Ovid closed the door after he and Anna left the church. Clouds had gathered overhead during their time indoors, yet some sunlight still shorn through, extending the eaves of the wall over the ground. The weather was quite comfortable, which pleased Ovid slightly, though Anna did not have the luxury to experience the same feeling. 

Under the faint sunlight, Anna had chosen to joy ahead, but it was easy to tell that she was actually dragging her feet. Anna wanted to stay in the city a bit longer, but the destination would be reached eventually since she was walking forwards. The gravel road, which was seldomly walked on, now have two distinct sets of footprints. 

Before long, Anna had reached the far North of the city. She stood on a small hill. On the hill was the end of an aqueduct which flowed Northwards, originating at Endine Lake. 

Although she was a naive and innocent kid, she at least knew that to leave the city without immediately catching the attention of Julia, there was no way she could go boldly through the main entrances. Staring at the crumbling aqueduct that barely could prevent water from seeping through, Anna turned toward Ovid and asked, “Are you really fine with this?”

Ovid brushed off some of the gravel that appeared between his toes and responded, “Mother taught me to always be decisive. Since I made the choice, I will not regret it.”

Anna smiled. “Since that’s the case, I hope you won’t go back on your words,” she paused for a moment before continuing, stretching out her words, “But if you want to leave me at any times, I won’t object.”

Ovid nodded to show his understanding and did nothing more. His eyes that resembled the surface of a frozen lake showing a soft emotion. He did not bother to respond since he would be repeating his words again. 

The two stayed silent for a long time before Anna determinedly took off her pair of expensive leather shoes. She climbed over the crumbling wall of the aqueduct, the small amount of water still present splashing against her legs. 

Ovid followed Anna’s action and climbed over the wall not moments after. Before he had entered, Ovid had rolled up the cuffs in an effort to prevent them from becoming drenched in water. 

The surface of the aqueduct was quite rough, so it was quite easy to walk one despite the water. There was a slight elevation as they walked, and the path was also very straight. 

Looking at the fading buildings, specifically the imperial palace, Anna was feeling soberer now, coming to accept her departure from the city. This mood was probably influenced by Ovid’s serenity. 

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Ovid himself, perhaps comparing the city to some books he had read in his previous life, lingered his gaze on the capital for a while as he walked. 

They walked more than 5 kilometres on the aqueduct, by then, the vestige of the city could no longer be seen.

---

Julia sat in her courtyard. Her hands rhythmically tapping against the armest of her chair, making some rhythmic sounds. Only those extremely close to Julia, like Anna, knew that this action meant she was in deep thought. 

On a tree ten meters away from the chair, the cicadas were singing joyously, unaware of the atmosphere in the courtyard. It was yet to be summer, but the scorching presence Julia brought with her bad good made prompted the cicadas act early. 

“That person knows a lot more than what a commoner should.”

Julia stared at the night sky, yet it was as though her gaze was looking at the disappearing two who had escaped through the aqueducts. 

Anna thought she had escaped detection by leaving through an unconventional way, but a saint knows all. She said to the sky, “You are still so attached to this world after so many years.”

It was obvious she was not talking to Ovid or Anna, but to a completely different person. 

“Anna’s a good kid. That kid is also pretty good.”

Julia’s fingers gradually stopped as she said indifferently, “Even if you come back after so many years, things had long changed.” 

After saying this, a person entered the courtyard. Her steps were completely silent, a trait commonly shared by all saints, who had mastered the preservation of energy. She slowly walked next to Julia and said, “Why did you let Anna go?”

The girl’s voice was clear but frigid. She spoke very slowly as if she rarely spoke at all. 

To stand next to Julia meant the new arrival had a very high status.

The girl was one of the five saints that exist in the Julia Empire. Although she was the weakest one of the five saints, her ability is still far greater than anything an ordinary person can imagine. Her status was also quite special since she was an adopted sister of Julia, though unlike Anna, this girl was a dragon.

When Julia had been waging war against Alexander’s empire, not only were countless human lives lost, but many dragons had also died. Irene had yet to hatch when her mother was killed in combat, so Julia had adopted the yet-to-be-born dragon as her sister.

Although the situation was completely different, both the girl and Anna had a good relationship ever since Anna was first introduced into the palace. Although the girl was a cold and apathetic person, she was still worried for her sister. 

Julia was well aware of the close relationship Anna had with this girl, she answered without expression, “It’s better to beat that person at their own game. It’s much more satisfying that way.”

The girl was actually relatively young compared to Julia, though her age is comparable to the famous Pope, Julia was simply too old. She searched through her memory and didn’t know who Julia referred to as ‘that person’. She hesitated for a moment before she said, “What if Anna die?”

Julia realised that is quite an issue, causing her to contemplate on this issue. She said to the girl, “If you’re worried, just accompany her. 

The girl treasured her words like silver. So the next sentence was also spoken by Julia, “This time is also good for Anna to cultivate her character. If you are going to protect her, do it from the shadows.”

Irene did not even bother to respond, before a gust of wind blew into the courtyard, carrying her figure with it. 

Once more alone, Julia closed her eyes and began fondling the armrest of her chair.

Even those closest to her couldn’t have known what it meant.