I Didn't Really Want to Do Farming! (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 22
What awaited Stella were soft fabric, an embroidery hoop, and thread and needles.
“What is all this?”
In response to Stella’s puzzled question, Mila pushed forward a basket filled with sewing supplies and said,
“Soon, His Imperial Majesty will hold the Hunting Festival, where he goes monster hunting.”
“So?”
Seeing Stella’s utterly bewildered expression, Mila looked slightly flustered for a moment, then quickly composed herself and began explaining calmly. There was so much she needed to teach her.
Stella would probably receive the lowest possible score on the evaluation sheet released tomorrow. And if that happened, her own rating would drop along with it.
Mila concealed her rising irritation beneath a calm tone and continued her explanation steadily.
“The princesses must embroider handkerchiefs to present to His Imperial Majesty.”
She suddenly recalled reading about the Hunting Festival in the notebook Stella had given her recently. The owner of the handkerchief chosen by the Emperor would receive the title of “Lady of the Hunt.”
But Stella had no desire whatsoever to earn a title like “Lady of the Hunt.”
“Do I really have to do it?”
Mila let out a sigh.
“The princess whose embroidered handkerchief is chosen by His Imperial Majesty will receive the title of ‘Lady of the Hunt’ along with a grand prize.”
This was an unexpected turn. Stella’s eyes sparkled brightly.
“What kind of prize?”
“It varies each time, but so far, they’ve awarded gold coins, horses, dresses, or jewels.”
Everything mentioned could be converted into money. And since it came directly from the Emperor, the items would surely be of the highest quality. Suddenly motivated, Stella reached into the basket, grabbed a needle, and asked,
“What should I embroider?”
She hadn’t done much sewing before, but it didn’t seem impossible—especially with a reward at stake. She needed to save every coin she could to bring Ludina back.
“That’s for you to decide, Your Highness. Since the festival is next week, take your time thinking about what you’d like to embroider. But have you ever tried embroidery before?”
Mila asked in a voice that held little hope.
From Mila’s observations, Princess Stella always slipped out to the garden whenever she had a spare moment. Apparently, she enjoyed gardening—which also explained why she’d hired someone to completely restore the neglected garden in just one day.
A princess who cultivated beautiful flowers seemed promising. Mila thought Stella might develop talent in this area and waited for her reply.
“I’ve tried it a few times.”
Mila had been worried she’d have to start by teaching Stella how to thread a needle, so she was relieved to hear otherwise. But her relief was premature.
After seeing Stella’s practice embroidery on the handkerchief, Mila struggled to find words and finally managed a strained compliment.
“If you practice just a bit more, the shape of the rock should become clearer.”
“Thanks.”
It wasn’t a rock she’d embroidered—it was an eagle—but Stella glossed over it. Excessive disappointment would crush her teacher’s motivation without mercy.
[This is the timeline separator]“Your Majesty, it’s late. Wouldn’t it be best to rest now?”
Harmann asked with concern, watching Kai, who had been sitting motionless at his desk for five hours straight.
“It’s fine. I can’t sleep anyway, even if I lie in bed. I might as well work.”
Harmann’s sigh deepened. The Emperor’s insomnia had grown worse with each passing day. He’d summoned the empire’s most skilled physicians, sought help from priests and mages—but to no avail.
Even potions said to instantly put an elephant to sleep failed to make Kai drowsy. If only they knew the cause—but none of the experts summoned to the imperial palace could clearly identify it.
Tonight marked Kai’s third sleepless night in a row. Aside from a slight throbbing in his head due to accumulated fatigue, he felt no particular discomfort, so he hadn’t taken any medicine.
Whenever sleep finally overtook him like this, Kai would sleep like the dead all day long.
“Shall I bring you a cup of tea?”
Harmann asked. But Kai abruptly closed the documents he’d been staring at blankly and stood up. Thinking Kai was finally done working, Harmann’s face brightened.
“Are you resting now? Shall I have your bath prepared?”
“No. I’ll just take Ben for a ride around the palace.”
Ben was the horse Kai had ridden since he was ten years old. Having galloped together through countless battlefields, Ben had one day become unable to run long distances or sprint as swiftly as before.
A warhorse that could no longer fulfill its duty should have been put down, but Kai had brought Ben to the imperial palace and cared for him devotedly. Fortunately, Ben regained his health, though he could no longer run as fast as he once had.
Still, Ben always longed to carry Kai again, and Kai occasionally rode him slowly around the palace grounds for Ben’s sake.
Listening to the rhythmic sound of Ben’s hooves matching his heartbeat brought Kai peace.
When Harmann moved to follow, Kai raised a hand to stop him.
“Go to bed, old man. Don’t bother me.”
“But Your Majesty!”
Kai rarely took personal guards with him inside the palace. Of course, many knights secretly watched over him from hidden corners—but they had strict orders to remain unseen.
If Kai spotted them or sensed their presence without an actual threat, they’d be stripped of their rank and banished from the palace that very day.
The opposite was even stricter: if caught dozing off or absent from their post, they wouldn’t just be banished—they’d face harsher consequences.
Harmann hurried after him, but Kai had already vanished from sight.
[This is the timeline separator]The moment Ben heard Kai’s footsteps, he lifted his head sharply from the stable.
Neighhh.
Seeing Kai appear moments later, Ben wagged his tail like a puppy. The chestnut-colored horse, fed only the finest food and kept warm, gleamed with a healthy luster.
“Ben.”
