Let's start over, Your Majesty.

Chapter 234 The Two Loneliest People in the World
"Hmm, this tastes pretty good. I'll buy more later and take it back to brew wine."

In the private lounge, Ita tasted a grape and nodded with satisfaction.

"Master, these crops cannot be bought and sold casually," Doruvan reminded her in a low voice.

"Hmm? Then let's ask them for some seeds and take them back to plant ourselves," Ita said.

Dorwan went to take care of it, and Ita checked the time; it was almost time for the students to go home.

She wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, patted her skirt, and walked out of the lounge to the dining room where the students were gathered.

Looking around, however, Caesar was nowhere to be seen.

She frowned.

Although I knew that Caesar was going to talk to Muirner about the seed, this was taking way too long.
Hmm. Perhaps Caesar had something else come up? Maybe he's not with her.

She approached Taylor, who was talking to Longbottom, and asked, "Ms. Taylor, are all the students here now?"

“Not yet.” Taylor took a sip of strong tea. “We still need one Caesar. Professor Muirner called him over, and he hasn’t returned yet.”

"Ah, yes, we were called over by the professor together just now, but Caesar said he had something to ask the professor, so he stayed behind alone."

Leon, who was standing next to him, also raised his hand and said so.

Ita's expression changed slightly, she gave a faint "hmm," and then turned and left.

She didn't care about Caesar's relationship with that woman; she was just going to pick Caesar up. There was nothing wrong with her going to find him herself, was there?

"Hmph, I'd like to see what's on your mind that takes so long to talk about,"

“It’s a real shame. This must have been a rare opportunity for you, Xiao Sa, to get it, right? Now you’re being told it’s useless,” Muirna said.

“It’s alright. Nothing is completely useless. There will always be a time when we can use it.” Caesar put the pure white seed back into the aluminum box.

"Thank you so much for your guidance, Professor."

"It's okay, just a small problem."

With Muirner's guidance, Caesar now has a direction for investigating these matters, and he will be able to anticipate when Clorin sends things over.

"By the way, Professor, what you said about the Great Devastation that happened when you were a child hasn't happened yet?"

“Yeah, let me tell you, if you count by normal age, I’m already six hundred years old,” Muirna winked at him.

“That’s hard to believe,” Caesar said with a faint smile.

He wasn't surprised, as he had expected this to happen; it just confirmed his previous thoughts.

“Alas, to you all I’m now is an old lady,” Muirner said with a sigh.

“Personally, I think that mindset also determines age. Take Yumilia, for example. Although she is already a middle-aged woman by human standards, everyone treats her like a child. She has complained to me about it all along.” Caesar chuckled.

“Little Lia is indeed so cute, so tiny. Wouldn’t everyone want to pamper her like a little girl?” Muirna and Caesar exchanged a smile.

Caesar's smile faded slightly, and he suddenly asked again:
"Professor, after all this time, do you feel lonely?"

Upon hearing this, Muirner paused for a moment, and his smile vanished from his face.

She looked out the window and remained silent for a long time.

"Actually," she said calmly, "I didn't truly experience six hundred years. For a long period in between, I was in a deep sleep, unable to perceive anything. What I actually experienced was about three hundred years, which happened right before the Great Destruction. When I woke up, the Second Great Expansion had already ended."

She looked at Caesar, a bitter smile playing on her lips:
"That feeling, I guess no one can understand it. You wake up to find that the world has changed, all your relatives and friends have passed away hundreds of years ago, and you open your eyes to a completely unfamiliar era."

“I understand,” Caesar suddenly said.

"Hmm?" A hint of surprise appeared in Muirner's eyes.

But Caesar seemed oblivious to her expression, his eyes lowered, as he spoke to himself:
"That feeling is like being forgotten in a corner by time, all the efforts of the past have turned into bubbles, and you are enveloped by an intense, suffocating emptiness. It's as if you've entered another world, where everything is so unfamiliar. You want to confide in someone, but no one can truly understand you. It's like an ancient, moldy seed that is strongly rejected by fresh soil, as if you've become alienated from everything around you."

"I feel no sense of belonging here, so I desperately try to find anything that can prove my existence and try hard to integrate into this era. But the feeling of loneliness and helplessness is always on my mind. Every time I am alone at night, I doubt my existence and my value. Then I repeatedly chew on the memories left over from the past."

Perhaps the person who understands Muirna best in this world is Caesar, and conversely, if he were to confess to Muirna, then the person who understands him best would be the elf in front of him, who comes from an ancient era.

