Chapter 738: Big Fish Eat Small Fish, Part 2

This time, it was Thales's turn to remain silent for a long while.

"All right. What you said is not wrong. On this point, I truly have little standing to persuade you."

The prince thought of something, sighed helplessly, and was filled with emotion.

"Just like me. Whether I complete His Majesty's calculations perfectly, or bow my head to you, no matter who wins or loses in Jade City, I am still in the same cage. And yet I need this cage to survive."

Thales stared into space.

"After all, as a person, it is very hard to distinguish what one chooses from what one is chosen into. Including what one is able to choose only because one was chosen beforehand."

Looking at such a prince, the Karabeyan sisters glanced at each other in confusion.

"A little tangled," Qina said with a frown.

"But we can mostly understand," Kasha said, narrowing her eyes.

Thales came back to himself and gave a bitter smile.

"So, yes. I am tired of it." He had been sitting for too long, and he stretched. "I truly want to change how I live."

"But what about you?"

Kasha and Qina both froze.

The next second, they looked at each other and nodded.

"We are Karabeyan."

Kasha gritted her teeth.

"Just as you are Jadestar," Qina nodded fiercely.

"Born here."

"Dying here!"

Though the two were still young, they looked like warriors rushing toward a battlefield, ready to die.

Hearing this, Thales grew a little dazed.

It was as though he heard another sentence.

Fight for Stars, die for Stars, live for Stars...

"Therefore..."

The twins spoke one after the other.

"We will not be tired of it, and we have no time to be tired of it!"

"What else can we do?"

"Wait until you are crowned, and you give us ten thousand strings of family wealth?"

"Promote us to Prime Minister of the kingdom?"

"Or appoint us by royal decree as your queen?"

"Or go even further and crown us Queen of Stars?"

"With the right to do whatever we want?"

Thales did not answer immediately.

He remained silent and thought for quite some time before looking thoughtfully at the two sisters.

"Cohen Karabeyan. He is your elder brother by blood, correct?"

The two ladies of the Twin Towers and Long Sword frowned together.

"Playing the family-affection card is useless."

"Especially with our stupid brother."

"And you were able to become friends with him?"

"We cannot help feeling sorrow for you."

"Deep sorrow!"

"So sad, so tragic!"

Thales smiled. He raised a finger to stop them.

"But do you know where Cohen is stronger than you?"

These words had neither beginning, ending, nor logic. Kasha and Qina first froze, then both burst into laughter.

"Cohen? Stronger than us?"

"That giant baby ape?"

The two sisters were both dissatisfied and disdainful.

"Stronger where? Physically?"

"For five silver coins, I can hire someone twice as strong as him!"

"Better at fighting?"

"For five gold coins, I can hire someone who fights better than him!"

"Stupider than us?"

"For five copper coins, I can hire someone more... sorry, that one really cannot be hired."

"More irresponsible and empty-headed than us?"

"Just because he argued with Father, he patted his backside and ran away from home!"

"He made Father so angry he fell ill from heartbreak, and Mother so heartbroken she fell ill!"

"He forced us, before we were even taller than a wheel, to shoulder the livelihood of the whole family!"

"We still worried about stupid brother's safety and scraped food and spending money together to send him two hundred and fifty for living expenses!"

"And we had to do everything possible to hide it from Father!"

"And rack our brains to hide it from the ape!"

"Otherwise the ape would put on airs and refuse to accept it!"

"Then he reached the capital and caused trouble again and again!"

"He even dared offend the Iron Fist King!"

"He even dared follow a troublesome prince!"

"And made us come all this way to wipe his backside!"

"Letting a domineering prince bully us pitifully!"

"Letting him take every advantage from us!"

"Boo hoo, our lives are so bitter..."

"What day will the husband of our dreams cherish us at last?"

Bang!

Thales heavily set down his teacup, interrupting their unconscious return to duet.

"Indeed, Cohen may have done many foolish things, stupid things, things no one approves of, things with no future and no result," Thales said seriously. "But at least every single thing, every single thing, came from Cohen's own will and choice."

He thought of Cohen, the security officer dispirited by countless frustrations at work, and Cohen, who cried uncontrollably when he heard the Abandoned House had been dissolved.

And that Cohen who was always silly and stunned in both Dragon Clouds City and Eternal Star City, yet never hesitated before choices that carried heavy prices.

"Unlike us, he can shoulder responsibility himself," Thales said quietly, with jealousy hidden in his words that even he did not notice. "And he shoulders only the responsibility that belongs to him."

Out of Thales's expectations, the twins' expressions changed sharply the moment he said this.

"Bullshit! Bullshit! Bullshit!" Kasha burst out in anger.

