The solemn Cardinal Archbishop Aubin led Hao Ren and the others out of the palace, taking them along a hidden route to a church facility near the Grand Cathedral. Hao Ren kept looking around curiously as they went. He discovered that the palace and the Grand Cathedral were very close—in fact, they were practically twin buildings, separated only by a single wall. It was hard to find such a sight in other kingdoms: two authorities connected so closely, with imperial and divine authority working without barriers in their respective domains to rule the country. Horleta truly was a place with a character all its own.
Night had already fallen, and since they were walking along a secluded path, the atmosphere around them was exceptionally quiet. Soft white light spilled from the tops of the exquisite brass lampposts on either side of the road, illuminating the path while outlining the hazy shadows of the bushes. Farther away, the palace's tall, magnificent outer walls rose through the night like sheer cliffs. Two moons were rising above the palace's tallest spire, and the Great Red Spot on one of them seemed like the indifferent eye of a giant watching the earth.
Lily was slightly excited under the moonlight. She gently twitched her ears, listening to the bustle of the night market drifting over from the distant streets, while the shadows of the moons were reflected in her golden eyes. She drew a deep breath and swished her tail. "Ahh—fresh air. Soft gauze in the breeze, frosty moonlight, checking old clothes beneath the window... It reminds me of when I had an apartment in Beiping. Every midmonth, I could see the best moonlight there. Tsk tsk, what a pity I stopped living there after the war broke out. Then I went decades without seeing