“So, you’re saying you’ll continue to visit Berdura Castle in the future.”

“If Your Majesty permits.”

“Didn’t you go there without my permission before?”

“It’s different now. Your Majesty is aware.”

Crot chuckled coyly, lowering his head like a shy girl.

“What do you mainly do there?”

“I’ve only been there twice. Ideally, I’d like to visit Stella Princess’s garden every day, but I have so much work. I need to write books for the education of the juniors, wrap up research on ongoing herbs, and also conduct lessons for the princesses. Even if I had three bodies, it wouldn’t be enough.”

“Then, don’t go to Berdura.”

As the Emperor interrupted him, Crot shook his head frantically, alarmed.

“Even if I were split into three bodies, I could do it all. So please, Your Majesty, don’t prevent me from separately meeting Princess Stella. I gain a lot of knowledge about unknown plants by talking to her.”

Kai didn’t quite trust Crot’s words, as Stella didn’t seem particularly knowledgeable to him. However, it was undeniable that there was something about Stella that attracted people. One of those helplessly drawn to her was him.

“So, what do you do there?”
As Kai continued speaking, a petty sense of jealousy welled up within him. Despite being aware that he was already married and had no romantic feelings for Stella, he couldn’t help it.

Unaware of Kai’s inner thoughts, Crot excitedly began his explanation, even his eyes began to shine.

“I was there when she harvested the sugar peanuts. Isn’t it truly astonishing that I was present at such a historic moment? Your Majesty will never understand the pleasure when peanuts are pulled out from the soil. After pulling the peanuts covered in soft soil with your hands, the dirt falls gently to the ground. Then, only peanuts filled with roots remain. That moment, carefully picking them one by one—the sublime feeling, the pride, and the devoutness of the flowing sweat! It was a perfect moment.”

Normally, Crot was a person of few words.

When he became talkative, there were only two occasions: when he finally found out what he had been curious about, and when he wanted to show off what he knew in front of others. Clearly, the latter was the case now.

Seeing Kai’s troubled expression, Crot even started to fidget up to his shoulders.

“I received an invitation from Princess for tomorrow.”

“What? An invitation? Is there a party or something?”
I spoke with a mocking tone without realizing it, but Kai didn’t catch on. This was because Crot’s activities at Verdura Castle, especially what he would do with Stella, were of paramount interest.

“He says he’s going to plant those historic sugar peanuts again. Ugh, I’ll be harvesting and planting them! Do you know that? I’m the one who received the first harvest of sugar peanuts. Even if Your Majesty has tasted it, it must have passed through the hands of at least ten merchants. I received the pure essence directly from the ground, handed over personally by Princess Stella. Isn’t that truly amazing?”

Even upon reconsideration, Crot became emotional, clasping his hands together, and his eyes became moist.

Suddenly, Kai found Crot unpleasant to look at.

“Now, go ahead and leave.”

“What? Already? I still have a lot to say.”

Though Crot wore a disappointed expression, Kai waved his hand as if it was too bothersome. With a face full of regret, Kai stood up, but before leaving, he glanced at the sugar peanuts on the table and delivered a final remark.

“When I first harvested sugar peanuts, they were even bigger than this size and had a stronger fragrance. Princess Stella explained each step of the harvesting process, leaving nothing unknown. I admired her throughout. I’m grateful to be able to offer her teachings. I would like to express my gratitude once again to Your Majesty through this opportunity.”
It was undoubtedly a position he didn’t want to reluctantly take. Changing his attitude as if flipping the back of his hand, Crot politely greeted Kai without noticing him looking dejectedly, then left the office.

Although he had asked everything he was curious about and heard what he wanted to know from Crot, strangely, Kai didn’t feel good.

Kai stared at the sugar peanuts on the table with distaste and flicked them away with his fingertips.

Crot’s expression as he left the office was more cheerful than ever. Even Harman, who was waiting outside and couldn’t endure his curiosity, couldn’t understand what had happened.

The Crot Harman knew was always gloomy, listless, and sharp-tongued, reacting like a sharp-tempered girl who would scream if touched.

But today, the face of Crot emerging from the office was completely different from what Harman had known.

His mouth was upturned, humming a tune, and he even whistled. Moreover, his footsteps were light and graceful, as if walking on a tightrope that soared into the sky.

“Professor Crot, did something good happen in the office by any chance?”

“What? Hahaha! No, not at all. By the way, are you in good health?”