I Didn't Really Want to Do Farming! (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 30
Humiliation had doubled. Kai sat in his office, tightly shut his eyes, and replayed what had just happened. On his desk lay a carrot, still unwashed and carelessly placed.
The dirt clinging to the carrot had soiled his documents, yet he felt no urge to brush it off. Kai stared pitifully at the carrot that made him look like a fool.
He suddenly recalled the woman who had stepped out in her nightclothes and looked at him with pity. She had appeared as pitiful as a carrot freshly pulled from the earth.
“Yes, you’re a good girl. Then take this one home for today. I’ll make sure your pie is ready tomorrow.”
“Just who exactly is calling whom pitiful?”
It was absurd. Just one more day—that was it. He didn’t care if those wretched carrots were all pulled out or burned; he was simply curious about the taste of carrot pie.
He decided to endure it just one more day. After that, he wouldn’t even sneeze toward Verdura Castle.
Stella was infuriating, and he himself was pathetic. How could he have known that his reason—normally unmoved even if women ran toward him half-naked—would crumble so disgracefully over a few carrots?
“Why aren’t you eating it?”
At the sudden voice, Kai jerked his head up. One of the earth sprites he’d seen earlier sat on the carrot, eyes sparkling brightly.
For the first time, Kai could clearly see an earth sprite in the light.
She stood less than a handspan tall, with a round face and belly, hands and feet smaller than one of his fingers. This tiny, insignificant creature—whose very existence seemed miraculous—stared straight at him.
“So it was you. You’re the one who’s been talking to me all this time.”
The earth sprite shrugged her shoulders and replied with a cheerful grin. Her unusually round cheeks looked adorable.
“There was me, but there was also an earth spirit.”
“An earth spirit? Is that different from you?”
“Different.”
“How so?”
“I’m too lazy to explain again. Go ask Stella.”
The earth sprite stood up with an annoyed expression and waved her hand dismissively. No one had ever found him bothersome before.
First, that woman had looked at him with pity, and now this tiny earth sprite—smaller than a fist—found him, the Emperor of the Credion Empire, a nuisance.
“I am the Emperor of the Credion Empire.”
“I am Ark, an earth sprite blessed by Goddess Tera.”
When Kai spoke with dignity, Ark confidently slapped her round belly with her palm and replied.
“Hah!”
He was speechless. Apparently, to these creatures, the title of emperor held about as much worth as the name of old Ben the horse.
He couldn’t help but laugh. Ark watched him chuckle, then clicked her tongue and said,
“Make sure to wash the carrot before eating it. If you eat it with dirt on it, you’ll get a stomachache. Got it?”
Kai’s laughter grew louder.
“Heh heh heh! Heh heh!”
Ark stared pitifully at Kai, who was suddenly laughing loudly, then shook her head back and forth.
“You’ll probably just eat it anyway.”
Ark looked worriedly at the dirt-covered carrot, then waddled over to the one placed nearest to Kai.
As she stepped on the dirt spilled onto the desk, tiny footprints stamped firmly onto the documents. Watching Ark’s waddling back, one corner of Kai’s lips curled upward.
Ark sighed deeply, “Ugh,” then pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket and began wiping the carrot.
“Stella said you looked pitiful and insisted I come check on you. What if I hadn’t come? There’s not even a bed in your room—you really are pitiful.”
As Ark vigorously scrubbed the carrot, she glanced around the office.
Kai’s laughter grew even louder at Ark’s sympathy, causing the guards outside to widen their eyes in surprise—but none dared open the door.
It was late at night, and even Head Steward Harmann was asleep, leaving the guards to spend the rest of the night guessing why their emperor was laughing.
Ark’s report after following Kai was as follows:
“The room was spacious, but there was no bed, nor any bowl to put the carrots you took. You were just staring at them without washing, so I gave them a quick wipe. I told you to wash them before eating, but I’m not sure you’ll listen. You seem like you don’t understand a word—I’m worried.
The papers there got dirty from the carrots, yet you just kept laughing strangely. You’re pitiful, but also seem a bit slow.
That’s probably why you have no friends. Your companions stay outside and never come into your room. You’re a loner.”
“Poor thing.”
Stella nodded somberly as she listened to Ark’s story. It seemed such people existed everywhere. She decided she’d better make extra carrot pies tomorrow.
[This is the timeline separator]Everyone living in Verdura Castle was mobilized for the carrot harvest.
In truth, it was only the maids Lian and Brin, the castle’s sole male servant Daren, and Mila and Stella—but with five adults rolling up their sleeves, the carrots were harvested quite quickly.
