The earth fairies, who had boasted they would never leave her side, were nowhere to be seen during the day.

Stella, who had been worried about them constantly appearing and being a nuisance, found herself looking for them when they were absent.

After much effort, she completed four handkerchiefs representing the four seasons and one handkerchief embroidered with a carrot to commemorate the first carrot harvest. She felt quite proud once they were finished.

She thought she would give them to the earth fairies when they returned, but they didn’t show up all morning. Wondering if they might be sleeping, she checked under the bed again, but the jewelry box bed was empty.

Although the dirt had been cleaned off, leaving it spotless again, Stella had a nagging feeling that brushing off dirt might become a daily routine.

“Stella, what are you doing there?”

While inspecting under the bed, she heard a cute and familiar voice. The earth fairies had returned.

“Where have you been? You said you’d guard me all day!”

“Well, I was going to, but I felt safe because that scary woman was with you.”

Stella exaggerated a bit, and Ark gave an ambiguous response.

“Scary woman? You mean Milla?”

“Yeah. The woman who never smiles and always has a scary expression. Milla.”

It was amusing how Milla was labeled as scary just because of her expression.

“If she’s so scary, why leave me alone with her?”

“She might be scary, but she likes you.”

“Milla? Likes me?”

Stella had never sensed any warm affection from Milla. She was simply grateful that she didn’t feel any outright hostility from her.

Of course, Milla was always willing to help, but Stella assumed that was just part of Milla’s role.

“Yeah. You can tell by the way she looks at you.”

“Sure, you can tell.”

As Ark and Esta spoke with the certainty of seasoned philosophers, Oton, who had been listening quietly, clicked her tongue.

“Nonsense.”

“Why is it nonsense? Esta and I saw it.”

“You can’t judge humans so simplistically.”

Oton spoke with a hint of irritation. Esta bristled, while Ark looked hurt.

“What about Stella? Do you not trust Stella either?”

Esta placed her hands on her hips and raised her chin, challenging Oton to answer. Even if she distrusted humans, surely she couldn’t say that to Stella, who had cleared away the cursed jar.

But Oton sighed deeply, gazing at Stella who was looking at her, and spoke gently.

“Strictly speaking, Stella knocking over the stone tower that day was an accident. She fell when Milla called out to her. Isn’t that right?”

Oton asked with a cool expression, arms crossed. Stella suddenly found herself without words. Oton’s words were true.

“Well…”

As Stella struggled to respond, Ark chimed in to support her.

“Still, if Stella hadn’t thrown the lid of the jar with the curse inscription and broken it, what do you think would have happened to us?”

“She must have been sure it wasn’t dangerous before she touched it, right?”

Oton asked again.

Wow, who would have thought there would be such a rational and cool-headed presence among the adorable earth fairies? Even now, with her short arms crossed and a smug expression, she looked so cute.

Stella pondered how to respond and decided to speak the truth. No matter how she tried to frame it, the events of that day were exactly as Oton described.

“I accidentally knocked over the stone tower when I fell, and I broke the jar knowing it wasn’t dangerous. Oton is right.”

“See? Yet everyone keeps praising you as some noble farmer. I think we should wait and see. Don’t take it too harshly. I’m just trying to stay sensible.”

Oton spoke in a calm voice till the end.

“Alright. I won’t take it harshly.”

It was fascinating how these tiny creatures all looked different, sounded different, and had distinct personalities.

Iver said nothing, just watching his friends and Stella talk with an anxious look.

When no further conversation followed and things wrapped up neatly, Iver finally seemed relieved and sat back comfortably.

“Oh, by the way, I have something for you.”

“What is it?”

When Stella mentioned she had something to give, the three earth fairies eagerly gathered around her. Although Oton sat a little further away, it was obvious she was curious, as she kept glancing over.

“It’s nothing special. I embroidered some handkerchiefs, and I thought they might make nice blankets for you.”

“Are you giving them to us?”

“Really?”

“Rea… Really…”

While Ark and Esta bounced around in excitement, Iver struggled to say thank you and ended up stammering instead.

Stella gently patted Iver’s head with one finger and handed him the handkerchief embroidered with a snowman.

Iver accepted the silky handkerchief with an expression of awe.

“It’s so soft, it feels like water is flowing through it.”

