“Then, taking your acceptance as granted, I will take my leave, Your Highness.”

“Wait a minute!”

I still have something to say! I couldn’t let her disappear like that.

“Let’s make it clear before you leave.”

I looked straight into the eyes of Lillith, who had just turned her back, and made a serious face.

“Do you have another real reason for giving me the seed?”

“Your Highness is really sharp~ Indeed, a plausible reason won’t do.”

I glared intensely and Lillith neither denied nor meekly admitted it.

“I was curious how much more you would change if Your Highness nurtured something yourself.”

“Is that really it?”

“Yes.”

Lillith chuckled, rubbing her hair with one finger. She looked away for a moment, then stared at me intently.

“I want to know who has stirred Your Highness’s heart with such an exotic behavior lately.”

Such an overly sensitive kid. I spat out in my mind.

Lillith was impatient to find out the cause, knowing I wasn’t the kind of person to be easily shaken.

“But I won’t pry.”

“Good. I wouldn’t tell you anyway, even if I die.”

Unlike before, when she was obsessed with knowing about my ideas, this time she didn’t dig deep.

“Scary~”

“Just go!”

“Okay~”

She teased me further, making me more irritated, and disappeared like a fleeing rabbit.

‘This is bad.’

Now what about this?

‘I’ve never grown a plant before.’

I’ve reached a hurdle. In the case of Yongyong, it was a divine gift that quickly healed him, so I couldn’t really say I took care of anyone. Not to mention I never even watered a garden.

‘I have no knowledge of gardening, I’ll have to send a maid to get the necessary items.’

In times like these, one must take advantage of those below. I immediately summoned Miranda and Hailey to bring me the necessary items for growing the seed.

“Your Highness, I spoke with the gardener and got the necessary tools~.”

A little later, I moved to the indoor garden with the maid, who had prepared the pots and spray bottles.

“Growing a plant will help you develop responsibility and affection!”

“Is that true?”

I was skeptical. I found it dubious that I could feel what Miranda described just by taking care of a tiny seed.

“It’s not just that, Your Highness.”

Miranda added that growing a plant would also clear the air in the room.
“Naming it, talking to it, and showing some care will make it grow strong and healthy.”

Hailey seemed to have been waiting for this moment as she followed up on Miranda’s previous statement with a smile.

“How about giving this little seed a name as well?”

I looked at the pot in front of me, annoyed. Why should I bother with all this? The maids had already planted the seeds.

‘Should I just let the maids handle it?’

For a moment, I thought about leaving it all to someone else, but I quickly changed my mind.

‘If Lillith returns, there’s no telling what kind of look I’ll get. Better not.’

The reason was simple. After all the fuss I made about exploring the life of giving, I didn’t want to suddenly go silent and show a different side. That would hurt my pride later.

So what if it was inconvenient for me? I didn’t want to face that kind of situation.

‘So let’s give it a try.’

Even if nothing sprouted, I wanted to at least gain something from the time I invested. I brushed the pot once with this ‘nothing to lose’ mentality.

‘Ullika had told me in her lifetime, if such a moment comes, to boldly push forward rather than hesitate.’

It felt like that moment was now. Having made up my mind, I spoke.

“I’ve decided. Its name is Kiki.”

The maids, as if they had been waiting for this, clapped their hands. Poppy, who had somehow moved next to Miranda, jumped joyfully.

Afterwards, I watered it regularly, and talked to it, and soon enough a sprout appeared in the pot.

“Better than expected, Your Highness.”

When Lillith returned after completing her mission, a flower bud had formed. I felt proud as I guided the sly creature to the pot.

“I thought you would’ve given up long ago, considering how tiresome plant care can be.”

“It wasn’t a bad experience.”

Receiving the praise, I felt a little cocky.

“I was nervous the sprout wouldn’t come out, so I don’t think I could do it a second time.”

In any case, I hoped for more praise from Lillith, but instead, she looked at the flower in the pot with a tender smile.

“What is it? Feeling excited about the flower that’s about to bloom?”

It was in stark contrast to her usual cunning, shameless, and talkative self.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Why? Thinking of the days when you were wandering? Do you miss the past?”

“I do miss it.”

Finishing her words, Lillith looked at me and knelt on one knee.

“But I am a person loyal to the present, Your Highness. Being an aide is not so bad.”

The eyes of the ever-wandering Lillith turned serious.

“That doesn’t mean the fleeting relationships I’ve had were meaningless.”

After a moment of silence, Lillith moved her lips.

“The love and friendship I’ve experienced over hundreds of years are all alive in my heart. My present self exists thanks to my past and relationships.”

It felt strange hearing her talk about philosophy. I looked at Lillith with a sense of bewilderment.

“Should I give you a hint as a reward for your hard work?”

“A hint?”

I tilted my head, wondering what irrelevant thing she was talking about.

“Yes~ A clue that is close to the answer you’ve been desperately seeking.”

“Spit it out, now! I’m really serious!”

Excited by what she was saying, I urged her to hurry. There was no reason to refuse something given for free.

“The key to the answer you seek is…”

Perhaps amused by my quick change in attitude, Lillith chuckled before saying,

“It’s right in your heart.”