The Duke's Flower is Precarious (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 1
The reception room, now occupied by only two people, was quiet.
Steam gently rose from the afternoon tea pot placed on the table. A hand elegantly grasped the teacup’s handle and moved soundlessly. As he set the cup back onto its saucer, the man spoke softly.
“It shouldn’t be a difficult choice.”
Leaning back leisurely, the man clasped his interlaced fingers before him, his expression relaxed. Yet his gaze resembled that of a predator circling easy prey right before the kill.
“Whether to become the sixth plaything of that perverted Marquis… or to become a Grand Duchess, free and independent in three years.”
Aidel flinched. She knew it was an easy decision—even a three-year-old child could make it—but for some reason, the words wouldn’t leave her lips.
His piercing deep-blue eyes, though clearly different in intent from the Marquis’s lustful stare… still seemed dangerous in their own way.
“Do you need more time to think? It doesn’t seem you have that luxury.”
Unable to hide her anxiety, she bit her lip lightly before releasing it. Like spilled dye, her soft pink lips darkened into a deeper red.
As her slightly swollen lips parted, the man’s composed expression momentarily faltered. An instinctive urge to claim those petal-like lips surged within him, and he clenched his teeth hard to restrain it.
“…I’ll do it. I accept the contract Your Grace proposed.”
At last, the answer he’d been waiting for came. With practiced ease, the man masked his emotions and returned to his usual detached demeanor, as if nothing had happened.
“A wise choice.”
His face, adorned with a languid, satisfied smile, was dangerously alluring. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears like a warning bell.
‘Is this truly a wise choice…?’
She felt as though she’d fallen into an inescapable trap.
[This is the timeline separator]Aidel had decided to run away… no, to become independent.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime decision, made after living twenty years as an artificial flower within House of Count Fleur.
Though she’d prepared for this moment long ago, her resolve now hardened further. Reflecting her firm determination, her slender hand gripping the cutlery tensed so tightly that veins stood out along her wrist.
“Aren’t you happy too, older sister?”
Rozeline, her smile as fresh as the rose scent filling the dining room, swept her rich chestnut hair behind her ear as she studied Aidel’s expression.
Though appearing innocent on the surface, her eyes sparkled with cunning as they fixed on Aidel’s impassive face—like a first-row spectator eagerly awaiting her misfortune.
“Then this is truly perfect fortune for you, dear sister. After all, you’ll soon become a Marchioness.”
“Yes. Even though older sister has that… ‘flaw’… you’re still so beautiful that the Marquis must surely be pleased.”
The Countess took a sip of wine before Aidel could reply, and Rozeline eagerly echoed her, emphasizing the word “flaw”—her favorite topic.
Calling her beautiful wasn’t genuine praise of Aidel’s appearance; it was merely groundwork for what came next.
“What good is beauty if you’re still a scentless imitation flower…?”
“But a flower is still a flower. After all, you’re a Fleur too.”
“Hmph! I’m not so sure…”
The Countess’s gaze at Aidel brimmed with deep disdain—as if to say outright that Aidel didn’t belong to House of Count Fleur by blood.
And then there was Rozeline, her younger sister, watching the Countess with the smug satisfaction of a well-fed cat.
This scene, repeated since childhood, had played out for over a decade like an old theater performance with no final curtain.
‘Here we go again.’
Aidel chewed and swallowed the familiar insult along with the food in her mouth. After finishing her meal, she calmly picked up the napkin resting on her thighs and dabbed her lips.
Seeing this, the Countess shot her a displeased look before turning completely toward Rozeline, her expression shifting instantly. Now wearing a gentle, tender smile, she looked the picture of maternal affection.
“By the way, Rozeline, you bloom more beautifully each day. Your rose-like charm grows so strong that young gentlemen are utterly enchanted! Noble ladies with marriage-minded sons keep begging me to bring you to tea time.”
“Oh, Mother! That’s so embarrassing. I’m not even thinking about courting anyone yet.”
“You’re already eighteen. It’s time to find you a good match. I won’t send you off to just anyone—Jupiter’s finest flower deserves the highest position.”
This treatment stood in stark contrast to her own fate—being sold off like property into marriage with a middle-aged Marquis who’d already been married five times. The Countess and Rozeline smiled warmly at each other, as if inhabiting an entirely different world.
