Milla suddenly wondered why she was doing this here. Yet, she felt strange as she continued to harvest spinach without stopping.

But that feeling lasted only for a moment. Watching Princess Stella busily harvesting spinach, Milla couldn’t help but start moving again. The more spinach they gathered, the more fulfilled she felt.

‘At least it keeps random thoughts away.’

With that thought, Milla emptied her mind and kept her hands busy until they finished their quota. Her body was tired, but her mind felt clear, which was nice.

That evening, the table at Verdura Castle was set with dishes made from freshly harvested spinach and unsold carrots.

There was also meat and dessert, but the most popular dishes were the salad and vegetable soup made with the spinach they had harvested that day.

The spinach served with the steak was so delicious that it was eaten before the meat.

As she enjoyed the delicious food, she suddenly thought of Royce, who used to be delighted with carrot pie.

“I wonder if he’s eating well these days.”

“Pardon? Who are you talking about?”

What she intended to think silently slipped out as words. Stella smiled nonchalantly, as if it was nothing, and resumed eating.

She thought she should save some spinach dishes for Royce, whether he came today or not.

* * *

“What? What did she do?”

Melissa lowered her sword with a frown after hearing Sen’s report. She had been preparing for afternoon training, but the report was so absurd that it killed her motivation.

Everything Sen reported was hard to believe.

“She… farmed.”

Even Sen’s voice was hesitant, as if he couldn’t believe it himself. It was unlike him.

“Does that make sense? A princess of a country? Farming where she’s held hostage?”

It was so ridiculous that she wasn’t even angry. She thought maybe Sen had mistaken someone else, but Sen was too thorough to make such a mistake.

“She’s more interesting than I thought.”

Melissa stuck her sword into the ground with a dry laugh.

When she instructed Sen to find out about Stella, she thought she was just another princess among many.

She had a face worth looking at, but that was common, and above all, Melissa believed her own appearance was second to none.

“Where does she live?”

“At Verdura Castle in the Plant District.”

“Verdura? Was there such a place?”

“Yes. It’s the most remote area. The castle is smaller compared to others, and there are fewer resident servants.”

“Why?”

“Because Verdura receives no budget from Amalrune, they live on the basic budget allocated by the royal family.”

“They don’t send money even though their daughter is here? Why?”

“We’re investigating that as well. However, it’s confirmed that Princess Stella is the legitimate daughter of King Philip Oberlite.”

“That makes sense. The lineage certification is completed. But why is she being treated like this?”

She considered the possibility of her being an illegitimate child. However, she passed the lineage certification that only direct descendants could pass.

It was impossible for the wizard of the Credion Empire, the most skilled in this field, to be fooled by a forged lineage certificate.

Faced with a bothersome issue, Melissa’s beautiful eyes sharpened with irritation.

It seemed she needed to see the woman herself to ease her frustrating and overwhelming feelings.

* * *

“What’s this?”

After finishing a short morning labor, Stella was leisurely reading a book in the afternoon when Milla cautiously handed her an envelope. The gold-embellished envelope sparkled like a jewel in the sunlight coming through the window.

“It’s an invitation.”

“Huh?”

After the Golden Bloom incident a while ago, Stella thought she wouldn’t receive any more invitations in the Plant District.

It was obvious that no one would want to associate with her since she had fallen out of favor with Princess Annette, who held real power. Moreover, Princess Annette was eager to see her dead after the recent Golden Bloom affair.

She heard that classes were resuming this afternoon, and just thinking about facing the princesses at Müiget Castle made her head throb.

Stella shook her head and opened the envelope.

“Oh? This is…”

“An invitation from Marchioness Melissa Frentium has arrived.”

Milla, usually calm, appeared unusually excited. Her eyes sparkled more than usual, and she seemed even more thrilled than Stella, who had received the invitation. Stella couldn’t help but smile slightly at Milla’s enthusiasm.

“It’s an invitation to a tea party.”

“Yes! It’s in three days. Should I send a reply that you’ll attend?”

There was a hint of anxiety in Milla’s voice. Knowing Stella’s unpredictable nature, she worried that Stella might decline.

Milla sincerely hoped that the princess wouldn’t refuse Marchioness Melissa Frentium’s invitation for reasons like needing to plant seeds or go to the market.