"If he could shoulder responsibility..." Qina's gaze was cold and fierce.

They seemed to have been enraged.

"Why would we have to wade into this muddy water?"

"If he could shoulder responsibility..."

"Why did we come here?"

"So a prince could freeload off us?"

Thales sneered.

The two sisters continued, their anger growing stronger.

"If he could shoulder responsibility..."

"He would not have broken the ban and forced his way into the palace with you..."

"And put himself on His Majesty's list..."

"If we had not come this time..."

Hearing this, Thales suddenly interrupted loudly:

"Is that so!"

He said coldly:

"I thought that to you, whether your blood brother lives or dies is not important. At most, he is only a garnish."

The Karabeyan sisters both choked.

Thales said sarcastically:

"As you said, before the family, an individual is simply insignificant. Even if that individual is the family heir."

"Sister, he..." Qina gnashed her teeth.

"He is copying our words again!" Kasha's eyes burned.

Thales took a deep breath.

"Now, Kasha, Qina, what exactly did you come here for? Was it truly to wipe Cohen's backside, to bear the responsibility that should have belonged to him?"

Kasha and Qina both gritted their teeth and said nothing.

The prince stared fixedly at Cohen's two sisters.

"Or was it to bear for him a responsibility forced upon him, yet one he is tired of and has rejected?"

He went further, his gaze pressing straight toward his opponents as though he wanted to see through their disguises.

"Or rather, a responsibility forced upon you, one that you have no way to reject?"

The devil twins of Vola Territory froze.

They looked at Thales with confusion and hesitation, as if they had never known him.

"Think clearly about that, and perhaps you will understand where Cohen is stronger than you, even stronger than me," Thales said quietly.

The two Karabeyans did not answer at once.

One was unsettled in thought. The other was full of anger.

"Hmph. Your Highness has a sharp tongue and is especially good at sophistry," Kasha came back to herself and refuted through gritted teeth.

"We have long heard about that!" Qina said indignantly.

After speaking, they snorted angrily and once again opened their black folding fans in perfect unison, showing the foul words on them straight at the second prince.

Thales vaguely understood where their unusual anger came from.

But he did not refute them. He merely smiled calmly.

"Is that so?"

The next second, before the twins' anger could grow even stronger, Thales took the initiative and changed the subject first.

"Then do you know where Miranda Arunde is stronger than you?"

Kasha and Qina froze again.

"Miranda?"

"Arunde?"

The two sisters looked at each other as though they had seen the most ridiculous thing in the world, then laughed several times.

"The armored woman warrior?"

"The northern lunatic?"

As if to prove something, each of their voices grew louder than the last, and each sentence was harsher than the one before.

"The heir of Cold Castle whose inheritance rights have been hollowed out?"

"The fortress vanguard shamed because her father betrayed the country?"

"The Sword of Winter who speaks in the North and not even men listen?"

"The White Eagle noble working odd jobs for a little brat?"

"A muscle-bound mannish woman with nothing left but brute strength?"

"A violent female swordsman who only knows how to swing a sword?"

"She stands alone and cannot even pull together a ten-person unit!"

"If she truly did pull one together, His Majesty would probably want her head on the ground!"

"She is trapped in the vortex. Wherever she settles, she makes both host and guest awkward!"

"The only place that is not awkward is Star Lake Castle, poorer than Cold Castle, farther than Evergreen Island, and smaller than my family's living room!"

"She is stronger than us?"

"She is certainly stronger at eating plain rice!"

Kasha forcibly suppressed her anger.

"She has nothing!"

Qina's gaze was fierce.

"We have everything!"

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Thales clapped hard to show agreement.

"Exactly. Miranda has nothing now."

He thought of Mira's decisiveness at Star Lake Castle.

"At most, she counts as a subordinate running errands by my side. Mm, and an unofficial one at that. Even her appointment as an attendant officer has not yet been approved by Renaissance Palace."

His gaze shifted.

"And you, you have everything," Thales said, looking at the two Karabeyans with a sigh. "For example, from birth, you were House Karabeyan of the kingdom's South Coast, lofty in status and renowned in name..."

Kasha looked pleased. Qina looked proud.

Until Thales's next words.

"...its marriage bargaining chips."

The twins' expressions changed abruptly.

"Sister..." Kasha gnashed her teeth.

"Sister!" Qina's eyes burned.

They gripped each other's hands tightly and stared with ill intent at Thales, whose expression remained calm.

"Or rather, you are destined to become, somewhere in the kingdom, in some high official or great noble's family, lofty in status and renowned in name..."

Thales paused slightly.

"...a decorative front."

"Sister!" Kasha held her younger sister, her chest rising and falling.

