While Adolf spoke with King Gaius, Dawn secretly observed him as well.
Though Gaius was dressed in luxurious attire, he carried himself like a hardened man, with an air of Haki about him. Yet he showed none of the arrogance of royalty toward Adolf.
But to Dawn's surprise, the topic suddenly shifted to him, leaving him at a loss for a moment. After all, he had not prepared himself.
For a moment, the atmosphere stagnated.
But Rovena soon broke the brief silence.
The instant Adolf introduced Dawn, she had already rushed over and thrown herself at him.
"My child, I thought I would never have the chance to see you again in this life." Rovena wept bitterly, losing her composure somewhat, yet losing none of her grace.
The onlookers happily celebrated the fact that their companion had found his family, but Dawn, who was being hugged, did not feel quite so wonderful.
"Uh... let go of me first." Dawn gently pulled free from Rovena's embrace, looking awkward and at a loss.
To be honest, Dawn had been prepared for two more people suddenly appearing in his life, but he had not been prepared to deal with them. For the moment, he did not know how to face the two people who were nominally closest to him.
That was why he had been so flustered earlier. He had mentally prepared himself, but he had not thought through what he should do.
"Let's verify it first. Nothing has been confirmed yet." Seeing Gaius approach from the side, Dawn changed the subject.
Gaius looked as though he wanted to say something but held himself back. Upon hearing Dawn's words, however, he merely nodded and said nothing more.
As if she had noticed Dawn's discomfort, Rovena did not press him too hard. She simply warmly greeted Hina and the others, leading everyone toward the royal palace. Yet her gaze never left Dawn.
As for Gaius and Dawn, neither could find anything to talk about, so they walked side by side in silence.
"I'm sorry, my child. It was our fault. You suffered greatly because of us." Gaius finally spoke, his voice filled with indescribable guilt.
"It's fine. We can talk about that later. Let's test first. It wouldn't be good if we got our hopes up for nothing." Dawn glanced at Rovena, who was enthusiastically entertaining everyone nearby, then rubbed his nose awkwardly.
Gaius looked at Dawn, then at Rovena, and nodded without another word.
They arrived at a place within the palace. The enormous room was spacious and bright, and the Ancestral Tablet stood there.
"Just place your hand on the handprint in front of the Ancestral Tablet. It will automatically draw your blood," Gaius said.
"Mm." Dawn nodded to show that he understood, then placed his hand on the Ancestral Tablet. A faint sting flashed through him, somewhat like having blood drawn in his previous life.
After the blood was absorbed, it slowly traveled through the device's tubes and into one side. As the Ancestral Tablet gradually changed from silver-white to gold, Rovena began sobbing again.
Ever since the nameplate Adolf had tested turned gold, and everyone had met Rovena and Gaius, they had already known the answer in their hearts. Still, they could not help cheering at this moment.
In fact, after meeting the two of them, Dawn had felt that the result of this test was only to be expected.
They looked far too alike. It was as if Dawn had inherited the best of both of them: Rovena's refined features and Gaius's strong, resolute lines. One look was enough to tell anyone that Dawn was their child.
When the final result appeared, Dawn walked over, patted Rovena on the shoulder, and handed her a tissue. "There's no need to cry. Today is a happy day, isn't it?"
"Mm, he's back. He's back!" Rovena wiped away her tears, her expression easing as she broke into a smile.
"Today is a day worth celebrating. Adolf, arrange a banquet. I want to entertain Dawn and his companions."
Watching Dawn comfort Rovena, Gaius burst into joyous laughter. Yet his reddened eyes revealed how he truly felt.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Adolf could not help smiling as he looked at everyone's delighted faces.
"Oh, oh, oh! A banquet!" The moment Sola heard the word banquet, she was the first to jump out. She never turned down anything lively like this.
Besides, this place was known as Food Island. If it had not been for Dawn's situation, Sola would have been unable to restrain herself from wandering all over the streets long ago.
"Let's go." Dawn led his companions, who were happy for him, toward the banquet hall under Rovena's guidance.
The banquet had ended.
As the royal family of Ishtar, their banquet was naturally of the highest standard. The wide variety of delicacies left everyone with round, stuffed bellies.
It had to be said that the cuisine of the Ishtar Kingdom was truly excellent, especially its pastries and meat dishes.
This was inseparable from the abundance of ingredients for both.
After all, plentiful ingredients allowed for countless experiments and the development of all sorts of delicious dishes.
After the banquet, Dawn and the others were each assigned their own rooms.
That night, a gentle breeze brushed across Dawn's face.
Beneath the star-filled sky, the bright moon remained the most dazzling sight. Unlike the sky of his previous life, the stars in this world shone brilliantly like jewels embedded in the night, forming a breathtaking picture.
The calm after the banquet's revelry flowed through Dawn's heart. Silver moonlight spilled into the room as he lay quietly on the soft bed, listening to distant insects chirping and frogs croaking, savoring the tranquility of the night.
Gradually, Dawn drifted off to sleep on the soft bed.
Slowly, Dawn seemed to see every moment "Dawn" had spent in this kingdom with his parents as a child, as though watching a movie.
When Dawn woke the next day, those memories had been directly recorded in his mind, every detail crystal clear.
But Dawn discovered that he had slept exceptionally well. His body felt much lighter, and even his senses seemed sharper.
"Mm? What is this?" Dawn closed his eyes and sensed his surroundings. At that moment, he realized that even with his eyes shut, he seemed able to perceive the outside world through his body.
He could clearly sense mosquitoes and insects fluttering through the air, the path of dew dripping from the potted plants on the balcony into the soil below, and the busy footsteps of the maids outside his door.
"I awakened Observation Haki just from sleeping?? Could this be the benefit of making a vow so that the original owner of this body could rest in peace, like in novels?"
Dawn wore a strange expression, not knowing how to deal with this situation.
Didn't novels from his previous life often have that trope where, after fulfilling some lingering wish of the body's original owner, one would completely become the owner of that body and gain some benefit?
So he had encountered that too... my ass!!
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