I Didn't Really Want to Do Farming! (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 37
Milla was about to speak after inspecting the handkerchief Stella had finished.
The hunting festival had already swiftly approached next week, and the handkerchief Princess Stella had completed simply couldn’t be submitted for the event.
However, when Milla returned with embroidery materials, Stella’s room was completely empty.
“Where did she go?”
Milla set down her basket and stepped out onto the balcony to look outside. Despite the overcast, gloomy weather, Princess Stella was already in the garden.
She was crouching on bare ground, apparently planting something again.
Milla almost called out to her but stopped herself and quietly watched instead. Stella was close enough that her expression was clearly visible.
Though her hands were covered in dirt, the princess looked far more excited and joyful than she had on the day of the Emperor’s banquet.
It seemed her claim of having no interest in becoming Empress wasn’t just empty words.
As Milla pondered what to do next, she remembered the approaching deadline for her report. She needed to learn more about Princess Stella to provide a more detailed account.
Reluctantly standing there for a while, Milla finally went back inside, changed into comfortable clothes, and headed out to the garden.
She’d never once imagined she’d end up living like a maid. Though momentarily bewildered and flustered, she couldn’t help but let out a wry smile.
“Can I plant this like carrots too?”
“No, this one’s a bit different. Watch carefully!”
Esta this time grabbed a few dark, oblong seeds and demonstrated.
With her tiny hands, she diligently dug into the soil, dropped several seeds into the hole at once, then covered them back up with the excavated earth and firmly stomped it down with her feet.
“Do it like this. Easy, right?”
“I think I can do it.”
Stella grew excited at the thought of planting seeds other than fairy carrots. She felt a strong urge to dig into the earth with a hoe, but since they were only at the sowing stage, it wasn’t necessary just yet.
Using her bare hands, Stella scooped up a handful of soil, made a small hole, and dropped in several seeds as Esta had shown her. Covering them back up took mere seconds.
“Woah! Our Stella is so fast! You’re amazing! Truly a noble farmer!”
The fairies who’d followed along clapped and praised her, making Stella secretly pleased, and she began working even faster.
Playing with soil had always lifted her gloomy moods before, but this felt like more than that. She felt as if she were doing something truly important—and even happy in this very moment.
No matter how she thought about it, coming to Credion Empire in Beatrice’s place had been pure luck for Stella.
After Stella planted the seeds, Ark firmly stomped the spots, then Esta dropped gathered water droplets onto them. Oton and Iver, who’d followed along, paired up and started digging and sowing seeds together.
Even the shyest and most discontented fairies seemed thoroughly delighted by seed-planting, their cheerful chatter filling the air without pause.
Oton, who usually had a perpetually pouting mouth, now wore a gently curved smile.
Just as Stella diligently planted half the seeds from her pocket—
“Princess, shall I help you?”
It was Milla’s calm and graceful voice. Stella appreciated that she didn’t ask what she was doing but instead offered help outright.
“Want to do it together?”
Truthfully, Milla wasn’t particularly eager. She’d only come out because she needed to learn more about Princess Stella and couldn’t just stand by while the princess got her hands dirty.
“I’ll try if you show me how.”
Stella demonstrated exactly as Esta had done for her, and Milla quickly understood.
Thanks to their teamwork, planting the seeds finished quickly. Of course, the earth fairies had helped intermittently, though Milla remained unaware.
“Princess, what are you planting this time?”
Once again, Milla hadn’t heard where Princess Stella had obtained these seeds. She was certain some faction aiding the princess must have provided them.
“They’re medicinal herbs. I don’t know the exact name myself.”
Hearing Stella’s answer, Milla’s expression instantly darkened.
“Why? Can’t I plant medicinal herbs?”
Milla hesitated briefly before replying resolutely.
“Some medicinal herbs contain poison. You could be falsely accused of a crime.”
The imperial capital was a treacherous place—like thin ice—where even an ill-timed sneeze could land you branded a traitor.
“Oh, this should be fine.”
Stella believed the peace-loving earth fairies would never give her poisonous herbs.
“In that case, it should be alright.”
Yet the shadow on Milla’s face, as she stared at the unplanted earth, refused to fade.
[This is the timeline separator]Daren and Brin went to the Moonlight Guild again today, just like yesterday, to purchase a street vendor permit.
Jack once again handled the guidance. Though they’d expected to go to the same spot as yesterday, Jack led them somewhere different.
“Why is it a different place than yesterday?”
Daren asked warily, worried they might be led into a trap. He could easily escape alone, but Brin was with him.
Unlike Daren’s tense tone, Jack replied cheerfully and brightly.
“The rumor about the carrots that old man sold yesterday spread all over the market! Everyone’s saying they’ve never tasted carrots so delicious in their whole lives!”
Unlike Daren’s rigid, guarded expression, Jack turned around with a beaming smile, utterly carefree.
Feeling embarrassed for having been so unnecessarily tense, Daren pulled a carrot from his sack and handed it to Jack.
“This is a gift.”
“Ooooh! Is this the famous carrot?”
Jack acted as if receiving a precious treasure, overjoyed by just a single carrot.
“Let me see that.”
Finding the boy endearing, Daren took back the carrot Jack held and quickly wiped off the dirt with his own clothes.
“Just eat the clean part.”
Jack sniffed it, eyes widening at the sweet aroma that filled his nose, then took a bite of the cleaned spot.
