Duchess Mecklen’s Elegant Revolt - Chapter 13 Part 3

Instead of answering, Ernst brought his hands to his eyes, massaging them as they felt dry. The Duke of Mecklen looked utterly exhausted.

“Would you like to take a short nap? Shall I draw the curtains?”

“Do so.”

Ernst leaned comfortably against the back of the chair. Vincent drew the curtains on the window connected to the terrace, blocking out the light.

“I’ll take my leave now.”

“No, stay here.”

“……?”

Vincent was puzzled by the unexpected command, as he had intended to leave so Ernst could rest. But without question, he quietly sat at his own desk, which was placed on the left side. However, with the room darkened, there wasn’t much he could do. As Vincent idly fiddled with his nails, Ernst’s voice suddenly broke the silence.

“What do women like?”

“…Pardon?”

“What gift should I give to lift someone’s spirits?”

Vincent prided himself on having served the Duke of Mecklen for many years, but this was the first time he had ever heard such words. It was surprising to see Ernst, who was usually indifferent to giving gifts, now deliberating over what to offer someone. Vincent briefly wondered who the recipient might be.

“Is the gift for…?”

“Eleanor.”

“Ah, yes.” Vincent awkwardly stammered a reply. The fact that Ernst was considering giving a gift, let alone to Eleanor, indicated that he was seriously contemplating the matter. Vincent wasn’t sure if this change in the Duke, who was even concerned about Eleanor’s well-being, was a good or bad sign.

Nonetheless, Vincent faithfully offered the advice his superior sought. “How about flowers?”

“Flowers?”

“Or perhaps a ring, a bracelet, or earrings. Most women seem to favor jewelry.” Drawing from his own experiences, Vincent earnestly suggested, “A heartfelt letter could also have a good effect. I once had a fight with Matilda, and when I gave her flowers along with a letter, she was deeply moved.”

“……”

“Perhaps that’s a bit too much?”

After all, the stiff and rigid Duke of Mecklen would hardly be expected to write a love letter. Vincent interpreted Ernst’s silence as a rejection and shifted the conversation.

“But why are you planning to give a gift?”

“She said we can’t have a normal married life together.”

“…Pardon?”

Vincent’s jaw dropped in shock.

‘Can’t have a normal married life…? Could it be?’

Vincent’s gaze unconsciously drifted downward towards Ernst’s lower body before quickly darting back up. No, that couldn’t be. He recalled that the Duke sometimes personally supervised the training of the knights, and Vincent had seen Ernst change into his uniform more than once.

‘Quite… impressive, actually.’

However, the old saying that one couldn’t judge by appearances alone also came to mind. Vincent discreetly glanced down again.

“What should I do?” Ernst, unaware that Vincent was harboring a serious misunderstanding, muttered to himself.

His fatigue wasn’t solely due to work. Since learning that the emotional rift between Caroline and Eleanor was deeper than he had expected, he had been in this state. Though he had given up on talking to Eleanor, he had been mulling over the matter ever since.

“Vincent.”

“Yes, Your Grace!”

Startled by his own thoughts, Vincent stood up suddenly. Fortunately, Ernst still had his eyes closed, so he didn’t notice Vincent’s flustered expression.

“The two of them don’t get along.”

“……?”

Unable to explain the situation between Eleanor and Caroline in detail, Ernst intentionally kept his words vague.

“How can I reconcile two people who don’t get along?”

Ernst’s serious question snapped Vincent back to reality. He felt ashamed for allowing his mind to wander when his superior was facing a crisis in his manhood, and he bowed his head deeply in embarrassment.

“I-I apologize, Your Grace!”

“……?”

Ernst opened his eyes in confusion at the loud apology that echoed through the room.

“It’s… It’s a difficult issue, so…”

Vincent was now convinced that the marital discord had to do with that issue.

“Perhaps you should try taking some health supplements?”

“……?”

“And, uh… Try to see each other more often.”

“See each other more often?”

“Yes. The more you see each other, the more feelings can develop. As the saying goes, even bad feelings can turn into affection.”

Though he didn’t understand the first part, Ernst found some logic in the latter statement.

‘Even bad feelings can turn into affection.’

Deep in thought, Ernst straightened up in his chair.

“Yes, to reconcile, they need to meet first.”

Ernst decided to arrange a meeting between Caroline and Eleanor. If conversation proved difficult, he would mediate between them himself. In Ernst’s view, Eleanor lacked understanding. If she had just listened to and accepted his mother’s words, there wouldn’t have been any conflict. His mother was at fault too, but an apology would resolve that.

Perhaps organizing some gatherings would help ease tensions while they waited for their feelings to improve.

‘I haven’t heard of any recent gatherings.’

There had been many tea parties among the noblewomen, but they were all canceled recently due to the Duchess of Mecklen’s kidnapping incident. The shocking news had caused the ladies to become more cautious.

“……”

Ernst stood up. He pulled back the curtain that had covered the window, allowing light to pour in through the glass door. After staring outside for a moment, he returned to his desk and took out a sheet of stationery.

[I shall hold a banquet to celebrate my birthday.]

