Duchess Mecklen’s Elegant Revolt - Chapter 3 Part 5

Eleanor, using the excuse of a short walk, found herself wandering aimlessly around the Empress Dowager’s palace. Lately, her mind had been so preoccupied that she struggled to find rest at night. As she lingered near the palace, still unfamiliar with her surroundings, someone suddenly appeared in front of her.

“Ah! …Lennoch?” she exclaimed in shock.

“What a coincidence, meeting you here,” Lennoch replied, his tone casual despite his sudden appearance.

The surprise almost made her stumble. Who just pops out of nowhere in the middle of the night like that? And to make matters worse, he was dressed entirely in black from head to toe, amplifying her shock. Eleanor clutched her pounding heart.

“I was just passing by and thought I’d say hello,” Lennoch continued.

“…Passing by, you say?” Eleanor replied skeptically, eyeing him up and down.

The strange mask, the black robe, and even the black shirt and pants—everything about him screamed that he was up to something. His excuse was so transparent that Eleanor narrowed her eyes.

Is he really a member of the imperial family, or is he perhaps some criminal hidden away in the palace?

Lennoch, noticing her suspicion, pressed on with his usual nonchalance. “Do I look suspicious?” he asked.

“Yes,” she replied bluntly.

“Perhaps I should have worn a white shirt then,” he mused, as if seriously considering it.

Even if he wore white, it wouldn’t change the fact that he looked suspicious, Eleanor thought. But before she could finish that thought, she found herself laughing at Lennoch’s antics as he earnestly inspected his outfit. His playfulness, while unusual, wasn’t entirely off-putting.

“But there are too many eyes around here,” Lennoch said, glancing around. Being so close to the Empress Dowager’s quarters, it wasn’t the ideal place for a conversation. He gestured towards another area.

“Shall we move somewhere else?” he suggested.

“Where to?” Eleanor asked automatically, only to catch herself a moment later.

‘Why am I letting my guard down around this person?’

She wondered if the many worries weighing on her mind had dulled her usual caution. Startled by her own openness, Eleanor was about to retract her words, but Lennoch spoke first, extending his arm to guide the way.

“How about the East Palace Garden where we walked before?”

“Right now?”

“Of course. It’s even more charming at night,” he replied.

Rather than stopping him, Eleanor hesitated for a moment and gently held her sore shoulder—the one that still ached from where Ernst had pushed her earlier.

‘Better than being alone,’ she thought.

At this moment, she felt as though she might collapse under the weight of her burdens. She needed something—anything—to hold onto.

Watching Lennoch’s broad back as he led the way, Eleanor reluctantly followed. He navigated the palace grounds with the ease of someone who knew them well. The East Palace Garden, illuminated by bright moonlight, had its own unique charm.

There was just one flaw.

“You’re suggesting we make this our secret hideaway?”

“Yes, a place where we can relax without prying eyes. Even if I’m not around, feel free to come here whenever you need a break,” Lennoch offered.

“That sounds nice, but… do we really have to sneak in through that tiny hole?” she replied, glancing at her now dirty skirt.

“…I apologize for that,” Lennoch admitted, looking genuinely remorseful.

‘Perhaps he really is a criminal,’ Eleanor thought, bemused. How did he even find that hole?

Looking down at her dirtied skirt, Eleanor couldn’t help but find the situation amusing. If word got out that the Duchess had crawled through a narrow hole in the ground, it would surely cause an uproar among the nobles.

Unaware that her lips had curved into a smile, Eleanor said, “It was my first time crawling like that.”

“Haha, is that so?” Lennoch replied, clearly relieved.

“Not bad, though. It was fun,” she added, making Lennoch visibly relax.

“You were quite adept at getting through that small hole earlier,” Eleanor teased, her spirits slightly lifted by the unusual experience. The lightheartedness on her fair cheeks brought a smile to Lennoch’s face as well. He was relieved.

‘It must be uncomfortable for her to talk about what happened back then,’ Lennoch thought, recalling the wilted flower he had seen abandoned in front of the Mecklen estate. He had passed by the estate two days after their last meeting and spotted it. The sight of that withered flower made his heart sink, as if it was a warning to stay away.

If he hadn’t heard that she had been accepted as the Empress Dowager’s lady-in-waiting, he wouldn’t have dared to come back. Yet, there was a part of him that felt repulsed by his own actions. He knew she had every reason to distance herself from him, but he still sought her favor, hiding behind a mask.

Suppressing his discomfort with a smile, Lennoch shifted the conversation. “Have you had a change of heart? You seem different from before.”

He noticed her short, golden hair brushing against her ears. The transformation from her once long hair, which had reached her waist, had initially shocked him, even though he had tried not to show it. Eleanor’s expression darkened slightly.

