543 That Gaze

"Thank you, I will remember your kindness, and help me thank your daughter for her concern as well. Wish her a happy eleventh birthday for me, Baron Bourbon."

Thales politely raised his glass from his seat and bid farewell to a guest who came over to toast him, and refocused his attention on the hustle and bustle of the banquet.

As it turns out, after successfully overcoming the initial awkwardness, the Day of Holy Pursuit banquet was easier than Thales expected.

Amidst melodious music, not only were the guests enjoying the feast and chatting away eagerly, the servants of Mindis Hall were also constantly bustling around to serve food, and many of the guests' attendants shuttled between the long tables, either serving wine or relaying messages on behalf of their masters, performing these services and social tasks repeatedly.

In the center of the banquet hall, like at Eckstedt, there was an open space, which served as both a stage and a dance floor. Different performers—minstrels, clowns, acrobats, musicians and dancers—performed in turn, exhibiting myriad skills.

For example at this moment, a minstrel paced with an instrument in his hand and started his performance.

"This song is a new work of mine inspired by years of travel through the Western Desert. It tells the story of King Kessel leading the army deep into the desert to kill the enemy chief at the Battle of the Altar eleven years ago…"

Thales felt a sense of familiarity. When he was still a child beggar, there were often bards at Sunset Pub, but their clothes were never so clean, and the standard of their performances varied.

Amid the minstrel's mellifluous and impressive performance, the dishes were constantly refreshed and served to the long tables in order:

Not less than five kinds of cheese soup, vegetables and fruits, roasted bird eggs of varying sizes, catfish soup, oatmeal, pigs-blood sausage that looked less than appetizing, smoked beef, grilled chicken with sauce, venison stew, all manner of unspecified poultry and game, raw and cooked shellfish, alarmingly large meatballs, dozens of types of bread, pancakes, pies, and an array of unique dishes that contained unrecognizable raw ingredients…

Of course, vitally, all kinds of alcohol were included.

How should it be put? His dad was very rich?

Thales sighed.

Alright, Constellatiates were indeed savvy with food, at least compared to the Northlanders in Dragon Clouds City that only knew how to roast and stew…

Dragon Clouds City.

At this thought, Thales' mood took a dive.

"What is it? Is the food not to your taste?" Aunt Elise, who was beside him, noticed something was off.

"No. There are just too many choices…" Thales looked at a plate of beans and continued distractedly, "that I don't know where to start."

Princess Elise elegantly cut the vegetables on her plate and said emotionally, "You should visit Dragon-Kissed Basin. The degree of detail and rigor that the nobles at Anlenzo put into their dishes… Of course, I couldn't get used to their tastes either… Once you are used to the food from one place, it's difficult to adapt to the delicacies from elsewhere…"

Thales forced a smile and eventually, following his aunt's lead, chose to lay his paws on a plate of fresh-looking lettuce.

Someone prodded him.

Thales turned around to find Doyle from the auxiliary table behind him, his cheeks fully stuffed.

"Your Grace, could you," Doyle swallowed the food with a big gulp, ignored the look of despise from Glover beside him, pointed to Thales' table, and asked softly, "could you pass me the seasoning salt? Yeah that one, and the plate of beef to your left…"

Thales frowned. "Don't you have those at your table?"

"We do, but I just feel like the ones from Your Grace's table taste particularly delicious…"

Thales sighed.

He did a quick scan, made sure no one was looking, then stealthily leaned forward to swipe the plate of beef behind his arm and shove it to Doyle.

"You're not too bothered about manners I see…"

Doyle tacitly and deftly received the food from the prince and beamed. "because Lord Mallos isn't here… Hehe, I mean, because you're the best and gentlest duke…"

Thales rolled his eyes and continued attacking the lettuce.

Doyle passed the beef over towards Glover, but Zombie shook his head disdainfully and continued drinking his beer.

Doyle shrugged indifferently and started eating it. "Your loss."