"Sister." Qina gripped her hand tightly in return, every word difficult.

But Thales had not finished.

"Even if all goes according to your wishes and you find a noble, wealthy husband who can reliably die early, people will still call you..."

Thales said disdainfully:

"...somebody's widow. A surviving wife."

His expression turned playful.

"And do you know, one of my ancestral kings especially liked marrying wealthy widows? To gather money that way?"

At this moment, the anger in Kasha and Qina's eyes could not be increased further.

But Thales smiled.

He took a deep breath and looked toward the blue sky outside the window.

"But compared with all this, compared with you, Lady Miranda Arunde..."

Thales's attitude gradually strengthened with his words.

"Mira. She is my..."

Thales paused, then turned back and corrected himself with a smile.

"No. She chose to become my..."

At that moment, the prince's eyes burned, and he was full of confidence.

"Knight."

The study fell quiet.

Knight.

One word.

Simple in sound, without adjective, without embellishment.

But the instant that word left his mouth, Kasha and Qina gnashed their teeth.

"What does that mean?"

"What difference does that make?"

They were still stubborn, forcing themselves to be disdainful.

But Thales noticed that both of them were trembling slightly without realizing it.

"Work is work!"

"Losing power is losing power!"

"No matter how nicely you say it, it is the same!"

"So what if she is a knight?"

"What damn use is that?"

"When her master is overwhelmed..."

"Did she let out any useful fart?"

But Thales was neither hurried nor flustered. He merely shook his head gently.

"I think you understand the difference more clearly than I do. Not to mention, she may be the first female duchess of the kingdom's North."

The two sisters' expressions changed. Kasha bit her lip in defiance. Qina gripped her sister's hand tightly.

"Your Highness is so generous, making promises on your own before you are crowned..."

The sisters were ill-intentioned.

"Have you reported this to His Majesty?"

"No," Thales said openly, frank and sincere. "Because unlike you, I am tired of it."

The Karabeyan sisters looked at each other in disbelief.

"Even that Covendier you hate most, that Miss Cecilia who harmed me to the point I am in now, with nowhere to go..."

The twins heard the name and reacted as if someone had stepped on their feet.

"Ah! That great pervert! That lunatic!"

"Dead woman! Monster lady!"

"Great disaster star!"

"Pretending to be mysterious!"

"She got us punished in the temple together!"

"And made us lose the most beautiful childhood!"

"Yes. Hilley is... is physically weak and sickly. She was away from Jade City for a long time and has a terrible relationship with her elder brother. She cannot compare to you in governing Vola Territory, managing affairs, making decisions and plans."

Thales hesitated for a moment and finally sighed.

"But in that moment, in the moment when she snatched food from a tiger's mouth and humiliated me, she actively chose to become my opponent. My enemy."

Thales looked at his two indignant female guests.

"And you, Kasha, Qina, as you said..."

Thales shook his head gently with no little pity.

"Karabeyan is destined to be Covendier's ally, destined to be entangled with the iris flower family, unable to break free."

As Thales spoke, the two sisters' breathing gradually grew chaotic.

"Because it is not that you will not be tired of it, nor that you have no time to be tired of it. You are 'not qualified' to be tired of it, let alone struggle free."

Kasha and Qina's angry gazes gradually froze.

"Because from your birth until now, and perhaps until your deaths in the future..."

Thales's gaze dimmed.

"You have had no choice."

As his words fell, Kasha and Qina swayed slightly, their faces pale.

The study was quiet for a long time.

Until Kasha, whose expression was ugly, gathered herself and forced a response.

"I know. Your Highness wants to persuade us to turn away from our family's position and choose for ourselves?"

"Impossible!" Qina raised her head in anger, faint tears visible at the corners of her eyes.

"No matter how eloquently you speak," Kasha worked hard to keep her reason, "in the end, in the end, you cannot change one fact."

She took a deep breath.

"Whether or not it is our will, we and Karabeyan..."

"Rise together and fall together!"

"Just as you and House Jadestar."

"We receive its shelter and also suffer its restraints!"

"Leaving the family's power would be like fish leaving water."

"We would only lose more than we gained!"

"Without Karabeyan, even if we wanted to help you, we could not."

"Still less could we switch sides to aid you and harm ourselves!"

The twins stared fixedly at him and finished this passage while trembling.

Thales calmly looked back at them.

"Is it that you cannot, or that Karabeyan cannot?"

"Neither can!" Qina snapped first.

"Your Highness cannot and will not separate us from Karabeyan," Kasha added slowly.

Thales smiled and shook his head.

"Relax. I do not have such extravagant hopes."

Kasha took a deep breath and nodded.

