Fooka, wearing clothes that Kukus had forced on him, was quite bothered by the outfit with many dangling decorations.

But that concern quickly vanished once he stepped out of the carriage.

“Why are you walking like that?”

Kukus teasingly asked Fooka, who was walking like a wooden puppet. Usually, Fooka would have already snapped back at Kukus’s teasing, but he had no room for that now.

His mind was completely occupied with worry about possibly causing trouble for Her Majesty the Empress.

As he tried to be mindful of his gait in a way that wasn’t like him at all, he couldn’t help but be awkward, and at some point he found himself moving the same side hand and foot forward together.

“You’re really weird right now.”

“Shut up.”

That was the first thing Fooka said after entering the imperial palace. Kukus giggled, clearly finding it hilarious. But even he became equally stiff-faced the moment they entered Verdura Castle where the empress resided.

Though he had visited several times before, the unique atmosphere of the imperial palace made him feel intimidated every time.

Still, he had improved a lot since the first time, and now he no longer made mistakes like bowing politely to statues while greeting everyone he met.

Verdura Castle maintained its previous modest and beautiful atmosphere while being well-maintained, befitting a castle where the empress stayed.

Though many officials suggested moving to a more suitable place for the empress since it was such a small and remote castle, they ultimately couldn’t find a better place than Verdura Castle.

At some point, all matters of the imperial palace began revolving around Verdura Castle. The nearby castles that were renovated in sequence naturally became the second and third castles of Verdura.

Verdura was full of earth fairies, and mysterious plants grew endlessly. Above all, Stella’s health was best when she stayed there.

And as the empress’s health improved, the territory where the earth fairies lived gradually expanded.

The first person to greet the two who entered Verdura Castle after passing through the beautiful garden was Rudina.

“Welcome. Her Majesty the Empress is waiting.”

Though Fooka had thought he might run into Rudina when coming to Verdura, when she actually appeared before him, his mind went blank. It was an unexpected reaction.

“Oh, it’s been a while.”

“Yes, have you been well?”

Despite Fooka’s awkward tone, Rudina welcomed him naturally with a bright smile. To Rudina, Fooka was the most grateful person after Stella, so she was very happy to see him again.

When Fooka suddenly started stammering, Kukus standing beside him bit his lip, clearly trying not to laugh.

Noticing Kukus’s strange behavior, Fooka punched his arm. It was a silent threat not to laugh.

“How is Her Majesty the Empress’s health?”

Kukus asked with a straight face after clearing his throat.

“She had some trouble with morning sickness at first, but she’s fine now.”

Rudina said as she led the way. Fooka and Kukus quietly followed behind Rudina.

The whole time they walked, Fooka stared at Rudina’s back while fiddling with something in his pocket, but when they stopped in front of Stella’s room, he quickly withdrew his hand. When Rudina turned around, he hurriedly pretended to look elsewhere.

“Fooka! Kukus!”

When the two entered the room, Stella approached them warmly.

“We come before Your Majesty the Empress.”

“Have you been well?”

In response to Fooka and Kukus’s simultaneous greetings, Stella smiled brightly and grabbed both their hands, shaking them up and down like a handshake.

Stella’s expression was brighter than ever as she met the two after a long time.

“As you can see, I’ve been healthy and well without any problems. Fooka, did you have a hard time? You look much thinner than before.”

When Stella asked with a worried face, Fooka scratched his head sheepishly.

“Thin? I was just a bit overweight before…”

“Doesn’t he look much better now? He looks younger too. Now he finally looks his age. Before, he looked so old that I was really worried. I thought he might end up living alone without ever getting married.”

Kukus rambled on while glancing sideways at Rudina standing nearby. At his expression that seemed to be seeking agreement, Rudina, who had been standing absent-mindedly, suddenly came to her senses and nodded.

“Yes, that’s right. You look much younger than before. It looks good.”

“R-Really?”

Fooka’s face turned as red as a ripe tomato. Seeing his reaction, Stella slightly furrowed her brows before seeming to realize something and smiled meaningfully.

Somehow it seemed like an intense battle was about to begin, though Rudina herself was unaware.

When James heard the news that Fooka had come to the imperial palace, he rushed over immediately. In James’s memory, Fooka was someone incredibly strong and amazing, a very grateful person who had saved him and Rudina from dangerous people.

Having come running from training, James was drenched in sweat. As he passed by, the maids and court ladies nearby couldn’t take their eyes off him. Quite a few of them blushed while looking at him.

As he was pacing in the garden, one maid approached and shyly handed him something.

“Here… please have some.”

“Hm? What is this?”

