Duchess Mecklen’s Elegant Revolt - Chapter 11 Part 3

“Ugh.”

“Are you awake?”

Eleanor finally breathed a sigh of relief as she watched Brianna, who had just woken up. She had feared the worst when Brianna didn’t wake up for so long. Eleanor helped Brianna sit up.

“Where are we?” Brianna asked.

“I don’t know either,” Eleanor replied.

They found themselves in a damp prison. With no windows and all sides blocked, the only light came from a single candle hanging on the wall. Eleanor walked toward the firmly shut wooden door. She grabbed the handle and tried to shake it, but it was no use.

“Who on earth would dare to do such a thing…!”

Brianna’s voice carried a note of incredulity. She had heard that bandits occasionally robbed merchants’ goods in the border regions, but she had never imagined being kidnapped in broad daylight on a perfectly ordinary road.

“Who could they possibly be?”

“Well, it’s hard to guess for now,” Eleanor replied. She had a few suspects in mind, but they weren’t enough to pin down the culprit. Returning to Brianna’s side, Eleanor slowly sat down on the floor. It was only then that Brianna noticed the state of her dress.

“My dress!”

It was completely ruined, covered in filth and dust. Brianna, on the verge of tears, quickly touched her ears. Fortunately, her pearl earrings were still there.

Eleanor, noticing Brianna’s sigh of relief, remarked, “It seems they weren’t after valuables, since they didn’t take your earrings. This doesn’t appear to be a mere robbery.”

“You’re right,” Brianna muttered, her initial outrage diminishing. “This is the worst.”

“……”

“I knew I shouldn’t have come to this filthy slum.”

Brianna sank into her own world, dejected. It was rare for a young lady from a prestigious family to be kidnapped, and she couldn’t fight off the creeping fear, sending her into a mild panic.

She continued to murmur to herself, “It smells so bad and is absolutely disgusting. Why on earth did we come here to help these people? I get that their situation is pitiful, but why should we be responsible for their poverty?”

Soon, her anger turned toward Eleanor. “This is all your fault.”

“……”

“What was so important about this wretched slum?”

Brianna glared at Eleanor, her face flushed with anger. “Couldn’t we have just sent some lower-ranked officials to investigate and given orders from above? Why do we have to endure this humiliation, going through all this trouble, only to be kidnapped?”

“But Lady Brianna, it was Her Majesty who instructed you to come here.”

That’s right, it was. Brianna, about to agree, quickly shut her mouth.

“Yes, but still! It’s so unfair!”

Her earlier anxiety vanished in an instant, replaced by a sense of indignation. Just as Brianna was about to further express her grievances, Eleanor spoke up.

“I’m sorry.”

“……?”

Brianna wondered if she had misheard. She cautiously asked, “What did you say?”

“I’m sorry.”

“……”

Was Eleanor someone who apologized so easily? Instead of feeling pleased by the apology, Brianna found it awkward.

“I don’t know what our captors want, but I do know one thing,” Eleanor continued.

“And what’s that?”

“It has something to do with me.”

Their carriage had been a particularly luxurious one. Even looking back before her regression, there weren’t many cases where noble carriages were attacked so brazenly. The fact that their coachman had been bribed and they had been handed over to a group indicated that their captors had a very specific need to prevent their escape.

Whether it was political or personal revenge, Eleanor sensed that someone she knew might be behind this.

‘Umar? Caroline? Or could it be those in the imperial opposition who dislike Duke Mecklen?’

Brianna suddenly remembered something and blurted out, “Countess Lorentz was right.”

“What do you mean?”

“She told me not to get too close to you, said you were a dangerous woman.”

Eleanor’s eyes narrowed slightly. Brianna, unaware of what she was saying, continued, “I should have insisted on going separately. Then I wouldn’t have had to suffer like this.”

“Did the Countess have a reason for calling me dangerous?”

“I don’t know. It was just something she mentioned in passing.”

Brianna, suddenly worried, added, “But don’t suspect her because of this. She has no reason to be involved in something like this.”

“Are you close with Countess Lorentz?”

“No, not really. She’s just always been kind to me, so we’ve gotten friendly.”

Brianna spoke openly, not feeling the need to hide anything. After all, what could Eleanor do with this information now?

“The Countess has a good network within the palace. She’s served Her Majesty for the longest among the ladies-in-waiting, so it’s only natural that she knows a lot of people.”

“I see.”

“There’s no good that can come from wrongly accusing her when there’s no evidence of her involvement,” Brianna pleaded, not wanting things to escalate. She was already stressed enough by the rumors involving Childe and the dress she had given as evidence. The last thing she needed was more trouble stemming from her words.

“Forget what I just said,” Brianna urged.

“I will,” Eleanor replied smoothly, noticing Brianna’s concern. This eased Brianna’s worry a little, and she relaxed her shoulders.

“What’s going to happen to us now?”

“I don’t know.”

