Side Story: A Century Later, We Meet Again (Part 2) Side Story...
The four newly acquainted friends entered the museum together and first took a stroll around the lobby.
The museum is the largest building in the entire park, or rather, the surrounding amusement park and gardens are all built around this museum.
In the very center of the hall stood a long, narrow dragon skeleton, not even covered by a glass case; the white, jade-like bone was directly exposed to the air.
"Is this the dragon that the Holy King's fleet once captured?"
Eleanor ran to the base of the dragon's skeleton and, like the other tourists, reached out to touch it, hoping to share in the good fortune.
...Although if this dragon could know, it would definitely say, "What kind of good fortune have you gotten your hands on?"
“Yes. It’s said that it was raised by the Nolana royal family for eighty years, had many babies, and was later buried with Her Majesty Anya.” Eliza also ran over and touched it.
"Hahaha."
Eleanor and she smiled at each other.
Although that is indeed how it is recorded in history books, Her Majesty Anya was truly a remarkable person.
In her memoir, she bluntly stated, "That damned dragon was incorrigible. When I was about to die, I took it with me to make a hundred barrels of snake oil ointment, and left its bones to the research institute as mascots."
The museum was converted from the former research institute. As for where the institute moved to after the conversion, only professionals know.
They asked a tall woman passing by to take a picture for them, and after taking a group photo in front of the dragon skeleton, they continued walking inside.
There happened to be a tour guide... no, I should say an elementary school teacher leading the group ahead.
The teacher, with her long hair styled in a bun and a gentle smile, led the children one by one with an orange leather rope, waving a small yellow flag in her hand.
She introduced the exhibits along the way as she walked.
"Children, look, this portrait is the famous painting Ophelia made for her sister, Eleanor, known as the Holy Queen, called 'The Wedding of the Century'."
Wow~
The children blinked their bright eyes, and a girl with a little pigtail asked in a clear voice, "Teacher Shanshan, is that...that flying thing by the window...that His Majesty Andra?"
Following her finger, everyone saw a boy in a layered dress leaping out of the window, his fingertips just a hair's breadth away from touching the girl standing on the "little train".
The composition of the painting is quite beautiful, with a divine and religious feel, and a flowing transparent ribbon is subtly drawn, connecting Andra's waist to the windowsill.
While this adds a touch of comicality, like "the king being hung on the wall?", it also strengthens the dividing lines of the picture, making it more orderly and beautiful.
She nodded with a smile: "That's right, but there's a theory that Her Majesty Andra didn't wear such a large dress with overlapping lace at the time, and that the way it was drawn reflects Princess Ophelia's own aesthetic."
"...I think it's more like retaliation."
"agree."
Andra and Mysera were chirping softly not far away.
History books say that His Majesty Andra fell from the balcony and embraced Eleanor.
It's obvious to anyone with a brain that she couldn't possibly jump down wearing such a big skirt. Even with Ophelia's unparalleled drawing skills, the scene still looks a bit comical.
It is said that Ophelia was eighty years old when she painted this picture. She said that she had "reached the pinnacle of her skills and could paint for her sister." But no matter how you look at it, it seems like she was just having a wild time before she died.
Shanshan led the children forward. There was a narrow track in the corridor next to them, and a small train was clattering past.
The kids were all clamoring to try it, to try it!
Unfortunately, there were too many of them, so the teacher firmly led each child forward like a little duck.
Having a personal guide was certainly great, so the group of four leisurely followed behind the teacher.
They passed many paintings, many of which were painted by Princess Ophelia.
In her later years, she helped her sister draw many exquisite drawings, as well as illustrations for a complete encyclopedia of animals, insects, and plants.
His painting skills were superb, with meticulous brushwork, beautiful color matching, and a sense of proportion and light and shadow that were both extremely realistic and freehand. He laid the foundation for the art of later generations with his own efforts.
Then, there was a series of photos.
"This is Her Majesty Anya, and there are many photographs to prove her beauty. She loved photography and also left behind valuable historical photos of Her Majesty Eleanor and Her Majesty Andra."
Hearing her say that, Eleanor and Andra both smiled helplessly.
