Suddenly, Yuri, who had been quiet for a moment, asked if we were hungry.

“Titi, are you really hungry?”

“No, not at all.”

Wasn’t it still far from meal time? Didn’t she say she was going to the grocery store just a bit ago?

As I tilted my head in confusion, Yuri hurriedly waved and dashed out of the store.

“Well, I might be a little late today, so will you wait for me? I’ll make the most delicious lunch in the world when I get back, so just stay put and don’t go outside, okay?”

“Okay.”

Before I could even respond, Yuri bolted outside like an arrow.

‘Where is she rushing off to all of a sudden?’

If she was just going to the grocery store, there wouldn’t be any need to run like that.

I glanced around the now empty shop and then turned my attention back to the design sketches. A wedding blessed by mages. I didn’t know much, but it was clear Rosie was going to be the happiest bride in the world.

“I hope Rosie likes it.”

I was determined to create a truly wonderful wedding gift as I thought of Rosemary.

Knock, knock,

There was a knock at the front door.

“Huh?”

Turning my head, I saw an elderly man with a dignified beard and a man who appeared to be in his mid-to-late thirties standing at the door.

‘Customers?’

I had never seen them before. But they seemed too confident to be suspicious.

I cautiously opened the door.

“Um, the shop isn’t open for business yet…”

“Are you the owner of this shop?”

“Huh? Yes, I am.”

For some reason, the old man seemed very angry.

“So you’re the one…!”

The old man was about to shout at me when the man next to him suddenly intervened.

“Oh no, what are you doing? If the Grand Mage finds out, it won’t just end with a scolding. We’ve seen her face, so let’s just go back.”

“Quiet, you fool! You’re the one who thought this would be fun and tagged along!”

“When did I ever! Don’t say things that’ll get us in trouble.”

I couldn’t understand what they were saying. It seemed like they were arguing because of me, but without any explanation, I couldn’t grasp the situation.

‘No, it can’t be. Strangers wouldn’t fight because of me. They must have knocked on the wrong door.’

And maybe they were just pretending to argue because it was awkward.

Not wanting to dwell on it any longer, I quickly organized my thoughts and smiled as I greeted them.

“Well, if there’s nothing you need, I’ll head back inside.”

As I was about to close the door, the old man suddenly reached out and held it open. Then he cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Ahem, I came to buy something.”

There was a large sign on the door saying the shop was closed. My head tilted to the side on its own.

‘They really seem to have business with me?’

I hesitated for a moment. Should I let strangers into the house?

‘Yuri will be back soon, too.’

Though they were noisy, they didn’t seem likely to be violent. My mind quickly leaned towards letting them in. I held the door and said,

“Come on in, for now.”

***

As soon as they entered the shop, the old man sat down in one of the two chairs as if it were the most natural thing. Then he tapped the table that Yuri and I used for meals and said,

“Show me everything you’re selling here.”

He had a kind and respectable face, but he seemed very accustomed to giving orders to others.

But even if he asked me to show what we were selling, there was nothing to show.

While I hesitated, the man who came with the old man started whining again.

“Oh dear, you just barged in here like this…! What are you going to do later? I didn’t hear or see anything. If you try to pin this on me later, I won’t know anything!”

“You fool!”

At least he knew he barged in.

‘What is this duo? By age, they seem like grandfather and grandson, but the respectful attitude suggests they aren’t.’

It seemed like there was someone who would be angry if they knew these two had come here.

‘Are they nobles? But why would they come to this shop? It seems like they have another agenda… Could it be Rosemary’s grandfather?’

The only noble grandfather I could think of who might come all the way here was Rosemary’s.

I set that thought aside for a moment and asked with a smile, “Would you like some coffee?”

The elderly man, who had been silent for a moment as if deep in thought, nodded.

“Give me some. Make it warm.”

I glanced at his companion to see if he also wanted some, and he responded eagerly.

“Are you offering me some too? That would be wonderful. I’ve been dragged all the way here, and my sugar levels have dropped. Please add plenty of sugar.”

He was certainly a talkative person.

‘Does he even know how much sugar costs to be asking for so much so casually? He must come from a wealthy family.’

The older man seemed annoyed by the younger man’s enthusiastic response and glared at him.

“You said you didn’t hear anything?”

“…”

The younger man pretended not to hear, just as he had before.

“You little rascal!”

The two of them bickered incessantly.

‘They must never get bored when they’re together.’

Thinking indifferently, I boiled water and brewed coffee.

“Here’s your coffee.”

“Hmph.”

When I set down the steaming cup, the old man snorted. For a moment, I considered kicking them out, but I held back.

At least the younger man seemed genuinely delighted as he sipped his coffee, which calmed my nerves.

For the first time since they arrived, the two were silent. It was as if they believed they had to drink their coffee quietly until it was finished.

‘They must really like coffee.’

After they emptied their cups, the old man spoke in a softened tone.

“…Well, it’s not bad.”

He must have enjoyed it.

As I was thinking this, the younger man exclaimed loudly.

“It’s more than just ‘not bad’; this is a nostalgic taste!”

‘A nostalgic taste?’

That was an unusual expression. I didn’t have any special method for brewing coffee, so what could evoke such nostalgia…

‘The beans?’

All the coffee beans in our house were purchased by Yuri.

If the taste was familiar, it must be because the beans were familiar, right? I asked, half-expecting the answer.

“Do you know Yuri by any chance?”

“Yuri!”

At my question, the younger man jumped up as if struck by lightning and shouted.

“My goodness, you’re on a first-name basis!”

“We work together. What else would I call him?”

“My goodness, my goodness, my goodness…”

I asked a question, but all I received were strange exclamations. As I frowned in frustration, the old man finally spoke.

“So, are you the young lady who said that while marriage with our Yuri might be difficult, you’d consider dating him?”

“What?”

I was curious about what he was going to say with such emphasis, and then he mentioned marriage?

‘Did he just say “our Yuri”?’

He even seemed to know quite a bit about trivial matters.

‘Yuri isn’t the type to talk about everything. Are they really close? Is he his grandfather?’

Yujin became a young count because his predecessors all met early deaths. So Yuri doesn’t have a grandfather.

‘Then who is this person?’

I decided to affirm the old man’s words for now.

“That summary is a bit excessive, but it’s not incorrect. Yes, I did say that.”

The old man, who seemed to genuinely care for Yuri, immediately stood up, agitated.

“Why can’t they get married? What’s lacking in our Yuri?”

“Oh my, Master! Please calm down.”

Master.

‘I can think of one field that fits.’

I asked to confirm my suspicion.

“Excuse me, what is your relationship with Yuri that you’re asking about such private matters?”

“I am Yuri’s master! I’ve been teaching that child, whom I wouldn’t trade for anything, since he was very young!”

As I suspected, the person before me was the one who taught Yuri magic.

The man who accompanied him was flustered and tried to intervene.

“Oh my, Master! How can you get so worked up?”

“How can I not be upset? She doesn’t want to marry our Yuri after meeting him! How can there be such a person in the world?”

“I don’t know! I’m ready to run away right now!”

“You fool, if you’re going to intervene, see it through to the end! That’s why you always end up trailing behind Yuri!”

“Master!”

If someone else had intruded into my personal life like this, I would have been very annoyed, but realizing that the person was a socially awkward mage made me suddenly more forgiving.

‘Yuri’s master wouldn’t harm me.’

Especially when he seemed so scared right now.