The fairy spoke with determination. Of course, Kai had never actually cursed.

Just as Kai was about to defend himself, the fairy continued.

“I’ll handle the scolding. So don’t let anyone else badmouth Stella. It annoys me.”

The tiny earth fairy grumbled with an arrogant expression before quickly disappearing. Everything about this place, from the people to the mole-like fairies, was truly bizarre.

Kai felt that if he stayed here any longer, he might become strange himself. So, he grabbed the reins and led Ben away, his only thought being to leave before Princess Stella returned.

However, Stella ran faster than he expected, and Ben’s stubbornness only grew by the day.

“Wait a moment.”

Princess Stella, panting heavily, thrust a pouch she was holding towards Kai.

Watching the princess gasp for breath as if she had run a marathon, despite covering such a short distance, Kai felt a mix of irritation, pity, and something oddly unsettling, which made him frown.

“Take it. It’s for your trouble.”

Compensation from the emperor’s daughter? He never imagined he’d be rewarded for merely dropping seeds into holes, not even for swinging a pickaxe.

Opening the pouch indifferently, Kai’s eyes widened in surprise. It was filled with radiant orange carrots.

Seeing the man who seemed ready to leave at any moment now standing still and peering into the pouch, Stella couldn’t help but chuckle.

Despite his large build, he had a strong appetite and a charming, instinctive side. She had assumed he was older, but his behavior suggested he might be younger than her.

‘I guess he’s just a junior knight, probably not even twenty. He’s been through a lot, which is why he looks older. Poor thing.’

Stella, having drawn her own conclusions, began to look at Kai with a sisterly affection.

“If you endure and persevere, a day will come when you can smile. So hang in there and keep going.”

Reflecting on her own life, Stella offered her encouragement sincerely.

“Pardon?”

Without saying anything else, Stella placed a silver coin, a keepsake she had received as a gift, into Kai’s hand.

Having grown up alone and always wishing for a sibling, she now felt like an older sister giving pocket money to her little brother. It was heartwarming.

“Stay strong.”

Realizing that Stella had given him a coin, Kai was unsure whether to laugh or get angry. Reluctantly, he responded.

“Oh… yes. Thank you.”

Kai found the situation absurd—having come here because of Ben, he ended up planting seeds, receiving advice, and even getting pocket money.

Yet, he didn’t feel bad. Although Stella didn’t really know who he was, it had been a long time since someone other than Harman treated him so casually.

“It might seem like a substantial amount, but keep it. You never know when you might need it.”

It was amusing to hear her talk about a single silver coin as if it were a fortune.

But Kai, hiding his amusement behind a stoic expression, watched Stella calmly. As he searched for a suitable response, Princess Stella continued speaking.

“Don’t be too overwhelmed. It’s nothing special.”

It seemed the princess had thoroughly misunderstood the situation. Unable to find an answer, Kai accepted the pouch of carrots and the silver coin and returned to the castle. Strange things always happened when he got involved with that woman.

***

Back in his room, Kai casually tossed the pouch Stella had given him onto the desk and, without realizing it, glanced around.

He was curious if, like last time, the earth fairy had followed him. But the surroundings were as quiet as a mouse.

“Why didn’t it follow me?”

When he only heard its voice, it drove him crazy, but after seeing the earth fairy, he felt differently. Not seeing the fairy around, Kai took out the documents he had stored in the drawer.

They were papers Ark had stepped on. Although they were mining sale documents, they no longer held any significance because the earth fairy’s footprints were clearly imprinted on them.

Gazing at the yellowed paper with crooked footprints, Kai put the documents back into the drawer. Besides those papers, nothing else was inside.

He had always liked small animals and insects since he was young.

When held tightly in one hand, they seemed fragile enough to crumble, yet the feeling of safeguarding them was so overwhelming and moving that it was hard to describe.

The small teddy bear his mother had crafted for him as a child was still kept in Kai’s treasure box.

Whenever he missed his mother unbearably, he would take it out for a look. He had handled it so much that its nose had become shiny, and the fur on its ears and tail had worn thin and flattened.

The idea that the emperor, who could effortlessly decapitate his enemies, cherished a teddy bear above all might sound laughable to others, but he couldn’t help it.

