Thales was silent for a long time, and his mind was full of thoughts. Part of it was his adventures with Miranda in Longxiao City, and the other part was mostly related to the “covenant” bone ring.
Finally, he sighed, turned away from Miranda’s fiery eyes, stepped over the dying seat, and sat down on the desk.
If Grandma Valencia was here, she would probably reprimand the Lord Duke for being indecent and unruly again.
But she is not here.
Fortunately, she is not there.
“So, Ms. Allende, you come to me, and you ask for title, land, and power.”
Thales sat on the desk and stroked the scar in the palm of his left hand dreamily.
Miranda did not move, but looked at the Duke of Xinghu from a distance.
“I have to say this is really, wow, impressive.”
Thales made up his mind, he took a deep breath: “But I’m sorry, I’m sorry for rejecting——”
“Strange.” Miranda interrupted him.
Thales frowned and raised his head.
only listen to the daughter of Arund’s family speaking softly:
“A heir to a ducal family, for the title, land and power, is unwilling to work hard for the title, land and power. Isn’t this a matter of course?”
Thales frowned and raised his eyes.
Miranda shook his head and said:
”Then why did you say’impressive’ when you came to me? It seems that this is something rare and worthy of a big book?”
Thales was taken aback, but did not respond:
“What? No, I, I don’t think so.”
Miranda sneered.
“If I were a male heir, would you still say something like this:’As the son of a duke, what do you want is title, land and power? Wow, that’s really impressive!'”
Thales became more startled.
But Miranda takes a step forward and is aggressive:
“Why, I or someone like me is unworthy, unsuitable, unable, or not often so ambition to fight for power, shouldn’t be such an’impressive’ look, Duke Thales?”
What?
Thales, who was stunned by her robbing, took a deep breath.
“Please don’t get me wrong, Ms. Allende, I have no ill intentions,” the boy tried to ease the conversation, “not to look down on you, it’s just a … scene.”
This time, Miranda stared at him for a long time, as if to take out the thoughts behind his eyes, until Thales was embarrassed and couldn’t help coughing to remind her that she turned her eyes.
“I know.”
Miranda’s voice lowered, no longer aggressive.
“I know you have no intentions, Your Highness.”
In the feedback from the **** senses, Thales vaguely felt that she was a little more gloomy and depressed at this moment.
“You are only insensible at best, you are just a habit, but you don’t feel the difference. You only think that it is a normal sentence, you may even think that I am too sensitive.”
Miranda looks faintly at the lake of stars that is lazy and numb by the warm summer breeze:
”But this is the problem.”
The cold light in her eyes slowly solidified:
“That’s why, I must come here.”
The voice of fell, Thales looked blank.
But for some reason, he looked at Miranda’s side face, but he felt that the study was terribly quiet at the moment.
”Ms. Allende, I really am not…”
Thales wanted to explain something, but he paused and changed his words:
“I’m sorry, ma’am, if I—in some places where I don’t realize—say something wrong, express any wrong attitude, then I apologize to you, really.”
Miranda was silent like a statue for a long time, then slowly turned her head back.
She curled up her lips at Thales and smiled slightly.
That smile is so natural and bright, even the sunlight behind him can’t hide it.
This makes Thales a little dazed.
She is beautiful, right—in my heart, a voice reminded him in a low voice—that smile, like the first new bud emerging from the sun on the top of the snow peak when the snow melted in the early spring.
But this feeling is fleeting.
is like that smile, fragile and fragile.
“To be fair, you shouldn’t be the one who apologized.”
The female swordsman became expressionless again, as if she had never smiled before, which brought Thales back to reality:
“But equally to be fair, I accept your apology.”
Thales was shocked again.
The Duke came back to his senses and quickly changed the subject with a cough:
”So, Madam, you want to join me and travel south with me so that everyone can see that you are standing in line, standing under the command of the Duke of Xinghu, the future king, so as to accumulate qualifications and fame for yourself. Invest in the future?”