Having given up on saving her dress, Brianna leaned her back against the old wall without hesitation. Eleanor, too, sat comfortably next to her. The two women, sitting side by side and staring at the door, shared a moment of awkward silence, like old friends meeting after a long time.

“We won’t… be sold off somewhere, will we?” Brianna asked fearfully.

Eleanor calmly reassured her, “It’s unlikely they’d sell us off in this day and age, with the law being so strict.”

“The law?”

“Yes. About thirty years ago, Emperor Heinrich II enacted laws against human trafficking. Since then, there’s been a strong crackdown on trafficking rings, and it’s now almost impossible to find.”

“You’re very knowledgeable,” Brianna remarked, glancing at Eleanor in surprise.

How did a foreign princess know such things? It seemed she knew more about history and law than Brianna did.

Sensing Brianna’s curious gaze, Eleanor dismissed it lightly, “I studied it on my own.”

Though, it had been forced study, thanks to Caroline. Eleanor quickly changed the subject, “So as long as we’re not near the border, we shouldn’t have too much to worry about.”

“As long as we’re not near the border…?”

“The further from the center, the weaker the law’s influence becomes.”

“Ah.”

“Especially near the Bahama border. Unlike other countries, Bahama still has slavery, so human trafficking is quite common.”

It was a story she had heard ten years ago. Things were likely still the same.

“Moreover, many criminals who have fled the law hide out in that region, making it even more dangerous.”

“That’s terrifying.”

“Yes, it is. That’s why it’s important for the country to keep a close watch—”

“No, I meant you,” Brianna interrupted, turning fully toward Eleanor. The Duchess of Mecklen was an intriguing woman. Her extensive knowledge, comparable to that of a Badenite, and the depth of her experiences set her apart.

“How do you know so much? Have you been there?”

“I passed through the area briefly.”

“When was that?”

Brianna’s curiosity took an unexpected turn. Eleanor, realizing that conversation was all they had to occupy themselves, decided to indulge her. Perhaps talking would help ease Brianna’s nerves as well.

“It was when I was much younger. To get to Bahama from Hartmann, you had to pass through the Baden Empire. Before crossing the border, I witnessed human trafficking firsthand.”

“My goodness.”

Brianna was fascinated by Eleanor’s experiences, which she herself had never encountered. It was pure curiosity, tinged with a faint sense of connection to the victims she would never know.

“It was a rather reckless act. I had wandered off, ignoring my nanny’s warning to stay close, and that’s when I came across it. Fortunately, a knight who had followed me managed to get me out of trouble.”

Recalling her reckless childhood, when she had confessed to Lennoch, made Eleanor feel a bit embarrassed. Back then, she hadn’t known what gave her the courage to confront those traffickers so boldly. She had charged in, armed only with a small sword, to confront the men who were whipping the children confined in wooden cages.

“Were you able to free those children?”

“Yes. We took them all to a village some distance away.”

Some of the nobles accompanying her had complained about the disruption to their schedule caused by the young princess’s impulsive decision. Moreover, there was concern that if the Emperor of Baden learned of a foreign princess interfering in his country’s affairs, it could become a sensitive diplomatic issue.

“It’s fortunate it didn’t cause any problems.”

Eleanor didn’t respond to Brianna’s remark, as she was suddenly overwhelmed by memories that had been buried for a long time. A face she had almost forgotten resurfaced—an image of a child with thick gray hair covering half of his face. Whenever the wind blew, she would catch a glimpse of his green eyes through the strands.

The boy was small and emaciated, dressed in ragged clothing. Eleanor smiled to herself at the memory.

‘He was quite something, too.’

When the cage door opened, the boy fearlessly picked up a dropped axe and swung it at the surrounding enemies. After the situation settled, Eleanor had a brief conversation with him.

“I’m Eleanor. What’s your name?”

“…Name?”

“Yes. What’s your name?”

“Uh…” The boy struggled to answer.

“Don’t you have a name?”

“……”

“That’s okay. If you don’t have a name, you can just make one,” Eleanor cheerfully suggested. “Is there a name you’d like?”

“Well… I’m not sure.”

“What would be a good name? I don’t know what names are popular in Baden. Are they similar to ours? In our country, Lennoch is a very popular name. It means ‘luck’.”

“Really? Then I’ll take that.”

“Aren’t you deciding too quickly? You should think about it a bit more. There’s also Thomas, Jane… or how about Yuri?”

“I like Lennoch.”

“Why?”

“Because it means luck.”

The boy, who eagerly accepted the name Lennoch, grinned. Though his lower face was mostly hidden by his hair, the upward curve of his lips clearly showed his happiness.

“Even so… I’d like to give you a name that’s just yours.”

“A name just for me?”

“Yes, a name just for you. Hmm… How about Lennox? Do you like Lennox?”

“…Aren’t they practically the same?”

“No, they’re different.”

Eleanor crossed her arms and declared confidently, “This name is unique to you. Lennox is special.”

“Alright, I like it.”

“…You really accept things easily.”

Eleanor gave him a bewildered look, but the boy just smiled brightly.

“From now on, my name is Lennox.”

***