As always, she was merely an outsider in this household—perhaps a fate sealed the moment she was born.
Though kept secret from the public, descendants of House of Count Fleur were said to carry the blessing of a flower fairy from a distant ancestor, each born with the fragrance of their birth flower.
Possessing a natural scent without perfume was proof of true Fleur lineage.
‘Except me… I was born without any fragrance at all.’
For a child of Fleur to lack scent was akin to being born without arms or legs.
No—perhaps it would have been better to be born missing limbs…
Though Aidel was the Count’s legitimate heir, her scentless birth caused great controversy within the family. Ultimately, the household branded her mother an unfaithful woman, accusing her of bearing impure blood. Wasting away from grief and illness, her mother passed away less than a year after giving birth.
The arrows then turned toward Aidel herself. Although family pressure mounted to cast her out over suspicions of her true parentage, Count Fleur accepted her as his daughter—because she was born of the woman he loved.
In return, he took a second wife chosen by the family: the woman now standing before Aidel as her stepmother. She, in deliberate contrast, bore Rozeline—marked clearly at birth with the rose as her birth flower.
“Older sister must marry first before I can even consider my own wedding. Spring is nearly here—it’s the perfect time for a wedding!”
Clapping her hands, Rozeline spoke with childlike cheer. Though seemingly innocent, her words carried a clear eagerness for Aidel’s marriage to proceed swiftly.
“The Count said he’d return from his estate inspection by mid-next month.”
Aidel’s sharp mind instantly saw through the Countess’s scheme—to rush her marriage through while her father was conveniently absent.
“By then, your wedding preparations should be complete. We even claimed you skipped your debutante ball out of modesty and virtue, so don’t act rashly—stay quiet and focus on your marriage preparations.”
Indeed, as the Countess said, Aidel had secluded herself, avoiding all outside activities. Partly due to her ostracized standing in the family, but also because she simply had no interest in the social engagements other noble ladies pursued.
“The housekeeper mentioned your room light stayed on until late last night again… Were you reading?”
“Older sister always has her nose in books. She spends all the allowance Father gives her on buying books…”
Rozeline glanced at Aidel’s plainly dressed figure across the table. Though her tone sounded sympathetic, her eyes clearly mocked Aidel for choosing reading over adornment.
Since childhood, Aidel had lived secluded in the library. In a home where she found no belonging, books were her only solace. New books meant more to her than new dresses—they held the world she couldn’t experience firsthand.
In particular, she favored legal and administrative texts. It began simply because she wanted to find common ground with her father by reading what he read. Her quick mind absorbed knowledge rapidly, yet she never had the chance to apply or share it.
“What good does reading do…? You’d be better off spending that time mastering another etiquette lesson.”
The Countess clicked her tongue, looking at Aidel as if she couldn’t comprehend her. As she implied, society expected noble ladies to embody grace and manners far more than intellectual knowledge.
Most noble daughters received private tutoring or attended finishing schools until sixteen, learning basic academics before entering high society through balls and salons—ultimately marrying either a suitable match they met there or one chosen by their family.
Perhaps simply avoiding being sold off as marriage merchandise until age twenty was fortune enough.
“With your wedding approaching, House of Marquis Chale might visit soon. Will you still dress like this then? For the family’s dignity, go to the dressmaker and order proper attire.”
The Countess spoke with even greater disapproval than before. Aidel nodded quietly in compliance—it was the perfect excuse she’d been looking for to leave the house.
“Remember, everything must be ready before the Count returns.”
Her father, though normally cold and distant, was fair-minded. If he were here, he might stop this arranged marriage she never agreed to.
But even if he could stop it this time…
‘It’ll happen again soon enough.’
As long as she remained in this household, the only outcome awaiting her was yet another sale into marriage.
So Aidel made her decision.
She would take the entrance examination for the Administrative Studies Department at Jupiter Imperial University, relying on the academic foundation she’d built through years of reading!
With an acceptance letter from Imperial University, she might at least delay this unwanted political marriage.
Her ultimate goal was to graduate, become a government official or scholar, and gain independence from her family.
Though society might deem this path unsuitable for a noble lady of the distinguished House of Fleur—more fitting for a middle-class commoner—it was her best chance.
To escape an unwanted marriage and a home where she’d never belonged, this was the only way.
‘By the time Father returns, my exam results should be ready.’
