Fuxing Palace.

Tails' memories of the palace are vague.

A long, long time ago, for the beggars who begged for a living on the streets, the "King's House", located at the end of the avenue several blocks away, was like an unattainable legend, mysterious and majestic, hazy and heavy.

It is only in the exaggerated and comical theatrical performance of the Temple of the Nightly that they can understand how this legendary palace, which shares the title of King of Revival, has stood (under the protection of the Night) through countless origins and experiences.

Or from the drunkards' staggering remarks such as "I tell you, I know so-and-so, he has a friend who works in the Fuxing Palace, and that place is like this......".

Or, when going out to beg, timidly poke your head out of the unfamiliar and neat alleys, and catch a glimpse of the huge silhouette of the palace among the hurried figures of passers-by, leaving behind gasps of shock and unrelenting envy.

This feeling lasted until six years ago.

Continued until the turn of Tails' fate.

Duke Xinghu slowly closed his eyes.

But......

But even if he became a prince and became the nominal heir to the palace, Tails realized that he still didn't know about the Fuxing Palace.

Six years ago, he first entered the Fuxing Palace, but he was assassinated and unconscious, and was carried into the palace wall.

Six years ago, he left the Fuxing Palace, but he left the palace in a carriage in a trance when he was about to go north.

As for now......

Surrounded by the guards on both sides without squinting and the neat steps of the guards behind them, Tails, who had opened his eyes, came back to his senses and found that his group had already passed through the heavily guarded palace gate, and even waded all the way through the wide flat ground of the palace wall and the inner hall to the inner door of this mottled ancient hall.

It wasn't until they entered the small, deep darkness without pause, locking the vast sky and the boundless horizon out of the thick and old temple gates, that Tails woke up in a trance:

Six years later, when he stepped in himself......

In the absence of accidental assassinations, without going abroad as a hostage......

But he still couldn't see it......

The appearance of Fuxing Palace.

Away from the streets and carpets, the touch under the boots begins to become hard and crisp.

Kick, kick, kick.

The sound of footsteps echoed in the quiet air and then back to his ears.

In the sudden dim light, the young Duke of Star Lake took a deep breath, but his nose was cold and damp.

Stony.

Cold.

Rough.

Dusky.

And also...... Quiescence.

This made the duke, who had become accustomed to the dryness of the Northland and the scorching heat of the desert, instinctively uncomfortable.

In the almost silent dim stone corridor, they walked through the interior of the Fuxing Palace, walking through one small hall after another, and stepping up one stone staircase after another.

The scarcity of windows and lights was the only source of light that could show them the way.

Tails suppressed his superfluous thoughts, and looked up at the back of Marles in front of him in this historic but quiet and solemn palace, in this classical and low-key but tasteful stone corridor.

The watchman was expressionless, did not squint, and led the way forward calmly and decently.

Gilbert is one step behind Tails, with a slightly shallower footnote and a steady pace.

And the others who were further behind, Glovo and Doyle, did not say a word, and seemed to disappear into thin air.

It seemed that they had become accustomed to this quaint palace with dark tones and suffocating air.

And Tails could only follow silently.

The group was not alone, and they passed many guards standing guard, hurried servants, cautious officials, and well-behaved nobles.

In the quiet air, these people were silent, but they seemed to have known about it, and they all stopped respectfully and politely, retreated to the side, and bowed silently but accurately to the young man in the crowd.

The new Duke of Xinghu subconsciously cleared his throat and wanted to open his mouth to respond, but was lightly pressed on his arm by Gilbert beside him and shook his head.

In the Fuxing Palace, the king preferred quiet.

Tails was stunned for a moment.

After understanding what he was, in the face of these people, Duke Xinghu could only nod slightly and smile in response.

When he was in Valhalla in Longxiao City, no matter where the Star Prince went, the court guards of the Northlanders (especially the former Whiteblade Guards) and the nobles of Exeter always stared at him with hostile and vigilant eyes, and even after six years of baptism, those eyes only changed from "gritting teeth" to "disdain".

But in the Fuxing Palace, it's different.

Tails could sense that servants, guards, nobles and officials, all had an extraordinary interest and curiosity in the newcomer Duke, but when they passed by the young man, they looked at the Duke with respectful and cautious, polite and restrained.

