Stella had no desire to meet again with the man who had introduced himself as the owner of the Red Bat Trading Company. Yet, by some twist of fate, Ian Blake was waiting at the café where the man had taken them.

At first, she thought Ian might be part of the man’s group, but that wasn’t the case.

Darren entered a café for the first time in his life. The place, filled with charming trinkets, was bustling with elegantly dressed young ladies and stylish young men.

Seeing them, Darren suddenly thought it would be nice to bring Brynn here, then quickly shook his head.

‘Why am I suddenly thinking of Brynn?’

However, his mind was already filled with the image of Brynn sitting there, sipping tea with a bright smile.

Unaware of Darren’s thoughts, the man led them to a table separate from where Ian was seated.

“This café is famous for its milk tea and strawberry cake. I brought a very skilled chef here.”

“So, this is your place, sir.”

“I dabble in various things. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Pamelio, the father of that foolish boy from earlier and the owner of the Pine Trading Company.”

He was the owner of the Pine Trading Company and the wealthiest man in the district. Despite being a commoner and merely a merchant, few dared to treat him lightly due to his strong connections with the nobility.

“I’m Darren, and this is my sister, Rudina.”

Darren recalled the name Princess Stella had used as a cover with Jack and decided it was safest to introduce them as siblings.

Stella was quite impressed with Darren’s quick thinking.

“I heard you sell carrots.”

He had recently heard about the carrots causing quite a stir in the market.

Initially dismissive of how good carrots could be, his opinion changed completely after tasting the carrots his staff procured, overcoming fierce competition.

‘This is a money-maker. I must secure this.’

Pamelio intended to buy all the carrots they had, regardless of the quantity.

“Yes, that’s right.”

Darren answered on behalf of Stella, sensing she had little interest in speaking with this man.

“You purchased a street vendor license from the Moonlight Guild, correct?”

“Yes.”

Darren was curious about how this man knew everything.

“Do you have a special connection with the owner of the Moonlight Guild?”

Pamelio’s face, which had been wearing a benevolent smile, stiffened slightly when he mentioned the Moonlight Guild. Stella, watching him closely, didn’t miss the subtle change in his expression.

She hadn’t expected her childhood experiences of constantly gauging her mood to appease her drunken mother would be useful in this way.

“No, not at all.”

Although they had gone through Milla’s introduction, Darren gave a vague answer, thinking the old man would probe further if he mentioned a personal connection.

Hearing Darren’s response, Pamelio smiled broadly and said,

“Then why not purchase the street vendor license from our Pine Trading Company starting tomorrow? Given my son’s actions, I’ll offer you the best spot at a low price.”

Darren was tempted, but sensing the princess’s caution, he kept his mouth shut.

Pamelio’s gaze, which had been kindly fixed on Darren, naturally shifted to Stella.

“It seems your sister makes the decisions.”

Perhaps experience couldn’t be ignored, as the old man was quite perceptive.

Stella appeared to consider for a moment before standing up and responding in a calm voice.

“Thank you for the offer, but we’re fine as we are. Goodbye.”

No sooner had Stella finished speaking than Darren sprang to his feet. He looked bewilderedly at Pamelio before hurriedly following Stella.

“Even the great Pamelio has moments of failure.”

Ian’s voice came just then. Pamelio, watching the two walk away in a daze, frowned at the sudden voice.

Just a frown was enough to transform his face from kindly to one devoid of warmth, like a cold-blooded person.

“Why are you here!”

Pamelio shouted at Ian, who sat across from him without permission.

Despite the loud yell that seemed to reverberate through the eardrums, Ian smiled and brought the untouched teacup Stella had left to his lips. The lukewarm, sweet milk tea lingered in his mouth before going down smoothly.

“The milk tea here is definitely the best.”

“Why are you here?” Pamelio asked again, his gaze sharp and piercing.

“I walk to places I want to go on my own two feet. Is there a problem with that? Besides, I’ve already paid for my tea,” Ian replied, pointing to the table where he had been sitting earlier.

“By the way, you’re still the same. Your face turns red every time you see me. Someone might think you have a crush on me.”

“You! You!”

“But what can I do? I’m not into men, especially older ones.” Ian let his lips droop as if the thought alone displeased him, then set the teacup down on the table.

