Venice is perhaps the only city in the world where the predominant means of transportation is not automobiles but boats. One hundred and seventeen crisscrossing waterways have divided this city, known as the "Pearl of the Adriatic Sea", into a veritable city on the water.
The white walls and red-tiled roofs are the eternal and classic adornments here. The brass bells atop the St. Mark's Basilica chime on the hour, startling flocks of white doves. Here, one can witness all manner of small yachts and fishing boats sailing together on the river. Sometimes, due to their close proximity, the lively fish in the fishing boats might even leap into the laps of the travelers, causing them to shriek in fright.
The white doves find a place to perch, their tiny red claws firmly grasping the railing at the back of the yacht, patiently preening their feathers that have been dampened by the seawater churned up by the engine. The sun bathes the unobstructed water surface with abandon, growing hotter as noon approaches, so that the blue water seems to be floating with a layer of scattered gold.
At this juncture, the small merchant boats selling cold drinks make their appearance. They require neither extensive navigation nor a proper storefront. A sturdy mooring post suffices, along with a fairly powerful loudspeaker. In no time at all, the area will be swarming with sweaty tourists still donning their life jackets.
The chilled wild jujube juice and beer are the best-selling beverages. The brown and yellow liquids spill into the waterways from time to time due to jostling and then quickly disperse.
Water is ubiquitous here, and bridges are plentiful. The limited land is primarily used for habitation, while the financial sector occupies the commanding heights of Venice. It is not without reason that the vampire hunters have chosen to lurk here. This place is ill-suited for large-scale battles and mass slaughter, yet it is an ideal location for hiding and conducting dispersed operations.
Even in the face of misfortune, the Adriatic Sea will provide them with a final retreat.
This was the conclusion Demetri reached after wandering around this water city of less than 7.8 square kilometers for half a day. He was certain that Landon would be here. After all, he had resigned from the Florence Police Department. Moreover, the companion who had accompanied him to the Volturi last time was a vegetarian.
Not only that, she was also a newly enlisted vampire hunter, a complete stranger to most. As he traced their path, he discovered that the two had met up in Venice.
When dispatched to summon the temporary guards, Aro entrusted Venice to Jane and Alec, ensuring that they could handle any situation that might arise.
And now, Jane and Alec had brought back an unexpected boon, Diana. Back in the police academy, she had been a classmate of Landon's. Later, she worked in the Venice Police Department, and the two had maintained contact and were considered good friends. Two years ago, on her way back late at night after attending the Festival of Saint Marcus in Volterra, she was attacked by a vampire.
At Landon's request, Diana was transformed into a vampire by the Volturi and had since become a temporary guard of the Volturi and a person tasked with monitoring the vampire hunters in Venice.
She had always hoped to become a vegetarian like Landon, but unfortunately, she had never succeeded. When she encountered Landon in Venice this time and was asked to help inquire about the whereabouts of a newborn vampire, Diana agreed without asking many questions.
Originally, she had thought that the place where she would meet Katherine would be the same dark room where she had once been held. However, when she stood behind Jane and saw Katherine walking alongside Caius, she knew that she could not assist Landon after all. She had no intention of betraying the Volturi; she simply did not dare.
Diana had never expected that the person Landon was looking for would be by Caius's side, and the relationship between the two did not seem like that of a superior and a subordinate at all. Caius never allowed anyone to touch him, nor did he permit his subordinates to get close to him. Even Jane and the others always maintained a certain distance from him.
Yet the newborn vampire whom Landon claimed was being held captive by the Volturi was walking side by side with him unharmed.
Aro released her hand, and the bustling scene of Venice and Landon's visage immediately vanished from his sight. He looked at Diana, who had been keeping her head down, paused for a moment, then turned to Caius with a smile: "Our old friend Leonardo is indeed in Venice. What a surprise."
After speaking, he looked down at Diana again, raised his hand and gestured. Felix quickly came up behind Diana and pinched her neck from behind, forcing her to look up at Aro. Aro's smile remained amiable, yet it sent shivers down one's spine: "Poor Diana, do you know that your old friend has gotten involved with the vampire hunters?"
Upon hearing this, Diana's legs gave way. Her eyes, wide with despair, trembled as she struggled to utter a complete sentence: "I don't... I'm not..."
"Oh, don't be nervous. I've already seen that, of course you didn't know." Aro consoled her. "What did Landon ask you to do here?" Caius's voice was as cold as ice, his otherwise melodious siren-like voice taking on a chilly tone due to his anger.
"He..." Diana almost dropped to her knees. If Felix hadn't been holding her up with one hand, she would have knelt on the ground in a most humble posture. "He asked me to... visit... visit someone... I really don't know, I really don't know!"
Aro patted Diana's head, as if soothing a dog, and finished her sentence with a smile: "He asked you to check on Katherine, right? Tell her that there's a person named Leonardo who is..."
His words were interrupted by a gust of wind. Caius moved so swiftly that by the time Diana realized he was standing in front of her, it was too late to react. Felix released her, and she knelt before Caius, her line of sight only reaching the middle of his trouser legs. She dared not look up.
Caius looked down at her, his tone mocking and scathing as he criticized the woman on the ground: "Helping a traitor who has gotten involved with the vampire hunters, you should have stayed far away from the Volturi, shouldn't you? And yet you had the audacity to come here. What splendid courage, a foolish challenge! You shall pay the price for your actions, Jane!"
