Let's start over, Your Majesty.

Chapter 214 Banquet
On the day of the banquet.

Tonight, the Marshall mansion is brightly lit, and the front and back yards have been lavishly decorated. The flowers, plants, and trees have been meticulously trimmed and adorned with shimmering lights, creating a particularly atmospheric scene in the winter night.

A pure white canopy was erected on the lawn in the backyard, and long tables were set with exquisite court pastries, fine wines and delicacies. Every guest was dressed in their finest attire, with distinguished status and elegant manners, participating in this grand banquet of power.

A limousine pulled up to the side of the road. The driver got out, opened the door with one hand, and held the roof with the other. Caesar got out of the car, turned around, and led Yumilia out of the car as well.

Every guest invited today was provided with a private car. Just as Caesar and Yumilia finished getting ready and were considering how to get there, the car pulled up right in front of their apartment building, and the debonair driver opened the door for them.

"How impressive!"

Yumilia gazed at the brightly lit, luxurious mansion before her, her eyes filled with amazement.

The most luxurious residence she had ever seen was her mother Freya's mansion. Since Ita's main area of ​​activity was not in the capital, her mansion was of a lower standard than Freya's, but compared to Marshall's mansion, they both seemed rather shabby.

“It’s like a palace,” Yumilia exclaimed.

"It's not just that it looks like a mansion. This mansion can be traced back to the Arni period more than a hundred years ago, when steam technology was just emerging. At that time, this building was the private residence of Regent N'Zoth. After the January Coup, N'Zoth was confiscated by the royal court, and this mansion was also seized. It was not until more than thirty years later that it was transferred to the Marshall family."

Caesar introduced her to him.

Enride's great-grandfather, Klaus Marshall, was initially just a judge, but he rose through the ranks after gaining favor by supporting Shasaism.
After the collapse of the Elie Union, the famous Ungol faction emerged from Shasaism, and Klaus became the leader of the Ungol faction. That was the first rise of the Marshall family. By the time of Enred, the Marshall family had completely taken control of the entire Ungol faction and thus controlled most of the kingdom's political circles.

It can be said that this mansion was the second power center of the kingdom, apart from the royal palace.

Yumilia was gazing at the beautiful sequined decorations in the courtyard when she lost her footing and almost fell. Caesar quickly caught her.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm still not used to wearing high heels," Yumilia said, twisting her ankle in frustration.
She paired the dress with a pair of high heels, the first time she had ever worn such difficult shoes; one wrong step and she could twist her ankle.

“If all else fails, take my arm,” Caesar said, extending his left arm.

“Caesar, this is a banquet. Those walking arm in arm are all dance partners. If acquaintances see you like this, they’ll laugh at you,” Yumilia muttered.

"Let them laugh if they want. It's the kind of person who stands by and does nothing when their own family member is unable to move around that gets laughed at, right?" Caesar said.

Hearing him say that, Yumilia hesitated for a moment, but still took Caesar's arm.

The garden was bustling with activity, with even a renowned orchestra from the kingdom performing. Champagne towers were placed on long tables on the lawn. Among the guests were not only well-dressed gentlemen and ladies in suits and colorful gowns, but also children like him. These were mostly Saint-Yallo's classmates and younger relatives closely associated with the Marshall family.

"Caesar! Over here!"

Caesar then heard Leon's voice, looked over, and saw Leon dressed in a pure white suit, which, combined with his smooth blond hair, made him quite handsome.

“You’ve arrived early,” Caesar said as he walked over.
“That’s right, I was one of the first to arrive, I’ve been waiting here for quite a while,” Leon said.
His gaze shifted to Yumilia beside Caesar, and his eyes widened:

"Wow, is this your dance partner?"

“This is Yumilia,” Caesar said speechlessly.

"Ah? Aunt Yumilia?" Leon exclaimed in surprise, then scratched his head sheepishly, "Well, you're so beautiful tonight, I didn't even recognize you."

"Oh, thank you for the compliment, hehe," Yumilia said somewhat embarrassedly.
Sure enough, upon seeing her, he mistook her for Caesar's dance partner.

"By the way, where is your dance partner?" Caesar asked.

"Uh," a hint of embarrassment flashed across Leon's face, "couldn't find it."

"Didn't find it? You're not a bad person, are you?" Caesar said.

"Well, you know me, I'm shy, I'm not good at bothering others, and I can't talk to strangers. So, instead of bothering others, I might as well just be alone," Leon said, shrugging.

"Who do you think this person is?" Caesar chuckled and joked.

“Don’t talk about me. Look at you, you don’t have a dance partner either, do you?” Leon said, pointing at him.

"I," Caesar, shifted my gaze.

Although he doesn't appear to have a dance partner, he has made plans with two girls tonight.

"Hey, by the way, you're not thinking of participating in that competition, are you?" Leon suddenly remembered and said.

