Edgar eventually ran out of things to present to Rubica, and she was relieved to see her bedroom clean again.

‘Oh, I really didn’t know there were so many luxurious goods in this world.’

She sighed as she looked down on the slippers she was wearing. They had several pearls embedded in them.

The pair of slippers was one of many things Edgar had ordered from a shoemaker he called.

Once the rich nobleman decided to spend money, he really spent a lot. Rubica couldn’t even dream of catching up with him.

He had moved his personal wealth to the Jackal Bank as promised, but Rubica doubted if even half of it remained now. However, that money could change a lot of things… and she wished he would stop spending money on her.

“Your Grace, the duke has come.”

“Already? Tell him to come in.”

He couldn’t be coming with merchants again, so Rubica replied relaxingly. However, Edgar came in with several servants instead of merchants.

“Oh my!”

Rubica jumped to her feet and exclaimed at seeing the flower vases the servants were carrying. They were all full of roses which Lord Sesar had once promised to Rubica. Each flower was as white as snow in the middle and became redder and redder until it reached the edges. They were all breathtakingly beautiful. Moreover, they were so huge, at least twice as huge as ordinary roses.

“I thought I would have to wait much longer to see them…”

She couldn’t touch the petals lest she hurt the roses. Instead, she lightly touched their leaves with shaking hands. Then, the flowers shook and filled the air with a sweet scent. Even the scent was much better than that of other roses.

“Do you like it?”

Edgar asked with a laugh.

She was so fascinated by the roses that she failed to notice his chin shaking to see her in such joy.

“Yes! They are so beautiful. They are so much prettier than I imagined, and… I don’t know what to say!”

Edgar had to try really hard to not say she was much prettier in his eyes since saying such a thing wasn’t going to make her happy. She would rather frown.

“I should have studied botany.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You were not this happy about what I made.”

Edgar was complaining like a little boy, and Rubica didn’t know what to do.

“No, I was happy about it too. Thanks to it, now our old seamstresses do not have to struggle when threading their needles. It has become really famous with the name of ‘Claymore’s Threader’.”

Rubica had even heard it started to be exported lately. The things Edgar made had the power of making people exclaim, even the smallest one of them.

“But you didn’t smile like you are smiling now at seeing these roses.”

“But my smile is only…”

“Everything to me.”

Rubica shut her mouth after that. She was so embarrassed and got goosebumps. He was acting like she was the most beautiful woman on the continent and she just couldn’t understand him.

She even worried about the skin condition of the servants who had to witness all that.

“Anyway, this much should be enough to decorate where your tea meeting will take place, right?”

Rubica looked around at the roses that had filled her room.

“This isn’t enough. This is too much… oh, how about giving a rose pot to each guest?”

Rubica was going to introduce the ribbon dress at the tea meeting. If it had been Khanna’s dress, it wouldn’t have been a problem, but she had worked on its design herself.

Every day she got more anxious and worried that people might not like it. And, nothing was going to be better than ‘bribery’ for it. She was sure the noble guests would be happy to get those roses.

“But these roses are yours, you shouldn’t give them away.”

However, her husband, who looked really irritated, wasn’t cooperating.

“But pretty things are best enjoyed when shared by many. I want the guests to enjoy these pretty roses for a long time.”

“But this is your flower. If they want to see them, they should come here and get your permission.”

“Lord Sesar worked so hard to make them. And I should keep it to myself? He wouldn’t agree to that.”

“Why are you talking about Lord Sesar?”

Rubica’s eyes widened at seeing the frown on his forehead.

“Why am I talking about Lord Sesar? Because he is the one who invented this rose.”

Edgar went silent for a long time.

‘I didn’t press Sesar like that so that you would be able to share it with the others!’

He really wished he could say that, but he didn’t want her to know that he made the botanist work for days without sleeping.

“Yes, he invented this flower, but Claymore invested in it, so I think we have those rights.”

Carl, who was standing behind him, shook his head, and Rubica agreed with him. These kinds of moments reminded her that he had lived without anything to fear, so Rubica decided to be firm about it.

“Edgar, I invested on Sesar’s work with my budget, so I should decide how to use its outcome.”

When she tried to convince him with gentle words, he didn’t want to give up on his opinion like a stubborn child. Therefore, she had to make it clear to make him accept it and back off.

“I guess I took it too far.”

See? It worked.

“Carl, will you call the jeweler again tomorrow?”

“The jeweler, Your Grace?”

“Yes. I should present my wife at least a diamond ring for interfering with her business too much…”

“Edgar?”

Rubica couldn’t bear it and grabbed his arm.

“Please, enough with the gifts, okay?”

“Why? It’s my personal wealth, I should decide on how to use it.”

“Oh, but please…”

She beggingly put her hands together, and it melted his anger. That simple gesture was capable of melting his anger? It was funny and logically unexplainable, but it worked.

Maybe he had insisted on it so hard to see that one gesture of hers.

“Okay, I won’t if you hate it that much. Well, if you want to give out the roses, you can.”

Then, he had the servants move the flowers back to the greenhouse.

“Oh, but wait.”

Rubica stopped a servant carrying out a pot. She took out a pair of scissors, cut a few roses, and put them in a nearby vase. Everyone thought she wanted to put that in her bedroom.

“Carl.”

However, to their surprise, she handed the vase to Carl. Edgar glared at him so fiercely that the butler couldn’t take it right away.

“But Your Grace, why are you giving this to me?”

“Could you put it on the desk at the office?”

“The office?”

“Why do you want it there?”

Even though Edgar spoke bluntly, his eyes were already smiling, so Carl quickly took the vase.

“You always stay there during the daytime. So, it would be good to at least have some flowers next to you… would putting a flower vase on your desk disturb your work?”

“Of course not. Carl, put it in the middle of my desk right away.”

‘Putting it in the middle would definitely disturb your work.’ That came up to Carl’s throat, but he managed to swallow it again and left with the servants, carrying the vase.

“Rubica.”

After they were alone, Edgar called her in a low voice. There was a blue fire in his eyes. Rubica gulped hard and looked at him, offering her a hand. His wrist had blue veins.

Was it because of the fire in his eyes? She could feel her heart heating up. Her reason was warning her she couldn’t do this, but her hand was already on his hand. He laughed quietly and then suddenly pulled her in.

Her cheek touched his broad and solid chest. His strong arms held her tight. It was hard to breathe, but she felt rather safe. She even wished for him to hold her like that forever.

She couldn’t keep sharing such hugs with him now that she knew he was sincere to her.

Before, she had hugged him for friendship’s sake. He looked so hurt and lonely and she just wanted to console him.

But now that she knew he had true feelings for her, she couldn’t do this.

However, her lips were clenched tightly like a clam and refused to say words of refusal. And instead of pushing him away, her two arms touched his back to feel every muscle it had.

Edgar looked at Rubica shaking in his arms. She gave him roses…

He was so happy. He wanted to kiss her right away, or he would go crazy.

However, he couldn’t do that when seeing her eyes in fear. He had nothing to fear before, so he didn’t know why he was always so afraid when he was with her.

“Edgar, I…”

“I know.”

Rubica whispered, still holding him. He knew what she was about to say, and he would have to let her go after hearing it. However, Edgar just wanted to hold her only a little longer.

“You know? And you’re still doing this?”

Rubica just couldn’t understand him. He was the one who had confessed his love for her, so why was she so anxious? On the other hand, he seemed quite relaxed. He even whispered to her.

“Can’t you change for me? You know what people say, love changes everyone.”