The Sensory Animals of Ston Hill

Grace leaned in Allen's arms for a while, and little Chris got out of the adults' boring arms and went to play with his wooden carved animals.The carpet was a newly replaced Turkish wool blanket, which was softer than the silk blankets in other rooms of the palace. Grace and Allen sat on the ground like children, with their knees touching each other.

"After the children arrived in England, one thing was mentioned in the first letter that I sent. I didn't pay attention to it at the time. It took two days to remember..." Grace said, "The Earl of Arundel lied to me at that time, he said He sent Anna...and Eva, and the children to the provinces, but he didn't. He didn't go to the children until after I returned to the capital to meet him. The entrustment to find Thea Catherines happened at the same time. The Border Province is closer to the port. Luke mentioned in the first letter that they went to the port with the servants of the Earl of Arundel, but they did not take the earliest ship. Luke Luke said that the servant told them to wait for the next boat while he boarded the boat in front of him to say hello to a friend. Luke said that he saw the servant on the deck with a man and a man on land. The woman said for a long time, that woman looks very much like the maid of Siya... You know that kid Luke has always been careful and has good eyesight, maybe he really read it right. If this is the case, the maid of Sia In England... I know a lot of people have fled to England, but I don't know who to trust, who to write to ask him to find out. I can only think of one person in the end, and that is the former lieutenant of the King's Guard. You also I have seen...he is loyal to me and is good at keeping secrets...but I am still a little worried, after all, it is related to that important secret...I have written all the letters, but I dare not send them."

"Do you really believe it, Grace? It's most likely just a lie. He's just teasing you and letting you be his gun. Siya's body is so poor, and William will definitely not..."

"William will. Don't be silly, Ellen, I know you're just trying to comfort me, but do you think I'd wish William and Sia had nothing left behind? Sia isn't in good health, but she's much healthier than her." Worse women have successfully become mothers... Besides, you and I know that William will not humiliate a woman. If he marries her, she will feel that she is respected by her husband as a wife... Sia She likes children so much... She is too stubborn, she shouldn't go to the border province, I should have stopped her, I should have been tougher."

Allen looked at little Chris. Such a small child has a round face and round eyes. The color of hair and eyes has not yet been determined, so it is impossible to judge.

"There are many officers who came out of the military academy and fled to the UK. I can find the most reliable person who has a deep friendship with William to ask. I will not disclose too much information, just ask him to find the maid in Seaa. He is not a troublesome person, and will not ask unnecessary questions."

"it is good."

Then they fell silent.Both of them knew very well that if the Earl of Arundel decided to cover up the truth, they would never find out anything.Even if they deeply suspect it is a lie, they cannot deny it outright.This will always remain a mystery.

"What if it turns out not to be?" Allen asked.

"...No, no. Anyway, his name is Little Chris. He is Chris's child, William's child, my child...and your child. It is the throne we hold him on together, and we shared responsibility for him."

"Alan, look at him, how cute he is. He was so small and looked so pitiful when he was first brought here, it always made people worry that he would not be able to feed him, but now he can talk and walk. You Can you feel that hope? Hope for the future. Sometimes I look at him and think, is all the work we all put in just for the present? Of course not, we are more for the future, for the next generation, For the children who have been born and those who will be born, we will create a better country for them. Only thinking about this makes me feel hopeful."

"Grace, you are becoming more and more like William." Tears welled up in Alan's blue eyes, "I admire this, but I also feel worried. I don't want you to see others more than yourself." Heavy."

"Ellen, I kid you not, you once asked me if it was because of William that I fought so hard to hold on to those principles, and I answered you: Yes. I was so disheartened about this country that it was doomed and hopeless Yeah, I even hated those people, the townspeople, the peasants, everyone, I thought they killed Chris, and killed William, killed Anna. But suddenly one day, William's voice sounded in my ear, and I heard him Say, 'Grace, don't blame them, they're gullible, exploited, erroneous, not because they're inherently stupider or savage. Blame those who delude them, but forgive those who are deceived, because they There is virtue in the souls of men, but they are blinded by ignorance, and those of us who have parted the ignorance have an obligation to help them approach the truth.' I suddenly understood that William and I are completely different people, and you are also different. , he is different from most people. You and I used to be like most people, selfish and reckless. When encountering difficult decisions, we only made choices based on our own wishes, regardless of the consequences... But now I always think, if It's Willian, what will he do? The answer is always clear, Willian will do the right thing."

"Democracy and liberty are right, the republic is right, the constitution is right, the national assembly is right, is that what you mean?"

Grace turned completely sideways and faced Alan face to face, "Yes. If you give me the power, I will definitely use it, and I will not be polite to you."

Allen made a "please" gesture, "my pleasure."

"Grace, let me tell you the truth. I made the decision to hand over power. Apart from the two reasons I told you before, there is also William's reason. Do you believe that I am not doing this for myself? This is William's deep love. country, I desperately want her back on track, and I do it for William's legacy."

"You told me so, and I believed it."

"Grace, I've actually been thinking, what would William do if he was in my position? But I can't figure it out. As you say, William will always do the right thing, but I don't believe it like you do. Representation, I don't know what's right, so I don't have an answer. But today, as I was holding you and kissing you, another question popped into my head, what does William himself really want to do? The answer is as you describe Yes, it’s very clear that what he really wants to do is to love Grace and make Grace happy. Regarding these two things, he doesn’t want to, but he can’t. And I’m exactly the opposite of him. I once wanted to learn from him and use the right but as you can see, I have failed. I have won countless tough battles that were considered impossible to win, and this is the only time I have thrown in the towel. Just today, it dawned on me that I was William survived, and I should do for William what he wanted to do but couldn't. So all doubts have been answered: How should I choose? I will do what makes Grace happy."

"...But what if I'm wrong? What if it turns out that you are actually right and I'm wrong?"

Alan held his hand, "Grace, don't be afraid, I will always stand by your side. Just use your insightful eyes to observe, and then use your wise mind to judge and make decisions that you think are beneficial .Don’t be afraid of misjudgment. Maybe a certain choice is not as important as you think. Maybe this itself is an endless business of constant trial and error. Compared with the momentary judgment, the follow-up operation is more important. This must be a long and continuous process. process of correction."

Grace grabbed his hand with her backhand and held it tightly, "You will always be by my side."

Allen solemnly knelt down on one knee in front of him, lowered his head and kissed the back of his hand: "I will."