And when the duke looked back at them, the latter often immediately lowered his head or turned his eyes, looked away, and cast himself elsewhere.

One touch is divided, and the point is stopped.

Quite deliberately.

It's like...... It's like a peep hiding in a corner.

I'm afraid I'll wake up something.

Coupled with the sense of silence and solemnity that was carefully created and maintained......

Duke Xinghu couldn't help but take another breath and slowly exhale.

For some reason, Tails always felt that the discomfort brought to him by these cautious, polite and restrained eyes in the Revival Palace was no less lighter than the undisguised, hostile and estranged gaze of the people of the Northland in Valhalla.

A sense of irritability hit him.

There was even a moment when the boy wanted to get closer to the royal guards around him.

Surround him tighter.

Block those gazes.

Best...... Separated from everything, airtight.

It's like...... Blocking between the Fuxing Palace and the city, the thick city wall is the same.

The journey was almost dead silent.

When they went up one step and came to a large hall, several figures suddenly appeared in front of a stone door in front of them.

Marios stopped first.

Tails, who followed him, took a step forward, and then subconsciously retracted.

But he soon noticed that, in addition to Gilbert, who was still smiling, the guards behind him, including Doyle and Glove, were all holding their heads up, looking even more solemn, like a lute with the strings taut.

The figures in front of the stone gate had similar costumes and equipment to those of Marus and others, but they were only wearing light leather armor that was convenient for indoor movement, but their faces were serious and their eyes were majestic, and they did not mean to greet the prince's escort colleagues.

As Tails began to guess the identity of the group, a man walked out of the unfamiliar figure, holding the long sword at his waist, and approached them.

This is a middle-aged man with both majesty and vicissitudes, in his fifties, his figure is slightly bulky, but his waist is capable and straight, his beard is gray and gray, but he is well organized, the corners of his eyes are wrinkled, and his eyes are bright.

His attire was noticeably different from the others, his equipment was elaborate and meticulous, but his steps were extremely steady.

The gray-haired middle-aged man stopped, but he didn't look at Tails.

He just looked straight at Marios, who was in the lead, and said slowly:

"Who's coming?"

The words are serious and the tone is cold.

Tails was stunned for a moment, and reconfirmed that this was the Fuxing Palace where his father lived.

And he really is...... Back to your own home?

But the others, including Gilbert, did not show any discoloration, but waited quietly and solemnly, holding their breath and not taking a breath.

It's as if there's something big in front of you.

I saw Marles take a step forward with an expressionless face, and his tone was indifferent:

"Tormond Marios. ”

"The watchman of the royal guard, in the name of the king, escorts His Excellency Duke Xinghu back. ”

The middle-aged guard in his fifties glanced at Marlos and nodded.

In Tails' curious eyes, Marios replied lightly, but instead looked at the middle-aged guard in front of him with a compelling gaze:

"Who's asking?"

The middle-aged man was silent for a while, he still didn't look at Tails, his right hand still resting on the sword at his waist.

I saw the other party taking a step forward with a serious posture.

"Fabio Adrian. ”

A middle-aged man named Adrian said softly:

"The Chief Commander of the Royal Guard, in the name of the King, welcomes the return of His Excellency Duke of Star Lake. ”

Tails swore that he could feel Doyle behind him inhaling inhibitedly.

Royal Guard.

Chief...... Commander?

Tails recalled the pass of the Praetorian Wings, and Marhros was equally silent for a moment before nodding to Adrian, who had a gray beard but was stern.

The next second, Adrian turned his head and looked at Tails, who was a head shorter than Marlos, for the first time.

I don't know if it was affected by the atmosphere or the pressure of the other party's gaze, Duke Xinghu subconsciously straightened his chest and abdomen and accepted the other party's gaze.

But like everyone else, Adrian's gaze was just a touch, and the latter turned back to Marlos.

"Knight Marlos, you have done your duty. ”

Adrian said lightly:

"Can your mission end?"

Dedication to duty......

Mission can be ......

Tails was stunned, and suddenly remembered something.

