Chapter 2
“Father,”
Kyle called out, frowning. But the Marquis Diatri’s words were completely sincere.
“Your sister is weak? Honestly, it’s more accurate to say you are the weak one.”
Flora was stronger than even the sturdy Kyle.
If you gathered all the people Flora made cry with her sharp words in high society, they could probably wrap around the mansion.
She’d always been fiery since she was young. Even after her serious illness and memory loss, though she seemed a bit gentler, her personality was still strong.
Actually, it was even harder to deal with her now—she would calmly smile while saying mean things, and somehow sounded logical doing it.
‘That noble who tried to woo her… Ugh, I don’t even want to remember. It’s giving me a headache.’
The marquis sighed, pushing away the harsh words Flora had once said, which were so sharp that just remembering them made him feel sorry for the poor noble.
“In any case, what I’m saying is that Flora is not someone we need to worry about constantly.”
“…The people in the capital aren’t like the Duke who came from the battlefield.”
The marquis was getting frustrated—yesterday he had to deal with palace politics, and today he had to listen to Kyle’s wrong idea that Flora was weak.
“You know we can’t cancel this marriage anyway, so why are you making a fuss? Even Flora doesn’t object to the marriage, so why are you the one causing problems?”
Finally, Kyle went silent with a dissatisfied look.
After all, if the person involved wasn’t protesting, there was no reason for him to object.
“…Still, why did Grandfather make that kind of promise in the first place…”
Kyle sighed and blamed their grandfather, who had made the original marriage pact.
* * *
Inside the sitting room, three pairs of eyes looked at me. Two of them were familiar—my father and Kyle, the two I felt guilty toward.
I glanced at them briefly, then followed the third gaze.
The moment I met his clear, deep blue eyes, I accidentally held my breath.
‘…Wow. This is crazy.’
Even when he was just a fictional character in a book, Felix Pechedor made my heart ache.
Now, seeing my favorite character alive and real… it felt overwhelming.
I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. I had decided to divorce him later—but first, I had to get married.
So, even if it would only be for a short while, I couldn’t afford to make a bad first impression on my future husband.
Honestly, I just really wanted to look good in front of my favorite character.
“It’s nice to meet you, Duke. I’m Flora Diatri.”
Luckily, I was pretty good at keeping a poker face. I walked toward him slowly, gracefully, and smiled in the most harmless way Flora’s cold features could manage—something I had practiced hundreds of times.
A flicker of confusion appeared on Felix’s face but disappeared quickly.
“I’m Felix Pechedor,” he said. His voice was brief, not exactly warm, but not cold either—just flat.
Then someone spoke up.
“…Ahem. Flora, have a seat.”
It was my father.
“Yes, Father.”
I replied calmly and sat beside Kyle in what was clearly my designated seat.
For a moment, the room was silent.
My father and Kyle looked uncomfortable. Felix’s expression was unreadable—different from when our eyes had briefly met.
‘He looks like a statue.’
I stole a few glances at Felix.
More time passed, and finally…
“…Ahem. I heard you’ve had a hard time on the front lines,” my father said, trying to break the awkward silence.
Although Felix was younger than my father, he was a duke, so my father had to speak formally.
“I heard you arrived in the capital yesterday. Are you tired?”
“I’m fine.”
Felix answered shortly, a bit coldly. That made my father and Kyle’s faces stiffen even more.
They clearly didn’t like his blunt attitude.
For context, my father was a bit old-fashioned. Kyle too. Not in a bad way—just very traditional. And right now, that wasn’t helping.
‘He’s visiting a house where he’s being forced to marry someone he’s never met. Of course he’s not going to feel comfortable. Besides, Felix is just naturally stoic!’
As I defended Felix in my head, my father’s old-fashioned side kicked in.
“Ahem. As you know, the wedding promised in the pact is only a few months away.”
“I understand it’s four months from now.”
Still calm and polite, Felix answered properly.
But my father didn’t seem satisfied.
“Ahem! Normally, noble families take at least half a year or more to prepare for a wedding. Especially for the bride—it takes a lot of planning. Dresses, venues… there’s a lot to worry about.”
