"A cruel king who is rational and calm, and only sees the kingdom..."

"Can you distinguish everything clearly and without any confusion?"

Kessel's eyes sharpened.

But Thales couldn't tell whether it was anger or sadness surging inside.

But he suddenly realized that this was the first time he had refuted his father today.

Or...the first time in your life?

The stone statue named King Kessel moved on his seat, his chin raised slightly, with a hint of sullenness:

"you……"

But Thales interrupted him.

"I am a shining star."

He breathed hard, as if this was the only way to avoid suffocation, and he had to hold on to his palms to keep his voice from deforming:

"As a star prince, as a..."

"If I can't even take responsibility for one, one girl who suffered because of me."

Thales found that he couldn't control the pause in his words, but he still tried to finish:

"Then in times of crisis, at critical moments, why should I stand up and take responsibility for my kingdom and compatriots?"

King Kessel's eyes changed, and there was a different kind of light in them.

Thales stared at the king:

"Yes, this has nothing to do with her."

"Only about myself."

Several seconds passed.

The turmoil in the king's eyes finally subsided.

He looked at Thales again, his tone affirmative:

"You care about her."

Thales shuddered.

At that moment, the young man did not dare to raise his head again and look at his father.

But he must face it eventually.

Just like Kessel's question about his past behavior.

He must eventually answer.

"I care about her."

The young man didn't know what his expression was like now.

He knew how hard it was for his words to break through numerous obstacles and hurdles before they could be uttered from his throat.

Just like what he was thinking at the moment.

"She is my true friend and my friend in times of need."

"My savior, my classmate and study companion."

Thales lowered his head sadly and his voice became softer.

"Of course I care about her, I care about her, and maybe I quite...like her."

Little slippery head.

King Kessel made no reply, not even a snort of sarcasm or disdain.

He just looked at his son silently.

Thales took a deep breath.

He forced determination from his eyes and forced away the pain:

"So that's not love."

It doesn't have to be love.

It can't even be love.

The moment he said these words, Thales's heart trembled, and he felt as if his foot was missing.

Weightlessness, imbalance.

At a loss what to do.

Thales looked at King Kessel, trying to breathe in a trance, deliberately forgetting everything else.

Until the king replied calmly:

"Yeah?"

No trouble, no praise, no criticism.

Thales closed his eyes and opened them again.

"I'm very realistic."

After getting over the previous discomfort, Thales was finally able to adjust his sitting posture without any hindrance, and with inexplicable emotions, he raised his head proudly.

"I am your son, the bloodline of the Bright Star, and the heir to the kingdom."

King Kessel's face moved slightly in the sunlight.

"I have long understood that my destiny is destined to be full of ups and downs and full of misfortunes."

Thales looked slightly sideways, slightly sad.

"But just like you, I made a choice."

The next moment, he looked at the king again, as if looking at another self, and said the subject of the next sentence in ancient imperial language:

"I was born for the stars."

The king looked back at him silently.

The silence in Ballard's room was as silent as before, but the air was no longer blocked.

Thales let out a breath, as if he were a prisoner who had broken through his shackles and breathed luxuriously in the sunshine.

The young man gritted his teeth:

"So I will not and cannot have any undue thoughts, affection for children, or any intention to overstep the rules towards her."

Will the same disaster...

Bring it to her again.

"Because I care about her, I care about Selma, and I care about my friends."

King Kessel remained silent.

Mixed with pain and discomfort, Thales spoke words that had been buried deep in his heart for a long time, reconfirming what he had already figured out:

"So that's definitely not love."

That can't be love.

Absolutely not.

At that moment, he seemed to be freed from the shackles of a bird, finally able to fly high with confidence and boldness, soaring into the sky.

Until the wings break and fall to the ground.

"You asked me where I am," the young Duke said in a low voice. He suddenly liked the darkness of this stone room:

"I'm right here, in Fuxing Palace."

"Like you."

"Father."

Thales's mood dropped.

"And you don't have to worry about...her and me."

After he finished speaking, Thales realized that he was sweating profusely and breathing rapidly without even realizing it.

Far from the demeanor that the Duke of Xinghu should have.

The silence in the room lasted for a long time.

It seems that enough time should be set aside for this confession.

Until the meaning is fully understood.

"she's fine?"
To be continued...