I saw that Marlos replied calmly but solemnly:

"Knight Adrian, I am doing my duty. ”

The watchman narrowed his eyes:

"But my sword is not broken. ”

Hearing the other party's answer, Adrian nodded at him, his gaze a little softer, no longer sharp:

"Your mission is not over. ”

Marlos also bowed slightly, and the corners of his mouth raised slightly:

"My mission is not over. ”

Tails frowned, acknowledging his memory more and more.

Sure enough, the conversation in front of me ......

It was full of a sense of ritual that he was familiar with.

The air was still quiet and the atmosphere was serious, and the Duke had to cast a puzzled look at Gilbert, but the latter only signaled to him to calm down.

Finally, Adrian smiled.

The middle-aged commander took off his gloves and stretched out his hand to Marios:

"Welcome home, then, knights. ”

Marhos also showed a long-awaited, shallow but restrained smile, took off his gloves, and stepped forward to hold Adrian's right hand:

"Captain. ”

Adrian smiled and nodded, calling out Marlors' name:

"Tormond. ”

While Tails was speculating whether this was a royal guard tradition, Adrian let go of Marios' hand and coughed:

"Alright, now that the mission is over, relax. ”

In the next second, Tails heard the royal guards behind him sigh one after another, as if they were all relieved and relaxed.

It's like ending a leadership meeting that must be motionless and listen carefully throughout the whole process.

Adrian stepped forward and smiled at Gilbert:

"Count Cassel. ”

Gilbert also smiled, and stepped forward to shake his hand pleasantly:

"Lord Adrian. ”

Lord Adrian smiled:

"It seems that I was right, and you came back refreshed. ”

"Your blessing, Lord. ”

Gilbert turned around and looked at Tails.

"Welcome to the council chamber, Lord Duke. ”

The Foreign Secretary proudly stretched out his hand to the stone door behind Adrian and signaled:

"This is the place where Your Majesty usually receives envoys and foreign ministers. ”

Looking at the confusion on the Duke's face, Gilbert added:

"This is an important place of state affairs, and you are the Duke of Xinghu, so you will be familiar with it in the future. ”

Tails replied politely, looking at the stone door.

Council Chamber.

Receiving envoys and ministers......

Wait a minute.

Tails was stunned.

He looked at the stone gate guarded by Adrian's guards, remembered something, and recognized something.

"I remember. ”

"Council Chamber. ”

"I've been here," Tails said in a daze.

"Came once. ”

Gilbert was stunned by this.

But Tails knew that the council chamber in the Revival Palace ......

He did come.

Tails looked at the stone door in a trance, imagining what it would be like when it opened.

That's right.

Here it is.

It was here six years ago that he had seen the arrogant Exeter envoy unscrupulously intimidating King Kessel to make a difficult choice between going to war and ceding land.

It was here six years ago that he saw Duke Arend hysterically venting his resentment and unwillingness, and expressing his political conspiracy to bring the two great powers around and turn things around.

Six years ago, it was here......

Tails thought to himself.

It was here that he saw Kessel V wielding his scepter with unmistakable majesty, and in a nervous and stunned breath, he decided the second prince of the kingdom of the stars, and the ...... for the next six years

Destiny.

"Oh, oh, I don't have a good memory. Gilbert seemed to remember something, and his face darkened, and he closed the subject with a little embarrassment.

On the other side, Adrian coughed lightly, interrupting Gilbert's conversation with the Duke.

I saw Lord Adrian first turn around and pat Marius on the arm:

"Weah and Gaitan are waiting for you in the duty room, you know...... Paperwork. ”

Marlos put away his smile and frowned slightly.

Adrian nodded at him, urging slightly:

"Go ahead. ”

But the watchman turned his head and looked in the direction of Tails, his eyes uncertain.

Duke Xinghu didn't know what to do, so he could only show a decent smile.

Adrian looked at the Duke along with Marlos.

The middle-aged man seemed to understand something, he smiled, and gestured to Marsuits:

"Leave it to me. ”

"And Count Cassel. ”

Marlos turned his head and glanced at Adrian not too shallowly.

"Good," said the watchman calmly,

"Then I'm leaving. ”

Under Adrian's encouraging gaze and Tails' puzzled gaze, Marhros turned away without hesitation, walking towards the other exit of the gallery.

Doyle and Gallover, who were closest to him, were equally stunned, and together with the others, subconsciously followed.

