The Sensory Animals of Ston Hill

Grace is working harder than ever.In addition to reading those petition letters in the clerical room, he would also go to the confidential archives room to check the accounts related to the state's finances.He wanted to use his advantage in arithmetic to figure out how such a huge deficit was accumulated bit by bit.

But all such archives are cumbersome and crudely recorded, with almost every entry showing, as Alan Stone complains, overlaps and gaps in the purchasers' mandates.What annoyed him most was that when he saw the confusion in the records, when he wanted to consult the Minister of Finance who was supposed to be responsible for these accounts, the other party did not know much about these things!Grace simply doesn't know what these big officials do every day!

He was on his own, and sorting out these poor accounts required no skill but time.He had to reduce his sleep time and time again, and even sneaked out to work after His Majesty fell asleep.

Grace never felt weak, but one morning, after coming out of the archives, he passed out in the hallway.

He was awakened by Alan Stone with smelling salts.The pungent smell brought him back to consciousness, and he found himself lying on a sofa chair in an empty room.Allen was squatting next to him with a smelling bottle, staring at him worriedly, but when he saw him wake up, he immediately took the worry away from his face.

"The guard saw you fainted, and I happened to be in the document room, so—" Allen stopped halfway through his words, as if he had explained clearly.He put the smelling salt bottle in his pocket and asked Grace, "Have you slept these days? Are you dying for those ledgers?"

Grace got a headache from the smell of smelling salts, and sat up clutching her forehead, "Aren't you sleeping too?"

He expected to see that sneer on Allen's face.If it was before, he would definitely be like this, making an annoying chuckle through his nasal cavity, and asking him mockingly: "Can you compare with me?" Maybe he would hold his wrist and shake it twice, saying: "My wrist has How thick is yours?"

But Alan Stone just looked at him blankly for a while, and asked him, "Would you like some chocolate?"

Grace saw a chocolate pot on the low table next to her, and felt that she really needed some energy, so she asked him to pour herself a cup.

Alan Stone poured himself a cup, and sat on the single chair next to him to drink slowly.

Grace drank the chocolate in the cup in a few sips, and then said to Alan Stone: "I don't want people to think that we are playing children's play."

Alan Stone looked up at him and licked his lips.But there was no chocolate on his lips.

"Arundel is no longer at the Summer Palace," he said to Grace.

"But a lot of what he said I couldn't ignore. A lot of what he said sounded like prophecy, which was scary."

Alan Stone frowned, "How could you have such a sense of responsibility? Could it be that you were also infected by William? You were supposed to be just..."

Grace is now very afraid to hear William's name from his mouth, and deliberately said in a nonchalant tone: "A woman, or a maid? Do you want to say these two words? Don't worry, I am not so easy to worry about this now." Angry."

"You should have been just a heartless optimist," said Alan Stone.

Grace froze for a moment, amused by his statement.It's a pity that Allen didn't smile, and he sighed sadly again, "Allen, I wanted to ask you a long time ago, do you worry about losing the battle before going to the battlefield?"

"I try not to think about it."

"But won't you be afraid? Imagine some dire possibilities..."

"I wouldn't be sitting across from you now if I had always assumed the outcome of failure."

"……What's the meaning?"

Alan Stone put down his glass, leaned over and took the empty glass from Grace's hand, and put it on the table.But he didn't sit back after finishing all this, he still leaned towards Grace and asked him, "Do you really not understand?"

Grace was really confused at first, but she seemed to understand when she was asked this way, and shrank back.Because Alan Stone looked like he was going to kiss him again now.

But Alan Stone seemed to be answering his question seriously: "I mean, doing something is better than doing nothing. If you are always afraid of failure and deny everything, you will accomplish nothing. They always Mentioning France scares you when there are many successful reforms. We can also progress without bloodshed like Britain. You should imagine success, especially when you have already achieved a lot."

"We've accomplished a lot," Grace said.

"Of course, we have already shaken the biggest stone that hinders the progress of the country. We do not allow the church to extort money from the people by going to mass, and many substandard monasteries have been converted into elementary schools. The legal estates are not repossessed... a lot of it is your fault, Grace, for finding the Abbey's illegitimate income in those cadastres. You can do so much, why bother with worries that don't exist ? It's not in your character. Like I said, you're supposed to be an optimist."

Grace thought for a while, then smiled, "You promised to help me that night at the villa, and I am very grateful that you have always done so. Ellen, I am glad you have been by my side."

Alan Stone laughed too, and he finally laughed, and asked Grace: "Really? Then why did you hide from me just now, sitting so far away from me?" He also said, "What I said just now It’s also motivating for me.”

He didn't make it too difficult for Grace this time, he just stretched out his hand, wiped Grace's lips with his thumb, and put it in his mouth.

Grace knew he had eaten the chocolate on her lips.At the same time, he confirmed once again that the corners of Alan Stone's mouth were indeed at different heights when he smiled, and this really made him look very attractive.