Tails sat in his seat, but he didn't feel like his own.

He realized that he was the only one in the Imperial Council Room at this moment facing the king.

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

"This morning, when the northern military intelligence arrives, it will be a matter of Longxiao City......"

King Kessel's voice rang out in the small room, less echoing and empty than the chamber.

But it makes people feel even more depressed.

Gilbert insisted that his students come and sit in on it, saying it was the prince's 'practical lesson'. ”

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

Tails thought of Gilbert, and gratitude and amazement welled up in his heart at the same time.

Today, Bob Cullen specifically mentioned the growing number of pirates from the north, saying that he wanted to reorganize the navy of Hui Harbor and protect the trade interests of the seven ports in the East China Sea. ”

Kessel sat on the throne, and the lights could not illuminate the darkness of his figure.

Cousin's men rushed to the Department of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry early in the morning, and on the pretext of preparing to buy seeds for spring ploughing, they took stock of the local grain exports to the cliffs, most of which were also grown in the north. ”

Tails struggled to take a breath.

Prime Minister Cullen and the one-eyed dragon of the cliffs.

"As for Exeter's side......"

The king snorted coldly, and his words revealed disdain:

"The mission from Elk City has been here for a long time, but they have been very calm, and it was not until after the banquet last night that they released the letter crows that were in contact with the country. ”

"The Northlanders who rebuilt the tower had clean hands and feet and couldn't grasp the handle, but unfortunately the Doyle family was unlucky and revealed the matter of selling grain privately. ”

Jorge in Elk City, and Levi in Rebuilding Towers.

Tails stared at the map on the table.

"You ran back and forth for that girl, thinking you were doing something hidden. ”

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

"In fact, every move is hidden. ”

Tails suddenly felt his mouth dry.

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

"And I thought you would be able to stop in front of the ministers and put away your estrus tail feathers when you arrived at the Imperial Council. ”

"Apparently ......"

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

King Kessel paused for a moment, and repeated the word coldly but sarcastically:

"For the sake of ...... Love?"

The king's voice fell.

Tails looked up.

"But ......"

The teenager subconsciously retorted:

"That's not love. ”

No......

The king's gaze pierced out of the darkness, penetrating the sunlight unstoppably.

Descend on Tails.

"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?"

Kessel V's voice thundered:

"Or are you just a swaggering pig who can only rely on the yang body that is swaying around to find self-esteem?"

Tails closed his eyes.

In the past six years, the library, the Hall of Heroes, the shield area, the dining room, the study room, ...... Countless memories came back to me in that instant, but none of them helped the situation in front of them.

But we're not.

Selma.

No.

The boy clenched his fists.

He breathed hard, struggling to drive away the discomfort he hadn't felt in the past six years.

Why.

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

"Nope. ”

Tails looked up and spoke with difficulty.

"Me and Selma, we have a good relationship, that's right. ”

He withstood the cold gaze of the iron-fisted king, just like withstanding the cold wind and snow of the desperate sun, and also withstood the retreat in his heart.

You can't run away.

Find a way out.

Face him.

It's like confronting your past rivals: King Nunn, King Chaman......

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

Face him

Face it head-on.

Face...... They.

Tails took a deep breath and finally said the words:

"I have a responsibility to her. ”

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

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

"Responsibility?"

Tails noticed himself bowing slightly.

"That's right. ”

"Six years ago, I personally - no, it should be said that you and the kingdom poured all their power into sending that girl to the throne of Valhalla. ”

King Kessel did not speak.

The young man looked at the king, slowly regained his thoughts, and firmed his tone:

"The whole star ...... up and down"

"We all have a responsibility. ”

The prince seems to have returned to the state he was in when he faced the princes in Exeter, and his words gradually became fluent:

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

Tails suddenly discovered that the Ballard Room actually had quite a few windows.

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

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

Duke Xinghu sorted out his logic and was methodical:

"This is especially valuable in Exeter, in Longxiao City, in a group that is alien to us in terms of interests and ideas. ”

The king did not move.

Only the gaze remains.