But Marlos immediately stopped:

"It's not you. ”

Turning around, Marios frowned, looking at Doyle and Glove who stopped in doubt:

"You stay. ”

"Yes, sir. Croover nodded without hesitation and retreated behind Tails.

Doyle blinked, and was pulled back into the queue by Fobey, the flag bearer.

Commander Adrian, who watched the scene, smiled.

Marlos gestured to him and glanced at Tails again before Shi Shiran left.

Gilbert cleared his throat, friendly and gentle.

"Your Highness, allow me to introduce you, Lord Fabio Adrian, the head of the Royal Guard, the chief commander of the Royal Guard, and the person in charge of the Fuxing Palace and His Majesty's security, Lord Fabio Adrian, who is the head of the 'Seven Servants of the Bright Stars', and the Adrian family of the Central Leader of Swan County......"

Adrian turned around and bowed respectfully to Tails.

Tails nodded back to him flattered, and his heart flattered.

Really.

Fabio Adrian.

He is...... Up and down the Fuxing Palace, the supreme commander of the entire royal guard.

...... including all the 'six wings' Captain of the Guard.

And he is one of the Seven Servants of the Bright Stars.

"Introduce greetings and stay for a later date. ”

While Tails was thinking, Adrian seized the gap in Gilbert's words and interrupted appropriately and timely:

"Your Highness, Count. ”

"Your Majesty is in the council chamber. ”

Adrian gestured to the stone door behind him:

"Or don't keep him waiting?"

Your Majesty.

At that moment, Tails felt all the blood in his body freeze.

"Your Majesty is here...... Has he finished today's Imperial Council?" Gilbert was excited.

"Nope. ”

Adrian politely replied:

"In fact, His Majesty ended the meeting early. ”

"He was already asking the letter crow from the Western Wilderness yesterday. ”

Your Majesty.

Tails breathed in a trance.

He suddenly understood where the lingering strangeness that had been tormenting him had come from when he stepped into the Fuxing Palace, and even when he stepped into the Eternal Star City.

It's not the environment and decoration of the Fuxing Palace.

It's not the noise and old things of Eternal Star City.

But......

Tails' fists tightened spontaneously.

"Of course," Gilbert looked at Tails with excitement:

"Presumably Your Majesty is also looking forward to this moment. ”

Adrian didn't answer, just made a "please" gesture to Tails and Gilbert and walked to the stone door of the council chamber.

Your Majesty.

Tails felt his footsteps move forward, following Adrian along.

Gilbert followed behind, not far behind.

One before, one after.

Let him......

There is nowhere to run.

The royal guards, who did not know which wing they belonged to, bowed in unison and pushed open the stone gate respectfully and professionally.

Revealing the infinite depths within.

Only the lights are few, reflecting the road ahead.

Adrian stepped aside and gracefully motioned for the Duke of Star Lake to ask for help.

It's no longer one before the other.

But Tails found that he would rather the other party go ahead of him again.

But......

Then Tails saw again that his steps were raised, and fell, and lifted and fell, and fell again.

Until he skimmed Adrian's side, until he stepped through the heavy stone door, until he stepped into the endless depths.

"It's not you!"

Adrian's voice suddenly tightened, stern and cold, contrary to his affection for the prince and the earl.

Let Tails subconsciously stop.

But he soon realized that Adrian wasn't talking to him.

"You stay. ”

The captain of the guard spoke in a deep voice.

But there is no doubt about it.

"Yes...... Yes, Ai, Ed...... Chief, sir. A few seconds later, Doyle's nervous, trembling voice could be heard behind him.

With a muffled grinding sound, the heavy stone door separating the gallery from the chamber slowly closed.

Shut Doyle's murmurs out.

Behind them, Adrian and Gilbert's footsteps slowly approached.

As if urging something.

A puff of air rose from Tails' ribcage and pressed out of his mouth and nose.

He found himself moving forward again.

As it had been six years earlier, the chamber was long and deep, with one entrance on one side and a small dot at the other.

Vague.

Once, on either side of the council chamber stood a dense crowd of vassals, listening to the negotiations between the stars and the dragon.

Unlike six years ago, there are fewer lights in the chamber and the windows are much closer.

It's even darker.

Now, the platforms on either side are empty, and pins can be heard.

But as the pace progressed, Tails soon saw it.

