But it had been my mistake to bring her without discussing it with Yuri.

Since we were partners, I should have talked it over with him first. So, I bowed my head.

“I’m sorry for making this decision on my own. I know it must be confusing. But it’s been getting tough for just the two of us, right? The rainbow roses require twice as much effort as the blue ones.”

As evidence, the production of rainbow roses was significantly lower compared to blue roses. However, with just one more helping hand, we could produce as many as we did with the blue roses.

That’s how we could break even.

While I was thinking this, Yuri, who had been quietly sulking, finally spoke up.

“So, where is she staying?”

“Huh?”

I blinked, surprised by Yuri’s unexpected question.

Where would she stay? Did I need to provide room and board too?

If I was helping her escape that hell, providing room and board seemed reasonable.

As long as she remained in that house, Charlotte would continue to have her salary taken away like before.

But I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I answered his pointed question in a confused tone.

“Well, maybe she could stay in my room?”

Yuri’s eyes narrowed at my response. Then he spoke firmly.

“I’m completely against anyone else coming into our home.”

“H-home? People might misunderstand if they hear that!”

I instinctively reacted to his words, covering my flushed face with my hands.

But Yuri was right. This wasn’t just my house.

Calling it a home did sound a bit suggestive, but he wasn’t wrong.

It was a house we both lived in, after all.

Besides, it didn’t seem like he disliked Charlotte herself.

I cautiously watched Yuri’s reaction and asked, “So, as long as she doesn’t stay in this building, it’s okay for her to work here?”

I expected him to nod, but instead, Yuri puffed out his cheeks again.

“Actually, I’m not okay with that either.”

“What? Why not?”

If he was against her staying, couldn’t she just work here?

I blinked in confusion, and Yuri’s sharp expression softened. Unlike the sassy cat he had seemed earlier, he now looked like a sad puppy as he asked, “Titi, am I not enough for you?”

“Uh?”

Yuri’s sudden question struck me straight in the heart.

“Let’s step back a bit and talk. You can’t just come so close all of a sudden!”

Though I saw Yuri every day and had grown accustomed to his face, whenever he launched a direct charm attack like this, I felt helpless. I grumbled as I tried to calm my still racing heart.

“Yuri, you’ve been in the Magic Tower too long, so you don’t know, but usually, people only get this close when they’re very familiar.”

Yuri shrugged at my grumbling and mumbled, “That’s why I’m getting close.”

“What did you say?”

“Nothing.”

Sometimes, he really did seem like a sly fox.

It was when I narrowed my eyes that Yuri responded with a pitiful expression once again.

“I’ll concede. I guess you think that woman can do what I can’t.”

I shook my head firmly.

“Absolutely not. No one can replace you, Yuri. The reason I’m bringing Charlotte here is that I feel indebted to her.”

“Hmm.”

Yuri’s nasal tone softened slightly at my words. But as soon as I sighed in relief, he quickly pointed out the flaw in my logic.

“But what kind of debt could a girl who has never been to the capital owe to someone from the capital?”

He looked like cotton candy but could be so sharp sometimes.

That was a flaw I couldn’t explain without revealing that I had traveled back in time. I awkwardly mumbled, “Well, there’s something like that.”

Yuri gave me a peculiar look at my answer. After pouting for a moment, he brushed his hair back and said, “Titi, you’re so strange. You seem to share everything smoothly and then suddenly keep secrets.”

“Doesn’t everyone have secrets?”

I mumbled, desperately avoiding Yuri’s gaze. I planned to keep the fact that I had drunk the potion from the master and traveled back in time a secret forever.

I had decided not to dwell on the past.

The master who had handed me the potion probably wouldn’t want me to bring up the past unnecessarily either.

Perhaps because I didn’t seem willing to explain further, Yuri sighed again. Then, as if he hadn’t heard what I said earlier, he stepped closer and whispered, “It’s fine to have secrets. But when you want to share them, make sure you tell only me. Got it?”

“Huh?”

Why should I? What were we to each other?

I wanted to ask, but I ended up nodding involuntarily. Seemingly satisfied, Yuri gave a soft smile.

“Then, let’s go inside. Miss Charlotte must be waiting.”

***

The accommodation issue was resolved surprisingly easily. This was because a very timid Charlotte responded with, “I-I can just commute from home.”

At that answer, I forgot my decision not to interfere and ended up asking, “What? But Miss Charlotte, technically speaking, your stepfather and stepbrother aren’t really family, are they?”

If the Morphe family had been paying child support for Charlotte, there could only be one reason: they felt sorry for Charlotte’s mother raising her alone.

If her mother had properly remarried legally, they wouldn’t have continued paying until adulthood.

So, her stepfather and stepbrother were practically strangers.

Judging by the way Charlotte’s freckled face turned bright red, I seemed to be right. She hesitated for a moment, then clutched her skirt tightly with both hands, as if trying to squeeze out the words that wouldn’t come.

“W-well, l-legally, that might be true, but they’re still f-family.”

Charlotte forced a smile and added, “A-and if I’m not there, b-both my brother and father would starve.”

“…I see.”

I couldn’t help but feel a wave of sadness wash over me.

‘A young girl playing the role of a kitchen maid.’

In my past life, I had also been responsible for taking care of my brother and father.

“How are you going to get married if you can’t even do housework?”

“Hey, don’t you have any hidden money? This time, it’s really a sure thing.”

If I didn’t step in, it felt like everything would truly fall apart. It was overwhelming and made me sigh, but that was precisely why I couldn’t escape from that house and continued to suffer.

In reality, they were people who could live well without me. I realized too late that I was the only one being tormented there.

It wasn’t about helping two people avoid sinking into the mud; it was about all three of us drowning together.

‘Charlotte needs to realize that quickly too.’

Until she recognized it herself and decided to break free, that vicious cycle wouldn’t end. No matter how much others told her, it wouldn’t help, so I chose to remain silent.

“Alright then. But we open the shop early in the morning, so you need to come in early. Got it?”

“Yes. Th-then, see you tomorrow.”

Charlotte, seemingly unbothered by working at the flower shop, left with a promise to give her best effort.

‘And she’ll go back to making meals again…’

The thought of her preparing meals with the money she earned for a stepfather and stepbrother she barely knew ignited a surge of anger within me.

‘Well, let’s see how it goes…’

I was trying to calm myself and suppress my anger when Yuri, watching Charlotte disappear, sighed through his nose and asked, “What is it? Did you pick her up because you felt sorry for her?”

Even Yuri seemed to think Charlotte’s situation was a mess. I shook my head.

“No. I’m not a philanthropist, and I can’t help every person who’s in trouble. Those individuals are few and far between.”

Helping someone without expecting anything in return wasn’t something just anyone can do.

Naturally, my thoughts turned to myself—the miracle of having traveled back in time twice and the person who had given me that chance.

“…Yeah. It’s rare to find someone who helps strangers so willingly.”

I offered a bitter smile. The fact that I felt guilty for not thanking him demonstrated that I was undoubtedly much happier now than I had been in the past.