"If you know that, it is best."

Qina forced her tears back.

"You had better know!"

The persuasion had failed.

But Thales felt no frustration.

Facing the two sisters, whose breathing was chaotic and whose emotions rose and fell, he felt as if he had caught hold of something.

Something that could touch the soul.

"Even if you are not tired of the present state," Thales said softly, "is House Karabeyan not tired of it either?"

"Tired of what?"

"What sophistry are you trying now?"

The two sisters were fully on guard.

Thales leaned back and looked at the ceiling.

"Let me ask this way. You side with Zayen, successfully withstand this wave of royal invasion, the demonic grasp of Renaissance Palace..."

He sighed lightly.

"But what about the next wave? The wave after that? And the one after that?"

"Are you saying you will come back again?" Kasha said coldly.

"You are thinking too far ahead!" Qina said in defiance.

"First worry about what happens after you return to Eternal Star City."

"Someone is going to get his bottom painfully spanked by Daddy!"

Thales smiled.

"No. I mean, whether it is to protect your own interests, speak for the relevant classes, maintain systems and institutions, defend the foundation of rule, or even some more elusive defense of a way of life and values..."

He sat upright and looked directly at the two girls.

"Leaving aside who is right or wrong, who is correct or mistaken, whether it is justified or not, for all these years, does the South Coast Territory and Jade City not always seem to be... defending passively?"

Perhaps because the answer was unexpected, Kasha and Qina froze together.

"And Karabeyan has an even harder, more difficult time. Because you must make every effort to help Jade City defend the South Coast Territory from the royal center's external attack, while also plotting with utmost care, step by step, to weaken Covendier's internal suppression of you, seizing more internal right to speak. It seems you are always fighting enemies on two sides..."

Thales sighed to the two ladies.

"Just like you. For freedom, you must find a husband, and also find a husband who dies early. It seems you are always... finding husbands?"

The study instantly grew quiet.

The two Karabeyan ladies frowned tightly, shocked and uncertain.

"I do not understand," Kasha said coldly.

"What do you mean?" Qina asked suspiciously.

They restrained their anger, their expressions cold. With two dark streaks on each of their faces from their ruined makeup, when they raised their heads together and looked coldly at Thales, they unexpectedly carried a somewhat ghostly, terrifying air.

"What I mean is, the age is changing, and the kingdom is advancing. Mm, perhaps the South Coast Territory is even half a step ahead, which is why it accumulated so much wealth that makes Renaissance Palace's eyes turn greedy..."

Thales rubbed his nose, feeling he had found the key.

"But whether Karabeyan or Covendier, your eyes remain fixed only on one corner of the South Coast Territory." He clicked his tongue. "Like cats guarding food, always thinking, 'My cat food is better. I must protect it properly and not let other cats steal it.'"

Thales looked at the two girls.

"Is that not a little too regrettable?"

Kasha fell into thought and said nothing.

"Guarding food? Regrettable?" Qina slowly chewed over those words.

Thales smiled and nodded.

"Because what is truly better in your hands is actually not the cat food. Not only the cat food. At least, not these things that can be stolen."

Thales spoke slowly.

"It is the things that cannot be stolen. For example, the experience and skill of finding cat food?"

Kasha's eyes brightened.

"You mean..."

Thales spread both hands.

"Since the South Coast Territory is already one step ahead of the rest of the country, why can it not continue leading?"

He used the most tempting tone he could think of and spoke slowly.

"Since you are one step ahead, why refuse to face things out of fear of falling behind?

"Since you are one step ahead, why take the defensive, shut yourselves in place, and preserve only the old?

"Why not open the arms guarding your food, take the offensive, and meet a broader world?

"Why not trade the losses of this moment for the progress of the future?"

The Karabeyan sisters both froze.

"Cohen told me that in battle, if you do not seize the attack and only defend passively, your opponent will counterattack."

Thales's eyes burned.

"And wasting opportunities brings punishment."

Kasha frowned tightly and sank into thought, but then suddenly spoke.

"Since we do not want to find husbands, why can we not simply stop finding husbands?"

Qina woke in shock.

"Sister!"

Thales smiled.

"I can see that Count Turami Karabeyan is a good father. He dotes on you and trusts you, which is why he lets you manage and operate so many affairs and industries, make decisions and plans."

Kasha's gaze dimmed.

"It is to leave us dowries."

Qina pouted.

"So our backs can be a little straighter in our husbands' families later."

Thales shook his head.

"But as you said, even the best father is not the best father, unless he is dead."

Kasha's gaze moved.

"Careful, Your Highness. With your identity..."

Qina caught the words with perfect tacit understanding.

