reception room door was pushed open.

"Great, Ashford finally isn't guarding the door."

Hilley, wearing a nightgown with her hair in disarray, strode openly into the duke's reception room. Her eyes were still sleepy, and she was even barefoot.

Zayen frowned faintly. Thales turned his head in time, avoiding the sight of her disheveled clothing.

"Sorry, I overslept. Yesterday was too tiring."

Hilley yawned and rubbed the bruises left on her arm from yesterday.

"Oh, you two still haven't eaten each other. Looks like I came too early."

It was very strange.

In the past, every time Hilley barged in, the atmosphere between them would change.

But this time...

"Go back, Hilley."

Zayen only maintained the anger in his eyes for an instant before speaking indifferently.

"From now on, you are not allowed to disturb His Highness again."

Hilley's eyes widened and her brows rose.

"Hey, why don't you first manage your own-"

"Your brother is right, Lady Cecilia."

Thales softly took over.

"Your transgressive actions will make things very awkward for us."

Hilley blinked suspiciously.

"Hey, why are even you getting bold-"

"The festival is not over yet. Today, we still need to attend the selection meeting."

Zayen's voice was neither loud nor severe, but those calm words made Hilley unconsciously fall silent.

"Prepare properly. Do not lose etiquette. I am not ordering you as your brother, but as the duke."

Hilley finally sensed that the atmosphere was wrong. She frowned and examined her brother.

Zayen and Thales were both silent.

Several seconds later, Miss Covendier took a deep breath. She strode to Thales' side and habitually reached for the prince's arm.

"Fine. Ignore him. As for you, come with me. We have things to dis-"

But in the next second, Thales pulled his arm back as though shocked by lightning, avoiding Hilley's touch.

Hilley froze.

She stared blankly at Thales' movement, her gloved hand hanging in the air.

Thales breathed quickly. He turned his face away, clenched his fist, and did not look at Hilley.

[What exactly is it!]

[Evil. It is evil.]

"Lord Zayen is right, Lady Cecilia. The Emerald Celebration has not yet ended."

Thales took a deep breath.

"We all need to prepare properly and not lose etiquette."

Perhaps this is not a bad thing, Thales.

The voice in his heart sneered:

Perhaps your posture is ugly...

But from now on, you can be considered prepared.

Under Hilley's disbelieving gaze and Zayen's bone-chilling eyes, Thales rose from his seat and left the reception room without looking back.