Chapter 66: Delicious ice cream
The children’s shouts echoed, and their small palms rose in hearty applause as they watched this miraculous spectacle of pure magic—magic that no one had anticipated in this simple street. The scene was not exciting for the young ones alone; rather, the passersby and the people surrounding the square, who had initially paid no mind to the traditional ice cream vendor’s performances, found their eyes magnetically and involuntarily drawn toward the sky, as if the breath of the entire place had been held in that single spot.
Yet, that performance was not the peak of the excitement; it was merely a prelude to what was grander and more beautiful.
Before Amelia’s astonished eyes, the rest of the stored fruits began to hover gently upward, enveloped in a soft silver gleam as they directed themselves precisely and gracefully toward the hands of the gathered children. The moment a random fruit settled into the hand of each child—this one holding a cluster of grapes, that one an orange, and another a pear—it magically surged with life! Tiny, adorable legs grew from the fruits, and they began performing acrobatic dances atop the children’s palms, executing graceful showmanship maneuvers while singing in a melodious and sweet voice.
"Start dancing with me... Come on, let us dance together... Let us enter into a beautiful dance."
The words and voices of the fruits were astonishingly synchronized and harmonious with one another, as if they were an imperial orchestra conducted by the baton of a genius maestro, singing in a single, balanced rhythm. Suddenly, the fruits began to float back into the air, enveloped by wondrous magical effects, merging and intertwining with each other in a dazzling spiral motion, forming a stunning blend of mesmerizing colors that filled the place with joy and made the street look like a living canvas.
From the heart of that blazing vortex of color, a unique and somewhat strange piece of fruit separated itself. It resembled an apple in its shape but was crafted from pure, unadulterated gold, pulsing with calm energy beats and sending out slight vibrations that soothed the nerves. The golden fruit approached Amelia, who automatically opened her hands out of curiosity. The instant it made contact with her small palms, the fruit smoothly transformed into a luxurious cup of cold, glittering ice cream. Simultaneously, the rest of the dancing fruits descended from their overhead party to turn into delicious cups of ice cream in the hands of every child on the street, causing cries of joy and happiness to ring out everywhere.
In conclusion, the giant strawberry vanished from the sky, but it did not dissipate into nothingness. Instead, it popped, showering the entire area with a shimmering "glitter" that resembled real stardust, falling gently over the children’s ice cream, granting it a beautiful radiance and a magical taste that made eyes gleam.
"It is truly delicious!" "It is exactly my favorite flavor!" "Thank you, great wizard uncle!"
Amelia looked around at the crowd of happy children as they eagerly tasted their cups of ice cream, her mind immersed in a bewilderment and astonishment she had never accounted for. What these children and naive passersby saw as merely a "silly and visually dazzling magic show" was, in truth, to Amelia, far from just a passing brilliance and street entertainment.
As a former mage who had attained the Royal Level, she was entirely ready to wager that this simple performance involved a complex overlapping of magical laws and a precise manipulation of mana particles, to the point that thousands of advanced mages could author five whole books just to explain the laws Cain displayed in a mere "ice cream show"!
And all of this legendary effort... was for her alone.
Amelia felt, as a royal mage, that consuming something of such high artistic and magical value was considered a waste and a crime against magic; the rightful place for this ice cream was in museums or preservation labs! But as a child with a small body, her desire to taste this creation was utterly devouring her mind. She tried hard to convince herself with her ancient pride:
"I am an Empress, and I know its intrinsic value which surpasses mere food to be eaten; I must keep it as a masterpiece and not touch it!"
But when she looked at the children around her and saw the signs of pure enjoyment on their faces, she swallowed hard and decided to compromise slightly... Fine, she would take just one single lick... an extremely simple lick to evaluate the flavor, and after that, she would preserve the rest forever with strict self-control.
She took the first lick!.. And suddenly, her eyes widened in absolute shock as she detached from reality!