Jane stared fixedly at Diana, as if being consumed by a raging fire of pain. Diana screamed and writhed on the ground, attempting to extinguish the flames that existed only in her mind yet were causing her unbearable agony. A smile curled the corners of Jane's lips, stunningly beautiful, yet as cold as Caius's.
After a long while, Marcus suddenly spoke up: "The Volturi are the representatives of the laws in our world, but they are also synonymous with tolerance and mercy. Perhaps we should not take our anger out on an uninformed person."
Compared to Caius, whose entire being exuded an icy and sinister aura upon hearing this statement, Aro's reaction was much more normal. He nodded thoughtfully and then smiled gently at Marcus: "You are always so willing to be lenient with them, Marcus."
"Where is Landon?" Caius looked at her expressionlessly, the red in his eyes seemingly frozen.
"He..." Diana gasped for breath after Aro signaled Jane to stop. "He should... still... still be in Venice."
"And you are quite familiar with that place." Caius said coldly, looking at her as if she were a mere insect. "So, would you be willing to help us find him?" Aro coaxed. "Prove that you have indeed not betrayed us. And by the way, wouldn't it be delightful if you could be reunited with your former friend?"
"I... I will, I will."
...
One can never fathom just how wealthy the rich can be. This was the thought that sprang to Katherine's mind when she opened the books that Heidi had prepared for her only to discover that all of them were first editions.
She felt that if this continued, she would soon lose all sense of reverence for ancient and precious books.
The story of Elizabeth and Darcy on the pages continued. Darcy's confident courtship was met with Elizabeth's curt rejection. Elizabeth was extremely surprised when she learned of his deep affection for her.
Katherine had already read this romantic story several times, yet when she read it again, she still found herself sharing a similar sense of surprise with the heroine. Darcy's love for Elizabeth had begun from the moment he had truly looked into her eyes and had since spread.
She looked up, finding the feeling rather fascinating. Could it really be that someone could fall in love with another person just because of their eyes? It sounded as unreliable as love at first sight. Katherine had observed the eyes of countless people, those that had been soaked in formalin, and had not found them particularly beautiful.
"You seem to like this story very much." Sulpicia looked at her with a smile. "You have a smile on your face. This is the first time you've smiled since you came here. I'm glad, Cassie."
Katherine was taken aback and felt a bit embarrassed. The emotions stirred up by the plot of the book had not yet subsided, and Sulpicia's expression was so gentle.
She tentatively asked a question that she would never have dared to ask under normal circumstances: "Could it really be that someone could fall in love with another person at first sight, even if that person isn't particularly beautiful, just because of a certain trait of theirs?"
Sulpicia winked mysteriously and said: "You don't believe it?"
Katherine shrugged, finding the question rather difficult to answer: "I've only seen it in TV shows and books."
"Is that so? Maybe you just haven't noticed it yet."
"Maybe. So, do you believe it?"
"Of course. For our kind, we have a strong sense of connection with our fated one. Almost from the moment we first set eyes on them, we know. Sometimes this feeling is mutual, but it rarely occurs. In most cases, it is one party who is strongly attracted from the very beginning."
"That sounds rather pitiful." Katherine looked at the book in her hand. The words that Darcy had written to Elizabeth were sincere.
"Yes, it is rather pitiful. That kind of feeling is almost uncontrollable, yet the other person doesn't sense it and treats them like a stranger. How pitiful." Sulpicia agreed, her gaze lingering on Katherine with a meaningful look.
Katherine began to feel a bit uncomfortable. The other's gaze was putting a lot of pressure on her. She casually asked: "How long does this kind of feeling last?" She remembered Caius saying that Sulpicia and Aro had been husband and wife for three thousand years.
"As long as your eternal life, dear." She answered. "Vampire love is eternal and unchanging. Nothing can alter it."
"Even if the other person might never respond?"
"Even if the other person never responds."
Katherine looked at her in disbelief: "This is love? This is a disaster!"
Sulpicia shook her head, her voice soft: "Whether it's a disaster or a paradise depends solely on the other person's attitude. We can't control this feeling. Once we encounter that person, all we can do is wait for the verdict. We, including you, Cassie, our feelings are completely different from those of humans. Humans can live without a partner, without the person they love. Many times, they can even meet another, or more than one, person they love."
"But we can't." She reached out and gently placed her hand on Katherine's shoulder. "Cassie, this kind of feeling is almost devoid of reason."
Somehow, Katherine suddenly thought of Marcus, his face with that extremely melancholy, even desperate expression, his eyes devoid of any glimmer of light.
"So, could it be that one might never meet that person?" Katherine asked with a shiver of unease. After all, it's best to address the root of the problem. The golden-haired angel smiled and denied her question: "Impossible."
Katherine almost choked upon hearing this curt answer. She had no choice but to turn her attention back to the book in her hand. "Why do you like this story so much?" Sulpicia was curious. She had also read this book, but not with as much enthusiasm as Katherine.
"Um... I don't know. I just think that given Elizabeth's rejection and coldness, it's incredible that Darcy could still love her like this." Katherine replied after some thought. Of course, it could also be because her character was quite similar to Elizabeth's, as Landon had once said.
Katherine was always prone to making snap judgments about people based on first impressions, and those impressions were rather difficult to change. She was unaccustomed to people being too nice to her and always liked to keep things clear, fearing that she might owe others something, regardless of whether her actions might sometimes hurt the other person.
"Fortunately, it's a happy ending, right?" Sulpicia said. "They each abandoned their prejudices and arrogance. What a wonderful ending."
Katherine flipped back to the cover, which read "Pride and Prejudice", by Jane Austen, her favorite author and book.