Duchess Mecklen’s Elegant Revolt - Chapter 6 Part 9

At first, Eleanor could understand Adler’s pain. That was why, in her previous life before her regression, she still felt pity for him up until the moment she died. Adler, who was intelligent but never received his father’s love, was a child who, until the end of King Hartmann’s life, was never acknowledged.

“If I hadn’t done that, I’d be dead by now,” Adler muttered quietly.

The Kingdom of Hartmann was ruined by the extravagance of the late king and his favorite concubine, leaving the country in a state of turmoil where rebellion could have broken out at any moment. Adler had no confidence. First, he lacked the resolve to rebuild a completely broken nation, and second, he was afraid that the trust and belief placed in him as a bright prince would crumble.

While he hesitated, the starving people turned into thieves, and the country descended into endless chaos. Desperate for a way for everyone to survive, Adler made secret contact with the Baden Empire.

The nobles who opposed the merger with Baden labeled Adler a traitor for selling out the country and plotted to kill the prince, forcing him to flee to save his life.

“Eleanor, you understand, don’t you? You know how hard I tried for our country. I agonized thousands of times before signing the treaty…”

“You should have passed the throne to me instead.”

“……!”

Adler’s eyes widened in shock. He searched his sister’s face, as if he hadn’t heard her correctly. But Eleanor merely smirked at him.

“If you couldn’t bear the weight of the throne, you could have handed it to me since I was also one of the heirs.”

“T-That’s impossible,” Adler stammered, visibly flustered. “That would be placing a heavy burden on you. I’m your brother. How could I stand by and watch my sister walk such a difficult path?”

‘A lame excuse,’ Eleanor thought to herself.

“No, brother. You just didn’t want to lose what was yours.”

“……!”

“You were too afraid to take it, yet too possessive to give it up to your sister. So, you handed the country over to another nation to ensure no one else could have it.”

“Eleanor, that’s too harsh, don’t you think?”

For the first time, Adler’s expression changed, his brows furrowing deeply as his displeasure became evident.

“I only did it for the people. Do you think things would have changed if you had taken the throne? The nobles were all busy securing their own futures, and the royal family had completely lost the people’s trust.”

In the face of such instability, those in the palace left one by one. Adler found himself standing on the edge of a cliff.

“There were rebellious factions rising all over the country, but we couldn’t even dispatch the military. We didn’t have enough supplies for combat. Hartmann was like a sinking ship that could collapse at any moment. What could you have done in that situation?”

“At least I wouldn’t have run away.”

“……!”

“I wouldn’t have handed over the country without even trying, without even attempting to take the throne.” Eleanor’s voice was firm as she confronted Adler. “I would have died in the royal palace of Hartmann, holding onto the last bit of dignity as a member of the royal family.”

Behind Adler’s usually gentle expression, a faint sharpness flickered, and Eleanor noticed the subtle change.

“Foolish.” Adler’s words came out suddenly. “What would that have accomplished? Everyone would have died. If you chose an uncertain future and all the people you claim to care about ended up dead, would you be satisfied just by dying to apologize?”

Even if you weighed the pros and cons, trying to hold on would have been a loss.

“Look at the situation now. After we handed over the country, everything returned to normal.”

With the declaration of the merger, Baden’s army was dispatched to Hartmann. The emperor’s forces quickly subdued the rebels, and a regent was sent to swiftly stabilize the country.

“I’m actually grateful to the emperor of Baden.”

“……”

“If he hadn’t taken you under the guise of marriage, you would have been pelted with stones by the commoners, blamed as an incompetent member of the royal family.”

He wasn’t wrong. Her status may have been downgraded, but she was still of noble birth. That was why her life had been spared.

Suddenly, Eleanor wanted to laugh out loud.

‘A life in name only.’

When she burst into laughter, Adler flinched, startled by the sudden sound. “W-What? Why are you laughing?”

Eleanor’s laughter rang out, clear and sharp, as if mocking the very situation they found themselves in. “You’re right, brother. Thanks to you, I’m alive.”

Tears welled up in her eyes as she laughed, and she brushed them away with her slender fingers. Watching her, Adler felt a growing sense of unfamiliarity. This was not the sister he remembered. They had been apart for less than half a year, yet in that short time, something had fundamentally changed within her.

Her beautiful smile remained, but it had become more cynical, more biting—almost as if she were an entirely different person.

As Adler stood frozen, unable to respond, Eleanor continued, her voice now edged with bitterness. “What kind of fate would have awaited me if I hadn’t come to Baden? I’d have no excuse if I were blamed as a princess who couldn’t protect her country. As you said, I’d be lucky if I wasn’t pelted with stones by the commoners.”

Then, with a biting edge, she added, “But you know what? It’s the same here in Baden.”

“……?”

“The only thing that’s changed is who’s doing the hating and the criticizing. In Hartmann, it was the people. Here, it’s the nobles of Baden.”

