The Duke's Flower is Precarious (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 2
“Please take me to the Imperial University.”
The capital’s central district was bustling, as it had been a long time since Aidel had last come out. Following Countess Fleur’s orders, she used a visit to the dressmaker’s as an excuse to leave the house.
After stopping by the dressmaker’s, she chose not to return in the Fleur family carriage she had arrived in, but instead hailed a public mail coach.
“Miss? Suddenly the Imperial University? And taking a mail coach of all things…?”
Bien, the Countess’s handmaid who had accompanied her, asked in a flustered voice.
As soon as she had entered the dressmaker’s, the young lady had scanned the hanging gowns with dull, lifeless eyes.
She picked a dress at random, saying, ‘I’ll take this one,’ paid quickly without even trying it on properly, then asked, ‘Is that the back entrance?’ before hurrying out of the shop.
Bien had just managed to scramble onto the passing mail coach after seeing her young mistress leap onto it.
“Surprised? Please indulge me just a little, Bien. I heard the book I’ve been longing to read is kept in the Imperial University library….”
It made some sense—after all, her mistress spent every waking moment with books—but such impulsive behavior was completely unlike the usually cautious young lady.
If the Countess found out about this little escapade, she might very well fly into a rage.
“As you know, it’s been ages since I’ve stepped outside. And who knows what’ll happen once I’m married…?”
“Miss….”
She murmured softly, gazing out the window with an expression so desolate it tugged at the heart. The warm morning sunlight filtering into the carriage illuminated her delicate, porcelain-doll features. The sight imprinted itself onto Bien’s vision like a beautiful painting.
‘Such a lovely young lady… Yet shunned simply for having no scent…’
Bien was the second daughter of Viscount Ingrid, a vassal family serving House of Count Fleur. Thus, since Aidel was a young girl, she had been assigned by her family to attend to her. Naturally, she knew well how the girl had been treated within the Fleur household all these years.
The Count, preoccupied with external affairs, remained indifferent to domestic matters. Under his oblivious gaze, the Countess subtly belittled and isolated the young lady.
Even Lady Rozeline, who was publicly praised as enchantingly lovely as a fairy, had quietly sided with the Countess—an act Bien, standing right beside Aidel, had clearly noticed.
Had Aidel not been born into the Fleur family, she wouldn’t have been mistreated simply for lacking a scent.
If only that weren’t the case… Such an elegant, beautiful, and intelligent young lady would surely have been cherished by everyone as a proper noble’s daughter. The thought filled Bien’s heart with sorrow.
‘And of all people, her fiancé turns out to be…’
The House of Marquis Chale, to which Aidel was soon to be married, appeared wealthy on the surface, but due to the mysterious, repeated deaths of its marchionesses, every reputable noble household with marriageable daughters avoided it like the plague.
The Marquis, roughly the same age as Count Fleur, had continuously taken in young daughters from declining lower noble families as successive wives.
Now, following the recent death of yet another viscount’s daughter, the next bride chosen was none other than Miss Aidel… Bien had hoped her mistress would marry into a good family, leave the Count’s household, and live happily ever after…
‘Poor soul…’
Bien pulled out her handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes. Though the Countess might scold her harshly if she found out later… she resolved to support this small act of rebellion—possibly her last—willingly, as it was the only thing she, powerless as she was, could do for her young mistress.
‘I’m sorry, Bien.’
Coincidentally, entrance examinations were being held at the library today. Feeling guilty, Aidel silently apologized to Bien, who wholeheartedly believed her lie about borrowing a book.
Aidel turned her head, fixing her eyes on the distant silhouette of Imperial University.
She had to deceive even Bien thoroughly—so that when the truth eventually came out, the girl would face as little punishment as possible.
“Will you wait for me here? I’ll go borrow a book from the library and come right back. Since it’s my first time, it might take a while to find what I need—so please rest comfortably.”
Leaving Bien on the terrace of a café within the university grounds, she walked off. The Imperial University was far larger and more expansive than she had imagined.
