Duchess Mecklen’s Elegant Revolt - Chapter 12 Part 2

“Stop working for the Empress Dowager. There’s nothing good to come from being involved with her.”

The root of this incident could be traced back to the Empress Dowager. Ernst’s mention of her carried an unmistakable hostility.

“Do you really think she cares for you? She’s only using you because it’s convenient. Who would willingly take on something as grueling as investigating the slums?”

Eleanor remained silent as Ernst carefully removed his coat from her shoulders, revealing the bruises once more. His brow furrowed at the sight.

“The Empress Dowager may seem strong-willed, but she’s surprisingly indecisive. She’s made many irrational decisions, swayed by her emotions. And she has an obsessive need to create loyal followers.”

The Mecklen family had served the imperial family with unwavering loyalty for generations, and Ernst had no intention of denying that legacy. To reject it would render his father’s death meaningless. The former Duke of Mecklen had devoted everything to Baden, choosing to stand by the late Emperor until the very end. Ernst, wanting to uphold his father’s honor, had inherited the family’s duty, living as the Emperor’s closest friend and the Empire’s sword.

“The Mecklen family serves His Majesty, not the Empress Dowager.”

Though the Emperor had grown into a fine ruler, the Empress Dowager occasionally overstepped, as if she still thought she was the regent. Ernst had long harbored resentment towards her behavior and was doing his utmost to curtail her influence. Yet, his wife, Eleanor, seemed to be moving in the opposite direction.

This time, he had to make his stance clear.

Ernst placed a damp cloth on Eleanor’s bruised shoulder. “You’re the Duchess, so why do you burden yourself with such hardships? It’s not like you’re gaining any special privileges from this.”

“……”

“Why don’t you quietly step back and return to your family?”

And then,

“I’ll grant you whatever you wish from now on.”

For a brief moment, Eleanor’s shoulder trembled, a reaction Ernst did not miss.

“So stop this pointless defiance.”

“……”

“Indulge in some luxury like everyone else. Delegate the rough tasks to the servants, and live the elegant life you want.”

Ernst knew he couldn’t force Eleanor back to the estate. After the scandal, their positions had completely reversed, and it would take some compromise to restore her to her former status.

“And I apologize for misunderstanding the situation between you and Childe.”

Ernst admitted his mistake without hesitation. His sincere apology left Eleanor slightly shocked.

‘Could this be an act?’

“…There’s something I want to ask you.” Eleanor cautiously opened her mouth, scrutinizing the Duke of Mecklen.

“What is it?”

“Why did you marry me?”

She had wondered both before and after her regression.

“I know it was a political marriage, but you could have chosen differently, right? Why did you go through with marrying me, even though you didn’t trust me because I’m from Hartmann?”

Faced with Eleanor’s sharp question, Ernst hesitated. The pact between him and the Emperor was a secret, but perhaps she needed to know her current position. If Eleanor understood how she managed to settle in Baden, perhaps she would be less inclined to stray from the path.

Having made up his mind, Ernst spoke, “Because His Majesty wished it.”

“……?”

“The public opinion wasn’t good.” Ernst let out a faint sigh. “Ever since we secretly proceeded with the merger with Hartmann, there were rumors circulating within the national assembly. Rumors that a princess of Hartmann might become the Emperor’s consort.”

“……!”

“Though baseless, the nobles believed the rumors and rose in protest. The idea of a royal from a kingdom that could collapse at any moment taking the imperial palace was met with fierce opposition, especially from those nobles with daughters of marriageable age.”

The backlash intensified as rumors spread that the Princess of Hartmann was synonymous with luxury and decadence.

“Some even called for the extermination of all Hartmann royalty.”

“……!”

“They believed that keeping any members of the royal family alive would only leave seeds for future rebellions. Even now, remnants of the Hartmann faction are causing disturbances, conducting liberation movements, and causing turmoil.”

There was an organization that dreamed of restoring Hartmann’s past glory, gathering those who sought to rebuild the kingdom. They placed a distant relative of the Hartmann royal family as their leader, a bloodline so thin it was embarrassing to even call them royalty. However, their resistance was stronger than expected, and even though Baden’s army was stationed in Hartmann, they had yet to completely eradicate the remnants. Meanwhile, the people of Hartmann, caught in the crossfire, were suffering.

“Adler, as you know, had already prepared a route to naturalize in another country. The other members of the royal family either died or fled for their own reasons. You were the only member of the Hartmann royal family left.”

“……”

“After the merger, His Majesty asked me to ensure your safety.”

Lennoch asked for it. Eleanor’s eyelids trembled violently.

“I won’t hide that the rewards that came with the political marriage were substantial.”

Land, wealth, and people were given in abundance.

“Moreover, I received a pardon.”

“A pardon?”

