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WHEN Ernest finally did have a day off, he naturally paid a visit to Yuuri’s shop.
Normally, he would just show up at the shop without warning, but this time he elected to send her a letter letting her know when he would be coming by. He had been so busy up to that point, and it was likely he would be equally as unavailable going forward; he wanted to make sure he caught her with what free time he did have.
In a stroke of good luck, it was a cloudy day, so Ernest could actually take Yuuri outside.
He strode down that narrow alley and gazed up at the brick shop, where he spotted a shadow just before it darted away. Yuuri must have been so anxious for Ernest’s visit, that she had been taking occasional peeks out the window to see when he got there. Just the thought made Ernest’s face break into a goofy grin.
“Miss Yuuri! Sorry to have kept you waiting!”
Ernest expected Yuuri to come running down the stairs and fly into his arms. Instead, she was standing in front of the shelf, trying to pretend like she was deeply involved in her work.
The days were still hot, so she wasn’t wearing her usual haori. To keep her neck cool, her hair was pulled up high on her head with the hair accessories Simon had given her the other day. She began to turn slowly, but Ernest could not wait. He threw his arms around her.
“I wasn’t really waiting, I ju—let me go!”
“Oh, come now! I’ve been so busy and tired!”
When Yuuri genuinely tried to push him away, Ernest always complied. But she didn’t try as hard this time.
“Then why don’t you rest up at your mansion? Why come all this way just to disturb me so early in the morning?”
Yuuri was worried his exhaustion was from lack of sleep and overwork, which Ernest was fine with using as a convenient ruse.
“I can think of no better cure for my exhaustion than having a cup of your famous jasmine tea.”
“If that’s what you want, please let me go.”
This time he readily complied and headed right for his favorite spot. Yuuri disappeared into the back and before long, that gentle aroma was wafting his way.
“Is this a new cup? Is this camellia?” He had been drinking jasmine tea at the manor for so long, everything in Yuuri’s shop seemed new once more.
The teacup was so dainty that Ernest feared too strong a grip would crack it. The inside was the brightest white, forming a stark contrast with the dark tea. The outside of the cup was azure blue, with red and white flowers painted around it. These flowers were the same as those on Yuuri’s haori when he first came to her shop. Maybe it was just the strong impression their first meeting had left, but Ernest thought that color suited her best.
“It is very fragile. So please don’t drop it.”
“Were these a gift from Simon?” Ernest asked, causing her to furrow her brow.
“No! These were on sale at Watoh Company, so I bought them for myself!”
Ernest couldn’t understand why their conversation was upsetting her so. Maybe she felt spoiled somehow because her brother was always showering her with gifts.
“...Uhm, Lord Ernest, I have a favor to ask.”
“Well, that’s unusual. It might even be a first. Go on, ask away.” Ernest threw open his arms, as if to say, ask me anything, and it shall be yours!
“It isn’t like that,” Yuuri started, her jet-black eyes burning holes into him. Normally, getting her to be so forthcoming required a sacrifice of sorts, but that didn’t seem to be what she wanted this time.
“Oh, I see. Too bad. …Well, what is it then?”
“My brother gives me nice things, like these hair decorations. So I was wondering...what I could...give him in return? I have no idea...what boys like...”
Ernest had brought Yuuri the hair decorations from Simon last month. They were siblings, bound by blood, and yet they acted more like strangers than family.
Yuuri was merely asking him, if bashfully so, whether he would help her select a gift for her brother. It was a simple request. But Ernest felt a bit disappointed, perhaps because he too had given her gifts. The dress and jewelry Yuuri had worn to the dinner party last month, for one thing, were presents Ernest had bought specifically for her. He thought they might get in the way at her shop, so he kept them at his manor, but they were absolutely hers.
He was sure she must have known that, because of her small stature compared to the average Hylantian woman, he needed to have them custom-made specifically for her. He hadn’t done so in anticipation of a reward, but now that Simon was getting one, he couldn’t help but feel jealous.
“So you won’t help me?”
“Of course I will! It will be like a date! But you know, Lord Simon will be jealous!”
Ernest was being honest with Yuuri, and yet it caused her face to cloud over. She shifted her gaze downward, staring resolutely at the table.
“...Hm?”
All that lay on the table were the camellia teacups. They featured the same flowers as Yuuri’s haori, the ones he felt looked so perfect on her. The longer Ernest stared at the teacups, the stranger Yuuri seemed to act. He couldn’t figure out why her face kept getting redder.
Huh? Have I done something wrong again?
Had she prepared these cups just for him, only for him to be completely oblivious?
“Stop grinning like that...like you know everything,” Yuuri said in an almost whisper as he kept looking from Yuuri to the teacups and back again. He realized immediately he had been right.
“I’m not grinning like I know everything. Look again. I’m grinning like this because I’m genuinely happy.”
“It doesn’t look like that to me at all.”
First, his king said he looked like unassuming noble and now the woman he loved was calling him a know-it-all.
“How strange...”
“What’s strange?”
“Every morning, when I look at myself in the mirror, all I see is a good and honest man. ...But lately, I’ve been hearing the same things from my king as I have you. Tell me, what is it that displeases you about me, Miss Yuuri?”
“Your eyes, I suppose,” Yuuri stated, not realizing her words landed like a cruel punchline. She was being serious.
Ernest could only hang his head in silent despair.