Because the people you thought you could trust are actually lying to you?

You are alone, you are in danger, and even your biggest secret is already in someone's hands?

"Huh?" Thelma's eyes fell on his lips, slightly confused.

But Thales frowned, and slowly clenched his fists under the table. He still smiled but struggled in his heart, not knowing where to start.

Should I tell her the truth? Nicolai and Lisban were not loyal to her, at least not faithfully?

They may be plotting a plan laid out by King Nun. Are you just a puppet to be manipulated?

Is this playing into Lomba's plan? Are you using me to destroy the internal harmony and relationship between the principal and his ministers in Longxiao City?

However...does Longxiao City still have the so-called "harmony"?

If she doesn't know and has been deceived, will she be hurt more and more severely when the secret is revealed?

"What’s wrong with you?"

Thelma looked at his silent look and asked softly:

"Are you worried about something?"

Finally, Thales let go of his clenched fists and exhaled.

"As usual, you know, outdoor class, I got a good beating from Nicolai," the prince turned his smile into a covert self-mockery:

"Maybe I should try using lime powder next time."

According to the usual practice, Thelma should frown and look at his wounds, then smile and respond to the prince's teasing one after another.

But today...

"No," Thelma looked at him steadily and shook her head firmly: "It's not because of this."

Thales was slightly surprised and cast a questioning look.

"I can feel it."

"It's because of something else," Thelma asked sharply: "What do you want to tell me?"

The second prince looked at the serious-looking Grand Duchess and was silent for a few seconds.

"Listen to me, little slippery man," Thales finally calmed down, removed his hypocritical smile, and asked in a rather heavy and tired tone: "You have been... the Grand Duchess for six years."

"This is not too short."

Thelma stared at him, and the girl turned her head sideways, her expression indistinguishable under the shadow of the lamp.

She nodded.

"But in the past six years..." Thales looked at the girl sitting on the hard and wide chair, and thought of the way she sat alone in the Hall of Heroes, and felt a little unbearable:

"Are you tired, annoyed or depressed?"

The girl seemed a little surprised. She raised her head: "What?"

Thales sighed and said bravely: "What I mean is that from the moment you took the position of the Grand Duchess, you were forced to bear the looks of vassals, people's suspicions, and countless affairs.

There are also intrigues and intrigues. The princes are watching, the king has evil intentions, even Nicolai and Risban..."

As he spoke, Thales couldn't help but lower his head, feeling a little frustrated.

"I know you don't actually want all this," he said with a somewhat guilty feeling, "What's more... you had the opportunity to leave back then, and leave that uncomfortable chair."

At this moment.

"I'm scared."

Thales raised his head: "Huh?"

"At that time, when you want to go back to the Palace of Heroes and let me become Thelma to save this country," Selma managed to smile under the light of the light: "I was very scared."

"I was thinking that if you had to go back and face the princes, you might not be able to come back."

"And I'm not ready to be a Grand Duchess at all."

The girl sat at the other end of the dining table, her slightly red face reflecting the lights, which seemed out of tune with the solemn decoration around her.

"But you didn't hesitate at the time. You said, carrying two countries and the fate of so many people on your back, you couldn't just walk away and leave a sea of ​​fire behind."

Thales looked at her silently.

His fists were firmly pressed on his knees.

"Because you are not afraid."

"So I thought: I can't be afraid either."

Thelma raised her lips slightly, seeming to be unexpectedly happy: "And you said, you said you would always stay with me and protect me... Just like in the Hall of Heroes, you took me away from His Majesty without hesitation.

Take me away, and in the past six years, you and Charles have been protecting me..."

"I know, no matter what I encounter..."

After hearing this, Thales couldn't bear it any longer. He suddenly raised his head:

"but I can not!"

The Grand Duchess stared at the excited prince with surprised eyes.

"I can't protect you."

"You are the Grand Duchess of Longxiao City, in a chess game that ordinary people can't imagine, and I am just a powerless prince," Thales thought of Lisban's meticulous rhetoric, and thought of Nicolai's eyes that concealed everything.

Thinking of the intense vigilance and strict supervision everywhere in the Palace of Heroes, he gritted his teeth and said:

"We face too many threats, too many dangers, too many problems."

"Rumba, Ronnie, the earls of Longxiao City, and..."

Thales took a deep breath and struggled: "You know, I don't have the ability to protect you at all."

Thelma looked at him blankly, her lips trembling slightly.

Thales thought of Jinx's hint and couldn't help but add: "I can't protect you forever and even Lisban and the others..."

The Grand Duchess interrupted him.

"Black Sand Leader's proposal."

Thales said:

"What?"

The girl pursed her lips, her face turned pale, and her smile slowly disappeared.

She forced a smile and murmured: "Ciel told me this afternoon: you went to meet the people from the Black Sand Territory, so this is, this is what you are going to come to me to talk about today."

Talston had a headache.

"I just," the prince sighed: "Listen, Lumba, he may really want to win over you through me, but I still..."

"Tales," the girl's voice was low and intermittent: "You want to go home, don't you?"

The expression on the Grand Duchess's face reminded Thales of two years ago, when she read the tragic bard "Jasmine's Flag of War", in which the indomitable Jasmine ended up dying in the rain, and she probably had the same expression.

"Is this the condition given to you by the king to let you return to the country?" Before Thales could answer, Thelma smiled coldly: "And you feel tired and tired. You don't want to accompany an ignorant and boring person anymore.

The girl is playing games, so she came here to tell me that you can no longer protect me."

I saw her laughing at herself: "Is this the 'important thing' you said?"

Thales' breathing stagnated.

"That's right, a stupid, clumsy, and weird-tempered little girl." Thelma lowered her head: "It's very annoying."

Thales held his forehead in pain: "No, Selma, no, that's not the case. Listen to me, what I want to tell you is..."

"You miss home, right?" However, the girl didn't seem to be listening to him at all, but said to herself, "If you have the chance, you will leave here without hesitation, leave Longxiao City, and lose yourself."

Leave everything behind and go home?"

Thales was stunned.

Putilai asked him the same question.

At that time, his answer was...

"I..." Thales said a word, but he gritted his teeth.

He wanted to answer no, to say that he didn't miss home, to soothe her for the time being with lies.

but……

"You know, as long as you are still here," Thales took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. He could only answer cautiously: "Selma, I will not leave easily."

The girl raised her head slightly.

silence.

"I'm sorry, I'm not in a good mood today," Selma seemed to reply a little after a few seconds. The girl shook her head and smiled reluctantly: "I'm not questioning you, Charles, they must be very dissatisfied with you.

I'm just...sorry."
To be continued...