They must be the two loneliest people of this era, like the only two remaining endangered protected animals.

Caesar was undoubtedly lucky. He also went through a period of self-doubt, but fortunately, he met Yumilia, a girl who could give him love from the very beginning in this unfamiliar era.

It also gave him the warmth of home and a sense of belonging. When he finally composed himself and looked up, he saw Muirna staring at him with wide, undisguised surprise in her eyes.

"Xiao Sa, have you experienced this too?" she asked softly.

What Caesar just said was exactly what she was thinking, making her even think that Caesar could read minds.

"Uh that"

Caesar was a little embarrassed. Muirner's sudden mention of this point had unleashed his pent-up desire to confide, which he had suppressed for ten years. Before he knew it, he had blurted out all the words he had kept buried in his heart.

"Well... yes, Professor, you know that at my age, I often have these kinds of wild and imaginative thoughts. I always think of things that I think are very philosophical, so please excuse me," he could only say perfunctorily.

“Oh, I see.” Muirner nodded thoughtfully.

"So, Xiao Sa, you really have a talent for studying psychology! What you just said really hit the nail on the head!"

"Is that so? Well, then I can certainly read some psychology books or something," Caesar said with a forced smile.

"No, no, that won't do. If you, Xiao Sa, could learn more and become more understanding, I'd really have to rely on you," Muirna joked.

“Sure, you can rely on me as much as you want. In fact, to be relied on by a great scholar like you, Professor, would be the greatest honor of my life,” Caesar said.

"Wow, so manly!"

Muirner pursed his lips, stood up, turned around, and sat down next to Caesar.

Before Caesar could recover, Muirner leaned to one side and rested his head on his shoulder.

"Is this okay?" she asked softly.

The sudden closeness startled him slightly, but he quickly calmed down, gave a soft "hmm," and relaxed his body to make the other person more comfortable.

"Thank you." Muirner closed his eyes and said softly, "Excuse me, now, please let me lean on you for a moment."

Caesar understood that this was not her frivolity, but a plea for help.

At this moment, a deep sense of loneliness emanated from Muirna. She seemed to have truly been affected by her own words just now. The strong resonance in her heart triggered the loneliness that had been suppressed for hundreds of years, and now she urgently wanted to find someone to comfort her.

The reason that triggered this emotion in her was that Caesar became the object of her feelings.

This stunningly beautiful and extraordinary young woman leaned on his shoulder, and he could feel the warmth of her fresh hair and soft body fragrance. Yet, Caesar's mind was completely free of any chaotic thoughts. It was as if his wandering soul had temporarily found a harbor. The two loneliest people relied on each other, feeling a kind of throbbing sensation as they merged together in the quiet atmosphere.

After a while, a clear bird call came from outside the window, and Muirner slowly raised his head and let out a long breath.

"Thank you, Xiao Sa, for spending this little while with me."

“If you’re tired, take a good rest, Professor.” Caesar smiled gently. “If you feel down, feel free to come to me anytime. I’d be happy to keep you company.”

Muirna opened her mouth slightly, a barely perceptible blush appearing on her fair cheeks.

"Oh dear, I feel a little shy," she said, scratching her head.

"If word got out that I was leaning on my younger brother, who is so much younger than me, and seeking comfort, the whole kingdom would probably laugh at me."

"Don't worry, I'll keep it a secret for you, Professor. Let's keep it a secret between us, shall we?" Caesar winked at her with his left eye.

Muirna couldn't help but laugh and nodded. "Alright, then I'll just have to show you my most embarrassing side, Sassa. Just don't let anyone else know."

"To be honest, I really want to show off a little. This is a privilege that no one else can enjoy, right?"

"Sigh, then I guess I'll just have to go somewhere where no one can ever find me and live out my days in solitude." Muirna said with a pitiful expression.

But soon they looked at each other and burst out laughing.

“It’s almost time. We’ve taken up so much of your time, Xiao Sa. If you don’t hurry up, you’ll have to walk back to school by yourself,” Muirna said.

“Well, I’ll be going now. Goodbye, Professor,” Caesar said, standing up.

"Goodbye, I had a great time with you today." Muirner smiled, his eyes narrowing.

Caesar bid her farewell, took his belongings, and left the cottage.

But shortly after he left, a pair of small dragon horns emerged from the grass beside the hut.
Ita, with a few leaves still on her head, watched Caesar's departing figure, recalling the scene she had seen through the window earlier—the two of them embracing and whispering sweet nothings. At this moment, her cheeks were puffed up like an angry pufferfish.

(End of this chapter)