Let's start over, Your Majesty.

Chapter 293 The Celebration (Part 2)

"Hehe, I just came here with my parents a couple of days ago to visit my uncle," Chopper said, scratching his head.

“Then we should all get together properly. Mother would be so happy to see Mrs. Bell,” Caesar said.

“Well, maybe next time. We might not have time today; we have to visit some relatives,” Chopper said.

"Are you all going to stay in the capital for the time being?" Caesar asked.

“Yeah,” Chopper said, laughing sheepishly.

"Um, I've been accepted into the Kingdom's Golden Seed Foundation Association, and I'll be able to transfer to Nodis Academy in the capital next year."

"Really? I can't tell! Chopper, you're so amazing!" Caesar exclaimed in genuine surprise.

The Kingdom's Golden Seed Foundation Association is a project that supports lower and middle-class citizens. As long as they pass their exams, they have the opportunity to study at the Kingdom's advanced academy. The price is that they can only attend the designated academy as arranged by the foundation, and after graduation, they will also be required to comply with the foundation's work arrangements.
However, the Nordis Academy that Chopper mentioned is an affiliated school of the Kingdom's Academy of Sciences. Most of its graduates can directly enter the Academy of Sciences to work, so it is no exaggeration to say that their future is bright.

However, not just anyone can pass the exam; the number of children who qualify is extremely small, perhaps one in ten thousand.

Chopper's selection surprised even Caesar; was this the same silly boy who was only interested in insects?

"I was lucky; everything I reviewed was on the test. I was so nervous during the exam, and I only relaxed when I saw the results," Chopper said.

"My mom even bought me a large insect petri dish as a reward. Now she fully supports my hobby," he said happily.

“That is indeed not easy…” Caesar said.

He still remembered how much trouble Chopper's unique hobby had caused Mrs. Bell back then, and now that he was actively supporting it, it showed how happy he was.

“In that case, we’re not in a hurry. We can get together again when we have more time,” Caesar said.

"Okay, I'll go back and tell my mom. She'll be so happy to know that Aunt Yumilia is here too," Chopper said.

They exchanged addresses, then said goodbye to Chopper, while Ita waved and called out to him from a short distance away.

"Caesar! Come quick! The show is about to start!"

Afterwards, Caesar told them that he had just encountered Chopper.

"Really? Mrs. Bell is here too?" Yumilia was pleasantly surprised, just as she expected. Her family had moved away after elementary school, and she was especially excited to see her old friend again.

They entered the circus tent while discussing their upcoming visit to the Bell family.

The place was packed, with only a few seats left on the edge. Although it wasn't as comfortable as the VIP seats in a theater, having family with me made it all worthwhile.

The performance began quickly. A thick cloud of mist billowed out from the stage, followed by a loud bang as the ribbons exploded. A magician jumped out, paid his respects, and removed his top hat. In front of the audience, he pulled out rabbits one by one from the hat, drawing cheers. As he triumphantly reached further in, something seemed to block the hat. He stuck his head inside, and with a bang, the hat exploded, leaving him with a splattered mess of colorful paint.

Laughter erupted from the audience, and Yumilia clapped along with a smile.

Seeing Yumilia's absorbed expression, Ita smiled, secretly took Caesar's hand under the seat, and gently leaned against him.

"I remember when we were little, we celebrated your birthday together, Caesar. We went to see a stage play, and you were even called up to interact with the audience," she said softly.

"Yes, it dealt a fatal blow to the actors," Caesar chuckled.

“I really want to go back to that time,” Ita whispered. “I didn’t have to think about anything. I had Yumilia and Caesar with me. I didn’t have to do any work or worry about the future. I was carefree and happy every day.”

Her voice trailed off as she looked worriedly at Yumilia beside her.

"but now"

Caesar gripped her hand tightly.

"I'm here."

"Hmm," Ita murmured softly.

"It is because of Caesar that I have the courage to face all of this."

As night fell, the festive atmosphere grew even more intense, with more people arriving at the celebration site, pushing the holiday spirit to its climax.

Around six o'clock, the King's motorcade arrived at the celebration site for a procession, which was announced over the loudspeaker.

"Good evening, everyone. This is the official channel of Kingdom Fatis Palace. On this beautiful and festive night, His Majesty the King extends his sincerest blessings to you all!"

The King's motorcade, accompanied by a band, slowly drove towards the celebration site.
To highlight the kingdom's heritage, the motorcade primarily consisted of horse-drawn carriages, with sturdy white horses wearing platinum harnesses pulling exquisite and spacious boat-shaped scenic carriages.