“Tonight, everyone who wants to ask Sia to dance the first dance has no partner. You wouldn’t be one of them, would you?” Leon raised an eyebrow at him.

"Sure, what's wrong with joining in the fun?" Caesar shrugged.

“That’s true,” Leon scratched his head. “Speaking of which, my family also suggested that I go up and give it a try, but I don’t think I can do it. But it would be good to get acquainted with the people. You know that tonight’s guests are all very important figures.”

To be honest, Caesar didn't want to be in the limelight either, but he had already promised Sia.
“By the way, where’s Tess?” he asked.

"Look, she's promoting her plans for tonight over there. She didn't even find a dance partner for this. She's really dedicated."

Leon pointed to Tess not far away, who was wearing a dark blue velvet dress and bragging to some companions. Judging from her expression, she was probably planning what lines she would say to make herself look cool. "Heh."

Caesar then noticed that Yumilia was staring intently at the exquisite court pastries on the table.

“Well, I’ll go over there for a bit, see you later,” Caesar said.

"Okay, see you later." Leon waved to him.

He led Yumilia to a long table laden with pastries and champagne, and picked up a plate to serve her a few delicate little pastries.

"Hehe, thanks Caesar," Yumilia said happily.

“Let’s sit over there so we don’t have to walk anymore,” Caesar said.

"Ok!"

Caesar accompanied her to find a seat. Yumilia diligently finished the small cakes on her plate, while Caesar kept an eye on the people coming and going around them, trying to identify their identities.

He noticed several boys around his age discussing the upcoming ball. One of them, a boy with short brown hair, confidently declared that he would win the competition and capture Princess Sia's heart; he had come to the ball specifically for that purpose.

"It's really a popular event," Caesar thought to himself.

Soon, he noticed another figure.

He was a young man, probably in his early twenties, surrounded by a crowd, full of vigor and spirit, with dark green hair.
The reason Caesar noticed him was probably because he was the only one at the banquet still wearing military uniform.

That's the style of an officer's uniform. Judging from the rank insignia on his shoulder straps, he's a captain.

In peacetime, it is not easy to reach the rank of captain at such a young age. The resources behind him are one aspect, but his own ability is another.

When he turned to greet a gentleman, Caesar noticed a badge on the gentleman's chest and realized why the man had been promoted so quickly.

The badge features two crossed swords guarding the kingdom's banner; this design represents only one unit.
"Kingdom's Overseas Military Special Zones"

This refers to the troops that Finn stationed in overseas colonies.

This unit had been fighting against local resistance forces for a long time, making it easier for them to earn merits.

Judging from the level of flattery he received from those around him, it seemed beyond the expectations of a captain. Soon, Caesar heard someone praising him:

"The Vazi army is incredibly brutal these days. The newspapers are always reporting on their indiscriminate killing of innocent people. Young Master Cons should be careful; the future of the kingdom depends on you."

"Haha, actually, it's only because the newspapers exaggerate that you think they're brutal. In reality, they're nothing but a rabble in our hands. What threat do you think a bunch of unintelligent animals can pose to me?" Cons laughed heartily without any restraint.

"Young Master Cons is indeed exceptionally talented. It is reassuring to have a young man like you protecting our country."

"Cons?" Caesar finally understood why that young man received so much support.
It turns out he was Enrede's son.

Caesar had previously known that Enride had an eldest son, but due to his long-term work abroad, he had not received any further information.

I finally got to see him today.

Speaking of which, he is actually Xia's older brother.

Although Constance appeared arrogant, Caesar, who knew him somewhat, knew that he had participated in and commanded the decapitation operation to assassinate the leader of the Pave rebels, in which he played a very important role and was a rather dangerous person.

Rumors suggest that he is the most likely candidate to replace Enride in the future.

The future is really promising.

In the backyard of the mansion, a menacing squad of guards escorted the petite figure in the center through the corridor and into the inner area.

Unlike outside, this place hosts the highest-ranking dignitaries, and Ita was one of them.

Delina removed her thick coat, revealing a gorgeous pure black dress with a swallowtail ribbon tied at the waist, accompanied by a slender dragon tail that swayed gently behind her.

As soon as she entered, several elderly gentlemen stood up and greeted her.

"Head of the Ita family, how have you been?" The president of the Fein Merchant Guild smiled and tipped his hat to her.

"President Robeco, it's been a long time." Ita smiled faintly in response to his greeting.

“I’m really surprised that you could come to this banquet,” Robecco said.

"It was just a whim, and also to keep myself from getting bored," Ita said.

She went through the formalities, but her mind was elsewhere, eagerly anticipating the ball and the thought of Caesar inviting her to dance.

I've been preparing for that moment for a whole week, and I even came to this banquet that I have absolutely no interest in, so I must seize this opportunity!

(End of this chapter)