Duchess Mecklen’s Elegant Revolt - Chapter 6 Part 6

“It’s been a while since we last met.”

“Well, look who it is. Evan!”

“Do you have a moment to talk?”

“Of course. How’s the Duke?”

“He’s well. I’m here on his behalf. He asked me to convey his regret that he couldn’t attend due to the palace invitation.”

“Ah, yes. I understand that well.” The Marquis of Liege laughed heartily.

His hair, as fiery red as Brianna’s, was thinning at the top, revealing a patch of white. Rubbing his balding head out of habit, the Marquis led Evan to a quieter spot.

“When are you heading into the palace? I heard you’ve been officially selected for a court position.”

“Next month.”

“Good, good. When you meet His Majesty, be sure to put in a good word for me.”

“Of course.”

“But what made you decide to enter the palace? Your brother mentioned you had no interest in administrative work.” As they entered the indoor garden, the Marquis of Liege asked the question that had been on his mind.

Evan, who followed him inside, responded with a subtle smile. “I thought it might be worth experiencing at least once.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll do well. I know you’ve got a sharp mind.”

“Thank you.”

The Marquis of Liege held Evan’s intelligence in high regard. While others lauded Eger as a genius, the Marquis knew Evan was just as exceptional.

‘It wouldn’t be a bad idea to push Eger aside and have Evan take his place,’ the Marquis thought. Just as this idea crossed his mind, Evan spoke up.

“About Lady Brianna.”

“Hmm?” The Marquis stopped in his tracks at the mention of his only daughter.

“She’s an exceptionally bright young lady, but it’s unfortunate. I heard there aren’t any suitable matches for her.”

“Ah… Yes, that’s true.”

“I’ve also heard that the Empress Dowager is quite fond of Lady Brianna.”

“All because of that wretched girl. That damn princess ruined everything.” The Marquis of Liege ground his teeth as the conversation turned to marriage.

The object of his ire was Eleanor, the Princess of Hartmann. Brianna wasn’t the only one displeased that Eleanor had taken a place in the Mecklen duchy. The Marquis had once set his sights on the Duke of Mecklen for his daughter, only for her to end up as the discarded option. Even now, though things had improved, the Marquis still harbored feelings of betrayal toward the Duke of Mecklen.

Sensing the Marquis’s frustration, Evan responded with a sympathetic tone. “I’m sure you’ll find a suitable match.”

“What match could compare to the Duke of Mecklen? Do you think I raised Brianna to marry some mediocre man? She deserves someone who can appreciate the investment I’ve made in her. It’s frustrating when there aren’t any men capable of purchasing a high-priced porcelain.”

The Marquis spoke harshly, treating his daughter like a commodity. His face was flushed with anger, and Evan subtly egged him on. “There is one position that would be perfect.”

“Where?”

“Much higher than the Duke of Mecklen. A position where she could become the most powerful woman in the Empire.”

The Marquis’s eyes widened in surprise.

Evan smiled. “The position beside His Majesty the Emperor is still vacant.”

***

That night, Eleanor stayed in the room Norah had prepared for her, but sleep didn’t come easily.

“After being expelled from the Mecklen duchy, rumors spread like wildfire in society. The Hippias family considered it a disgrace to their name.”

Rachel von Hippias was completely ostracized from high society, and after that, no noble ever saw her again. The Hippias family, in their effort to restore their tarnished honor, found that the negative public opinion only grew stronger. In the end, the head of the family decided it was better to let the scandal be buried, doing everything possible to erase Rachel from people’s memories.

“Friends of mine who were around the same age all remember that incident. We’ve avoided discussing it, hoping not to reopen old wounds. Rachel insisted on her innocence until the end, but she could never clear her name.”

“What exactly happened…?” Eleanor hesitated, but finally asked after much contemplation.

Countess Hilda summarized it in one word. “Adultery.”

With a heavy sigh, Eleanor turned over in bed. The Duchess before Caroline had been caught in an affair, discovered by the Duke of Mecklen, who then cast her out with nothing. If it had been a minor noble family, the scandal might have blown over quickly. But both the Hippias and Mecklen families were too prestigious, causing the scandal to spiral out of control until even the Empress Dowager had to intervene. Divorce was inevitable, and the head of the Hippias family could no longer show his face at social gatherings due to the intense criticism and ridicule.

After the divorce, Rachel was never seen again, her whereabouts unknown. It was as if she had vanished.

‘To think that Rachel and I are alike…’

Countess Hilda had clarified that while their appearances were different, the resemblance in atmosphere was uncanny, and she had looked at Eleanor with a strange expression, as if seeing Rachel herself.

A shiver suddenly ran down Eleanor’s spine. She revisited the detail that had been bothering her.

“If Rachel was the former Duchess, then what happened to her son?”

According to Countess Hilda, Rachel and the former Duke of Mecklen had no children. However, Eleanor knew that Caroline was aware of the former Duchess’s child. If her suspicions were correct, that child would be Ernst’s half-sibling.

But if Rachel had been cast out because of her affair, could her child actually be unrelated to Ernst, a child from a different father altogether?

“It’s so complicated.”

Her mind swirled with countless thoughts, leaving her feeling mentally tangled. Eleanor felt a sharp headache coming on and raised her hand to her forehead. It seemed she needed to start from the beginning, and investigate the former Duchess in more detail.

