"Huh? What kind of seeds are these?" Belle asked curiously, picking up the seeds and rolling them around in her palm.
Belle grew up as a farmer's daughter, helping out at home since she was little. After joining Lily Evans's household, her main responsibility was managing the crops. If it could be planted, there were few seeds Belle didn't recognize.
But after inspecting the seeds closely, Belle realized she had never seen them before. She looked again and again, puzzled, "Princess, I've never seen these seeds before!"
Lily Evans smiled gently, "Of course you haven't seen these seeds before. That's perfectly normal—they're not local."
"Not local? Then... what are they?" Belle was totally confused.
"Look, these are seeds I had Edward secretly bring back from overseas. Take a guess—what do you think they'll grow into?" Lily Evans said with a mysterious smile.
Belle saw Lily Evans's enigmatic smile, and suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. She lowered her voice, "Princess, could these be... spice seeds!?"
Lily Evans nodded, "Smart girl! I had Edward secretly ship back several generations of spice seeds. Hardly anyone knows about this."
Belle's mouth dropped open in a perfect O, and she covered it in shock, speechless for a moment. Finally, she exclaimed, "No wonder... Princess, you really are clever! Why didn't I think of it? We have land—if we secretly plant spice seeds here, we won't need to import them at huge cost!"
Belle grew more and more excited, staring at the spice seeds in her hand. "Princess, everyone knows secret spices are worth their weight in gold. If we grow them locally, it's like planting gold! My goodness, I thought mushrooms and off-season veggies were already a gold mine, but compared to these spices, those are child's play!"
Lily Evans watched Belle's excitement and patted her hand with a smile. "Right now, only you, me, and Edward know about this. We have to keep this secret—if word gets out that we can produce spices locally, they won't be valuable anymore."
"Mm-hmm, I understand. I won't tell a soul—not even Eugene!" Belle replied, grasping the importance of the secret.
Secret spices are valuable precisely because they're rare. If people found out they could be mass-produced locally, the price would drop like cabbage.
"Belle, you're my most trusted steward. I feel completely at ease leaving this to you. Now that you know what I want the mountain land for, you know what kind of hill to pick, right?" Lily Evans said.
Belle nodded quickly, "Got it! The spice plantation has to be deep in the mountains, with no outsiders coming and going. Ideally, there should be dense forests all around for cover, and only our people can access it through secret paths... Those secret paths will probably have to be built by hand. Best if the mountain already has caves or caverns that can be turned into hidden passageways. That way, the plantation is surrounded by natural barriers, with only one way in or out—no chance of leaks!"
Belle thought seriously for a moment, then added, "We can also put some wild beasts in the forest around it to keep people out. Don't worry, Princess, I'll buy the right mountain according to these standards—I'll make sure we get a huge secret plantation deep in the mountains. Or rather, a 'Plant Gold' garden!"