The Archduke’s Flower Is in Danger - Chapter 7

The carriage heading to the Grand Duke’s estate moved slower than usual. This was because Idel Fleure had fallen asleep with her eyes closed as if all her energy had been spent the moment she left the Count’s estate.

Kaeron Roman de Helios watched the woman silently as she slept, her body leaning slightly against his shoulder. Wrapped in his large coat, she looked exceptionally small and fragile. She appeared as pitiful as a newborn animal.

His lingering gaze traveled from her fine brow to her long, dense eyelashes, and finally to her lips, which were slightly parted as she breathed softly. Kaeron’s jaw tightened.

“Your Grace.”

Gregory, sitting across from him, called out to the Grand Duke in a low, sighing voice. His face was filled with questions. It wasn’t just the sudden appearance of a prospective Grand Duchess; it was the fact that he was seeing the Grand Duke look at a woman with such a heavy, masculine gaze for the first time.

“I know you have many questions, but we will talk later.”

Speaking in a low voice for fear of waking her, Kaeron opened the carriage window slightly. He let the cool night air in to cool his heated body.

After a long period of patience, the carriage arrived at the Grand Ducal residence. Kaeron lifted Idel’s sleeping form. Her body was so light he could barely feel her weight.

The servants, who had been lined up in front of the entrance after hearing that the Grand Duke’s carriage had passed through the main gate, all widened their eyes in shock. The carriage door opened, and the Grand Duke stepped out personally carrying someone in his arms.

My God!

Though it was dark and the only illumination came from the gas lamps at the entrance, the figure in the Grand Duke’s arms was clearly a woman. Although her face was hidden by the Grand Duke’s coat, her small frame and the long, wheat-colored hair spilling out made her gender obvious.

Marlin, who had served the Grand Duke since his days as a Prince, was more flustered than anyone and briefly lost her usual composure, but she quickly smoothed her expression upon seeing the Grand Duke looking at her.

“Marlin, is the Grand Duchess’s room prepared?”

“!”

At the word “Grand Duchess” coming from the Grand Duke’s mouth, the servants gasped in shock once more. Marlin’s eyes wavered violently, but she soon replied in a steady voice.

“Yes, Your Grace. It is prepared.”

“Good.”

Kaeron walked toward the Grand Duchess’s room, which was located right next to his own. The rooms of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess were connected by a single door, but this was the first time the Grand Duke had ever stepped into that masterless room.

Watching the Grand Duke climb the stairs while holding the mysterious woman, the servants stood dazed with their mouths open.

“Sir Gregory, what on earth is happening? Who is that woman?”

As soon as the Grand Duke vanished onto the second floor, Marlin urgently questioned Gregory, who had returned with him. All the other servants looked at him with the same eyes, demanding an explanation for who the woman was.

“Well, about that woman.”

Gregory scratched his head with a troubled expression. He could tell them her identity, but even he did not fully understand why the Grand Duke was suddenly welcoming her as the Grand Duchess.

“Stop hesitating and tell us. I have never seen His Grace hold anyone, especially a woman, in his arms before!”

Marlin urged him for an answer, growing frustrated by his hesitation. The other servants nodded in unison at her words.

“She is Lady Idel Fleure of the House of Count Fleure.”

“The House of Fleure? I know of Lady Roseline, but I have never heard that name before.”

“Lady Idel is the eldest daughter of Count Fleure. I am told she has not participated in any social activities until now.”

“I see. But how did she and His Grace even meet? And for him to carry her into the Grand Duchess’s room like that.”

“We visited the Count’s estate today for certain reasons. Afterward, His Grace had a private audience with Lady Idel. I did not hear what conversation took place between them.”

Gregory looked meaningfully toward the second floor where the Grand Duke had gone and continued.

“However, what is certain is that Lady Idel is the prospective Grand Duchess recognized by His Grace.”

“!”

The bodies of everyone in the Grand Ducal residence stiffened. Their wide, disbelieving eyes made it clear just how shocked they were.

Entering the Grand Duchess’s bedroom, Kaeron carefully laid Idel onto the bed. The soft moonlight filtering into the dim room rested upon the sleeping woman’s face. The sight of her lying alone on the large bed was an enchanting subject in itself.

“Idel.”

Calling her name as if savoring it in a low, hushed voice, Kaeron leaned down and placed his palm against her cheek. Her small face fit in his hand. The sensation of her smooth skin was vivid. His thumb slowly traced over her soft cheek.

This is dangerous.

It had been the same in the carriage, but in this enclosed space, her scent stimulated his lungs even more intensely. He felt a conflicting urge to let the peacefully sleeping woman rest, yet at the same time, he wanted to wake her immediately.

Not yet. It is not the time.

Clenching the fingers that had been stroking her cheek into a fist, he straightened his body. If he could not avoid the woman’s fragrance, which stirred a blind craving like an aphrodisiac, he had decided he would rather smell it until he grew tired of it. But now was not the time.

Kaeron pulled the blanket over Idel and turned away. He stepped out of the room, closing and opening his eyes slowly as if trying to erase the image of her burned into his retinas.

“Your Grace.”

“Follow me.”

