Duchess Mecklen’s Elegant Revolt - Chapter 10 Part 1

10. Hadum, the Slums

The day finally arrived for Eleanor to visit the slums, as the Empress Dowager had previously announced. She had expected that Ernst might visit her before her departure, but he remained unusually quiet. Surely, he must have heard that she was leaving. Although his lack of response bothered her, Eleanor decided it was better that he didn’t interfere with her affairs.

“The packing is complete.”

“…I’ve also loaded everything into the carriage.” Brianna, standing beside Eleanor, spoke with barely concealed frustration. She had desperately begged her family to stop her from going to the slums, but despite her father’s earlier resolve to speak directly with the Emperor, something had changed his mind at the last minute.

“The Emperor seems to have high hopes for this project. You should go immediately.”

“No matter how important the project is, how can you send my daughter to such a filthy place?”

“The Emperor desires this, and who knows? If Brianna handles this well, it could open up great opportunities for her.”

Though her mother protested vehemently, the Marquis of Liege remained deaf to her pleas. With no other choice, Brianna followed Eleanor into the mud, though she was anything but happy about it.

“Have a safe trip.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

After delivering her final report, Eleanor boarded the carriage. As Brianna was about to follow, the Countess of Lorentz grasped her shoulder and whispered urgently.

“Stay as far away from the Duchess of Mecklen as possible.”

“……?”

“She’s a dangerous woman.”

Brianna hesitated but eventually nodded without further comment. The two women boarded the carriage, which then departed the palace, escorted by four knights assigned to protect them. These were imperial knights, dispatched by the Emperor at the request of the Empress Dowager, and they would accompany the ladies for a week.

The road to the slums was not unfamiliar to Eleanor, perhaps because she had traveled this way before. However, it wasn’t long before the weather turned against them.

“…Just my luck.”

Rain began to fall, turning the previously beautiful scenery outside into a blur. Brianna shivered and hugged herself, cursing at the worsening weather.

***

“Thank you for coming all this way,” greeted Gran, the priest whom Eleanor had met before. He looked more exhausted than she remembered, dark shadows under his eyes. He led the group from the palace to the inn where they would be staying.

“I’ve chosen the best accommodations available for your stay.”

“It’s… acceptable,” Brianna muttered, eyeing the inn called the ‘Black Fish.’ It was a four-story building entirely dedicated to lodging.

After settling into their rooms, Gran invited them to dine on the first floor. As they sat at the table, Eleanor glanced at the knights standing guard.

“What about the knights? Should they eat separately?”

The knights sent by the Emperor were all silent and stoic. Raul, the most senior knight, responded to Eleanor’s inquiry. “There’s no need to worry about us. Please, enjoy your meal.”

‘It’s hard to feel comfortable with them here,’ Eleanor thought but restrained herself from suggesting that the knights eat separately. She could tell from Raul’s formal tone that he would likely refuse.

Raul was not only an Imperial knight but also a former classmate of Ernst’s from their days at the Academy, where they studied swordsmanship together. Now, Raul was part of the First Order of Imperial Knights, which Ernst oversaw.

“The food is here. It may not compare to the palace, but I hope it’s to your liking,” Gran said.

“Thank you. I’m sure it will be.”

The meal was simple but surprisingly well-prepared. As they ate, Eleanor continued conversing with Gran.

“It would be best to start touring the slums tomorrow. As you can see, the rain would make it difficult today.”

“Yes, that sounds reasonable.”

“You’ll likely notice tomorrow… The number of poor people has noticeably increased since your last visit.” Gran shook his head in despair. “I don’t know where they all come from. The supplies provided by the Empress Dowager are no longer enough.”

Every day, the number of people changed. Additional support was futile. Eleanor knew that a new policy was necessary to address the root of the problem. Brianna, who had initially opposed Eleanor’s ideas, fell silent as Gran explained the situation, realizing the severity of the issue.

“If the situation is that dire, it will be difficult for just the Duchess of Mecklen and me to conduct the survey alone.” Brianna, who had been quietly eating, spoke up.

“Perhaps we should request additional assistance from the palace?” Gran suggested.

“That might be difficult,” Eleanor replied, shaking her head. “The budget for this survey is limited. Although the project is under discussion, the detailed plans haven’t been approved yet.”

“Then…?”

“We can’t give up now that we’ve come this far. We’ll conduct a random sample survey, dividing the area into sections for seven of us to cover.”

“Seven? Are there others besides us?” Gran tilted his head in confusion, and Brianna’s eyes widened in surprise at the number.

Eleanor finished the bread she was eating and smiled slightly. “Aren’t there four more people here besides us?”

“……?”

“I’m sure they’ll agree to help.”

Raul, who had been standing guard, glanced down at Eleanor, his expression unreadable.

