They began unloading the empty jars. Argaroth, without waiting for an invitation, dashed toward the river and leapt in, spshing and jumping around like a puppy overwhelmed with joy.

  “He doesn't look much like a war beast,” Lianzu remarked, watching him.

  “Only until he senses danger. Then he changes his mind.”

  They started filling the jars patiently, using a bucket to slowly pour the water into the containers. Aurelian crouched with skill, dipping the bucket in just the right spot where the water was clearest.

  But Argaroth emerged from the river, soaked. He shook his fur vigorously, sending water spraying everywhere, then bolted toward Aurelian. With an awkward but powerful leap, he pounced on him.

  “No, Argaroth, wait!”

  Too te.

  The wolf smmed into him full force, knocking him backward. With a loud spsh, Aurelian nded sitting in the shallow water as Argaroth climbed on top of him, licking his face with enthusiasm and wagging his tail like mad.

  “Stop! Argaroth, I’m not dirty! Cut it out! Help!” he ughed, trying in vain to push him off.

  Lianzu had brought her hands to her mouth in surprise, but then burst into a clear, ringing ugh. “He’s doing it for your own good—he wants to wash you!” she said through giggles.

  Drenched and defeated, Aurelian looked up at her, ughing too. “Yes, definitely a companion wolf. No doubt about it.”

  Argaroth finally calmed down, resting his muzzle on Aurelian’s chest as if to say: Mission accomplished.

  Lianzu stepped closer and held out a hand. “Need help, jack-of-all-trades?”

  “Only if you don’t want me to drown in eight inches of water.”

  She helped him up, still ughing. “Well, at least now you’re fresh.”

  “And smelling like wet dog.”

  They composed themselves, and between buckets, they finished filling the jars. A gentle breeze stirred the leaves of the trees and rippled the water. It was a simple, yet precious moment: two souls caring for each other, ughing and working side by side under the sun.

  Once everything was packed, they climbed back onto the cart, Argaroth trotting slowly, calmer now but still proud of his achievement.

  Sirentia awaited them, as the sun continued its journey into the afternoon.

  The cart jostled slightly along the return path, while the now-lowered sun lit the horizon in shades of orange and gold. Argaroth trotted confidently, his still-damp fur glinting with amber highlights. Lianzu walked beside Aurelian, her face turned toward the distant sea, the te afternoon breeze gently tousling her hair.

  “I didn’t think fetching water could be so fun,” she said, still smiling at the river scene.

  “Only if you have a wolf who thinks your face is a polishing stone,” Aurelian replied, giving her a knowing look.

  “Or if you have a travel companion who can ugh at himself,” she returned, her gaze on him now softer.

  Sirentia welcomed them with the muffled sounds of evening settling over its hills. Passersby greeted them with gentle nods, and a couple of children, upon seeing Argaroth, ran after the cart ughing until they disappeared among the stone streets.

  Once at the house, they calmly unloaded the amphorae and pced them in the room next to the kitchen. Aurelian took off his damp tunic and tossed it onto a stool. “This one’s ready to be hung out—or burned,” he joked.

  “I like it. It suits you, even soaked.”

  He looked at her with a slightly crooked smile. “You’re starting to give too many compliments, Lianzu Shin-Yue.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “And you’re starting to blush way too easily.”

  They ughed again. A new, clear lightness had settled between them. As if everything were finally falling into pce.

  After dinner—a simpler but still well-prepared meal, accompanied by another spiced infusion brewed by Lianzu—Aurelian invited her to join him on the highest terrace of the house.

  From there, they could see everything: the rooftops of Sirentia outlined by moonlight, the sleeping hills, and in the distance, the shimmer of the Golden Sea. The air was warm, fragrant with herbs and salt.

  Lianzu leaned on the stone railing, letting the breeze brush her face. “It’s beautiful.”

  “Yes,” Aurelian said. But he wasn’t looking at the view. He was looking at her.

  She noticed, of course. She gnced at him sideways, the corner of her mouth lifting. “Do you always stare like that?”

  “Only when I forget I could speak. But there’s not much to say, really. Just you to look at.”

  Lianzu watched him, still. Something in her eyes softened. Then she turned fully toward him.

  They stayed like that. Just a few steps apart, suspended.

  She was the one to break the silence. “We’re strange, you and I. So different, and yet…”

  “And yet we seem like two pieces of the same mosaic,” he finished, barely above a whisper.

  He stepped forward. She didn’t move.

  “May I?” he asked, more with his gaze than his words.

  Lianzu nodded, slowly.

  And so Aurelian closed the distance, cupped her face in his hands, and kissed her. A quiet, deep kiss, like a silent vow. The moonlight wrapped around them, blurring their edges, making them ethereal.

  When they parted, she didn’t say anything. She just smiled, as if the kiss had confirmed something she already knew.

  And he, holding her in his arms, thought that in that moment, there was nothing in the world more right.