“It must be important if you’re showing up in the middle of the night to ask about it.”

Despite the hint of sarcasm in Stella’s words, Will kept his gaze fixed on her, waiting for her response.

For a brief moment, Stella was unsure whether to tell the truth or omit the part about moving the stone wall herself. Just because Darren greeted him warmly didn’t mean she could fully trust him.

“Yes, it’s very important. I apologize for the intrusion, but I must ask again. Did you personally remove the stone wall?”

“It wasn’t intentional, but yes, I did. I lost my balance and it toppled over.”

She didn’t mention anything about the earth fairies to Will.

As if he was getting closer to the answer he wanted, Will’s gaze on Stella became more intense. His hazel eyes, which seemed friendly when he smiled at Darren, now shone coldly like ice.

“So, you were able to touch the stone wall.”

This was the key point. It seemed he couldn’t touch the stone wall himself. Perhaps this was related to why the earth fairies couldn’t touch it either. Stella felt a bit more at ease now.

“Yes. It was just a stone. It wasn’t even dirty.”

When Stella spoke as if it was no big deal, the man nodded with an unreadable expression and took a sip from the teacup on the table.

A brief silence passed between them. Meanwhile, the earth fairies had finished the cookies Stella gave them and were eagerly waiting for more.

Clink.

The sound of the teacup being placed on the saucer was unusually loud. Stella suddenly realized she had been holding her breath and slowly inhaled. She worried that the man might notice her tension.

“So, did you really come all this way at this hour just for a stone wall?”

Stella finally asked what had been on her mind.

“There’s something inside it that I need.”

His answer came immediately.

The look in his eyes was so desperate and intimidating that Stella almost confessed about the pickaxe hidden under her bed and handed it over to him.

Stella hid her trembling hands under the table and forced a smile.

“That’s strange. I didn’t see anything. As you know, it wasn’t a very big stone wall.”

Stella replied nonchalantly, trying to ignore her racing heart. The lie slipped out without her even thinking about it.

What the Duke wanted was Stella’s pickaxe. She didn’t know how he knew it was inside the stone wall or why he couldn’t touch it.

But the only thing filling Stella’s mind was that she couldn’t let the Duke take the pickaxe.

Even while she was smiling calmly, her thoughts were racing towards the bedroom where the pickaxe was hidden. Stella tried her best not to show her urgency.

Will nodded as if he understood, but Stella could sense he didn’t believe her. She recognized that look.

It was the look of a predator who would dig relentlessly until they got what they wanted.

* * *

Because he had dozed off briefly, Kai was wide awake late into the night. Unable to sleep, he headed to the training grounds.

He expected it to be empty, but the training grounds were lit by scattered torches. Standing alone in the empty space was Will.

With the torches blazing behind him, his silhouette looked particularly lonely.

Even though he must have sensed someone approaching, he didn’t turn around, lost in his own thoughts again.

Will’s ability to focus on one thing to the exclusion of all else was both a great strength and a significant weakness for him.

“What are you doing up instead of sleeping?”

Kai’s voice broke the silence, and Will finally turned around.

“If an old man doesn’t sleep, his bones will ache.”

Kai joked as he picked up a practice sword. Even though it was a practice weapon, the sword, carefully crafted by an artisan, glowed softly in the moonlight.

As he approached, he noticed that Will hadn’t broken a sweat and looked perfectly dry. It seemed he had been standing there doing nothing. Kai wondered what was troubling his master’s mind.

“Did you just arrive?”

“Yes.”

“Where have you been?”

Kai asked casually, hoping Will would tell him the truth. But even if he didn’t, it wouldn’t be hard to find out since there wasn’t a place in the castle that escaped Kai’s notice.

Will swung the practice sword he was holding absentmindedly and replied nonchalantly.

“I went to Verdura Castle.”

“Verdura Castle? Why there?”

Kai frowned, thinking of a certain face that came to mind. Will’s usually impassive eyes flickered slightly at Kai’s expression.

“There was something I needed to confirm.”

Will disliked being questioned about anything except when teaching swordsmanship.

That’s why he kept only a few people around him, and they never crossed the lines he set. Of course, Prince Kai was exempt from all those rules.

“Did you confirm it?”

“If that were the case, I’d be snoring away in bed by now.”

