Sunlight streamed into the room through the window lattice of the second-floor well, stirring up a few specks of dust before flowing quietly.
After struggling for a while, Todd, whose body ached all over, opened his heavy eyelids. He first looked up at the beam of light shining down from the roof, and then looked down to find two flawless white arms on his chest.
The three men's crazy night was still vivid in his mind. Todd, who had never experienced anything like it before, still felt a little flushed when he thought about it.
He turned his head and saw Rachel and Deirdre lying on either side of him, completely naked.
Todd's arms were pinned down by them, and after a while, his blood and energy were disrupted, causing his muscles to ache slightly.
Rachel, awakened by the movements of the person beside her, opened her eyes, glanced at Todd, and said weakly, "I'm so tired, let me sleep a little longer."
Todd slowly withdrew his arm, then kissed her forehead and turned his gaze to Deirdre.
The latter had her eyes tightly closed, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, clearly pretending to be asleep.
Todd didn't intend to expose her; he simply gently moved the two women's arms off his chest and then rolled off the bed.
Back on the first floor, Todd, dressed neatly, summoned a servant from the camp, asked for some food, and sat down at the table to eat while waiting for the two men upstairs to come down.
While recalling the enchanting scenes of the previous night, Todd tried his best to suppress the unease in his heart. After waiting for almost an hour, footsteps finally came from the stairwell.
Wearing only a linen robe, Rachel stretched and yawned as she walked downstairs, followed by Deirdre, who walked cautiously and unsteadily.
Glancing at the woman hiding behind him, Rachel complained to Todd, "You were so rough with her last night! You scared her!"
Todd, his face showing a mixture of apology and embarrassment, tried to explain to Deirdre, "Yesterday, I..."
The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he didn't know what to say, so he could only helplessly shut his mouth.
Rachel led Deirdre to the dining table and gestured for her to sit down, but the latter stood up again with a pained expression as soon as her lower body touched the chair.
Seeing Deirdre's expression, Rachel, who knew exactly what was going on, took a soft cushion from the recliner, placed it on the chair, and then helped Deirdre sit down.
“Ratchet, I want to ask you…” Todd glanced furtively at Deirdre at the dining table and quietly asked, “What happened yesterday…?”
Rachel broke open a rye bread, took a bite, and replied, "Are you unhappy about what happened last night?"
"No, no, I have no complaints. I just don't understand why you would include her too..."
Rachel stirred the meat porridge in front of her with a wooden spoon, and suddenly said to Todd, "I know what you want to ask. Well then, I've seen a lot of images from your world, and many of the scenes and sounds in them show that men and women should have equal status."
“But this world is completely different from yours. Women are more like tools, decorations, and symbols. Women can’t have anything that men have on an equal footing.” Rachel tossed the spoon into the wooden bowl and laughed self-deprecatingly. “Even the Bible, which preaches equality among believers, says in black and white that women are just a rib of men.”
Todd shook his head and said, "But you have to understand, I've never had that thought..."
Rachel interrupted him with a smile: "Even so, if she were just an ordinary woman, the worst that could happen is that she would marry a philandering man and spend her life alone in an empty room. But if she were a woman of a different race, her fate would be completely different. Over the years, I have been to many kingdoms, and the women, beautiful women, especially beautiful women of a different race, often end up in tragedy when they pursue love."
"In the Kingdom of Shabein, I once met a beautiful shepherdess whose special ability was to turn rough stones into sparkling diamonds. A male nobleman used sweet words to deceive her and win her love, and tricked her into producing diamonds continuously. In the end, the shepherdess died from overuse of her special ability, her whole body turned to stone, and her body was thrown into the sea by her husband."
Todd's eyes widened in disbelief upon hearing this.
Rachel continued, "You might think that if a person of a different race marries another person of a different race, then this kind of tragedy wouldn't happen, but the reality is quite the opposite. The vast majority of men of different races would rather hide their identity and marry a normal woman than give their love to someone of a different race."
Todd asked curiously, "Why?"
“Because of fear.” Rachel glanced at the somber-faced Deirdre: “Only the mutants themselves know how terrifying superpowers are. When you share a bed with your wife, you might be burned to ashes in your sleep; when you eat food prepared by your partner, you might die instantly from poisoning; when you secretly meet with your lover, your lover might have already seen everything…”
“Someone once said that aliens are the most superfluous existence in this world; and alien women are the most rejected group among alien races.” Rachel said with a dejected expression, “We dare not open our hearts to any man, because we know that what awaits us is not sincerity, but discrimination and exploitation.”
Hearing this, Todd began to understand Rachel's feelings.
Deirdre bowed her head and said sadly, "I am the best example. I always thought I would find happiness..."
Rachel looked at Deirdre deeply, her tone carrying a rare tenderness: "Boyle is dead, but you are still alive. If you become trapped in the memories of the dead, sooner or later you will be dragged into an endless abyss of pain."
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