Gregory, who had been waiting outside the Grand Duchess’s room, followed the Grand Duke as he walked toward the study.

Arriving at the study and sitting on the sofa, Kaeron observed Gregory’s face as if searching it. In the carriage, Gregory’s face had seemed relatively calm, but one could never know the true situation.

“Did you… perhaps smell it too?”

Gregory rolled his eyes for a moment to interpret what the Grand Duke meant by “smelling something.” Ah! He must be talking about that.

“Yes. I smelled it too.”

“You too?”

Kaeron’s brow twitched. He had expected it, but Gregory’s nod of agreement irritated him.

“How could I not when the smell was so pervasive?”

“I see. Did it not affect you at all?”

Unlike himself, who was struggling to control the impulses triggered by her scent, he did not like Gregory’s relaxed expression.

“It wasn’t like that. It was difficult for me as well.”

“As I thought. I was not the only one.”

Along with a faint sense of relief, the thought of Gregory feeling the same way about Idel as he did made Kaeron’s blood begin to boil.

Should I send him to the Helios Duchy? Several ways to deal with his capable and loyal chief aide flashed rapidly through his mind.

“Y-Your Grace? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Gregory looked flustered, startled by the chilling gaze fixed on him. Caught in the predator-like eyes of the Grand Duke, cold sweat formed on his forehead.

“Are you perhaps angry because of that smell? That suspicious smell wafting between the Countess of Fleure and the Marquis of Chalet!”

“What?”

“Isn’t it obvious they were up to something to hand Lady Idel over to the Marquis? They were trying to make a marriage business out of it.”

Gregory spoke with an indignant, angry voice. At his words, Kaeron realized there had been a misunderstanding in their conversation.

“So, what you smelled was not a literal fragrance, but the scent of suspicious circumstances?”

“Fragrance? What fragrance are you talking about all of a sudden?”

Gregory tilted his head, unable to understand the Grand Duke’s words, but then slapped his hands together as if remembering something.

“Ah! If you mean fragrance, I did smell roses on the other Lady Fleure at the estate earlier. It gave me a bit of a headache though.”

Roseline, was it? She was a lady who, while beautiful, carried a somewhat excessive scent as if she had drenched her entire body in rose perfume. Recalling the scent that had given him a headache, Gregory frowned slightly.

From his words, Kaeron realized the truth for certain.

Am I the only one who reacts to her scent?

Even if the carriage was spacious, there was no way such an intense fragrance wouldn’t have reached Gregory sitting across from him. Judging by the fact that he had smelled the other woman’s perfume, there was nothing wrong with Gregory’s sense of smell either.

“Your Grace, are you alright?”

Feeling the Grand Duke’s sharp aura soften, Gregory let out a sigh of relief. Instead, seeing the Grand Duke fall into deep thought, he asked concernedly.

“No. It is fine.”

Unaware that the Grand Duke had been considering sending him away, Gregory brought up the question he had been curious about.

“More importantly, why did Lady Idel suddenly become the Grand Duchess instead of an aide? Do you know how shocked I was? The rest of the household is in shock as well.”

“As you saw earlier, she wanted complete independence from the House of Fleure. That is why she took the Imperial University exam.”

“Then you could have just given her the acceptance certificate and brought her in as an aide. Your Grace… did you perhaps fall in love with Lady Idel at first sight?”

It was a reasonable deduction based on the way the Grand Duke had looked at Idel since they were in the carriage. It made sense if he had intended to scout her as an aide but proposed instead because he had fallen in love.

In his eyes, Idel was a beauty without a rival in the Empire. Of course, the Grand Duke had never shown interest in such beauties before, but since her learning was high enough to enter the university at the top of her class, it was enough for him to feel a different charm than other women.

Falling in love at first sight.

At Gregory’s words, Kaeron recalled the first time he met her in the library archives. Even without the enchanting fragrance, her spirited gaze as she stood her ground while trembling had been quite memorable.

Was it a delusion caused by the interest and curiosity he felt toward another person for the first time? Her scent, which caused this strange thirst only he could perceive.

The reason for it would be revealed in time. However, Kaeron concluded that the interest he felt for her was not the kind of romantic emotion Gregory spoke of.

“It is a contractual relationship based on mutual need. A noblewoman can only engage in independent livelihood after a divorce.”

“A contractual relationship?”

“Yes. I agreed to write her a divorce decree if she serves as the Grand Duchess and handles the administration of the household for the three years she attends the university. Her work will be similar to an aide’s, so we both get what we want.”

“But…”

Gregory’s voice trailed off. To call her a mere Contract Grand Duchess based on a transaction, the look in the Grand Duke’s eyes toward her was unusual. However, the Grand Duke’s expression was so resolute that he could not bring himself to speak further.

“It is a temporary contract, but make sure you are the only one who knows this. Instruct the other servants to serve her with the utmost respect as the Grand Duchess. You, as well, assist her so that she can carry out the administration of the house effectively.”

“I understand.”

He could not go against the words of the Grand Duke, who had already made up his mind. However, he wondered how her presence would affect the Grand Duke in the future. Gregory’s eyes deepened as he fell into thought.