Let's start over, Your Majesty.

Chapter 263 Night Conversation

The fried egg sizzled in the pan, and after the edges were slightly browned, Yumilia scooped it onto her plate.

Tonight's dinner consists of two fried eggs, some fried vegetables, and a glass of carrot juice.

When you're home alone, you should keep things as simple as possible.

In the empty room, Yumilia ate her dinner alone in silence. Caesar was not here today, and there was less pleasant parent-child conversation at the table.

Looking at the empty seat opposite her, Yumilia sighed.

"It's so late, why haven't Caesar and Itha returned yet?"

She tossed the noodles, spending three days alone, and inevitably felt a little lonely.

"It's not necessarily a bad thing. They seem to be having a lot of fun, or maybe something came up and they can't come back for the time being?"

Although she wanted to give the children some private space, she still secretly hoped that they could come along too.

After finishing dinner and tidying up the kitchen, she had planned to read a book or listen to the radio at home, but she was tired of both this weekend.

"How about we go out and buy some cake?"

She left home aimlessly and walked along the streets at dusk.

I arrived at the cake shop on Qing Teng Street, which I frequent, and as soon as I walked in, I ran into a familiar figure.

"Huh? Professor Muirner?"

“Oh, it’s little Lia.” Muirna waved to her.

Today, Muirna was dressed in loose-fitting casual clothes. The simple, plain-colored attire made her look exceptionally stunning against her exquisitely beautiful face.

"Are you here to buy cakes too? What a coincidence! Let me treat you. I just bought two." Muirna held up two boxes of small cakes in her hand and said to Yumilia.

“Really? Thank you, Professor.” Their relationship now meant there was no need for politeness, and Yumilia said happily.

"Let's go, I know another nice place."

The chance encounter with Muirna cheered Yumilia up a bit, and she followed her away from Green Vine Street to a high-rise coffee shop.

Located on the top floor of a commercial building, this café is elegantly decorated with floral elements. The most attractive feature is its open-air rooftop terrace, where a winding artificial stream meanders between the seats, and the sound of flowing water is particularly soothing. In addition, you can also see the night view of the entire capital and the beautiful moonlit night.

After finding a seat on the side, Muirna skillfully held up two fingers to the approaching waiter.

"Two glasses of floral fruit juice, brimming with flavor."

She said to Yumilia, "The juice here is very good, little Lia, you must try it."

"Ah."

Yumilia had assumed it would just be a small glass of freshly squeezed juice, but she was stunned when it arrived.

It was the largest size cup, and at the bottom was indeed freshly squeezed mixed fruit juice, covered with a layer of cream, and then piled high with all kinds of candies, cream, and chocolate, forming a particularly tall dessert tower, and decorated with a lot of icing.

"Is this juice? That's way too much!" Yumilia exclaimed in surprise. "And there's cake too. Eating this much at night will make you fat."

“It’s okay. There’s a saying lately, isn’t there? Something like, ‘Girls have a stomach specifically for desserts.’” Muirna winked at her.

“Well, then I won’t stand on ceremony,” Yumilia had no choice but to say.

A huge dessert is indeed the most comforting thing, and with the added benefit of this tranquil atmosphere, Yumilia's mood improved as well.

They ate and chatted, talking about Yumilia's studies at the Institute of Ecology during this time.

“I’m sometimes too busy to take care of you. I hope Liang and the others are doing well for you?” Muirna asked.

Muirna was usually too busy with work to take care of her, so he could only give her one lesson a day and then let her study with Zhu Liang and other researchers.

"The seniors are all very friendly and kind to me," Yumilia said hesitantly.

“Sigh, I know. They prefer doing their own research to teaching students. Don’t mind them, little Leah. They’re like that with everyone. It’s not that they dislike you,” Muirna said.

She also knew that most of the researchers in the Institute of Ecology were focused on academic research and didn't care much about external tasks. They were usually indifferent to Yumilia and mostly sent her to do tedious things.

“It’s alright, Professor. I know I’m not capable enough right now. If I work harder and become more knowledgeable, people will accept me, right?” Yumilia said with a determined look in her eyes, her hands clenched tightly.

Looking at her determined expression, Muirner sighed and smiled helplessly: "You..."

“Oh right, I just remembered, I’ve been taking you out for so long, isn’t Xiao Sa worried at home?” Muirna asked again.