"So I believe that Selma can be trusted and expected. ”

"My attention and help to her, even from the perspective of the Kingdom, is by no means meaningless. ”

Tails tried his best to think of himself as a counselor of the Imperial Palace, and his words were confident and resolute, just like Soudor and Jocco just now:

"As I said, she's enough to be an ally of the stars. ”

He stared at his father.

King Kessel chuckled.

"Allies of the stars?"

He spoke hoarsely, like a beast opening its eyes from hibernation:

"Or is it your weakness?"

Weakness.

For some reason, Tails suddenly remembered the Black Prophet he hadn't seen in a long time.

Remembering their first meeting.

Tails swallowed.

"I understand your concerns. ”

He took out his full armament, awakened his spirits, and regarded the people in front of him as great enemies like Nun and Chaman:

"A Comas person once told me that doing business is not only about numbers and profits, but sometimes, you have to do word of mouth and connections. ”

The king snorted:

"Business?"

But Tails just continued:

"Even in the most ordinary wars, our allies will be attacked, our friends will be attacked, and our comrades will be threatened. ”

"And that doesn't mean they're our weakness. ”

Tails tightened the voice of the male duck, who had not yet passed the voice change period, so that he could sound more mature and rational:

"On the contrary. ”

"To make a profit, you have to take relative risks. ”

"So last night, for our benefit, I couldn't stand idly by. ”

He must be resolute, he must affirm.

"Because I believe that that girl will bring us greater value and benefit. ”

Tails looked at his eyes, which were glaring in the dimness, and struggled to raise his shield.

King Kessel was silent for a long time.

For a long time, Tails stiffened even in his sitting position.

Finally.

"We. ”

The Iron Fist King sneered:

"You use 'we' to coerce you in your reasoning. ”

"You tell me it's what 'we' should do. ”

The next moment, the king pressed the arm of the chair.

Kessel stepped out of the darkness into the sunlight, revealing his form, his face, his eyes like a stone statue.

and the nine-pointed star logo on clothing.

More pronounced than the logo on the Tails neckline.

"But what about yourself?"

For some reason, the king's action sent a chill through Tails.

Like a beast peeking out of the mist.

"Your own feelings, your own minds, your own considerations, your own preferences......"

I only heard the king say coldly:

"Where are you?"

Where am I myself?

Tails frowned.

He didn't think about anything else, and replied:

"I'm in the 'we'. ”

"If we can be sincere in addition to the interests and positions of the kingdom, and live up to my personal friendship with her, then everyone will be happy......"

But the king's response followed:

"Nope. ”

Kessel's voice was steady, but with an unshakable majesty:

"You are disguised in 'us'. ”

Tails frowned.

"Because you think that I am a cruel king who was born for the stars, rational and calm, and has only the kingdom in his eyes. ”

The words of the Iron Fist King were extremely cold:

"Despise feelings and impulses, and only care about gains and losses. ”

"So you racked your brains and tried your tongue to face me just to pretend to be similar to me. ”

Tails was stunned for a second.

"To prove that what you have done is in line with the principle of interest and in line with political considerations," the king said calmly:

"So that I may be convinced of your words. ”

"So as to let go of your arbitrariness, let go of your girlfriend. ”

Tails was about to retort, but the Iron Fist King's next sentence made him completely froze:

"It's like your usual trick: understand your opponent's means, their logic, and then defeat them on their battlefield. ”

Kessel snorted coldly, and he gently rubbed his fingers:

"Deal with King Nunn with skillful calculations. ”

"Fight back against Charman Rumba in a desperate gamble. ”

"Dealing with Williams with Flying Bosses......"

"Or like last night. ”

"Take advantage of the weakness of human nature and play with the kid of the Kevendier family. ”

Tails stared at each other stunned.

He knows.

The King's words echoed in Tails' head.

Usual tricks......

Pretend to be similar to him and face him......

The boy suddenly had the illusion that he was now stripped naked from top to bottom, and was standing naked in front of the king.

There is nothing to hide, there is nothing to follow, there is no escape.

"But there are some things that can't be disguised. ”

Kessel V raised his eyes.

"Just like last night. ”

Last night.

Tails' pupils moved.

The Iron Fist King stared at him from afar.

