Duchess Mecklen’s Elegant Revolt - Chapter 9 Part 2

The Emperor’s office.

“You are truly heartless, Your Majesty.”

“Heartless? Come now, Eger, I’m giving this to you because I trust you. Who else could I rely on as much as you?”

“It’s not because you trust me; it’s because there’s no one else you can hand it off to right now.”

“If it’s too much, you can postpone it until tomorrow night. We have plenty of time tomorrow too, don’t we?”

“But what if I can’t finish it all by tomorrow?”

“Then that’s your responsibility.”

“……”

Eger felt the familiar frustration of trying to converse with Lennoch. He had a feeling that one day, if he ever collapsed, it would be due to sheer exasperation. Recently, as Lennoch’s workload kept getting pushed back, Eger’s share had increased significantly. The reason for these delays?

“Are you going to visit the Duchess again tonight?” Eger asked as he moved the pile of documents the Emperor had handed him to a side desk.

The last time Lennoch claimed he was going to check on something, he had ended up running to Eleanor. This time, the uneasy feeling creeping up his spine told him something similar was about to happen.

Eger’s eyes, behind his glasses, narrowed. “Why don’t you just be honest with the Duchess?”

“About what?”

“About divorcing and meeting her officially.”

“……!”

Lennoch, who had just finished putting on his clothes, froze for a moment. After a brief silence, he spoke in a slightly subdued voice. “It’s not that simple.”

There were many complicated issues intertwined between them. Lennoch avoided giving a detailed explanation, but Eger could guess.

Feeling a bit sympathetic, Eger shook his head. “I’m saying this because it’s frustrating.”

“What is?”

“This is the first time I’ve seen you show such interest in a woman.”

Eger had been working in the palace since Empress Edea’s time, so he knew very well how the Emperor had treated her. Lennoch had treated Empress Edea exactly the same way he treated the Empress Dowager. He took care of her without neglect, but there was always an invisible wall between the Emperor and Empress Edea. They never quarreled, and there were no specific issues, but… What had been the problem between them?

Recalling the past, Eger let out something akin to a sigh. “I will never marry for political reasons.”

“Hm? Why not?” Lennoch, who was changing into his outdoor clothes, asked.

“Because I’ve never heard you say that marriage made you happy, Your Majesty.”

“……”

“My mother always said that a life without love isn’t happy. To be happy, you need to learn how to love. And looking at you now, that seems to be the case.”

Eger’s mother was the Empress Dowager’s younger sister, making her Lennoch’s aunt. Her name was Josephine von Nestor.

Josephine had followed her beliefs and married for love, even defying the opposition around her to wed a poor baron. At first, the previous Duke Nestor had been furious, refusing to accept her as a member of the family, but in the end, he couldn’t help but yield to his daughter’s wishes. Instead of raising Josephine’s husband’s title, he gave him the Nestor name, which allowed Eger, Josephine’s son, to become part of the Nestor family as well.

Lennoch was very familiar with Josephine’s love story, having heard it so often from the Empress Dowager that he could practically recite it himself.

After changing into his clothes, Lennoch casually remarked, “So, how are things going with Lady Joshua?”

“Y-Your Majesty!” Eger’s ears turned bright red in an instant.

Seeing his honest reaction, Lennoch grinned. “Eger, unlike me, I hope you succeed.”

“Sigh, whenever you’re at a disadvantage, you always bring up Lady Joshua. We’re not even at a stage where I can talk about success or anything like that.”

“Then should I help you?”

“No! Absolutely not. Never!” Just the thought of it was terrifying. Eger frantically waved his hands in protest.

Meanwhile, Lennoch, who had put on a mask, chuckled. After the last masquerade ball, Lennoch had switched to a silver mask.

“Today, I’m really going to the boutique, so please cover for me.”

“…Understood.”

Grumbling all the while, Eger dutifully returned to the desk. Trusting his reliable cousin to take care of the office, Lennoch suddenly leaped out the window.

***

It took quite some time before Lennoch reappeared in the boutique district after slipping out of the palace. He paused briefly in front of a run-down shop frequented occasionally by lower nobles, carefully surveying his surroundings. Then, he entered through the kitchen door at the back of the boutique.

“Your Majesty,” a man who had been waiting for him inside greeted him warmly. It was Count Hilda, Norah’s father.

“So, you’ve got the results?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Let’s sit down first.”

Count Hilda, who seemed excited as if he had made a significant discovery, sat beside Lennoch on a sofa arranged inside the shop. The scent of leather, characteristic of boutiques, permeated the air. Count Hilda carefully opened a wooden box that had been placed on the table.

Lennoch, upon seeing what was inside, showed a puzzled expression. “What is this?”

“A flower.”

“What’s its name?”

“That, I do not know.”

“Is it poisonous?”

“No, it’s not.”

Despite the vague and roundabout answers, Lennoch did not get angry. Instead, he picked up the flower from the box. A purple flower. It seemed familiar, but he couldn’t recall where he had seen it before.

Sensing Lennoch’s curiosity, Count Hilda calmly explained, “This flower was always mixed in with the tea that the late Empress drank.”