With the passage of time, after numerous changes of melodies and performers, the guests' spirits showed no signs of waning. The atmosphere of the banquet heated up even more, and the number of guests that took the initiative to leave their seats to socialize increased.

But fortunately, Thales didn't have to bear too heavy a burden, as most guests were diverted to the highest table⁠—where his father was.

At a royal banquet that only comes about every decade or so, there were no short of guests who wanted to pay their respects to the king on this informal occasion.

King Kessel remained composed as usual, but he could only eat for no more than a minute at a time—a stream of guests of varying backgrounds and social status, either in groups or alone, approached courteously and expectantly to pay respects to the king and interrupted his already pathetic rest time. Even his attendants, Guard Captain Adrian and Chief Quentin, as well as important royal family officials like Gilbert and Kirkirk Mann were not spared. They had to frequently step forward to chime in during toasts and 'rescue' the king in turns.

Although the Iron Hand King was aloof by nature, on this occasion, he still had to keep toasting and nodding even though 'bored' was written all over his face, at times adding a few sentences of well wishes. On the other hand, Queen Keya beside him handled the situation artfully; it was obvious that she had been well-trained since young and had a knack for socializing.

In just half an hour, there were as many as 20 to 30 groups of guests who came over to meet the king.

Thales looked on in amazement.

"Don't laugh," Aunt Elise ruined his mood indifferently with a single sentence, "it's going to be the same for you in future."

Thales sighed.

With a load on his mind, he could not enjoy his meal in peace. As he continued to abuse his lettuce, he called for Sin of Hell's River to heighten his senses and started to take note of his surroundings.

Compared to the banquets of Northland nobility that only had male guests who did nothing but eat, drink and fight, this Constellation affair seemed much more open. Not only were both genders invited (which made the event seem far more civilized), restless and eager male guests could also be seen walking up to splendidly-dressed and charming women to make a toast and strike up a conversation.

Even a lot of pretty and vivacious young ladies would take the initiative to leave their seats and break free from the surveillance of the men in their family, ignoring their condescending and hostile looks. They would chat with the people they fancied, drink with them and even go on the dance floor and share a dance with them when music was performed.

The atmosphere was joyous and harmonious; both the guests and the host were enjoying themselves.

But was that really the case?

With each heartbeat, the sound of conversations from all direction filtered and amplified through hell's senses and flooded his ears.

"Oh really? 'I'll persuade my father to propose marriage'? Hmph, that's what you said the last time, and you're hoping that after you've said it, I'll continue to sneak out at night and let you fuck me like before? By the way, I'm getting engaged, and the baby isn't yours!" This was obviously an awkward conversation between a pair of lovers.

"The proposal from Land of Cliffs? That's right, they are nobility, but the only way I'll marry my daughter to them is if I turned blind. Those old-fashioned hillbillies still believe in a heretical deity called Master of Mountains. I visited them the year before last, and until now I still can't forget the primitive bonfire mating custom that I witnessed in a small village in the mountains…" This was said by a local Central Territory noble.

Thales maintained his smile. What hell's senses contributed to his hearing, was mostly capital gossip and social chatter, but the content of the guests' conversations varied depending on the direction and the table.

"After Bloody Year, everyone realized that, 20,000 farmers dragged out of the farm with 1,000 gold coins were not as useful as 200 professional soldiers raised with the same amount of money. Do you still remember the scene where the Duke of Star Lake⁠—oh, the previous Duke of Star Lake—drove tens of thousands of rebels out of the mountains with an army of 2,000 soldiers…"

This was the long table with decorated military men. Their topic of conversation seemed severe.

"I was thinking, since the prince has returned, should we head north to get our revenge? If a war breaks out, with your experience, you could easily be a lieutenant general of the guards? I'm sure you're aware, even 'Horse Slayer' Deira, after he retired and climbed the ladder, is now the director of a police station…"

"My son is studying grammar and theology, as well as mathematics." This was a political bureaucrat at the next table worriedly discussing his son's future with his colleagues.