Escorted by two royal knights on horseback, the sightseeing carriage carrying King Otto VI's obese body slowly pulled up. He reclined lazily in his seat, waving to the crowds lining the street. After the rise of the Ungol faction, the king had practically become a mascot of the kingdom, existing in a power vacuum, only appearing on special holidays and when receiving foreign dignitaries. This situation was already evident in Otto V's later years, and under Otto VI, he was almost completely detached from politics, with the Ungol faction having taken over the reins of power.

Today I saw the king up close. Although I could tell that he had put on makeup for tonight and even taken special drugs to improve his mental state, I could still tell from his eyes and facial features that he was a man whose health was being gradually eroded.

The king's health is very worrying. I heard that he is only in his forties, but he already shows the weakness of someone in his seventies.

"It looks like it won't be long. Once this king dies, they can put forward someone who listens to them more, or rather, they can go themselves," Ita said in a low voice, looking at the convoy.

Caesar surveyed his surroundings. Although the convoy appeared to be completely open, the surrounding streets were swarming with hidden guards, and spies had infiltrated the crowd. There was even a hidden gaze constantly watching the streets – that was the Eye of Obora, controlling everything from behind the scenes, ready to eliminate any troublemakers in the crowd.

After the King's sightseeing car passed, it was the Prime Minister's sightseeing car's turn. Enrid and his wife, along with Sia, sat in it.

Manslivi maintained a gentle smile, waving and greeting the crowd, while Enled had a cold face, staring ahead with an air of majesty more arrogant than a king. Sia sat silently between the two, expressionless, watching the crowd below, occasionally nodding in greeting.

As the sightseeing bus passed Caesar and his entourage, Sia and Caesar's eyes met, held for a second, and then looked away.

In that brief exchange of glances, it seemed as if they had already completed their communication, and then the convoy slowly drove forward with Sia in tow.

"That's quite impressive," Yumilia exclaimed, watching the departing convoy.

"What's the big deal? I'll let you sit on it sometime!" Ita patted his chest and said confidently.

"I... I wasn't envious," Yumilia said, blushing, "but I'm very happy that you, Ita, have such ambition."

"Oh right, the fireworks show is about to start! Let's hurry over! I had Delina save us a good spot!" Ita said.

The family's vehicle pulled up by the roadside and took them to the Ruby Building.

After the Century Tower was destroyed during the Expo, the Ruby Tower became the tallest building in the capital and the best spot to watch the fireworks show. However, reservations are required in advance, and without connections, it's impossible to get up there at this time.

The family booked the best viewpoint for Ita, a semi-circular platform with a fully open glass hall, offering a panoramic view of the entire capital city at night.

"It's about to begin!" Ita pulled the two to the edge of the platform.
In the inky black night sky, a bright green light swayed upwards, finally exploding with a bang at its highest point, bursting into a dazzling firework.

Then fireworks burst into bloom in the night sky, completely filling the capital's night sky with colorful light, like a splashed-ink painting against a deep blue background.

"How beautiful!" Yumilia exclaimed.

"Oh, right, Yumilia, I heard you can make a wish under the fireworks at the Harvest Festival. Hurry up and make a wish now!" Ita tugged at Yumilia's sleeve.

"Hmm? I've never heard of this custom before?" Caesar asked, puzzled.

“Different places have different rules,” Ita said seriously.

“I don’t have any particular wishes. I’m just happy to be with you all,” Yumilia said, tilting her head.

“Even though we’re all the same, there must be things we really want to do, right?” Ita said.

"That's true"

Yumilia thought for a moment, then clasped her hands together at her chest, closed her eyes, and silently murmured something.

Ita winked at Caesar, then closed his eyes, clasped his hands together, and made a wish.

Caesar had no choice but to join them, clasping his hands together and sketching out his wishes in his heart.

A moment later, they all opened their eyes, and the fireworks in the sky were still going on.

"Yumeria, what did you wish for?" Ita asked.

"Hmm, I hope you two... Oh, no, Ita, wishes won't come true if you say them out loud," Yumilia said, pinching Ita's cheek.

"However, I made a wish to bless my family and hope that everyone will be well."

“Okay.” Ita looked at Caesar with an expectant expression.

"I wish for world peace," Caesar said with a shrug, expressing his desire.

"Such a formulaic wish." Ita stuck out her tongue.

"And you, Ithaca, what did you wish for?" Caesar asked.

“Me?” Ita smiled slightly, looking at Caesar: “You’ll find out later, Caesar.”

(End of this chapter)