“A significant favor. Even if I were to commit murder, it meant the crime would be forgiven.”

“……!”

“I had my concerns about your Hartmann origins. However, His Majesty was in a difficult position, and the conditions were not unfavorable to me, so I married you.”

As the cold towel warmed up, Ernst soaked it in cold water again and wrung it out.

“All I needed was a woman who could bear an heir.”

“……”

“I never expected you to play the role of the mistress of the house.”

What he wanted was simple. For her to live quietly at the family estate, without unnecessary involvement in politics or imperial family affairs. And…

To not get hurt like this in the future.

“If I hadn’t married you back then, you might have died already.”

Ernst declared firmly.

“You said you wanted to become part of the Mecklen family, didn’t you?”

Then accept it.

“My will is the will of the family.”

***

What kind of person was I before?

For a fleeting moment, Eleanor’s thoughts wandered as she gazed out the window. Although it was only half a year ago, her past self felt so distant that she could barely remember it. Only faint, lingering memories clumsily conveyed the emotions of that time.

If there’s an unavoidable fate, it might be this. The process she had once gone through. The world around her was harsh. Back then, trapped in the Mecklen estate, she couldn’t do anything, so life was much better now. At least now, she could choose according to her own will.

Moreover, Ernst had even ‘offered’ to grant her whatever she desired, so she could live comfortably. Perhaps moving to the northern branch of the Mecklen Trading Company, as she initially planned, was still possible. She wouldn’t have to continue doing the tough tasks under the Empress Dowager. As long as she avoided Caroline, she might be able to live quietly and peacefully.

…But.

Did I come all this way just to see this kind of ending?

As Ernst lifted his head after finishing the cold compress, Eleanor’s shoulder swelling had subsided slightly compared to before. Ernst tried to wrap his coat around her shoulders again, but Eleanor refused.

“Thank you.”

“……?”

“Thanks to you, I’ve gained a bit more courage.”

A cold breeze blew through the torn dress, but Eleanor didn’t mind. She slightly turned her head to look at Ernst, her bruises still visible.

“I will never return to the family estate.”

“What?”

A somewhat bewildered sigh escaped. Did she realize what she was saying?

Ernst was about to open his mouth to argue, but Eleanor wasn’t finished.

“Yes, if it weren’t for our marriage, I might have died or been captured and tormented by someone else.”

But.

“What do you see when you look at me?”

“……?”

“Do you see me as a person?”

It was a question as if she were posing a riddle. Ernst’s brow furrowed as if he had heard something incomprehensible.

“You’re talking nonsense. If you’re not a person, then what?”

“I briefly thought about thanking you for saving me.”

Even though it was a transaction. She had no intention of denying the help that had allowed her to maintain her tenacious life.

But setting everything else aside…

“I was foolish. To think I thanked someone who never even considered mutual respect. I must have been crazy.”

“…What?”

The partner Ernst wanted in marriage was utterly absurd. It was a completely one-sided relationship. It didn’t matter if it wasn’t Eleanor herself. Ernst would have treated any woman, any partner, the same way.

“If you need someone you can control at your whim, why not pick up a dog from the street and raise it?”

“…A dog?”

“A pet that wags its tail when fed, goes when told to go, and comes when told to come.”

Eleanor decided not to hide her true feelings any longer. Yielding to Caroline’s will, or forcibly clinging to the security that the Mecklen family provided, all of that had been about surviving, but it was no longer necessary.

“I don’t want to live like that.”

Eleanor’s voice carried strength. She stood her ground, facing Ernst.

“Stop forcing me to return to the family estate.”

“…Is it because you don’t get along with my mother?”

Ernst launched an unexpected attack. Eleanor’s eyes shifted slightly to the side. Ernst quickly noticed the slight tremor in her pupils and muttered, “I thought so.”

“Yes, I figured as much,” Ernst said, confirming his suspicion.

After overhearing Adler and Eleanor’s conversation during the Harvest Festival, Ernst had received thorough reports about her ever since. However, there was no evidence that she had been harassed. Instead, he heard that Eleanor and Caroline had a somewhat strained relationship.

“It was excessive for my mother to confine you. But it was partly your fault too. Didn’t you provoke her first?”

“What did you say?”

“It’s a bit foolish not to return to the family estate over something so trivial.”

Goodness.

Eleanor’s eyebrows twitched at what she was hearing.

“It seems you’re upset over something so insignificant, but my mother is not a bad person.”

No matter what anyone said, Caroline had firmly guarded the Mecklen family after the early death of the previous Duke. Even the relatives who initially disapproved of Caroline now all acknowledged her abilities. Considering all her efforts, this small mistake should be excusable.

As she listened to Ernst defending Caroline, Eleanor’s expression shifted slightly.

“…I almost died because of that ‘trivial’ matter. No, I did die once.”