After Fiona left, Ange looked at Princess Lila and asked, "Can you tell me what happened to the Royal Family after I fell asleep, and the current situation of the Azoth Royal Family?"
"Of course, Your Highness," Princess Lila nodded.
***
Ange then learned from Princess Lila that shortly after his "death," his father and mother suffered from excessive grief. Their health deteriorated day by day. Later, they even abdicated the throne directly to Princess Anna.
Queen Anna was a wise ruler. She worked hard to strengthen the country, valued talent, and especially relied heavily on the great inventor Eliphas at the time. This caused the power of Azoth Kingdom to grow day by day.
However, that time marked the end of the world's feudal monarchies. Revolutions were erupting everywhere, especially in the Kalos Region. The Azoth monarchy was also in peril.
Queen Anna could not save the collapsing building with her own power.
Soon after, due to the influence of spies from neighboring countries, the Azoth Kingdom experienced a civil strife. The root of the internal conflict was the Queen's Pokémon, Magearna.
At the time, someone spread a rumor that Eliphas had built a super weapon for Azoth. It was hidden in the Azoth Royal Capital, and the key to controlling the super weapon was Magearna. (Of course, this was also true.)
Thus, some people with malicious intentions began to fight over Magearna.
To prevent Magearna from falling into the hands of others, and to prevent the situation from worsening, Queen Anna let Eliphas take Magearna and leave Azoth.
No one knew where they went.
Since then, Eliphas and Magearna had disappeared without a trace.
After sending Magearna away, the Queen actively contacted the Pokémon League to quell the civil strife and reached a cooperation agreement with them.
From then on, the Azoth Kingdom became a part of the Pokémon League. However, this also calmed the civil strife and preserved the special privileges of the Azoth Royal Family within the Kingdom.
It could be said that the sudden leaning of the Azoth Kingdom toward the League was the final straw that crushed all feudal forces in the Kalos Region. It promoted the official establishment of the Pokémon League in the Kalos Region.
Queen Anna was considered the longest-living person in the Azoth Royal Family. She lived until she was 108 years old before passing away. She witnessed the Azoth Kingdom moving from one era to another.
***
After hearing Princess Lila's narration, Ange sighed deeply. He did not expect so many things to have happened in the Kingdom after his "death." (Note: Ange, as a Transmigrator, was also a Pokémon enthusiast, but was not familiar with the Pokémon anime plot.)
"Anna must have suffered a lot." Ange felt very sad when he said this.
He and his sister had a very good relationship since childhood. His father and mother were busy with state affairs. His sister usually spent the most time with him. Every time, his sister would skip to his bedside like a cheerful little bird, telling him interesting things that happened in the Royal Capital.
Who knew she would have to go through so many hardships and difficulties later on.
"The current Royal Family members are all descendants of my sister?" Ange asked again.
Princess Lila nodded, "In the civil strife back then, all the collateral branches of the Royal Family died. Only Queen Anna's direct line remained. Now, the Royal Family members... are only my father, my younger brother Romeo, and me."
Saying this, Princess Lila's mood was somewhat low.
"I see..." Ange also sighed.
"Your Highness, why don't you come back to the Royal Palace with me now?" Princess Lila said after a long silence.
"But my... business..." Ange hesitated.
Princess Lila interrupted him, "You are a member of the Azoth Royal Family. How can you be doing these things outside!"
Ange immediately became unhappy upon hearing this. She was insulting his profession.
"What's wrong with what I'm doing? Is it illegal? Is it criminal? I'm just doing what every Azoth citizen does every day: earning money to support myself. There's nothing shameful about it."
Ange's tone was a little angry.
"I... I didn't mean it that way," Princess Lila stuttered, frightened by Ange's sudden anger.
"Or have you eaten the buns and Mantou I made and thought they weren't tasty?" Ange asked again.
"No, no, no~" Princess Lila quickly waved her hands, "Your food is delicious. It's better than all the food I've ever eaten."
This was a little like flattery. Although the buns and Mantou Ange made were tasty, they were not exaggerated to the point of being the best in the world.
However, Ange still felt good hearing it.
He suddenly stood up, "I can go to the Royal Palace, but only after I finish my business this morning."
He opened the window of the food cart as he spoke.
The onlookers outside saw the window open. One by one, they stretched their necks to look in.
Gossip time! Gossip time!
