Stella was furious. She silently cursed Annette for her embarrassment.

But she, too, overlooked something; the fact that the protagonist of this party was not herself but Melissa Frentium, the Marquise.

“What’s going on?”

Melissa, sensing the disturbance, approached with a stern expression and inquired. The first thing Melissa noticed was Stella’s dress, ruined by red stains.

The wine spilled on the white dress seemed unlikely to be wiped away. If the entire front was soaked, it couldn’t have happened accidentally.

To anyone observing, Stella was the victim in this situation.
However, Annette and the people around her were all acting as if Stella were the aggressor. Annette was on the verge of tears, and her entourage was restless for not being able to devour Stella.

Melissa quickly grasped Stella’s position in the Plant Zone. And at this moment, she had to decide whose side she should take.

“Princess Stella, are you okay?”

Annette was shocked by the fact that Melissa was concerned about Stella, not herself. Just a moment ago, hadn’t they been chatting amicably and becoming friends?

Annette, fearing that Melissa might not fully understand the situation, squeezed Stella’s wrist again, making her cry out once more.

“Oh, it seems your wrist might swell a bit. Marquise Melissa, do you have some ice?”

Her voice sounded so pitiful that anyone who saw it might think Stella had broken her wrist.

Stella was attending the star-themed party out of curiosity. She seemed less eventful than expected, and Annette was initially disappointed. However, seeing other princesses being unable to devour her, there was definitely something about her.

Melissa became more intrigued by Stella. She wondered if, after learning more about Stella, she would become restless like the others or perhaps even improve.

“May I take a look? If it’s a wound, I have some experience. When I see it, I usually know how to treat it.”
When Melissa spoke kindly, Annette extended her slender wrist with an expression that seemed to say, “Look at this.” As expected, Marquise Melissa sided with her.

“Oh my, it seems a bit red here?”

Although Melissa asked to see it, Caitlin made a fuss. Of course, Caitlin was pointing to the mark that Annette had squeezed tightly herself.

Melissa was also surprised. Stella didn’t particularly like it, but this kind of childish emotional dispute was absolutely unbearable.

“As far as I can see…”

Melissa began to speak, and the surrounding noise that had been clamoring stopped at once.

“It doesn’t seem to be injured enough to need ice.”

Annette’s eyes widened in disbelief. Caitlin was also equally astonished.

Melissa soon shifted her attention away from the two and turned her head toward Stella. It wasn’t ideal here either, but it was better than those obnoxious ones.

“Princess Stella, what should we do about your stained dress? I have another dress prepared for you to change into. It should fit well.”

Melissa reached out to Stella and asked. Annette’s face turned as red as the spilled wine, probably because Melissa ignored her. Stella had no intention of getting involved with Marquise Melissa either.
As quietly as possible, Stella had a plan to farm, accumulate money, and escape from this place. There should be no more attention from people. Already, gaining attention during the hunting festival was more than enough and overflowing.

“Thank you for your kindness, but it’s okay.”

Stella’s polite refusal made Melissa’s eyes slightly narrow. While others were eager to become friends with her, Stella’s gesture of extending her hand first but then stepping back bothered Melissa.

Why is that? It had been a long time since someone made her curious.

“If you don’t clean the stain now, you might never be able to wear that pretty dress again.”

Melissa’s words, filled with pity, made Stella bite her lip. To worry about it just because of a dress, furrowing her brows slightly, seemed trivial. Melissa thought she might understand what criteria Stella was using to act.

On the other hand, Stella was wavering at Melissa’s suggestion that she might not be able to wear the dress again. She didn’t know how many times she would have to grow spinach to earn the value of a single dress.

Seeing the conflicted Stella, Melissa hit the nail on the head.

“Just let me remove the stain, and then you can go back. It will be clean enough now. I’ll even arrange for a carriage for you to return.”

When Melissa made the request again, Stella nodded her head in agreement with gratitude.

“Thank you.”
Melissa was certain of one thing when she saw Stella changing her mind about not accepting help until the mention of the dress.

Stella Run Oberlyte, the princess, was not in a situation where she could afford to wear a dress once and discard it.

So, is she farming?

But even if she farms, it didn’t seem like she could earn enough for the dress.

“Shall we go?”

As Melissa spoke, escorting-like, Stella followed her. She felt the stares of people on the back of her head. Especially Annette – even without turning around, Stella could imagine what expression she might be making.

Somehow, feeling relieved, Stella found herself smiling unintentionally. Melissa, who turned around to check if Stella was following well, met eyes with Stella.

Stella, feeling awkward for laughing alone, smiled subtly and said, “It’s ticklish.”

“Pfft!”

At Stella’s honest words, Melissa couldn’t help but burst into laughter.