"You should not say such things."

Then go complain to the king?

Thales condensed this sentence into his gaze and casually glanced at them.

The Karabeyan sisters both frowned and looked at each other.

"But compared with this, what is truly regrettable is this. No matter how well you perform in Vola Territory, how much money you earn, how many businesses you negotiate, how many connections you make, how many political struggles you win, how many royal invasions you block, how many masters of Jade City you preserve, even if you make flowers bloom from your position, the influence and effect are ultimately limited. They are confined to the South Coast Territory. You can only use the strength of one territory to resist the royal center's plunder, or invasion."

Thales continued.

"And in the South Coast Territory, for your entire lives, the limit is becoming wealthy widows, managing your few dozen chests of dowry and your husbands' hundreds or thousands of mu of land. At most, mm, a Countess Karabeyan? The premise being that Cohen dies early or gives up his position, then you still have to marry a husband, give birth to a child, and leave descendants."

The devil twins made no sound.

"But imagine this. If one day, you could take this resolve and wisdom of orphans and widows defending their home and rising to fight back, take the energy and reputation that House Karabeyan can mobilize, take the anger and strength with which you refuse to compromise and muddle through..."

Thales lowered his volume and slowed his pace.

"And use them in the Imperial Conference?"

At that moment, the Karabeyan sisters were both startled and raised their heads together.

"What did you say?"

"What are you talking about?"

Thales blinked.

"I know House Karabeyan worries about the invasion of royal power, worries about the shaking of the South Coast's foundation..."

He spread his palm.

"But guess this. In the Kingdom of Stars, who can most affect, not resist, the invasion of royal power? And who can truly shake the South Coast, even the ruling foundation of the entire Kingdom of Stars?"

Kasha and Qina exchanged a glance, unable to hide their surprise.

"Is it the people sitting in Renaissance Palace, sitting in this study?"

Thales gestured around them.

"Or the people sitting in Renaissance Palace, sitting in the Ballard Room... sorry, the Imperial Conference chamber?"

The sisters looked at him in disbelief.

"I think that at that time, what you can protect, what you can fight for, what you can obtain, and what you can change will be far more than 'Renaissance Palace's policies.' Far more than the 'governing foundation of the South Coast Territory.'"

Thales said gravely:

"Once someone in court begins plotting against the South Coast Territory or even Karabeyan, you can seize the first move and press the sparks out from the source, from within Renaissance Palace itself.

"Once a crisis like Jade City's strikes again, with one casual move, you can connect a chessboard across the entire country and prevent the South Coast Territory from fighting alone and without aid.

"Even further, if the entire kingdom inherits and develops the South Coast Territory's rules and systems..."

But before he could finish, Kasha interrupted him first.

"What are you trying to do, Your Highness?"

Qina stared hard at him.

"What do you mean by these words?"

Thales looked at the elder sister, then at the younger sister, and smiled faintly.

"Very simple. I want to pay more."

The sisters were utterly confused.

"Does Your Highness mean," Kasha said cautiously, half believing and half doubting, "that you are promising us a seat in the Imperial Conference?"

"A golden promise?" Qina narrowed her eyes.

In the silent study, Thales quietly looked at the two Karabeyans.

A few seconds later.

"Ha. How could that be possible!"

Thales laughed loudly and waved his hand, shrinking back into his chair as if scalded by boiling water.

"Careful. With my identity..."

He blinked.

"I should not say such things."

The two sisters did not laugh. Instead, they both narrowed their eyes and observed him closely.

"You should know that every seat in the Imperial Conference is extremely important, tied to the great policies of the state."

"And I am not the king."

Thales looked meaningfully at the two ladies.

"What qualification would I have to appoint or remove important ministers?"

His words fell.

The two sisters inhaled softly.

"Heavens, sister," Qina's breathing quickened.

"I know," Kasha said with difficulty.

"He is tempting us?"

"I know!"

"Tempting us to betray and have an affair?"

"I know!"

"So he is posing seductively?"

"I know!"

"Using all the skills in his body!"

"I know, ahhh!"

Thales's expression became strange as he listened.

"Fine." He flung a hand. "Anyway, that is the general idea. Use whatever metaphor you want."

The next second, the two sisters' expressions changed.

There was no longer the anger and agitation from before.

Nor the proud ease from before.

Instead, they became...

"Eek. Truly lacking in masculine virtue," Kasha clicked her tongue and sneered.

"Yet it does make one see you in a new light," Qina smiled wickedly.

"Ah. After all this, I only just discovered..." Thales scratched his head helplessly. "So this is the kind of thing you two like."

The two sisters leaned behind the foul-mouthed folding fans and chattered for a while, then finally showed their heads again.

