This Life, I Will Save The Duke (20 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 2
“Please forgive me, even if it displeases you. It is the law that even the Emperor of the Empire must remain below the dais.”
Ludvian descended below the dais with a faint laugh and quietly gazed at the princess. He had come thinking little of her—after all, she was merely a lowly human and a young girl at that.
Yet after just a few exchanges, he realized she was no pushover. Still, she was surely within the palm of his hand. The princess, who had been quietly conversing with the king and queen, now sat in her assigned seat and lifted her chin proudly. Ludvian let out a soft chuckle and went to his own seat, picking up his teacup.
“Might you have a way to prove whether the future Marquis Beloas has seen is truly real?”
“The future is not something I can see at will. It occurs solely through divine intervention.”
With that simple statement—that he could not prove it—Ludvian invoked the divine to shut down any further questioning. In any case, such an answer was well within expectations. Ariel gently curved the corners of her lips and asked again.
“Then how exactly can that seed prevent the coming calamity? I don’t understand at all. Could you explain it more concretely?”
“The flower that blooms from this seed possesses a special power. If two such flowers are used together, even the strongest being will perish within two years. However, since it takes considerable time, we must begin preparations now.”
Ariel feigned astonishment as though hearing this for the first time, though she already knew it all. A sigh tinged with resignation escaped her lips.
“That sounds as if you’re suggesting we use the flower to kill someone specific. Surely, you’re not asking me to cultivate a flower meant for murder? I’m sorry, but I absolutely cannot do such a thing.”
Ludvian was taken aback by Ariel’s unexpected reply. How could she refuse to kill anyone when the human realm itself was in danger? As a demon, he found it utterly incomprehensible. He himself would eliminate anyone—demon or human—without blinking an eye if it served his purpose.
“Marquis Beloas, you cannot ask such a thing of my daughter.”
When even the king, looking flustered, backed up Ariel’s words, Ludvian quickly spoke up.
“The target isn’t human—it’s a Duke from the Demon Realm. The flower only affects demons.”
Ha. He himself was the sole Duke of the Demon Realm, yet he spoke without a hint of change in his expression about needing to kill himself. She almost wondered where his shamelessness ended. But his answer only gave Ariel even clearer grounds to refuse. Suppressing a quiet laugh, she spoke again.
“In that case, it seems even less my place to get involved. The prince, known as the strongest in the Demon Realm, was defeated by Duke Elbaltan—so what power could some Demon Duke possibly have to bring about a great calamity? Besides, I’ve heard demons are even weaker in the human realm due to restrictions on their strength.”
Isn’t that right, Duke of the Demon Realm?
Seeing Ludvian’s face instantly darken brought her a flicker of satisfaction. His crimson eyes grew deeper in color, clearly stung by wounded pride. Of course, Ariel knew he was currently stronger than the demon prince, whose powers had been sealed.
“The Duke of the Demon Realm is stronger than the demon prince…”
“You’re not about to claim that the Demon Duke is stronger, are you? If that were true, why did he never once appear during the five-year war against humans? That makes no sense. I believe even Marquis Beloas understands that very well. Don’t you?”
Ariel cut him off before he could finish, giving him no chance to speak.
“…”
Ludvian’s eyes slowly narrowed. He, the great Duke of the Demon Realm, was being manipulated by a mere insignificant human. When he’d first arrived at the palace, he’d been certain this would be an easy, straightforward matter.
“No matter how I think about it, relying solely on Marquis Beloas’s word to cultivate such a dangerous flower for two years seems unreasonable. Even if demons restart the war, as long as Duke Elbaltan remains active, there shouldn’t be any major issue.”
“…”
Ludvian—this time you won’t get off so easily. So please leave now.
“Do you have anything else to say?”
Ludvian’s face hardened, his smile gone, and his crimson eyes turned icy. As Ariel bowed deeply and respectfully toward him, he left the audience chamber with a displeased expression, promising to return.
Watching him leave, visibly frustrated at having failed to achieve his goal, filled her with relief. He was probably repeating these words in his mind right now:
How dare you.
You insignificant human.
Go ahead and try—once more, Ludvian—being defeated by that “insignificant human.”
***
The garden table was prepared with herbal tea, chocolate cake, sweet cookies, and even precious salt-sprinkled baked bread.
“Why did you act like that earlier?”
At her mother’s worried question, she quietly spoke.
“I had a nightmare while napping. A dream where everyone died—except me…”
“You’re still such a child.”
Her father chuckled warmly and ruffled Ariel’s hair.
“Ariel, hurry and eat your favorite chocolate cake. Ah—”
Seeing Ariel’s mood darken, her mother quickly changed the subject, cutting a piece of cake and placing it into her mouth.
How precious was this utterly ordinary, utterly natural afternoon tea. The reality of having returned to the past hit her again, and her eyes welled up—but she held back the tears.
