Milla planned to suggest improvements to the handkerchief that Stella had completed.

With the hunting festival just a week away, the handkerchief Stella had made was not suitable for submission.

However, when Milla returned with the embroidery materials, Stella’s room was empty.

“Where did she go?”

Milla set down the basket she was carrying and stepped out onto the balcony to look outside. Despite the overcast, gloomy weather, Stella was out in the garden.

Seeing her crouched on the bare ground, it seemed she was planting something again.

Milla was about to call out to Stella but decided against it and simply watched quietly. She was close enough to clearly see Stella’s expression.

Despite her hands being covered in dirt, Stella looked far more excited and joyful than she had on the day she attended the emperor’s banquet.

She had claimed to have no interest in the position of empress, and it seemed she wasn’t just saying that.

As Milla pondered what to do next, she remembered that the reporting deadline was approaching. She needed to learn more about Princess Stella to provide a more detailed report.

Reluctantly, Milla stood for a while before heading back to her room to change into comfortable clothes and then went out to the garden.

She had never imagined she would be living the life of a maid. It was momentarily bewildering and surprising, but oddly enough, it made her chuckle.

“Do I plant this like I did the carrots?”

“No, this is a bit different. Watch closely!”

Esta grabbed a few long, black seeds and demonstrated.

With his tiny hands, he diligently dug a hole in the soil and tossed three or four seeds into it. Then he covered them with the displaced soil and firmly pressed it down with his foot.

“That’s how you do it. Easy, right?”

“I think I can do it.”

The thought of planting seeds other than fairy carrots excited Stella. She felt an urge to dig into the ground with a pickaxe, but since it was the seed-planting stage, there was no need for that yet.

Stella scooped up a handful of soil with her bare hands to make a small hole and placed three or four seeds inside, just as Esta had shown her. It took only a few seconds to cover them with soil again.

“Wow! Stella, you’re really fast! You’re so good at this! Truly a noble farmer!”

Encouraged by the fairies who had come along and were clapping and praising her, Stella began to speed up.

In the past, playing with soil had lifted her spirits when she was feeling down, but this time it was more than that. She felt like she was doing something very important and even thought that this moment was making her happy.

Thinking back, coming to the Credion Empire instead of Beatrice was a stroke of luck for Stella.

After Stella planted the seeds, Ark pressed them down firmly, and Esta sprinkled droplets of water he had gathered. Oton and Iver, who had also come along, worked in pairs to dig the ground and plant the seeds.

Even the fairies, who were usually shy and full of complaints, seemed to enjoy planting seeds, chattering happily without a break.

Oton, whose lips usually pouted, had a rounded smile on her face.

They had planted half the seeds from the pouch when it happened.

“Princess, may I help you?”

It was Milla’s calm and elegant voice. Stella appreciated that she asked if she could help, rather than questioning what she was doing.

“Do you want to join?”

Milla honestly didn’t really want to. She simply needed to learn more about Princess Stella, and she couldn’t just stand by while the princess got her hands dirty, so she reluctantly came out.

“If you show me, I’ll give it a try.”

Stella demonstrated as Esta had done for her, and Milla quickly understood.

With Milla and Stella working together, the seed planting was finished in no time. Though the earth fairies helped intermittently, Milla was unaware of it.

“Princess, what are you planting this time?”

Once again, Milla hadn’t heard where Princess Stella got the seeds. She was sure they had been obtained by the forces supporting the princess.

“They’re supposed to be herbs. I don’t know the exact name, though.”

Milla’s expression darkened immediately upon hearing Stella’s answer.

“Why? Is it bad to plant herbs?”

Milla hesitated for a moment before answering, as if she had made up her mind.

“Some herbs contain toxins, and you could be falsely accused of a crime.”

The imperial court was a treacherous place where a simple sneeze could lead to accusations of treason if one was unlucky.

“Oh, these should be fine.”

Stella believed that the peace-loving earth fairies wouldn’t have given her toxic herbs.

“Then it’s alright.”

However, the shadow on Milla’s face didn’t disappear as she gazed at the ground where the seeds had yet to sprout.

***

Just like the day before, Darren and Brynn went to the Moonlight Guild to purchase a street vendor’s permit.

Once again, Jack took on the role of guide. Although Darren and Brynn expected to return to the same spot as the day before, Jack led them to a different location.

“Why is it different from yesterday?” Darren asked, his voice still tinged with caution. He worried they might be led into a trap by someone with ulterior motives. If he were alone, he could easily escape, but Brynn was with him.

In contrast to Darren’s tense tone, Jack responded cheerfully and energetically. “Word about the carrots you sold yesterday has spread all over the market. People are saying they’ve never tasted such delicious carrots in their lives!”

