The Duke's Flower is Precarious (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 4
“A woman… you say?”
Gregory muttered blankly, as if he couldn’t believe it. He was quite an intellectual, so his reaction wasn’t born from underestimating a woman’s abilities—it was simply shock at something entirely unexpected.
“Your Grace, are you truly considering appointing a female aide…?”
Gregory cautiously probed Kaeron’s intentions while watching his expression carefully.
The Grand Duke was known for never keeping women close. It wasn’t that he disliked them; rather, he was naturally indifferent toward others—and had grown weary from women employing every conceivable tactic to win his affection.
As the current Emperor’s elder brother and the Jupiter Empire’s sole Grand Duke, the attention drawn to him was beyond imagination.
Though he wore no crown, he possessed immense wealth and power, coupled with striking good looks—all while remaining unmarried.
Daughters of noble houses, desperate to earn his favor, sent invitations and love letters almost daily. Having often written polite replies on his behalf, Gregory was all too familiar with the earnest, even desperate, sentiments of these ladies.
‘At least they only send letters or invitations now…’
Gregory shook his head, recalling a certain young lady from last month who had secretly hidden herself inside the Grand Duke’s carriage. Her desperate attempt to gain his notice—even dropping fans or handkerchiefs intentionally, only to be coldly stepped over—was truly pitiable.
It would be troublesome if this Aidel, who wrote this answer sheet, were also infatuated with His Grace to the point of losing her senses… Gregory briefly stroked his chin in thought, yet he trusted that a woman of such intellect would surely possess sound judgment.
“…Who is she?”
Kaeron finally spoke, having silently studied the answer sheet for a long while. At his question, Gregory gave the professor an expectant look. Understanding the signal, Nichen shuffled through the applicants’ personal records.
“Number 136… Ah, here it is.”
With nimble motions, Nichen pulled out a single document and handed it respectfully to Kaeron. The file contained identifying details about the woman who had left only her name on the application.
‘Aidel Fleur…?’
Kaeron’s eyes widened slightly with interest upon confirming the woman’s surname. She was the same woman who had surprised him repeatedly since their very first encounter, in more ways than one.
‘A lady from a comital family…’
Now it made sense—the refined elegance she exuded could not be concealed, even beneath plain attire. The House of Count Fleur was an ancient noble lineage, owning vast lands in the southern region.
Yet a lady from such a distinguished house had taken the entrance exam at the Imperial University?
Moreover, the answer sheet was so impressive that even Gregory had been visibly impressed. If one had to point out any flaw, it would be the lack of practical examples drawn from firsthand experience—a common shortcoming among bookish scholars—but her essay quality more than compensated for that deficiency.
Kaeron tapped his finger lightly on the answer sheet, lost in thought.
What exactly should he do about this woman…?
She stirred unnecessary emotions within him, yet she was also someone whose presence lingered in his mind.
“Is this applicant to be accepted?”
“I, too, was surprised to learn the applicant was a woman… but compared to the others, her answers are clearly superior.”
“Then that means she passes.”
“Indeed. Her performance is easily worthy of top honors in the Faculty of Administration.”
Professor Nichen nodded confidently. Dean Jefferson, who had been quietly observing the exchange, nervously asked the Grand Duke with cautious hesitation.
“Your Grace… Is there perhaps an issue with this applicant? While rare, the Imperial University does admit female students.”
“No. There’s no issue at all. Then how is the acceptance notice usually delivered?”
“It follows standard procedure—sent by mail. Assuming the capital as the reference point, the acceptance certificate should arrive within a week.”
“Then prepare it immediately. That acceptance certificate.”
At the Grand Duke’s order, Dean Jefferson’s eyes widened in astonishment.
[This is the timeline separator]Aidel was acting unlike herself.
She merely stared at the book resting on her lap without even opening it. Bien, seated nearby and embroidering, kept glancing up at her repeatedly.