Miranda thought for a moment, then folded her arms.
“No, not joining you,” she gently raised her index finger and pointed at Thales, “but to help you.”
Thales frowned.
“As your supporter,” Miranda is focused, “not a dependent.”
is not to join, but to help.
is not attachment, but support.
pondering the other party’s words, Thales also folded his arms, his face serious.
A few seconds later, he took a deep breath.
”Dear Mrs. Allende.”
Thales’ voice was a little hoarse: “You know, after Longxiao City, although I don’t have much contact with you—”
“It’s not a lot, but I haven’t contacted at all.” Miranda said suddenly.
Taylor choked immediately.
Miranda sneered:
“In comparison, I have seen Huaiya at least a few times in the past seven years. That’s right, that Huaiya. Although I don’t know how many Huaiya there are or everyone is Huaiya.”
It would be great if the Valencian mother was here-pay attention to your meeting etiquette, child, when the Duke speaks, you just shut up-she will say so.
by the way, waved the pointer in his hand.
“Okay.”
Thales pressed down and was interrupted, and continued:
“This may sound hypocritical, but, ma’am, I cherish the experience of a night of dragon blood. I have always regarded you as an old friend, as a comrade-in-arms who lived and died together.”
Miranda nodded gently:
“It’s really hypocritical.”
Thales sighed, thinking that the girl should go and communicate with Mallos.
“So I don’t want to lie: what you just said, ma’am, it’s not—it’s not a good idea for the time being.”
Miranda’s eyes changed.
“What’s not a good idea?”
She chuckled: “Marry you? Or join you? Or to fight for what I deserve—”
“Neither!”
Thales suddenly raised his volume, causing Miranda to frown.
“You said you want to go south with me, but,” the Duke exhaled, pinched the bone ring in his pocket, and sighed, “You don’t understand, you think I have your answer here, you think I’m here I can win back to the North, thinking I can regain what the family lost for you, but you—”
Thales’ words are choked here.
But you are wrong.
In my heart, a voice slowly said what he wanted to say but did not say:
You will only fall into a sinister trap carefully arranged by the king and built by my own hands. You will become a self-righteous but involuntary chess piece, sinking deeper and deeper until you become the next victim.
is like your father.
is like… me.
Thales closed his eyes.
He cannot refuse the king.
But he didn’t want to hurt her.
A former friend.
even if it’s just self-deception.
“Your Highness?”
Miranda asked suspiciously: “What are you going to say?”
Thales recovered.
“Sorry.”
He opened his eyes and became clear again:
“Actually, ma’am, I saw your father not long ago.”
As expected, Miranda’s expression changed slightly at this moment.
Thales tried his best to make his voice sound more sincere: “Master Val asked me one thing. He doesn’t want you, he doesn’t want you to get involved too much…about me and the royal family.”
Miranda was silent for a long time.
But when she spoke again, her words were full of disdain.
“My father, right?”
“So you listened to him obediently, and you do whatever he says, become a puppet outside the prison of a traitorous prisoner, an obedient little pawn?”
She seemed to see everything through, looking at Thales provocatively:
“He doesn’t allow you to **** me, so you dare not **** me? You can only lock the iron chastity belt yourself, not even the toilet?”
Fuck.
Thales had a stalk in his heart.
How does let him answer this?
has been under the hand of the fortress flower for so long, she didn’t teach you something good?
In contrast, Raphael and Cohen are so cute who came out of the End Tower.
His Royal Highness had to take a deep breath and rearrange the logic of persuasion:
”I mean, you, Miranda Allende, you are the eldest daughter of the guardian duke of the North, you are the heir of the winter castle, with an extraordinary status, a major relationship, involving all parties, the blood of the dragon seven years ago In the night, we inadvertently neglected this point and learned the lesson of blood.”
Miranda frowned.
