Duchess Mecklen’s Elegant Revolt - Chapter 2 Part 5

Eleanor’s head snapped to the side. Her vision blurred to white, and her cheek burned as if it had been seared by fire. It wasn’t until she clutched her now-swollen cheek that Eleanor fully registered what had happened—Caroline had slapped her.

“How dare you embarrass me? And at my favorite boutique, no less?” Caroline’s furious voice echoed through the quiet hallway. The attendants who usually served the Duchess Dowager had hidden themselves in their rooms, afraid to come out, leaving the corridor eerily silent.

Caroline, her anger not yet spent, raised her hand again.

Smack!

But this time, things didn’t go as she intended. An unexpected hand had stopped her. Eleanor, having regained her senses, firmly grasped Caroline’s raised hand.

“Stop it.”

“What—?”

“Do you really want to show just how low you can stoop by resorting to violence?”

The look in Eleanor’s eyes was something Caroline had never expected. It was the same calm and clear gaze she’d seen at the boutique, but now there was something more—contempt. And it was directed squarely at her.

“How dare you…!”

Caroline’s whole body trembled like a leaf. She had been the one to strike, yet now it felt as if she were the one being punished. She tried to pull her arm free, but Eleanor’s grip was unyielding, far stronger than one might expect from her slender frame.

“Let go of me this instant!”

“I’ll let go when you apologize.”

“Apologize?”

“Yes. Apologize for what you’ve done to me.” Eleanor’s voice was clear and firm as she made her demand. “I don’t understand why I should be scolded and humiliated by you.”

She was standing tall. The Eleanor facing off with Caroline was not the same timid woman from before. Caroline, caught off guard by this unexpected defiance, felt more anger than confusion.

“How dare you speak to me like that? Do you not know your place?”

She couldn’t marry Ernst to the person she wanted. Her plans had fallen apart, and now a stranger from a fallen kingdom had entered her family, threatening her position. Caroline’s rage boiled over as she screamed.

“How dare you talk back to me? A reason? Who needs a reason?”

‘I won’t let it happen…!’

Caroline couldn’t tolerate anyone coveting what was hers. She wanted Eleanor to make a mistake, to give her more reasons to assert her superiority.

See? That ‘blonde woman’ doesn’t know anything. This position is only for me.

Everything—Ernst, the Mecklen family, even the mansion—was her creation. It was a world where that woman couldn’t possibly belong.

Caroline’s eyes narrowed with determination.

“You’re the one being rude right now, Caroline,” Eleanor countered, her voice steady. “At the boutique, all I did was remind you of the basic decorum that every noble should uphold.”

What kind of future would this twisted present lead to? Eleanor thought there was no way to simply sit back and take it anymore. But she also knew that Caroline would continue to torment her as long as she had her way.

Returning to the past, she had vowed countless times that she wouldn’t just sit and suffer again. Eleanor gritted her teeth.

“You filthy wench…! Let go of me right now!”

“When you have nothing left to say, you always resort to vulgarity. Is that all you have?”

Both women’s hands were turning pale, their grip so tight that blood had drained from their fingers. Neither of them was willing to back down in the tense standoff. But there was a subtle shift—Caroline’s hand was slowly being pushed back by Eleanor’s.

A wave of unease suddenly washed over Caroline.

“Gilbert! Gilbert—!” Caroline’s high-pitched scream echoed through the hallway as Gilbert rushed out from the end of the corridor.

He had come to inform them that dinner was ready but had been hiding, watching the confrontation between the two women.

Without taking her eyes off Eleanor, Caroline commanded in a sharp voice, “Seize this woman at once!”

“Pardon, madam?”

The butler, Gilbert, was momentarily dumbfounded.

“What are you waiting for?”

“Yes, madam!” Startled by Caroline’s thunderous shout, Gilbert hurried to stand behind Eleanor.

‘No…!’

Eleanor’s face turned slightly pale as she sensed the danger. But there was no way out. If she let go now, Caroline would immediately attack her. Gilbert grabbed Eleanor’s arms and pulled them behind her.

“Let go…!” Eleanor struggled, her voice strained.

“I’m sorry, young madam.” The butler apologized with a tone of helplessness.

Eleanor twisted her body to break free, but Gilbert’s strength was too much for her.

“You insolent wench,” Caroline muttered, her voice dripping with contempt as she turned sharply and disappeared into the room.

While Caroline was gone, Eleanor fiercely resisted, but when the other hidden attendants joined in, she was completely restrained, unable even to move. As her arms and legs were bound, Caroline emerged with something in her hand—a pair of scissors.

“I’ll make sure you never hold your head high again.” Caroline’s lips curled into a twisted smile, and there was a glint of madness in her eyes.

Caroline grabbed Eleanor’s luscious blonde hair and raised the scissors.

“Oh my god…” someone among the attendants whispered, but the murmur quickly died down as they all watched Caroline nervously.

The cold metal touched Eleanor’s hair.

“Stop it!” Eleanor screamed, shaking her head violently, causing Caroline to miss a few times. But the scissors didn’t stop.

Snip, snip. Blonde strands fell to the floor in clumps.