At that moment, Amelia felt as though the space around her had completely changed. She was no longer standing in the capital street; instead, she was sitting comfortably atop a warm cotton cloud, and beneath her cascaded a massive waterfall of pure, pristine milk. The waterfall poured directly into the hollow of a giant watermelon that resembled a lake, and swimming inside that milky watermelon was a group of delightful fruits wearing sunglasses, floating in complete relaxation and enjoyment!
"Wonderful..." she whispered in her mind with awe.
Without realizing it, a tear of emotion shed from her eye from the sheer intensity of delight and beauty, which her hand automatically wiped from her face. Within seconds, all imperial self-control and royal pride evaporated; Amelia began to devour the ice cream with immense desire and greed, finishing the entire cup in less than thirty full seconds!
She regained her consciousness only to find her small mouth smudged with ice cream remnants and the cup completely empty in her hands. She instantly felt a wave of shame and depression sweep through her chest: "What a disaster! How could I fail to maintain the basics of self-discipline? I am an Empress who ruled for centuries, and my fortresses collapse before a piece of ice cream?! This is a shame greater than any military defeat I have ever known!"
While she stood mourning her pride and looking at the cup with regret, a child from the crowd approached her, extending his hand toward her with his own cup, which he hadn’t touched or taken a bite from yet. He said in a gentle, sympathetic tone: "Little lady... there is no need to cry and be sad. You can take my ice cream instead of crying... Since you are the daughter of the hero uncle who performed this legendary magic, I feel that I truly do not deserve to consume this great thing, and you deserve it far more than I do."
Amelia did not know how to handle this situation, but a strange feeling of satisfaction and warmth penetrated deep inside her, one that could not be explained by magical logic. She tried to deny it internally, feeling that her aunt Roselina’s teachings about human emotion were beginning to affect her and penetrate her armor without her realizing. She turned to the little boy, etching a delicate, polite smile: "Thank you, I do not need it... You can keep it and eat it; consider it a gift from my father to you."
However, it seemed the little boy was stubborn and began to insist and press her more and more to take the cup. While Amelia occupied herself with continually rejecting him politely while smiling at him, her father Cain was on the other side, surrounded by a large crowd of children and parents competing to thank him and praise his generosity and stunning show.
At that exact moment, Amelia’s eyes suddenly drifted, and her smile froze... Her sharp senses caught the shadow of a strange, yet at the same time, terrifyingly familiar person.
This person was standing a bit far from the square, cleverly concealed among the bodies of the crowds, positioned in a dark side alley so as not to draw attention. However, the shadow began to move and approach closer and closer with dragging, heavy steps, and when he finally stepped out under the light of one of the street lamps, he appeared in his full, distinct physical form.
It was Roger!
He was standing there under the dim lamplight, far enough away that the people occupied with the show would not notice his presence yet. But his condition was wretched and shocking to the extreme; his royal clothes were shredded and tattered, his face—which had overflowed with arrogance hours ago—was filled with blue bruises and bleeding wounds, and his luxurious ministerial robe was torn and riddled with obvious black burns, as if he had just emerged from the mouth of a volcano!
Despite his wounds and distorted appearance, the moment his eyes met Amelia’s, his lips slowly parted to etch a calm, warm smile across his tired face, filled with comfort and certainty.
He looked at her deeply, and his lips moved to utter silent words that no one in the street heard, but Amelia read them with a flawless precision that shocked her: "My Master... I have finally found you..."
Amelia froze in her tracks, her mind spinning in a vicious circle of astonishment and turmoil; she did not know what exactly had happened to this man, nor who the monster was that was capable of crushing him and making him look this tragic in such a short amount of time!
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If you have made it this far, thank you so much... I know that the prices for the advanced Chapters (Privilege tiers) were exaggerated in the previous Chapters. There is a very funny, yet tragic reason behind this. Thank you if you’ve reached this point; I truly appreciate and thank you from the bottom of my heart. The final tier will consist of 50 Chapters—in other words, you will find that the new privilege tier unlocking 20 new Chapters for you will open up at the upcoming Chapter 86. If you are enjoying the novel, why not leave a gift?