Todd took a big gulp of the honey water brought by the waiter and rubbed his temples vigorously. The banquet last night had lasted until late, and he had been forced to drink several glasses of red wine due to the hospitality. As a result, he woke up this morning with his head ringing like a gong.

Forcing himself to stay alert, Todd looked at the hundreds of design sketches on the table, selected a rough sketch of a women's dress, and examined it closely.

Unlike the monotonous and dull women's dress designs of the Middle Ages today, Mary's designs clearly incorporate the concepts of silver ring court and terroir, with lively and bright colors and unique and elegant styles, which perfectly match the concept of the Renaissance.

Todd doesn't know much about fashion, but from a man's perspective, these clothes should look great on women.

"Did you draw all of these?"

Seeing Mary diligently organizing the original manuscript while hunched over the table, Todd put down the drawings in his hand and asked her a question.

Mary picked out a drawing of a "Women's Wide-brimmed Hat," marked it in the lower right corner with a pencil, and said, "I drew all of these, most of them in the past. There are also quite a few finished samples, but unfortunately they're all in the royal palace..."

Hearing Mary's voice grow softer, Todd sighed and changed the subject: "I've already had someone contact people about the locations for the textile mill and shops; the royal clerk is drafting the job postings; as for the funding for the 'Muxi Cooperative'..."

Mary looked up, somewhat nervously, and asked, "What's wrong, Your Majesty? Is there a problem with the allocation?"

“The money is enough, but I have some plans regarding the future of the ‘Twilight Cooperative,’ and it’s not appropriate to allocate funds from it now.” Todd tapped the armrest of his chair lightly with his fingers and said slowly, “I plan to draw funds from the Holy Treasury for the construction and operation of the garment factory.”

Mary stopped in her tracks, her long eyelashes fluttering slightly. "Your Majesty," she said, "the Sacred Treasury is essentially your private property, though I am managing it on your behalf. If I were to take money from it to fund my cause, wouldn't others criticize me?"

"You mean, if you're responsible for managing the Holy Treasury and using the money inside, others will suspect you of having the opportunity to falsify accounts and embezzle funds?" Todd waved his hand, looking completely unconcerned: "Don't worry, I'll instruct the monks to conduct regular audits and reports on the textile factory's finances. It's not a problem."

Mary opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

She knew the king had misunderstood her meaning.

The money in the Holy Treasury belongs to King Muxi alone, and its management should have been handled by the Royal Steward or the Minister of the Interior. It is unreasonable to put this former queen of an enemy country in charge of it, which has already attracted a lot of gossip.

If he were to take more money from the Holy Treasury and squander it on himself, the people outside the palace would surely spread all sorts of embarrassing rumors about their relationship.

Mary glanced at Todd. She knew the King always adhered to the principle of "appointing people based on their talents," and that he had only employed her because of her "extraordinary memory" ability. But whether this trust stemmed from any romantic feelings, or whether the King simply hadn't considered these subtle matters of the heart, Mary couldn't say for sure, much less dare to ask.

"I plan to hold a meeting of the 'Twilight Cooperative' in the next couple of days, which all holders of the Holy Bone can attend. Before that, I need you to take stock of the 'Twilight Cooperative's' cash reserves."

Mary nodded in agreement.

After discussing for a while and finalizing some meeting details, Mary gathered the drawings on the table, bowed to Todd, and left the room.

Just as Mary stepped out the door, before the door behind her had even closed, an unexpected figure appeared in her line of sight.

Wearing a long emerald green robe, Rachel sat on the sofa with her arms crossed, looking at the woman who walked out of the room with a cold gaze.

Mary maintained a smile throughout, seemingly oblivious to everything, and continued walking down the corridor.

Rachel stood up from the sofa and walked toward the Kings' Chamber.

The two passed each other, their eyes meeting for a moment. The air seemed to freeze, and a chill seemed to permeate the surrounding space.

Meanwhile, Todd, completely oblivious to everything, was sitting in his room pondering what to eat for lunch. He rubbed his stomach and muttered to himself, "What should I eat? The 'Sisters' Hotel' would have been a good choice, but what happened last time has prevented us from even seeing each other..."

Speaking of devils...

"Your Majesty, Miss Rachel has arrived."

The servant's shouts from outside caught Todd off guard, and he nearly knocked over the wooden frame behind him.

Having steadied himself, straightened his clothes, and calmed himself, Todd said, "Please let her in."

The servant led Rachel in, bowed to Todd, and then left, leaving only the man and woman in the room.

This was the first time Todd and Rachel had met alone since the "Covenant Incident".

Looking into the eyes of the woman in green, Todd was momentarily speechless.

In contrast, Rachel appeared calm and composed. She took a report from her pocket and handed it to Todd.

"This is?"

Rachel replied, "Jemro's ability detection report."

To Todd was quite surprised. He opened the thick stack of reports, which contained not only various physical data indicators, types and amounts of microorganisms in his body, but also observation diagrams from an electron microscope.

How did you do that?

“I convinced him.” Rachel deliberately emphasized the word “convinced.”

Todd shrugged noncommittally.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!