“They’re cookies I made. I just baked them so they’re still warm.”

“Thank you.”

James, who loved food, accepted the cookies without hesitation. He had been feeling hungry anyway. Smelling the sweet and nutty cookie aroma suddenly made him realize his hunger.

“You can eat them now.”

“Thank you.”

James smiled brightly and bowed before putting the cookies the maid gave him in his mouth and chewing.

Though he ate five meals a day, he was always hungry. His father said it was because he was still growing, but there was already no one bigger than James in the knights’ order.

“James?”

While he was absorbed in eating cookies, he heard Rudina’s voice. James strode over to Rudina without even looking back.

Despite the considerable distance, James reached Rudina in just a few steps.

“Rudina.”

James’s eyes were warmer and brighter than ever as he looked at Rudina. It was their first meeting since they met near the training grounds.

Though James had tried to visit several times, Rudina had avoided meeting him each time with the excuse of being busy. Rudina still hadn’t figured out how to deal with James.

“J-James?”

Fooka’s eyes widened at seeing James who had grown unrecognizably. James’s expression, which had been smiling brightly at Rudina, instantly turned fierce. His gaze toward Fooka was cold and sharp like looking at an enemy.

Though Fooka wasn’t small in height or build, standing before James made him feel like a child. That’s how overwhelming James’s physique was.

“James! It’s Uncle Fooka!”

“Un-Uncle?”

Fooka was visibly flustered at Rudina casually calling him uncle.

“Uncle Fooka?”

James blinked several times in disbelief at seeing Fooka, who was much smaller than in his memories, before breaking into a bright smile and lifting him up.

“Uncle! Have you been well?”

Suddenly lifted up, Fooka could only nod blankly, not knowing how to react. James was no longer the little child Fooka remembered.

“James! What rudeness is this! Put him down right now!”

At Rudina’s scolding, James seemed to realize his mistake and quickly put Fooka down.

“I’m sorry. I was just so happy to see you. But why did you get so small?”

“You’re the one who got bigger.”

“Ah!”

When Fooka spoke in a tired voice, James grinned and nodded.

“What were you eating?”

Rudina’s gaze turned to the cookie box James was holding.

“This? That lady gave it to me.”

James turned around and pointed at the woman who was staring blankly at the three of them.

The maid who had given the cookies and stayed watching James turned red when he looked back at her and tucked her hair behind her ear.

She was a very cute young lady.

* * *

“Wow! The fairy seed has grown!”

Iver, who was on fairy seed watching duty today, jumped up and down in joy. Though they had only given it sunlight and covered it with warm blankets, the fairy seed was growing little by little.

Though it looked the same size every day to human eyes, to the fairies it seemed to be growing noticeably day by day.

“You’re right! Doesn’t this side look a bit longer?”

“Yes. And it sparkles more than yesterday.”

“It seems like a really beautiful and lovely fairy will be born.”

“Since it’s a fairy born because Stella is having a baby, it will be really cute. I hope it looks just like Stella.”

The fairies sat around the fairy seed like gathering around a campfire, resting their chins on their hands as they spoke. Their eyes were full of affection as they looked at the fairy seed.

“But where did Oton go?”

At Iver’s question, Esta and Ark shook their heads while keeping their eyes fixed on the fairy seed.

After wondering briefly, Iver also lost interest and focused back on the fairy seed. It was the first time they had found something so fascinating to look at that didn’t move.

Oton was taking a walk in the garden after waking up from a nap.

“Ahhh! The weather is so nice.”

She had felt stuffy after staying next to the fairy seed all day. As the first one to discover it, Oton’s affection for the fairy seed was special.

After wandering around the garden for a while, Oton suddenly looked up at the shadow that appeared above her head.

“Bella!”

She hadn’t been seen for several days, perhaps having gone hunting somewhere far away. Oton raised and waved her short arms with all her might.

“Peeeep!”

Though Bella had grown as big as a mountain, her cry hadn’t changed much from before, except when she was angry.

Especially when acting cute with Stella, she would cry like a baby bird so much that even the fairies nearby would cringe.

Bella, who had been circling in the sky, seemed to spot Oton and hovered in place for a moment before dropping something.

“Hm?”

Oton stared blankly at the object falling quickly toward her head, not even thinking to dodge as she stretched out her arms. She could only think about catching it.

Thud!

But despite Oton’s efforts, what Bella dropped landed right next to her hand instead of in it.

“Wow! What is this?”

“Peep!”

Answering Oton’s question, Bella cried out once more before flying off somewhere again. Oton scurried over to where Bella had dropped the object.

There lay a bright red seed.