The Duke's Flower is Precarious (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 5
I wanted to escape this suffocating place immediately. I thought I’d become somewhat resilient to the humiliations directed at me until now, but…
Their eyes, gleaming with desire, and their strangely similar faces sent chills down my spine. The sight of people openly appraising and bargaining over my purity was utterly repulsive.
Aidel couldn’t suppress the rising nausea any longer and grabbed a napkin unconsciously.
“Ugh….”
No one showed concern for her as she turned pale and quietly gagged.
“What on earth is this sudden display? And at a gathering with such esteemed guests—this is utterly improper!”
The Countess frowned and scolded her sharply. Just as she was about to say another word to Aidel, who kept her head bowed and silent—
“M-Madam! Just a moment, please….”
“What is it now? I told you not to interrupt our conversation!”
The Countess furrowed her brows at the head maid who’d hurried into the reception room. The anxious maid bowed deeply and whispered something into the Countess’s ear.
“What? Did you just say… Is that really true?”
Hearing the maid’s words, the Countess sprang up from her seat in shock.
“Countess, what’s the matter?”
Marquis Chale asked with a displeased frown at the sudden commotion. The Countess replied, clearly flustered.
“It seems… another guest has just arrived.”
“Another guest? Wasn’t I the only one scheduled to visit today?”
“Since this guest wasn’t previously announced…”
“Hmph! Then just send them away, no?”
“It’s just that… this particular guest…”
The Countess stammered awkwardly, clearly in a dilemma—when suddenly—
“Though I didn’t send word in advance, I’ve come to the Count’s estate on urgent business.”
Two men stepped into the reception room moments earlier than expected. One was a tall man dressed in a lounge suit, followed by what appeared to be his aide.
The first man commanded everyone’s attention the moment he entered. His solid, compact build matched perfectly with the weighty drape of his impeccably tailored suit. On the cuffs of his shirt—crafted from the finest fabric—were cufflinks engraved with the imperial crest.
“Your Grace, the Grand Duke!”
Marquis Chale’s jaw dropped. Rozeline, eyes wide, covered her mouth in astonishment. Even Aidel, who had just lifted a glass of water to suppress her nausea, froze mid-motion.
‘Did he just say… “Your Grace, the Grand Duke”?’
Recognizing the Grand Duke, Marquis Chale quickly bowed in proper deference. After a moment of confusion, both the Countess and Rozeline also curtsied hurriedly.
Reactions to the Grand Duke’s sudden appearance varied. Marquis Chale and the Countess anxiously studied him with nervous tension, while Rozeline’s face flushed and her eyes grew dreamy at the sight of him so close.
Yet, oblivious to all these differing gazes, Kaeron’s eyes fixed on only one spot from the moment he entered the reception room.
The woman rising belatedly to offer her respects looked unsteady. Seeing her swaying as if about to collapse, Kaeron’s eyebrows twitched.
“Had I known Your Grace would visit, I would have prepared a grand reception in advance…”
“No need for such efforts since I came unannounced. But… I didn’t expect to find Marquis Chale here.”
He was an unwelcome surprise. Kaeron stared coldly at Marquis Chale.
“Ahh… well… Though it’s rather awkward to say, I’m soon to take Lady Fleur as my new wife.”
“Lady Fleur, you say…?”
At those words, the Grand Duke’s already stern expression turned icy. Marquis Chale instinctively flinched under Kaeron’s piercing glare. The Countess stepped in to answer before the marquis could recover from his stunned silence.
“She’s our eldest daughter, Aidel. She’s always been excessively shy, so she’s never participated in society until now—this is our first time introducing her.”
“An engagement to Marquis Chale…”
Kaeron murmured quietly. His hand clenched and unclenched, knuckles turning white with tension.
“Ahem! It’s a tremendous honor to welcome such a beautiful bride.”
“And we consider it the utmost privilege to forge such a meaningful bond with your esteemed house.”
Pressured by the Grand Duke’s overwhelming presence, Marquis Chale cleared his throat and managed a few words, while the Countess offered an uneasy smile in agreement. Kaeron shifted his gaze from them toward the woman standing silently nearby.
“Lady Aidel… do you feel the same?”
At his question, the woman—who had been staring at the floor—slowly lifted her head. Her face, drained of all color, resembled a wax figure. Though she appeared composed at first glance, his sharp eyes didn’t miss the redness gathering at the corners of her eyes.
“Aidel! His Grace is asking you a question—answer him at once!”
Annoyed by the Countess’s impatient prodding, Kaeron narrowed one eye slightly and spoke.
“I’ll hear the answer directly from her. I wish to speak with her alone—would you kindly leave us?”
“…What? You wish to speak with Aidel in private…?”
“Your Grace! With all due respect, she is already betrothed to me…”
Though both the Countess and Marquis Chale protested awkwardly, clearly startled by this unmistakable dismissal—
“Do you take my words as a mere request?”
