Alpheo stood outside the palace of Yarzat, gazing up at the newly completed aqueduct—a feat of engineering that had taken ten long months of labor to finish. The structure stretched across the landscape, carrying fresh water into the heart of the city. Finally, after nearly a year of planning, construction, and setbacks, the work was done.
Beside him stood Pontius, the Romelian engineer sent by the imperial court at Alpheo's request. From the very moment he had set foot in Yarzat, Pontius had made it painfully clear that he loathed working here.
A backwater princedom? I left the splendor of Romelia for this? He had grumbled endlessly about the dust, the lack of refinement, and most of all, the stench—an ever-present complaint that made even the most patient workers roll their eyes behind his back.
But all that disdain had vanished the moment he had been given the task of constructing an aqueduct. At that, his entire demeanor had changed.