“Actually, Caesar went out with Ita this week. He left on Friday and hasn’t come back yet,” Yumilia said.

"Really? They must have had a lot of fun. By the way, why didn't you go with them, Little Leah?" Muirna said.

“If the kids go out to play together, wouldn’t it be a burden for me to go along?” Yumilia said with a wry smile.

“I don’t think you’re that much different from the ‘children,’” Muirna said with a smile. “I, of course I still need to be a little more mature,” Yumilia puffed out her chest, stuffed a bite of cake into her mouth, and there was still white cream on the corner of her mouth.

"Furthermore, it's important to give children some private time together; adults can't always keep their children tied to their sides," Yumilia said in a very authoritative manner.

“Yes, yes, little Lia is also a very mature adult,” Muirna said.

"So, where's Little Flint? Didn't she spend her day off with you today?" she asked again.

“My mom is very busy, after all. It would be great if she could spend one day a week with me,” Yumilia said.

Now Freya often invites Caesar and Yumilia to move into her house so they can see each other more often.

But Yumilia still couldn't bear to leave that little home, saying she would stay for another year until Caesar grew up and then move there.

"By the way, little Lia, do you know why your mother sent you to study here with me?" Muirna suddenly asked.

Yumilia shook her head blankly.

“Well, Mom just said she wanted to improve my botany knowledge so I could better handle the work at the botanical garden,” Yumilia said.

Muirner smiled and said, "That's a thought too, but more so."

Then she raised her hand and pointed at Yumilia, then at herself.

"She hoped this would improve our relationship and make us good friends."

"Huh? Why?" Yumilia asked quickly, her curiosity piqued.

“Because… in that case, you might be able to help me in some way in the future?” Muirna said. “After all, we are both elves, and perhaps one day we will need to help each other? Besides, Little Flynn also hopes that you can stay and work by my side in the future.”

"I see. But in the future, can I really help the professor?" Yumilia muttered to herself.

“Don’t doubt yourself. Just believe one thing: those researchers in the Institute of Ecology who are currently ignoring you might be begging you to impart your knowledge to them in the future,” Muirna said earnestly.

Yumilia simply smiled wryly; she had often seen this phrase in inspirational quotes in the newspapers.

Muirner put down his spoon, leaned forward, and looked at her.

"Little Lia".

"Ok?"

"If, if one day in the future I do something outrageous, will you hate me?" she asked softly.

The sudden question caught Yumilia off guard; she blinked.
"Professor, I don't think you'd do anything bad, would you?"

“That’s hard to say,” Muirner said.

"Who knows, maybe I look perfectly normal on the outside, but I'm actually a villain who wants to destroy the world?"

"Haha, Professor, you're so funny," Yumilia could only say.

Then, she thought about it seriously and said, "I don't think you're the kind of person who would do bad things, Professor. If you really did something bad, it must have been for a deeper reason, right?"

"So, if that really happens, I will help you find a better solution so that you don't have to do bad things."

Yumilia's gaze was sincere, and Muirna looked at her for a long time, smiling faintly.

"Little Leah, you are such an angel."

"I don't deserve such praise," Yumilia said, blushing.

“Alright, then I’ll have to work even harder so as not to let you down,” Muirna said.

"Huh?" Yumilia tilted her head, not immediately understanding the meaning of her words.

“Well, I’ll probably go to the Arctic for a scientific expedition around May or June, after the harvest festival. I guess we’ll be separated for quite a while then,” Muirner said.

"Arctic scientific expedition? That must be very hard work, right?" Yumilia had also read in books that the Arctic was covered in ice and snow all year round, and that mutated monsters could appear there. The area within hundreds of kilometers of the North Pole was still a forbidden zone for humans and a completely unknown territory.

“Of course, every scientific expedition I’ve been on has nearly cost me my life. I’m lucky to have come back alive,” Muirner sighed.

“However, this mission is extremely important, and we have no choice but to go,” Muirner said.

“But I’ve also heard that the Arctic has some very beautiful things, like the aurora borealis, a magnificent Great Wall stretching for thousands of kilometers, and the ruins of ancient temples,” Yumilia said.

“That’s true, but you get tired of seeing it after a while,” Muirner said.

"Professor, if one day I am capable enough, could you take me with you to the Arctic?" Yumilia asked expectantly.

Muirner gazed at her, and after a moment, smiled.
"There will be, there will be an opportunity, little Leah."

(End of this chapter)