When Yuri snapped his fingers, the door locked with a click.

“Titi.”

Yuri’s voice was as sweet as ever when he called my name.

He once said that the way he pronounced my name sounded like a bird’s song. But that was only half true.

‘My name sounds like that entirely because of Yuri.’

Even in the dimly lit shop, where I had deliberately lowered the lights, his eyelashes sparkled.

‘He’s got a pretty face and a lovely voice.’

I understood once again why people had followed Yuri around to the point of annoyance since he was young.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, I glanced at his smiling face and, struck by a sudden thought, tilted my head and asked, “Aren’t you going to ask what Yujin and I talked about?”

“I’m curious, but I decided not to ask.”

“Why not?”

“Because, after all, the person you like is me, right?”

I couldn’t help but burst into laughter at his nonchalant answer. I gave him a quick peck on the lips, and he responded by kissing my forehead.

“Did things go well with Yujin?”

I shrugged. Inevitably, thinking of Yujin made a part of my heart sink.

“I just hope Yujin finds happiness too, without being tied down by the past.”

“He’ll manage just fine. He’s not a fool.”

I nodded in agreement, believing he probably would.

“I hope one day he’ll accept my thanks.”

Thank you for giving me another chance.

‘I hope the day comes when Yujin can talk about the past without any trouble.’

I wished for his heart to find peace as soon as possible.

***

As usual, Yuri got up early to prepare breakfast, and I went out to get the newspaper. Just as I opened the door and picked up the paper, a chilling voice called down to me from above.

“Master.”

“Goodness!”

I was truly startled. I staggered backward, barely catching myself by grabbing the shop door.

When I looked up, there stood Bradley, with dark circles under his eyes like a panda.

‘And yet he’s wearing yellow clothes.’

But the bright clothes only made his haggard appearance more noticeable.

Realizing he wasn’t a suspicious person, I sighed in relief.

“What brings you here so early in the morning?”

“I… I’ve finally succeeded.”

“In what?”

“The magic to change the color of flowers!”

I was momentarily frozen with a blank expression, not understanding what he was talking about.

Bradley eagerly launched into his explanation.

“I thought it would be easy, but flowers are light in mass and store significantly less magic than humans. So, if you don’t get that delicate balance right, they just explode…”

Then I remembered how Bradley had been struggling to change the color of a blue rose when he visited our home.

‘He must have been researching for three days straight.’

If he hadn’t slept well for three days and focused only on magic, his haggard look made sense.

“Have you been researching that all this time?”

Bradley beamed as he handed me a flower.

“Yes! And I finally succeeded! A spell to change the color of flowers! Even though the effect only lasts for three days, flowers usually start wilting by then anyway, so it’s fine, right?”

He handed me a purple rose as he spoke.

I examined the rose with curious eyes. The petals were completely purple, all the way to the tips, and looked natural. The enchanting color made me gasp in admiration.

“It really looks like it bloomed in this color naturally.”

“Right? It’s very convincing, isn’t it?”

“Well done.”

Even though it was just a simple compliment, Bradley was so thrilled that he wiggled in delight.

‘The effect lasts about three days, you say?’

“This could be a great business idea. Can you change them to gold or silver as well?”

“I haven’t tried, but the principle is the same, so it should be possible.”

Listening to Bradley’s voice, I could almost hear money piling up in my mind. The thought of making money again after a long time made my heart race.

‘If that’s possible, even people used to dyed blue and rainbow roses would respond enthusiastically. The key is how many you can produce in a day.’

No, it seems a waste to use magic just to change colors!

I examined the flower closely and continued in a serious tone.

“Can you imbue it with other magic besides changing colors? Like making the person who carries it more attractive or improving their skin?”

“Excuse me?”

I had been rambling, lost in my thoughts, when Bradley’s bewildered response jolted me back to reality.

“Is it really that difficult? I apologize if I was out of line, not knowing much about magic.”

I genuinely meant it as an apology, but it seemed to spark a competitive fire in Bradley. Clenching his fists with determination, he exclaimed, “Not at all! It’s a new challenge. A spell to make someone carrying a flower appear more attractive. I’ll succeed and return!”

