I glared at Yuri with narrowed eyes as he casually gave me a nickname. “Who said you could shorten my name?”

Yuri responded with a playful smile. “We’re partners, can’t I call you by a nickname?”

His face resembled fluffy cotton candy, adorned with a sweet smile and a friendly tone.

‘Who could possibly resist such a charming tone?’

Well, apparently, that person was me.

I cut him off sharply. “No, you can’t.”

Yuri leaned in closer, his expression turning serious. “Then should I call you by your full name, Titiana Este?”

“Uh…?”

I had been the one to refuse the nickname, but when he got serious, I found myself at a loss for words. As I opened and closed my mouth, Yuri stepped back and added, “Just kidding.”

I pressed my hand against my heart, which was beating a bit too fast, a moment too late.

Why did he joke so seriously?

Whether he was aware of my complicated feelings or not, Yuri turned away with a bright smile. “Oh, I’ll make lunch. I have some ingredients prepped this morning.”

“But it’s my turn to make lunch today.”

Without waiting for my reply, Yuri turned around and said, “Just wait a bit, Titi.”

“Ah…”

There he went again, sneaking in that nickname.

I pressed my slightly warm cheeks with my palms, impressed by his cheeky nature.

‘Do I really need to be that sociable to run a business?’

Just then, Yuri, who I thought had gone upstairs, stopped and turned back. His smile was as radiant as the sun. “And by the way, I thought this the first time I heard it, but I think Titiana is a beautiful name. It sounds like a little bird chirping.”

His compliment was as sweet as his demeanor. The combination of his expression, the situation, and his words was perfect for making someone’s heart flutter. But he had chosen the wrong person. I scrunched up my face.

“Ugh.”

Yuri frowned at my reaction and asked, “Why do you make that face when I compliment you?”

“I just think my name sounds childish.”

In my second life, my mother-in-law would always say, Titiana? What kind of name is that for a grown woman? There’s nothing about you that I like!

Memories could be such a nuisance. No matter how hard I tried to brush them off, they popped up like thorns to bother me.

Yuri watched me with a puzzled expression before saying, “Why? It’s really pretty; I’m not just saying that.”

Feelings were subjective, so shouldn’t he consider the listener’s perspective?

I shrugged. “If I don’t like it, I don’t like it. What would you say if I told you I think Yuri sounds pretty, like a flower name?”

“Well…”

Yuri stroked his chin thoughtfully before breaking into a bright smile. “I’d say that’s a compliment that suits me perfectly.”

“…”

When a charming young man made a remark like that, there was little left to say.

‘I should just bring in a flower pot.’

As I turned to organize the pots I had planted earlier, Yuri flashed a mischievous grin and asked, “Titi, be honest. My words just now made your heart flutter a bit, didn’t they?”

Flutter? Hardly.

‘Honestly, I had been more flustered when you got all serious earlier.’

I scrunched up my face at the thought. Why was he asking me about fluttering hearts? I had sworn off love in my life.

“What are you trying to achieve by making my heart flutter? Stop with the nonsense and go make lunch.”

“Nonsense…”

Yuri looked as though he had been struck by something but quickly recovered, wearing a mischievous smile. “Ah, so Titi prefers nicknames over her real name, huh?”

“I told you no. Stop calling me Titi!”

I scolded him for teasing me, but my words seemed to have little effect. Yuri crossed his arms and said in a peculiar tone, “It might be better for your heart health if I keep calling you Titi.”

What was he even talking about?

I scoffed, as if to say, “There’s no way you’d make my heart flutter,” and Yuri chuckled softly.

“Titi, your neck is really pretty.”

This guy, seriously!

“Stop with the nonsense and just go make lunch already!”

“Hey, you drop fluttering comments so easily, but you’re so strict with me.”

“When did I ever?”

I asked, bewildered. Yuri tapped his cheek with his finger and replied, “Just a moment ago, you said my name was pretty, like a flower.”

“That’s not what I meant!”

I shouted, and Yuri chuckled quietly. His laughter sounded like a little bird’s chirp.

‘I feel like an idiot for getting angry.’