That feeling came again.

The kind that neither King Nun nor King Chaman ever gave him oppression.

The kind of gesture is like a thousand pounds pressing on the top, and the weakness that opens the mouth to speak is like a fish in the throat.

"Why?"

The king spoke softly, but it was difficult to resist:

"Why did you risk yourself last night?"

"Playing in person, still having fun?"

Tails seemed to have a double image in front of his eyes.

That's the faces of Anker and Doyle.

The boy took a deep breath, focused, and tried to explain:

"Last night's banquet, the situation was tricky, there was a dilemma, and it was not appropriate to choose. ”

"So I went out on my own to get out of the third way, to show them a very different Tails Bright Star so that we could ......"

But at this very moment.

"Lies. ”

Tails' words paused.

"You didn't end up because of 'us'. ”

King Kessel looked at him from afar, as if he were watching a game of chess:

"And just because of you. ”

"You want to save the pieces and the game at the same time. ”

Tails felt a chill in his heart.

"Because that's you. ”

"Whatever you do, you always want to find a way to be happy with everyone, a perfect choice, and meet your highest expectations. ”

"It's better to be harmless, harmless. ”

"Avoid the ugliness and sacrifices you least want to face. ”

Tails felt more and more breathless.

"I-"

He wanted to speak, relieve stress, but ......

It's useless, Tails.

The boy opened and closed his lips in vain, and thought bitterly:

Useless.

He knows.

Tails bowed his head in a trance.

And like he said, you have nothing to hide.

There are no excuses.

"But what I don't understand is ......"

The king's words continue:

"Isn't damn fate, doesn't it give you a damn response every time?"

Tails was stunned.

At that moment, King Kessel's eyes seemed to cut open his chest:

"You killed all sides at the National Meeting, but you were met with more malice and suspicion. ”

"You have turned the tide in Longxiao City, but you have raised a great enemy who is even more terrible than your predecessor. ”

"You spoke up for the Grand Duke in Valhalla, but you put yourself in danger of being pointed out by the wrath of the public, and had to turn to even worse allies. ”

"You have an ambiguous attitude in the Blade Tooth Camp, and it seems that the weather is updated, but at the banquet last night, you were drunk by the endless contradictions between the two sides, and you were embarrassed. ”

Listening to this personal experience, Tails felt that his body was becoming more and more numb.

Is that so?

For his choice......

Fate, every time it gave a response?

"Just as last night, you wisely and tactfully kept the chess pieces and the game, winning the position and fame......"

The king sneered:

"But he left the shit on his ass to the whole kingdom to wipe. ”

Tails was stunned.

More justifications came out of the bottom of my heart, but when I said it, I couldn't say it.

"The third way?ha, it's like you're used to the casual spirit of a street beggar, but you want the status and honor of the kingdom bloodline. ”

Hearing this, Tails couldn't help but be shocked.

"Thou hast wandered to the top of a cliff, but thou hast dreamed of the heavens. ”

"I also feel that as long as I am not afraid of death, I can step on a steady footing. ”

Kessel's rebuke was like a sharp blade, and a knife was carved into his heart.

The King's piercing eyes left Tails' body and looked into the void.

"Just like you and that girl from Longxiao City. ”

Tails, on the other hand, let the voice of the High King penetrate his ears, unable to do anything:

"You tell yourself that a strong ally can bring you benefits out of values and positions. ”

But you also tell yourself that out of affection and desire, a beloved lover makes you willing to give. ”

The next moment, King Kessel's words took a sharp turn:

But if you confuse these two points and drift between the two, you still think you can do it with ease, and you can do it both right and left. ”

"Then you'd be wrong. ”

The king's eyes were cold, and he said one word at a time:

"Until you understand that every time, every self-righteous perfect choice, comes at a greater cost. ”

The boy swallowed again.

"I think she, the Lady of Blazing Blood, has proven her worth and stand in that battle. ”

Tails corrected his voice so that he didn't sound so dazed.

But for some reason, his sentence stumbled:

"She's strong...... She can be strong. ”

"She can bring benefits to us......"

The king snorted coldly.

