Duchess Mecklen’s Elegant Revolt - Chapter 15 Part 3

The dining room wasn’t far from Hail’s room. The small size of Winston Palace compared to other palaces made the short distance more manageable. As soon as they arrived, Sven, the head chef who had been waiting, greeted them warmly.

“At last, someone who can truly appreciate my cooking has arrived.”

“Ah, it’s a pleasure… I’m Eleanor,” she replied, almost instinctively adding her title before catching herself and trailing off. Sven, however, didn’t seem to mind, and he responded with a polite bow.

“I’m Sven, the head chef responsible for all the meals in Winston Palace. It’s an honor to meet you.”

“The pleasure is mine. I’m looking forward to your cooking.”

“I’ll personally serve you today.”

Before Eleanor could move, Sven pulled out her chair for her. As she sat beside Hail, Sven continued speaking in an excited tone.

“I pride myself on creating dishes that engage the senses—visually, aromatically, and tastefully. Today, I’ve prepared a rich onion soup, freshly baked baguettes, and fresh vegetables and bacon sautéed in olive oil…”

Winston Palace, being sparsely populated, offered few opportunities for such conversation. Like Norah, Sven was quite talkative. The nanny had apparently had enough of his chatter and disappeared, leaving them alone. As Eleanor fed Hail his soup, she listened to Sven’s enthusiastic descriptions.

“This meat was aged in red wine from the Munich region, a specialty of mine that I first introduced when I joined the palace. His Majesty praised it highly when he tasted it.”

“That sounds amazing.”

“If I were still at the main palace, I would have served this dish to His Majesty every day for lunch. He’s known to become quite attached to his favorites.”

“Is that so?”

“Indeed. His Majesty was most regretful when I moved to Winston Palace, as he greatly enjoyed my cooking. Occasionally, when he visits Winston Palace, he asks how well the prince is eating. Of course, I use only the freshest ingredients for Prince Hail’s meals.”

Sven’s explanation gradually shifted to how he had ended up at Winston Palace. Eleanor, who had been listening intently, asked casually, “So, are you the longest-serving person at Winston Palace?”

“Yes, that’s correct. Oh, wait, there is someone who arrived before me.”

As Sven placed a potato gratin with thick layers of cheese in front of Eleanor, he suddenly remembered.

“The nanny has been here longer than anyone else.”

“I see.”

“She transferred here from the East Palace. I understand she volunteered for the position.”

The East Palace had been the residence of the former Empress.

“The nanny is the one who cares most for the prince. She’s the first to rush to his side whenever anything happens.”

Sven’s opinion of the nanny was very high. He added that without her, Winston Palace wouldn’t function as smoothly as it did. Eleanor nodded quietly, agreeing with his assessment.

As they continued their meal, they chatted pleasantly. When dessert was finished, Eleanor thanked Sven, who had stayed by their side until the end.

“Thank you. The meal was delicious.”

“The pleasure was all mine. I’ll personally attend to your meals from now on.”

Sven was clearly delighted to finally have someone who could properly appreciate his cooking again. Eleanor, unable to refuse his earnest offer, smiled and accepted.

***

Back at his family estate, Ernst was busy catching up on work when an urgent message arrived. It was a summons from the Emperor. Forced to halt what he was doing, Ernst quickly packed a few essentials and called for a carriage.

“Take care of things here.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

The butler, Gilbert, bowed deeply, his face filled with anxiety. Normally, he too would have been dismissed, but due to a lack of immediate replacements, he was allowed to stay temporarily. However, once the household was back in order, Gilbert knew he would soon be out of a job.

Avoiding Ernst’s sharp gaze, Gilbert kept his head down. “Safe travels, Your Grace.”

With the servants seeing him off, Ernst headed to the palace. The Emperor had generously granted him leave in honor of his birthday party. Had things gone as planned, he would have been spending this time with Eleanor. The thought caused Ernst to furrow his brow once more.

Simultaneously, he recalled the conversation he had recently had with the Emperor.

‘Was this relationship ongoing before?’

When Eleanor had first requested a divorce, Ernst had found the idea absurd. But now, in hindsight, many things didn’t add up. Particularly the incident where Eleanor had been kidnapped on her way back to the palace. The Emperor’s expression had darkened noticeably when he heard the news. At the time, Ernst had dismissed his own suspicions as overthinking.

But now, he couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling.

“I’m sorry.”

When the Emperor had asked him to marry the Princess of Hartmann, Ernst had assumed it was merely a political move to overcome a difficult situation. There hadn’t been any visible signs of a close relationship between the Emperor and the princess, so Ernst hadn’t thought much of it. But now, the atmosphere felt different. He couldn’t ignore the nagging sense that something more was going on between the two.