To see her young mistress sighing while gazing at her beloved book…! And this was the same young lady who could finish an entire volume in a single day if she set her mind to it—yet had been holding onto the same book for nearly a week.
“Miss, is something troubling you?”
“Oh… It’s nothing.”
Bien finally couldn’t hold back her worry and asked gently. Aidel offered a faint smile, insisting it was nothing, yet she remained lost in thought, idly fiddling with the book.
Could there be something wrong with the book she’d borrowed from the Imperial University library? Her young mistress kept sighing softly from time to time or sinking into deep thought while staring at its pages.
‘Is it an especially difficult book…?’
It was certainly thick. Its title looked nothing like the light novels she usually read—it resembled the kind of dense, scholarly texts one might find in the Count’s private study. That much explained why her young mistress seemed so strained.
Contrary to Bien’s assumption, however, it wasn’t the book’s content troubling Aidel. It was a certain man this book kept reminding her of.
‘Grand Duke Elyos…’
The moment she’d encountered him in the library stacks remained vividly etched in her memory. His temperament—famously impeccable, stern, and cold enough to be described as bearing royal blood of blue rather than red—was renowned throughout the empire.
Yet the man she’d seen that day was utterly unlike the rumors. His actions had been persistently bold, bordering on rudeness, and his gaze—fierce, intense, almost savage—had taken her aback.
Aidel gently brushed the inside of her wrist where he’d grasped her. Recalling that moment, the spot felt as if it had been burned, radiating heat where his fingers had touched.
Why had he claimed she carried a fragrance…? Every time she chased after this unanswered question, she inevitably arrived at his eyes—burning like molten blue lava. Just remembering those deep sapphire eyes, ablaze as if he’d lost all rationality, made her unconsciously bite her lip.
“…Miss! Young Miss!”
Startled out of her reverie by the calling voice, Aidel snapped back to attention. Both Bien and a maid standing by the doorway—apparently come to deliver news—were looking at her.
“Oh… What is it?”
“There’s been trouble! They’re on their way right now!”
It was around the time the Imperial University typically announced its accepted candidates. They’d been paying close attention to the mail arriving at the Count’s estate, yet the awaited news still hadn’t come.
Wondering if this might finally be that message—since she’d instructed the servants to alert her the moment the postman arrived—she noticed their urgent expressions and realized it probably wasn’t about the results. If it wasn’t the postman, then…
“Has Father returned?”
Her father’s return was also something she’d been awaiting, so Aidel asked hopefully. At her words, Bien’s face fell into a troubled frown.
“No… It’s… Marquis Chale is coming to see you, Miss…”
“Oh…!”
Aidel’s expression instantly hardened, and she let out a quiet sigh. Of all times, it had to be this unexpected visitor. Though the Countess had vaguely hinted she should prepare for Marquis Chale’s visit, she hadn’t expected it to happen today.
“My lady says you must quickly prepare yourself and attend the afternoon tea.”
“…Alright. I’ll get ready.”
It would have been perfect if the acceptance certificate had arrived first, giving her leverage to persuade her father… But this was someone she’d inevitably have to face anyway—especially if she ever hoped to break off the engagement later.
Aidel changed into a newly tailored dress from the wardrobe room. Though she’d hastily chosen it at a glance, it had already been perfectly altered since her measurements had been provided in advance.
Standing before the mirror, she watched as Bien’s skilled hands transformed her into someone more radiant than usual. Yet the eyes reflected in the glass remained dull and utterly forlorn.
Bien, ever gifted, arranged Aidel’s beauty like a floral composition—just as filler flowers are artfully placed around a central bloom to enhance it, the low-saturation-toned dress maximized Aidel’s innate elegance.
“Thank you for your hard work, Bien.”
“Miss…”
Though undeniably beautiful, Bien couldn’t bring herself to say the words aloud. After all, her mistress was dressing up to meet someone she didn’t wish to see. She could only silently watch as Aidel, her expression blank, quietly took her leave.