Passing through a plaza dominated by a grand fountain, she headed toward the library where the examination was being held. Although she had deliberately pulled her wide-brimmed cloche low over her face, she could still feel people’s eyes on her.
There were indeed some female students within the university—though few, their numbers were gradually increasing. These were mostly women from relatively affluent middle-class or lower-noble families who could afford the tuition.
Yet among the aristocracy, who prized decorum and dignity above all, such women were regarded as either undesirable spinsters destined never to marry or eccentric outcasts excluded from proper society.
“I’m here for the entrance examination.”
At the young woman’s clear, gentle voice, the male attendant assigned to guide applicants startled and looked up. Though her face remained hidden beneath her hat, her refined lips and slender silhouette clearly hinted at her beauty.
“I’m Aidel, number 136.”
To ensure impartiality, applicants were identified only by their exam number and name. The dazed man hastily handed her the examination slip and pointed toward the test hall. Aidel gave a brief, polite nod and turned toward the examination room.
Watching her graceful white hand receive the slip and her elegant back as she walked away, the attendant briefly wondered if she might be a noble lady from a prestigious house—then quickly dismissed the thought.
‘Such a noble lady would never take the Imperial University entrance exam.’
Judging by her modest attire, she was likely the daughter of a once-properly educated but now fallen noble family.
Even many celebrated noble youths failed this notoriously difficult exam. He doubted she stood much of a chance—but still, he silently wished good fortune upon this rare beauty within the university grounds.
.
.
.
‘Easier than I expected…’
After carefully reviewing the exam paper, Aidel smoothly wrote out answers to each essay-style question without hesitation.
From foundational questions on imperial history to those asking for her views on new laws and administrative systems needed to address shifting social and economic realities—the questions were deeply thought-provoking, yet thanks to her nightly preparations, she faced little difficulty.
After a final, meticulous check of her answers, she submitted her paper. She couldn’t afford to linger—Bien was waiting.
‘Already…?’
The middle-aged proctor stared in surprise at the woman who was the first to submit her paper. She handed over her exam sheet demurely and quietly exited the hall.
Her footsteps carried such refined grace that one could hardly notice her passing—truly the manner of a well-bred lady.
‘Could she have given up…?’
Other examinees were still frowning in concentration over their papers. Professor Nichen of the Department of Public Administration, who was overseeing the exam, assumed she had abandoned the test due to its difficulty. He skimmed her paper with low expectations.
But to his astonishment, the pages he’d expected to be blank were neatly filled with clear, elegant handwriting. Moreover, each answer followed a direct, logical structure—making it evident from the very first sentence that the responses were well-crafted.
‘Who on earth is she…?’
As he read, he found himself nodding in agreement at every point. Stunned, Professor Nichen stared blankly at the spot where the young woman had disappeared, still holding her nearly perfect paper.
[This is the timeline separator]Meanwhile, Aidel left the examination hall and made her way to the library stacks. Since she had come under the pretense of borrowing books, she intended to pick out a few suitable titles to take with her.
Deciding it best to borrow recent works from the rapidly evolving field of social sciences, she headed toward that section.
Thanks to the entrance exam, the stacks were unusually quiet and deserted. Relieved, Aidel removed her stifling cloche, which had been blocking her view.
Her lustrous wheat-colored hair cascaded softly down her back, swaying gently in the breeze drifting through a slightly opened window.
‘This is a book I haven’t seen before.’
Spotting a recently published volume unfamiliar to her, Aidel brightened and reached for it. After a brief inner struggle, curiosity won out, and she carefully opened the book she held.
‘Just a quick look at the table of contents.’
Contrary to her resolve, she became absorbed in the pages and naturally turned to the next chapter.
She wanted to keep reading, but time was short. Thinking of Bien waiting outside, she turned to leave—still fixated on the printed words—when suddenly something blocked her path.
