After Cumberland left, Todd returned to his bedroom full of worries.
Pushing open the door at the end of the second floor, the first thing Todd saw was a vast hall filled with wardrobes and wooden mannequins.
Evening dresses, hunting suits, capes, culottes...all kinds of styles and different styles of clothing decorate this room into a sea of fashion.
Passing through these closets, Todd opened two thick and heavy screen doors and walked into a studio filled with books and oil paintings.
The Queen of the Holy Acropolis, the Mary in Todd's memory, the beautiful woman who was always aloof and like a flower on the high mountains, is now wearing no makeup, wearing a casual-style loose nightgown, sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed.
On the floor, he concentrated on drawing the design.
Todd walked up to Mary and gently squeezed the latter's stiff shoulders, causing her to let out a pleasant gasp.
"When you came back from the trip, I thought you were taking a nap in bed."
Mary picked up the paintbrush and pointed the end of the pen at her neck, signaling him not to stop: "For me, compared to sleeping, this room is a place where I relax and enjoy myself. Here, I can put down all the burdens on my body."
, only do things I like..."
Todd massaged Mary's satin-like white skin with his fingertips and said with a smile, "Just do what you like?"
Mary, who was indulging in the pleasure of touch, turned around with difficulty. Two blushes appeared on her delicate face. She gasped and whispered: "If you want, the bedroom is at the back..."
Although he had seen this flawless and beautiful face many times, Todd still sighed in his heart for her beauty once again.
Todd smiled and shook his head, let go of his hand, sat next to Mary, put his arms around Mary's waist, and hugged her: "You need to rest."
"You are really different from others." Mary put her arms around Todd's neck and leaned her whole body against the latter's chest: "Is it just you, or are all the men in your world like this?"
Todd smiled and said nothing. He poured some liquid from the glass bottle on the table and drank it in one gulp.
After savoring the aftertaste in his mouth, Todd frowned and looked at Mary: "This taste..."
"It's very similar to coffee, right?" Mary said with a smile: "Some rue, some natona fruits, plus agave powder and a few condiments, this drink is made."
Mary picked up the cup and took a sip slowly. She sighed and said, "However, the taste is still different from real coffee. It doesn't have that peculiar fragrance and it doesn't have the refreshing effect."
Todd smiled and said, "I think this is more delicious than coffee."
Mary smiled and hugged Todd tighter, closed her eyes, and after a while, asked in a low voice: "Why didn't I see you earlier?"
Todd was a little strange: "Meet me earlier?"
Mary's voice became lower and lower: "If we met in the Holy Acropolis of my childhood, if before I married to Silver Ring City, if before that woman met you..."
Todd was silent. He patted Mary's back gently, as if he wanted to comfort the woman in front of him in this way.
Mary slowly raised her head, looked at Todd's face, and suddenly asked: "Are you worried?"
"Why do you say that?"
Mary sat up straight and stared into Todd's eyes: "Tell me, what is it?"
Todd sighed helplessly: "There is indeed something that is bothering me in the kingdom."
"After the transformation ceremony, human beings will become aliens, which are the 'Holy Army' that people often hear mentioned in daily life."
"These alien races no longer have any relationship with humans regardless of their physical structure or genetics. Now, various problems have arisen in their relationship, such as religious status, living habits, value orientation, etc.
"
"Among these problems, I can also use faith as a buffer to reconcile the conflicts between alien races and humans. But what really worries me is the combination between them, which will bring about unpredictability
Todd said with a headache: "If humanoid species and humans are combined with each other, the offspring may have unpredictable mutations. In my world, this phenomenon is called reproductive isolation."
Mary asked again: "This reproduction...the mutations caused by isolation, are all bad?"
"There are good and bad. I will use an example to illustrate. The offspring of donkeys and horses are called mules. Although the latter have a long life and strong adaptability to the environment, they have lost their basic reproductive ability; the offspring of tigers and lions are called mules.
As ligers, they have good physical strength, but they have almost no reproductive ability; sheep and goats will give birth to hybrid sheep, which are good at running and can produce high amounts of milk and wool, but they are still sterile."
Mary summarized Todd's case: "So, a child born from the union of two similar organisms is likely to inherit the characteristics and abilities of both parents, but will lose the basic fertility?"
"That's right, so I've been worried about the combination of non-human species and humans." The light in Todd's eyes dimmed a little: "Although this combination satisfies the momentary pleasure of both men and women, it will also bring negative consequences to their offspring.
, bringing indelible physical defects, this may be an irresponsible behavior."
Looking at the expression on Todd's face, Mary instantly guessed what he was thinking.
Although Todd was talking about the combination of the Crusaders and humans, he was actually talking about himself.
Todd and Deirdre gave birth to a daughter, Aurora. Todd lived in worry and self-blame for this every day. He always felt that most of the responsibility for Aurora's physical dangers should be his.
to bear.
That's why Todd was so hesitant when facing humans and the Crusaders, not wanting these believers to suffer the same fate as himself.
After thinking about all this, Mary stretched out her fingers, gently smoothed the wrinkles on Todd's forehead, and said softly: "You seem to have forgotten one of the most important things."
"The most important thing?"
"emotion."
Mary rested her head on Todd's chest and said slowly: "Whether it is human or alien, the union between the two parties is voluntary and no one is forced. When a creature falls in love with another creature, race, origin,
Wealth, appearance, family... nothing will be an obstacle to their love."
"Emotion is the most powerful force in the world. It can turn the most timid coward into the bravest warrior, and it can also turn the most cruel thug into the most devout believer."
Mary kissed Todd's chin gently and said softly: "Even you, who is respected as the Holy King, cannot stop a woman's pursuit and desire for love."
Todd lowered his head, looked at the light in Mary's eyes, and said helplessly: "So, what is your opinion on this matter...?"
Mary leaned forward and pushed Todd down on the sofa. She slowly bent down, moved her hands under her body, lowered her head and said in Todd's ear with a smile: "Let nature take its course."