At the other end of the line of sight, the lone peak protruded, rising above the ground and landing on several steps of ......

Throne.

Tails' breathing slowly tightened.

A sturdy but lonely figure, presented in the throne above the steps.

The figure hung its head deeply, its back hooked, and entrenched in the throne.

His right elbow rested on his seated arm, and his right hand stood in front of his knee with a scepter attached to it.

His forehead pressed against the back of his hand, immersed in the shadows, and his face was not visible.

Tails' footsteps stopped.

He stared blankly at the figure he hadn't seen for six years.

Emotions are hard to discern.

The Prince's pause compelled Gilbert to do the same, but the Foreign Secretary quickly reacted, raising his voice and speaking enthusiastically to the figure on the throne:

"Your Majesty, I am honored to bring you the new Duke of Star Lake, your ......"

Boom!

The bottom of the scepter thumped lightly to the ground, and a dull sound echoed through the council chamber.

It also suffocated Gilbert's words.

Soon, a heavy, thick, majestic, thunderous voice that had appeared in Tails' dream came from the throne and echoed throughout the hall:

"Gilbert ......"

The voice on the throne paused:

"Thank you. ”

Compared to six years ago, this voice seems hoarse, long, and dull.

There seems to be an indescribable tiredness.

Tails listened to the other man's words in a daze, his eyes locked on the figure.

Gilbert frowned and took a deep breath:

"His Royal Highness the Prince has been tired all the way, Your Majesty, he is on the way from Longxiao City to the desert......"

But he was again interrupted by a voice from the throne, echoing in the hall:

"My friend. ”

"I said," said the voice on the throne, which was calm at first, but gradually became resolute and short, "thank you." ”

"I'll look for you later. ”

Gilbert was stunned.

However, Captain Adrian understood what the king meant.

Adrian stretched out his arm to the hall door behind him, and politely gestured to Gilbert:

"Count Cassel?"

Gilbert looked at the shadow on the throne and glanced at Tails again.

But he didn't say anything after all, just after giving Duke Xinghu an encouraging look, he bowed and turned around.

Tails smiled and nodded reluctantly, but suddenly realized that the back of the Foreign Secretary was so old.

"You too. ”

The voice from the throne sounded again:

"Yodel. ”

Tails is a spirit.

Gilbert's footsteps paused for a moment, but he resumed his rhythm and slowly walked away.

Nothing happened around.

Lord Adrian, as if he had not heard this, accompanied Gilbert away.

But Tails knew something was different in the air around him.

This frightened him in particular.

The footsteps grew farther and farther away, quieter and quieter, and finally disappeared completely at the end of the hall with the sound of the stone door opening and closing.

Leaving only Tails and the shadow on the throne, in the dead silence of the hall, silently facing each other.

"Come forward. ”

The boy shuddered slightly.

Tails is also a battle-hardened battle-hardener, from bloody battlefields to insidious stratagems.

But for some reason, when he heard this, he still involuntarily clenched his fists.

Tails raised his head and stared at the figure on the throne, slowly moving forward to the distance where he could see the staircase of the throne.

But in front of him, the figure on the throne was still blurred, flickering back and forth in the inextinguishable lamp behind him.

"Closer. ”

The shadow on the throne raises the volume slightly.

The boy was silent for a moment, then walked again.

This time, he was close enough to even see the boots leaning against the bottom of the scepter beneath the throne.

"Come closer. ”

The voice on the throne seemed impatient, and he dragged out his pitch, so that the flame of the lamp that could not be extinguished shook slightly.

Tails took a deep breath.

So, the next moment, the prince resolutely raised his steps and continued to move forward.

Until he saw that the shadow on the throne was also slowly moving.

Tails froze.

In the dim light, the thirty-ninth Star Supreme King, the Iron Fist King, who seemed to be more than six years old, raised his eyes from the scepter and faced the prince.

Tails had to look up at him, and his breathing began to quicken involuntarily.

Uncontrollable.

Bearing the gaze that he had seen many times in his dreams, but which always woke him up, a title blurted out of Tails' mouth:

"Your Majesty. ”

As soon as the words came out, Tails subconsciously added:

"Father, father?"

The man on the throne propped up his chin and frowned slightly.

He lost weight.

