Although it was amusing to have such thoughts just because she had received a pickaxe, looking at the vast and fertile land made her heart flutter strangely.

“Was the smell of soil always this good?”

The moist earthy scent, with just the right amount of humidity, put her at ease. As she enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere on the balcony, Milla burst into the room, breathless.

“Princess, right now in the garden!”

Milla, who had rushed in, startled by the garden that had changed overnight, abruptly stopped when she saw Stella calmly standing on the balcony, looking down.

Though it sounded absurd, the thought suddenly crossed her mind that Princess Stella might have been the one to change the garden like that.

Stella’s back, standing there in just her nightgown and facing the wind, appeared even more beautiful than when she had been all dressed up the day before.

Milla, who had been staring blankly at Stella’s back as if entranced, suddenly came to her senses and approached Stella’s side.

“Do you happen to know why the garden has changed like that?”

“Yes.”

Stella answered nonchalantly to the carefully posed question. Milla nervously swallowed.

She worried that an unmanageable answer might come from Princess Stella. She didn’t want to be swept away by the waves again, just as she had finally settled in.

She prayed that Stella wasn’t a wizard.

Unauthorized wizards couldn’t stay within the imperial palace, and for a princess from another country to be recognized as a wizard was far more difficult than returning to her original country.

If she were unlucky, the magic tower might even accuse her of being a spy and kill her. The death of the princess she served would mean yet another failure.

“Did you perhaps, Your Highness…”

“I hired people. They said waiting for a gardener would take too long. I told them to work without disturbing anyone, so I guess they worked through the night.”

At Stella’s casual response and shrug, Milla felt oddly deflated. While they couldn’t let just anyone into the imperial palace, many people were willing to do odd jobs within the palace if offered extra money.

Milla scrutinized her surroundings anew.

The fact that the princess had hired someone without her knowledge was also evidence that there were always people watching over the princess besides herself.

It seemed clear that Princess Stella was an even more remarkable person than she had initially thought.

***

Today was a day with no scheduled appointments. Stella spent the leisurely morning sipping her tea at ease.

When she first heard that she had to go to Credion instead of Beatrice, it felt as though the world was crumbling. However, as she settled in, she found it much more comfortable both physically and mentally than in Amalrune. Of course, she had faced a near-death experience, but that was already in the past.

Here, there was no queen desperately trying to drive her out, no Beatrice who acted kindly in front of others but tormented her when they were alone.

Moreover, there was no father who viewed her as an impurity born from his mistake.

If there was one thing that bothered her, it was Rudina’s whereabouts.

She planned to sell the jewels she had to raise money and inquire about Rudina’s whereabouts after settling in a bit more. Until then, she hoped Rudina was safe and doing well.

Lost in these thoughts while drinking tea, she suddenly realized her teacup was empty.

Milla was exceptionally skilled at brewing tea.

The moderately astringent taste lingered on the tip of her tongue, and as time passed, a savory and refreshing aroma filled her mouth. The tea was excellent enough to make her forget her momentary worries.

Except for the small commotion caused by what had happened in the garden that morning, it had been a day of continuous peace. Milla mentioned that she would be away to attend a regular meeting of the maids assigned to the Plant district.

Under the bed, the pickaxe still emitted a noble light, tempting her to touch it, but Stella resolutely resisted. She didn’t want to dream again of being proposed to by a pickaxe and feeling excited about it.

As she was nearly finishing her second cup of tea, she felt something moving at her feet. Stella looked down without much surprise.

It was Ark and Esta. After confirming that no one else was around, Stella tapped the table, inviting them to come up.

The two now seemed to come and go freely in Stella’s room as if it were nothing unusual.

“What’s the matter?”

“We brought a gift for Stella.”

If it had been before receiving the pickaxe, she would have been happy just hearing the word ‘gift’, but not now. A gift from earth fairies might be a plow or a rake instead of a pickaxe this time.

She didn’t want to imagine herself becoming obsessed with other farming tools besides the pickaxe.

“I’m fine. You don’t have to give me anything.”

Stella smiled awkwardly, but the two earth fairies were unwavering.

“No, there’s no need to refuse. Grandpa Uhu insisted that we must give this to you.”

“What is it?”

Stella asked reluctantly. As she showed interest, the two fairies appeared excited and pulled out small pouches from their pockets.

The pouches they presented were about the size of figs and made of plant leaves, filled with something inside.

