For 30+ Advance/Early chapters :p
atreon.com/ScoldeyJod
Inside the Amazon Palace, Diana's beautiful eyes were sharp and full of energy. She looked at the Amazon Queen, not as the protected princess she once was, but as a proud and shining knight.
"Mother," she said, "when I was young, did you not tell me that humanity was the most miraculous, powerful, and infinitely potential artifact created by the gods?"
She paused, then said sincerely, "When I went to the world of men, I was full of hope, but I was soon disappointed. So, I exiled myself. I chose to stay in that world to find an answer."
"And have you found it?" Hippolyta's frown eased, and she looked at her only daughter calmly.
"Yes," Diana smiled. "I understand what you meant now. Leo… he is the miracle I chose, and the answer I was looking for."
Hippolyta was silent for a moment, then asked softly, "You have that much confidence in him?"
"I have confidence in myself," Diana said, her heroic eyebrows as sharp as a sword's edge. "That is why I made this decision."
She gently held her mother's hand and whispered, "You won't blame me, will you?"
"How could I?" Hippolyta shook her head. "You are my daughter. No matter what you decide, I will support you."
At that moment, the female general, Antiope, strode angrily into the palace. "I do not agree!" she said solemnly.
"Antiope," Hippolyta said, looking up at her.
"Your Majesty," Antiope said, bowing on one knee. "I do not agree with Diana's choice! She is the princess of the Amazons. How can she stake everything on a weak and young human?"
She couldn't understand it, and she couldn't accept it.
"Antiope," Diana started to say, but Hippolyta patted the back of her hand and said to Antiope, "You and your violent temper. Do you remember when Diana was a child?"
Antiope frowned, wondering what the Queen was getting at.
"When she was a child," Hippolyta whispered, "she liked to watch you and the other warriors train. But I didn't want her to become a fighter, so I repeatedly forbade her from even touching a weapon."
"But, in the end, didn't she sneak away to train with you?"
"That's…" Antiope started to say, but then stopped.
"I think you know very well," Hippolyta said with emotion. "Neither of us could influence Diana when she was a child. How can we influence her now that she is a woman? You have said yourself that she is an outstanding warrior. This is her decision. How can you question it?"
Antiope was completely silent. She clenched her fist, then slowly loosened it. "I… I respect Her Highness Diana's decision," she said helplessly.
And with that, no one on Paradise Island could question Diana's choice anymore. Leo's status was now equal to that of the Amazon Princess herself.
"Antiope," Diana said suddenly, "there is one more thing I want to ask you. It's about Leo."
"What is it, Your Highness?" Antiope asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I think," Diana whispered, "that Leo should…"
In the ancient building, Leo was lying on the bed in the small, dark room when he heard the sound of clear footsteps in the corridor. Someone was coming.
He sat up and saw the female guard from before hurrying in, a set of clothes in her hand. "Your Highness, get dressed, quickly. General Antiope wants to see you."
"Is it mealtime?" he asked, and without a second thought, he took off his shirt, scaring the female guard so much that she ran out of the room in a panic.
"What's the big deal? It's not like you've never seen a man before," he muttered, and changed into the clothes she had brought.
It was a serious set of men's clothing—a brown linen short-sleeved shirt and trousers that were easy to move in, in the style of the ancient Greek era. But the trousers looked like they had been newly altered. The thread ends were still fresh.
Before he could think too much about it, he heard the sound of hooves. A female cavalry quickly appeared in front of the ancient building. The leader, on a dark horse, was General Antiope.
She looked at him, whispered a few words to the female guard, and then said to the cavalry behind her, "Bring him a horse."
A horse?
He watched as a female cavalry led a fierce and handsome white horse toward him, his mouth twitching. My lady, times have changed. Have you ever heard of a car?
He could only stare into the horse's eyes, and the horse stared back.
"Your Highness," the female guard said, as if sensing his embarrassment, "do you want me to help you mount?"
"Thank you," he said, greatly moved. And then, he was flying.
He was thrown two or three meters into the air by the female guard and landed on the back of the white horse. The horse, frightened, bolted, shooting forward like an arrow.
"Go!" Antiope commanded, and led the female cavalry in pursuit.
Surrounded by the cavalry, the white horse began to slow down. Leo, on the saddle, was still in shock. He had managed to grab the reins just in time, or he would have been thrown off.
As he caught his breath, he realized that they had entered the town area of Paradise Island. The wide, white stone road wound along the mountainside, and on both sides stood countless white buildings.
As they passed, hundreds of local residents in white dresses, and even armed soldiers standing guard, all came to the side of the road and stared at him. He suddenly felt like he was meeting his girlfriend's family for the first time, surrounded by a crowd of curious relatives.
But this was not just a group of relatives. It was a tribe, a race. And they were all women. Not a single man. And no old, frail people either.
He finally realized why his clothes had been newly sewn. There was no need for men on this island.
Paradise Island? he thought. Why not just call it the Land of Women?