"Do you know, handsome Your Highness, this is the most charming moment you have had these past few days."

"Though it is your first time, so some rawness and nervousness are inevitable..."

Kasha narrowed her eyes.

"But it is far more mature than a brainless little brat forcibly pretending to be a masculine man."

Qina nodded calmly.

"And far fresher than a hypocritical old slickster forcibly pretending to be a refined gentleman in a turbid world."

"Facts prove that if Your Highness wants..."

"You can also pose seductively and entice people into crime!"

Thales held his forehead and sighed, automatically ignoring their hints.

"Enough. So what do you say?"

The devil twins hooked up smiles and looked at each other.

The next second, they shook their heads together and spoke with one voice.

"No!"

Thales breathed out and, disappointed, smashed his face down onto the desk.

Had everything he said before been for nothing?

"Once we agree to Your Highness and yield here, it means Jade City falls and royal power invades on a large scale..."

"Once Karabeyan's interests are damaged, its glory no longer present, or it even declines from here..."

The twins laughed softly.

"We will lose the backing of our family."

"Then what will we use to walk out of the South Coast Territory and win a place in this so-called 'broader world' of yours?"

Thales dragged his head up from the desk and let out a long sigh.

"First, believe me. From what I know of the Imperial Conference's efficiency in bickering, the process of 'conquering' Jade City will not be so fast. The accountants under Chief Steward Juke Mann will need at least a year and a half merely to count the accounts..."

He looked at the two sisters' confident faces in disbelief. His tone was urgent, almost short of grabbing their shoulders and shaking them.

"Second, do you have so little confidence in yourselves?"

The Karabeyan sisters blinked.

"Do you think that your ability to reach this day, to sit in front of me and speak so freely, relies entirely on Karabeyan's established power and status? On Count Turami's trust and accumulated authority?"

The twins smiled at each other, their meaning unclear.

"Please. You two beat me until I could not look after one thing without losing another, until flowers fell and water flowed. You made Jade City fall into pieces and nearly come apart. You made my father gnash his teeth and stomp on the throne while still unable to do anything."

Thales sounded anxious.

"You brought Karabeyan to its current point, where every movement affects the situation in Jade City and the kingdom's major policies. Your energy is not small, and your contributions cannot be ignored. Do not underestimate yourselves."

"Your Highness says this only to tempt and incite us."

"Anyone else in our position could do the same."

Thales frowned.

"Anyone else could do the same... mm. Cohen?"

The two sisters froze together, then were left speechless.

"Speaking of this, do you know..."

Thales thought of something and said nostalgically:

"Those two hundred and fifty gold coins you sent Cohen, he did not spend a single one. He deposited all of them in a border tavern."

The two sisters froze. After reacting, one gnashed her teeth and the other burned with righteous anger.

"I knew it!"

"Tsundere ape!"

"Serves him right to go hungry!"

"And I saved food and spending money back then, even unwilling to buy the newest capital dressing box!"

"I sold so many pieces of jewelry and shoes. I even had only twelve formal dresses left!"

"From now on, do not even dream of this lady helping him!"

Thales raised his hand in time and shifted the topic.

"Do not worry. The money did have a use. All of it was used to repay and support the veterans who had accidents in the desert..."

"Pah! Fake kindness!"

"Spending his sisters' money..."

"Of course he would not feel distressed!"

"I want him to repay it! With interest!"

"But precisely because of this," Thales interrupted them, feeling emotional, "in today's Blade Fangs Dune Camp, when you mention the name Cohen 'Big Fool' Karabeyan, it is far more useful than mentioning the names of noble lords. Being 'Cohen's friend' is also far more welcome than being 'Karabeyan's friend.'"

The two sisters fell silent.

"Those two hundred and fifty gold coins were yours, or more precisely, they belonged to House Karabeyan, to Vola Territory," Thales sighed. "But after crossing thousands of mountains and rivers, the thing they achieved, that choice, that meaning, I believe..."

He looked at Kasha and Qina and said solemnly:

"Will forever and always belong only to Cohen."

Kasha and Qina sank into thought.

"Because this is something that cannot be done merely by relying on the surname Karabeyan."

As his words fell, the three were silent for a long time.

"Your Highness has spoken with us for so long. Have you ever asked our father's opinion?" Kasha said heavily.

"What if he does not agree?" Qina frowned.

"Truly?" Thales shrugged. "Do I still need to ask him?"

The three raised their heads together, met one another's eyes in the air, and then smiled together.

"Those words just now, those words about 'yielding at this moment,' 'rather than passive defense, take the initiative,' 'take the offensive and enter a broader world'..." Kasha said in thought.