As Aidel descended the stairs leading to the first-floor reception room, she spotted someone waiting near the entrance—Rozeline, her wavy auburn hair flowing freely. Rozeline fixed her gaze squarely on Aidel as she came down.
“You look far prettier than usual, Sister!”
Rozeline narrowed her eyes playfully, her tone overly dramatic as if feigning admiration.
“You truly look like a proper fiancée-to-be. Marquis Chale will be so delighted by you he won’t know what to do with himself.”
Suppressing the snide remark, ‘He’ll be so worked up he won’t know what to do with himself,’ Rozeline smiled meaningfully. Even though it was an artificial flower lacking fragrance, once placed in a vase, it could still dazzle the eye. The thought of this cheap imitation fetching a high price filled her with glee.
‘She doesn’t even know what kind of man the Marquis really is…’
Rozeline, who had learned from the Countess about the mysterious deaths of the Marquis’s previous wives, smirked even wider, lifting the corners of her mouth.
Whenever Rozeline wore that particular smile, misfortune invariably followed for Aidel. Having experienced this pattern many times before, Aidel’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
“Marquis Chale is already in the reception room. He’s been waiting to enter together with you, Sister.”
Rozeline, unusually animated and cheerful, led her toward the reception room and opened the door. Inside sat the Countess and a lean, middle-aged man whom Aidel assumed to be Marquis Chale.
The Countess, who had been exchanging words with the Marquis with a strangely knowing smile, noticed the two approaching.
“Ah, you’ve finally arrived. Rozeline already paid her respects last time, so you must know her… And this beside her is my eldest daughter, Aidel.”
If Rozeline resembled a luxuriantly blooming rose, Aidel beside her evoked a pure, newly opened lily. Obedient, refined—precisely the type of woman he desired. Imagining himself ruling over and trampling such a woman at his whim, the Marquis licked his lips.
Seated directly opposite him, Aidel endured the Marquis’s unsettling gaze in full. His lecherous eyes roamed thoroughly over her—from her face down to her neck, collarbones, and the décolletage revealed by her dress—sending chills down her spine.
“She exceeds my expectations.”
His tone sounded as if he were appraising a piece of merchandise. Watching the Marquis’s satisfied expression, the Countess and Rozeline exchanged knowing glances.
Though Aidel recognized the unspoken understanding passing between them, there was nothing she could do at this moment. The time to act had not yet come. Clenching her hands tightly beneath the table as if bracing herself against his repulsive stare, she remained silent.
“I’m relieved to hear she meets your approval. She’s a ‘pure’ girl—having stayed quietly within the household, untouched by the outside world.”
Understanding the Countess’s emphasis on ‘purity,’ Marquis Chale nodded with a pleased chuckle.
“I heard your words loud and clear, my lady. Even at the horse market, a pure mare fetches a far higher price. All the more so in this case…”
She didn’t need to hear the rest. This marriage was nothing but a transaction—bargained over her as though she were livestock to be bought and sold.
Aidel bit down hard on the tender flesh inside her mouth. A metallic tang, bitter like her rising humiliation, flooded her palate.
When the male lead is punished by carrying the female lead’s child and having periods like a woman
“I’ve given birth to two children for you, yet you still think about him.
Was I nothing but his substitute to you from beginning to end?”
Synopsis:
Meng Huan, a scumbag who has dated countless girlfriends, transmigrates to a female-dominated country.
Day 1: Whether it’s female dominance or not doesn’t matter. The beauties here are passionate and amorous. Isn’t it easier to date them than in modern times?
Day 2: After a night, Meng Huan discovers the differences in the female-dominated world. Men here actually have chastity locks and menstrual cycles. This hinders his ability to perform, damn it!
Day 3: What’s wrong with sleeping around? I don’t want you to marry me. I’m meant to be a playboy. I don’t care about male virtues… What? You want to drown me in a pig cage? Marry, I’ll marry!
Day N: Meng Huan inexplicably vomits and receives the shocking news of his life… He’s pregnant.
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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.