His words made the atmosphere even more awkward.
This time, it was clear he was criticizing Felix.
Felix seemed to notice and quietly looked at my father.
I narrowed my eyes at my father too.
I mean seriously—why scold someone who’s been at war for five years? Felix didn’t spend that time partying; he was literally protecting the empire.
I started to feel bad and glanced at Felix again.
For a second, our eyes met.
I saw a flicker of surprise in his blue eyes, as if he realized something from looking at me.
“…That was our mistake. Things were busy on the battlefield, and I didn’t think of it.”
He quickly looked away and lowered his head slightly toward my father.
My father was clearly caught off guard by Felix’s polite, yet distant response.
“Ahem, well… I understand you’ve been busy…”
Geez, he should’ve just stopped earlier.
I wasn’t sure if I should step in or stay quiet.
My father and Kyle obviously weren’t happy with this marriage. They couldn’t cancel it, but they weren’t welcoming either.
‘Not that I’m super comfortable with Felix yet either… but still.’
Wouldn’t it be better to step in than let the tension build?
Even though I had only been Flora for three years, I knew how strict and fussy my “father” could be.
‘Should I just take him out of here?’
I adjusted my dark green dress—the one my maids had picked out because it matched my hair—and raised my head. Once again, my eyes met Felix’s.
His gaze trembled slightly, then lowered. There was a bit of guilt in his expression.
It seemed my father’s words made kind-hearted Felix feel guilty.
‘Well… as long as I’m okay, that’s what matters.’
I sighed internally and turned to my father.
“Father.”
“Oh, yes? Yes, Flora.”
He looked surprised.
Smiling softly, I spoke.
“Shouldn’t we give the Duke a tour of the estate? It’s his first time here.”
Of course, there was a hidden meaning behind my words.
Both my father and Kyle looked shocked, as did Felix.
But I didn’t stop.
“To be honest, today is the first time I’m meeting the Duke. I’d like to talk with him a bit.”
I was clearly saying I wanted to be alone with Felix.
“Flora, don’t you think we should all talk together first?”
“About what?”
“About your marriage with His Grace, of course,” Kyle said, frowning.
He obviously didn’t like the idea of us going off alone.
“You’re right. It is about my marriage with the Duke. So I think the people getting married should talk first.”
Yes, I felt guilty about taking Flora’s place, especially toward these two—but that didn’t mean I had to do whatever they wanted.
So I calmly disagreed with Kyle and turned toward Felix, putting on that same harmless smile I had practiced.
“What do you think, Duke?”
Felix flinched slightly at the direct question, then nodded.
“I’m fine with that.”
His answer was as kind as ever.
It even felt like he was trying to soften his voice for me, more than he had with my father and Kyle.
He was definitely treating me differently.
‘Huh. That’s not what I expected… but okay.’
Now that I had his agreement, I smiled triumphantly and looked at the confused faces of my father and Kyle.
“The Duke says it’s fine. We’ll just have a quick look around.”
I stood up, and Felix slowly rose with me.
Before following, he turned toward my father and Kyle.
“My aide is here. If you need to discuss anything about the marriage, you can speak with him. Shall I call him in?”
“…Ah, yes, of course.”
Still dazed, they agreed.
Felix came over and stood beside me.
He looked gentle, but now that he was standing, I noticed he was even taller than me—and I wasn’t short.
‘As expected of my favorite character. Even his height is perfect.’
I kept my poker face, even though I was fangirling inside. I gave a polite goodbye.
“We’ll be going. Let’s go, Duke.”
“Please lead the way, Lady Diatri.”
“Of course~”
I slid my arm through the one he awkwardly offered and opened the door.
“…My lord?”
A surprised voice came from the right.
I turned my head and saw a man I hadn’t noticed before.
He had short light-brown hair and clear green eyes.
He looked between me and Felix, then quickly bowed.
“My apologies. Dante Anderson.”
Dante Anderson.
His appearance and name made it clear—he was a character from the novel.
You know how the male lead always has trustworthy subordinates?
There’s always a reliable advisor and a loyal knight captain.
And The Duke Loves Cecile (also called 공세아) followed all the usual story patterns perfectly.