"He is ambitious and wants to stay at Eternal Star City, perhaps take the test to be a civil officer at the Office of Government Affairs, and maybe earn a noble title. But I was hoping he would apply for a position in our hometown. After all, South Coast Hill is far from conflict areas and well-governed. Jade City is also much more prosperous and peaceful than the capital…"

"I'm envious. My nephew is my heir. He is determined to learn martial arts and enlist. His dream is to be a legitimate knight. But I'm sure you know, unless you were born with a good family name, otherwise a knight title nowadays is nothing but a joke, let alone any talk of legitimacy. Look at the Three Commanders. They are all knights in name, but one is a Northland barbarian, another a tomboy, and the last one a disgusting male prostitute who makes a living off his face…"

Thales sighed and genuinely sympathized with Legendary Wing, who was reportedly able to unify the Western Peninsula with his face.

"That's right. Eckstedt not having a hostage has instead exacerbated the risk of war between the two countries. Coupled with their internal fighting, believe me, the northern trade route is dead. And potential businesses in future will all concentrate around the west and the south. If you're interested, we can have a meeting elsewhere to discuss this in detail…"

This was the long table that seated the head of trades and businesspeople; their conversation leaned towards practical affairs and business.

"It's been twenty years. A new round of concession sales should be put on the agenda. Maybe we should find the next scapegoat..."

"…He had to do it. His family's loan from the Royal Family Bank is almost due. If he doesn't bet on this voyage fleet, he would have to transfer his feudal fiefdom to make up the deficit…"

Thales did not fully comprehend these business talk. He shifted his attention to the table of Central dignitaries.

"No. The disturbance near the Western Desert border a few months ago was just an isolated incident. It won't affect the kingdom's policy. The response of the local nobles was merely their own selfish behavior. The royal family shares a good relationship with Western Desert… What? No no, of course this isn't an official statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, just my personal opinion, even though I do indeed work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs…" This was Gilbert.

"A suzerain ordered for the abolishment of serfdom and requested the serfs to pay him in monetary terms instead. Otherwise they had to give up the land… No no no, the fact is, His Majesty hasn't expressed an opinion on this…" This was Minister of Finance, Kirkirk Mann.

"Yes, a baron in Blade Edge Hill died from the plague, but he only had an illegitimate child... The illegitimate child pledged a large sum of money for the archduchess to acknowledge his inheritance rights... And the baron's subordinate vassals apparently have different opinions, so they decided to visit Eternal Star City, hoping that His Majesty can make a determination. At this stage, things have become complicated and no one dares take this case…"

Sin of Hell's River was roaring, sending more and more conversations into his ear.

Thales listened absent-mindedly. He tried to figure out the main concerns amongst the guests and in capital circles while trying to probe the state of the kingdom, but suddenly had a strange feeling.

In Dragon Clouds City, be it at banquets or state affair hearings, archdukes or counts, the private conversations of Eckstedtian nobility always followed a prescribed pattern and was clear cut.

Fiefdom, feuds, power, marriage, Northland's way of doing things…

It was often dense, heavy and chilly, like looming dark clouds.

But here, in Constellation…

"What era is this? There are still those that believe that a marriage contract and two family names coming together can be used to establish a family alliance? Come on, before, the merging of two families meant a greater territory and power. Now? It will only bring with it huge maintenance costs as well as exorbitant land assessment fees and duchy recognition fees, not to mention the internal split and clashes within the family…"

"Your Grace, are you still thinking about exploiting farmers and collecting taxes to become rich? For Sunset Goddess' sake, you really should open your eyes and learn from your peers at South Coast and Eastern Sea Hill. From establishing trade associations to allowing investment by the chamber of commerce, from trade concessions to market monopolization, as long as we make good use of our status and power, in this era, there are too many ways for us to gain fame and fortune…"

"Don't waste your breath… This guy has been crude and dumb since forever. He hasn't become any smarter since becoming suzerain. His governing methods are extremely primitive and old-fashioned. I'm telling you, they'll decline in less than two generations…"

Thales listened in quietly and began to comprehend.