Though she rarely left the house, using “wedding preparations” as a pretext gave her the perfect opportunity to go out and sit for the entrance exam.
After taking the Imperial University entrance exam next week, she would present her acceptance letter to her father upon his return—and surely gain his permission to enroll.
‘I absolutely… will pass.’
Beneath her long lashes, her translucent jade-green eyes shone with determination like hardened glass.
In that moment, she vowed to stop living as a lifeless imitation flower—and become a living bloom that breathes on its own.
Yet at that time, she couldn’t possibly know…
That the Fleur blossom declaring her independence would soon fall helplessly into someone’s grasp, teetering on the edge of peril…
When male lead is the homewrecker
“I know she doesn’t love him.”
I’ve read the novel below twice already. Girls, I’m highly recommending it to you!
The female lead? Not a good person.
The second male lead? Not a good person.
The male lead? Willingly plays the third party, breaking up the female and second male lead’s relationship despite all the warnings from his friends—so yeah, he’s definitely not a good person either.
Basically, nobody in this novel is simple-minded or without scheming.
The female lead starts off as the male lead’s secretary, but don’t worry—later on, she takes over the company while the male lead steps back to support her. He won’t steal her spotlight, overshadow her, or dull her shine.
I love novels where men are out here snatching wigs, tearing each other down, and going to war just to win the female lead’s affection. And this is exactly that kind of novel. Most of Hai Dai Ran’s works have this dynamic. You’ll see the male characters’ emotions being pushed to the absolute extreme.
There’s even a scene where the second male lead exposes the male lead online for being a homewrecker. The brotherhood immediately gangs up on him, dragging him through the mud. I find it compelling —it completely flips reality on its head, where usually, women are the ones fighting over a man and getting torn apart by the sisterhood.
For me, female leads in the novels I read should only struggle in their careers, not in love. But if the brainless romantics in the story are all men? I have zero complaints.
I’ve pretty much read all of Hai Dai Ran’s novels and even translated all of them—her works are just my thing. I’ll slowly upload everything here. One day, when my website is official, I hope I can invite her to join as one of the star authors.
Here’s the story synopsis:
One-line summary: She is his lifelong obsession, to the point where he was willing to be a third wheel, scorned by society, just to wedge his way into her relationship with her fiancé.
Cold-hearted and indifferent female lead + Scheming and subservient CEO male lead
Intro 1:
“I know she doesn’t love him.”
With blood trickling from his clenched fist, Rong Xiu gazed at the woman before him, his eyes clouded with anguish. Hidden in the wardrobe, he had witnessed Fan Xia – the woman he desperately loved – in an intimate embrace with her fiancé. Yet his heart still yearned for her, defying all reason.
Fan Xia, the elegant and composed assistant, carried something mysterious in her eyes whenever she looked at her fiancé, Wen Lan Sheng. Strange occurrences began to surface – secret meetings with the young Gu Jin Yi, an unexplained withdrawal of 5,000 yuan… Then suddenly, her fiancé’s sister, Wen Jing, violently attacked her.
In this matriarchal society, Rong Xiu had risen to become the chairman of a powerful healthcare conglomerate, breaking through gender prejudices. But for the first time, he willingly stepped into the shadows as the other man, disregarding his friends’ warnings to become her secret lover.
Because he had discovered the truth – Fan Xia wasn’t the pure angel everyone believed her to be. And perhaps, he was the only one capable of helping her execute her mysterious plan…
Intro 2:
Rong Xiu’s biggest regret in life was missing out on Fan Xia.
He secretly loved Fan Xia for 7 years.
Watched her go public with her boyfriend.
Watched her kiss her boyfriend at their wedding.
Until that man blissfully nestled in Fan Xia’s arms, obtaining everything he could only dream of.
The crazy jealousy stripped away his hidden secret love, layer by layer, burning like wildfire.
Fan Xia, how can I have you!
【Reading and Trigger Warning Guide】
1. Female dominant, male submissive, male pregnancy
2. Male lead schemes his way to the top, male competition
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Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
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Well it appears in this novel the emperor is a gullible fool.
Can’t wait for second prince to die . How dare he touch grand Duchess with his filthy hand.
I hope Kareon kills first prince . But maybe that’s not going to happen because of diplomatic relations between kingdoms. If at that moment aidel would have remained unconscious ,second prince definitely would have died .It’s unfortunate , that bastard should have died on spot.