Let's start over, Your Majesty.

Chapter 217 I am his fiancée

Caesar raised his arm, letting Sia spin around in his arms, then wrapped his arms around her waist and completed a perfect backbend in his embrace, winning applause from the entire audience.

Of course, the applause did not include Ita in the second-floor stands.

As the music ended and the lights came back on, Caesar and Sia bowed slightly amidst applause and left the dance floor.

“Caesar, I’m so sorry to have troubled you today,” Xia said, lifting her skirt to thank him.

"Please forgive my poor dancing skills, Princess," Caesar said with a faint smile.

Having completed her routine task, Xia turned and returned to her seat, where she would now have to deal with the guests' greetings.

Caesar also returned to Yumilia's side.

"Caesar was amazing! You danced exceptionally well today!" Yumilia clapped her hands with rosy cheeks.

“I also owe a great deal to Ita for teaching me during this time,” Caesar said.

But when this was mentioned, he immediately thought of Ita, who hadn't appeared yet.

Fortunately, she had finished the opening dance before she arrived, so she wasn't seen.

"I wonder what Ita is doing now. Sigh, being the head of the family is so busy," Yumilia sighed.

“It’s alright, we’ll just wait for her,” Caesar said.

The opening dance has ended, and now the music for the ball has changed to a softer and more melodious type. Young men and women, one by one, led their partners into the ballroom and began to dance gracefully.

Caesar was drinking a glass of juice when Leon and Tess came up to him.

"Sigh, you still won in the end, Caesar," Leon said. "By the way, didn't you say you were just going up there to join in the fun? Why did you look so serious?"

"Just lucky, thank you for letting me win," Caesar waved to them.

"Hey, Caesar, didn't you and Sia not get along? Why do you seem so close now?" Tiss raised an eyebrow at him.

"People always change. We were classmates, there's no need to treat each other like enemies, is there?" Caesar shrugged.

"Hmph, she got lucky this time. If I have another chance, I definitely will," Tess said fiercely.

"You're still thinking about that? You were the most outrageous one just now. Who goes up there and tries to bribe the judges?" Leon said.

"It's because I just didn't learn that recipe. My cooking skills are pretty good, okay?" Tess said angrily.

"Yes, that's right. We just ran out of ingredients, so we had no choice but to put banknotes on top," Caesar chuckled.

“Sigh, maybe that gold jewels don’t suit the judges’ tastes. Maybe you could try other countries’ currencies next time?” Leon said.

"you"

Tiss glared angrily at her two friends who were teasing her. Unable to retaliate against Caesar, she pointed at Leon's nose and yelled:
"How dare you talk to me like that! You just tried to fool the judges with expired snacks!"

“That was my breakfast today, I saved it up myself. By the way, I have another bag, do you want it?” Leon said.

"Keep it for yourself!" Tess said angrily, turning to leave.

"Hey, don't go! Ask your friend Kelly, she doesn't have a dance partner either, right? Ask her if she'd like to dance with me!" Leon chased after her.

Watching his two friends walk away, Caesar smiled and shook his head.

At that moment, Yumilia tugged at his sleeve, leaned closer, and whispered:

"Caesar, look, look, there's that lady over there."

Caesar looked in the direction she was looking and saw a young woman, around twenty years old, wearing a red dress, take a slice of apple from the table, secretly tuck it under her arm, and then leave with an air of nonchalance.

"That's strange, what are they doing?" Yumilia asked curiously.

"That one?" Caesar's lips twitched.

“The reason might sound a little uncomfortable, do you want to hear it?” he said.

“Yes, I’m very curious!” Yumilia said.

Caesar leaned closer to her and whispered in her pointed ear:
"At banquets, some single women will look for men who interest them. If the conversation goes well, they will hand him a slice of apple that they have tucked under their arm after the banquet. If the man is also interested in her, he will eat the apple slice."

After Caesar finished speaking, Yumilia's face suddenly went blank. She looked at the woman from before, then at Caesar, and opened her mouth.

“What peculiar rules,” she said finally.

"It's quite interesting, isn't it?" Caesar said. He had learned this custom from a book; such a slovenly practice had never been seen at court banquets in the past.

There might be something even more disgusting, but he just hasn't discovered it yet.

“Caesar, don’t accept apple slices from strange women,” Yumilia said earnestly, looking at him.

"How could I possibly do that?" Caesar said speechlessly.

The ball was still going on, but Ita still hadn't arrived, and Yumilia seemed rather dejected.

"What's wrong?" Caesar asked.

"Maybe it's because I feel a bit stuffy, my head feels a little uncomfortable," Yumilia said, rubbing her forehead.

"Shall we go outside for some fresh air? There are too many people here, and the heating is on," Caesar said.

In this era, there were no professional ventilation systems, and the air quality at large banquets was usually not very good.

"But Ita hasn't arrived yet."

“She’s probably in the backyard. Let’s go out for some fresh air and go look for her while we’re at it,” Caesar said.

"Alright then," Yumilia agreed.
Caesar brought her a fluffy coat, draped it over her shoulders, and helped her out of the hall.

There was no one outside at the moment, only a few maids cleaning the area, all in quiet.

Yumilia linked arms with Caesar, and the cool air outside made her look a little more comfortable.

"This place is huge! The corridor alone is bigger than our house!" Yumilia exclaimed.

“Then I’ll try my best to bring you to live in a big house like this,” Caesar said.

“Caesar, don’t put pressure on yourself. I think our home is small but cozy, just right for the two of us,” Yumilia said with a smile. “I can see Caesar every morning when I wake up. If it were a big house, I would have to go up and down the stairs and walk around several times.”

"You're too content," Caesar said with a smile.

Now, arm in arm with Yumilia, they left the lively ball and strolled slowly along the quiet garden path, chatting casually, which made him feel exceptionally relaxed.
Xia went into the restroom. Dealing with the guests had left her feeling tired and irritable, so she took the opportunity to come out and catch her breath.

"This is so annoying," she muttered, letting the water run over her hands, trying to stall for time.

Just then, she noticed someone approaching from behind. As she was about to compose herself, she discovered that the person approaching was a petite girl in a black dress.

"Ita?"

She turned her head in surprise, not expecting it to be this dangerous person approaching.

"You should call me teacher, right, Sia?" Ita said calmly, her face expressionless.

Hia paused for a moment, then obediently greeted, "Hello, teacher."

Ita gave a low hum and stood there.
"I've only come to ask one question: what did you ask or what reason did you give to get Caesar to dance with you?" she asked.

"Why am I asking this?" Sia asked, puzzled as to why this evil dragon would suddenly be interested in Caesar.

"Answer the question," Ita said calmly.

Not wanting to get involved with this evil dragon, Sia took a deep breath and said:
"There's no particular reason. He just won the competition as a participant, and that's why I danced with him."

"Hmph, would he participate in such a boring competition for no reason?" Ita sneered.

“I don’t know. I told you, I was just dancing with him as arranged,” Xia insisted.

"It doesn't matter if you don't say anything." Ita glanced at her.

"But I must remind you, don't act so intimately with Caesar in the future."

"I'm not intimate with him. No, why are you so interested in Caesar? What's your relationship with him?" Sia finally couldn't help but ask.

"Relationship?" Ita raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, what's your relationship with him? Why are you so concerned about me dancing with him?"

Ita was silent for a moment, then said:

"I'm his fiancée."

Sia was slightly taken aback, then her eyes twitched, and she let out a shocked "Ah!"

(End of this chapter)