The carrots that Stella had covered with soil were less than ten. The earth fairies, who were quick with their hands, gathered one by one to help and soon swarmed the area, completing the task in no time.

When Mila approached, Stella had already washed her hands with the water that Esther had gathered.

“Princess, what are you doing there?”

Mila felt like she was repeating the same question to Princess Stella multiple times.

“I was looking at the carrots.”

Knowing Mila would disapprove if she admitted to touching the soil herself, Stella gave a vague response. She thought there would come a time to tell Mila the truth, but that time wasn’t now.

“Have they grown a lot already?”

The last time Mila had seen them, they were just tiny sprouts. In just a few days, the carrots had grown impressively.

Though Mila had no interest or knowledge in gardening, she knew this wasn’t normal.

“Yeah. Carrots usually grow fast.”

Mila nodded at Stella’s words, uttering a soft sound of admiration as if learning something new.

Stella was relieved that Mila didn’t know everything.

She had told Mila that the seeds were from her homeland. Fortunately, Mila hadn’t probed further.

“We can eat them soon. Let’s ask Lian to make a carrot pie.”

Lian was the cook at Verduura Castle, who also did maid duties. She was incredibly efficient, managing everything from cleaning to sewing to cooking.

“Yes, I’ll let her know,” Mila replied in a calm voice.

“Did something pleasant happen, Your Majesty?”

The Emperor’s lips curved into a smile, a rare sight as they were usually straight or frowning.

“Finally had a good sleep.”

Kai’s skin even seemed to glow with health.

“Your complexion looks much better. Indeed, rest is the best medicine,” Harumang commented with a bright smile.

Feeling refreshed, Kai completed his tasks more efficiently than usual and rose from his desk.

“Shall I prepare lunch?” Harumang asked with anticipation, as the Emperor often skipped lunch or had a mere piece of bread.

“Yes.”

“Would you like anything specific?”

Harumang looked ready to run off at a moment’s notice.

The usual response from Kai made the guards exchange surprised and relieved glances.

“Carrots.”

“Pardon?”

Harumang thought he misheard. Suddenly carrots?

“Anything with carrots.”

Harumang was taken aback by the unusual request but didn’t question further, fearing it might change the Emperor’s mind.

“Yes, I’ll inform the chef.”

Harumang gestured to a servant who quickly retreated from the office. As the door closed, the servant’s footsteps hurried away.

Soon, the Emperor’s dining table was filled with various carrot dishes: carrot soup, carrot râpée, beef with carrots, carrot juice, carrot salad. The table was a vibrant array of orange.
The royal chef had never before been asked by the Emperor to prepare a specific dish, so he was completely out of sorts from the moment he received the lunch menu instructions from the steward.

Selecting the best carrots from the pantry, preparing and cooking them, he worked his subordinates hard, like stirring a pot of carrots. It was his duty to ensure the Emperor was fully satisfied with his meal. He had scrapped the original menu prepared for the day.

The limited time and sudden change of menu were no excuses for any lapse in quality. The kitchen was a veritable hell until dozens of carrot dishes were completed.

After the whirlwind, the kitchen was left with scattered cooking utensils, dazed chefs, and carrot pieces strewn about like the aftermath of a war.

“Your Majesty, here are the dishes made with carrots, as you requested. The royal chef has prepared them with utmost dedication for you,” the head steward Harumang explained.

Kai glanced over the table set with various carrot dishes. Recalling the sweet and fresh taste of the carrots he had eaten the day before, he first tried a spoonful of the soup.

It was unprecedented for the Emperor to engage so actively in a meal. Harumang watched Kai eat with a proud, grandfatherly gaze.

However, the Emperor’s thick eyebrows furrowed deeply the moment he tasted the soup.

The chef, too, was startled and held his breath. Was the soup too hot, or was the taste off? Had someone mistaken salt for sugar, or worse, had it been poisoned?

The chef’s mind raced with negative possibilities during the brief moment it took for the soup to reach Kai’s mouth.

While the Emperor tasted one dish after another without going back for seconds, the chef’s face turned increasingly pale by the second. Harumang, who knew the chef’s efforts and struggles, could not hide his distress.

“Why doesn’t it taste right?” the Emperor wondered aloud after sampling all the dishes.

The chef started hiccuping. Harumang stealthily moved to shield him from the Emperor’s view.

“Is there a specific carrot dish you were looking for, Your Majesty?”

Harumang asked carefully, as the chef could only produce hiccups. Kai didn’t respond but tilted his head curiously before turning towards where the chef stood.

Harumang tried to block the view, but it was practically impossible to hide the sizable chef. The chef felt choked the moment he met the Emperor’s cold gaze.

“Bring me a raw carrot.”

“Pardon?”

“Bring the carrot used in these dishes.”

The chef was flustered, not understanding the Emperor’s intent. In his over twenty years as a chef, he had never heard such a request.

Relieved that he wasn’t immediately dismissed or worse, the chef was perplexed by the order to bring a raw carrot.

Looking like a malfunctioning robot, the chef’s inertia prompted Harumang to send a servant to the kitchen.

The servant rushed to the kitchen and soon returned with the carrots used in the cooking, presented on a silver platter with a lid.

Kai’s eyes sparkled with anticipation. But as soon as the lid was lifted, the faint smile on his face vanished as quickly as a snuffed-out candle.
The chef’s legs gave way and he nearly collapsed, only to be propped up by Harumang’s support. His cheeks were already damp with tears, and his plump lips quivered in sorrow, creating walnut-like wrinkles on his chin.

As the round silver lid was lifted, Kai realized that the carrot he had been anticipating wasn’t there. He longed for the radiant orange body, the freshness that filled his mouth with each bite, the sweet crunch, and the rich carrot aroma. Just thinking about it made his mouth water.

But all that awaited him was just a carrot.

Just a plain carrot.

“Haah…”

The Emperor sighed deeply and stood up, then walked out of the dining room without a word. Harumang’s pained voice was the only thing that halted Kai’s disappointed steps.

“Your Majesty!”

Kai stopped and turned, his eyes listless, to Harumang. The steward was visibly shaken by the Emperor’s despondent expression but couldn’t let the chef be dismissed like this.

He was the royal chef who had served since the previous Emperor’s reign.

“Please, do not punish Chef Leo!”

Harumang fell to his knees in supplication.

“Leo?”

Kai’s gaze shifted to the sobbing chef standing there, his eyes tightly closed, tears streaming down his face. Kai’s eyes crumpled in confusion.

“The chef has dedicated his life to serving Your Majesty. Could you please give him one more chance?”

“What are you talking about? Who said anything about punishing Leo?”

To Kai, Leo was special. He was the man who had been preparing meals for him since he was a child.

Upon hearing the Emperor’s words, both Harumang and Leo ceased their crying and stared blankly at the Emperor.

After looking at them as if they were incomprehensible for a while, Kai tilted his head in puzzlement and left the dining room.

“What was with that carrot…”

It was utterly frustrating.