Actually, the earth sprites worked hard too, though no one else could see them. Others simply assumed someone unseen was pulling carrots at an astonishing speed.
“Wow! How many do we have now?”
Brin shook the dirt off her hands and marveled at the large pile of carrots.
“We must have at least twenty sacks! When exactly did you plant all these, Your Highness? I’ve only seen them grow—I’ve never seen you plant them.”
Daren tilted his head in confusion. No matter how he thought about it, it was inexplicable.
“Right? You haven’t even been here that long, yet you’re incredibly diligent.”
Brin genuinely admired her.
“But don’t princesses usually tend flowers or raise birds? I’ve never heard of a princess growing carrots before.”
“When have you ever met any princesses?”
Lian asked with an expression that said Brin was talking nonsense.
“Well, I haven’t, but—”
“People are all different. Our Princess Stella seems more interested in growing vegetables than flowers.”
“But are carrots normally this deep orange?”
“Do you always talk this much? Stop asking questions and start carrying the sacks to the storeroom.”
“Yes.”
Scolded by Lian, Brin sulkily picked up a sack. But it was far too heavy for her, filled as it was with carrots.
As Brin struggled to lift it, groaning, Daren strode over and hoisted two sacks onto his shoulders at once.
“It’s heavy. Carry one at a time. You’ll hurt yourself otherwise.”
“Oh, come on—what’s so heavy about this?”
After replying, Daren slung another sack onto his shoulders. Watching tall Daren effortlessly lift three sacks full of carrots, Lian clapped her hands in genuine admiration.
“Youth really is wonderful.”
Stella watched her servants eagerly help with the harvest as if it were their own task—packing carrots into sacks and diligently carrying them to the storeroom—and once again realized how fortunate she was.
After Daren left with three sacks, Lian and Brin helped each other carry one sack each.
“Isn’t it too heavy?”
Stella asked worriedly, but Lian and Brin assured her they were fine and headed toward the storeroom. They’d started working in the fields right after breakfast, and lunchtime was already approaching.
Mila had spent the whole day pulling carrots and packing them into sacks, repeatedly wondering why she was doing this. But since even Princess Stella herself was out working, she, as a handmaiden, couldn’t just stand idle.
Since morning, Stella had secretly observed Mila working silently.
She’d expected Mila—so slender—would collapse after a short while, but Mila persevered quite steadily.
Moreover, from the moment she first pulled a carrot until now, she’d barely spoken, staying completely focused on her work.
Whenever Stella tried to talk to her, suspecting she might be upset about being assigned such chores, Mila was usually too absorbed in her work to even hear Stella’s voice.
Mila’s expression, glimpsed occasionally, was remarkably calm, and sometimes even carried a faint smile.
Just as it had been for herself, it seemed Mila too was enjoying the work. Stella hoped that Mila—who lately often wore a gloomy expression—would feel even slightly better.
Stella had asked for ten pies to be made.
There were only five people in Verdura Castle, yet she’d ordered ten carrot pies—enough that even two people eating heartily couldn’t finish one. Though puzzled, Lian kneaded the dough without pause.
It was too much for one person, so Brin eagerly joined in to help.
As time passed, Verdura Castle’s kitchen filled with the sweet aroma of pies.
Finally, it was time to taste the finished pies. Lian, who’d sampled one early to check its quality, wore a satisfied smile.
‘Even though I made it myself—it’s delicious!’
She felt like taking a warm pie outside to share with her son.
She knew her cooking skills were exceptional, but she’d never made anything this good before. Lian was certain it was thanks to the excellent ingredients.
Lian devoured an entire pie right where she sat. Brin and Daren did the same. Even Mila, who usually ate sparingly, ate quite a lot—the carrot pie was truly extraordinary.
“Your Highness, what kind of carrots are these? They’re so delicious! I’ve never tasted carrots like this in my life.”
“I grew them myself.”
Stella carefully avoided mentioning “fairy carrots,” as promised to the sprites. Even if she did, no one would believe her, and it might cause unnecessary misunderstandings.
“Wow, this is absolutely delicious. Could we sell them?”
“That’s exactly what I was thinking—should we keep only enough carrots for ourselves in the storeroom and sell the rest?”
“Huh? Sell the carrots?”
This was even more surprising than hearing a princess was farming.
“Yeah. We have far more than we can eat ourselves.”
But Stella couldn’t leave the imperial palace.
Although she could move freely within its walls, watchful eyes lurked everywhere. Even if she somehow managed to slip outside, without official identification from the Credion Empire, she couldn’t travel freely.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
_____
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