Chapter three: A humble Beichan...

When Yuki arrived at her floral shop, the first thing she did, was down two cups of her favorite tea. It was only after then, did she feel like she was alike.

Afterwards, Yuki immediately got to work. She cleaned, put the place in order and arranged some flowers to showcase before officially opening the shop.

Not long after opening, an old couple visited the shop to purchase a bouquet for their daughter-in-law who had put to birth. Yuki offered them seats inside the shop and then some jasmine tea before leaving to arrange the flowers for the couple.

"Do floral shops serve tea to customers these days?" Yuki heard the man ask his wife.

"Of course not, this place is the best floral shop in all of Echt, and this, darling, is the reason. Go on, take a sip," the woman encouraged. Yuki smiled at the older woman's utterance.

"Excellent. This tea is excellent," commented the old man eagerly after taking a sip of the tea.

"But of course, the tea served in this shop are of good quality. And it is costless too. Now tell me if our long walk was not worth it?" the woman asked with a gratifying tone.

"It was worth it. Truly it was."

…

"Your request. A bouquet of blue hydrangeas mixed with white roses." Yuki presented the bouquet to the couple with a warm, polite smile.

 The couple returned the smile with satisfied expressions as they beheld the beautiful bouquet and the young lady's homely smile. "Thank you for the tea. We will come again," the couple declared after paying for the bouquet and took their leave.

After the couple left, the shop continued to receive customers till the sun reached its peak. It was only after then did the shop become devoid of people.

Aside her shop, the entire square had evidently grown much quiescent. The only people who could be seen still moving around were coachmen with skins so tan they either could not bring themselves to care anymore about getting browner or were too used to the hot temperature to shudder from that usual heat.

Yuki parked the plants and flowers that could not withstand the heat of the sun back into the shop. Afterwards, she proceeded to arrange some flowers for a customer who was to pick it up later.

As Yuki delicately trimmed the stems of the freshly cut bouquet, her fingers moved gracefully, and her blue eyes shone with the warmth of a crackling fireplace. With gentle touches, she coaxed beauty from every petal and leaf, her passion for flowers evident in every airy arrangement.

She was still arranging the bouquet when she noticed an automobile park in front of her flower shop. She immediately put the flowers away and went outside to welcome the new customer.

When she came out of her stall, she could not help but notice all the heads that were peeping out of shops in her direction as well as all the halted coachmen who were looking her way.

Though she was popular in the town square, Yuki knew all too well that those curious eyes were set not on her, but the automobile parked in front of her shop.

 She could empathize with these people. The fact was, most of the onlookers had never seen an automobile before and if they had, it was as rare as sun showers in Echt. Though, what made that scene more intriguing was not the automobile but rather its driver.

The driver of the automobile was without a doubt a pure Beichan; his fair complexion proved that much. And seeing a Beichan in the town square to the spectators was a thought that they may have never harbored and most especially seeing one at that time of day.

The man got off his automobile. He was very tall. He wore a long hair which he had tied into a messy bun, a hairstyle that was uncommon in Yuki's eyes.

For a reason she dared not brag about, Yuki had met a lot of Beichan men. In comparison to their lavish and pompous demeanor and style, this man looked very plain in his white shirt, paired with black trousers. Regardless, she did not repudiate the fact that the man's plain attire looked more sophisticated than any she had seen before him.

Before Yuki could walk up to the man and greet, he was already in front of her after a few steps. Yuki found herself flustered as the man towered over her. She took a step away from him and bowed humbly to avoid the man's gaze.

 It was an unspoken rule for all commoners to show Beichans outright reverence if they ever had a chance to come across them. "You are welcome, sir. Please come inside?" Yuki said politely and invited the esteemed customer into her shop.

The man remained silent and headed inside the shop with Yuki hurrying after him.

Inside the shop, Yuki offered the man her best seat, took his overcoat that sat on his arm and hanged it. "I have tea, sir, may I serve some to you?" Yuki asked with her head bowed.

