Duchess Mecklen’s Elegant Revolt - Chapter 9 Part 4

“…Why are you here?”

Eleanor found herself confronted by Ernst, who stood in her way. It had only been a few hours since she received permission from the Empress Dowager and her request for a visit to Childe had been approved. How Ernst knew of her plans to meet Childe was beyond her, but there he was, standing guard at the entrance to the prison.

Unable to hide her frustration, Eleanor said, “Move aside.”

“No.”

Ernst clearly had no intention of moving. With his arms crossed and a stern look, he resembled a gatekeeper guarding the gates of hell.

Eleanor tried to step aside, determined to get past. But then—

“Ouch…!”

She almost collided with Ernst, and the close brush left her feeling even more agitated. The realization that she had nearly bumped her forehead into him made her expression grow even colder.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“I’ll take you back to the palace. It’s time to go.”

“This is a personal matter. Don’t interfere.”

“It’s my business, too.”

Their exchange of words was sharp and quick, like swords clashing in a duel. Ernst’s stubbornness only fueled Eleanor’s resolve to get past him, no matter what. She moved to the left—

“Ah…”

But once again, Ernst quickly sidestepped to block her path. Eleanor glared at him, her face flushed with anger.

“Why are you doing this?”

She tried going to the right. She made a quick feint to the right and then darted to the left. But Ernst was relentless. As the two of them continued their back-and-forth dance, the guards watching them began to murmur behind them.

“You’re planning to meet Childe, aren’t you?”

“Yes, it’s a visitation.”

“Visitation?” Ernst scoffed, exhaling a sharp breath. “Should I really allow my wife to visit another man under the guise of a visitation?”

“……!”

Eleanor was stunned. Wife? When had she ever become his wife? It was as if Ernst had suddenly decided to start acting like a jealous husband, which left her utterly speechless.

Eleanor, who had no intention of understanding Ernst’s argument, glared at him firmly. “Move aside,” she insisted, her voice firm.

Recognizing the determination in her voice, Ernst’s eyes narrowed sharply.

“…I guess I have no choice.”

“What do you—Ah!”

Suddenly, her vision blurred as Ernst scooped her up. The sudden change in height left Eleanor startled, and she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck. With one arm under her knees and the other supporting her back, Ernst began walking without so much as a backward glance.

Eleanor let out a small, panicked cry. “What do you think you’re doing?!”

“I told you, you should have listened when I asked.”

No matter how much she struggled, Ernst refused to put her down. He was determined to carry her back to the palace.

Exasperated, Eleanor shouted, “Are you crazy?”

“You should watch your language. It would be better if you spoke more gracefully, like a proper Duchess.”

“In this situation, who has the time to be graceful? Who’s the one being rude and inconsiderate right now?”

“Rude?” Ernst abruptly stopped walking.

Still clinging to him, Eleanor had no choice but to meet his icy gaze. His eyes were cold enough to send chills down her spine, but Eleanor didn’t flinch.

“……”

After a long, tense silence, Ernst resumed walking without another word. Eleanor, still held in his arms, demanded, “Why are you doing this to me?”

It was a question Ernst himself wanted to ask. Why is he doing this? Eleanor had become much more outspoken than the last time they had seen each other—though not in a way he particularly liked. She was no longer the woman who would be intimidated into silence by his words. She was the type he disliked the most—someone who wouldn’t follow his orders. And yet, he found himself more bothered by her now than ever before.

“Put me down, right now,” Eleanor insisted, but Ernst ignored her until they had walked a considerable distance.

Finally, he set her down on a quiet pathway. They had encountered some nobles along the way, but they acted as if they didn’t want to interrupt what seemed to be a tender moment between the Duke and Duchess.

As her feet touched the ground again, Eleanor inwardly despaired. “If this keeps up, there will be strange rumors spreading around the palace again…”

“He’s not worth worrying about,” Ernst interrupted before Eleanor could even finish her sentence. “Don’t meet him again. No more visitations. If you get entangled with that man again, it’ll really be the end. I won’t tolerate it, so think carefully.”

It was a threat—Ernst made it clear that if she met with Childe even one more time, he would find a way to bring her back to the mansion, no matter what.

“Do you understand me?”

“No,” Eleanor shook her head. There was no point in discussing anything with Ernst when he always imposed his will first. She turned away from him.

“Where are you going?”

“Don’t follow me,” she replied, her words childish but sincere. She desperately hoped he wouldn’t follow. She disliked Ernst’s cold and detached demeanor, but she despised even more his contradictory possessiveness.

As Eleanor walked away without looking back, Ernst’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Eleanor!”

“……!”

For the first time, Ernst called her by name. Before she could react, he closed the distance between them in an instant and grabbed her arm. The pressure from his grip, backed by a knight’s strength, was overwhelming, causing Eleanor’s complexion to pale.

She spat out her words, almost as if she was crushing them. “Are you going to resort to violence again?”

“……!”

“Of course, that’s always been your way. You prioritize force over conversation. What do you want this time? Do you still want me to quit being a lady-in-waiting?”

