“Uh, I guess running a flower shop just isn’t right for me. I keep getting scolded at the duke’s house too… sniff.”

“I see.”

As I had expected from what Rosemary said, it seemed that Charlotte was also seen as a nuisance at the Morphe Duke’s residence.

“So, what kind of work do you think you could do well? Would you like to try bundling finished roses? Or maybe mixing the paints?”

“I’m not sure.”

Charlotte hung her head low. I was momentarily at a loss for words. Honestly, I was confused about what task to assign her.

‘Right now, it’s a white rose stem that’s broken, but if she had destroyed a completed rainbow rose like that…’

Would I still be able to comfort her so calmly then?

As I fell silent, Charlotte hesitantly spoke, watching my reaction.

“I’m s-s-sorry. I can pay for the damages today…”

“Charlotte.”

What money could she possibly have? I dismissed the idea of compensation from the start. Instead of scolding her, I tried to lift her spirits.

“First, take a deep breath. Crying won’t help solve the problem, and when you’re breathing heavily, your mind doesn’t work well.”

“Yes, yes.”

I should have calmed her down when the first stem was broken. Acting in such an excited state only led to further accidents.

Following my lead, Charlotte slowly took even breaths. When her shaking subsided enough, I shared what I wanted to say.

“Charlotte, you have such a creative mind to think of blue roses and rainbow roses. I asked you to work with me because I see your potential. So, I hope you’ll have confidence.”

Accidents can make you shrink back, but shrinking back can also lead to more accidents.

I hoped Charlotte would gain confidence from my words. However, she remained hunched over, keeping her head down.

“Th-thank you, but I’m sorry.”

I frowned. Charlotte repeatedly met my gaze and then looked down again, mumbling her words.

“I can’t think of anything else.”

“Charlotte, I’m not asking you to come up with a new item.”

I watched her with pity for a moment before standing up. We had a reservation for tomorrow, and I couldn’t afford to waste any more time.

“Let’s go get some white roses for now.”

Of course, I always bought extra white roses in case they didn’t turn out well, but it wasn’t enough to cover the reserved amount. Charlotte had destroyed far too many.

Yuri and I went to our supplier and managed to get white roses. Then, we sat down calmly again to make the rainbow roses.

Charlotte helped with various small tasks, but she made several mistakes along the way. She cut too much, shortening the stems, and damaged petals by working too hastily.

“I guess I’m just not cut out for this…”

By the end, she was crying again. By this point, I had no energy left to comfort her.

“Charlotte? For now, try not to cry.”

“Sniff! B-but…”

As I sighed and pressed my eyes, Yuri stepped forward in front of Charlotte with a cold expression.

“Titi is too kind to say this, so I’ll say it instead.”

“Yuri.”

I grabbed Yuri’s wrist and awkwardly smiled as I saw Charlotte off.

“Charlotte, you can go home for today. Let’s see each other tomorrow morning.”

Charlotte left, sniffling and crying.

I sighed and turned back to Yuri.

“Yuri, it’s not because I’m too kind that I hold back. I’ve told you, I feel a moral obligation to Charlotte.”

“But Titi.”

“It’s my own issue, but thank you for being patient and I’m sorry for the trouble.”

Feeling a moral responsibility for Charlotte was entirely my problem, so I apologized to Yuri. Yuri, who had been staring at me silently, slowly spoke.

“I don’t really understand why you’re trying to take care of that girl, Titi. But you know, no matter how much you say nice things, it won’t help.”

His tone was gentle, but the content of his words was cold as ice.

When I froze and stared at Yuri, he added with an awkward smile.

“When she goes home, she gets scolded and comes back with her self-esteem shattered. We can’t just forcibly take her away from that house, can we?”

“…Yeah, that’s true.”

I also thought that I couldn’t just take Charlotte away without her will to leave. But leaving her to figure it out on her own wasn’t the answer either.

“I didn’t stand on my own entirely by myself. I’m not as strong as you think, and everyone has moments when they need help.”

“Titi.”

What I had learned from life was that there are moments when you can only escape with someone else’s help.

Just like how I started anew with the master’s assistance.

‘I thought Yuri would understand.’

Yuri looked at me with thoughtful eyes. Then he sighed and replied.

“I still disagree.”

He had always been as gentle as warm sunshine to me, so I secretly hoped he would see things my way. However, Yuri’s cold response left me quite disappointed, and I quickly shook my head.

‘I don’t have to think the same way as Dana.’

Yuri, who had been fidgeting with his lips for a moment, furrowed his brow. It seemed he couldn’t organize his thoughts either.

“Believing that I can heal someone else’s wounds is arrogance. Most of the time, I end up getting hurt by those wounds as well.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

Perhaps it was my constant nodding in agreement that prompted Yuri, who had paused for a moment, to speak again.

“…I just don’t want Titi to get hurt. I also don’t want Titi to struggle.”

“Yuri.”

In the end, it was clear he was speaking harshly for my sake. I looked up to meet Yuri’s gaze, and he offered a wry smile.

“It’s such a strange feeling. I want to let Titi do whatever she wants, but at the same time, I want to stop her.”

His long fingers brushed against my cheek. Even while looking at me, his gaze seemed distant and dreamy, leaving me speechless.

“I want to be a mature man who supports you when you’re hurt by following your convictions, yet at the same time, I want to be a child who tells you not to do it.”

Yuri muttered, genuinely bewildered.

“It’s really strange.”

I couldn’t respond; I was too busy trying to ignore the loud beating of my heart.

***

A grand banquet was underway, with all the members of the imperial family seated.

The emperor’s gaze, while elegantly cutting his steak, shifted to Sabina, who was seated right next to the empress. This was a position originally meant for a concubine.

This indicated how much the emperor cherished Sabina.

“Recently, you haven’t been leaving the palace much. Are you alright, Sabina?”

“I’ve been under the weather. Thank you for your concern.”

It was entirely because Sabina resembled her biological mother, the woman who had captured the emperor’s true love.

Sabina was aware of this fact, so she deliberately dressed similarly to her mother when standing before the emperor. Naturally, this was an eyesore to the empress.

However, expressing such feelings was something only the foolish would do. The empress showed interest in Sabina with a benevolent smile.

“That’s a dress I haven’t seen before, Princess.”

All of Sabina’s belongings had come through Esrenche. She had changed suppliers in a fit of anger after arguing with Yujin.

‘She noticed like a ghost.’

Though startled inside, Sabina replied with a calm smile.

“Yes, I’ve decided to change the merchant guild I use.”

“Abandoning Esrenche?”

The emperor reacted sensitively to that answer. Sabina smiled softly and replied indirectly.

“It’s not quite like that. I’m just trying to introduce some change.”

Though she made it sound trivial, it ultimately indicated that their relationship had soured. The emperor clicked his tongue and began to lecture.

“Young men and women can have disagreements and differences of opinion. But until he becomes completely yours, you should sometimes bend a little. If you tighten the reins too much, a man will inevitably run away.”

Then the empress, as if siding with Sabina, responded with a laugh.

“Surely, Princess Sabina knows what she’s doing. Given how long their relationship has lasted, it might be good to add a little tension once in a while.”

It was a perfect example of how the meddling sister-in-law is often more disliked than the scolding mother-in-law.

Sabina smiled and clenched her skirt under the table.