Kai approached and stroked Ben’s face, marked with a white diamond-shaped spot, and his dark brown mane. Ben had been a birthday gift from his mother on his tenth birthday.
Familiar with the routine, Ben followed Kai’s lead out of the stable. Though no longer as strong as before, Ben was overjoyed to carry Kai on his back once more.
The imperial palace was profoundly quiet in the dead of night. Unlit windows flickered like stars in the night sky, and the occasional hoot of a tawny owl broke the stillness.
Riding Ben, Kai could carefully observe every corner of the palace, as Ben paced at a steady, unhurried speed he knew well.
Seated on Ben’s back, Kai detected numerous hidden presences concealed within the palace grounds.
If he sensed even the slightest suspicious movement or if someone charged at him, dozens of arrows would rain down instantly.
Around Kai, protectors and would-be attackers always coexisted. Tonight, it seemed only protectors were present—Ben’s footsteps sounded more stable than usual.
Kai gently stroked Ben’s soft mane and surrendered himself to wherever Ben led.
Clip-clop.
The sound of Ben’s hooves fell rhythmically in time with Kai’s slow heartbeat.
Clip-clop. Clip-clop.
At some point, Kai, who had begun dozing off, suddenly opened his eyes to find they’d arrived at a place Ben had never walked before.
“Ben, where have you brought us?”
But Kai showed no surprise as he dismounted and gently stroked Ben’s back. Seeing rows of similarly modest palaces, he realized this must be where the hostage princesses resided.
Most of the buildings were dark, though a few windows flickered with faint light.
Suddenly, he recalled the woman who’d brought him a humble gift—the one who’d laughed resignedly instead of being flustered by the golden teapot. Her face kept oddly resurfacing in his thoughts.
Since she’d mentioned living in the Plante district, she might reside somewhere around here.
Kai glanced around, then abruptly grew annoyed and tugged Ben’s reins. But strangely, Ben refused to budge.
It was highly unusual—Ben had never once disobeyed Kai’s commands before.
“Ben, are you hurt somewhere?”
Kai carefully examined Ben, who showed no sign of injury no matter how closely he looked.
“Let’s go.”
When Kai pulled the reins again, Ben stubbornly resisted and sharply turned his head in the opposite direction.
“Ben!”
Kai was dumbfounded. Ben’s sudden defiance was both amusing and intriguing. After a brief hesitation, Kai gave a resigned chuckle and started walking in the direction Ben wanted to go.
Clip-clop, clip-clop.
Kai felt Ben’s pace gradually quicken. Sensing Ben might break into a run soon, Kai quickly mounted him—and his hunch proved right. Ben accelerated slightly.
Moments later, Ben stopped before a weathered palace.
Kai recognized this place well—it was Verdura, situated in the farthest corner of the Plante district. His eyes narrowed like crumpled paper as he confirmed their location.
He hadn’t set foot here since childhood—a place tied to memories he never wished to relive.
“Ben, let’s go.”
Kai yanked the reins firmly, but Ben remained stubbornly rooted in place—and then, to Kai’s astonishment, strode straight into the palace grounds.
Helpless, Kai followed while vigilantly scanning his surroundings—a stark contrast to his usual relaxed demeanor within the palace.
Unlike Kai, who seemed uneasy, Ben appeared delighted.
“Why is it like this here?”
Kai suddenly noticed Verdura’s garden was barren and desolate, and he froze in place. While he surveyed the area, Ben buried his head somewhere and began loudly munching on something.
“Ben, what are you eating? You can’t just eat anything.”
Just as Kai reached out in alarm to pull it away—
“There she is again. But she’s changed so much!”
“Really! She’s grown so much!”
“Can she see us now?”
“No, I don’t think so. She doesn’t even notice us standing right in front of her.”
Once again, those damn voices started echoing in Kai’s ears.
After Being Cheated On, She Picked Up a Treasure (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: The husband I married on a whim had been secretly in love with me for a long time.
On the day when Jun Shao finally obtained the imperial decree for her marriage, Lan Qu, the person she had admired for six years, defied the decree and ran away.
Her gentleness and devotion, her promise of a lifetime together, were all disregarded by him. Instead, he dreamed of entering the palace to serve the Emperor’s sister as a sixth-rank attendant.
News of this incident spread throughout the capital, and the alleys in front of and behind the Lan mansion were crowded with people who came to watch the commotion.
Jun Shao should have been embarrassed and angry.
But someone stepped in to protect her dignity.
The figure was in a miserable state, yet still possessed an undeniable elegance and handsomeness.
The young lord struggled to climb the wall of the Lan mansion and shouted to her, “If he won’t marry you, I will!”
So, Jun Shao took advantage of the situation and married the person.
She thought the young lord did it to save the Lan family from the crime of defying the imperial decree, but never imagined that from beginning to end, what he coveted was her.
*
After the wedding, Jun Shao felt like she was living in a dream.
Her Wife-master was as beautiful as a fairy in a painting, skilled in the six arts, well-versed in poetry and literature, capable of being gentle and attentive, and also grand and dignified. Most importantly, she was the only one in his heart and eyes.
Jun Shao didn’t know how Lan Shiwu, as a illegitimate son without a father and blessed with beauty, had managed to preserve his purity, recklessly escape, and use his last ounce of strength to ruin his own reputation, all because of his love for her, just to stand before her.
She could only see him gazing at her with eyes full of love, and when she bestowed a name upon him, his eyes shone like stars.
“You have come to me like a weary bird perching on a branch. I shall call you A Qi.”
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