"Please," came the man's deep but soothing voice. The humility Yuki sensed from the voice compelled her to look up at the man whose eyes held hers.

 His eyes were the darkest shade of black. They were deep, as they were intense; and they seemed to possess a certain sparkle to them. Even so, his visage made his eyes seem like a bonus, for he had a well-defined face with features that seemed to have been sculpted by some divine sculptor. It appeared irrelevant in comparison to his striking visage, but Yuki could not help but notice the twin black moles that sat side by side under his left eye, she imagined it a signature of the divine sculptor that made this Adonis.

Three consecutive knocks by the man on his table retrieved Yuki from the claws of his charms.

 Yuki's face reddened under her false tan. She immediately gained her composure, bowed apologetically to the man and hurried to brew tea for him.

…

"Your tea, sir. I am ready to take your order as well," Yuki ventured after serving the man his tea.

He picked and sipped some of the tea without hesitation. "Can you make me a bouquet I will put in my chambers? I want plants with mild scents." The man ordered and downed his remaining tea.

"I will make it shortly…" Yuki hesitated before adding, "Should I refill the cup?"

"Please," the man responded and handed Yuki the emptied cup.

…

Yuki made the man's bouquet in less than ten minutes, but by the time she returned to the customer, he had already drained the entire teapot she had left on his table.

"Your flowers, sir."

"How much do I owe?" he queried as he got to his feet, readying to leave.

"Fifty aiqes, sir" responded Yuki, politely.

"For the flowers and tea?" he asked, a hint of uncertainty in his tone.

"The tea is free," Yuki corrected.

The man said nothing as he withdrew his wallet, took out several aiqes and handed it to Yuki. She gaped at the notes that was obviously over the fifty aiqes she demanded.

"The tip is for the tea. Was it not difficult to obtain?" he stared down at Yuki.

"You know of that tea?" Yuki was perceptibly astounded. She plucked up courage to look up at the man again.

"It is a pricey tea even in the country of its origin," he noticed Yuki's eyes spark instantly.

"You have been to the country of its origin?"

"I have. It is an island country in the far east…" the man continued to scrutinize the girl. "Gyokuro. The tea is called gyokuro on that island"

"Gyokuro?" Yuki repeated, still holding the man's gaze "I did not know that. It is my favorite tea but the merchant who sells it to me never knows anything"

The man looked intensely at Yuki while still maintaining his unfazed persona. He did not fail to notice how the girl's delicate visage resembled the easterners of that island. Except, they were fair, very fair and they did not possess these blue eyes through which he could see himself.

"What is your name?" His sudden question surprised Yuki. Afterall, the people of Beicheden never cared about the identities of commoners. When that thought materialized in her mind, a sudden realization dawned on her; the Beichans she knew were not this accommodating towards commoners either.

She stared at the man from whom she received no rebuke for her impudence. That was when Yuki concluded that the man was not actually a citizen of that town. He was either a wealthy tourist or a noble merchant who had recently arrived in Echt. "Yuki. My name is Yuki Adlerian, sir," she finally responded.

'Yuki' he repeated in a voice that weakened the maiden's knees, "Indeed," the man added and smiled.

'There was more?' Yuki had thought to herself. She had accepted that he looked like an animate work of art, but there was actually more? At that point, it seemed only unfair that the man still had the potential to look more handsome than he did. Because wearing his smile, he was absolutely breath-snatching.

"Then, I will take my leave, Ms. Yuki," he proceeded to leave but stopped in his tracks when he heard Yuki say, "Can I be pardoned if I ask of your own name, sir? Not that I would dare to call you by it, I- "Kaithenn Valthanae. I would prefer you called me by my name when I next visit, Ms. Yuki."

Kaithenn ultimately existed the stall with a bouquet in hand, his refined features and poised demeanor commanding attention. With graceful strides, he approached his automobile, opened its door and slid into the driver's seat. A collective gaze from onlookers in the vicinity, including Yuki's, followed him as he set the vehicle into motion and drove off.