Sure enough, when the children walked to the photo area at the back, one of them innocently pointed to two people behind and said in a clear voice, "Those two older sisters over there look so alike!"
The teacher glanced at them politely and patiently explained to the children, "That's because the two older girls over there have similar hair colors, so they look alike. Actually, they are quite different."
"Oh~"
Eleanor was a little embarrassed, so she took Andra's hand and pretended to look at the photos carefully.
These photos bear a striking resemblance to them, about 70%; indeed, people have made jokes about this resemblance and the coincidence of their names since childhood.
Fortunately, both Eleanor and Andra were benevolent rulers in modern history, and these jokes were often well-intentioned.
They stood in front of a photograph of Her Majesty Anya riding the first royal train.
Her Majesty Anya was still very young at that time, and the steam train already looked very similar to a modern train.
"Pfft." Eleanor looked at the handsome young man with a straight face in the picture, and for some reason, a smile overflowed from her, her eyes shining.
"...You like that kind?" Andra leaned closer, pressing her cheek against her lover's with a hint of jealousy. "They're alright looking, but they can't compare to me, can they?"
"Haha, who would compare themselves to people from ancient times?"
The children had already moved to another area.
"A photograph of Her Majesty Eleanor personally piloting the first airplane in human history... Her Majesty Eleanor was 80 years old at the time. Many of her ministers, including Her Majesty Andra, strongly opposed her boarding the plane."
The teacher's eyes sparkled with a nostalgic and joyful light that she herself was unaware of.
She raised her hand and gently stroked the photograph, as if she were caressing a child from the past.
......
The museum has a wide variety of collections, but it's still quick to browse through them.
In an hour, they quietly walked through more than two hundred years of history, and bought some souvenirs such as "traditional handmade soap" and "blessing bracelet" at the boutique at the end of the second floor.
There are more models replicating the original objects on the third floor and above of the museum, but the four of them wanted to visit the amusement park first. They walked briskly toward the door while the teacher led the children upstairs.
They walked along the colorful pebble path toward the giant Ferris wheel, but soon they were enveloped in the dense crowd.
Everywhere you look, there are couples and children holding ice cream, lollipops, and teddy bears.
Every now and then a balloon would float up, swaying and rising into the sky accompanied by "ah ah" sounds.
"Damn it, there are still too many people in Nolana!" Andra gritted her teeth as she looked at the vast sea of people, with people bumping into her shoulder every now and then.
She held the girl in her arms tightly, wishing she could push them away one by one with her shoulders.
"Haha, don't worry, that's just how it is during holidays."
Eleanor, in a good mood, put her arm around Andra's waist and, feeling her lover's muscles relax, walked forward with her in small steps.
Fortunately, they bought fast-track VIP cards, otherwise they would have had to wait at least two hours in line.
The giant Ferris wheel slowly came to a stop, and they walked along the passageway, entering a transparent spherical cabin with another young couple.
The cockpit slowly rose, and Andra gripped Eleanor's hand tightly, trying to pull her into his arms.
Okay, okay.
Eleanor was nervously pulled halfway into her body, and she smiled reassuringly, "It's impossible for you to fall down. Besides, even if you did fall down, you can't fly."
"snort."
Andra gave a soft hum, finally relaxing her muscles slightly, but her right hand still wouldn't let go, her fingers intertwined with her lover's.
The couple's rings on their ring fingers sparkled in the sunlight.
Just as the cockpit was about to reach its highest altitude, Andra suddenly reached out and took the ring off Eleanor's hand, then quickly pulled a bright red heart-shaped velvet box from his pocket.
“Ellie…”
"Eliza! Marry me!!!"
Mysella, who was standing next to him, was already kneeling on one knee, and she pulled out a music box from somewhere, playing a cheerful proposal tune.
"..." Andra's cheeks flushed red.
Before she could clench her fists, a kiss gently covered her lips.
“I do,” Eleanor smiled sweetly.
......
哢哒.
The Ferris wheel slowly came to a stop at the bottom. Mysella was the first to run out, waving a rose in her hand and shouting all the way, "I'm getting married! I'm getting married! Hahahahaha!"
