As I pressed my forehead, Yuri looked at me with a worried expression.

“What are you going to do, Titi?”

“Hmm.”

My mind was a jumble, and I couldn’t think of anything to say.

After a moment of hesitation, I shrugged with an awkward smile.

“Let’s just start with today’s work.”

But bad news came all at once. One of our reserved customers shared some troubling information while picking up flowers.

“They’ve started selling rainbow roses extensively at the other guild.”

“…….The guild?”

As I suspected, the place that had taken the formula for the rainbow roses was powerful. It wasn’t just a flower shop; it was a guild.

‘That’s why they could block the distribution of the dye.’

They must have a significant quantity of flowers, and customers would likely trust products supplied by the guild more.

‘I’m exhausted.’

These events were all wearing me out. As I slumped into a chair, Yuri, who had closed the shop, approached me cautiously.

“Titi, you don’t look so good. Should we go out to eat today?”

“Well…….”

I doubted anything would go down my throat. As I forced a bitter smile, Yuri knelt down to meet my gaze.

“Are you okay?”

I chuckled softly and replied, “There’s nothing wrong; I’m just tired.”

‘Should I just close the shop for a while?’

The flowers needed time to dry.

Anyway, the rainbow roses wouldn’t sell well anymore.

‘If I close the shop, my brother might think I’ve run away and give up, returning to our hometown.’

The urge to throw everything away and run surged within me.

Just as I let out a long sigh, Yuri tilted his head and spoke again.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Oh? Just thinking about what to do next?”

“Why are you thinking about it alone? I’m right here; am I not any help?”

“It’s not that…….”

I blinked. It seemed so obvious that I hadn’t even considered telling Yuri. I viewed family issues as entirely my problem, not a burden to place on him.

Seeing my speechless expression, Yuri leaned closer and said, “I’ve been thinking about various things. How can I get Titi to rely on me? I want to know everything about you and be with you, but why don’t you feel the same?”

“Well, that’s…….”

I struggled to find an answer. I appreciated Yuri’s desire to help me.

But…….

“I don’t want to burden you, of all people. I told you how sick I am of people trying to use you.”

“Titi.”

Yuri’s eyes widened at my response. Then he quickly smiled, his eyes narrowing like a fox, and continued, “Your consideration is sweet, but I really wish you’d use me freely. I want you to become addicted to the convenience of having me around and see me as more special than anyone else.”

His words made my heart drop. My mind, heavy with various thoughts, seemed to freeze as if it were broken.

“…….What do you mean?”

“I want to be an indispensable person in your life.”

Don’t say that. I almost blurted it out reflexively.

I closed my mouth and questioned myself inwardly.

‘Why?’

Why shouldn’t Yuri come closer to me?

‘Because I’m shaken.’

Shaken by what?

My mind was in turmoil. It felt like I was enchanted by a fox. As I stood dazed, Yuri drew closer.

“Are you listening, Titi?”

The sunset glow streamed down the bridge of his nose, dazzling my eyes.

Thump, thump.

My heart raced rapidly.

I stared wide-eyed at Yuri, who was smiling brightly in front of me.

Was it his oddly relaxed smile, or his sparkling light blue eyes? I couldn’t look away from him. Even my heartbeat felt loud.

‘Why is this happening? I can’t meet his eyes.’

In my nervousness, I clenched my fingers, and Yuri, as if to stir my insides even more, narrowed his eyes and smiled.

“Do you really not understand what I’m saying?”

I didn’t know. No, I wanted to pretend I didn’t know.

I bit my lip, unsure of how to respond. It was overwhelming to even confront my own feelings.

‘This is ridiculous. How did I come back, and what vows did I make…?’

Yet, I couldn’t take my eyes off Yuri. I couldn’t just pretend I hadn’t heard and run away.

It felt as if time had stopped.

Just then, a blunt voice interrupted our conversation, seeming to provide an escape.

“…….Sorry to interrupt.”

Yuri and I turned around simultaneously. Standing there, blocking the entire doorway, was a familiar figure.

A man who radiated an atmosphere that was both similar and distinctly different from Yuri.

“I’m a customer.”

The man who introduced himself as a customer was none other than Yujin.

His deep voice perfectly matched his solid build, clad in a black turtleneck and a thin long jacket, with his hands tucked into his pockets.

He had neatly swept back his wavy pink hair, revealing the deep wrinkles etched on his forehead.

The first thought that crossed my mind when I saw Yujin at the entrance was:

‘What brings him here again?’

Although his reason for visiting seemed suspicious, it was the perfect opportunity to escape this uncomfortable atmosphere. Realizing this, I jumped up and exclaimed.

“Yes, a customer!”

Yuri, though looking displeased, stepped aside without protest. I quickly approached Yujin and whispered in a small voice.

“Oh, I never thought I’d say this, but thank you for visiting our shop.”

“I’m glad I could be of help.”

Was it just my imagination, or did the wrinkles on Yujin’s forehead seem to soften a bit? He even appeared to be in a better mood.

On the other hand, I felt like my mood had plummeted. Yuri, who had followed me with his arms crossed, spoke in a gruff voice.

“What brings you here? We’re not open for business today.”

It was true we weren’t open today, but it felt like the shop was always closed whenever Yujin visited, which left me feeling uneasy.

Yujin replied to Yuri in a calm tone.

“I’m not here to see you.”

“Really? Then it looks like you made a wasted trip. Titi and I were in the middle of a conversation.”

Well, he wasn’t wrong. Yet, I was standing idly close by, making it hard to justify turning Yujin away.

Feeling exasperated, I pointed at myself and looked back at Yuri, who shrugged.

“Just tell him to leave. We were having an important conversation.”

“The count might have come for an important conversation too.”

“Huh.”

Yuri openly displayed his displeasure but didn’t argue with me.

Seeing Yuri take a step back, Yujin stood in front of me and asked.

“Did you pass by the cathedral during the summer festival?”

“Huh?”

I blinked at the unexpected question. Honestly, I thought he would ask about the flowers. I never expected him to bring up the summer festival.

I didn’t know why he was asking this, but I tilted my head and answered.

“Yes, I did. As you know, it’s the most crowded area and the heart of the festival.”

Talking about the summer festival made my face flush again. Memories of walking hand in hand with Yuri down the street flooded back.

For some reason, after hearing my answer, Yujin sighed.

“On that day, Yuri’s pink hair was visible even inside the cathedral.”

“What? Really?”

With so many people around, could Yuri really stand out like that? Without thinking, I turned around, then reconsidered and nodded.

“Well, it is quite striking. But why do you ask?”

Yujin inquired in a low tone.

“Has anything unusual happened since that day?”

“Since that day…”

I wanted to laugh and say nothing unusual had occurred, but unfortunately, I couldn’t.

“…….A lot has happened. Mostly bad things.”

It felt as if a series of misfortunes had rushed in to erase the joy of the summer festival.

The method for making rainbow roses had been leaked, and to make matters worse, the merchants informed us they would no longer sell us dye. On top of that, my brother, whom I considered an enemy, came up from our hometown to extort money from me!

I thought the refusal to sell dye was just a petty move by the guild that had stolen our shop’s trade secrets. But was there a hidden reason behind it?

“Is it possible that all this happened because Yuri and I were seen together at the summer festival? And you’re here to tell me that?”

If someone who wished for my misfortune had carefully laid traps that were now closing in on me one by one…

‘I did think it was strange when Robi suddenly showed up.’