Melissa was recognized as the most influential person in the Credion Empire, second only to the Emperor.

Moreover, she was someone Milla personally respected the most. While her family’s power was significant, Melissa had also earned her reputation as a goddess of war through relentless effort, despite being a woman.

Long ago, Milla had seen Marchioness Melissa training at dawn from afar.

The sight of her immersed in her own world, training alone in the practice ground, was impressive enough to make even another woman admire her.

For Milla, just being able to attend a tea party hosted by such a person as a maid was a great honor.

“Hmm… I suppose I should?”

“Yes, understood.”

Although Stella’s response was hesitant, Milla’s expression was brighter than ever. She seemed happier than during the Emperor’s formal dinner.

Milla was truly glad that Stella seemed to have developed some interest in interacting with others, aside from personal reasons.

However, Stella had a different reason for accepting the invitation.

She felt she probably didn’t have the right to refuse. Stella recalled Marchioness Melissa from the formal dinner.

Her silver hair shone like a lily, and her eyes, gleaming with a brilliant purple, were as radiant as amethysts.

Stella had never seen a woman who was both beautiful and exuded such an unapproachable strength.

Although her status as a princess was technically higher, this was the Credion Empire. Marchioness Melissa Frentium was the Emperor’s closest confidante and a formidable candidate for Empress.

Why would such a person send an invitation? What could be the reason?

Stella, having once been foolishly delighted by unexpected kindness and paid a harsh price for it, couldn’t genuinely feel happy about receiving the invitation.

Instead, she was troubled, wondering about the intention behind the invitation, which gave her a headache.

* * *

Carrying the food packed by Lianne, Stella went out to the garden and sat down as though she were on a picnic.

Around her, earth fairies gathered, enjoying the food Stella had brought and having a good time.

Since Milla was out for a gathering with other maids, Brynn offered to stay with Stella, but Stella declined, saying she would be in the garden.

Brynn seemed a bit disappointed, but there was no helping it.

Stella needed some time alone, and she couldn’t show Brynn the sight of food disappearing before her eyes with no one eating it.

“Stella! This is really tasty!”

The earth fairies loved the food Lianne had prepared. Esta, eagerly devouring the salad Stella had brought, gave a thumbs-up in admiration. The other fairies were enjoying it just as much.

“Hmm, it’s quite good.”

Even Oton, who had sauce smeared around her mouth, was eating non-stop, suggesting that this harvest was a great success. For some reason, Royce’s visit was eagerly anticipated.

“Are you waiting for someone?”

Oton, noticing Stella frequently glancing towards the castle entrance, asked curiously.

Oton was nibbling on a spinach leaf with less sauce, looking so cute that she seemed like a baby rabbit eating, making Stella want to pinch her cheeks.

Unlike the other earth fairies, Oton didn’t like being called cute. However, her attempts to appear strong only made her seem even cuter.

“Royce. I wonder if he’s coming today.”

Stella replied, unable to take her eyes off the entrance.

“Oh? I think he’s coming over there!”

Esta exclaimed excitedly, pointing to the area where the twilight was descending.

As Kai rode Ben towards Verdura, he kept reminding himself that he was going to repay a kindness.

He was returning the favor for the handkerchief he received, the delicious pie that was shared, and the carrots that were generously given. Most importantly, it was an unavoidable visit to uncover the source of the silver coins.

These weren’t things significant enough for the Emperor to personally repay.

Yet, for that very reason, Kai couldn’t entrust it to anyone else. He couldn’t reveal to anyone what he had received from Stella.

Aside from the silver coins, everything else seemed too trivial and unworthy of the Emperor’s stature.

And he couldn’t predict what would happen to Stella if people learned about the origin of the silver coins.

If, by chance, a few silver coins had ended up in Stella’s hands, it felt unjust for her to be interrogated like a criminal before the Emperor.

“Sigh.”

Driving Ben, Kai wore an expression that seemed to say he was so bothered he could die. Nothing was resolving clearly. This kind of development was exactly what Kai disliked.

Nevertheless, as Verdura Castle came into view, his heart began to race inexplicably.

Ben also seemed to feel the same, as his leisurely trot quickened once Verdura Castle came into sight.

From afar, he could see Stella waving her arms energetically. Her bright smile began to grate on Kai’s nerves.