‘Strange woman.’

Was it really necessary to attach so much meaning to those words? Even as he thought that, he couldn’t control his wandering mind.

‘I’m being irrational.’

Yet, he didn’t want to suppress this irrational feeling.

Yujin, who had been biting his lip for a moment, looked up. As he observed the line from her round forehead, covered with silver hair, to her prominent nose, he impulsively asked,

“Are you not curious about me?”

“What?”

He had asked because of her comment about not asking Yuri anything.

‘I decided not to expect anything from others.’

But perhaps she would give a different answer. With a hope that felt more like a wish, Yujin bit his lip slightly.

Titiana’s response was as concise as ever.

“Nope.”

“……”

“If I must say, when are you planning to leave?”

Ah, that was the kind of woman she was. Her unchanged attitude nearly made him laugh.

Yujin crossed his arms, his well-fitted shirt stretching taut.

“You’re always so cold to me.”

“Is there any reason to be kind? Maybe you should reflect on yourself.”

“If my apology was insufficient, I’ll apologize again.”

“No need, just leave quickly.”

After saying that, Titiana seemed to realize she was being too harsh, so she added in a slightly softer tone, “I’ll at least lend you an umbrella.”

Yujin raised his eyebrows at her words.

“You’re telling me to go out in this rain?”

“It’s not like you can’t…”

Titiana was about to respond cheekily when suddenly,

Boom!

“Eek!”

The sky flashed, followed by a loud thunderclap that sounded as if everything was crashing down.

Titiana reflexively screamed and cowered. The problem was that she was holding the newly repotted Pilea Peperomioides.

“The pot…!”

As she staggered, the string tying the pot wobbled, and it was about to spill.

“No!”

Titiana flailed her hands in the air to catch the pot. While she managed to secure it, she lost her balance. Yujin quickly grabbed her waist firmly.

“……”

“……”

Silence filled the shop for a moment. Both Yujin and Titiana were frozen, unsure of what to do.

Yujin was the first to break the silence.

“Excuse me.”

He slowly released his hold on Titiana’s slender waist. The sweet sensation lingered in his palm, but he let go without hesitation, moving slowly to give her time to steady herself.

Titiana, who seemed to come to her senses a moment later, blushed deeply and thrust the pot toward Yujin.

“I—I was just tired! Hurry and take the pot. I—I need to rest.”

Avoiding eye contact out of embarrassment, she finally resembled a young woman her age.

Yujin, who had been standing there dazed, took the pot a beat later. Then, uncharacteristically awkward, he began to speak.

“The money…”

Titiana waved her hand dismissively, her usual indifference evident.

“Just take it. Consider it a birthday present.”

“Birthday..”

Was it strange for his heart to flutter at the mention of a birthday amid all this?

Yujin’s shoulders tensed at her unexpected words. Titiana crossed her arms and chuckled.

“There’s still a lot of time left, but I’ll say it early. Happy birthday.”

“……”

He had never felt joy about his birthday. After all, it was also Yuri’s birthday.

He knew it was just a casual greeting. If Titiana had realized she was the first person to casually say ‘Happy birthday to you,’ she might not have said it even as a formality.

“Count?”

Her face, looking back at him with wide eyes, appeared as cute as a rabbit.

Yujin’s throat tightened. There was no point in avoiding it any longer.

He wanted this woman.

***

Charlotte, who had left the Little Prince, returned home like a timid field mouse, curling up even though no one was chasing her.

‘She asked me to work with her.’

Charlotte felt thrilled by Titiana’s offer. She had always loved flowers.

However, she was beginning to sense the limitations of working at the Morphe duchy.

‘Everyone looks at me with cold eyes.’

Charlotte felt grateful that Titiana approached her without any prejudice.

‘I have to work hard.’

Thinking this, she entered her house. As soon as she opened the door, her stepbrother roughly grabbed her braided hair.

“Hey, Charlotte! Why are you so late today? Do you know my stomach is sticking to my back because of you?”

“I’m s-sorry.”

“Stupid! You must have messed up again and got delayed!”

Despite there being two grown adults at home who did nothing but drink, they could have taken care of themselves. But with her self-esteem completely crushed, Charlotte couldn’t muster a reasonable retort.

As she bowed her head and prepared to cook potatoes, her stepfather, already drunk, grumbled with a flushed face.

“Ah, if only this girl had made that blue rose or whatever, we’d be rolling in money by now.”

Her stepbrother chimed in, echoing their father’s words.

“You need money to start that. Do you know how expensive white roses are?”

“It’s all because of that girl. She needs to work harder!”

“S-sorry…”

As Charlotte bowed in fear of being hit, the two men chuckled.

Their laughter echoed beyond the wall outside. In the alley, a listener’s bright blue eyes glimmered.

‘Things don’t seem good at home.’

The figure hiding his fluffy pink hair under a hood was Yuri.

He had come to check on the situation because Titiana was concerned about Charlotte.

An elderly man passing by blinked and addressed Yuri.

“Who are you, standing there like that?”

Yuri smiled and pointed beyond the wall.

“Oh, it’s noisy.”

“Just leave them be. It’s like that every day.”

The old man, who had been eyeing Yuri suspiciously, shook his head after seeing the house he pointed to. It was a place where there was no need to worry about thieves.

Yuri glanced back at the house and remarked, “She must be a good daughter.”

“Being that good is just foolish. Her mother was too kind-hearted to kick out those thugs, and now she’s passed that terrible trait on to her daughter. Tsk tsk.”

Yuri nodded in agreement, a cold light flashing in his eyes.

‘He mentioned a blue rose earlier.’

Although the man was drunk, that word had come through clearly.

‘Is the blue rose the debt Titiana feels she owes? Was it originally Charlotte who came up with the idea of making the blue rose? But how would Titiana know what Charlotte was thinking?’

No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like the two were meeting for the first time. Yuri propped his chin thoughtfully.

‘Is it related to the magic that leaves marks on the nape of the neck?’

What could that magic be? Yuri’s gaze darkened.

Even as Charlotte prepared the meal, harsh words continued to spill from the house. Listening to them, Yuri recalled something Titiana had once said.

“It’s a similar situation to Charlotte’s. My father and brother are useless scoundrels too.”

“I used to be dragged around as well.”

Titiana’s family, whose faces and names were unknown to him.

One thing he knew for certain was that Titiana genuinely disliked that family.

Yuri thought coldly.

‘That family will be a problem in the future. They might not come looking for her now because they don’t know she’s become wealthy, but once they find out, they will.’

Thinking of Titiana hearing those harsh words echoing from that house made Yuri’s blood boil. He twisted his lips in frustration.

‘The shop is safe, but there’s no guarantee she won’t run into them outside.’

Yet, he couldn’t stay by Titiana’s side 24/7.

The best solution would be to contact the family in advance and prevent them from seeking Titiana out altogether…

‘It’s bothersome, but using the family’s influence is the easiest way.’

No matter how he considered it, the Count of Esrenche seemed like the best option to handle this cleanly. Even if he used magic to instill fear, it would only be temporary.

‘And I can address her issue as well.’

If Titiana felt a connection to Charlotte and wanted to keep her close, resolving that part would be enough.

Yuri’s gaze turned toward the wall from which the loud sounds emanated. In an instant, his body vanished, as if he had never been in that alley.

—

T/N: I don’t know who I’m rooting for, but to be honest I think Titiana will just reject both of them and live as a strong, independent woman. LOL