Milla hesitated as if she had something to say, but then she left the room.
Alone, Stella took out the pickaxe she had hidden under her bed. It was just an old and worn farming tool, yet it kept drawing her attention. She curiously stroked the shiny blade of the tool, finding it strangely fascinating.
Holding what had been on her mind all day finally brought her some peace. The pickaxe, shimmering in silver, even looked beautiful now. Its gently curved lines were elegant, and its straight lines were strong, almost like a precious treasure. Stella stroked the pickaxe but then stopped and sighed deeply.
“Sigh.”
She never thought she would become so attached to a farming tool, leaving her feelings complicated. Yet, she held the pickaxe close to her chest, like a girl clutching her teddy bear, feeling the cold metal against her fingertips. The handle was worn, but the blade shone as if it had just been fitted yesterday.
At first, she thought it was made of silver, but it wasn’t. Holding it, she strangely felt better. Memories of playing with soil as a child came back to her.
While Stella was inspecting the pickaxe, there was a knock at the door, followed by Milla’s voice.
“Princess, it’s Milla.”
Startled, Stella quickly hid the pickaxe under the bed. She had wanted to hold it a bit longer, feeling a tinge of regret.
“Come in.”
“Princess, I’ve brought the books you asked for. But why are you sitting on the floor?”
Milla’s puzzled gaze went under the bed.
A princess sitting on the carpet like a child was unusual. Milla couldn’t believe her eyes and asked with wide-open eyes.
“Ah… I thought something had fallen under the bed. I guess I was mistaken. Nothing there.”
Stella awkwardly brushed it off and stood up, shaking the unseen dust from her dress.
Milla, reluctantly taking her eyes off the bed, handed Stella two books she had brought.
“I brought two more history books of the Credeon Empire. Reading them will make it easier for you in the next class.”
Despite her suspicious gaze, Milla’s tone was as calm as a still lake.
“Thank you.”
Stella quickly took the books and browsed their titles, picking out one that seemed odd.
“This isn’t a history book?”
“What? That can’t be. I checked before bringing them.”
Milla took the book back to check the title. One was indeed a history book titled ‘The Beginning of the Credeon Empire’, but the other was strange.
“Noble Farming Methods?”
Milla checked the title and frowned, confused. Was such a book even in the royal library?
Milla knew the royal library’s contents well, but she didn’t recall such a peculiar title. Especially since the books she had picked were from a section containing hundreds of history books.
The meticulous royal library staff she knew would never make such a mistake.
Unable to figure out where things went wrong, Milla wasn’t one to make tedious excuses.
“I’m sorry. It seems I’ve brought the wrong book. I’ll go and exchange it right away.”
As Milla bowed deeply in apology and was about to leave with the book, Stella stopped her urgently.
“Milla!”
Stella was intrigued by the word ‘noble’ in the title. It might be related to the ‘noble pickaxe’ the earth fairies mentioned.
“Yes, Princess. Is there something else you need?”
Milla asked with a reddened face, evidently eager to correct her seemingly ridiculous mistake.
“Just leave that book here.”
“This book? It’s about farming.”
Milla double-checked, knowing it wasn’t typically a book for princesses.
“I like the title. ‘Noble Farming Methods’ sounds intriguing.”
Milla handed back the book with a dazed expression.
For the first time, Stella realized Milla, always acting mature and stern, was about her age. She had always seemed a decade older but now appeared like a peer.
“Thanks. Now go rest. No need to go back to the library. You understand?”
The book Milla handed back was thick, its cover wrapped in worn leather as soft as the back of a lady’s hand.
“Yes. Thank you.”
Milla’s flawless tone returned, bringing back a sense of distance.
Back in her room, Milla opened her diary and sat blankly for a while.
Ink spread on the paper where the pen touched, creating a black blot the size of a coin. Realizing late, Milla quickly removed the pen, but the ink had already bled through several pages.
Milla methodically removed the ink-stained sheets. After tearing out four, the unintended black dot finally disappeared.
She folded the torn pages neatly and placed them in the wastebasket, then picked up the pen again.
Scratch scratch.
The sound of the sharp pen scratching the rough paper filled the quiet room. Halfway through the diary entry, she recalled Stella’s words.
“Go rest now. Don’t bother going back to the library. Understand?”
Milla thought of Stella, who had cheerfully accepted the farming book out of consideration for her.
She had assumed the princess from Amalun would be self-centered, treating those beneath her like dirt under her nails.
But Stella, in their brief time together, was unlike any other royalty Milla had encountered. It was both reassuring and unsettling.
Milla’s thoughts drifted to her old room.
The delicately embroidered silk wallpaper, the soft curtains rippling like waves in the breeze, the jewel box glittering in the sunlight, rows of perfume bottles, shoes and hats in every color, and the swan feather fan.
And her mother, smiling kindly at her.
All of it was now gone, as if it were a distant dream. Milla ran her palm over the dust-free desk, her eyes as empty as the room’s air.
No colorful curtains, bedspreads, or carpets. With a troubled expression, Milla pulled out a small box from the drawer and placed it on the desk.
“For my beloved first daughter, Milla.”
She stroked the engraved name, then checked the window was closed before opening the box.
A clear melody played as a red-dressed wooden doll slowly spun around. The old toy sometimes stopped its music and movement, but if she waited, it would start again. It creaked as if about to break, much like Milla herself.
Thump!
The box closed, silencing the music.
Scratch scratch.
Milla diligently recorded the day’s events in her diary. Every word she wrote felt like adding value, so she put her utmost effort into each letter.
“People like me don’t matter to them. Don’t bother with them.”
Chiding herself, Milla’s hand pressed harder as she continued writing.
Just before falling asleep, Stella had been fiddling with the pickaxe and ended up having a bizarre dream where the pickaxe proposed to her.
It was ridiculous enough to receive a proposal from a pickaxe, but even more astonishing was that she felt excited about it in the dream.
She thought it would have been better to dream about the pickaxe turning into a monster and chasing her. It was unbelievable that she had such a dream about a pickaxe, not even a diamond ring or a necklace.
It seemed that the pickaxe that came out of the jar possessed some strange power.
“I should avoid touching it for a while.”
Talking to herself and trying to shake off the embarrassing dream, Stella heard a commotion outside.
“What’s that?”
Realizing the noise came from the garden, she quickly went out to the balcony. The sight before her left her speechless.
The disorganized garden from yesterday had been neatly tidied up overnight.
The rampant and disorderly weeds were all pulled out, and the crumbled flower beds had been firmly repaired.
Flowers that were previously hidden by weeds were now blooming profusely. Among them, clusters of white daisies stood out prominently.
She recalled the land fairies who confidently shouted that they would take care of the garden. She had asked them for help, but she didn’t expect them to transform it overnight like this. The land fairies were more capable than she had thought.
“It’s turned into perfect land for farming? Oops!”
Stella was surprised at her own words and clamped her mouth shut.
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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