Let's start over, Your Majesty.

Chapter 212 He smells like a bad woman.

Caesar was lost in thought.

For some reason, when he looked into Muirna's eyes, he seemed to be touched by some distant memory.

Those were memories from Rean's time. Back then, he had seen a pair of equally beautiful and clear blue-green eyes, but those eyes still held a touch of childishness.
When he recalled those eyes, a certain emotion welled up inside him, a certain kind of melancholy.

What happened to make him feel this way?
He stood there, stunned, until Muirner called his name:
"Little Sa?"

"Ugh?"

Caesar then came to his senses and suddenly noticed that Muirner's fair cheek was very close to his, and he was looking at him with his big, questioning eyes.

"What's wrong with you? You seem to have been spacing out since the beginning. Are you thinking about how to dance next?"

"I"

Caesar regained his composure, pulled himself a little further away, and forced a smile: "Yes, I'm new to this dance too, and I haven't quite remembered what the next step should be."

“It’s alright, we can take it slow,” Muirner said with a smile.

But Caesar felt uneasy. He suddenly realized that he seemed to have seen this highly respected professor before, and something must have happened back then, as he had a recollection of it.

Muirner met his past self from Rean's time, six hundred years ago.

This idea shocked him, which meant that Muirner had actually lived for six hundred years.

No, even an elf couldn't possibly remain such a young girl after six hundred years, unless she possessed power beyond magic.

What caused her to be able to travel through so much time?

Could it be that the reason is similar to mine? What happened, or what magical artifact was used?
"Little Sa? Haven't you decided yet?"

Just as he was deep in thought, Muirner asked.

Caesar quickly composed himself, temporarily putting the matter out of his mind, since the two of them were still embracing.
He grasped Muirner's hand and took a step forward.

"How about this? Then we move our feet like this,"

“Like this?” Muirner mimicked his movements.

"Yes, then move forward together. Hands like this, then feet move here. Yes, I remember, this is called the three-beat square step, it's a basic set of movements."

Caesar taught Muirna what Itah had taught him the day before.

And Muirner was also led by him to complete this simple action.

"Oh, this is the first time I've ever seen this before," Muirner said, looking quite enlightened.

"Then, shall we try jumping it once?" she asked.

“Sure, but take it slow. I’m not really that skilled yet,” Caesar said.

“It’s okay, I can just jump around a bit. I just want to try something new,” Muirner said.

So the two separated, and Caesar took a step back and gave Muirner a proper gentlemanly bow.

With a faint smile, Muirner lifted the hem of her gardening dress toward Caesar and then raised her hand.

Caesar took her hand, and their bodies drew closer.

"Then, one, two, let's go."

They took steps at the same time, and the movements were very smooth. The two of them danced gracefully in the narrow greenhouse.

Caesar was surprised because the day before, when he and Itta had danced together, they had been quite clumsy, frequently stepping on each other's feet or making awkward movements. But today, with Muirna by his side, the dance went more smoothly than ever before.
Even if he made a mistake, Muirner seemed to anticipate it, seamlessly transitioning into his flawless movements, making the dance appear meticulous.
Even though it was just a casual dance session, a basic set of moves, the two of them performed almost perfectly. Even after the moves were finished, they continued dancing with amazing coordination and feeling, without making any mistakes.

Finally, they stopped at the same time, their steps halting. Muirner looked down at Caesar, their faces reflected in each other's eyes, and they stared at each other like that.

Soon Muirner burst out laughing, and then Caesar couldn't help but cover his forehead and laugh out loud as well.

"I'm sorry, the dance we just did was something we created ourselves, wasn't it? It felt really weird," Muirna said with a laugh.

“But Professor, you have a real talent for this; you jump so well,” Caesar said, his smile fading.

"I think it's because we have such great chemistry. It was our first time working together, and we were able to move in unison. I was quite surprised."

Muirner winked at him and smiled slightly:
"It seems we get along very well, Xiao Sa."

Caesar paused slightly, a strange feeling suddenly welling up inside him. "Oh, sorry, that seems a bit too much of a flattery," Muirna said, sticking out her tongue.

“No, I think so too, Professor. We do have a great understanding.” Caesar said with a smile.

"Hmm, so this is probably what they call a 'golden duo'? It would be really effective if they performed a stand-up comedy routine together, right?" Muirna said, tilting his head.

“I think if you were to do a stand-up comedy show, you’d probably burst out laughing halfway through,” Caesar said with a shrug.

“I think so too,” Muirner said with a smile.

"By the way, have you found a dance partner yet?" she suddenly asked.

“Well, let’s call it Ita for now. You met her last time,” Caesar said.

“That patriarch Ita? You two are indeed a good match.”

Muirner seemed to have thought of something amusing, and covered his mouth with a light laugh, saying, "But if she knew that you were dancing with me here using the dance she taught you, she would definitely be unhappy, right? What's that word again, jealousy?"

"Haha, maybe," Caesar said with a helpless smile.

If Ita really knew, he could already picture the little dragon puffing out its cheeks in anger.

“Alright, since we’re on the topic, I won’t take up any more of your time. You should go back and continue your studies with the family head, Ita, right?” Muirna said.

See you next week. That's all for today.

"Yes." Caesar nodded.

He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "By the way, Professor, I have a very special seed that I would like you to identify what kind of plant it is."

"Okay, sure, you can bring it next time you come, I'm fine with it," Muirna readily agreed.

"Okay, see you next week."

After Caesar took his leave, he departed from the Institute of Ecology.

After leaving, he was somewhat surprised that he had developed such a strong sense of trust in Muirna so quickly. According to his own opinion, he should have waited a while longer before deciding whether to ask Muirna for help.

Could it really be that compatibility between them that's causing the problem? Enough to make him lower his guard around someone?

Caesar was somewhat confused. Furthermore, he was still unsure exactly when he had met Muirner in the past, and what had happened at that time.

"Maybe next time I can find an opportunity to ask indirectly," he thought to himself.

Back home, as expected, Ita was already waiting for him.

"Why is Caesar only coming back now? I've been waiting for ages," Ita said, somewhat disgruntled.

"Sorry for the delay," Caesar said.

"Let's get started right away. First, let's review what we learned yesterday."

Ita stood up and assumed a certain posture as he spoke, but as soon as he reached Caesar's side, his eyes widened slightly.

Caesar smelled of a woman, not perfume, but pure natural body odor.

"Caesar, were you just going to find a woman?" Ita asked, bewildered.

"No... what are you saying, child?" Caesar quickly glanced into the kitchen, where Yumilia was still leisurely making sweet soup, oblivious to their commotion.

"But Caesar smelled of another woman,"

“Didn’t I tell you before? I go to Professor Muirner’s every Saturday afternoon to do research on flower fairies,” Caesar sighed. “Seriously, your nose is too sensitive! I didn’t smell anything myself.”

Ita pouted slightly: "If it's just research, how could it be covered in such a strong scent? This concentration is only achieved when people are hugging each other."

You can even smell that? Are you a dragon or a dog?
Caesar thought to himself, speechless.

“Ita, aren’t you being a little too sensitive?” he said, rubbing his forehead.

“It’s okay for me to be a little sensitive to this kind of thing now, right?” Ita muttered to herself.

"What did you say?" Caesar didn't hear him clearly.
Ita glanced at him, slightly pursed her lips, and suddenly hugged him tightly, pressing her entire body against him. She rubbed her face against his chest, seemingly trying to replace Caesar's bad woman scent with her own.

(End of this chapter)