Chapter Text
"The year 1894. There came a legend of a rich and renowned individual who was at her peak at the mere age of 20. She owned vast lands and extravagant mansions with witty investments that no knowledgeable man can ever compete against. They cannot oppose the most astute of them all despite the struggle. But these rich men weren't about to have their pride trampled on by a sheer 20-year old woman. So, they decided to send their finest and well-learned sons to marry her in hopes of either sharing her lands or taking it for themselves. But as to be expected of this extraordinarily learned woman, she declined the men sent to her by the greedy rich men. After all, looks or knowledge did not appeal to her. They were all masks behind evil intentions- she thought. With the rich men's hopes of taking her down gone, they left their lands to which she soon claimed her own property. The woman was now the wealthiest and most renowned in much more vast lands. With what she had experienced, she vowed to herself to not meet any men for as long as she lived.
One day, on a walk in her own garden, she came across an invitation to a gathering. Out of curiosity, she went to the place that she considered shabby when she came compared to her mansions of gold and silver. Thinking that there was no one else who can best her in terms of riches for being shrewd and careful and that she felt somehow lonely, she met with many different men from that point on and broke her vow to herself but she realized could never be happy with strangers. But little did she know that these men were slowly taking over her whole life's mountain of money and power over the lands.
When she was drunk dry one night, the men threw her out of her garden to die with the wine she drank that they poisoned. Realizing her foolishness and betrayal to her vow for her happiness, guilt filled her up before dying. When she had gone, the men carried her corpse to be buried in a faraway land where the gladioli grew. On that very night her body was returned to the soil, the gladiolus on top of her grave glowed mysteriously and never wilted ever since. However, the said flower was never found even after 50 years."
The man who ran a flower shop closed the book with a sigh. He thought to himself; "No matter how rich or how renowned, it will never lead to happiness in this world." As he set aside the book he read and tended to his customers, the gladiolus displayed by the window shone brightly with the morning sun rays that reached the shop.