***

The next day, the rain fortunately ceased, allowing them to proceed with their plans. To Eleanor’s surprise, the knights, including Raul, readily agreed to assist with the survey. However, Raul insisted that their primary duty was to protect the Duchess and Lady Brianna, so they couldn’t separate from them entirely. They agreed to form teams, with Eleanor and Raul in one, Brianna and another knight in another, and the remaining three knights covering different areas.

The region Eleanor and Raul were assigned to was the most central and dangerous part of the slums. Raul objected, but Eleanor insisted that as the project leader, she needed to see it for herself.

“This is terrible,” Eleanor whispered as they walked through the maze-like alleys.

Raul didn’t respond, but his expression indicated agreement. The scene was indeed horrific. People scavenged through trash for food, while others lay weak and helpless on the ground, surrounded by swarms of unknown insects.

‘How could things have been allowed to get this bad?’ Eleanor frowned, unable to understand.

Their schedule included a meeting with the mayor of Hadum. When she met him, she intended to ask how the city had been managed so far.

“Winter is coming soon. This is going to be a big problem,” Eleanor remarked.

“Yes,” Raul replied.

Despite wearing a plain, dark dress, Eleanor stood out in the slums. The lifeless eyes of the residents followed her every move, but contrary to Raul’s fears, none of them had the strength to approach her. The paper and pencil in her hands held no interest for them.

“It would be best not to go any further,” Raul warned as they approached a narrowing path on an incline. The walls, made of loosely stacked stones, looked ready to collapse at any moment. Raul blocked Eleanor’s way.

“Would it be too much if I went alone?” she asked.

“No,” Raul replied firmly.

Though disappointed, Eleanor couldn’t convince him otherwise. Turning back, she continued to mark her map with stars, indicating important areas. There were far more than twenty such spots.

‘This will require more funding.’

Eleanor sighed inwardly, realizing that the entire plan would need to be reworked from the ground up. As they came to a fork in the road, she decided to take a different path than the one they had just traveled.

The path grew rougher, and the further they went, the more Eleanor’s tension increased. The people they encountered now were larger and sometimes cast threatening glances at them. Some even eyed her dress with curiosity.

“Be careful,” Raul warned, stepping in front of Eleanor.

A man who was about to collide with Eleanor stopped just in time. He glared at Raul, but Raul didn’t flinch. The man spat on the ground and moved aside.

“Thank you.”

Eleanor realized she needed to be more cautious. She followed closely behind Raul, careful not to stray.

In addition to the hostile men, there were people collapsed on the ground. As Eleanor walked on, her foot suddenly caught on something.

“Oh…!”

“Lady Eleanor!”

Raul caught her just as she was about to fall. Thanks to his quick reflexes, Eleanor avoided hitting the ground and managed to steady herself.

“I must have tripped on something. Here… Ah!”

She froze as a rough, gnarled hand wrapped around her ankle. It felt like the hand of an old tree, but she was sure it belonged to a person.

“Should I remove it?”

“Wait a moment.”

Raul looked ready to strike the person below, so Eleanor stopped him. Instead of reacting with anger, she cautiously knelt down, searching for the hand hidden beneath her dress.

“Lady… Eleanor… Lady Eleanor…”

“……!”

The voice was faint, but it unmistakably called her name. Eleanor carefully moved the hair away from the person’s face and gasped.

‘Becky.’

Eleanor’s heart pounded in her chest as she recognized the woman lying on the ground.

***

“She’s badly injured,” the doctor said after carefully disinfecting Becky’s wounds. “Change the bandages as soon as they get dirty. And make sure she takes her medicine after she wakes up and eats.”

“Thank you,” Eleanor replied.

After seeing the doctor out, Eleanor returned to sit by Becky’s bedside. The doctor had warned that Becky’s wounds would likely leave scars. The fever was due to a severe cold, but fortunately, there were no other illnesses.

Becky had fallen asleep almost immediately after being treated, her breathing now steady. The soft bed, in stark contrast to the hard, cold ground she had been used to, must have overwhelmed her with fatigue.

As Eleanor watched the sleeping woman, she was overwhelmed by indescribable emotions. Seeing the wounds on Becky’s back with her own eyes had been heartbreaking.

Knock, knock.

“Is she alright?”

“Ah, Sir Raul. Yes, she’s fine.”

Raul, who had been waiting outside, entered the room and inquired about Becky’s condition.

“That’s a relief.”

“It’s thanks to you that she received proper care. Thank you for bringing her here.”

“You’re very welcome.”

Eleanor knew that she wouldn’t have been able to bring Becky here on her own. Thanks to Raul, who had carried Becky without hesitation, they had safely made it to the inn. Grateful, Eleanor thanked him again.

“But… did you know this woman from before?”

Raul’s question made Eleanor pause.