"Have you said them to Lord Zayen?" Qina asked.

"Have you used these words to persuade him?"

"Have you tried with all your might to tempt him into an affair?"

Thales laughed disdainfully.

"Ha! Do not even mention 'yielding at this moment'..."

Thinking of the injury on his face, he said hatefully:

"The Covendier family's dictionary simply has no such word as 'yield.' In that family, not one person will take the initiative to yield."

"That is because all you have are empty words!" Kasha was equally disdainful.

"Including your temptation of us!" Qina seemed indignant.

"I know. But there is gain only when there is giving up. Sometimes, for a certain objective," Thales sighed, "we must take some risk and yield or retreat on some interest."

"Such as Jade City's ownership?"

"Such as the capital's disgusting unspoken rules?"

Thales raised his brows and looked meaningfully at the two sisters.

"What?"

"Why are you looking at us like that?"

"Eek! We are proper young ladies!"

"If you use force, we will rather die than submit!"

"Unless..."

"There is no unless!"

Thales coughed and interrupted them.

"I originally thought House Karabeyan always defended passively because it was unwilling to take risks."

His gaze shifted.

"But now I understand. The cause and effect are exactly the opposite. You are unwilling to take risks because you are used to passive defense."

The sisters froze.

Kasha sneered and retorted:

"Such nice words. Then why does Your Highness not yield first and release Jade City?"

Qina nodded hatefully.

"You insist on forcing us, the weaker side, to yield? To give you Jade City?"

Thales sighed long and hard.

"Believe me. I fell from being an idle duke lying in a castle, petting cats, walking dogs, eating, and waiting to die, into my present state. A royal burden above my head, millions in debt on my back, unable to catch the murderer, unable to govern well, unable to discipline subordinates, governing Jade City into a mess, and being tricked by a little girl until I was covered in dust, lost all face, and became the laughingstock of the whole city..."

He collapsed against the chair back, his eyes lifeless.

"I have already yielded and retreated more than enough."

Qina burst out laughing.

"Forgive my directness, but Your Highness has already lost the great trend and fallen to the bottom. There is not much room left for you to yield..."

But at that moment, she was grabbed.

"Sister!" Qina turned back in shock.

Kasha was staring fixedly at the distracted Thales.

"Your Highness, you said you have lost all face and become a laughingstock?"

"Mm-hm."

"And you have already yielded and retreated more than enough?"

"Mm-hm."

Kasha was silent for a while, pondering for a long time.

"I have to say, Your Highness, your proposal just now is interesting, but it is only empty words."

Qina nodded.

"Not enough to trust, and even less enough to trade."

Thales let out a long breath and sat up with renewed effort.

"All right. I know I am only a little brat now, and I do not have much in the way of bargaining chips to tempt you with in exchange..."

Qina narrowed her eyes and looked Thales up and down.

"That is not necessarily true..."

Kasha grabbed her sister back, frowned, shook her head, and whispered:

"No. He is not yet an adult..."

But Thales did not notice their whispers.

"But I at least believe one thing."

Thales sat straight and said seriously:

"Whether it is a shark or a giant crocodile, if the result cannot be changed, you would rather stand on the winner's side. Correct?"

Kasha's gaze moved.

"What do you mean?"

Thales calculated the chips in his hand and gritted his teeth.

"If I win this game, at least eighty percent... no, seventy percent, perhaps sixty percent, then you can choose sides, correct?"

Qina snorted softly.

"Without our help, are you certain you can win? Preserve Jade City?"

Thales smiled.

"Not certain. But you two are even more stubborn and hard than Cohen, refusing to loosen your mouths."

He said unhappily:

"Do I have any other choice?"

Kasha studied him thoughtfully for a while.

"Your Highness," she suddenly said, "have you truly not considered becoming engaged in the near future?"

Thales was startled.

Qina also froze slightly, but she reacted extremely quickly and cooperated with her sister.

"If you are considering it, we sisters are very..."

"Thank you for your favor," Thales said with a cold laugh and a wave of his hand. "But I do not want to die young."

Kasha smiled faintly.

"Actually, if the husband is you, he does not have to die early!"

"Really?" Thales looked utterly suspicious.

Qina nodded with sparkling eyes.

"Yes, yes, yes. When the time comes, paralysis and dementia are fine too. We will hire the best servants to take care of your excrement and urine..."

"No need."

Thales waved his little hand and refused decisively.

Kasha narrowed her eyes.

"Oh. What a pity."

"Yes, yes."

But the next second, Kasha Karabeyan changed the topic.

"But for the sake of the heartfelt words Your Highness spoke today, we can give you a hint."

Qina turned back in shock.