Only after chopping off all of Eleanor’s hair, making it look as if a rat had gnawed through it, did Caroline throw the scissors to the floor.

“Now, I feel much better.”

“You…!” Eleanor glared at Caroline with bloodshot eyes.

The botched attempts had left red scratches across her pale cheeks. But the pain of the wounds was nothing compared to the humiliation. Eleanor trembled uncontrollably, feeling as if she were engulfed in flames. An unbearable heat surged from the depths of her chest.

‘Caroline…!’

Tears welled up in her reddened eyes, but she held them back, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

Caroline watched her with a sneer. “What do you think you’ll do, glaring at me like that?”

Unlike Eleanor, Caroline’s mood was soaring. Seeing the princess, who had once stood tall, now reduced to crawling on the floor, filled her with satisfaction.

‘You’re nothing.’

Caroline, feeling thoroughly vindicated, gave a triumphant order, “Lock her in the attic. No food or anything for three days.”

***

Recently, the servants of the Mecklen estate found themselves overwhelmed with a sudden increase in their workload. The reason? The upcoming birthday of Duke Ernst of Mecklen, just two months away. Caroline had decreed that this year’s celebration would be even more extravagant and grandiose than the last, piling more tasks onto the already busy staff.

“Gilbert, where are you off to?” greeted Harley, another butler of the estate who was responsible for external affairs, as he crossed paths with Gilbert.

Gilbert, who had been about to leave, paused and returned the greeting. “Oh, I’m not going far. Just delivering some documents.”

“All of these? Where to?” Harley asked, eyeing the stack of papers Gilbert was carrying.

“Well…” Gilbert hesitated, a bit embarrassed, “To the attic.”

Harley’s expression turned understanding at the mention of the attic. It was where the subject of recent rumors among the servants was being kept.

“Let me help you,” Harley offered.

“Thanks,” Gilbert replied, and the two men walked together down the corridor and up to the topmost floor of the mansion. The attic, seldom visited and often used as storage, was a dusty and neglected part of the house.

Harley coughed as the dust tickled his throat, while Gilbert fished a key out of his pocket.

Click.

“Good afternoon, my lady,” Gilbert greeted as the door creaked open.

It wasn’t the kind of place where someone could have a good afternoon. Aware of this, Gilbert’s expression was tinged with discomfort as he glanced around nervously.

“Good afternoon, Gilbert,” came the calm voice from within.

Relieved by the peaceful response, Gilbert carefully pushed the box of documents into the room. “These are from the madam,” he explained.

“…Should I handle these like the ones from yesterday?” Eleanor asked quietly.

“Yes, if you would, please,” Gilbert replied, though it wasn’t his command. A pang of guilt struck him as he bowed deeply before quickly leaving the room with Harley.

The sound of the heavy lock clicking shut echoed from outside, sealing Eleanor inside once more. Slowly, she rose from her spot in the corner, her movements graceful despite her disheveled appearance.

Having been confined for days, she hadn’t had the chance to properly wash, and her dress was stained with dust. Her hair, unevenly cut and tangled, only added to the pitiful sight she presented. To an outsider unaware of her true identity, it would be hard to believe she was a noblewoman.

“Are these letters…?” Eleanor murmured to herself as she examined the papers in the box.

***

It had been a week since Eleanor had been locked in the attic. Initially, under Caroline’s orders, she had been left without food or water, trapped in that small, suffocating space. She had tried to find a way out, tapping on the floor, inspecting the ceiling and walls, but escape was impossible in her current state.

Despite her earlier resolve to endure whatever challenges came her way, Eleanor found herself sinking into a pit of despair. For the first five days, a maid had brought her nothing but water and dry bread, but Eleanor barely touched it. On the fifth day, Caroline began assigning her tasks, seemingly as a way to break her spirit further.

Eleanor carefully pulled out the letters from the box. As befitting a noble family of the Mecklen’s stature, the volume of correspondence, both incoming and outgoing, was overwhelming. Normally, Caroline would have handled these tasks, but with the preparations for Ernst’s upcoming birthday, her workload had increased significantly.

Eleanor knew all too well about the grand celebration Caroline was planning for Ernst’s birthday. She remembered the preparations for his birthday from her previous life. However, despite all the meticulous planning, Ernst had left for the capital just one day after the festivities began due to a military issue in the eastern border region. The lavish party, already funded with a significant budget, couldn’t be canceled, so they had to shorten the event dramatically.

“What a waste,” Eleanor muttered, a hint of bitterness in her voice as she looked at the invitations. Most of the letters were birthday invitations, but there were also more personal and confidential correspondences.

Eleanor knew that whatever the contents of these letters, they were beyond her concern and control. Her task for the day was to fold each letter, place it in an envelope, and seal it with wax—a job that would typically be done by a servant. Caroline’s intent in assigning her this menial work was clear.

Eleanor let out a deep sigh and began folding the letters slowly. As she carefully placed each one into an envelope, something caught her eye.

“A lady-in-waiting application…?” she murmured, noticing a letter of recommendation written by Caroline for Lady Brianna.