Jack’s face was bright and cheerful as he looked back at them, contrasting with Darren’s wary expression. Feeling a bit guilty for being so tense, Darren pulled a carrot from the sack and handed it to Jack.

“Here’s a gift.”

“Wow! Is this the famous carrot?” Jack was delighted as if he had received a precious gift, even though it was just a single carrot.

“Let me see that.” Finding Jack endearing, Darren took the carrot back and wiped the dirt off with his clothes.

“Try eating the clean part.”

Jack sniffed the carrot, his eyes widening at the sweet aroma. He then took a big bite of the part Darren had cleaned. Watching Jack munch on the fresh carrot was as cute as watching a baby rabbit.

“Wow! This is really tasty. It tastes just like an apple. Now I understand why Mrs. Meg praised it so much.”

“Did Mrs. Meg buy some too?”

“Yes, she bought five yesterday. Do you remember her? She has plump, curly, orange hair.”

Darren recalled the woman whose hair color was remarkably similar to the carrots, even amidst the chaos of yesterday. “I remember.”

“She runs a restaurant down that alley and gave them high praise. She might come to buy more today.”

Jack confidently continued munching on the carrot. Darren took the carrot back and cleaned another part for him.

The spot Jack led them to was closer to the plaza. Unlike yesterday, when they had laid out a sack on the ground, there was now a small stand, making it quite a respectable spot for a street vendor.

“Is this the place?”

“Yes, the boss told me to bring you here.”

Even the price for using the spot was the same as yesterday.

“Our carrots must be really popular to get us such a good spot,” Brynn said excitedly as she arranged the carrots on the stand. Soon, people began to gather.

“There they are, the young folks from yesterday!”

“Sell us some carrots.”

“How much? I’ll take ten.”

“I’ll take twenty!”

The crowd started placing large orders loudly. In the end, the carrots sold out before they could even be displayed on the stand. Some people even offered extra money when they saw the shortage, so Darren ended up selling three sacks of carrots for 170 pennies. This was nearly double the amount they made yesterday.

***

Darren and Brynn returned with more money than the day before. However, their faces seemed gloomy. Stella, noticing this, stared at them curiously until Darren spoke in a lifeless voice.

“Princess, the seed market you mentioned wasn’t open today, so we couldn’t get any. We’re sorry.”

“It’s fine. When can you buy them, then?”

“The merchants said it should open sometime this week, but we won’t know the exact date until tomorrow.”

“Got it. You did well. Is that what you were worried about? You can’t help it if the market isn’t open. It’s not your fault.”

Relieved that they weren’t scolded for failing their errand, the two finally relaxed their tense expressions and returned to their rooms, grateful to be back at Verdura Castle.

Left alone, Stella spent a happy time counting the money they had earned over the past two days. “At this rate, I’ll be rich in no time.”

After deducting expenses, they had about 200 pennies. Even for commoners, it was difficult to earn this much in such a short time through farming. It had taken less than a month to plant the seeds, tend to them, harvest, and sell them. Moreover, it didn’t require much effort.

Although she was royalty, Stella had grown up outside the castle with her mother before moving in, so she was well aware of the cost of living. If she continued to save money at this pace, she felt she could find a way to destroy the Bloodline Document or leave the castle to live freely.

Feeling proud as she looked at the neatly arranged coins on the table, Stella swept them into an empty box. “If I save until tomorrow, I might be able to exchange them for a gold coin or two.”

Stella hoped that one day she could fill the box with golden coins instead of copper ones.

“Is this really that good?” Ark, who had been watching Stella, picked up a coin that had fallen on the floor and asked.

“Yes, it’s good.”

“Really? Should I bring you more of these, then?”

“What? Coins?” Curious about what an earth fairy would do with coins, she asked.

“Yeah. There are lots of these underground. Uhu was mad because the round, flat things humans hide prevented plants from growing well, so he piled them up in one place.”

Stella’s eyes gleamed with greed for a moment. ‘Earth fairies don’t know the value of money, so that’s why they’re like this. I’ll take all that money. But should I tell them? No, why would an earth fairy need money? Uhu said it’s a nuisance anyway. I’ll just clear it out like a pile of stones. Someone else will find it if I don’t take it.’

Stella quickly rationalized her decision. “If you don’t need them, give them to me. I need them.”

Stella tried to look as nonchalant as possible.

“Alright. That’s great! I was worried about what to do with them anyway.” Ark clapped his hands in visible delight. Stella, too, felt like clapping but restrained herself.

At times like this, it was important to appear uninterested in material things. Stella smiled nobly, as if she were a truly noble farmer.