“……!”

Lennoch froze as he stared at the flower. “I must have mentioned this before. We examined all of the utensils used by the Empress, but found no trace of poison. In fact, her body showed no signs of any known toxins.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

Because of this, the Empress’s death was determined to be due to illness, and a state funeral was held. It was hard to believe that someone who had always been declared healthy by the doctors would die from illness. However, since there was no clear evidence, everyone chalked it up to a rare disease and moved on.

But a year ago, while sorting through the Empress’s belongings, something unusual was discovered. Empress Edea had been an outstanding student at the academy, and she had brought many of her books with her when she entered the palace. The books in her library reacted to the presence of toxins, though no poison was found, and it wasn’t a poison that had been detected in her body. Therefore, it was difficult to consider it conclusive evidence of poisoning.

Since then, Lennoch and Count Hilda had been secretly smuggling the Empress’s belongings out of the palace and conducting experiments.

“There is a substance that consistently reacts with the K.Y. reagent in several of the late Empress’s personal items. It’s not poison, but it does react to the reagent.”

“Not poison, yet it’s found in multiple places?”

“Yes. And among the foods the Empress consumed, this flower is the only thing that reacts to the K.Y. reagent.” Count Hilda continued his explanation without pause, “I suspect it may be part of a compound poison. We’ve only found this purple flower so far, but I believe there might be two or three ingredients combined. We’re currently focusing on rechecking the flower tea.”

It was a clue, though there was still a long way to go. Even so, Lennoch felt somewhat reassured and commended Count Hilda for his efforts.

“So, where can this flower be found?”

“Well…,” Count Hilda scratched his head. “I’ve searched through encyclopEdeas and most flower reference books, but I can’t find its name or even know when and how it blooms.”

“……”

“It’s not feasible to search every inch of the land, so…,” Count Hilda trailed off, glancing at the Emperor for his reaction.

“It seems we have a long way to go,” Lennoch sighed.

“My apologies, Your Majesty.”

“It’s fine. I’ll look into this flower as well. We have plenty of time.”

Though the results were not as conclusive as he had hoped, Lennoch was satisfied enough. He believed that with persistent effort, they would eventually find the answer. With that thought in mind, Lennoch continued to examine the purple flower, unwilling to let it go easily.

***

Eleanor found it difficult to fall asleep. The image of the prince she had seen during the day kept lingering in her mind.

‘He’s blind?’

No one had ever mentioned it before, so Eleanor hadn’t known that the prince couldn’t see. It was a testament to how thoroughly Lennoch had controlled the information around him. She had been startled at first by the prince’s blindness, but the feeling quickly gave way to sadness as she thought about how the little child seemed so desperate for affection.

Could it be that, after the late Empress’s death, he struggled to receive the love he needed?

The prince had clung to her, refusing to let go, making it quite difficult for the Empress Dowager and her to return. If the nanny hadn’t intervened, Prince Hail might have followed Eleanor all the way back to her room. The experienced nanny had calmed the prince with just a few words. Although Eleanor promised to visit again, she wasn’t someone who could visit whenever she pleased.

If this keeps up, I really won’t be able to sleep, she thought, pulling the blanket up to cover her face.

She had been especially tired lately, not only because of the increased workload but also because of all the things she had to worry about. Though she had remained outwardly calm during the Childe scandal, inside, she had been more anxious than anyone.

“Let’s just sleep.”

At this rate, she might stay up all night. Eleanor squeezed her eyes shut.

Tap.

“……?”

Tap.

A faint tapping sound reached her ears from the window. Eleanor pulled the blanket off and looked outside. The bright moonlight made it possible to see somewhat clearly. Slowly, she got out of bed and approached the window. When she opened it, she immEdeately noticed a man clad entirely in black.

“Lennoch?”

“Shh.” Concerned that someone from the Empress Dowager’s palace might hear them, Lennoch raised a finger to his lips.

Leaning against the balcony rail, Eleanor spoke in a hushed tone. “What are you doing here at this hour?”

“I just wanted to see your face for a moment. If you hadn’t woken up, I would have left quietly.”

“How could I not wake up with you making that much noise?”

“Oh dear, it seems I disturbed your sleep. I’m sorry.”

She hadn’t been sleeping, but something about the situation made her want to tease him. Eleanor nodded, pretending to accept his apology. Lennoch’s expression immEdeately turned apologetic.

“I’ll leave now.”

“I’m just joking.” Seeing that he might actually leave after apologizing a hundred times, Eleanor quickly revealed the truth. “Actually, I couldn’t sleep either. I had a lot on my mind.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“But won’t you be tired tomorrow?”

Lennoch’s concern was genuine. The idea of someone worrying about her didn’t feel so bad, and a gentle smile appeared on Eleanor’s face.

“What about you, Your Majesty? What have you been doing, staying up so late?”

“I had a lot on my mind too.”

Is this payback for earlier?

His response, echoing her own words, amused Eleanor, and just as she was about to say something else, Lennoch spoke first. “If it’s alright with you, would you care to take a walk with me?”