Let's start over, Your Majesty.

Chapter 177 Yumilia's Valentine's Day
"Teacher Yumilia, may I go home a little earlier today?"

With an hour left before the end of the workday, Shani approached Yumilia somewhat embarrassed and asked her a question.

"Hmm? Sure, but is there a reason?" Yumilia, who was planting seedlings, looked up and asked.

"It's because tomorrow is Valentine's Day. My boyfriend came from out of town today, and I have to go to the station to pick him up early this afternoon," Shani said, blushing slightly.

Yumilia immediately showed an expression of understanding.

"In that case, you'd better get there as soon as possible."

"Hmm, it's okay, there's still plenty of time. We just need to leave half an hour early," Shani said.

"You must be so happy that your boyfriend is here, right?" Yumilia asked.

"Well, that's true. After all, since I went to university, we only see each other a few times a year," Shani said, scratching her head.

“We grew up in the same village. After graduating from high school, I was admitted to a university in Wangdu, while he stayed in our hometown to help manage the family farm. I only had time to go back during the harvest festival. On other important holidays, such as my birthday and Valentine’s Day, he would take the train to come and spend a few days with me.”

“Your boyfriend loves you very much,” Yumilia said.

"Hehe." Shani blushed and became embarrassed, but a happy smile also appeared on her face.

"By the way, teacher, do you have an appointment tomorrow?" Shani asked.

"No, I'm still single." Yumilia shook her head.

Shani also knew that even though Yumilia was already quite old for an elf compared to humans, her current appearance did not meet the moral requirements for marriage in human society. No, let alone marriage, even a normal relationship would not meet the requirements. After all, even if it was legal, no one would dare to face the contempt of worldly views.

Moreover, Yumilia's mind is currently focused on Caesar, and she has never considered this matter.

“No? Oh, right, teacher, don’t you have Caesar? He’s over ten years old, isn’t he? You can live with him, right?” Shani said.

"Shanie, don't joke like that." Yumilia puffed out her cheeks slightly.

"No, that's not what I meant. You see, spending Valentine's Day with family at this age just makes people feel warm and cozy."

Yumilia tilted her head. "Spending Valentine's Day with Caesar?" She had never really thought about it before. In previous years, they wouldn't have felt anything special at this time; it was just an ordinary day.

But surely Caesar wouldn't care too much, right? After all, Valentine's Day and such are never something he should care about.

“We can just do things normally as usual. We’ve never had this habit before,” Yumilia said.

"makes sense."

Winter nights always fall quickly, and when Yumilia stepped out of the botanical garden, the sky was already dotted with stars.

As always, the car that Freya had arranged for her was parked on the side of the road. The driver opened the car door for her, and she got in and drove home.

Although it's not yet the 14th, the shops along the streets have already been decorated for Valentine's Day. Some shops have even put up bright red roses at their entrances, and children are selling things from baskets on the roadside. Couples are also seen snuggling together, chatting and laughing intimately.

As Yumilia gazed at the ambiguous atmosphere that had permeated the city, she felt a stirring within her.

She wasn't quite sure what it was either.

"Caesar should be out of school by now," she thought.

"Could you please stop on Qing Teng Street? I need to buy something," she said to the driver.

The car stopped on Qing Teng Street, and she got out and walked toward the familiar cake shop.

This cake shop has really good cakes, especially the lemon grapefruit fruit cake. She loves it and is a regular customer, coming several times a week, but she doesn't eat too much at once.

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, so let's just use that as an excuse to buy a cake.

She walked to the shop entrance and was about to pull the doorknob when the door was pushed open from the inside.

Caesar emerged from the doorway and, upon seeing Yumilia, widened his eyes in surprise.

"Yumeria?"

"Caesar? What are you doing here?" Yumilia was also surprised.
But she soon noticed that Caesar was carrying a box of small cakes in his left hand and a bouquet of bright red roses in his right.

The way he looks makes it seem like he's going to deliver a gift.

In conjunction with tomorrow's holiday
Yumilia suddenly understood something.

Yes, Caesar is all grown up now, and he's so popular with girls, he'll definitely make arrangements for these kinds of holidays.
A hint of melancholy flashed in Yumilia's eyes, but she quickly smiled and said, "What a coincidence! Caesar, wait for me. Let's ride home together in a bit."

Caesar seemed to want to say something, but nodded anyway.

"I'll wait for you outside."

Yumilia walked into the store, stood in front of the counter, stared at the cakes on display, and froze, not knowing what to do.