All she had to do was ensure that tragedy never happened again. That was all.
“Anna, come here. Let’s eat together.”
When Anna approached, Ariel pulled her into a tight embrace before letting go.
“You’re acting really strange today.”
Anna’s cheeks flushed as she spoke shyly.
“Anna, is my love too overwhelming for you?”
At Ariel’s bluntly affectionate remark, everyone was momentarily stunned—then burst into laughter. Ariel didn’t let go of her parents and Anna until after sharing dinner with them.
“Haa…”
A warm breath escaped Ariel’s lips as she strolled through the garden. The darkening sky was beautiful, and the stars densely scattered across it were even more so. She loved the vitality the trees exuded and missed her greenhouse dearly.
She was truly back.
Realizing this once more, plans for what she must do next rose clearly in her mind.
She had managed to deflect him today, but he would never give up. Based on what she’d endured over the past four years, she knew that for certain. She didn’t know yet how he would try to persuade her—but if the situation ever arose again where she had to cultivate the demon flower?
Her absolute priority then would be saving Kaius.
In one year from now, Kaius would come to annul their forced engagement decreed by Emperor Hart—but she had to change his mind and marry him even sooner than in the original timeline. Once he started taking Zaphros, he would have barely over a year left. That wasn’t much time. Marrying him late, as before, simply wouldn’t save him.
In the past, Kaius had requested the annulment because of Ludvian—claiming Ariel was already involved with another man—and she had gladly accepted, still under the delusion that she loved Ludvian.
This time, even if rumors of her connection with Ludvian reached Kaius’s ears, she could explain it wasn’t true. More importantly, if she could heal him when he was injured by a monster, she could show him just how essential she was to his survival—and turn his heart toward her.
Once by his side, she would escape Ludvian’s watchful eye—at least for a while—and that would be when Ariel truly began to move.
Her first tasks would be finding the Demon Realm flora compendium and awakening the dragon egg.
***
It had been an ordinary day—but precious and beautiful to Ariel.
A week had passed since Ariel’s return and Ludvian’s visit. During that time, he came every day to persuade her, but Ariel kept refusing, saying she couldn’t accept his claims. Knowing he’d never give up, she even considered leaving Retiana for a while.
Then, one morning while having coffee with Anna, terrible news arrived: one of her father’s royal guards had been killed. The next day, one of her mother’s guards died. Then another of her father’s knights. Then another of her mother’s. The bizarre pattern continued for a full week.
Around that time, an absurd rumor began spreading through the palace.
“They say Princess Ariel is cursed because she refused to heed the prophet’s words.”
The absurdity of it all made her want to laugh bitterly. He was truly cruel and ruthless.
This was an unmistakable warning—a consequence for rejecting his words.
Just as Ariel was leaving her parents’ chamber after being told it might be best to listen to the prophet, a maid came running toward her, cheeks flushed.
“There’s a visitor waiting in the North Palace audience chamber.”
“Who is it?”
“The red-haired prophet.”
Ariel let out a wry smile—she knew she could no longer avoid him. Targeting her parents’ guards was his way of implying he could strike them anytime. Her hands clenched involuntarily, trembling with rage.
Ludvian. Ludvian!
His crossing the line filled her with fury. He could have lived comfortably as Duke of the Demon Realm if he’d just stayed quiet. But since he’d chosen to act like this, she was more than willing to step onto the stage he’d built—and now she had to prepare to play along just enough to send him plummeting into ruin.
She would make him bitterly regret this very moment. Using every piece of knowledge she possessed, she would inflict upon him suffering worse than death itself. To calm her rage, Ariel took several deep breaths, steadying her heart.
A mocking smile slipped from her lips as she began walking leisurely toward the audience chamber. Once she passed through that doorway and faced him, their fierce battle would truly begin.
And,
of course—Ariel would be the victor of that battle.
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.]
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
I was surprised that Ariel gave in at this point. I mean, I love her negotiation because if she managed to make the dragon hatch in her past life, this time with two eggs, she has double the chance of making it happen. But I didn’t expect her to go that far hahaha.
And Kaius is about to appear! I’m so excited for him to hit the scene, because I feel like getting to him is going to be way harder than negotiating with Ludvian.
Wow, I’m surprised by how much smarter Ariel is than I expected. And that she remembers so many things from her past life. It’s so refreshing to see how she operates and sets her own foundations to get everything she wants.
I love Kaius; not only did he kick the Emperor to the curb, but he even called off the engagement. I hope Ariel does everything she can to win him over.
Kaius finally made his appearance! Oh, my heart. This man won’t give in even when he’s injured hahahaha there he was, bleeding out, and on top of that, refusing to let Ariel heal him. But her too… she could have walked in like a normal person instead of a spy out to kill him. Oh well, it is what it is.
I hope she manages to heal him and, that way, convinces him that she’s the best wife he’ll ever have.