“……”

“I’ve had my hair cut off, been slapped in the face, humiliated as a matter of routine. My feet have been trampled so badly they turned blue, and I’ve suffered injuries without even receiving proper medical care. I’ve had to endure all of this alone. That’s the life I’ve been living.”

Eleanor’s harsh words left Adler speechless, his mouth slightly agape. He hadn’t imagined such things. To him, the title of Duchess of Mecklen was far from insignificant. He had assumed she was living well, just as he was, basking in the power and wealth that came with her marriage.

When he heard she had become the Empress’s lady-in-waiting, he naturally assumed she had risen even closer to power. But now… had he been wrong?

As Adler’s mind raced, trying to piece together the reality of his sister’s situation, Eleanor drove her point home with a firm, unyielding tone. “Don’t even think about causing trouble in Baden.”

“……!”

“If you try to use me to achieve anything here, I will do everything in my power to stop you.”

“E-Eleanor…”

“This is all I have left now. This place is my only home.”

She was just beginning to earn the Empress’s trust, slowly carving out a place for herself. If Adler’s misguided actions were to destroy the fragile foundation she had painstakingly built, the despair she would feel would be far greater than anything she had experienced before.

Her will to survive drove her, gave her purpose, and kept her going day by day. She couldn’t afford to fall back to rock bottom.

“Once the Harvest Festival is over, quietly return home. Consider this a warning.”

“……”

Adler knew she meant every word. And with that, he realized that there was no going back to the way things were.

His face turned pale as his gloved hands trembled faintly, barely noticeable.

***

Ernst’s aide was flustered when his superior suddenly disappeared. It had been an hour since Ernst had said he would take a 10-minute break due to his dry eyes. While looking out the window, Ernst abruptly rushed outside. With strict orders not to follow, the aide was left helpless, anxiously pacing back and forth.

When the Duke of Mecklen finally returned after some time, his mood seemed notably low.

“Your Grace? Are you alright?” The aide cautiously asked, sensing the cold atmosphere.

“……”

Ernst was usually stern, but today, he exuded a sharpness that felt almost dangerous, like a finely honed blade that could cut at any moment. The aide, frightened, held his breath and braced himself, not daring to breathe too loudly.

“Investigate Count Adler of Bahama.”

“Pardon?”

The unexpected order left the aide wide-eyed with surprise. But Ernst wasn’t finished.

“And look into everything about Eleanor… the Hartmann princess, including the people she has met recently and those she interacted with before. I want to know how she’s been living, what she’s been doing since arriving in Baden, and every detail of her life. Report all of it to me.”

“……?”

The request kept getting more bizarre. How was he supposed to process a request to spy on his superior’s wife?

However, the aide didn’t dare question Ernst. Once the duke had spoken, he turned away and started walking off, radiating intense, inexplicable anger that the aide could feel from a distance. The aide, realizing he had no choice but to obey, sighed deeply in resignation.

“I guess I just have to do as I’m told.” He exhaled a sigh, feeling lost about where to even begin such an investigation.

But Ernst had no interest in the inner turmoil of his subordinate. He returned to his desk but found it impossible to focus on work, his mind haunted by what he had witnessed earlier.

“It’s the same here in Baden.”

“I’ve had my hair cut off, been slapped in the face, humiliated as a matter of routine. My feet have been trampled so badly they turned blue, and I’ve suffered injuries without even receiving proper medical care. I’ve had to endure all of this alone. That’s the life I’ve been living.”

‘Who could have done such a thing?’

Eleanor was part of the marriage contract, and her safety and well-being were included in the agreement. While the nobility might have whispered unflattering rumors about the princess, Ernst had never paid them any mind. His decision to marry her had been driven by the emperor’s request and the favorable conditions that came with it.

Romance and love were concepts he never concerned himself with; for Ernst, marriage was simply a good deal. His mother’s opposition had been easily overcome by citing the emperor’s command, and marrying Eleanor had bolstered the Mecklen family’s loyalty to the crown, opening doors to lands, wealth, and other benefits.

But hearing that she had suffered such indignities was unacceptable. After all, insulting his wife was tantamount to insulting him and the Mecklen family. He couldn’t tolerate that.

‘This is why I told her to stay out of things,’ he thought, blaming Eleanor’s decision to serve as one of the Empress’s ladies-in-waiting for the scorn she now faced. If she had stayed quietly within the mansion, indulging in some harmless luxury, none of this would have happened. She had drawn the scorn and persecution upon herself by being so visible and active.

‘I’ll have to tell her to stop playing the lady-in-waiting soon.’

Eleanor should never have entered the court. At some point, Ernst realized he was gripping the quill in his hand too tightly.

Snap.

The delicate quill snapped under the pressure, and the aide, who had been observing from a distance, quickly handed Ernst a new quill without a word.