In Eternal Star City, the interactions and conversations between Constellation nobles were such…

Agitated.

Restless.

Heated.

Ever-changing.

Thales took a deep breath and suddenly had a more intuitive understanding of the kingdom of Constellation.

Mindis Hall.

Thales looked at this royal manor and lamented internally,

'Mindis.

'Look at what you did.'

Before he was done lamenting, he heard Jorge's voice say, "Whoa let me tell you, dark clouds covered the sky and there was lightning and thunder. The dying Born King grabbed your Polaris with one hand and our Petite Dragon with another, joined their little hands together and uttered his dying wish, 'Only a true love where two hearts beat as one can summon the true dragon to descend to earth and save this city,'"

Thales looked annoyed as he glanced over.

At the remote table for foreign guests, Jorge of Elaphure City was tipsy and merry as he continued enthusiastically, "When the king passed away, Petite Dragon trembled with fury; she was in a towering rage. In the face of calamity, she let out a long, piercing cry, 'Dragon Clouds City will not perish. Walton will avenge this!'. Polaris was standing arm in arm with her and, unafraid of death, declared, 'If you are determined to fight, Jadestar will stand by you to the death!'. In the next moment, there was a bang, guess what happened? Wow, they actually summoned the true dragon! Before you knew it, the true dragon crashed down from the skies and sat on calamity, killing them on the spot…"

Damn it.

Thales' annoyed expression did not recede as he kept on listening. He merely felt his mood worsen so he decided to listen to something from another direction.

But he soon realized that, in many of those conversations, he was the main character.

"Instead, I think you should choose someone from a lesser status as wife for the prince, just like Queen Keya. It would be best if they were a little approachable for the general population. After all, times have changed, and Prince Thales is not the Midier of yesteryear either…"

"I heard from traders who frequent the northern border that Prince Thales is someone who dares to go head to head with the Northland barbarians, and dares to duel with the five archdukes at a young age…"

"So he experienced the attack of calamity? And survived?"

"No, it wasn't calamity. I heard through the grapevine that it was actually the clandestine plot of a secret cult that attempted to manipulate the political situation and subvert Eckstedt…"

"Don't believe these gossips! I have an insider at Dragon Clouds City, so I know it better. I'll lay out the conclusion for you: it was a big earthquake. After the disaster, the upper ranks of Northland barbarians wanted to shift the focus and escape public criticism, so they made up an excuse that calamity invaded."

"What about Great Dragon?"

"That was made up too! To boost morale and gain popular support. Think about it, the timing of Great Dragon's descent, the timing of the Eckstedt king's passing, the timing of Lampard's ascent to the throne, and their detention of the prince. Hey, if you look at it this way, isn't the truth obvious? What truth? Hehe, I can't go on. You figure it out for yourself. Those who get it will get it.

In short, we can't look at the problem in isolation and only from a single perspective. We need to look at the ostentatious bullshit. You know? Ostentatious bullshit, the big picture! Amidst the ostentatious bullshit of national strategy, everything is connected ..."

"I see. My lord, you really do have great foresight, knowing about ostentatious bullshit. You are indeed a professional…"

"You flatter me… Thank you for your invitation. I was at Eckstedt before this. I just got off the carriage and I'm asked about this as soon as I arrived…"

Thales could only scoff in his mind.

"But why do I think the prince and Lampard are working together? You see, they sowed discord amongst Northlanders, first by eliminating the Archduke of Beacon Illumination City, then joined forces to get rid of King Nuven? I can guarantee, our Secret Intelligence Department was definitely involved…"

Thales' expression changed.

"Shh, stop talking about national affairs… It's clear if you just think about it. What kind of existence is Constellation? So many matters require our attention every day, would we even bother with that? Three words: Not worth it."

"From what I've heard, the prince seduced the archduchess of Dragon Clouds City and has her in his palms, to the extent that she's willing to die for him… Hah, it makes sense, that wench had only known stinky oafs from the north. Once she saw a handsome, charming, educated and graceful Constellation man like us, hehehe, how could she not be awestruck, lose all sense of herself and insist on marrying him?"