“Therefore, whether you can work under me or not is not a matter for Sonia and I to decide. And my father, your majesty, he–“
“It’s a complete bastard.” Once again, Miranda interrupted him aloud.
only this time…
?
Thales was startled when he heard the words, and then was taken aback.
What?
Who is the bastard?
I saw Miranda sneer, without any scruples in her words:
”Isn’t it? As a father, he treats you as a bargaining chip to deceive and keep a breeding pig. For this, he can ignore your wishes and ignore your safety. He can pick up your little chicken at will. The whole kingdom will show off, as long as it can bring the slightest benefit-whether it is seven years ago or seven years later.”
She picked up the greeting letter and threw it on the table with a snap.
sunset.
Thales took a deep breath.
If Mother Valencia is here…no, luckily she is not here.
Regardless of his identity or position, Thales can only stand upright at the moment without saying a word.
“而你无论被揍得多惨，都还只能乖乖为他说好话——‘父爱如山，打完有糖。’”米兰达讽刺道。
Thales took a deep breath.
Damn it.
He thought he was already the most daring to scold the iron-fisted king in this country.
Result……
“For the sake of the past, I have no right to hear these words.”
Thales spoke in a deep voice, without looking at each other.
”And you, Ms. Allende, perhaps you should be respectful, keep yourself safe, and maintain your due respect to His Majesty the King.”
Miranda shook his head lightly.
She squinted at Thales, as if looking at the most impossible thing.
”What about you, as the son of the king, Thales Canxing, why didn’t you know how to be respectful and respect yourself?”
Thales was startled.
“On the contrary, you are unscrupulous, impulsive and reckless, trespassing into the palace, leading the rebellion, forcing the king to death, forcing him to compromise and give up, for what? Is it the so-called justice of a squire in the West?”
At that moment, Thales looked up suddenly!
But Miranda did not evade, looking back at Thales, as if she was the leader of the conversation.
took the lead in the rebellion, forced death by death, the Western Wilderness Country Gentry…
Okay, maybe the news of that day is really overwhelming, but the details here…
”Ms. Allende,” the Duke frowned and said with a warning, “The rumors are not enough to believe.”
The sound of the guard changing from outside the window.
“His Royal Highness Thales,” Miranda’s eyebrows are like swords, and they are tit-for-tat, “self-deception is not enough.”
At this moment, the air in the study seemed to freeze. As soon as the two of them sat and stood, one face was as cold as water, and the other looked sharp and pressing step by step.
But just when the situation was tense, Thales’ eyes moved.
“Cohen Karabyan.”
He stared at Miranda closely:
“This guy told you these things?”
Hearing the name, Miranda hesitated for a while, then hummed and shook his head: “Don’t worry, Cohen fulfilled his promise and kept his mouth tight. He denied everything that should be denied.”
Thales was startled, then he understood, and sighed:
”In other words, his denial is equivalent to admitting everything that shouldn’t be admitted?”
Yes, something like “I didn’t lend the sword to the prince, let alone follow him into the Fuxing Palace, and I’m definitely not stupid enough to follow the trend and rebel, let alone see a kid who commits suicide. I threatened his dad and it definitely has nothing to do with the previous royal banquet. So, Miranda, do you understand the sentence?
As for the rest, with Miranda’s brain, it is not a problem to estimate the truth at all.
Miranda was silent for a while, as if she wanted to defend her friend for a while, but she finally understood that it was useless, so she could only sigh:
“We all know him.”
Thales had to sigh softly.
“I will beat him next time I meet.” The Duke said helplessly.
”Then you have to line up,” Miranda pouted, “come first, then arrive.”
As soon as these words came out, Thales and Miranda couldn’t help but laugh at each other.
It seems that this is one of the few places where they can find a consensus.
But this also made Thales sigh in his heart:
His desperate bet in the Fuxing Palace has a far greater impact than expected.
No, in this case, he will not be able to take Miranda with him when he is in danger, together…
Thales raised his head, serious.