The way Jack crunched into the raw carrot was as adorable as a baby rabbit.
“Wow! This really is delicious. It tastes just like an apple! Now I understand why Auntie Maggie praised it so much.”
“Did Auntie Maggie buy some too?”
“Yeah! She said she bought five yesterday. Remember her? The plump lady with curly orange hair?”
Amid yesterday’s chaos, Daren still recalled the woman whose hair color matched the carrots astonishingly well.
“I remember.”
“She runs a food stall down that alley and gave you lots of praise. She might even come by to buy more today!”
Jack confidently declared while munching on the remaining carrot. Daren took it back from him and wiped another section clean.
The spot Jack guided them to was closer to the plaza. Unlike yesterday, when they’d just laid a sack on the ground, a small stall had been set up—making it quite a respectable vendor spot.
“Here?”
“Yes. The boss told me to bring you here.”
Even the vendor permit price remained the same as yesterday.
“Our carrots must be popular—they gave us a better spot.”
Brin happily pulled out carrots from the sack and arranged them on the stall. Immediately, nearby people swarmed over.
“Those young folks are here again!”
“Give me some carrots!”
“How much? I’ll take ten!”
“I’ll take twenty!”
The crowd suddenly started shouting orders loudly.
Before they could even fully display the carrots, they sold out. When people noticed the shortage, some even offered extra coins. In the end, Daren sold three sacks of carrots and received 170 pennies.
That was nearly double yesterday’s earnings.
[This is the timeline separator]Daren and Brin had earned even more money than yesterday, yet their faces remained unusually grim. Not understanding why, Stella stared at them until Daren spoke in a weary voice.
“Princess, the seed market you mentioned isn’t open today, so we couldn’t get any. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. When can we buy them then?”
“The merchants there said it should open sometime this week, but we won’t know the exact date until tomorrow.”
“I see. Good job. Were you worried about that? It’s not your fault the market was closed.”
The two, who’d braced themselves for scolding after failing their errand, finally relaxed their stiff expressions. Feeling once again that coming to Verdura Castle had been fortunate, they returned to their room.
Left alone, Stella happily counted the money earned over the past two days.
“At this rate, I’ll become rich soon.”
After deducting their commission, the total came to about 200 pennies. Even commoners working hard on farms rarely earned this much in such a short time.
From sowing seeds to harvesting and selling, it had taken less than a month—and with minimal effort.
Though royal by blood, Stella had lived outside the palace with her mother before moving in, so she understood the value of money all too well.
At this pace, she felt she could soon find a way to destroy her bloodline records—or even escape the castle to live freely.
Proudly gazing at the neatly stacked coins on the table, Stella scooped them all into an empty box.
“By tomorrow, I should have enough to exchange for one or two gold coins.”
She hoped that someday, instead of copper coins, her box would be filled with gleaming gold ones.
“Is this really that good?”
Ark, who’d been watching Stella nearby, picked up a fallen coin and asked.
“Yeah. It’s good.”
“Really? Then should I bring more of these to you?”
“What? More coins?”
Curious what fairies would even do with coins, she asked.
“Yeah. There are lots underground. Woo Hoo got angry because these round, flat things humans hide underground stop plants from growing properly, so he gathered them all in one spot.”
For a moment, Stella’s eyes gleamed with greed.
‘They don’t understand money’s value—that’s why they’re offering it. All that money will be mine. But should I tell them? Nah, what would fairies even spend money on? Woo Hoo said it’s a nuisance anyway. I’ll just clear it away like a pile of rocks. Even if I don’t take it, someone else will find it eventually.’
Stella swiftly rationalized it all.
“If you don’t need them, give them to me. I do.”
She spoke, carefully keeping her expression free of greed.
“Got it! That’s great! I was just wondering what to do with all of it.”
Ark visibly brightened and even clapped his hands. Stella herself felt like applauding but held back firmly.
At times like this, appearing free of greed was crucial. She smiled nobly, as if she truly were a virtuous farmer.
Male lead fell into her trap — and shattered when she walked away
This is also on my reread list!
This one is a slow burn, but when it burns, it burns hard.
Definitely worth a read, y’all!
The story follows a thousand-year-old seductive spirit who, on a bet, sets out to charm the male lead—a once-promising but unfortunate cultivator.
But just when she succeeds in making him fall for her, she heartlessly leaves, driving him to madness.
Determined to find her at all costs, he captures her, keeping her by his side no matter what, even if she hates him.
I love this kind of trope—I enjoy watching the male lead suffer in agony.
The ending drags a bit with unnecessary filler, but that’s fine.
As long as I enjoy the beginning, I’m good.
Intro
As an enchantress, Su Heng possesses captivating eyes and charming beauty, easily manipulating the joys and sorrows of living beings at her fingertips.
But to enchant a god, making him taste the bitterness of love’s separation, long-lasting resentment, unattainable desires, and inability to let go…
Do you dare?
Su Heng assists a divine lord in his cultivation, aiming to make him experience all the sufferings of love, so that he can attain the Great Dao.
Only after being chased down from the heavens by the divine lord, confined and completely possessed by him, does she realize how successful she has been.
The once gentle and polite youth has transformed into someone she no longer recognizes.
[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)
After Linking the Villainess and Male Lead (5 Chapters Left to Complete)
Long Live the Emperor, Minus Me (Completed Main Story)
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)