I Didn't Really Want to Do Farming! (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 18
Milla hesitated as if she had something to say, then quickly left the room.
Stella, now alone in the room, pulled out the pickaxe she had hidden under the bed. It was just an old, worn farming tool, yet her thoughts kept drifting back to it. Curious, Stella gently stroked the gleaming blade with her fingertips.
Now that she could finally touch the object that had haunted her thoughts all day, her heart felt a little calmer. The silver-shimmering pickaxe even looked beautiful to her.
Its softly curved lines were elegant, while its straight edges exuded strength. Stella, caressing the pickaxe as if it were a precious treasure, suddenly stopped and let out a deep sigh.
“Hoo.”
She had never imagined she’d one day become so fixated on a farming tool, and it left her feeling conflicted. Yet, like a little girl hugging a teddy bear, Stella held the pickaxe close to her chest and stroked it tenderly.
The cold metal sensation traveled straight to her fingertips. The handle was worn, but the blade sparkled as though it had just been fitted yesterday.
At first, she thought it might be silver, but it wasn’t. Simply holding it somehow lifted her spirits. Memories of playing with soil as a child naturally surfaced in her mind.
Just as Stella was turning the pickaxe over in her hands, examining it closely, a knock sounded at the door, followed by Milla’s voice.
“Princess Stella, it’s Milla.”
Stella jumped in surprise and quickly shoved the pickaxe back under the bed. She wished she could have held it a little longer—it felt disappointing to let go.
“Come in.”
“Princess, I’ve brought the book you requested. But why are you sitting on the floor?”
Milla’s puzzled gaze drifted toward the space under the bed.
The princess was sprawled on the carpet like a child, not seated on a chair or the bed. Even after seeing it with her own eyes, Milla couldn’t believe it and stared wide-eyed.
Earlier that day, she had come in covered in dirt from her dress, and now she was plopped down on the floor like a little kid.
“Oh… I thought something had fallen under the bed. Must’ve been mistaken. There’s nothing there.”
Stella hastily brushed off Milla’s suspicious look and stood up, dusting off her dress with a flick of her hand out of embarrassment, though she hadn’t been asked anything.
Reluctantly tearing her eyes away from the bed, Milla handed Stella the two books she had brought.
“I’ve brought two more volumes on the history of the Credion Empire. Reading them beforehand will make your next lesson much easier.”
Despite her suspicious expression, Milla’s tone remained as calm and serene as a still lake.
“Yeah, thanks.”
Stella quickly took the books and skimmed their titles, then pulled out one that seemed odd.
“This isn’t a history book?”
“What? That can’t be. I checked before bringing them.”
Milla took back the book she had handed over and checked the title. As Stella had said, one was indeed a history book titled *The Beginning of the Credion Empire*, but the other had a strange title.
“Noble Farming Techniques?”
Frowning slightly in confusion, Milla read the title again. She couldn’t recall ever seeing such a book in the library.
Milla knew exactly where every book was located in the royal library.
No matter how hard she tried to remember, she had never seen a farming manual with such an odd title. Moreover, the shelf she had taken the books from held only hundreds of history volumes.
The royal librarian, whom she knew well, was obsessively neat and meticulous—there was no way such a mistake could have happened.
Though she couldn’t figure out how this mix-up occurred, Milla wasn’t the type to make excuses.
“I’m sorry. It seems I brought the wrong book by mistake. I’ll go exchange it right away.”
Just as Milla bowed deeply in apology and turned to leave with the books, Stella called out urgently.
“Milla!”
The word “noble” in the title had caught her attention—it might be connected to the “noble pickaxe” the earth sprites had mentioned.
“Yes, Princess? Is there something else you’d like me to do?”
Milla asked, her cheeks flushed. She was eager to quickly correct her embarrassing mistake.
“Just leave that book here.”
“What? This one? But it’s about farming.”
Since it didn’t seem like a book the princess should be reading, Milla double-checked.
“I like the title—I want to read it. ‘Noble Farming Techniques’ sounds intriguing, doesn’t it?”
Milla, looking utterly bewildered, handed the book back to Stella.
Seeing Milla’s dazed expression, Stella suddenly realized for the first time that Milla was around her own age.
Milla always acted so mature and had such a stern gaze that Stella had assumed she was at least ten years older—but now she looked like a peer.
“Thanks. Go get some rest now. Don’t bother going back to the library unnecessarily. Understood?”
The book Milla handed back was fairly thick, its cover bound in worn leather as soft as a lady’s hand.
“Yes. Thank you.”
Milla’s flawless reply once again created a sense of distance between them.
Back in her own room, Milla sat blankly for a long while, staring at her open diary.
Ink had bled from the tip of her pen onto the paper, forming a coin-sized black blotch. By the time she noticed, the ink had already seeped through four or five pages.
Milla flipped through the blank diary pages one by one. As she turned further back, the ink spots grew smaller.
“Haa…”
With an irritated sigh, Milla carefully peeled away the stained pages. Only after removing four sheets did the unintended black marks finally disappear.