It seemed his attempt had failed. Kai chuckled, feeling a bit smug, and tapped the tip of Will’s sword with his own.

“I’ll make sure you snore.”

“That’s something I’d be glad to hear.”

As if on cue, the two of them charged at each other simultaneously.

* * *

“Stella, Stella! Wake up!”

Hearing Esta’s voice in her sleep, Stella frowned and pulled the blanket over her head. She had been restless all night, unable to sleep well due to the anxiety caused by the stranger’s visit, and now she couldn’t open her eyes in the morning.

Throughout the night, Stella had jumped up at the slightest noise, peering out the window. She was so worried about being robbed that she even hid the pickaxe under her pillow while she slept.

“Just let me sleep a little longer. I’m so tired.”

“No, you have to get up now.”

“No, I can’t get up right now.”

Stella echoed Esta’s words back to him, turning over in annoyance. But Esta was not one to give up easily.

Esta leaned in close to Stella’s ear and whispered.

“The spinach has grown!”

“What?”

Stella shot up from her bed as if she hadn’t been burrowed under the covers moments before. The sudden movement made Esta yelp and fall off the bed with a thud. She could hear Oton laughing with amusement.

The drowsiness that had weighed down her eyelids vanished all at once.

“When I checked last night, it wasn’t that big.”

Stella asked as she hurriedly got out of bed and prepared to change clothes. She had gone out in her pajamas a few times, and each time Milla’s expression had noticeably darkened.

Milla was a maid, but for some reason, Stella felt self-conscious around her. She couldn’t clearly explain why she was concerned about a maid’s opinion, not that she disliked Milla or felt any distance from her.

“That’s how it is. Fairy spinach doesn’t grow very large. But it’s all the more delicious for it.”

Esta grinned confidently.

“Really? If it’s too small, it won’t sell.”

Stella considered selling the spinach even before checking it. Since it was an edible vegetable, if it was too small, people might not buy it.

Despite her worries, she grabbed the pickaxe from under her pillow. It wasn’t necessary for selling spinach, but for Stella, it was a symbolic ritual.

Having it made her feel good, and thanks to the pickaxe, she had been able to chase away the earth spirits trying to enter the camp from the hunting grounds.

Moreover, perhaps because of the Duke she met yesterday, she didn’t want to be separated from the pickaxe for even a moment. The earth fairies watched Stella take the pickaxe with satisfied expressions.

“She’s truly a noble farmer.”

“Doesn’t it suit her perfectly? That pickaxe was destined for Stella from the start.”

For a moment, Stella wondered if Esta and Ark’s praise was actually teasing, but now wasn’t the time to worry about that. She needed to check the spinach and protect the pickaxe.

By now, even the servants at Verdura weren’t surprised to see Stella carrying the pickaxe around.

For Stella, the pickaxe was as fitting as a bright parasol carried by a noble lady on a sunny day.

Unusually, she didn’t run into Milla in the hallway; Milla was already outside in the garden.

Milla couldn’t believe what she saw with her own eyes. If she remembered correctly, the spinach seeds had been planted before the hunting festival.

There hadn’t been any heavy rain, and the empire’s weather wasn’t particularly hot and sunny.

She didn’t know much about farming, but it was clear that the weather wasn’t ideal for spinach to grow. Yet the spinach field planted by Princess Stella was lush with green.

“Milla, you’re already out here.”

“Princess, you’re up already?”

Startled by Stella’s sudden voice, Milla turned around. Normally, Stella would still be asleep, so Milla had come outside, feeling guilty and embarrassed for not fulfilling her duties as a maid.

“Yes. I woke up a bit early. The spinach has grown a lot, hasn’t it?”

Sensing that Milla was about to apologize, Stella quickly changed the subject.

Other crops had also grown at an alarming rate, but this spinach was special. It hadn’t grown large enough to have lush leaves, but there was something sturdy about it.

Milla was amazed as she watched the spinach leaves sway gently in the light breeze. She was surprised at how interested she had become in plants, something she hadn’t anticipated.

“I never realized green could be such a beautiful color.”

Whether Stella’s strategy had worked or not, Milla spoke as if she were admiring a beautiful flower instead of apologizing.

Suddenly, Milla clamped her mouth shut, feeling like she might have said something unnecessary.