When they saw Ange's hair color, which was identical to the Princess's, everyone shouted "holy cow" in their hearts.
Could the little boss be a member of the Royal Family?
Suddenly, the public's eagerness for gossip was set ablaze.
***
Soon, a rich aroma wafted out of the cart, stirring the appetite of the citizens.
This was too fragrant.
Ange turned his head and said to Princess Lila, "Princess, please withdraw your guards. Otherwise, how can I do business?"
"Ah? Oh, oh, oh~~" Princess Lila quickly ordered the guards to remove the encirclement. Then she said to Ange, "Your Highness, you can just call me Lila. If your identity is correct, you should be my elder."
As soon as the guards retreated, the crowd immediately surged forward.
Seeing this, Ange shouted, "Those who want to buy buns and Mantou, please queue up! Those who are not buying, please leave quickly."
When Ange said this, even those who just wanted to gossip and were not planning to buy decided to buy. Immediately, a long queue formed in front of the stall.
The young man at the very front of the line quietly asked Ange, "Little boss, tell me the truth. Are you a member of the Royal Family?"
The people lining up behind him stretched their necks like Girafarig, afraid of missing a single word.
"Sort of," Ange answered casually.
They got the scoop! They got the scoop!
The faces of those who heard Ange's answer flushed with excitement.
However, the little boss's answer was a bit ambiguous.
Sort of... How should they interpret this?
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration crossed the minds of several gossipers. Could the little boss be His Majesty's illegitimate child?
They stared at the little boss's face. His age matched up.
Thinking this, the young man at the front, who was there for the gossip, spoke for everyone.
"Little boss, could you be... His Majesty's..."
Although everyone was curious, they involuntarily gasped when they saw the young man actually ask the question.
Young man, you're quite bold! The Princess is still here!
Before Ange could answer, Princess Lila stuck her head out the window, "What nonsense are you talking about! His Highness Ange is an elder of the Royal Family, senior even to my father!"
His Ma... His Majesty's elder?
Well done! The little boss has such a big background? Everyone was surprised for a moment.
The Azoth Royal Family had always been close to the people. Otherwise, the young man would not have dared to inquire about royal gossip so boldly. Now that they were reprimanded by the Princess, they were not too scared. Instead, they became even more curious.
"Princess, Princess, quickly tell us who the little boss really is!" The gossipers asked one after another.
"Alright! Alright!" Ange picked up the knife and chopped it on the cutting board twice. "Are you here to eat or to gossip? Those who are here to gossip should leave quickly. I will not serve you here."
Hearing this, everyone had no choice but to queue up obediently.
***
Soon, the first batch of buns and Mantou came out of the steamer. Everyone could no longer care about gossip. They had waited for a long time and were indeed hungry, so they paid the money one after another.
Seeing this, Diancie quickly stepped forward to help.
There were simply too many people. More people who had heard the gossip continued to come and queue up. So, even with Diancie's help today, Ange was still busy and sweating profusely.
Seeing this, Princess Lila quickly said to the guards, "What are you standing around for? Go and help His Highness!"
"Yes... Yes!"
The guards quickly responded.
So, a team of guards helped collect money, some helped hand out the buns and Mantou to customers, and some helped maintain order. Ange was happy to have the assistance. With their help, he only had to focus on wrapping the buns.
The morning passed in a flash.
Because a team of guards was helping, Ange only needed to wrap the buns constantly. He used up all the ingredients he and Munchlax had prepared in just half a morning.
Normally, he would have just closed the stall and gone home.
But today was a rare opportunity. There were many customers and helpers, so he simply kneaded the dough and only steamed Mantou.
By noon, there was not a single bit of flour left in Ange's System Backpack that could be used for steaming Mantou. It was all used up.
He himself could not clearly say how many Mantou he sold in the end.
The novelty of a Royal Family member, coupled with the inherent deliciousness of the Mantou, made Ange's business explode.
"Alright, alright! That's it for today, everyone go home!" When the last Mantou was sold, Ange shouted out to the crowd.
"What! It's all gone already! I still wanted to try how delicious it was!"
The people queuing at the back were very disappointed. Some of them were first-time customers, or were even just rushing over for the excitement.
"Come early tomorrow!" Ange quickly closed the window.
"Prince Ange, can you come back to the Royal Palace with me now? I'm sure my father is also very eager to see you," Princess Lila stepped forward and said.
