“Huh?”

Who’s that?

I blinked at the sight of a strikingly handsome man.

‘If he’s that good-looking, he should’ve been mentioned in the original, right?’

Who was he again…?

Even more, he was the spitting image of the Duke of the North—my type—so my heart throbbed with admiration.

Black hair, red eyes. An icy demeanor that made the cold wind feel as if it’d freeze me just by standing next to him.

His eyes lacked double eyelids but were big, his nose was chiseled, and his lips were moderately full. He was tall and lean.

Above all, beneath the black uniform with silver buttons, his broad shoulders and muscles visible in places without any fat were eye-catching.

What a perfect blend of looks, height, and muscular physique!

‘Wow, the perfect trifecta.’

But had such a character really appeared in ‘Flowery Road’?

‘I can’t remember well… Who was it? Hmm, I’m sure there was someone.’

I racked my brain and groaned, struggling to recall.

“Excuse me, but who is that man?”

When I asked Jacqueline, she glanced at the man I was pointing to and let out an ‘Ah’.

“You mean the Duke of Whitewood.”

“…The Duke of Whitewood?”

‘Ah!’

Only then did I realize that he was the briefly-mentioned Duke of the North.

The male protagonist of ‘Flowery Girl,’ Lewis Hainsworth’s younger brother, the second prince. He was exactly my type of Duke of the North!

I had been scanning the crowd for the Duke at Siena’s wedding ceremony, and that memory was still vivid!

How could I forget?

‘Being a duke, he should have a significant role, right? Especially as the second prince and with such good looks…’

Yet, he was hardly mentioned.

Even though Elizabeth Keaton frequented various parties and salons, she was unaware of the Duke of Whitewood’s existence.

As if he were a ghost erased from existence.

Feeling a creepy sensation, I hastily whispered to Jacqueline.

“I’ve never heard of him. How do you know him?”

Seeing my puzzled face, Jacqueline slowly nodded as if saying it’s understandable.

“He’s my cousin.”

“Your cousin?”

“The Duke of Whitewood’s mother was my aunt. She passed away not long after giving birth to him.”

“…I’m sorry for prying.”

When I apologized, Jacqueline waved it off.

“It’s a long time ago. Over 20 years… We’ve all accepted it.”

‘I see.’

Indeed, Jacqueline Celeste and the Duke of Whitewood did look alike.

Jacqueline’s lusciously flowing black hair matched the Duke of Whitewood’s.

Though their eye colors differed—Jacqueline’s being golden and the Duke’s a deep red—their eyes looked similar upon closer inspection.

But now knowing his identity made him even more mysterious.

‘And he’s Jacqueline Celeste’s cousin on top of that? With his insane looks, a title of Duke, and connections to main characters, shouldn’t he be mentioned often?’

It was too much of a waste for such a good-looking character to be barely mentioned.

As I continued to peek at the Duke of Whitewood, Jacqueline spoke to me with a bitter smile.

“It’s understandable for you, Lady Keaton, to find him intriguing. Given that there’s hardly any information about him.”

“Do you know the reason, Lady Celeste?”

“Of course. It’s family history. Ever since my aunt passed away and he became the Duke, the highest authority forbade mentioning him, so there was no opportunity to talk about him.”

The highest authority.
This referred to the emperor of the Caladia Empire.

“Does the Emperor… dislike Duke Whitewood?”

Could it be enmity between father and son?

Yet throughout the original storyline, the Emperor had been portrayed as a kind and benevolent ruler, as well as a doting future father-in-law, adding to the confusion.

In ‘Si.Ggot.Geol,’ everything was arranged for the flowery path of Siena, so even in the royal family that was set to become the future world, Siena was fondly liked as their cute offspring.

Therefore, it was shocking to hear that the Emperor had socially annihilated Duke Whitewood.

Jacqueline briefly looked around before whispering into my ear.

“Duke Keaton is a benefactor to our House Celeste, so I will specially inform you.”

“About Duke Whitewood?”

“Yes. Well… since days have passed since this event occurred and there’s no action from the Imperial City, I assume the Imperial City is also destroyed.”

‘Wow, she guessed it right.’

As Jacqueline said, the Unus Zone 1 where the Imperial City was located had been turned into a mess due to the zombies. Had I not fled with my own eyes and escaped to the temple.

Crown Prince Louis and Crown Princess Siena had turned into zombies, and the Emperor and Empress had been last seen fleeing. If they did not discover the conditions of the seal, they too would have either turned into zombies or died.

In effect, the current Caladia Empire was no different from a state of anarchy since the direct lines of the ruling family disappeared overnight.

“Is telling me about Duke Whitewood… similar to committing treason?”

“It’s not treason, but it’s close. If caught spreading it, you’d be confined in the Imperial City’s underground dungeon for at least a month.”