His voice, lowered to a dangerous calm, spoke volumes about his mood. The air in the reception room instantly froze. Under the Grand Duke’s icy glare, even Rozeline trembled uncontrollably, along with the marquis and the countess.
“Now, now—everyone, shall we step out for a moment?”
Gregory, who had been silently observing the situation, stepped forward to ease the tension. The three of them followed him out of the reception room.
Once the door closed behind them, silence fell.
Kaeron slowly began walking toward her with long, deliberate strides. With every step he took closer, tension coiled from Aidel’s toes upward, and she tightly clasped her hands together.
“Will you stand there indefinitely? Please, sit.”
Kaeron passed her calmly and seated himself at the table—directly across from her. After a brief hesitation, she sat down carefully.
Though a table stood between them, his overwhelming presence filled the space completely. Under his intense gaze, Aidel’s long lashes trembled slightly as she kept her eyes downcast.
Trying to regain composure, Aidel poured tea into the empty cup before the Grand Duke. Watching her precise, composed movements, Kaeron finally spoke.
“We meet again.”
Her hand holding the teapot wavered slightly at his words. Indeed, the Grand Duke remembered her.
“Back then… I was terribly impolite.”
Truthfully, it had been the Grand Duke who’d been rude first—but she certainly hadn’t behaved properly either when she’d forcefully pushed his hand away and fled.
“Your first impression on me that day was quite memorable—especially your boldness.”
“…Please forgive my rudeness.”
“I don’t seek an apology—it was mutual. But… you seem different today than you did back then.”
“…!”
“You didn’t strike me as the type to obediently accept a marriage you clearly don’t want.”
Aidel’s eyes began trembling like leaves shaken by the wind.
“Do you wish to escape this engagement to Marquis Chale?”
Pierced right at her core, Aidel momentarily lost her voice. Of course she wanted out. Just recalling Marquis Chale’s vulgar, lecherous gaze from earlier sent goosebumps running across her skin again.
For now, she had no choice but to endure these humiliating moments—but once she passed the university entrance exam, she’d find a way out. Still, she didn’t need to explain any of that to him.
“…That’s my own problem to resolve.”
“Resolve, you say… So you must have some plan prepared, then.”
Kaeron’s long, firm fingers slowly traced the smooth handle of the teacup. Lifting it lightly, he continued,
“For instance… gaining admission to the Imperial University. Is that part of your plan, perhaps?”
“…!”
Aidel’s eyes widened in shock—clearly asking how he could possibly know. Seeing her expression, Kaeron offered a faint smile and asked,
“Well? Even if you do enter the university, wouldn’t you still need assistance to become independent from your family?”
“…Even if that’s true, it’s still my problem to handle myself.”
The faint smile vanished from his face. For some reason, he was irritated by this woman—who looked lost like a child with nowhere to go—yet stubbornly insisted on drawing boundaries over her own troubles.
Frustrated, he took a deep breath. The tea’s fragrance he’d deliberately inhaled moments ago blurred, overwhelmed by her scent—intensifying with every breath. It was the very same fragrance that had been teasing and stirring him since he first arrived at this estate.
‘Honestly… how bothersome.’
At first, he’d hoped never to cross paths with her again—the very woman who stirred unnecessary emotions in him. That was precisely why he’d deliberately let her go during their first encounter…
Yet chasing the traces she’d left behind had ultimately led him straight to the Count’s manor.
And now, facing her once more, her presence still tested his patience. Not only was her inexplicably alluring scent affecting him, but also the dubious transaction surrounding her within this household.
The moment he heard Marquis Chale was to marry her, Kaeron barely suppressed the urge to strangle that snake-like man with his bare hands.
Was this the sixth time already? Marquis Chale taking another girl young enough to be his daughter as his wife. Any high-ranking noble family like the Counts would surely know about his discreet but notorious reputation—yet the Countess was packaging this disgrace as an “honor” to pass her daughter off.
From merely observing their dialogue and atmosphere, Kaeron quickly grasped the situation. He understood why she was taking the Imperial University entrance exam. Though he could have easily handed her the top-ranking acceptance letter she so deeply desired, he knew that alone wouldn’t be enough.
‘It seems… I’ll have to keep you close.’
Initially, he’d only considered taking her on as an aide in the Grand Ducal household—as Gregory had hoped—but now, he wanted to pull her more securely into his own domain, away from the cliff’s edge this place had pushed her toward.
Moreover, keeping her by his side was also a choice for himself. In his life—so smooth it bordered on dull—if something ever disturbed his peace, he always had only two choices:
‘Either erase it completely… or possess it entirely.’
This time, he chose the latter. Since he couldn’t completely erase her existence, he decided it was better to keep her within his reach and under his control. Surely, with time, even this alluring scent that drew him to her would eventually lose its charm.
“I’d like to make you an offer.”
To achieve that, he needed to open the heart of this woman—like a hidden flowerbud waiting to bloom. The seasoned negotiator, who always obtained what he wanted, stared straight at his target seated before him.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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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.