“Your Grace, we’ve arrived.”

Lost in thought, Ernst hadn’t even noticed that the carriage had reached the main palace. The coachman, puzzled by the unusually long pause, opened the carriage door.

“Your Grace?”

“…Let’s go.”

Snapping back to reality, Ernst hurriedly exited the carriage. This wasn’t like him at all—acting out of character. He barely acknowledged the greetings of the palace staff as he made his way to the Emperor’s office.

“Your Majesty.”

“You’re here?”

Lennoch looked up from the report he was reading.

“You summoned me?”

“Take a seat.”

Their exchange was as formal as ever. Eger, who had been working nearby, glanced up at the two men. Given their long acquaintance, it wasn’t unusual for them to forgo strict etiquette in private. But while Eger remained relaxed, Ernst’s mood was quite different.

“I apologize for summoning you so suddenly when you were supposed to be on leave.”

“It’s no trouble.”

The Emperor hadn’t mentioned the divorce directly, and Ernst recognized that this was an unspoken agreement between them. They would set aside personal feelings and focus on the task at hand.

Lennoch handed Ernst a map he had been examining before Ernst’s arrival. “There’s been an issue at the border.”

“The border?”

“Take a look here.”

A line extending from the center of the Baden Empire to the three o’clock position abruptly stopped at a specific point. Ernst studied the location carefully, his eyes narrowing.

“It’s an ambiguous area.”

The spot was near an abandoned mine, a place of little interest to either Bahama or Baden.

Lennoch continued, “There was a skirmish at this border.”

“……”

“Some Bahaman soldiers, apparently on a hunting bet, crossed the border and got into an altercation with our troops. During the fight, a Bahaman centurion suffered a severe head injury. We also have a few injured soldiers on our side.”

“Hmm.”

“Bahama has requested reconciliation, acknowledging that they were at fault for crossing the border.”

According to the report, that was the case. But Lennoch wasn’t ready to let his guard down.

“Regardless of their apology, we need to understand the situation at the point of conflict fully.”

“I agree.”

“That’s why I’m considering sending you there.”

The Emperor paused for a moment.

“But there’s something that’s been bothering me.”

Ernst quickly deduced the reason for the Emperor’s concern. “Is it because this is the first time we’ve had such a conflict with Bahama?”

“Exactly. I believe we need to approach this situation with caution.”

Understanding the implications, Ernst nodded. Relations between Bahama and Baden had never been particularly active. Various factors contributed to this, but the most significant was the deep-seated religious differences between the two nations. The Rumana faith, which was predominant in Bahama, was particularly hostile toward other religions. Bahama had previously attempted to spread their religion in Baden but had failed.

Considering this, Ernst shook his head, indicating the complexity of the situation. “But the scale of this incident is too small to suggest that Bahama deliberately provoked us. Moreover, they stand to gain nothing from this—if anything, it’s a loss for them.”

“That’s what we need to find out.” Lennoch smiled faintly. “We’ll respond to their request for reconciliation.”

“In that case…”

“I want you to investigate the current situation in that area. Feel free to bring along those knowledgeable about the region.”

In other words, he was being asked to spy on Bahama. Since they had officially invited Baden’s representatives, the Emperor wanted to use the opportunity to uncover whatever secrets Bahama might be hiding.

“If you wish, Your Majesty, I’ll plant some flowers while I’m at it.”

“Good idea.”

“Flowers” was a code word for spies. Eger, who had paused his work to listen, furrowed his brow.

‘Is that much caution really necessary?’ he wondered. After all, Bahama hadn’t openly shown any hostility. Though Eger was skeptical, he trusted there must be a reason and returned to his work.

Lennoch asked Ernst, “How long do you think it will take?”

“A week should be enough.”

“And if complications arise?”

“Then I’ll aim for two weeks at most.”

As Ernst answered, he suddenly realized something he had overlooked. Caroline—his mother’s confinement was his direct order. It wouldn’t be wise to leave the estate unattended for too long, especially since he hadn’t yet fully sorted out the household matters. Caroline had managed not only the estate but also significant lands and business ventures.

Noticing Ernst’s hesitation, Lennoch spoke up, “If it’s too much, I can send someone else.”

“…No, I’ll go,” Ernst replied with a hint of reluctance. After all, these were personal matters. He had never postponed state affairs for such reasons, especially not in times like this. Moreover, showing any sign of reluctance might lead Lennoch to suspect that Ernst was troubled by his impending divorce from Eleanor. The thought wounded his pride, leaving him feeling deeply unsettled.

“I’ll handle it.”

“Thank you.”

Since this was a reconnaissance mission rather than a combat operation, Ernst figured he could wrap things up quickly and return With that in mind, he left the Emperor’s office to prepare for his departure to Bahama.

***