"You know," he said, looking directly at Tails, and said coldly.

"I'm not talking about her. ”

Tails' body shook slightly.

The Iron Fist King sarcastically said:

"North Star. ”

Polaris.

It's the North Star again.

Tails didn't have a moment when he hated the title as he did now.

Just like he hated the moment.

"What about you. ”

After a few struggles, Tails' words finally rang out.

"Your Majesty. ”

The young man's voice was not loud, and his pitch was not steep, but it seemed like a difficult and powerless question:

"Dear Lady Guinie, is she your ally, or your lover?"

In the darkness, King Kessel's eyes flickered.

The surrounding air no longer solidifies.

But there was an extra tension on the eve of an avalanche.

"And you are really like what you say, a person who despises feelings and impulses, and only cares about profit and loss......"

Like a drowning man surfacing out of the water, the teenager's words fluctuated:

"A rational and calm king with only the cruel king of the kingdom in his eyes......"

"Can you divide everything clearly and without confusion?"

Kessel's gaze sharpened.

But Tails couldn't tell if there was anger or gloom.

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

Still is...... For the first time in a lifetime?

The stone statue named King Kessel moved in his seat, his chin slightly raised, with a faint wrench:

"You ......"

But Tails interrupted him.

"I'm a star. ”

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

"As the Prince of the Stars, as the bloodline of the Kingdom. ”

"If I can't even be responsible for one, a girl who has suffered because of me. ”

Tails found himself unable to control the pause in his words, but he managed to finish:

"Then in times of crisis, at a critical moment, why should I stand up and be responsible for my kingdom and my compatriots?"

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

Tails stared at the king:

"That's right, it's none of her business. ”

"It's just about myself. ”

Several seconds passed.

The turmoil in the king's eyes finally subsided.

He looked back at Tails, and his tone was affirmative:

"You care about her. ”

Tails shuddered.

At that moment, the boy didn't dare to raise his head again to look at his father.

But he had to face it.

It's like Kessel questioning his past behavior.

He had to answer eventually.

"I care about her. ”

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

He knew how difficult his words were to break through many obstacles, and to pass through the barriers, so that they could come out of his throat.

Just like what he thinks at the moment.

"She is my true friend and my friend in trouble. ”

"My savior, my classmate. ”

Tails hung his head, his voice quiet.

"Of course I care about her, I care about her, maybe ...... Love her. ”

Small slippery head.

King Kessel did not respond, not even a sarcastic and disdainful snort.

He just looked at his son silently.

Tails took a deep breath.

He forced firmness out of his gaze and forced away the pain:

"So that's not love. ”

It doesn't have to be love.

It can't be love.

The moment he said this, Tails trembled inwardly, and it felt like he had stepped into the air.

Weightlessness, imbalance.

At a loss.

Tails looked at King Kessel, trying to catch his breath in a trance, deliberately forgetting anything else.

Until the king replied lightly:

"Really?"

No waves, no praise and no depreciation.

Tails closed his eyes and swirled them open.

"I'm realistic. ”

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

"I am your son, the bloodline of the stars, the heir of the kingdom. ”

King Kessel's face moved slightly in the sunlight.

"I have long understood that my fate is destined to be full of ups and downs, full of misfortunes and ominous misfortunes. ”

Tails looked sideways slightly, slightly gloomy.

"But just like you, I made my 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 the ancient imperial Chinese:

"I was born for the stars. ”

The king looked back at him silently.

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

Tails let out a breath, like a prisoner breaking through the shackles, breathing extravagantly in the sun.

The teenager gritted his teeth:

"Therefore, I will not, and I can't think of her in any way, the love of children, the heart of transgression. ”

Will the same catastrophe ......

Bring it to her again.

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

King Kessel was silent.

Tails mixed pain and discomfort, and said the words that had been buried in his heart for a long time, reconfirming what he had already figured out:

"So that's not love. ”

That can't be love.

Absolutely not.

At that moment, he seemed to be a bird that had broken free from the shackles, and he could finally fly high and soar into the sky with confidence and boldness.

Until the wings fall to the ground.