Even though she knew her tone was sarcastic, Ernst was at a loss for words. He wasn’t trying to gain anything in particular—his body just moved on its own, driven by his emotions. A persistent, inexplicable sense of unease had been gnawing at him, but he couldn’t quite identify its source.

Eleanor, however, was unknowingly adding fuel to the fire of his discomfort. “Are you doing this because you’re worried that meeting with Lord Childe will spark another scandal and ruin your reputation?”

“…Yes.”

Though that didn’t seem to be the reason, Ernst decided to go along with it. He forcefully matched the situation by fabricating a reason that didn’t exist.

“If rumors spread again after they’ve just settled down, your position as the Empress Dowager’s lady-in-waiting could be jeopardized. It’s best to be cautious for a while.”

Eleanor was left speechless by his reasoning. She yanked her arm free from his grasp, and luckily, Ernst let go easily.

“If that’s your reason, then you have no right to do this.”

“What did you say?”

“You personally requested my dismissal from His Majesty. You never believed that Lord Childe and I were nothing to each other.”

“That’s…”

It was true. Just as she said, he hadn’t believed her. But given the circumstances and the evidence at the time, he had no choice but to trust Childe’s words, hadn’t he?

Before Ernst could come up with a defense, Eleanor continued speaking.

“A marriage isn’t about one person unilaterally meeting someone else’s demands. Even if it’s just a relationship in name without affection,  had hoped we could maintain a good relationship through mutual agreement. You were the one who refused that back then.”

As she spoke, Eleanor held her sore arm with the one Ernst hadn’t grabbed.

“Even now, you only demand obligations from me while completely ignoring the duties you’re supposed to uphold, don’t you?”

“I have duties to uphold?”

“Yes, you do.”

Eleanor realized that Ernst still didn’t understand what she was saying. She felt a tightness in her chest.

“Don’t do this again. Don’t follow me anymore. There’s nothing more to say.”

“……”

“I’ll be leaving first.”

‘This really is goodbye,’ she thought as she lifted the hem of her dress and curtsied, as if saying farewell to a stranger. Ernst couldn’t bring himself to stop her this time. He watched as she walked away, the train of her long dress trailing behind her.

For the first time, Ernst realized just how vast the distance between them had become. Yet, despite this realization, a wave of irritation and frustration surged within him.

***

Back in her room, Eleanor collapsed onto her bed as if she might never get up again. Her arm, where Ernst had grabbed her, still throbbed with pain. As she changed into her indoor clothes, she checked her left arm. A reddish bruise had already formed on her pale skin, and it looked like it would take quite some time to heal.

She sighed, relieved only by the fact that the weather would soon turn cold, allowing her to cover it up. If it were summer, the mark would have drawn unwanted attention.

Dressed in soft silk, Eleanor decided to calm her still-racing heart with a book.

Knock, knock.

“Madam, are you busy?”

“No, come in.”

The late-night visitor was Berenice. Eleanor, who had never seen her at this hour before, welcomed her with surprise and a smile. Berenice sat across from Eleanor and immediately got to the point.

“How did the visitation go today?”

So she came because of Lord Childe, Eleanor thought. There had been a sliver of hope, but she knew there was nothing more to gain from him.

Eleanor shook her head. “I’m sorry.”

“I see,” Berenice replied, her expression darkening slightly.

Eleanor tried to comfort her. “It can’t be helped. There will be more opportunities in the future.”

“Something is bothering me,” Berenice said.

“…What is it?”

“Do you think Caroline will let him live?”

A soft gasp escaped Eleanor’s lips. Caroline. If she was truly the one behind this, she wouldn’t leave Childe to his fate so easily. Even though he didn’t seem to know anything, she wouldn’t want to risk leaving someone who could potentially be a threat alive.

Eleanor agreed with Berenice’s concern. “It doesn’t matter what happens to Lord Childe, but… it doesn’t sit well with me to see everything play out according to Caroline’s intentions.”

Just then, a maid brought in some tea. Eleanor nodded her thanks as the maid also provided some biscuits to stave off any hunger. The two women sipped their warm tea in silence for a moment.

“She’s quite a remarkable woman,” Berenice finally said, breaking the silence. “To plan something so audacious… It’s obvious that it would harm her family, yet she’s willing to sacrifice herself to escalate the situation. It’s astonishing.”

“I agree,” Eleanor replied.

“And she’s meticulous. No matter how hard we search, there’s no solid evidence tying Caroline to this incident.”

Meticulous…

Yes, Caroline was indeed meticulous, having hidden herself so thoroughly and manipulated events for so long. Caroline’s actions had been even more advantageous because Eleanor had no connections in Baden. However, no matter how thorough she was, there were no perfect secrets in this world. After all, Eleanor already knew Caroline’s secret—Ernst’s half-brother.

Come to think of it, there was someone else who knew that secret too…

‘Count Verdik.’

The thought jolted Eleanor so much that she accidentally knocked her cup, causing the tea to spill.

“Madam, are you alright?”

“Oh, I’m fine. Fortunately, not much spilled.”

“It must be hot. Here, use this.”

“Thank you.”

Eleanor accepted the handkerchief Berenice offered and wiped the tea from her hand. It was warm, but not enough to cause a burn. She fanned the slightly reddened skin with the handkerchief to cool it down.