A pouch made of leaves was not only cute but also piqued her curiosity about its contents.

Genuinely intrigued, Stella spread her palm wide in front of them. Ark and Esta carefully placed the pouches onto her palm.

“What’s this?”

It didn’t seem like food, nor did it have the sweet smell of the carrot Ark had been carrying earlier.

“We brought it because it seemed like Stella liked carrots.”

“Is this a carrot?”

“No, fairy carrot seeds!”

“Seeds? You want me to plant these?”

She had never planted anything in her life. While she loved watching flowers and trees grow, she had never contributed to their growth.

When Stella expressed her surprise, the two earth fairies nodded as if it were obvious.

“Stella is now a noble farmer, so of course you should farm.”

“That’s right; you’ve received Terra’s blessing too, along with plenty of blessings from the earth fairies.”

Although she had received blessings, Stella felt she hadn’t changed much. If she had to find something, perhaps she felt a bit less tired?

Stella examined her other palm, the one not holding the seeds, wondering if she had overlooked something.

The thought of wanting to hold a pickaxe with that hand suddenly crossed her mind, and she shook her head. It seemed clear that the blessings from Terra and the earth fairies had created an obsession with pickaxes.

“I’ve never farmed before. I don’t even know how to plant seeds.”

She wanted to assert that she was a princess of a country, but it felt petty. Besides, it seemed ridiculous to mention being a princess when she had hardly ever been treated like one.

“It’s not difficult. We’ll teach you. You’ll probably know instinctively even without our help.”

Esta said confidently. Stella wished the earth fairies had brought well-ripened carrots instead of seeds.

However, since they had offered it with good intentions, Stella reluctantly expressed her gratitude.

Even though it wasn’t a heartfelt thank you, Ark and Esta’s faces brightened immensely. They elbowed each other, boasting, “See! I told you she’d like it!”

Watching their enthusiasm made her feel like she had truly received a wonderful gift. These creatures had a knack for making people’s hearts happy.

“When are you going to plant them? Are you going to plant them now? It’s the perfect season for fairy carrots.”

“If you plant them today, you can harvest them in a week. Shall I help?”

The two, who had been praising themselves, asked with sparkling eyes.

“That fast?”

“These are fairy carrots. They’re different from the ones ordinary humans grow.”

Ark’s face was filled with pride as he explained the carrots. He seemed to genuinely enjoy them, carrying carrots around every day. Stella gazed at the seed pouches in her palm and nodded.

With nothing particular to do and the weather nice, planting fairy carrots didn’t seem like a bad idea.

A little while later, when Stella came down to the first floor holding a pickaxe, the maids rushed over in shock. If the princess they served got hurt, the responsibility would fall entirely on them.

“Princess, where did you get that? It’s dangerous. Please give it to me.”

“Why are you carrying such a heavy thing?”

As the pale-faced maids reached out toward the pickaxe, Stella instinctively hid it behind her back. Fortunately, Milla, who had gone to a regular meeting, had not yet returned.

“It’s fine. It’s not heavy at all.”

“But…”

Even though Stella insisted it was okay, the maids continued to glance nervously at the pickaxe, unsure of what to do. Stella tightly gripped the pickaxe hidden behind her back.

I don’t want to give it up. This is mine.

This thought dominated Stella’s mind at that moment. Although the maids likely wouldn’t covet an old pickaxe over jewels or gold, she feared they might take it away.

Stella couldn’t help but chuckle at her own ridiculous attachment. After several disputes, she finally managed to keep the pickaxe and walked triumphantly into the garden. The sight of the neatly arranged garden made her feel refreshed.

“Where should we plant them?”

Stella asked, looking around while holding the seeds and the pickaxe.

“Let’s go over there. It’ll grow well if we plant it where there’s plenty of sunlight without tree shade.”

Ark excitedly took the lead. He seemed much more enthusiastic than Esta, who walked alongside him. His steps were quick, and he urged them on frequently.

“What are you doing? Hurry up! We need to plant them quickly.”

Ark, walking far ahead, turned back and shouted several times. Seeing this, Esta looked at Stella with an awkward smile and said, “Please understand. Ark is an earth fairy with strong spring energy, so he’s crazy about planting seeds.”

“What’s good about having strong spring energy?”

“It makes the sprouts grow faster. If you plant seeds with Ark, the sprouts will come up tomorrow.”

Esta casually stated something remarkable.