Annette believed that Stella was deliberately seeking out withered flowers to blemish her otherwise perfect garden.

Annette, who devoted a lot of effort to her gardening, found Stella’s actions particularly irritating. Nevertheless, she maintained her composure, holding her teacup with an elegant smile.

“Thank you for letting me know, Princess Stella. I almost allowed something unsightly to spread in my beloved garden. I’ll have it removed immediately.”

As soon as Annette finished speaking, two maids briskly walked over to where the Golden Bloom was blooming.

The princesses seated around the table cast disapproving glances at Stella, who lived like someone abandoned in an old castle, making a fuss over a few withered flowers.

It was then that Stella abruptly stood up.

The princesses’ gazes were drawn to Stella like magnets.

“Princess Annette, may I take that flower with me?”

“Pardon? That flower?”

“Yes. Could you give it to me instead of discarding it?”

It was a humble request one would never expect from a princess. Several princesses, who had been looking at Stella disdainfully, suddenly changed their expressions to one of pity.

Annette was taken aback by Stella’s unexpected reaction.

But only momentarily. She thought Stella must be envious of her garden to act this way, and a smirk appeared on her lips. It was more than Annette had hoped for.

If she’s going to go this far, it’s only right to show some mercy.

“Of course. I’ll instruct the maids to deliver it to Verdura Castle. I’ll also send a few other flower seedlings. I’ve been concerned about the barren garden at Verdura Castle, so I’m very pleased to share my flowers.”

“Thank you.”

Stella replied, unable to take her eyes off the Golden Bloom. To Annette, it seemed as if Stella was genuinely grateful for her generosity. It was tolerable as long as she behaved according to her position.

“Princess Annette is truly gracious.”

“Indeed.”

Compliments about Annette’s kindness echoed all around. Annette was thoroughly satisfied with the direction the tea party was taking.

***

After returning to the castle from the tea party, Stella was astonished to see the seedlings left by the servants from Müiget Castle. Not only did they bring the Golden Bloom Stella wanted, but there were also a variety of other flower seedlings.

“My goodness, what is all this?”

Lianne, who had come out due to the commotion outside, exclaimed in surprise at the colorful seedlings.

She had always felt uneasy about the barren garden at Verdura, but now she was excited at the prospect of planting flowers and trees.

“These are gifts from Princess Annette of Müiget Castle.”

The servants who brought the seedlings spoke politely. Verdura had only four servants, including the maids, but five servants had come from Müiget Castle just to deliver the seedlings.

“It seems the princess has finally found a friend to share her heart with. That’s wonderful.”

Brynn said, unable to take her eyes off the splendid seedlings. Darren nodded in agreement, feeling pleased.

However, Princess Stella, who received the gift, didn’t seem very happy. Puzzled, Lianne looked at Milla, who also appeared somber.

“The princess and Milla don’t seem very pleased. Why is that, even after receiving such a gift?”

“Indeed.”

They were puzzled as to why the two weren’t delighted with such a wonderful present.

In truth, Stella wasn’t upset; she was simply curious about the plant called Golden Bloom.

‘I think that plant was mentioned in the Noble Farming book. I should go up and read it again. The more I look at it, the more refined its color seems.’

As Stella carefully observed the Golden Bloom brought by the servants from Müiget Castle, earth fairies began to gather around.

There were many other seedlings that looked prettier and sturdier than the Golden Bloom, but all the fairies were gathered near the Golden Bloom.

“This Golden Bloom needs a bit more care. Its color isn’t coming out right.”

Ark, who was examining the Golden Bloom as closely as Stella, spoke with a serious expression. He wasn’t the only one looking at the Golden Bloom with concern.

All the fairies gathered around the flower wore expressions as if they were carrying the world’s worries on their shoulders.

“What color is it supposed to be originally?”

Stella gently touched the unimpressive petals of the Golden Bloom and asked. The color was poor, but the petals had no blemishes. She felt it was a very good decision to say she would take the Golden Bloom.

“Golden.”

“What?”