And just as abruptly as he had appeared, he vanished.

I stood there holding the newspaper, staring blankly at the empty street. It wasn’t long before Yuri, drawn by the commotion, came downstairs and asked with a puzzled look, “Who was that?”

“It was Bradley.”

“Why so early in the morning? Mages usually don’t rise at dawn.”

“He’s taken on a new challenge.”

I handed Yuri the purple rose Bradley had given me. Yuri glanced at it and tapped it with his finger. Instantly, the purple rose turned pink.

‘Bradley would be disheartened if he saw that.’

After all, Yuri had accomplished in an instant what took Bradley three days to achieve.

Nevertheless, the rose, now matching Yuri’s hair color, looked utterly charming. Smiling, I placed it in the mailbox by the shop’s entrance.

Inside, a warm breakfast of pancakes, salad, and sweet floral tea awaited.

As Yuri spread cream and honey on the pancakes, he asked, “What are you doing today?”

It was a question, but really, it was a subtle invitation to spend the day together.

However, I had plans to go out.

“Since it’s been a while since the royal wedding, I thought I’d visit the Crown Princess.”

I needed to get back out there if I wanted to pursue business again.

***

When I met Rosemary Morphe after a long time, her face was radiant. Sitting comfortably with her chin resting on her hand, she greeted me with a teasing remark.

“Finally visiting, huh? You must be feeling pretty relaxed.”

I hesitated briefly, wondering how to address her now that she was the Crown Princess, but her friendly greeting made me chuckle.

“What do you mean by that? Rosie, I just didn’t want to intrude on your newlywed bliss.”

“Oh, come on, with a baby on the way, we’re a family now.”

“His Highness might be upset to hear that.”

Despite her words, I knew well how deeply the Crown Prince loved Rosemary.

‘They look good together.’

Seeing Rosemary so happy brought a contented smile to my face.

During a brief pause in our conversation, a maid laid out fragrant tea and light refreshments before us. Pouring milk into her teacup, Rosemary spoke in a casual tone.

“Seriously though, I’ve been too busy to even feel like a newlywed. You’re close to Esrenche, right? You know ‘her.’ The punishment has finally been carried out.”

“I see.”

I was aware of the situation from what I had heard.

‘I heard the royal family tried to persuade Esrenche to keep it all under wraps.’

If only Yujin had been there, the Emperor might have tried to suppress it forcefully, but with Yuri, the future Tower Master, standing as a witness, they couldn’t simply cover it up. So, they kept negotiating.

Yujin’s demand was singular from the start.

The punishment of Princess Sabina.

‘I heard that in exchange for keeping Princess Sabina’s crimes hidden, the royal family agreed to exile her and ensure she was properly punished.’

Since it couldn’t remain secret if done domestically, they planned to disguise it as overseas education and then whisk her away.

To hide my expression, I took a sip of tea and sighed inwardly.

‘Thank goodness. She can’t cause any more harm.’

While it was unfortunate that her punishment was private, it was a relief that she was paying for her crimes.

At that moment, Rosemary changed her tone and asked brightly, “So, when would be a good time? I did say within a month, so sooner would be better.”

“For what?”

A month? What’s happening in a month?

I tilted my head in confusion, and Rosemary let out a laugh, as if she couldn’t believe it.

“Are you asking me that now?”

What had I forgotten? I couldn’t think of anything, no matter how hard I tried.

Rosemary burst into laughter, even clapping her hands.

“My goodness, you forgot your own event. Titi? I’m talking about your wedding.”

“That…”

How could I forget?

Even if I tried, every newspaper in the country was still reporting about it.

So my question was, I knew I had to have a wedding, but why was Rosemary bringing it up specifically?

In response to my puzzled look, Rosemary puffed out her chest proudly and laughed.

“As the future Tower Master’s wedding, of course, it should be held in the main hall of the palace. Isn’t that why you came to discuss the rental schedule?”

“What?”

I hadn’t even imagined that.