“You choose to enter my team and be loyal to me personally, or, as you said, help me and support me. But do you know the cost of doing this?”
Miranda chuckled softly.
“Of course,” the daughter of the Allende family stretched out her hands and looked around, “just like the treatment you get after being exiled by the king.”
Thales closed his eyes gently.
No, you don’t know, girl.
You are far from knowing.
Thales tried to get rid of King Kessel’s words, and try hard again:
“I understand your current predicament and unwillingness, and I am honored that you have chosen me as the answer, but please believe me, I don’t want to help you, but… In addition to Xinghubao, you have a better way out .”
But Miranda shook her head.
“I thought Broken Dragon Fortress was the way out.”
”There is my best role model, isn’t it? As long as I stay with Officer Sonia, learn her military strategy, take over her reputation, take on her duties, and prove to the kingdom my skill in holding the sword. I am indispensable to rule the North, I can…”
“But I was wrong.”
Miranda lowered her head, looked at the letter stamped with the nine-pointed star, and smiled sarcastically:
” Chief Sonia taught me everything on the battlefield, but there are always things she can’t teach.”
She raised her head again and stared at the silent Thales:
“There are more things, I can’t get them on that battlefield.”
Thales looked at her with complicated eyes, and felt her firmness and determination at the moment.
But the more determined and decisive she is, the more he feels…
The two fell into a long silence.
Until Thales took a deep breath and broke the silence:
“I only met Raphael in Secret Core not long ago.”
Miranda trembled slightly.
“He, um, although he doesn’t admit it, he cares about you very much.”
can’t even make a joke.
Thinking of this, Thales couldn’t help but smile.
But this smile is pale.
Just like Miranda’s face.
“Don’t be like this, Your Highness,” the female swordsman said slowly, with a hint of danger in her words, “My father first, then the man.”
”In our capacity, we should not play such amateur sensational tricks.”
But Thales ignored her.
“If Raphael sees you now, and sees you bargaining with me here, it’s all about…”
”As a secretarial person, as a tool of loyalty to the Fuxing Palace, what will he think? The most important thing is, what will he do when he knows it?”
Thales looked straight at each other.
Miranda also looked at him quietly, her eyes frozen, and she fell into deep thought.
But when she spoke again, she changed back to the calm and indifferent female swordsman who refused to be a thousand miles away.
“Tyles Canxing.”
“I found that you are not as cute as when you were a kid.”
Miranda stared at him coldly:
“So impulsive, so risky, so dumb, so simple and straightforward.”
Thales frowned, anticipating that he failed to persuade again.
Okay.
At least I was cute.
”But one thing, you are the same as everyone else.”
In the next moment, Miranda’s eyes are cold:
”When will you see me as an independent and complete ‘person’?”
Thales, who was sighing, was startled.
“Not someone’s daughter, someone’s friend, someone’s lover, someone’s wife, or someone’s mother in the future?”
Thales looked at her blankly.
a complete person…
“If you can’t even do this, Your Highness, it would be better to leave only the most utilitarian and coldest part,” Miranda snorted coldly, “Just treat me as a tool, a sword. , A chess piece.”
Hearing this, Thales trembled slightly.
These words are really familiar.
utilitarian.
cold.
“At least that will make us both feel better,” Miranda said coldly, “instead of playing hypocritical dramas like’I treat you as a friend’ and’for your good’.”
For your own good.
Thales clenched his teeth.
She is firm.
The voice in my heart sounded:
She will not give up her mind.
That is to say, she asked for it, she doesn’t have anything to do with others, right?
Thales subconsciously squeezed his fist, his fingertips touching the scar on his palm.
and you have to.
Like she said, leaving the most utilitarian and cold-hearted part.
The voice in my heart reminded him:
Compared to your poor “friendship” with her, think of King Kessel, and think of the covenant you made with him.