"Excuse me."

The shop assistant's words brought her back to her senses, and she quickly said, "I, I'd like a sugar cake, thank you."

She realized she'd made a mistake after saying it; she'd actually wanted a lemon grapefruit cake, but somehow she couldn't bring herself to say the correct thing.
"OK, just a second."

About five or six minutes later, the packaged frosted cake was handed to her.

After carrying the cake outside, he smiled at Caesar.

"Let's go back."

Along the way, Yumilia asked about things at school, and the two chatted as usual, but neither of them mentioned the reason for the bouquet of bright red roses.

Yumilia felt a pang of sadness in her heart, and she felt ashamed of herself for feeling this way.
When did I develop such a possessive feeling towards Caesar? The thought of him celebrating holidays for girls fills me with such a strong sense of loss. Caesar is clearly a good boy; I can't be like those rigid parents who interfere in his relationships.

However, she still couldn't suppress the overwhelming feeling of bitterness in her chest.

Once home, Yumilia placed the cake on the table and said to Caesar, "You rest for a bit, I'll go cook now."

"Ah."

Yumilia, unbuttoning her thick cotton coat, gazed at the bouquet of vibrant roses in Caesar's hand. Her lips twitched, but she couldn't help but say:

"Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, Caesar must have made some plans, right?"

Caesar glanced at her with slight surprise, then nodded.

"Ah."

Sure enough.

The feeling of bitterness intensified.

"Then, then you must have a lot of fun! A girl that Caesar likes must be exceptionally outstanding, right?" she said, suppressing her bitterness.

"Don't just send flowers and cakes, you should also prepare some gifts. If you don't have enough money, you can tell me."

Caesar raised his eyebrows, as if he had just realized something, and then chuckled.

"actually."

He walked up to Yumilia with the flowers in his hands and presented them to her.

"The flowers and cake are for you."

"Ugh?"

Yumilia's little face froze instantly. Looking at the boy's smile set off by the bright red petals, she couldn't say a word.

"Really, really?"

"How could this be fake?" Caesar said helplessly.

Yumilia, who had just come to her senses, quickly turned her head away again.

"Caesar, tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Who would give me a gift? It would be strange if outsiders found out."

Although he said that, the bitterness receded like a tide, and a strong sense of happiness surged in.

“What’s so strange about it? Some students in our class are giving their parents gifts today too. It’s just a nice touch to life.” Caesar winked at her.

Actually, he hesitated for a long time. On his way back today, he saw some roses for sale by the roadside, and after thinking about it, he decided to buy a bouquet.
After all, a girl like Yumilia would definitely be happy to receive flowers, right?

"happy holidays."

Yumilia accepted the flowers, and a happy smile crept onto her lips.

“Then I’ll accept it, thank you Caesar,” she said happily.

"Oh, and that cake too."

"Yes, I bought this for you. It's your favorite lemon-grapefruit flavor, with lots of fruit added," Caesar said.

"Honestly, Caesar should have said so earlier. I wouldn't have needed to buy it then, it was a waste of money," Yumilia said.

“Weren’t we outside just now?” Caesar said.

He found it hard to accept being given flowers outdoors and having someone say things like "Happy Valentine's Day."

Yumilia forgot about cooking and eagerly unwrapped the cake, taking small bites with a spoon.

I feel like today's cake is sweeter than usual.

"Caesar, would you like a bite?" She scooped out a small piece of cake with cream and fruit pieces and brought it to Caesar's lips.

“I’ve decided against it; it’s not good to eat sweets at night,” Caesar said.

“Just this once, huh?” Yumilia insisted.

Caesar had no choice but to take a bite as well.

"The cream is all over it."

Yumilia reached out, wiped the cream off his lips, and put her cream-covered finger in her mouth.

And so, the two of them each ate a bite, and finished most of an eight-inch cake.

"By the way, Caesar said he already had plans for tomorrow, right?" Yumilia suddenly asked.

"Oh, this?" Caesar smiled helplessly. "It's Ita. She asked me to go see a stage play tomorrow. She always says she wants to go out with me alone, so I guess I'll have to go with her this time."

"Oh, it's Ita."

Yumilia's face immediately relaxed.

The last weight was lifted from her heart, and all the previous unpleasantness vanished like a bubble.

"That's true. Speaking of which, Ita has told me more than once that she really likes you. You're about the same age, so it would be nice if you could get married together."

(End of this chapter)