I couldn’t believe I had acquired such a substantial amount of seed money in just one day.

Seeing me excited with the heavy bag of gold, Yuri tilted his head and asked, “What are you going to do with that money?”

“Well, what do you think I might do?”

“Don’t be so secretive. You must be planning something fun since you’re so happy.”

This sneaky guy. How did he read my mind so well?

‘He claims he’s not a mage, but isn’t he a mind reader?’

Yuri had accurately guessed my plans regarding the lottery, the betting, and now the use of the money, which made me feel a bit guilty.

But he was my reliable business partner, wasn’t he? There was no need to keep secrets from him, so I boldly replied, “Yeah. I’m going to buy white roses with this.”

“White roses? The kind used at funerals? With 1,300 gold, you could buy a lot. Is there a massive plague in the capital or something?”

“Don’t say scary things like that. And it would be chrysanthemums, not white roses.”

Sure, if a plague broke out and there were many funerals, the flower shop’s sales might increase, but profiting from someone’s death didn’t sit right with me.

I wasn’t planning on making a profit solely from the white roses themselves.

It was for the capital’s hottest item that would soon take the city by storm.

“I’m going to make and sell blue roses.”

“Blue roses?”

Yuri’s eyes widened in surprise. I nodded confidently.

‘I know how to create roses in unnatural colors.’

It was simple.

‘By using paint.’

***

Creating blue roses was as easy as placing white roses in water mixed with paint for a day.

Yet, no one had thought of this straightforward method until now. So when the first blue roses were introduced to the world, they garnered significant attention.

In fact, until that method became widely known, blue roses were rare and sold out quickly.

But I knew that method.

Having already seen it succeed once, I had nothing to fear.

Just as I had told Yuri, I bought a large quantity of white roses with the money I won from the races. I signed a contract to receive a daily supply for a month, ensuring they wouldn’t wilt from being purchased all at once.

Next, I visited an art supply store to buy blue paint. The dye was expensive, but—

‘A bold investment brings big returns. To make significant money, you have to be ahead of the trend.’

That was something I could do best, having come back in time.

Yuri, who had been following me around all day, clapped his hands when he saw the experimental piece I created on the spot to check the color.

“Wow, Titiana, you’re a genius! How did you come up with that?”

“Ah, well…”

I felt a twinge of guilt since it wasn’t my original idea.

‘I’ll have to find the original creator later and ensure they are compensated for the opportunity I took.’

Yuri gazed at the blue rose, mesmerized, and said, “It’s really beautiful. I want to buy a bunch for my room. No, I don’t want to sell even a single one.”

“This is strictly a product.”

I made them to sell! What was he talking about?

Regardless, that was how we became the first to ship blue roses in the capital.

Naturally, the result was a huge success.

***

Yuri quietly observed the woman with flowing silver hair bustling around in front of him.

She had small, delicate shoulders, a long neck, large eyes, and nimble, precise hands that contrasted with her fragile appearance.

Titiana had purchased a ton of white roses with the money she won last time, and now she was sorting through the first batch that had just been delivered.

The roses had to be handled carefully to avoid damage and placed in water bottles in a cool spot to prevent wilting. With numerous bottles and plenty of water, carrying them was no easy task. One might expect complaints in such a situation, but Titiana worked diligently without uttering a word.

It was an admirable sight, but Yuri’s gaze as he watched her remained indifferent.

To be honest, he found it bothersome.

‘If she would just go somewhere out of my sight, I could use magic to do the work instead.’

That was the truth. Despite appearing to admire Titiana’s diligence, Yuri’s true feelings were quite different.

‘It’s a waste of time. I don’t understand why I have to do this myself.’

If he were an ordinary person unable to use magic, it would be different, but he was a powerful mage. He could handle mundane tasks with ease—levitation magic to carry the flowers and water creation magic to fill the bottles.

But with someone bustling around right in front of him, he couldn’t flaunt his abilities, especially not in front of someone he had deceived about not having magical powers.

‘Trying to lower her guard by acting all nice and friendly is honestly tiring.’

He regretted promising to give her the building for a few years. At the time, he found her boldness in claiming ownership intriguing and was curious about the secrets she was hiding, so he had gone along with it. But now, being with her every step of the way was exhausting.

Yuri, who had been wearing a bored expression, flashed a smile as soon as Titiana turned around. Unaware of his inner thoughts, she removed her gloves and said, “Yuri, it looks like we’re done organizing. Let’s head out.”

“Huh? Where to?”

“We’re supposed to make blue roses, right? So we need to buy blue dye.”

At Titiana’s words, Yuri’s eyes sparkled.

‘Blue roses.’

Just hearing that made his boredom vanish, replaced by excitement.

‘I remember when the Magic Tower was researching strange flowers. Most of them were deemed too easily misused and never received permission to be sold.’

Some of those included the ‘Flower of Love,’ which could enchant the recipient, and the ‘Sleep Flower,’ which helped induce sleep. But no one at the Magic Tower had ever attempted to create blue roses.

‘I bet it’s possible with magic. They’ve already developed spells to change human hair color. Usually, those spells are memorized in a magic stone to create an artifact, but in this case, the medium would be the flower.’

However, flowers were much weaker than magic stones. The magic wouldn’t last long, but…

‘Flowers wilt quickly anyway, so that’s not really an issue.’

He pondered how to imbue a white rose with color magic, but his thoughts were interrupted when Titiana suddenly tugged on his sleeve.

“Let’s go, Yuri.”

Yuri couldn’t continue his thoughts as he followed Titiana to the store.

The blue dye was more expensive and heavier than he expected. As he carried it, the cynical thoughts he had momentarily forgotten came rushing back.

‘Why am I doing this?’

Then he became curious. If he could create blue roses without this tedious work, how would she react? His acquaintances would have undoubtedly asked him to make the blue roses.

To satisfy his curiosity, Yuri suddenly asked Titiana, “Noona, what if there was a much simpler way to make blue roses?”

“A much simpler way? Like what?”

“By using magic, for instance.”

“How is that a simple method?”

Titiana burst into laughter, clearly finding the idea absurd.

Yuri shrugged; for him, magic was as effortless as breathing.

“Anyway, if there was a mage nearby, would you ask them for help?”

Yuri inquired again, and Titiana tilted her head, considering the question. She thought it was an unlikely scenario since the chances of encountering a mage were slim. However, perhaps Yuri knew a mage skilled in color magic, especially since he had mentioned being a mage himself.

After pondering for a moment, Titiana replied, “Well… how much would I have to pay that mage?”

Yuri’s eyes widened at her question.

“You’d actually pay them?”

“Of course! Should I really expect a mage to work for free?”

“Well, it’s an easy task for them…”

In his experience, people often requested favors under the pretense of a simple ask. Titiana was the first person he had met who considered compensating someone for their magic.

Unaware that the mage in question was Yuri himself, Titiana stated firmly, “No matter how easy it is, you shouldn’t ask someone to do it for free. That would be imposing on them. Everyone’s time is valuable.”