This was Tails' first feeling.

Although the figure under the opponent's leather robe is still strong, although the scepter in the opponent's hand is still steady, although the pair of eyes still exudes a faint cold light.

But he could see:

King Kessel's face was much thinner, his eyes were slightly sunken, and his cheekbones were slightly shrugged.

And more wrinkles have climbed up the king's face.

The knuckles of the other party's scepter are more protruding, and they look quite sharp.

Compared with six years ago, the only thing that remains unchanged or even surpasses is probably the silence, dullness, suffocation, but as unsettling as the eve of a storm.

The silence seemed to last for quite long, but Tails only stared at the king in silence, feeling like he couldn't take his eyes off it.

Finally, the king's expression moved:

"Anxiety. ”

The voice is as calm and thick as ever.

This is especially evident in the long, empty and narrow halls.

Tails came back to his senses and cleared his throat:

"Excuse me?"

Six years later, King Kessel snorted.

"How you feel right now. ”

The king said slowly:

"Anxiety. ”

Anxiety?

Tails frowned, unclear:

"I ......"

But the king went on to himself, ignoring the young man's doubts:

"Anxiety, weird. ”

"It's neither panic nor panic – these feelings tend to come back when you're caught off guard, leaving you at a loss and powerless. ”

The boy's breath stagnated.

King Kessel's voice echoed through the hall, feeling as if it was coming from all sides, without any gaps:

"For example, you are going to face a certain big test, accept a certain judgment, and do a certain big thing......"

"Or if you're going to be the heir to an ancient kingdom, you're going to have a much heavier and more tiring burden than ever before. ”

The king snorted heavily, as if the whole hall shook a little:

"And yet you know, you're not qualified, you know you can't take it, you know you're doomed. ”

"At that moment, you were so scared, you didn't want to face it, you just wanted to run away, you didn't want to do anything. ”

"This feeling is panic, panic. ”

Facing the pair of eyes that seemed to see through something, Tails struggled to maintain the dignity of his expression and posture.

He felt that the movement of looking up was getting more and more tired.

But as if there was some force supporting him, he didn't look away, or bowed his head.

King Kessel exhaled slowly:

"But once there is a moment......"

"Before the final moment, there was an opportunity, a solution, a turning point. ”

"It makes you feel that there is still a glimmer of hope in the situation, that the consequences may come later, that the trial can be delayed for a moment. ”

"And you can delay a little longer, without having to face the end that you fear the most. ”

King Kessel's jaw lifted from the back of his right hand, revealing the faint blue glow of the Staff of the Stars.

For example, you can face that test a few days later, a few weeks later to bear that judgment, and a few years later to accept your inevitable ...... Identity. ”

Tails stared at the king's calm countenance, and listened to his words that contained deep meaning:

"At that moment, it was simply salvation. ”

"It's the joy, it's the numbness, it's the ecstasy after the catastrophe, and the relief. ”

"It makes you feel that 'the end is still far away', and you feel that 'I am still saved'. ”

Hearing this, the boy couldn't help but tremble.

"But when all this is over, when the probation that Heaven has given you is over," the king chuckled, his eyes deep, but still expressionless:

These are the illusions that make you think you're relieved. ”

"They're going to ...... All gone. ”

Tails listened in a daze, his palms cold.

On the throne, the High King slowly straightened up, and in the dim light, it seemed that a dark cloud was overhead:

"And those who escaped the catastrophe will be poured back into front of them, plus the remorse and anxiety, self-blame and panic of 'I knew this was so'. ”

"In the end, it becomes a ...... that I know by heart, but I can't resist it"

"Anxiety. ”

Tails and the king looked at each other, only to feel an inexplicable hollowness in their hearts.

There is no way to fill it.

Kessel, on the other hand, coldly rubbed the scepter in his hand and stared at the eerie blue light emitted from its top:

It is this annoying anxiety that, in the pain of scratching your ears and cheeks and fidgeting, will make you understand that the six years of evasion, luck, procrastination, and illusion are actually meaningless. ”

Six years.

Tails breathed in a trance, and listened to the king's words:

"It's like a damn but useless whip, forcing you to face it, facing the ...... that you knew early on, that would come, but that you couldn't do anything about it in the end."

"Fate. ”

。