Chapter 3: The Gentleman With Blue Roses
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"A pleasant day to you, Nora."
When she opened the door, she was greeted by a handsome grayish brown-haired gentleman with a bouquet of blue roses in hand. He took Nora"s hand into his and dropped a gentle kiss on top of it. Upon realizing what he did, Nora immediately jerked her hand away.
"W-What brings you here? Um…" What was his name again?
She knew he was one of the twin sons of the Marquis Callum and from his blue eyes, he wasn"t the one who wanted to break their engagement, but she couldn"t recall his name. She felt like he introduced himself but since she only wanted to hurry home then, she didn"t pay him any mind.
Seeing Nora stumped with words, the gentleman"s lips curled up in a smile.
"It"s Elias. Elias Callum."
"Your Highness, may I ask…"
"Elias."
"Pardon?"
"Can"t you call me Elias?"
With such an imposing tone, Nora wondered if he meant it as an order. But it didn"t matter what she"d call him because she was more concerned about why he came.
"Elias, may I ask what brought you here?"
If he came to propose again, that would be troublesome so Nora thought of giving him a piece of her mind. After silently deciding so, she looked at him and he gave her a bright smile as he handed the bouquet.
He"s got a charming face but because of what happened yesterday, her impression of him was negative.
"I wanted you to get to know me more so I came here, Nora."
Doing something so useless, your good looks are wasted on you.
Nora wanted to throw those words at him but found herself too dumbfounded to speak.
That time, Nora had clearly told him, "I don"t know you, so it"s impossible for us to get engaged." She also added, "If you really want to, I suggest you better find a friend to get engaged to."
But that was her rather indirect way of refusing him considering he was from the House of Marquis. If she could be direct and straightforward, she would"ve said, "Who do you think you are? Stop spouting off something so silly. Never talk to me again."
Even as a mistake, you wouldn"t normally propose in public without at least a proper introduction. But for people like Elias, even if he was just playing around, it seemed like having his proposal refused was unacceptable.
Nora didn"t think he came with good intentions.
It would be great if he"d take back what he said, but if he blamed her for humiliating him in public, she wouldn"t know what to do.
Even so, why did this guy come to see me?
"You won"t accept this no matter what?"
"How persistent. I don"t need it."
Nora pushed back the bouquet of roses in his hand. She found it bothersome that they"ve been staying on this topic over and over again. She noticed that they also started dropping formalities the more they talked.
Even though the bouquet was beautiful, she had no plans to accept something from a stranger.
She didn"t like engaging in arguments but she also didn"t want to accept it as a gift. Although she"s part of a poor Baron"s house, she"s still a n.o.bility. She didn"t want to be seen as greedy and materialistic.
"Alright, if that"s what you want…"
When she caught his gaze, he looked so forlorn that it seemed like Nora had wronged him.
Being blessed with a handsome face is a crime! What a deadly weapon!
"It"s a waste to throw it away, so just place it somewhere you like… I"ll come back again." Elias put the bouquet down and finally went home. She agreed that it was a waste, but still left it where he placed it. Nora didn"t take it nor did Elias bring it back home.
For now, let"s call it a draw.
She still didn"t know why he came but she hoped he wouldn"t come again. Although it"s bothersome, it"s indeed a waste to throw such beautiful roses away. Since there"s no helping it, Nora took it and decided to bring it to the restaurant where she worked part-time.
Seeing the manager in front of the restaurant, Nora happily approached him.
"Manager, I have a favor to ask."
"Why, h.e.l.lo Nora! Aren"t you off today?"
"Someone gave me this bouquet but I can"t keep it, so can you take it? How about using it as a decoration in the restaurant?"
The man with a rather stout physique didn"t hide his surprise upon seeing the bouquet.
"Such a huge bouquet of blue roses! Was it a present from a fan?"
"No, it wasn"t. I don"t need it but it"d be a waste to throw it away."
Comparing the bouquet with Nora"s scrunched up eyebrows, the manager started to grin.
"It"s a man, right? Even Nora can"t put him in his place, huh."
"It"s nothing like that. It"s really just a waste to throw it away."
"That"s what I"m saying. Such a huge bouquet of blue roses must"ve cost a lot! I don"t think that"s something you give away if you"re just playing around."
That might be the case if you"re a commoner. But if you"re from the House of Marquis, this is nothing but a small change.
Unable to explain the situation regarding the troublesome Marquis" twins, Nora nodded vaguely.
"Nora, do you know what blue roses mean in the language of flowers? It symbolizes "mysterious" or "wanting to make the impossible possible."
"Manager, how did you know that?"
"I"ve heard all sorts of things in this line of business."
Experienced in the ways of the world, the manager surprisingly also knew about such girly topics.
Wanting to make the impossible possible… Does it have to do with him wanting to win the bet?
However, Elias didn"t seem like the type to know about the language of flowers.
"You know, there"s another meaning behind blue roses…"
Just then, someone"s voice echoed from the back of the restaurant.
"I see, that was indeed quite troublesome. Well then, let me take these flowers. Say h.e.l.lo to the gentleman with blue roses for me."
"Gentleman with blue roses, you say…"
In terms of appearance, Elias could certainly be described as a dashing young gentleman. In fact, Nora was mesmerized by the color of his eyes which were as blue and beautiful as the sky.
Generally speaking, as a young maiden, Nora"s already at a marriageable age. If circ.u.mstances were a little different, her heart might have fluttered for him. After all, being proposed to on your first meeting with the Marquis"s son is like every girl"s dream of a romantic happily ever after.
Thinking thus far, Nora sighed at such a striking contrast between dreams and reality.
"He said he"d come back. Did he mean it? But why would he come again?"
If he brought another bouquet of flowers, she vowed to turn him down resolutely.
Feeling utterly stressed and exhausted, Nora headed home.
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