He kept it in the treasure box because he worried that too much sunlight might fade its color, dust might settle on it, or someone might damage it. Harman was the only one who knew this fact.

Sometimes, it served as a threat when Kai engaged in behavior that might harm his health.

“Should I let the entire population know that the emperor’s most treasured possession is a teddy bear?”

Kai knew that Harman would never actually reveal such a thing, but he always pretended to give in for the sake of the old chamberlain’s mental health and small happiness.

“After receiving all my allowance.”

Kai, who had been fiddling with the coin in his pocket, let out a light breath and tossed the coin into the drawer containing the documents marked with footprints.

Clatter.

The coin rolled inside the drawer, which held only one document, and came to rest flat against the drawer wall.

As Kai watched it indifferently and was about to close the drawer, he suddenly paused and slowly turned his head toward the drawer.

Then, he took the coin, which was shining brightly, under the lamp to examine it closely.

“Why is this here…?”

Even Kai, the emperor, had only confirmed the existence of this coin in history books.

He needed to have it appraised by the royal wizard, but judging by the seven different fruits engraved on the Tree of Life on the back, it seemed genuine.

The coin had been created by order of Weimar Edelgard, the first emperor of the Credion Empire, and made by the great wizard Edat. Each coin was infused with magic, and it was said to bring immense luck and power to its holder.

A thousand of these coins, made of both silver and gold, were so valuable that their price was astronomical. People who possessed them were rumored to have become unexpectedly wealthy, regained their health, or found love.

Of course, Kai didn’t believe those stories. Only those with many possessions could acquire these coins, and their wealth and power were originally theirs, not because of the coins.

However, people blindly believed in those fanciful tales and used any means necessary to acquire more coins.

Eventually, Emperor Weimar issued a royal decree to forcibly buy back the coins, and to prevent further chaos, he hid all one thousand coins in a place no one knew.

She was merely a princess sent as a hostage from a minor country. A princess sent away as if she were abandoned by her father, without support or love.

As Kai looked at the coin glittering under the lamp, his eyes narrowed.

He wasn’t pleased with the complicated, bothersome events unfolding in his previously peaceful life, especially since they were happening against his will. The hundredth piece he had recently put together must have been wrong.

He needed to find out for sure.

***

Milla returned to Verdura after midnight, having completed her report. It bothered her a bit that she couldn’t say goodnight to the princess because it was so late.

Arriving at Stella’s room earlier than usual, Milla knocked several times, but there was no response from inside. Milla waited quietly outside the room for a moment before cautiously opening the door.

“Princess, are you awake…?”

She entered naturally, greeting as she did, but the bed was empty. The bedding was disheveled, as if someone had hurriedly left.

“Princess?”

Milla looked around the room once more and then stepped out onto the balcony to check outside. There was no sign of her in the garden either.

“Where could she have gone?”

As Milla searched every corner of the expansive garden, she spotted someone and narrowed her eyes slightly. It was Brynn, watering the garden.

“Why is Brynn here at this hour?”

Darren and Brynn had recently been going to the market early in the morning to sell carrots. By this time, they were supposed to be setting up their stall at the market.

“Could it be!”

A chill started at Milla’s spine and climbed up her neck.

Please, not that. Milla repeatedly reassured herself that Princess Stella wouldn’t be that reckless as she calmly made her way down.

On her way, she ran into Lianne but hurriedly greeted her and quickly disappeared into the kitchen. It felt ominous.

As she stepped outside the castle, the fresh scent unique to early mornings filled the air. Milla took a deep breath and then strode purposefully towards Brynn, who was watering the field not far away.

Humming a tune, Brynn suddenly lifted her head, sensing a chill.

“Mi-Mi-Milla. Good morning.”

Brynn greeted her with an awkward smile and a bow.

“Where is the princess?”

Milla didn’t bother with useless questions like why Brynn was there at this hour.

Seeing the directness of Milla’s question, Brynn looked at her with a frightened expression, biting her lower lip nervously as she lowered her head.

“Well, actually…”

“Did she go to Conpagno?”

Brynn squeezed her eyes shut and nodded.