While I rolled my eyes, briefly lost in thought, a lively voice came from behind me.

“Hold on. The person who created the rainbow roses is right in front of you.”

With those words, a young lady bypassed the woman and entered the shop. Seeing her up close, I was struck by her stunning beauty, which seemed to brighten the entire space.

‘Wow, she’s pretty.’

I momentarily froze, captivated by her dazzling looks. She quickly approached me and asked with a bright smile, “You’re the owner of The Little Prince, right?”

“Yes. I’m the owner, Titiana Este.”

She appeared to have expected my response, as her eyes, framed by lush eyelashes, curved gently.

“Hello, I’m Rosemary Morphe. Please call me Rosie. I came because I wanted to get to know you.”

But I found it difficult to say her name.

At first, I didn’t recognize her due to her youthful face and long, flowing hair, but up close, her features were surprisingly familiar.

‘The Crown Princess!’

Standing before me was the future Crown Princess, Lady Peony.

***

Peony. A peony flower.

Everyone in social circles knew that the Crown Princess’s original name wasn’t that; it was tied to quite a romantic story.

Originally, she had a rather modest name. Later, she became the subject of ridicule in society because of it, and that was when the Crown Prince, who had always admired her, extended his hand.

[If it bothers you that people talk about your name, I’ll give you a new one. Peony, my little peony flower, I hope you’ll become my Peony.]

[Gladly!]

The Crown Prince’s rare love marriage, combined with his passionate courtship, made the royal couple immensely popular. Their sweet story spread widely, which was only natural.

By the time I entered society as a marchioness, she was already known as Peony, so I didn’t recognize her immediately.

‘I didn’t know because her name changed. Her name was Rosemary before she got married.’

Lady Rosemary Morphe.

Hearing that name reminded me of the information Yuri had shared with me last time.

‘She stayed abroad for a long time and recently returned to the country. She’s a rising star in the fashion-conscious social circles.’

If that were true, it was clear she would be at odds with Princess Sabina, who couldn’t stand not being the center of attention. In my previous life, the Crown Princess and Sabina hadn’t gotten along well either.

‘But she’s much more confident and cheerful than I saw in my previous life.’

She became pregnant soon after becoming the Crown Princess and gave birth to the Crown Prince the following year. Perhaps because she became a mother early, she always appeared gentle and kind in public.

However, the Rosemary Morphe I faced today seemed completely different from the one I knew, sharing only her appearance.

“Thanks to you, I managed to put someone I dislike in her place. So I came to express my gratitude.”

She lifted her chin and laughed in a high tone. Then she flicked open her fan and gestured to the lady behind her. The woman placed a heavy pouch of gold coins on the counter.

‘Did I wish too desperately to be rich in this life? Why is everyone bringing me money pouches?’

Cash was always the most burdensome gift to receive. I bowed my head and pushed the pouch away.

“I can’t accept this. I was just thanking someone who purchased a lot of blue roses.”

But Rosemary wrapped her hand around mine, stopping me, and pushed the pouch back. It was a gesture I could never have imagined from the Peony Crown Princess of my past life.

“Still, being the first in this country to own a rainbow rose is important to me. So please accept it.”

“……”

As I looked down at the pouch again, Rosemary narrowed her eyes, adopting a cat-like expression. Her mouth, hidden behind the fan, was undoubtedly smiling.

“Titiana, you probably gave me the rainbow rose just to promote it, right?”

“Yes, that’s about the extent of it. So there’s no reason for such a special thank you.”

“I don’t make deals where I lose. The flowers I received that day held more value than you realized, and I’m simply paying the appropriate price. The meaning I created is greater than the one you assigned.”

She added with an elegant smile, “I was the first among the women of this country to hold that flower, ahead of Her Majesty the Empress and Her Highness the Princess. Also, the rainbow rose was not for sale at the time.”

“Ah, that’s…”

The delay in selling them must have increased the value of the rainbow rose I gifted her.

I chuckled inwardly.

‘As expected, since they were revealed but not sold anywhere for a week, everyone was eager.’

It went as I intended. When something is talked about but not seen, the price goes up, and even those who weren’t interested become curious.

‘Still, choosing Rosemary Morphe among many was a gamble.’

And that gamble paid off.

I smiled and replied, “Receiving your trust is better than accepting the pouch of money. Please continue to be a regular customer at our shop.”

Right now, it might seem profitable to accept that pouch of money, but in the long run, it definitely wasn’t. After all, she was destined to become the Crown Princess in the future.

‘In that case, it’s better to maintain this connection for a long time.’

A flower shop favored by the Crown Princess. What a great signboard that would be.

Rosemary laughed, as if she found my answer amusing.

“What will you do with my trust? Aren’t I just one of the many noble ladies?”

“There may be many noble ladies, but there’s only one Rosie.”

“Now I see you’re good at sweet talk too.”

I was merely stating the truth, so I shrugged. Rosemary lifted the corners of her mouth into a bright smile and said, “If you won’t accept money, how about I compensate you in another way?”

“What kind?”

What she said next was something I hadn’t expected.

“Hasn’t the sales of blue roses dropped significantly lately?”

“Yes, recently…”

“Do you know why that happened?”

“Isn’t it because other shops have started making blue roses too?”

“Oh, you naive thing.”

Rosemary stepped closer and whispered softly in my ear, “Princess Sabina has been spreading rumors in social circles. She claimed that the blue roses made by this shop uses harmful dyes.”

“…!”

Why would Princess Sabina go that far? Was it just because I didn’t sell her the blue roses?

I bit my lip at the unexpected revelation.

After sharing the secret, Rosemary stepped back with a gentle smile.

“It’s a petty lie told to undermine someone—a princess acting out of sheer jealousy.”

“Jealousy? Jealous of whom?”

“Who else?”

Rosemary elegantly placed her hand on her chest and replied, “I managed to acquire the blue roses that the princess couldn’t. Do you know what she said when she saw the rainbow roses?”

I had given them to her to show off, but I couldn’t simply laugh at Princess Sabina’s attempt to ruin my business.

However, I couldn’t help but chuckle at Sabina’s remark that followed.

[She gave it first to Lady Morphe? I can’t believe it. Is that woman blind? Anyone can see I’m far more beautiful and charming.]

‘That’s so typical of her.’

Sabina was undeniably beautiful, but that wasn’t a reason for me to have given her the first bouquet.

Apparently, she didn’t consider such things at all.

‘She’s so self-centered and selfish.’

And she resorted to such tricks to sabotage my business?

‘Just like in my past life, what an annoying connection.’

Why would the emperor’s daughter, the most beautiful woman in the country, bother to trouble me?

“What do you think I replied?”

As I struggled to contain the anger rising within me, Rosemary seemed to sense my thoughts and smiled, saying, “I told her that the owner has a good eye for people.”

It was a clever way to subtly elevate her own value while boasting that she was more beautiful than Sabina. I could easily imagine how furious Sabina must have been upon hearing that.

“You must have felt quite satisfied.”

“That day, she probably returned to the palace and threw a fit, breaking things. She might even be pestering the royal scholars to find out how to make rainbow roses.”

Knowing that and still provoking her, Rosemary truly had quite the personality.

That aside, something about her words unsettled me—the part about royal scholars possibly researching how to create rainbow roses.