Ok.

At this point, Thales' face was twitching.

Perhaps Constellation and Eckstedt…

Had more in common than he thought.

But, Saroma.

Thales clenched his fist.

"Aren't you drinking?"

Thales came to himself and realized it was Princess Elise beside him. His aunt of exceptional beauty was swirling the wine glass in her hand. She cocked her head to one side and looked at him contemplatively.

Drink.

He looked at the new wine glass next to his hand and thought of a certain archduke that had invited him to drink, and was slightly bothered.

The Duke of Star Lake spaced out a little and responded, "Children sh…I mean, I don't like to drink."

Elise understood clearly. "At least have a little, even if it's just a few sips."

Traces of a flush could be seen on the princess' face. She obviously enjoyed a tipple.

"According to the rules, members of the royal family should avoid revealing any regular pattern in their dietary habits…"

"Yes, I heard."

Thales sighed with a headache and looked around the bustling banquet hall. "Fortunately, we are seated high. No one is looking at me."

Elise chuckled and stared at the wine in her glass.

"True, no one is looking," the princess swirled her glass, her tone changed slightly and her gaze became profound, "but I'm willing to bet that, by tomorrow, you will feel like everyone is watching you."

Thales could see that his aunt was slightly tipsy. He smiled but did not reply.

"Are you used to it?"

Elise sized him up. "It's the first banquet since your return. Hmm, probably the first one properly held by the royal family in more than a decade, everyone should thank you."

Thales paused for a moment.

He looked at the increasingly lively banquet scene and smiled a little. "I think it's great,"

"It's safe and peaceful,"

Thales exhaled slowly. "There aren't dozens of nobles pointing at you and claiming in chorus that you're a bastard illegitimate child,"

"No darned king forcing you to find his son's murderer,"

"Nor a bunch of vicious northern men in a clamor, trying to cut you up into pieces,"

Thales slipped into a slight daze. "If you omit the meet and greet portion of the day…"

"I haven't been to such a peaceful and festive noble gathering in a long while."

Thales fell silent.

He felt a warmth on his wrist.

"It's fine, Thales," Thales snapped out of it and realized that Aunt Elise was gripping his wrist under the table. She repeated gently, "It's fine."

The princess stared at him quietly. The tender compassion in her gaze made Thales feel somewhat burdened.

At that moment, Mallos appeared beside them.

"Princess Elise," the watchman leaned down and whispered, "It's time for you to leave."

Elise let go of Thales' hand and frowned, "Lord Mallos?"

Mallos lowered his voice, "The queen needs to head back to the palace, now,"

"She…" Elise turned towards the queen's direction, and immediately reacted, "Oh."

Thales narrowed his eyes. Beside the king, Queen Keya's face was pale as she mumbled something. Jines was grabbing her tightly by the wrist, and the female servants beside them orderly prepared to leave.

Thales instantly heard the sounds from over there through hell's senses: "Where are my children? Luther is still young, he needs a diaper change…"

His mood turned grim.

Some guests noticed the queen, but most people shifted their gaze and turned a blind eye.

Mallos nodded. "The queen needs your help."

Princess Elise let out a long sigh. She gave Thales a helpless smile and stood up.

Mallos thoughtfully put on her cloak for her.

Thales could only bid her goodbye.

But just as she was about to turn and leave, the princess suddenly said, "Tormond,"

Upon hearing his name, Mallos froze.

Elise looked at the queen, tightened her cloak, but said softly, "Did you ever regret it?"

Thales frowned at these words; his hands that were ripping the lettuce apart froze.

Mallos furrowed his brows. He paused a little before repeating, "The queen needs you, Your Highness."

"I know," Elise smiled and glanced at the watchman, her gaze hazy and forlorn, "I did."

Mallos was stunned.

In the next instant, Elise had swiftly left and joined the queen's entourage.

