‘Maybe I can tell Yuri anything?’

I felt that even if he found out I had caused trouble with his family, he wouldn’t get angry.

‘If he does get mad… well, there’s nothing I can do.’

Regardless of who started it, what was wrong was wrong.

I traced the rim of the cup with my fingers for a moment before hesitantly speaking up, “I kicked a customer out earlier, and it’s been bothering me.”

“Why did you kick them out? You didn’t do it for no reason, right?”

“Well…”

I continued to fidget with the cup as I spoke.

“He looked a lot like you.”

“…Like me?”

Yuri’s expression hardened, and he asked sharply, “Don’t tell me he did something to you?”

“No, it’s not that.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and quickly blurted out what I had been holding back.

“The guy was just so annoying! He tried to give me a bunch of money to make me leave this building, so I got mad, threw the money, and told him to get lost!”

I couldn’t bring myself to mention that I had called him a jerk.

It was clear that Yuri and that rude guy were related.

‘Oh man, I really lost my temper when he looked down on me.’

I should have just mentioned Yuri’s name to get out of it.

Fiddling with my fingers, I sneaked a glance up. To my surprise, Yuri was chuckling.

“Did you really tell Yujin to get lost? How did he react?”

So that guy was Yujin. This confirmed they were brothers.

“…He just glared at me coldly.”

“Haha, I wish I could’ve seen that. He must have been really caught off guard. It’s not easy to surprise Yujin—well done.”

Even though his brother had argued with me, Yuri laughed as if he were hearing someone else’s story. Then, furrowing his brows, he asked, “But why does he want you to move the shop? How did he know you set up here in my building?”

I honestly told him that Yujin had threatened me, saying that Sabina would keep getting mad if I stayed, and that it would bother Yuri too.

After hearing everything, Yuri frowned and apologized.

“So it’s my fault in the end. I’m sorry.”

“Oh, no. I was too blunt myself.”

“Titi, you did nothing wrong. They were the ones who were rude to you first. It’s entirely my fault that Yujin came here.”

Yuri’s immediate support made my eyes well up with tears again. Not wanting to cry, I lowered my head and gripped the cup tightly, while Yuri’s expression softened.

“I promised to protect you, but I ended up causing trouble. I should’ve just stayed with you today. I went out because I thought you might be tired of being stuck with me all the time.”

“Did you? Not at all. Actually…”

I feel more secure when you’re around.

I almost said it but managed to keep my lips tightly closed to swallow the words.

‘What are we, for me to say something like that?’

Meanwhile, Yuri scratched his head with an awkward expression and said, “It was the first time I had been this close to someone, so I couldn’t gauge the distance properly. But if I had known Yujin was coming, I would have stayed with you.”

Since the shop was closed that day, it was understandable that Yuri couldn’t predict a customer would show up. I nodded in agreement.

“Next time, do me a favor. Stand up for me.”

“I don’t fight. It’s true that we’re not on the best terms as brothers.”

“Then doesn’t that mean you get along? My brother and I used to pull each other’s hair and fight all the time.”

“You have a brother?”

“Yeah, he’s a real piece of work…”

After chatting like that, I started to feel hungry, so we shared the ganache pie Yuri had brought. The dessert was so sweet that it made my tongue tingle.

“Yuck.”

When I stuck out my tongue, Yuri tilted his head.

“Do you really dislike sweets?”

“Yes, I do. Do I seem like someone who would lie about that?”

“No, I just thought all women liked sweets.”

What a stereotype.

“I’m a carnivore. I’d prefer a meat pie.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Anyway, we shared the rest of the ganache pie amicably.

***

It was quite sudden when Count Esrenche arrived with a beautiful girl who had golden hair.

“Yuri? A mage?”

The girl showed great interest in Yuri, the mage. Then she suddenly looked down at him and declared, “I’ll make you my special friend.”

I didn’t want to be friends with her.

A large hand stopped Yuri from backing away uncomfortably. It was his father’s.

“Yuri, Sabina will soon become the most precious woman in the royal palace. You must treat her well.”

“Why should I?”

“It’s all for the name of Esrenche.”

If things went wrong, it wouldn’t just be him who suffered the consequences; the entire Esrenche family would feel the impact.

Under the heavy pressure, Yuri’s mouth hung open. The girl smiling in his father’s embrace felt like a monster holding his family hostage.

***

Today was the long-awaited holiday from the shop.

No need for breakfast. I planned to sleep in, so I told everyone not to wake me. That’s what I had said just last night.

But…

‘It’s not even 8 o’clock yet, and I’m wide awake.’

I rubbed my eyes and got out of bed. Maybe because I had been working diligently lately, I automatically woke up early in the morning.

‘Sigh, I wanted to sleep in for once.’

But it made sense that I was wide awake.

Today was the day to go to the flower market!

‘It’s the first flower market I’m attending since coming to the capital.’

How many different flowers would there be? Just imagining it made my heart flutter.

‘Since I had saved up a good amount from the blue roses, I decided to buy anything that seemed worthwhile without hesitation.’

Participating in this flower market meant more than just being a florist; it was about the future of our shop.

‘I had already shipped the blue roses, and I had the rainbow roses lined up too, but those were items I was relying on entirely from my memories of my past life.’

Today’s trip to the flower market was about discovering new business ideas.

‘I can do this.’

Not long ago, everything felt uncertain, but lately, I had been feeling much more at ease. I sensed that the flower shop was establishing itself solidly.

I used to think that failure would be the end, but now I thought, “So what if I make a few missteps?”

So, I decided to be more proactive in business.

With that thought in mind, I put on my work-friendly overalls and hat and headed downstairs, only to find Yuri standing at the shop door. I blinked in surprise.

“Oh? Yuri, you’re up early too.”

“…Ah.”

Yuri was staring blankly at the shop as if he were in an unfamiliar place. He slowly turned around, his eyelids slightly swollen and his hair looking a bit messy.

His eyes, clouded as if he had just woken from a dream, gradually found focus. I approached him and asked, “What’s wrong with your eyes? Did you not sleep well?”

“Titi.”

He finally seemed to recognize me and offered a sheepish smile, avoiding my gaze as he replied.

“I just… had a bad dream.”

“I see.”

People can have nightmares. Sometimes they are so vivid that it’s hard to distinguish them from reality.

I knew that sometimes letting it slide was more helpful than pressing for details. So instead of asking about the dream, I changed the subject.

“Have you had breakfast?”

“I’m just planning to drink some milk.”

“You should eat something warm, especially if you’re not feeling well.”

“My stomach’s not feeling great.”

I nodded in understanding. Then Yuri squinted slightly and asked, “But why are you up so early, Titi? It’s a day off.”

“I’m going to the flower market.”

Since we had decided to respect each other’s privacy while living together, I didn’t seek out Yuri unless it was work-related. He wasn’t particularly interested in my outings either.

But today, for some reason, Yuri followed me and said, “I’ll come with you.”

It was unexpected. I tilted my head and asked, “Aren’t you tired?”

“I think I’d feel more down if I stayed alone. Plus, you’ll need a porter, right?”

“I’d love for you to come, but…”

“Let’s go, then.”

And with that, he took the lead.

“He really seems down today.”

Yuri, who usually wore a carefree smile, didn’t even manage a semblance of one. I shrugged as I watched him hail a carriage.

‘When he wears a serious expression, you can tell they’re brothers.’

Without his usual smile, Yuri’s face resembled the man who had visited the shop recently.

Other than that, I didn’t think much of it. It wasn’t like he had to smile every time he saw me.

In fact, his serious demeanor felt more genuine and made him seem more relatable.