The image of the pretty young lady who had boldly refused Pamelio’s offer and stood up lingered in his mind. He thought he was only attracted to her appearance, but her personality was just as appealing.

“Could it be that you orchestrated all of this?”

“What are you talking about? Oh, are you referring to Rio dancing in the market wearing only underwear? Or maybe how he trembled like a six-year-old girl over just two mice? As I said, I’m into women. No matter how Rio comes at me in his underwear, I’m not interested.”

Ian looked at Pamelio, who was trembling with anger, then rose gracefully. If Pamelio had crafted his current persona through painstaking effort, Ian exuded elegance from head to toe, despite not being a noble.

“And leave that carrot girl alone. She’s my ideal type, and I can’t stand other guys bothering her. If Rio pulls another stunt like that, he might find a scorpion in his pants instead of mice. But I wonder if the scorpion’s pincers are big enough to do the job.”

“You scoundrel!”

“Oh dear, my name isn’t Scoundrel; it’s Ian. Are you already losing your memory?”

Ian continued to tease until the end, then removed his hat and bowed elegantly before leaving. He didn’t forget to wink at the female staff who were staring blankly at him.

***

The two soon entered the forest path. Stella felt uneasy, thinking she might have caused trouble after being out for just one day.

Seeing Stella, now silent and dejected in contrast to her cheerful chatter on the way there, made Darren feel uncomfortable.

“It’s not your fault, Princess. It’s that scoundrel, Rio or Leo or whatever his name is. So…” Darren blurted out in sympathy but quickly shut his mouth, feeling that he was being quite impudent.

“I think I made a mistake.” But Stella’s voice still lacked strength. Darren pondered what he could say to comfort her, but his limited wisdom offered no solutions. If he opened his mouth, he’d probably just say something like, “It’s not your fault, Princess,” which wouldn’t be much comfort.

Darren walked silently. In the dense forest, unknown birds chirped incessantly. The path, having been traveled a few times, was now well-formed and quite passable.

“You should have worn Darren’s clothes, not Brynn’s.”

“Pardon?” The direction of her thought was different from what he had expected. Darren was so taken aback that he was at a loss for words, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

Leaving Darren standing there speechless, Stella sighed deeply and strode ahead, muttering to herself. “I have been getting prettier lately.”

The princess seemed to be a bigger person than he had thought.

***

As soon as Stella arrived in Verdura, she expected Milla to scold her to some extent and was prepared for it. However, Milla neither scolded her nor showed any displeasure.

She wondered if Milla was unaware that she had gone to Conpagno, but that wasn’t the case. It was simply that something more urgent had come up.

“Princess Annette has sent an invitation to a tea party,” Milla spoke urgently before Stella could even change her clothes.

“When is it?”

“In an hour.”

“What? It’s today? Did the invitation arrive just a few days ago?” Even if the distance was short, it was unheard of to deliver a tea party invitation on the day of the event.

She wondered if Milla had forgotten and was now hastily delivering it, but judging by Milla’s expression, that didn’t seem to be the case.

“Princess Annette usually sends invitations on the day of the tea party.”

“Why?”

“Perhaps because the distance is short…”

“Is it some kind of procedure to see if people will obediently bow to her? A display of power? Between princesses held hostage, and within the Plant District at that?” Milla thought Stella was joking. But judging by her slightly furrowed brow, she seemed to be serious.

Milla couldn’t hide her surprise at Stella’s accurate grasp of the situation. While Milla was also straightforward, Princess Stella was a different kind of person.

Unlike other princesses who tried to package their lives here as hopeful and flowery to elevate their self-worth, Stella understood the situation clearly and quickly grasped her position.

A powerless princess from the Kingdom of Amalrune, held hostage in the Credion Empire, and the lowest-ranked princess even within the Plant District.

Yet despite this, her eyes always sparkled with an unknown determination.

Milla had just realized why she kept feeling drawn to Stella, who constantly caused unbelievable incidents. It was those eyes. Those vividly alive eyes.

“Then I’ll inform them that you won’t attend.” Milla had expected a strong objection, but surprisingly, Stella sighed lightly and replied as if she had no choice.

“There’s no need for that. I’ll go.”

She wasn’t sure, but she thought that if she didn’t attend, Milla, who was responsible for her, might face some disadvantages.