“Th-thank you! I’m really grateful!”

Charlotte bowed so deeply that her forehead almost touched the floor, repeatedly expressing her gratitude. I waved her off with a smile as she left.

‘Somehow, dealing with Charlotte felt exhausting.’

I sighed and walked back into the shop, where Yuri handed me a warm cup of coffee.

“You worked hard today too, Titi.”

“Thanks. You did a great job as well.”

I replied with a smile and took a sip of the coffee. The rich, smooth taste made my eyes widen in surprise.

“Oh? What’s this? The coffee is really good!”

“I’m glad you like it.”

“I’m not just saying that. What did you put in it? It tastes a bit sweet.”

I had taken a sip without thinking, but upon closer inspection, I noticed a cloud-like white foam on top of the coffee. Yuri shrugged and explained.

“I added a bit of milk foam because I was worried you might get an upset stomach from drinking coffee so often.”

“Wow, I take back what I said about you opening a tavern. You should definitely run a coffee house.”

“Is that something a flower shop owner should say?”

Yuri replied teasingly, but it was clear from his smile that he was pleased.

I sat for a moment, savoring the coffee while Yuri flipped through the ledger and spoke.

“The number of rainbow rose orders has decreased compared to last week. It’s only a small amount, but still.”

Though the decrease was slight, the trend was clearly downward. The demand would likely continue to drop. The price remained high, but the novelty had worn off.

“Exactly. But I can’t seem to come up with the next big idea.”

I recognized the problem, but a solution didn’t immediately come to mind. I was sipping my coffee in silence when Yuri, who had been watching me intently, smiled and suggested.

“Maybe it’s because you’ve been stuck in the flower shop so much?”

“Huh? You think so?”

Now that I think about it, I haven’t gone out for personal reasons lately. My last outing was attending a tea party at Rosemary’s invitation.

‘Maybe getting some fresh air and clearing my mind will help spark a good idea.’

But where should I go?

I couldn’t think of a suitable place, so I just blinked in confusion. Then, Yuri, who had moved closer, spoke with sparkling eyes.

“Let’s go out together tomorrow, Titi.”

Ah, so that’s what he was leading up to.

Finding Yuri’s eagerness endearing, I chuckled and asked.

“Is there anywhere you want to go?”

“Well, how about shopping for new shoes? Yours seem pretty worn out.”

“You noticed that too?”

I instinctively pulled my feet back, trying to hide them. Yuri chuckled and lifted his chin slightly.

“I know everything about you, Titi. And after drinking coffee, don’t you feel like having some donuts too?”

“Oh, dear.”

‘How did he know?’

Making donuts at home was too much of a hassle, and I had only bought them from a bakery twice.

As Yuri suggested, I did need to buy shoes. I hadn’t brought many clothes when I came to the capital, so I needed to shop for those as well. The seasons were already changing.

As I thought about it, I suddenly lifted my head.

“Come to think of it, isn’t the summer festival starting tomorrow?”

“Oh, right, there is that too.”

“What do you mean ‘there is that too’!”

Of course, I couldn’t quite picture Yuri leisurely enjoying the festival amidst the crowds.

‘It’s already summer.’

The summer festival was, as the name suggested, a celebration marking the arrival of summer.

In a country with founding myths about being established on land thawed by the Sun God after being frozen solid, the summer festival was a major event organized by the royal family.

However, I had never properly experienced the festival myself.

To think I had lived three lifetimes and never seen it! Feeling suddenly indignant, I jumped up and told Yuri.

“Alright, let’s go out tomorrow. We’ll eat lots of delicious food!”

“Sounds good.”

Yuri nodded readily. Watching his profile, I grinned.

‘I should also give Yuri his birthday present.’

It was the perfect opportunity to surprise him.

***

Charlotte walked with a spring in her step. Even though she was only holding a small bouquet, she felt as if she could float into the sky.

‘So pretty.’

