Even if they didn’t know, those who cultivated sagulnak in the blessed land of noble farmers probably didn’t know that it might be the most beautiful and noble sagulnak in the empire.

A long time ago, there were many people who ran to see a sagulnak garden full of golden color, thinking it was filled with gold coins from a distance.

However, as the golden sagulnak became popular and indiscriminately harvested, moved from its original land, and passed down through generations, it lost its original brilliance.

People who didn’t know much about sagulnak thought of it as a diseased flower and pulled it out or burned it. The golden sagulnak had become a rare flower that was now hard to come by.
That kind of sagulnak, blooming modestly among the peonies of Muege Castle, was beyond belief for the earth fairies when they first discovered it.

Foolish humans tried to pull out the sagulnak again, but fortunately, Stella, an earthling blessed by the goddess of the earth, rescued the sagulnak from being discarded like trash before it happened.

“It shines in golden color?”

Stella found it hard to believe.

There were only about ten sagulnaks from Muege Castle, and the sagulnak with its roots pulled out was already withering.

“Not at this time, Mila!”

Mila, who had momentarily lost her focus, snapped back to attention and replied.

“Yes, Princess.”

There were no such incidents in the past, but being with Princess Stella seemed to make Mila lose focus more often. Stella’s actions were completely beyond Mila’s calculations.

Stella acted unexpectedly, and before Mila could regain her composure, surprising outcomes unfolded.

“Princess Annette mentioned that we could hire a gardener?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Mila’s voice sounded irritated as if she purposely hid something. However, Mila quickly returned to her calm demeanor and replied.

“I thought you were already aware.”

As Stella met Mila’s gaze, a sudden realization crossed her mind, and she closed her eyes tightly.

“How could I… Ah.”
Stella recalled the time when the garden was tidied overnight. Mila probably thought that the gardeners who did the work at that time were skilled.

“It’s my fault.”

Stella tapped her forehead with the palm of her hand.

“Yes? What are you talking about?”

“No, nothing. Mila, can you go and find a gardener to take care of the Verdura Gardens?”

“Yes, understood. How many should I bring?”

Mila seemed slightly puzzled, but she didn’t ask any questions.

“Well, start with one. I need to see how they work.”

“Yes, I’ll go right away.”

One of Mila’s strengths was that she didn’t pry into every detail. Even if there were many questions or urgent matters, she never asked Stella for explanations.

While this made Stella trust Mila more, she hoped that someday Mila would have the opportunity to confide in her, just like Rudina.

After a while, Mila returned with a round-faced man from head to toe. His height was almost the same as Stella’s eye level, and he was blushing from his face to his neck. Even though it was a garden, it must have been awkward since there was nothing. His first impression, looking innocent, reminded Stella of Iber.

“Princess, the gardener you ordered to bring is here.”

“Thank you.”

After giving Mila a grin, Stella stared intently at the gardener who had just come in.
While Stella didn’t know about the demeanor of the other gardeners, the man standing in front of Stella now was wearing quite worn-out clothes. Although he seemed to have taken care to dress up when entering the palace, he couldn’t conceal the worn-out sleeves, and either due to nervousness or not, he tightly held onto the old sleeves, making Stella think that they might fall off before the day was over.

“Nice to meet you. I’m planning to entrust you with the garden management from now on. Can you do it well?”

The man deeply bowed.

“Yes, Your Highness. I will do my best to diligently cultivate. I am truly grateful for giving such a precious opportunity to someone like me.”

The man’s voice trembled.

“As you can see, you will have quite a bit to do here.”

“Yes. I will work hard.”

The man seemed genuinely delighted, and tears welled up in his eyes. Stella briefly worried about what would happen if no one came to this unimpressive palace, but it seemed to be needless concern.

“Where is your residence?”

“It’s on the outskirts of Conpayo.”