Chapter 4
“There is… but why are you suddenly asking?”
Why? What kind of question is that?
The way he said it made it sound like I had some ulterior motive, which irritated me for no reason.
I replied bluntly.
“A pink-haired wizard gave me the deed to this building. I’ve already confirmed that you’re not that wizard, so I was wondering if you might know him.”
“Huh…”
Yuri let out a strange sound, then waved his hand dismissively with a laugh.
“That’s even less likely. Eugene is about as far from magic as someone can get.”
Eugene.
That must be the name of the man with the same pink hair as Yuri.
Then who exactly is the Master?
Having lost my only lead again, I frowned.
Still, I didn’t dwell on it for long. If I stayed in this building, I’d naturally find out eventually.
And honestly, if I’m going to live here, it’s actually convenient that this guy is unemployed.
I clenched my fists, determination rising in my voice.
“Let’s make a deal.”
“A deal? What kind of deal?”
“You clearly have no intention of handing this building over to me. But I just arrived in the capital, and the only thing I have to rely on is this deed. So let’s negotiate.”
I held out my hand.
“Lease this building to me for exactly five years. In return, I’ll pay you more than the building itself is worth.”
I specifically chose five years because that was the exact point in time I had returned from.
By then, I’ll have answers.
Why the Master specifically told me to come here.
Why he performed this miracle for me twice.
So for now… I just need to buy time.
Yuri looked at me with interest.
“Hm. Are you bad at math? This contract is incredibly unfavorable for you.”
“That’s why I’m offering it. If it benefited me too much, you’d never agree.”
“And how exactly are you planning to make money?”
His tone clearly said: Let’s hear what this country girl is so confident about.
I answered proudly.
“I’m going to open a flower shop here.”
“What?”
Yuri frowned.
“Why a flower shop? Flowers are everywhere in the fields. Why would anyone need a store for them? Nobles and wealthy people can just cut flowers from their own gardens.”
“That’s a fair point. You know more about noble life than I expected.”
“But then why—?”
Yuri tilted his head, genuinely confused.
I simply smiled.
He was absolutely right.
At least… for someone who didn’t know the future.
But I do.
I didn’t choose flowers on a whim.
Out of all the ways I could make money using my knowledge of the future, this was the one that suited me best.
For the next five years, the empire would experience its greatest golden age.
With war reparations and taxes from newly unified colonies, the empire would become richer than it had ever been.
Money would overflow everywhere.
And when people had too much money, luxury goods became far more profitable than necessities.
Naturally, wealthy people would start spending absurd amounts of money just to flaunt their wealth.
And what happened next?
When people had too much money, they started assigning ridiculous value to things they normally ignored.
In the empire’s case—
that thing was flowers.
Soon, flower prices would skyrocket.
Tulips, daffodils, and other bulb flowers would sell for absurd amounts of money.
And I already knew exactly how outrageous those prices would become.
I just need to grow flowers now and sell them later when prices explode.
In the end—
I wasn’t growing flowers.
I was growing money.
Satisfied with my flawless life plan, I crossed my arms and nodded to myself.
Then my gaze drifted toward Yuri’s pale pink hair.
A handsome man who had apparently given up on life after losing his magic and failing as a wizard.
Since he doesn’t know anything about the deed, it’s better to keep him close and observe him.
After organizing my thoughts, I clenched my fists again and boldly declared—
“If you still don’t trust me, then work at the flower shop with me!”
“…What?”
Yuri stared at me like I had lost my mind.
I shrugged.
“If you don’t trust someone, the best thing to do is keep an eye on them. Watch how I make money while we work together. I’ll calculate your rent and pay you properly.”
“Hey.”
“You said yourself this deal is unfair to me. Surely you’re not planning to nitpick the contract?”
“……”
“Great. I’ll take that as a yes.”
Before he could argue, I quickly stood up and rolled up my sleeves.
This building had clearly been neglected for a long time.
If I wanted to open a shop here, cleaning had to come first.
“I’ll use the second floor. The first floor will be the flower shop. First, we need to clean up all this trash—”
As I looked around for bags to collect the garbage, Yuri suddenly stepped in front of me.
He narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
“What exactly are you plotting?”
Plotting?
That was hurtful.
I answered sincerely.
“I want to help you.”
His eyes narrowed even further.
Well… his suspicion makes sense.
Honestly, my motives weren’t entirely pure.
Running this place alone would be impossible.
And even if he claimed not to be the Master, there was still a chance he had simply lost his memories.
It was better to keep him nearby and observe him.
And besides—
a flower shop and a handsome man were a perfect combination.
Just imagining Yuri holding a bouquet made the whole place seem brighter.
Perfect.
He looked like he had been born under the star of flower shops.
Since I’d already ruined my life once—
why not let me handle yours too?
Still unconvinced, Yuri twisted his lips.
“It’s hard to understand why someone who came to steal my building suddenly wants to help me.”
Then he suddenly bent down until his face was dangerously close to mine.
“Ah… did you perhaps fall for me?”
Our noses were nearly touching.
The moment I realized how close he was, I crossed my arms in an X shape and quickly stepped back.
“…Why are you making that gesture?”
“Don’t come any closer.”
“…Excuse me?”
Yuri looked utterly dumbfounded, as though I were treating him like a criminal.
This pose wasn’t just protecting me.
It was protecting him, too.
I answered coldly.
“Let me be very clear. I might develop affection for you as a fellow human being—but romantic feelings? Absolutely not.”
“…Why not?”
“Because I decided I’m never making the mistake of falling in love again this lifetime.”
“And what exactly was that ‘mistake’?”
“Marriage.”
If I got married again, I wouldn’t be human.
Making the same insane mistake twice is more than enough.
For some reason, Yuri burst out laughing.
Then he casually crossed his arms.
“That’s actually how I feel too. I have no intention of getting married either.”
“Yes. And I trust you’ll stick to that.”
This time, Yuri gave me a strange look.
But it didn’t last long.
“Well, the deed does seem genuine. And if I refuse to let you run your flower shop, it sounds like we’ll end up fighting in court over this building…”
With a bright smile, Yuri extended his hand toward me.
“I look forward to working with you for the next five years, Miss Titiana.”
I pouted slightly before slowly taking his hand.
But then—
“Huh?!”
Instead of shaking my hand—
he flipped it over, bent down—
and pressed a kiss to the back of my hand.
Wait… isn’t he the one with ulterior motives here?!
He had been far too comfortable invading my personal space this entire time.
I quickly snatched my hand back and replied stiffly,
“Yes, I look forward to working with you too.”
“…but let’s skip the overly intimate physical contact.”
She’s seriously a strange woman.
After finishing the cleaning on the first and second floors, Titiana tried to clean Yuri’s room on the third floor as well.
Yuri politely refused, using privacy as an excuse.
And surprisingly, Titiana backed off without argument.
Instead, she demanded he clean it himself and let her inspect it afterward.
Cleaning something like this would take one snap of my fingers.
Yuri snapped his fingers.
Snap—
The scattered items instantly returned to their proper places.
The trash vanished.
Everything was cleaned in an instant.
What Yuri had told Titiana was only half true.
Just as she suspected—
he really was a magician.
And not just any magician—
he was an extraordinarily powerful one who would never truly lose his magic.
But how does a woman I’ve never met know that I’m a magician?
To be fair, it wasn’t a complete secret.
His full name was Yuri Esrente.
The second son of Count Esrente’s family.
Among high society, it was already well known that the second son of House Esrente was a great magician.
However—
after becoming a magician at a young age, Yuri rarely appeared in public.
Very few people had ever seen his actual face.