“Fool…” Eliza sighed helplessly, but her eyes and brows were full of smiles.
She turned to talk to the newly acquainted young couple and asked if they needed a VIP card for the amusement park - Dream Castle.
After all, she comes here often, and her mother is an investor here, so entertaining one or two friends is definitely not a problem.
But before she could speak, she suddenly saw a staff member wearing an embroidered robe with a glass flower pinned to her chest smiling and jogging over from a short distance away.
Eliza blinked: These royal-dressed staff members are usually in charge of... Oh! They're so lucky!!
Staff members dressed as noble servants stopped a few steps away from them.
The refined "attendant" glanced naturally at the glass marigold still blooming on his chest, then placed his hand on his chest and said softly, "Your Majesties, the flower carriage is ready. Please feel free to give any instructions you may have."
She was flawless from head to toe, even her etiquette was perfectly replicated.
Eliza jumped excitedly beside her, and even Mysella sneaked back to watch the excitement.
Many people have heard of the traditions that existed when this park was founded, which are said to be the instructions given by Her Majesty Anya before she passed away.
Every month, they select one couple to ride on a float on a sunny holiday – playing Andra and Eleanor in the festival parade.
Selected couples can change into formal attire prepared by the park, receive a large number of limited-edition souvenirs, and stay in a special suite in the Dream Castle after participating in the parade, enjoying a full day of "royal" service.
Although the rule is "random selection", if you look at the amusement park's promotional website, all the actresses selected over the years have been great beauties.
At first, they specifically chose couples with black hair and golden-red hair, but later they started to keep wigs readily available for people to wear.
Eleanor paused for a moment, then smiled and agreed, "Okay."
They went to the rest area and carefully dressed themselves in the antique-style dressing room.
Eleanor's side was doing well, while the "servant" who was responsible for fetching Andra's dress rushed over and apologized apologetically.
"I'm sorry, the formal attire prepared for His Majesty has been accidentally torn."
She unfolded the dress, and sure enough, a large piece was torn off.
Andra didn't seem to care about the slip-up. She pointed at the heavy gown, unable to bear the sight, and asked, "Hey, did Andra really wear this to the festival parade back then?"
The attendant nodded firmly: "Of course, we heard all this from Princess Ophelia..."
Eleanor chuckled and whispered in her lover's ear, "Yeah, that's how famous paintings are done, isn't it?"
Andra looked at the dress and had a sudden inspiration: "Hey, you should still have some performance outfits prepared for [Yang], right? Let's use that."
The servant's eyes lit up as well.
That's a great idea!
Some of the memoirs of his servants do indeed record that His Majesty Andra was very confident in his physique and would occasionally compare himself to "male" in front of His Majesty Eleanor.
Wearing the "Yang" costume perfectly matches the character's persona.
"Yes, I'll bring it to you right away." She smiled, bowed, and walked out briskly.
......
With the sun high in the sky, the main gate of the dream castle slowly opened.
Two floats slowly drove out to the sound of special bells.
"Wow, isn't that Yang over there?! The new actor is so handsome!!!"
"It's Andra!"
Many people whispered among themselves and their companions.
Was the bell just ringing part of a lucky draw for tourists?
"You probably couldn't find such a perfectly matched couple at a tourist event... They look so alike, they must be actors."
These excited whispers were drowned out by a tsunami of cheers and applause, and for a moment all that could be seen were flashes of light everywhere.
Eleanor mimicked the demonstration video, gently waving to her surroundings.
From her angle, she could clearly see Andra: her lover was much more confident, truly accepting everyone's cheers with the same composure as the real Andra—or Yang.
"Haha." The girl's smile continued to spread, and the teasing and happy cheers around her made her relax.
Very good......?
A strange emotion surged in her chest, and she seemed to hear a person, an aging voice, speaking softly through countless layers of time.
"My mother taught me from a young age... that she hoped I wouldn't try to perpetuate that system of wise rulers forever."
"...So that's fine, let them...treat this as a noisy celebration."
She gazed into the eyes of that old child.
Her lover's voice pierced through the noise and brought her back to reality.
Eleanor blinked, smiled, and waved to the cheering crowd once again.
This time, her smile was even gentler.
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