***

Becky tiptoed like a cat. Lately, the mood of the Duchess Dowager had been anything but pleasant. It was common for her to lock up and beat the servants under the pretense of discipline, monitoring their every move—what they did, who they met, and how they carried out their tasks. A maid around Becky’s age had quietly informed her of the reason behind Caroline’s violent behavior towards her.

Apparently, a spy had been discovered in the mansion. Although the details were unclear, the maid whispered to Becky that someone had been dragged away in the dead of night.

‘I should finish up quickly and get out of here.’

Becky entered Caroline’s bedroom with a rag in hand. Oddly enough, Caroline, who was usually seated in her chair, was nowhere to be seen. Caroline despised anyone entering her private space, but she couldn’t clean on her own, so she had no choice but to rely on the maids. The room was always cleaned at a set time, and always under Caroline’s watchful eye.

“This is strange…”

Should I be doing this now?

Becky hesitated but decided to go ahead and clean quickly. There had to be a reason why Caroline wasn’t there, but she didn’t have time to think about it. She moved swiftly, knowing she had to finish as quickly as possible.

As the once-white rag darkened with dust, she suddenly heard a thud.

“Ouch!”

Was she in too much of a hurry? She had bumped her knee against the bookshelf that stood against the wall. The impact caused several books to fall to the floor. Panicked, Becky quickly gathered the fallen books.

“Where do I put this back?”

As she placed each book back into the empty spaces, she noticed a letter that had fallen out. It must have been tucked between the pages. Unsure where it belonged, Becky, after some deliberation, slipped the letter into the thickest book among the fallen ones.

[Vito.]

The word, written in flowing cursive, caught her eye, but Becky ignored it and hurried to finish. If Madam were to return…

The thought of the whip’s crackling sound made her shudder. Holding the dirty rag, Becky confirmed there was nothing left to clean, and with trembling hands, she opened the door.

“Ah!”

Hiccup.

“What are you doing?”

“M-Madam…!” Becky stammered, her eyes wide with fear as she found herself face to face with Caroline in a red dress, glaring suspiciously at her.

***

The next day, Eleanor arrived at work with Norah, and the day began much like the previous one.

“Countess Lorentz seems to be unwell again today.”

Absent for two consecutive days.

It was puzzling to Eleanor, especially during the busy time of the Harvest Festival, but there wasn’t much to inquire about when someone was sick.

With a few days of experience, Eleanor handled the documents smoothly. She sorted through the smaller reports, organizing them separately, and grouped the more significant issues by category.

After lunch, she went out briefly for external duties, then returned to continue with the administrative work. Today, like yesterday, was repetitive.

‘Is Lennoch dealing with the same thing?’ she wondered, remembering Lennoch’s complaints about how no one in the palace worked harder than him.

“Lady Eleanor, Her Majesty is asking for you.”

Responding to the summons, Eleanor made her way to where the Empress Dowager was. If her guess was right, the reason for the call was…

“You’re here.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Empress Dowager was seated alone again, peering through her reading glasses at a piece of paper. She remained silent for a moment, and just as a hint of restlessness began to creep in, she finally looked up and slowly removed her glasses.

“It’s about Adler.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

So it had come to this.

Holding her glasses in hand, the Empress Dowager turned to Eleanor, her wrinkled eyes softening. “He’s asking for time to spend with you. He mentioned hearing from the Kingdom of Bahama that you had become my lady-in-waiting.”

As expected, it was about Adler. The Empress Dowager explained in detail what Adler had discussed during his audience.

“He said he attended the Harvest Festival, swallowing his pride, because he was worried about how his sister was doing. Initially, he intended to just see your face and leave, but now he wants to spend time with his only remaining family and has requested to stay in Baden for about two months.”

Eleanor’s gaze dropped slightly.

“Officially, the process for such a stay should be initiated at least three months in advance. When I asked about this, he claimed he didn’t know the procedure because he had rushed here. He understands that it’s impossible, but asked if it could be done under my authority.”

“……”

“He’s very concerned about you. He said there hasn’t been a single day since you left Hartmann that he hasn’t thought about you. He seemed sincere, though he didn’t show it outwardly. The Marquis of Mathia, who accompanied him, seemed quite worried about his condition, noticing he didn’t look well.”

As she spoke, the Empress Dowager observed Eleanor’s face. With her eyes lowered, it was hard to tell what she was thinking.

“If you wish, I can allow him to stay in the palace.”

“……!”

“Don’t feel pressured; speak freely. I want to hear your true feelings.”

“Your Majesty…”

Eleanor slowly raised her head, touched by the Empress Dowager’s kindness. The Empress Dowager seemed genuinely concerned, her eyes warm with care. It was that warmth that allowed Eleanor to make her decision.

Eleanor’s blue eyes deepened. “When Your Majesty first asked me, I told you what kind of person Adler is.”

“Yes, you did.”

“I told you then, Adler always puts himself first. He’s sociable, but cold, quick to calculate, and has excellent judgment.”

Eleanor’s eyes narrowed, much like the Empress Dowager’s. “It would be best to refuse Adler’s request.”

“……!”

Their eyes met in midair.

The Empress Dowager was visibly surprised by Eleanor’s unexpected response. The slightly parted lips revealed her astonishment. Struggling to find words, the Empress Dowager finally spoke.

“…I’m surprised.”