I put on my work gloves again, wearing a resigned expression. “If you just kept your mouth shut and smiled, you’d be really popular.”

Yuri crossed his arms and winked. “I’m not really interested in those people. The empire is full of folks who only like my face, like sand on the beach.”

“If you’re going to keep talking nonsense, you can do the work. I’ll make lunch.”

For some reason, my blunt response amused him, and he laughed again. He then waved his hand lightly. “Alright, just wait, Titi. I’ll whip up something so delicious your eyes will pop out.”

With that, Yuri bounded up the stairs two at a time. His tall, lanky frame made his stride look lively.

I pouted. The nickname Titi lingered in my ears like a sweet melody.

‘The bird-like sound is because of your tone.’

His high, slender voice matched his lively appearance perfectly. Watching his figure fade away, I sighed.

‘Now that the distraction’s gone, I should get to work.’

But I couldn’t concentrate. I kept thinking about his fluffy pink hair.

I stopped wiping the pots and shook my head vigorously. ‘Why did you have to say that?’

Maybe it had been a mistake to ask him to work with me.

‘But he has definitely brightened up a lot.’

He had been a cheerful young man when we first met, but lately, Yuri seemed as radiant as sunlight.

‘I hope I’m helping with his lethargy.’

With that thought, I placed the freshly cleaned pot on the counter.

“Hey.”

Someone called out to me. I turned toward the voice and froze in surprise.

A woman stood before me, as beautiful as a flower fairy, with lush golden hair and clear green eyes. Beside her was a maid holding an umbrella.

“Hey, can’t you hear me?”

“…”

Even as I met her gaze, I remained dumbfounded. She prompted me again, noticing my silence.

“Are you deaf or something?”

“…No. I can hear you just fine.”

Once I finally snapped back to reality and responded, she slightly scrunched up her face.

“So you’ve been ignoring me all this time? Do you not know who I am?”

As I remained silent, the maid attending her spoke sharply. “She must be so stunned by Her Highness’s beauty that she’s frozen. Where would a country bumpkin like her have seen someone as noble as Her Highness? I thought she looked rustic, but at least she has eyes. Hurry up and show your respect!”

“…”

Well, she wasn’t wrong. I was surprised.

‘Yes, very surprised.’

But it wasn’t just her dazzling beauty that shocked me.

‘Sabina, the Princess!’

The most beautiful woman in the empire, the treasure of the royal palace, the flower of high society.

There were countless titles for her, but in my mind, she represented only one thing.

‘The other woman in my romantic drama!’

She was the one my husband had an affair with, leading to the downfall of my second marriage.

It was laughable to argue about who was worse between the cheating couple, but if I had to choose, I would say my husband, who betrayed his wife, was the real trash. Still, it takes two to tango, and Princess Sabina was no innocent person.

For instance, when I confronted her about the affair, she rested her chin on her hand and said, “He was too much of a husband for you from the start. Shouldn’t you be satisfied after enjoying the sweet years?”

Her shameless words had turned my stomach.

‘I swore I’d never deal with her again.’

And now, here she was, standing right in front of me.

I looked at her with cold eyes.

‘Princess Sabina.’

I knew logically that she wasn’t guilty of anything now, unlike in the past.

But I couldn’t help my instinctive aversion.

When Yuri mentioned earlier that the Empress had spoken of the blue rose, I couldn’t feel happy, largely because of Princess Sabina.

‘I hoped I’d never have to see her again.’

As I clamped my mouth shut, the maid’s voice grew sharper, urging me on.

“Hey, how long are you going to pretend to be mute? No matter how rare the blue rose is, there’s no one in this empire who can keep Her Highness waiting.”

Then Princess Sabina, who had been standing quietly, grabbed the maid’s arm. “Don’t be too harsh. It’s only natural for ordinary people to be ignorant of etiquette.”

“Your Highness, you are too kind-hearted. But you shouldn’t just forgive such rudeness!”

Oh, come on.

I hadn’t said a word, yet they were having a grand time discussing rudeness and forgiveness among themselves. Their self-centered attitude hadn’t changed at all.