“A well-grown Golden Bloom shines golden. It blooms for quite a long time too. When it catches the sunlight, it’s so brilliant that from a distance, it looks like a pile of gold coins.”

Ark smiled with a look of enchantment, as if he could see it right before his eyes.

It was said that if a noble farmer cultivated Golden Bloom on blessed land, it might become the most beautiful and noble Golden Bloom in the empire.

Long ago, many people had rushed over, thinking they saw a pile of gold coins from afar, only to find a field of golden Golden Bloom in full bloom.

However, as the golden Golden Bloom became popular, it was recklessly collected and moved from its original land, losing its original brilliance with each passing generation.

People who didn’t know much about the Golden Bloom often thought it was a sick flower and would uproot or burn it. The golden Golden Bloom had long become a rare sight.

To think such a Golden Bloom would be blooming in such an unimpressive state among the peonies at Müiget Castle.

The earth fairies couldn’t believe it when they first found the Golden Bloom.

The foolish humans were about to uproot the Golden Bloom again, but fortunately, Stella, blessed by the goddess of the earth, saved it before it could be discarded like trash.

“It shines golden?”

Stella couldn’t believe it.

There were about ten Golden Bloom plants from Müiget Castle. The ones uprooted with their roots were already wilting.

“This isn’t the time. Milla!”

Milla, who had been in a daze for a moment, quickly snapped back to attention and responded.

“Yes, Princess.”

This never used to happen, but being with Princess Stella often left Milla in such a state of distraction. The things Stella did were never part of Milla’s calculations.

Princess Stella acted so unpredictably that unexpected results would come rushing in before Milla could even gather her thoughts.

“Princess Annette said we could hire a gardener, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me?”

Stella’s voice had an edge, as if accusing Milla of hiding it from her. But Milla, as always, quickly returned to her calm demeanor and replied.

“I thought you already knew.”

Stella, meeting Milla’s clear eyes, suddenly closed her eyes tightly as a thought struck her.

“How would I have known… Ah.”

Stella recalled the time when the garden had been tidied overnight. Milla probably thought it was the gardeners who had done it.

“My mistake.”

Stella smacked her forehead with her palm.

“Pardon? What do you mean?”

“Never mind, it’s nothing. Milla, can you go and find a gardener to take charge of the Verdura garden?”

“Yes, understood. How many should I bring?”

Milla seemed slightly puzzled but didn’t ask any questions.

“Um, just one for now. I need to see how they work.”

“Yes, I’ll go right away.”

One of Milla’s strengths was that she didn’t pry.

No matter how curious she was, or how urgent the matter, she never asked Stella for reasons.

That was part of why Stella trusted Milla more, but she hoped that one day she would have the opportunity to open up to Milla as she did with Rudina.

Shortly after, Milla returned to Verdura with a man who was round from head to toe. He was about the same height as Stella, so their eyes met at almost the same level.

His face, and even his neck, had turned red with embarrassment. It must have been overwhelming to see a garden with nothing in it. His gentle first impression reminded Stella of Iver, which she liked.

“Princess, this is the gardener you asked for.”

“Thank you for your effort.”

Stella gave Milla a bright smile, then turned her gaze to the gardener who had just arrived.

She didn’t know how other gardeners presented themselves, but the man standing before Stella was dressed in rather worn clothes.

It was clear he had made an effort to dress appropriately for entering the royal grounds, but he couldn’t hide the frayed sleeves.

He was gripping his already worn sleeves tightly, and Stella thought they might fall off before the day was over.

“Nice to meet you. I’m planning to entrust you with the garden management. Can you handle it well?”

The man bowed deeply.

“Yes, Princess. I will do my utmost to diligently tend to it. Thank you so much for giving me such a precious opportunity.”

The man’s voice trembled.

“As you can see, there’s quite a bit for you to do here.”

“Yes. I will work hard.”

The man was so genuinely pleased that he was on the verge of tears. Stella had briefly worried that no one would want to come to such an unimpressive castle, but it seemed her concerns were unfounded.

“Where is your home?”

“It’s on the outskirts of Conpagno.”