Charlotte buried her nose in the lush blooms. The sweet scent of roses tickled her nose. She had smelled roses every day since working at The Little Prince, but this was special. These roses were hers.

‘Titiana is a good person.’

She knew how expensive rainbow roses were. They weren’t something you could simply give away as a gift.

Of course. You could sell them for money.

‘I only made mistakes, but she didn’t scold me.’

As Charlotte recalled all the mishaps she had caused in the flower shop throughout the week, her expression darkened once more. She lowered her head for a moment, then shook it to dispel the gloomy thoughts.

‘Titiana said that if I keep shrinking back, I’ll make more mistakes. Next week, I’ll work harder and do better.’

If she worked hard enough to make up for her mistakes, that would be sufficient.

‘Since it would be a waste for them to wilt, I’ll dry them well when I get home. Although dried white rose petals won’t stay white…’

Charlotte was drying flowers, a small hobby in her otherwise tough life.

‘It might be fun to give the dried rainbow roses back to Titiana as a gift.’

With these thoughts in mind, Charlotte turned into the alley leading home. Waiting for her at the entrance was her stepbrother, who roughly grabbed her arm.

“What are you bringing home? I was so hungry waiting for you that I thought my stomach would stick to my back!”

“Oh, oh…!”

Charlotte stammered, unable to even call out to him. Her stepbrother, who had shoved her against the wall, held out his hand.

“You got paid today, didn’t you? Hand it over.”

If she gave it to him at home, she would have to split it with her father, which was why he had been waiting in the alley. Charlotte blushed and mumbled.

“N-no. F-father will be angry…”

If she gave the money only to her stepbrother, her father would surely beat her mercilessly. Even in this situation, seeing Charlotte hesitate only made her stepbrother angrier, and he roughly snatched the bouquet of rainbow roses from her grasp.

“Why are you bringing something you can’t even eat?”

It was right then that a stranger intervened in the sibling squabble.

“Wait a minute, are those rainbow roses?”

“Rainbow roses?”

Only then did her stepbrother realize that the bouquet he was holding was the famous rainbow roses known throughout the capital. The man who had approached adjusted his glasses and stared intently at the bouquet, asking,

“Did the young lady buy them?”

“I-I received them.”

“You didn’t steal them, did you?”

“N-no.”

Given the high price of rainbow roses, it was natural to suspect theft. Besides, Charlotte’s stepbrother looked shady at first glance.

The man seemed ready to report them to the patrol, so her stepbrother quickly replied in a gruff tone.

“My sister works at that shop. Why? Do you need them?”

At that answer, the man widened his eyes.

“She works there? Then she must know how they’re made.”

“Of course. She’s the one who first discovered the method.”

Who would have thought such a secret would be revealed in a shabby alley? The man grinned and displayed a small purse of money.

“Can you teach me how to make them?”

“That depends…”

Her stepbrother grinned back and looked at Charlotte. She shook her head in fear.

***

The morning of a day off dawned.

I didn’t have any special clothes for going out, so I wore a black flared skirt and a white shirt, the same outfit I had worn when I first came to the capital. After tying my hair neatly in a ponytail, I went downstairs to find Yuri already waiting for me on the ground floor.

“Titi.”

Sensing my presence, Yuri turned to me with a bright smile, so dazzling it was as if the sun was rising behind him.

I shielded my eyes with my hand and frowned.

“What’s with you? Why are you dressed so nicely?”

It wasn’t an exaggeration; Yuri looked completely different today. Usually, he wore a simple white shirt and jeans, but today he was in a light blue shirt and dark navy pants. The cuffs and collar were embroidered in a darker shade, giving him an extraordinary appearance.

‘What’s with that embroidery? It doesn’t look ordinary.’

At a glance, it was clear that a skilled artisan had spent days intricately stitching the pattern. I rubbed my eyes, wondering if I was seeing things, and Yuri shrugged his shoulders and replied.

“It’s a date, isn’t it only natural?”

“D-d-date?”

It was a word I thought had nothing to do with in this lifetime.