One second.

Two seconds.

Amidst incredibly awkward silence, Thales cleared his throat, looked at the back of the extremely stiff guard captain, and said tentatively, "That, erm, you and my aunt…"

"Don't ask."

Mallos sat down beside the prince without turning around. "Then you'll still be my favorite duke."

His tone was respectful as he remained expressionless.

But without any reason, Thales felt a chill run through his spine.

Fortunately, someone appeared in time.

"What bad luck,"

Behind him, Doyle, who had returned from the toilet, patted Glover's shoulder and sat down casually. "As the prince's personal guards, we need to fill our stomachs in advance, we can't join the banquet down there, can't dance with the ladies, can't… God, I'm bored. I miss the old times."

Doyle yawned.

"You could," the watchman turned around in his seat and calmly shot a glance at Doyle, "You can definitely be exactly like you were in the past,"

"Go down there and join your father's table, join the banquet, dance and chat with the ladies."

Doyle shuddered!

Under the sympathetic gazes of Glover and Thales, he realized stiffly that, at the seat that was previously occupied by Princess Elise was⁠—his boss.

"My…my lord?"

Doyle sensed that a crisis was imminent and put on an ugly smile.

Mallos scoffed coldly, "You know, I could get Vladivostok up here to fill in for you, so that you can en-joy-the-ban-quet."

Doyle replied tremblingly, "Fill⁠—fill in?"

"Yeah. Don't you know?" Mallos looked at him expressionlessly. "In Mindis Hall, whenever and wherever, I can always find someone to fill in for you,"

"Whether it's today,"

"Or for the rest of your life,"

Mallos continued chillingly, "Always,"

"Still want to join the banquet?"

Doyle looked at Glover and Thales in horror, but they shook their head at him in commiseration: This isn't your fault, kid.

Doyle gulped and instantly reacted. He jerked his head and put on a serious expression. "No no no, sir. You're mistaken."

Mallos raised his eyebrows. "Pardon?"

Doyle looked up, hugged his own arms, and said ardently, "I shall die by the throne or while carrying out royal orders. There are no alternatives,"

Doyle went on in a solemn tone, "As for banquets and the like… As royal guards, we should perform our duties faithfully. How can we think about ourselves?"

Glover looked at him in disdain.

Thales burst out laughing. "Really? But there are tons of noble ladies in attendance tonight, and many decent bachelorettes…"

"Eh, don't even mention this ever again," Doyle waved a hand, his gaze was steady and resolute, "With Your Highness by my side…"

"…why would I need those ladies?"

Thales had just gracefully taken a piece of lettuce from his plate. He couldn't help but shudder.

Mallos' lips curved upwards. He was about to say something but shuddered slightly.

In the next second, Mallos swerved his head abruptly and looked towards the hall!

In that moment, Thales shivered.

He had a sudden illusion: the watchman before him had turned into a sharp blade.

Mallos stared fixedly at the entire banquet hall and said coldly, "Doyle, join the banquet right away. Mix into the crowd, pay attention, especially to those with cautious gazes and stiffened movements…"

Doyle still had his serious face on. "No! I want to protect His Highness here…"

But Mallos turned around with a stern expression on his face. "I'm being serious right now!"

The look on his face shocked all three of them.

"Glover, inform Captain Adrian and have him escort His Majesty away quietly, then gather some men."

"Sir," Glover looked at Mallos confused, "What is it?"

As the melodious and graceful music played, Mallos looked again towards the exceptionally lively banquet with a vigilant gaze. "Earlier, someone glanced up here from down there."

Glanced?

Thales furrowed his brows. "Who?"

"I don't know," Mallos shook his head, "But I recognized that gaze, that was a gaze of resentment and despair, unafraid of death…"

Thales shook.

Unafraid of death.

Resentment and…despair?

What did that mean?

"In the banquet tonight..."

Under the bewildered gaze of the other three, Mallos slowly put his hand on the longsword at his waist and concluded expressionlessly, "there is an assassin."