"Sister?"

But she was pressed down by her sister, who whispered a few words by her ear. Qina's expression immediately turned doubtful and startled.

Thales's gaze moved.

"Oh?"

"The market, public security, public opinion, prices," Kasha said heavily, pressing down Qina. "All these methods we operated to drag Jade City underwater and force Your Highness to let go are actually only small branches and fine details."

Qina, half believing and half doubting, picked up the sentence.

"They may look bad, but in truth they are hard to use to shake the greater situation."

"If Your Highness wants to bring Jade City back from death..."

"You must strike directly at the root that decides the situation."

Thales's gaze moved.

"The root?"

Kasha nodded, her expression deep.

"You were right. Even though we cooperate with Covendier, he only allows us to handle the most marginal scraps."

Qina said hatefully:

"And he prettily calls it 'each using their strengths.'"

"The most core, most important chips in Jade City, the ones most able to force Your Highness to submit, are all held in Duke Zayen's own hands."

"He allows no one else to touch them."

Thales frowned.

"You mean..."

"Debt," Kasha said coldly.

"Massive debt!" Qina nodded hard.

"Nearly one million three hundred thousand Tormond gold coins in the short term."

"Approximately twelve million nine hundred thousand in long-term debt."

"Debt enough to drag down the finances."

"Debt enough to bankrupt Jade City and collapse the South Coast Territory."

Thales felt a wave of dizziness.

"Long-term... twelve million nine... thirteen million?"

What the hell?

That much?

Steady. Steady, Thales. Pull yourself together...

He forced himself to take several deep breaths.

"How... how do you know so clearly?"

The Karabeyan sisters smiled mysteriously.

"We guessed."

Fuck!

Thales worked hard to calm his breathing and recover his reason, then asked in shock:

"Over ten million... how did he borrow so much money? Who did he borrow it from?"

The two shook their heads together.

"We do not know."

Kasha then said coldly:

"But if the money problem is not solved..."

"Then Your Highness should not dream of preserving Jade City..."

"Without Zayen's cooperation."

"Without money, not even the Jadestar royal family, not even the Sunset Goddess, can save you."

Thales came back to himself and hurriedly pursued:

"Can you not help a little with this matter? House Karabeyan has some small wealth, correct? For example, you could advance..."

But Kasha raised one finger and pressed it to her lips with a smile.

"Solve it, Your Highness."

Qina copied her and blinked.

"Otherwise, even if we help you, it will be useless."

"We have already revealed enough today."

"What comes next depends on whether Your Highness is a shark or a giant crocodile."

As their words fell, the twins rose together and saluted in farewell.

"Wait!"

Thales froze and hurriedly stood as well.

"If I solve this matter, mm, the debt, then will you..."

The next second, Kasha and Qina smiled together.

They turned in unison and, from who knew where, pulled out two brand-new bright silver folding fans. The nine-pointed star insignia on them glittered.

Snap!

The fans opened in the air.

The first read:

Your Highness the prince may fly at ease. Kasha and Qina will forever follow.

The second read:

On the day the young man becomes king and wears the crown, the sisters shall offer themselves in marriage.

Uh...

All right.

Thales revealed a helpless yet relieved expression.

The two folding fans crossed, and at the point of intersection formed another sentence:

For Bright God's creation, we received you in exchange.

The two sisters froze in an exaggerated flying dance posture and blinked at Thales.

"Thank you..."

Thales smiled awkwardly and waved his hand.

"Thank you..."

"By the way, if that day truly comes," Kasha said, her gaze burning and full of aggression, "I want to be Prime Minister of the kingdom."

Thales's eyelid twitched.

"And me! Us, us. We want to be Prime Ministers!" Qina added forcefully.

Thales was silent for a while.

"You ask for the biggest position as soon as you open your mouths. That really is like you."

He smiled helplessly.

"But I said before, before I am crowned, I cannot guarantee or promise..."

Kasha's gaze chilled.

"Oh? You cannot promise?"

Qina clicked her tongue.

"Then we can only fight for it ourselves, sister."

"Yes. We must fight to see that day..."

"The day when you beg us to be your Prime Minister."

Thales's eyelid twitched.

"And if I do not beg?"

Kasha and Qina looked at each other and smiled together.

"Then we can only fight for it ourselves, sister."

"Fight to see another day..."

Thales could not help frowning.

"What day?"

The girls looked at Thales, smiling like blooming flowers.

"Naturally, the day you beg us..."

"To let you ascend the throne again."

Thales trembled slightly and endured the waves of chill rising along his spine.

"Why... ascend the throne again?"

What answered him was the devil twins' increasingly brilliant yet unsettling strange smiles.