I Didn't Really Want to Do Farming! (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 27
“We can harvest them tomorrow.”
Ark stood up after carefully inspecting the orange roots poking through the brown soil, brushing the dirt off his hands.
His tone was full of confidence. Though he’d seemed clumsy earlier—like when he’d had a carrot dangling from his mouth—he now appeared remarkably thoughtful and intelligent.
“Do we not need to cover them with soil anymore?”
Stella asked, her voice filled with trust.
“They’re almost fully grown. Blessed by Goddess Tera’s grace, nurtured by your pure touch, the soil turned by your noble pickaxe, and infused with the breath of earth sprites—these carrots grew far faster and larger than expected. We’ll pull them out tomorrow.”
“Not today?”
“Just one more day of patience.”
Ark patted her reassuringly, like an adult comforting a child, as he watched Stella’s eyes sparkle with anticipation.
Stella surveyed the carrot patch anew, seeing it with fresh eyes. At first, when Ark had handed her the pickaxe and told her to dig the earth and sow seeds, she’d thought it absurd—what kind of ridiculous situation was this?
But now, everything felt different. The pickaxe fit her hand as if it had always belonged to her, and the soft soil brought her peace each time she touched it.
Such contentment felt like a luxury for someone held hostage in a foreign land, and just as happiness washed over her, unease would inevitably creep in.
Whooshhhhh—
A breeze swept evenly through the green leaves, combing them gently as it passed from the castle entrance.
The carrot patch lay at the far end of Stella’s garden—or rather, at its beginning, if viewed from the entrance.
“Huh? What’s this?”
A tiny sprout she’d never noticed before poked up beside the carrots. Normally, she wouldn’t have given it a second glance, but these days anything green caught her eye—especially if it had pushed its way up from the earth.
Curious, Stella crouched down in front of the small sprout. At the same time, Ark and Esta, who’d been inspecting other carrots a short distance away, hurried over, wondering what had happened.
“Isn’t this Verdura Castle?”
“Yes. It’s where the princess from Amalune resides.”
At the sudden voices from beyond the garden wall, Stella paused and listened intently.
“Hmm, it’s so old and shabby.”
“But she’s still a princess, isn’t she? At least she got a castle—better than us, who tremble in fear every week.”
One of the maids shuddered, recalling how she was summoned weekly to report to Ann. Every time she met Ann’s low, piercing gaze, her carefully rehearsed words jumbled nonsensically in her throat.
No matter how hard she tried each time to gather useful information, what she managed to obtain always fell far short of expectations. At this rate, reaching her financial goal by year’s end seemed impossible.
“Poor Mila, too. She’d barely returned, yet they assigned her to this place.”
“But look how proud she still is! She still acts like she’s the best.”
“So what? Did you see what she wore last time? If she can’t even afford a single piece of jewelry for her maid, how pitiful must she be?”
Stella realized then that the “pitiful one” they spoke of was herself.
“Exactly! Hey, did you hear about the gift sent from Amalune?”
At the question, a burst of laughter erupted.
“They sent a tea set, right? Supposedly meant for noblewomen.”
“But wasn’t it made of gold?”
“Come on—do you really think our Emperor lacks gold?”
“That’s not the point. Why would they do that? When sending away your daughter, wouldn’t you go the extra mile to send something nice, just to ask for her to be treated well? I never imagined anyone would bring a worse gift than what Princess Lianne received.”
“It means she’s a discarded piece.”
One maid whispered, lowering her voice significantly.
“What? But she’s still their daughter!”
“Not all daughters are equal, are they? Either she was disowned, or there’s something wrong with her. And she’s the eldest, right? That tells you everything—how little they valued her if they’d send their firstborn all the way out here.”
Stella listened silently, her expression growing increasingly drained as the voices faded into the distance.
For a moment, she considered standing up abruptly and terrifying those impudent maids into submission—but strangely, she felt no urge to do so. After all, not a single word they’d said was untrue.
“Stella, what’s wrong?”
Ark looked at her worriedly as her expression suddenly darkened. Esta, too, watched Stella’s face intently.
The earth sprites paid no attention to anyone but Stella, so they had no idea why she’d suddenly grown so disheartened.
Moreover, the maids who’d just passed by Verdura Castle hadn’t even mentioned Stella’s name once.
It was only natural the earth sprites couldn’t grasp the reason. To them, gossiping about others was as vile as thievery or murder.
“It’s nothing. I was just thinking about tomorrow’s harvest—it made me happy.”
“Really? Well, the first harvest is always exciting. Oh, that looks like a weed—pull it out. If you leave it, the whole patch will be overrun in no time.”
“Okay.”
Stella grasped the long, thin leaf—about two finger-widths tall—and pulled it out. To her surprise, its roots ran deeper than expected.
She stared at the root, longer than the part above ground, then quietly stood up. It was time to attend her lessons.
While the maid Brin dressed Stella, Mila stood nearby, meticulously overseeing every detail.
She intervened occasionally to ensure nothing appeared excessive or overly cheerful, and adjusted Stella’s hairstyle to strike the perfect balance between neatness and dignity—never allowing it to look shabby.
Once dressed, Stella looked utterly transformed—unrecognizable from the girl who’d been crouching in the field just moments before.
Yet even as she gazed at her changed reflection in the mirror, Stella showed no sign of joy.
Mila, whose primary duty was attending to Stella, couldn’t possibly miss her mistress’s low spirits.
