Thales sat in his seat, but his body didn't feel like his own.

He realized that at this moment, he was the only one facing the king directly in the royal conference room.

You can't turn a deaf ear to it, and you can't duck your head to avoid it.

"This morning, when the northern military information arrived, it was about Longxiao City..."

King Kessel's voice sounded in the small room, lacking the echo and emptiness of the meeting hall.

But it makes people feel even more depressed.

"Gilbert insisted on letting his students come to observe, saying that this was the prince's 'practical course'."

"However, even when he was arguing in front of the emperor about your farce last night, he was never so anxious."

Thales thought of Gilbert, and gratitude and sadness surged into his heart at the same time.

"Today, Bob Cullen specifically mentioned that pirates from the north are becoming increasingly rampant, saying that he wants to reorganize the Huigang Navy to protect the trade interests of the seven ports in the East China Sea."

Kessel sat in the main seat, and even the lamp could not illuminate the darkness in his figure.

"Kost's people rushed to the Department of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry early in the morning. On the pretext of preparing to purchase seeds for spring plowing, they checked the amount of grain exports from the local area to Yadi Territory - most of them were grain types that were also grown in the North.

"

Thales tried to take a breath.

Prime Minister Cullen and the Cyclops of Cliffland.

"As for Exeter..."

The king snorted coldly, his words revealing disdain:

"The delegation from Elk City has been coming to Yongxing City for a long time, but they have been very calm. It was not until last night's banquet that they released the messenger crows for communication with the country."

"Those Northerners who rebuilt the tower were very clean and had no clues. It's a pity that the Doyle family was unlucky and exposed the private sale of grain."

Jorge from Elk City, and Levi from Rebuild Tower.

Thales stared at the map on the table.

"You ran back and forth for that girl, thinking you were doing it covertly."

The Iron Fist King's voice suddenly tightened, like a scattered magic gun, focusing on Thales:

"In fact, no matter what you do, there is nothing to hide."

Thales suddenly felt his mouth go dry.

Obviously, the tea in Ballard's room was not prepared for the Duke of Star Lake.

"And I thought that when you arrived at the imperial meeting, you could calm down in front of the foreign ministers and put away your estrous tail feathers."

"Obviously..."

"I underestimated your determination, Duke of Star Lake, or Polaris."

King Kessel paused and repeated the word coldly but ironically:

"for love?"

The king's voice fell.

Thales raised his head.

"but……"

The young man retorted subconsciously:

"That's not love."

no……

The king's gaze pierced through the darkness and penetrated the sunlight unstoppably.

came to Thales.

"Not love?"

His father's response was contemptuous:

"That's worse than love."

"Is it the desire for youthful beauty? Or is it the interest in conquering noble women?"

The voice of King Kessel V thundered:

"Or are you just a arrogant breeding pig who can only rely on your penis to find your self-esteem?"

Thales closed his eyes.

In the past six years, the library, the hall of heroes, the shield area, the dining room, the study room... countless memory scenes came to mind at that moment, but none of them helped the situation in front of me.

But we are not.

Selma.

no.

The boy clenched his fists.

He breathed hard, trying hard to drive away the discomfort he had not felt in the past six years.

Why.

Why is he so uncomfortable, depressed, out of control, and irritable?

"No."

Thales raised his head and spoke with difficulty to protest.

"Thelma and I, we have a great relationship, that's right."

He withstood the cold gaze of the Iron-fisted King just like he withstood the extremely cold wind and snow, and he also withstood the shrinking feeling in his heart.

You can't escape.

Find a way out.

Confront him head on.

It's like facing the past opponents: King Nunn, King Charmaine...

"But outside of personal friendship, I treat her..."

face him

Face it head on.

Confront...them.

Thales took a deep breath and finally said those words:

"I have a responsibility to her."

At that moment, Thales felt that the air around him began to circulate, just like his words and thoughts.

A rhetorical question came from the dim room, not much better than before:

"responsibility?"

Thales found himself nodding gently.

"That's right."

"Six years ago, I personally—no, I should say you and the kingdom devoted all their efforts to send that girl to the throne of the Palace of Heroes."

King Kessel said nothing.

The young man met the king's gaze, slowly regained his thoughts, and firmed up his tone:

"Across the stars..."

"We all have a responsibility to bear."

The prince seemed to return to the state when he faced the princes at Exeter, and his words gradually became fluent:

"And I don't think that this responsibility is a meaningless moral burden."

Thales suddenly discovered that the Ballard Room actually had many windows.

But what enters the room through them is cold air, not light.

"Because of what happened six years ago, that girl was born close to us and close to the stars."

Duke Xinghu clarified his logic in an orderly manner:

"In Exeter, in Longxiao City, in a group whose interests and ideas are incompatible with ours, this is particularly valuable."

The king remained motionless.

Only the eyes remain the same.

"So I believe Selma can be trusted and expected."
To be continued...