He was genuinely impressed, and for once, he didn’t stutter. He just marveled at the handkerchief, which fluttered like seaweed whenever he waved it.

“This one’s for Ark, this one’s for Esta, and lastly, this one’s for Oton.”

Oton, who had been critical of Stella earlier, was surprised to receive a gift and stood up in surprise.

But when she met Stella’s gaze, she turned her head as if she wasn’t surprised at all and quietly sat back on the bed.

“Aren’t you going to take it?”

As Stella offered the handkerchief, Oton reluctantly approached and accepted it.

“Just because I’m accepting this doesn’t mean I completely trust you, a human.”

“Of course not.”

Oton grumbled until the end, but Stella saw her smile brightly as she turned away. Adorable.

“Oh, by the way, Stella, we have something for you too.”

“What is it?”

Feeling proud as she watched the fairies delight in their handkerchiefs, Stella’s eyes sparkled at the mention of a gift.

Esta handed over two more seed pouches, each twice as large as the pouch of fairy carrot seeds given previously.

“Seeds?”

“Yeah, try planting them.”

“What kind of seeds are they?”

“I’m not really sure. Old man Uhu said to give them to you. He said they’d grow really well if you planted them.”

“Really?”

Though she couldn’t say it in front of the fairies, Stella sincerely hoped they were valuable crops.

The seeds from the first pouch were long and jet-black, with two thick, antenna-like hairs protruding from the ends.

If she hadn’t been told they were seeds, she might have thought they were bugs.

Excitedly, Stella opened the second pouch. As soon as she peered inside, she couldn’t help but gasp. It was filled with round, pearly white grains.

“Do you know what kind of seeds these are?”

“Those are spinach seeds.”

“Were spinach seeds always this pretty?”

“Of course, regular spinach seeds are brown. These are seeds filled with the blessings of the earth fairies.”

“Like the fairy carrots, they must be delicious?”

“Absolutely.”

To Stella, the pouches filled with seeds felt as precious as treasure chests.

“Shall we plant them tomorrow?”

“Yeah, we’ll help you.”

As Ark nodded, the other fairies eagerly volunteered to help. When the three fairies looked at Oton, who hadn’t spoken, she fiddled with her handkerchief and replied gruffly.

“I’ll help too.”

Esta, who seemed pleased, quickly added.

“These need to be planted on cloudy days or at night. If they get sunlight while they’re still seeds, they’ll dry up immediately. Oh, and you can’t plant them on the same day.”

“Why not?”

“One per day. That’s our rule.”

Though it was a strange and frustrating rule, Stella could only nod quietly.

***

Today marked the second day Brynn and Darren were heading to the market. Hearing that they had gone to the market, done business, and received payment, Lianne looked envious.

Stella thought she should give Lianne a fair chance to go to the market too.

“Princess, we’re off.”

Darren bowed politely, like a student heading to school. Brynn, equally excited, also greeted her.

Though she enjoyed working at Verdura Castle, Brynn loved walking the mountain path and exploring the market with Darren.

While busy working, Darren never answered questions properly, but when they walked together, he was more responsive.

“Oh, by the way, could you pick up some seeds or seedlings from the market on your way back?”

“What should we get?”

“Hmm. Something that’s perfect to plant right now. Ask around at the market and buy something suitable.”

“Yes, understood.”

Darren wanted to ask more questions but figured the princess didn’t know much about seeds either, so he hurried to end the conversation. They had a lot to do in the morning, and they were running late, so he felt rushed.

“Today, we’ll take three bags of carrots to sell.”

Having sold out two bags in no time, Darren had gained a bit of confidence. If he sold all three bags today, he planned to take four bags tomorrow.

“Alright, good luck.”

Watching the two depart, Stella thought they looked like a newlywed couple. Come to think of it, they made quite a fitting pair.

Darren seemed gruff but was caring and attentive, while Brynn was shy at first but became playful and diligent once she warmed up. The height difference was significant, but it seemed to draw them to each other even more.

As she gazed at the two walking away, Stella wondered vaguely if a day like that would come for her too, but she quickly shook off the thought. Now wasn’t the time for such idle musings.

There was much to do today.

“Milla, you said today’s lesson is canceled, right?”

“Yes, I heard the teacher is unwell and won’t be coming.”

“So there’s nothing else scheduled?”