Chapter 6
“…I shouldn’t have napped. I feel more tired.”
Even though I had slept, I felt worse than before.
I sighed, pushed off the blanket, and carefully sat up when—
Knock knock.
“Young Lady, are you awake?”
A small knock and Dana’s whisper came from behind the door.
She was whispering because I’m a light sleeper.
“I’m… yeah, I’m awake. You can come in.”
My voice came out a bit hoarse.
My throat felt scratchy. It seemed like I wasn’t feeling great. I could take some medicine and feel better quickly, but I didn’t want anything that would make me drowsier.
Click.
With my permission, Dana came in.
“Hehe, did you sleep well? It’s almost dinner time!”
So it wasn’t night yet. I thought it was because it was dark outside.
“I must’ve slept for about two hours.”
“Yes, miss.”
“Right… What about Father and my brother?”
“The Master and Young Lord said they’ll eat downstairs. What about you, miss?”
I was going to say I’d eat in my room since I didn’t feel well. But then I remembered how I had acted before falling asleep.
I had been so down after realizing that Flora Diatri may have been the reason Felix developed his fear of women.
If my father and brother had seen that, they’d definitely be worried. There was no way those two wouldn’t overreact.
“I’ll go down and eat too.”
I rubbed my forehead and slipped my feet into my slippers.
“Okay… Ah! Miss! You slept with your makeup on!”
Dana gasped as she saw my face, almost in tears.
Only then did I remember—I had fallen asleep still wearing makeup from when I met Felix.
I was too tired to even ask for a washbasin earlier.
“Oh… I forgot. Sorry.”
“Miss! I always tell you it’s bad for your skin! You just have to pull the cleansing string!”
Honestly, I never break out, even when I sleep with makeup… but I wisely kept that to myself.
It was bad for the skin, after all.
“Next time, even if I’m tired, I’ll call for you.”
“Promise!”
“Okay, promise.”
Dana only smiled after I promised three times.
“Then I’ll remove your makeup and bring some comfortable clothes!”
“Mm.”
Even I could tell my voice was lower than usual. I wasn’t feeling very cheerful.
Anyway, time had passed, so I let Dana help me clean up and change into loungewear.
“Young Lady, dinner is ready.”
Perfect timing—someone announced that dinner was served.
* * *
Meanwhile, in the dining room…
Two men with serious faces were deep in conversation.
Of course, it was the Marquis of Diatri and Kyle.
“…Looks like Flora really likes Duke Pechedor.”
“…It seems so.”
They both sounded gloomy and spoke very quietly.
Flora had very sharp hearing, and she was on her way to the dining room.
“Kyle, did you see it too?”
“See what?”
“…How she looked sad right after he left.”
The marquis’s words made Kyle’s face darken.
He remembered clearly how Flora had looked wilted—like boiled vegetables—right after Felix left.
Just what about that cold duke did Flora like so much?
The truth was, Flora wasn’t sad because Felix left—but the two of them didn’t know that. They were completely serious.
“Maybe she just liked his face…”
The marquis muttered sadly.
He didn’t like Duke Pechedor much, but even he couldn’t deny that the man was very handsome.
But could Flora really be that shallow?
“…She turned down the Second Prince too, remember?”
About six months ago, the Second Prince—who usually won best-looking noble in the capital—confessed his love to Flora.
She coldly rejected him, saying she already had a fiancé and accused him of encouraging cheating.
Even when he begged, she added that his face wasn’t her type.
The prince was so shocked that he locked himself in the palace for three weeks.
It became a hot gossip topic in the capital.
“Right. Flora was never the type to judge based on looks.”
The marquis sighed, remembering that event.
Maybe Duke Felix was even more handsome than the prince, but still…
It wasn’t about status either. Flora was from the rich Diatri family—nicknamed the Golden House.
Could it be personality?
…That was even less likely.
Felix had a cold personality to match his cool looks. What would Flora like about that?
She loved cute and sweet things—little animals and gentle children made her melt.
Felix was the complete opposite: cold and distant.
If she truly liked him, the marquis and Kyle would probably faint in disbelief.
“Haa…”
“Sigh…”
The room filled with deep sighs from the two men.
For five whole minutes, they just sat there, sighing.
The servants were clearly nervous seeing their masters look so gloomy.
And then—
“…What are you two doing?”
Flora walked into the dining room, looking a little tired.
“Ah, no. But you look exhausted.”
“Ah, I just woke up.”
Flora waved her hand as she walked over and sat down slowly.
Her sleepy, slightly cold behavior made the men pause. They had been about to bring up Felix, but now wisely stayed quiet.
Flora had low blood pressure, so she was always a little grumpy after naps—and that made her scarier than usual.
‘Let’s talk later.’
‘Yes, better not now.’
Their eyes exchanged silent messages.
“…Eat well.”
“You too, Brother. And you too, Father.”
“Oh, yes…”
And so began a strangely quiet but peaceful dinner.
That peace only lasted for two days.
* * *
Time passed slowly after my first meeting with Felix.
Two days had gone by since he sent a letter accepting my invitation to have a meal together.
Now, the day before that meal—
“…A wedding dress?”
I blinked as Father rubbed his temples and nodded.
His tired eyes showed he had a rough day yesterday.
“We’re planning to have three dresses made for your wedding.”
“Um, why three? We’re not having a three-day wedding…”
“Other nobles only get one, don’t they?”
Even though my social circle was small, being the Diatri heir meant I still got a lot of party invitations over the past three years—including weddings.
Every noble lady I knew only got one dress.
Father looked at me like I didn’t get it at all.
“Flora, dear.”
“Yes?”
“Your wedding isn’t like the others. It has to be three times more glamorous than any other noble wedding!”
That felt… a bit much.
Noble weddings were already flashy enough to hurt your eyes. Making it even more over-the-top would just seem ridiculous.
Father sighed heavily at my unimpressed expression.
“Well… your fiancé is quite impressive…”
Okay, fair enough.
Since it was Felix Pechedor, maybe it should be special?
I started imagining: what if Felix got three tuxedos to match my dresses? One white, one black, and… pink?
For some reason, the pink idea was very appealing. Handsome men and pink just go well together.
If Felix didn’t like it, of course I’d cancel the idea. But just saying it couldn’t hurt, right?
I was quietly giggling to myself when Father suddenly shouted—
“What nonsense! Of course YOU’RE the amazing one!”
“Ah! Don’t yell like that!”
I frowned and scolded him a little.
But then he started scolding me.
“You’re saying such silly things! What’s so great about that Duke? You’re far better than him!”
“…Seriously?”
He always told Kyle not to be overprotective, saying, “She’s not a little girl anymore,” and so on.
But look at him—he was doing the exact same thing.
No wonder Kyle turned out the way he did. He got it from someone.