She neatly folded the torn pages and placed them in the wastebasket, then picked up her pen again.
Scratch, scratch.
In the quiet room, the only sound was the sharp nib scraping against the rough paper. She had filled about half the diary when—
*Go get some rest now. Don’t bother going back to the library unnecessarily. Understood?*
Milla remembered Stella readily accepting the irrelevant farming book out of consideration for her.
She had assumed that, being a princess from Amalune, Stella would be self-centered and treat servants as worthless as dirt under her nails.
Yet, though they hadn’t known each other long, Stella was vastly different from any other royal Milla had met. It was reassuring—but strangely unsettling at the same time.
Suddenly, she recalled her old room.
The delicately embroidered silk wallpaper, the soft curtains that rippled like waves whenever the breeze blew, the jewel box that sparkled in the sunlight, the neatly lined-up perfume bottles, the shoes and hats color-coordinated to perfection, and the fan made of swan feathers.
And her mother, who always smiled at her with gentle kindness.
All of it was gone now—vanished like a dream from long ago, leaving only emptiness and distance. Milla slowly ran her palm across the spotless desk, then swept the room with a gaze as hollow as the air within.
There were no bright colors anywhere—neither in the curtains, the bedding, nor the carpet. With a conflicted expression, Milla opened a drawer, took out a small box, and placed it on the desk.
To my beloved eldest daughter, Milla.
Tracing the name engraved on the box with her fingertip, Milla confirmed the window was closed before lifting the lid.
A clear, musical chime rang out as a wooden doll in a red dress slowly spun in place.
Though it occasionally stopped—both the music and movement—due to its age, if she waited patiently, it would start again. Its creaking, faltering motions felt eerily like her own reflection.
Clack!
The music stopped as the box snapped shut.
Scratch, scratch.
Milla meticulously recorded everything that had happened that day. She believed the more thoroughly she documented events, the greater their worth—so she treated every single character as if it were money, giving it her utmost care.
“People like me don’t even register in their eyes. Don’t waste your heart on them.”
Scolding herself aloud, Milla pressed down hard on the pen as she continued writing.
[This is the timeline separator]Stella, who had been fiddling with the pickaxe right before bed, eventually woke from a bizarre dream in which the pickaxe had proposed to her.
It was absurd enough to receive a marriage proposal from a pickaxe—but even more shocking was the fact that she’d felt fluttery about it.
She thought it would’ve been better to dream of the pickaxe transforming into a monster chasing her. It was unbelievable that she’d been so enchanted by a mere pickaxe—not even a diamond ring or a necklace—that she’d dreamed something so ridiculous.
Clearly, the pickaxe that had emerged from that jar possessed some strange power.
“I shouldn’t touch it for a while.”
Muttering to herself, Stella shook her head vigorously to forget the embarrassing dream—just as commotion erupted outside.
“What’s going on?”
Realizing the noise was coming from the garden, Stella hurried out to the balcony—and stood there speechless, her mouth agape at the sight before her.
The garden, which had been chaotic just yesterday, was immaculately tidy overnight.
All the overgrown, unruly weeds had been pulled out, and the flower beds that had crumbled in places were now firmly repaired.
Flowers that had been hidden by weeds were now blooming in clusters, the most eye-catching among them being the white daisies gathered in thick patches.
She recalled the earth sprites confidently declaring they’d take care of the garden. She’d made the request, but she hadn’t expected such a dramatic transformation overnight. Apparently, the earth sprites were far more capable than she’d thought.
“It’s turned into perfect land for farming, hasn’t it? Oops!”
Stella clamped her mouth shut, startled by her own careless words.
An Indifferent Woman is the One Men Desire the Most
One-line summary: The female lead is actually cold-hearted and extremely rational. She has stage-by-stage relationships and won’t two-time, but there will always be someone who secretly likes her.
This novel has the following triggers, so if you’re sensitive to these, please don’t read:
1. The female lead has had many relationships, but she treated each one seriously and broke up properly.
It’s just that the men unilaterally pestered her incessantly. For the female lead, when she doesn’t like someone anymore, she simply doesn’t like them.
(This applies to her relationships with Male Lead 1, 2, 3, and 4 as well, but she’s loyal in each 1-on-1 relationship!)
2. In this novel, Male Lead 2 and the female lead kiss in a car, and Male Lead 1 sees it and beats up Male Lead 2.
The female lead calls the police and sends both Male Lead 1 and 2 to the police station! Male Lead 1 begs the female lead not to break up with him.
3. Male Lead 1 has a gentle appearance but an obsessive personality.
Male Lead 2 has a delicate and soft appearance, slightly green tea-like (two-faced).
Male Lead 3 is a youthful college student and a smart person who has secretly liked the female lead for a long time.
Male Lead 4 is the female lead’s father’s special assistant, a business elite with deep, hidden thoughts.
4. At the beginning of this novel, the female lead has already broken up with Male Lead 1 (Chapter 4) and gotten back together with Male Lead 2 (ex-boyfriend).
5. Enter with caution if you have triggers!!!
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