"You ask me where I am," said the young duke, who suddenly liked the dimness of the stone chamber:

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

"Like you. ”

"Father. ”

Tails' mood went down.

And you don't have to worry...... She and me. ”

As the words fell, Tails realized that he was unconsciously sweating and short of breath.

Far from the demeanor that Duke Star Lake should have.

The silence in the room lasted for a long time.

It seems to leave enough time for this dissection.

Until the meaning is thoroughly understood.

"She's fine?"

King Kessel spoke suddenly, startling Tails.

But the boy then fell into a gloomy.

"I don't know. ”

He closed his eyes and swirled them open, trying to get rid of all expressions:

"I ...... too Don't want to know. ”

There was complete silence in Ballard's room.

It seems like a long time has passed.

Finally, the king's figure retreated in the light.

He sat back into the shadow of his seat.

Faces are no longer visible.

Only the voice of the king came from afar.

"Sometimes I'm really weird. ”

King Kessel's words were as sharp and mean as ever, but they no longer had that stinging feeling.

"Why is your sanity equal to your stupidity? ”

"Why are they in the same mind. ”

The king snorted coldly:

"It's all right. ”

Tails didn't speak.

He sat at the long table in distraction.

Just now, the boy somewhat understood.

In his lifetime, he faced three kings.

King Nunn's vertical and horizontal methods are as strong and soft as the sea, and they are as unfathomable as the sea, and it is difficult to measure.

King Chaman persecuted him with a visible interest and threatened him like a sword to his neck and a stab in his back.

But in front of Kessel V.

The Iron Fist King.

He is completely different from the first two.

As the supreme king of the stars, he does not talk too much, and he does not speak grandly.

But Kessel has an even more bizarre and terrifying ability.

With this ability, he can transcend Enwei and Profit with just a few words, go straight to the heart, and grasp the most damned point.

Forcing Tails to face his true self.

Flat and waveless.

But it hurts to the heart.

The king stretched out his hand and flicked one of the cranks on the table.

The door to Ballard's room opened.

Several strange members of the royal guard appeared at the door, and one person crossed them and walked inside.

It's the scarred man from the secret department.

But Tails didn't listen, and just sank into his chair with a blank face.

"Take him out," relentlessly sounded King Kessel's voice:

"Let him see the mess he left behind. ”

Tails looked up in a trance:

"What?"

"Don't be aside," said the king, bowing his head again, and turning to the next document:

"There's a lot more important thing about the Ballard room. ”

"Remember your words today. ”

What happened next, Tails doesn't quite remember.

He didn't even quite remember how he had come out of the Ballard room in a trance.

I don't quite remember how the man with the scar stiffened his face and folded his hands, and apologized stiffly that the king's order was hard to disobey, but Lord Marlos couldn't leave for the time being, so he asked His Highness to come with him.

Until Tails followed him distractedly, exited the palace through a side door, and got into a carriage.

"Where are we going?"

Feeling the shaking of the carriage, Tails, who had finally adjusted his emotions, came back to his senses.

"Kingdom Secret, Your Highness—Your Majesty's order. ”

Opposite him, the malevolent-looking man with a scar replied while scratching his face.

Secret Branch.

Tails frowned.

But he realized something even more wrong.

The scarred man in front of him......

His voice has become different?

Noticing the prince's eyes, the scarred man in front of him smiled slightly, and reached out to tear his face open.

Tails' eyes widened.

"Long time no see, Your Highness. ”

The person in front of him threw away the camouflage mask with the scar, lowered his head and pounded his eyes, and his voice was relaxed and witty:

"How's it going?"

Tails froze.

It turned out to be him.

"You don't look very happy, how can you ......"

His old acquaintance, Raphael Lindbergh the Skeleton, opened a pair of dark red eyes in the carriage and looked straight at Tails:

"Just dumped by your girlfriend?"

Tails' face froze.

"Raphael. ”

The prince, who was not in a good mood, leaned back.

"You talk nonsense again......"

Duke Xinghu stared straight at the roof of the carriage and said expressionlessly:

"So I went and begged to marry the honorable Miss Miranda. ”

Raphael's face fell.

So the carriage fell completely silent.

Nothing to say all the way.