This was the opening line of a letter he planned to send to Caroline. Although it was sudden, Caroline had always wanted to host his birthday party, so she would likely be pleased. Ernst decided that for his upcoming birthday, he would personally visit the family estate with Eleanor.

***

“I thought my neck would stretch out from waiting.”

“I’m sorry. Have you been busy?”

“Busy is an understatement.”

Just like Ernst, the Emperor had also returned to his office. As soon as they met after nearly three days, Eger immediately started grumbling. Though the Emperor had been forced to leave the palace due to the kidnapping incident, the aftermath had fallen entirely on Eger, who had endured tremendous hardship.

Knowing full well the difficulties his cousin had faced, Lennoch patted Eger’s shoulder. “You’ve worked hard.”

“Enough about that. What happened with Umar?”

Eger already knew the details of the incident. Lennoch didn’t answer right away; instead, he took off the robe he had been wearing. Eger, who had been standing by, took the robe and hung it on a nearby hook.

“It’s quite complicated.”

“Complicated how?”

Eger brewed tea for the Emperor, who had returned without even washing up.

“There seems to be something suspicious about his death, but we only have circumstantial evidence, no solid proof. So for now, it’s been concluded as suicide.”

Though it had only been a few days since they had tea, Lennoch savored it as if reuniting with an old friend. While Eger, curious, waited, Lennoch inhaled the aroma of the tea.

“When you say circumstantial evidence, do you mean there’s evidence of murder? Was someone else involved in the Duchess’s kidnapping?”

“No, that’s not it. Evidence was found that Umar was secretly supporting an organization called El Gino. The people who kidnapped the Duchess were also members of El Gino.”

“How did you find out?”

Eger’s questions were persistent. Lennoch, who had been leisurely sipping his tea, couldn’t help but smile at that.

“I didn’t realize you were so interested in Umar’s affairs.”

“I’ve been hounded by questions about it all day. Everyone’s asking me what happened with Umar, but I don’t have anything to tell them.”

The noble kidnapping case, followed by Umar’s suicide, had caused just as much uproar as the Childe scandal. Eger was already curious about the case and wanted to know more, so he pressed on.

Leaning back against his chair, Lennoch lifted his teacup. “We captured two of El Gino’s executives. No one knows they’re still alive yet.”

“They must hold some key information. I’ll keep it a secret.” Eger, quickly grasping the situation, nodded as Lennoch confirmed.

“They mentioned someone named Saruka, who was the leader of the organization.”

“Hmm.”

“He apparently manipulated them into committing the crimes. However, he ordered something particularly unusual.”

“Unusual, you say…”

“Purple flower.”

It was a simple statement, but Eger’s eyes widened in shock. He was somewhat familiar with the purple flower. It was connected to a secret involving the late Empress. Count Hilda was still searching high and low for clues, but they were proving difficult to find.

“We can’t be certain it’s the flower we’ve been looking for, but we can’t rule it out either.”

Someone involved in such crimes wouldn’t have brought a plant just for ornamental purposes. Considering they had dabbled in drugs, there was undoubtedly a specific intention behind it.

“It’s like we found a clue in an unexpected place.” Eger’s expression grew more serious.

Lennoch, savoring the tea, nodded. “So I’m planning to keep this case under wraps for now.”

“Is it impossible to conduct a public investigation? If Umar was that suspicious, we can’t completely exclude Count Verdik from suspicion either. It’s widely known how close they were.”

“Hmm.”

“Count Verdik is said to be personally overseeing Umar’s funeral. Given that they were close enough to act as family, it’s understandable.”

“But we can’t push forward without any evidence.” Lennoch shook his head.

He had entertained thoughts similar to Eger’s but had refrained from acting on them due to the complexities involved. Pressing forward based solely on circumstantial evidence could lead to accusations that the imperial authority was unfairly targeting nobles, complicating future actions.

“Until then, I need to sort some things out…”

Lennoch’s vague words caused Eger to frown. Watching him tap the desk with his fingers, Eger could tell that the Emperor was deeply conflicted.

Then, as if he remembered something, Eger walked over to a pile of sorted documents. “By the way, Your Majesty, something strange came up this morning.”

“Hmm?”

Eger handed the Emperor a document he had set aside on a wooden clipboard. “Is something going on with the Duchess of Mecklen?”

At the mention of Eleanor, Lennoch shifted his gaze from the document to Eger. The disbelief on Eger’s face made it clear that he found the contents of the document hard to believe.

“It came in this morning.”

“What is it?”

“The Duchess of Mecklen has requested a divorce.”

“……”

“The Grand Temple is waiting for your approval so they can proceed with the formal review.”

Worried that someone might discover this, Eger had ensured strict confidentiality among those involved. Given that the Duchess of Mecklen was already the subject of much attention due to her Hartmann origins, having her name come up before the review even started would only invite unwanted gossip.

“I see.”

“Did you know about this?”

Eger, who had been bracing for a strong reaction, was startled by the calm tone of Lennoch’s voice. Lennoch looked at the clipboard as if he had been expecting this.

***