Think about the path you want to take, and think about what kind of chaotic future the stars will usher in if you don’t intervene and let the iron-fisted king do whatever it takes:
Conflict, contradiction, war, how much will it cost, how much blood, and how many families will be destroyed?
And she is right, she will be a good sword, a good chess——
The next second, Thales opened his eyes suddenly!
“Very good!”
The expression in his eyes is indifferent and dark, and the sin of the prison river flows quickly in his veins.
“Miranda Allende, if you have figured everything out and are determined to serve me allegiance to me, of course, I can even welcome it.”
Miranda slowly raised her head when she heard the words.
his eyes are sharp as a sword.
Thales’s conversation turned, as steep as winter:
“But you have to know that you are not the first person to come to me. The visitor list of the Duke of Xinghu in the past few months is so thick that it is enough for toilet paper.”
Thales looked cold and cold.
“If I take you in, accept you, I will allow you to join the team of the Duke of Star Lake, and allow you to share the aura and glory of the prince and his ministers.”
The Duke narrowed his eyes and looked up at the female swordsman in front of him:
“Then what benefit can I get?”
Thales forced himself to laugh coldly and said in an unfamiliar tone:
“As you said, in addition to the value of being a wife and a mother-or what you ask for, a utilitarian point is venting and procreation, and a colder point is the value of being a **** and a womb…”
Prince said frivolously and presumptuously, Miranda clenched her fist subconsciously.
Thales on the desk leaned down and put his elbows on his knees, feeling the coldness that made him extremely uncomfortable, and curved his mouth:
“What else can you give me?”
A dark cloud drifted across the sky, just blocking the sun.
The waves on the Star Lake dimmed, leaving only a deep darkness.
Miranda looked down.
”So, this is a transaction?”
Thales bends his finger.
“I adopted your suggestion, leaving only the most utilitarian part.”
With full of discomfort, he unscrupulously looked at Miranda:
“Does this make you feel better, dear Mira?”
Mira.
Miranda’s nerves tightened.
This is obviously a close nickname, but it sounds…
“Cohen dare not call me that.” She said coldly.
Thales chuckled, then his eyes were cold.
”So I am not Cohen, but your master. If you want to stay, you’d better get used to it earlier, Miss Mira.”
Miranda looked at Thales like this, frowning.
She was silent for a long time.
And Thales was also very happy and did not urge.
A few seconds later, Miranda released her fist and smiled unexpectedly.
”Very well, I like trading~IndoMTL.com~The female swordsman licked her chapped lips, as if licking the blood of her prey, “make everything straight, simple, naked, and bloody. “
Thales was startled at first, but he also smiled immediately.
“You know, I was thinking, if Raphael knew what we were talking about at the moment,” Thales shook his head sarcastically, “He will definitely kill me.”
“Then he, or anyone, has to step past my sword first.”
Miranda speaks in a cold voice:
”Or a corpse.”
The two people in the study looked at each other, as if they were fighting each other with swords:
”This is the first benefit of my allegiance to you, Lord Duke.”
Thales looked at her expression and was silent for a moment.
“Yes, you are good at martial arts,” the Duke could not help but change his words when he saw her raise his eyebrows, “In fact, it is quite good.”
But he immediately sneered with disdain.
”But don’t forget: the Star Lake Guards are all elites carefully selected from the Royal Guards. Most of them have the title of Royal Seal Knight, and they are all great heroes.”
Thales speaks as usual, his face is not red or breathless:
”I have no shortage of masters under my command. There are people in Star Lake Castle who can compete with you five to five, or even better.”
Miranda did not answer, but her face was solemn.
Thales straightened up, sneered and increased:
”And they can go through all kinds of fire and water for me, without hesitation, even if they raise the flag to rebel, they won’t even blink their eyelids.”
Miranda swallowed.
Thales stared at his opponent closely, the corners of his mouth raised slightly:
“My dear Mira, want to participate in the game…”
“You have to pay more.”
“More.”
:. :