“Is something bothering you, Your Highness?”
Mila asked politely but calmly. Unlike Ludina, she never fussed over her own moods, yet Stella could clearly sense worry in Mila’s blue eyes as they met hers.
Brin hurriedly placed the final hair accessory onto Stella’s head—a violet crafted from amethyst that sparkled against her golden hair. Mila and Brin exchanged a brief, satisfied glance in midair.
“Good work, Brin.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Brin, though kind and gentle by nature, still felt deeply intimidated by Stella. Having finished her task, she bowed and quickly left the room.
“Mila, stay with me a moment.”
Mila, who’d been about to follow Brin out to prepare for their departure, stopped at Stella’s words and turned back.
She wore the same brick-red dress she’d had on the day Stella first met her—a high-necked gown without a single lace trim. If Mila had been born as clothing, she’d surely look exactly like this.
“Is there something you’d like me to do?”
Stella pulled a box she’d prepared earlier from the drawer and handed it to Mila. Without a trace of surprise, Mila accepted it with both hands and gazed at Stella silently, her eyes as calm as a still lake.
Stella had expected at least a question—“What is this?”—but Mila asked nothing. She simply waited, lips sealed, for Stella’s next instruction.
“It’s a gift.”
“Yes?”
Only then did a crack appear in Mila’s otherwise impassive expression—like ice finally breaking on a frozen river.
“I think it’ll go well with the dress you’re wearing now. And also with that green one you wore last time.”
Mila stared at Stella for a long moment before quietly opening the box. She looked up again, her eyes wider than before.
“Your Highness, this is…”
Inside lay a pearl brooch. Pearls were set at even intervals along a diamond-shaped border, with tiny diamonds fanning out between them like sunflower petals.
At the very center sat a pearl the size of a candy, radiating a soft, luminous glow with undeniable presence.
Seeing Mila frozen in astonishment, Stella gave a faint smile, took the brooch from the box, and fastened it onto Mila’s tightly buttoned dress.
It was expensive, but not wasted. Stella felt genuinely grateful to Mila—and besides, among the gifts she’d received from the King of Amalune, nothing else felt truly precious.
The pearl brooch, now resting where it belonged, shimmered brilliantly.
“It suits you well. I’m sorry I didn’t give it to you sooner. I didn’t realize I should’ve prepared something like this.”
Stella stepped back with an awkward smile. With just that single brooch added, the previously plain brown dress now looked elegant and radiant.
“Your Highness, this is far too generous for someone like me to accept.”
It wasn’t uncommon for princesses to give unused jewels or dresses to their maids, who would then proudly show off such gifts to their peers.
Though maids serving Credion’s imperial family were usually daughters of noble houses, those assigned to hostage princesses were personally selected by the palace.
Most maids assigned to princesses came either from impoverished minor noble families or were commoners known for their sharp intuition and quick understanding.
“Don’t be silly. It suits you perfectly. Just take it—I’ll bring you something even better next time.”
“Your Highness…”
Princess Stella owned only expensive gowns and jewels, yet her wardrobe paled in comparison to those of other princesses.
Typically, princesses sent here arrived with at least fifty gowns—sometimes even a hundred. Stella, however, had brought barely ten.
At first unpacking, everything had been brand new, leading them to assume she was extravagant and easily bored, expecting more dresses to arrive soon from her homeland.
But when Mila heard the Emperor’s “gift” was merely a golden tea set, she realized Princess Stella’s situation was far different from what she’d imagined.
To Stella, this brooch surely wasn’t some unwanted trinket she’d grown tired of.
Mila’s blue eyes deepened as she gazed at Stella, who smiled brightly back at her.
Male lead is reincarnated to save his wife
I’ve also read this one twice already. The female lead is kinda soft and gets embarrassed easily—not really my type, but the plot is definitely worth reading. Hurry up and read it, y’all!
Intro
When Shen Yuan encountered Su Jin again in his previous life, she had already become the Prime Minister of the current dynasty. As for him, the former top young master of the capital, he had long since fallen into the abyss, becoming a singer on a pleasure boat.
After a song ended, he was redeemed and sent to the Su Residence.
Su Jin respected and cherished him, gave him a roof over his head, and bestowed him with warmth. Shen Yuan fell deeper and deeper, but before he could express his feelings, Su Jin passed away.
Shen Yuan died to follow her in death, but instead, he returned to when he was fifteen years old.
At that time, he was not yet engaged, and Su Jin was just a poor scholar.
Shen Yuan gritted his teeth, casting aside all his pride, and thought of ways to coax and entice her every day.
The colder and more indifferent Su Jin was towards him, the more proactive Shen Yuan became.
He was not afraid of being mocked by the world, only wanting to marry his Wife-master early, to hold her hand and never let go for a lifetime.
[Note: This story will not specifically point out the male lead’s reincarnation time point; it’s all in the details. Whenever you feel that the male lead is acting strangely, he has most likely been reincarnated.]
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
Most Commented This Week
I Decline the Ex-Boyfriend of the Regretful Male Lead (Completed Main Story)
Long Live the Emperor, Minus Me (Completed Main Story)
After Linking the Villainess and Male Lead (5 Chapters Left to Complete)
Who Spent the Night with the Tower Master (Completed Main Story)
Captured into the Bedroom of the Enemy Emperor (1 Chapters Left to Complete)
I Became a Supporting Character in a Martial Arts Novel (Completed Main Story)