"Fine," Ange nodded.
He still planned to live in Azoth in the future, so it was very necessary to meet the current King.
***
Ange then drove the food cart slowly towards the Royal Palace, escorted by a team of guards.
Before leaving, he sent Komala, who was still sleeping, back home. He only brought Diancie and Swablu's Dad with him. Swablu's Dad was still lying on the roof of the cart.
On the way, Ange asked Princess Lila, "By the way, I don't have a business license. You won't arrest me, will you?"
Princess Lila found it both funny and frustrating to hear this, "Of course not! I'll sort that out for you later."
"I'm also undocumented," Ange added.
"I'll sort that out for you later, too," Princess Lila replied.
"That's good," Ange was satisfied.
It was indeed easier to get things done when you had connections in the government.
Soon, the cart drove into the Royal Palace. Ange drove while looking at the plants and trees in the Royal Palace. He felt both familiar and unfamiliar.
Following the guard's instructions, Ange parked the cart in the designated spot. He then got out of the cart with Princess Lila.
As soon as they got out of the cart, they saw Fiona approaching quickly. After whispering a few words in the Princess's ear, she handed a document to Princess Lila.
"Princess."
Princess Lila took the document and read it carefully. After finishing, the concern in her heart finally subsided. She smiled and looked at Ange, saying:
"Prince Ange, welcome home."
Then she looked at Diancie, "And Your Grace Diancie as well."
"Thank you."
Ange then followed Princess Lila to meet the King.
Before Fiona came to deliver the document, she had already gone to see the King and reported all the information about Ange to His Majesty.
As they walked into a large hall, Ange and Diancie saw the King sitting on the throne from afar.
The current King was named Edward Azoth. He had just turned forty. He had brilliant golden hair and a golden beard. He was tall, though slightly overweight.
Next to Edward sat Prince Romeo. The Prince was looking at Ange with curiosity.
Seeing Ange, Edward couldn't wait to walk down. He went straight to Ange and immediately grabbed both of Ange's hands.
"You... are you really Prince Ange?"
"Ind... Indeed. I'm the genuine article." Ange felt very awkward being held by a descendant who looked older than him.
Edward suddenly had tears in his eyes, "It's incredible. It's truly incredible. If Queen Anna knew you were alive and well, she would be immensely relieved."
Edward then turned his gaze to Diancie.
"Is this Your Grace Diancie? It's an honor to meet you."
Diancie performed a calm and elegant curtsy to Edward, "I am also very pleased to meet you, Your Majesty."
If Munchlax were here at this moment, seeing this side of Diancie, it would never again doubt her identity as a royal lady.
"She spoke."
"Diancie spoke."
"Idiot, that's telepathy."
...
In the great hall, besides the King and Prince Romeo, there were also many ministers. The moment Diancie spoke, they immediately began to discuss amongst themselves.
His Majesty the King had a look of admiration, "Amazing! Only His Grace Eliphas could bring such a beautiful Pokémon into existence."
Hearing Edward say this, Diancie glanced at Ange. She did not speak, tacitly acknowledging the fact that she was born because of Eliphas.
Although she had not communicated with Ange beforehand, they grew up together. Their minds were in sync, and Diancie instantly understood Ange's plan.
"Prince Ange, where did you go all these days? Since you woke up, why didn't you return to the Royal Family?" Edward asked.
How would I know what was the situation of the Royal Family? What if you didn't acknowledge me when I returned?
Although he thought this, Ange could not actually say it out loud.
"I had just woken up at the time. My mind was still hazy. I wasn't even sure if the Royal Family still existed. After all, five hundred years had passed."
"That's true, that's true," Edward nodded repeatedly, "Then where did Your Highness live before? Did you suffer?"
He heard from Fiona that His Highness had been reduced to setting up a street stall.
Oh, my poor prince! You are a noble member of the Royal Family! The Kingdom's former Prince!
Thinking of this, Edward was almost in tears.
Royal Family members were so precious now!
Including the newly returned prince, there were only four of them. They were too precious.
Lila: Father, aren't you being a bit too dramatic!?
Princess Lila knew what her father was thinking just by looking at his expression.
Edward wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes, "Your Highness, since you have returned, please move back into the Royal Palace and live with us."
However, Ange shook his head, "I'm sorry, I don't want to live in the Royal Palace right now."