“Does it look strange?” she asked, her hand absently brushing the back of her neck, where she felt the absence of her once-long locks.

Lennoch’s gaze followed her hand to her pale neck. As if entranced, he spoke suddenly, “No, it suits you very well.”

His sincere tone was meant to comfort her, and it seemed to reach her. Eleanor glanced up at him, meeting his eyes through the mask.

“You look truly beautiful,” he added.

“…Thank you,” she replied, quickly averting her gaze.

Compliments from someone she barely knew felt oddly unsettling, as if she were wearing clothes that didn’t quite fit. The warmth rising in her cheeks betrayed her, and she turned her face toward the cool breeze to hide her embarrassment.

“By the way, I’ve become one of the Empress Dowager’s ladies-in-waiting,” she said, changing the subject.

“I know.”

Eleanor turned her head away and didn’t look at Lennoch again. Suppressing the lingering sense of regret that rose up, Lennoch continued to speak gently, “It’s the hottest topic in the palace lately, the story of the Empress Dowager’s new lady-in-waiting.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, especially since Her Majesty personally oversaw the selection. She’s known to be quite demanding,” Lennoch explained. He knew the Empress Dowager better than most, save for perhaps one other person, Baroness Berenice. But he kept that thought to himself.

“She’s a good person,” Eleanor remarked.

“Excuse me?” Lennoch looked at her, his expression a bit perplexed.

“She was the first person to listen to me so attentively,” Eleanor continued. “I actually said something quite ridiculous during the interview.”

It was a desperate move, one she hadn’t planned for. Eleanor hadn’t expected to find herself asking to be a mere servant, but her desperation had driven her. Even if it meant starting from the bottom, she was willing to do whatever it took. The Empress Dowager must have seen right through her desperation.

“Thanks to her giving me a place in the palace, I was able to meet you again,” Eleanor added. Had she still been at the Mecklen estate, their paths wouldn’t have crossed.

She tried to push away the unpleasant memories, but the dark emotions lurking in the corners of her heart refused to dissipate easily.

‘Again.’

Lennoch observed the shadow that fell over Eleanor’s face. It was the same as before, like when he had seen her on the street near the boutique. The subtle shifts in her facial muscles clearly reflected some deep emotion.

‘Sad?’

There was no other word that better suited Eleanor at that moment. A chilling sensation gripped Lennoch’s heart. What could have happened? She was someone who should only see and experience the best things in life. Perhaps her decision to apply as the Empress Dowager’s lady-in-waiting was related to whatever had occurred.

Just then, the moonlight poured down, washing over her golden hair in a soft, silvery glow. As the sharp gleam in his green eyes softened, Lennoch shifted the conversation.

“But this place won’t be easy either.”

“Sorry?”

“It’s a real hell,” he said with a slight smirk. “A bureaucratic nightmare.”

“There’s nothing more tedious and intricate than dealing with administrative paperwork,” he added, grumbling about how his fingerprints might wear off from signing so many documents.

Whenever a crisis arose, the amount of paperwork he had to process was overwhelming. Even on regular days, he was swamped with reports, often having to work through the night. Eleanor, noticing his genuine disdain, smiled gently.

“Is that… your experience, Lennoch?”

“Ah, no—oh, sorry! I didn’t mean to slip into informal speech,” Lennoch stammered, realizing he had spoken too casually. He quickly tried to cover up his mistake, but it was too late—Eleanor had already heard it.

“Haha, this is awkward. I was trying to keep that hidden,” he said, scratching his cheek with a finger.

He wasn’t worried that she would instantly guess his true identity, but considering her intelligence, she might have already pieced it together from the clues.

‘Should I reveal that I am the emperor?’

But to his surprise, Eleanor didn’t press him on it.

“Thank you anyway,” she said, acknowledging his secrecy without prying further.

Her unexpected consideration caused Lennoch to visibly tense up. Standing so close that their arms almost touched, Eleanor easily noticed the change in him. With a warm smile, she subtly steered the conversation in a different direction.

“If the opportunity arises, I’ll help you with your work.”

“…Really?”

By Lennoch’s standards, he had the most grueling job in the empire. Eleanor, unaware of the sheer volume of work he managed, confidently replied, “Yes, unless there’s a mountain of paperwork.”

A playful glint sparkled in Lennoch’s eyes from behind his mask.

“Well, no takebacks then.”

“Of course,” she agreed.

How much paperwork could there possibly be? Eleanor smiled back at Lennoch, thinking that helping him with documents couldn’t be too bad if it made him this happy. Little did she know just how naive that thought was—a realization that would come to her much later.