It was a man’s broad chest. He was tall enough that she had to tilt her head back to see his face, his broad shoulders filling the already spacious aisle and radiating an imposing presence.
So engrossed had she been in the book that she hadn’t noticed him approach until it was too late. Startled, Aidel gasped and instinctively took a step backward—but lost her balance and dropped the book in her hands.
“Oh!”
The man swiftly caught her wrist with one hand to steady her, while the other deftly caught the falling book midair.
The stacks were deep inside the library, poorly lit to begin with, and now further dimmed by clouds obscuring the sun—so his facial features remained indistinct in shadow.
Yet the elegance with which he offered the book back, clad in a fine-quality frock coat, clearly suggested he was of noble birth.
“…Thank you.”
Grateful for his steadying grip and the returned book, Aidel expressed her thanks.
“…?”
Yet, for some reason, the man still hadn’t released her wrist.
Puzzled, she looked up at him—and immediately met his deep blue eyes gazing down intently. Even in the dimness, his irises gleamed with striking clarity.
Her heart, already racing from the surprise, now pounded even faster. Being alone with a stranger in the secluded stacks made her deeply uncomfortable. She desperately wanted to leave this place.
Just as she tensed her wrist to pull away, the clouds parted, and sunlight flooded the stacks. His features, now illuminated, were finally revealed in full.
“You are… could it be…?”
Her eyes widened in disbelief, trembling as if she couldn’t trust what she was seeing.
‘His noble and overwhelming presence evokes the same awe one feels standing before a masterpiece sculpted by a grand master.’
The description she’d once read in a newspaper article now seemed utterly inadequate. His was a flawlessly exquisite visage that elicited pure, breathless admiration.
This man, celebrated as the noblest of nobles, embodied the authority and grace exclusive to those born of the Jupiter Imperial bloodline…
“…Your Grace, Grand Duke Elyos…?”
Kaeron Roman de Elyos—the sole young Grand Duke of the Jupiter Empire, whom she had only ever seen in newspaper photographs.
The difference between his black-and-white image and his vivid, living presence before her was so overwhelming that Aidel’s mind went utterly blank.
His status was far too exalted for her to protest his rudeness in holding her wrist. Yet it also felt impossible to properly greet him with due ceremony under these awkward circumstances.
Lowering her voice as much as possible, Aidel spoke cautiously.
“Your Grace, I’d like to pay my respects… but could you please let go of my hand first…?”
Yet even after her words, the man remained unmoved.
The spot where his fingers held her wrist grew hotter by the second, matching the intensity of his gaze. He slowly opened his mouth, his eyes boring into hers.
“I have one question.”
“…?”
“Do you… wear perfume?”
“…!”
Male lead is reincarnated to save his wife
I’ve also read this one twice already. The female lead is kinda soft and gets embarrassed easily—not really my type, but the plot is definitely worth reading. Hurry up and read it, y’all!
Intro
When Shen Yuan encountered Su Jin again in his previous life, she had already become the Prime Minister of the current dynasty. As for him, the former top young master of the capital, he had long since fallen into the abyss, becoming a singer on a pleasure boat.
After a song ended, he was redeemed and sent to the Su Residence.
Su Jin respected and cherished him, gave him a roof over his head, and bestowed him with warmth. Shen Yuan fell deeper and deeper, but before he could express his feelings, Su Jin passed away.
Shen Yuan died to follow her in death, but instead, he returned to when he was fifteen years old.
At that time, he was not yet engaged, and Su Jin was just a poor scholar.
Shen Yuan gritted his teeth, casting aside all his pride, and thought of ways to coax and entice her every day.
The colder and more indifferent Su Jin was towards him, the more proactive Shen Yuan became.
He was not afraid of being mocked by the world, only wanting to marry his Wife-master early, to hold her hand and never let go for a lifetime.
[Note: This story will not specifically point out the male lead’s reincarnation time point; it’s all in the details. Whenever you feel that the male lead is acting strangely, he has most likely been reincarnated.]
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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.