Duchess Mecklen’s Elegant Revolt - Chapter 19 Part 2

“Why the palace?”

An elderly man, walking briskly down the corridor, muttered to himself. Unlike the simple attire of the palace servants, he wore a formal purple robe with a long white sash draped over his neck—a priest dispatched from the temple.

It wasn’t often that priests were seen entering and leaving the palace. While their presence wasn’t outright forbidden, history had shown that those priests who became entangled with the imperial family rarely met favorable ends, leading most to avoid the palace on their own.

‘But there’s no choice. I have to earn a living.’

The matter at hand involved none other than the Duke of Mecklen. It was hard to believe that the Duchess herself had filed for divorce against the famously stoic Duke. That the Duke of Nestor had contacted him directly about this matter meant that it had become a hot topic among the nobility.

“This should be interesting,” the priest murmured, his thoughts spilling out loud in anticipation.

How much could he profit from this?

After all, it was only the wife requesting the divorce. In other words, Duke Mecklen had no intention of agreeing to it.

Trying to suppress his excitement, the priest entered the designated meeting room, which had already been prepared in advance.

The room was sparsely furnished, with only a couple of tables. As the priest stepped inside, he saw that the two main figures had already arrived.

“Ahem, you’re here early.”

The couple, Ernst and Eleanor, sat in silence across from each other, neither saying a word. Noticing the awkward atmosphere between them, the priest hid his amusement and took his seat.

“I brought the divorce papers with me, but before we proceed, I’d like to hear both of your true intentions first,” the priest said, placing the divorce documents on the table between them. Ernst glanced at them briefly, but Eleanor seemed more intent, focusing her gaze on the papers.

The priest spoke gently to her, “As you know, marriage is sacred. It is a bond created by the divine. When we meet someone, fall in love, and form a connection, we are merely following the path already laid out by fate. But sometimes, when humans try to interpret the will of the divine through their own understanding, unfortunate decisions like this happen.”

“The will of the divine…” Eleanor murmured quietly.

“I believe it’s only been about half a year since you were wed,” the priest continued, his voice warm and compassionate.

“Surely, it’s still difficult for both of you. There are bound to be differences, but that too is part of the divine plan. The greater the challenges, the more profound the fruits of love will be.”

“……”

“Why not take a moment to reflect on your relationship?”

The priest’s words flowed smoothly, as though well-rehearsed. He had seen countless such disputes and knew exactly how to stretch the mediation process as long as possible.

“Look, if you truly hated each other, it would be hard to even sit face to face like this. But looking at you now, I don’t sense discomfort—only a bit of shyness.”

Though the atmosphere between the couple was cold and distant, the priest chose to present it as evidence that there was still affection between them.

So, why don’t you let go of your grudges and—”

“Father.”

“Yes, madam. Please, go ahead.”

Though slightly annoyed at being interrupted, the priest maintained a polite tone.

“Could you give us a moment of privacy?”

“Privacy?”

“Yes, we’d like to have an honest conversation, just the two of us, as you suggested.”

The priest hesitated for a moment, unsure if leaving was a good idea. But it didn’t take him long to decide. After all, if the situation worsened in his absence, that would only serve his purpose. He could always step in to “mediate” again, prolonging the process.

Nodding quickly, the priest agreed, “Very well. I’ll wait outside. Take your time.”

“Thank you.”

The priest rose from his seat, his expression serious.

“There’s no rush to make a decision today. It’s important to take time to think carefully.”

His performance was flawless. He left the room playing the role of the benevolent mediator, without leaning to one side or the other. Feeling pleased with himself, the priest hurried out of the meeting room, eager to see how things would unfold.

‘I hope they take their time deciding,’ he thought, smiling slyly as he stood in the hallway.

***

What should he say first?

Despite his composed demeanor, Ernst was inwardly conflicted.

When he had left Bahama, all he had wanted was to see Eleanor as soon as possible. But now, face to face with her, his thoughts seemed to have vanished completely. Eleanor, though she had been the one to ask the priest to leave, also remained silent, unsure where to begin.

In the end, it was Ernst who spoke first.

“Why didn’t you file for a forced divorce?”

“……”

“You had more than enough grounds with my mother’s actions.”

If it had been him, he would have immediately requested a forced divorce based on the Duchess Dowager’s mistreatment of Eleanor. Unconsciously, Ernst clenched his fists on his lap, not out of anger but tension.

Then Eleanor met his gaze.

“There would have been no benefit to either of us.”

“……?”

“I don’t want this to become a bigger issue than it already is.”

“What do you mean?”

Ernst’s eyebrows furrowed slightly in confusion. But Eleanor smiled calmly.

“I mean exactly that.” She pushed the divorce papers back to the center of the table. “If our dispute becomes the talk of the nobility, it’ll only turn into a scandal.”

“……!”

“The reputation of the Mecklen family will suffer, and rumors will circulate in society for a long time. If someone with malicious intent decides to embellish those stories, the damage to your image will be irreparable.”

Eleanor hadn’t forgotten the rumors that had spread about her before she arrived in Baden. She remembered the misfortune they had caused and was determined not to let it happen again.

She wouldn’t let herself fall victim a second time. She was resolute in not giving the vultures of society any meat to chew on.

“That’s why our divorce will simply be due to ‘irreconcilable differences.’”

It wasn’t yet the time to bring up the matter of Caroline. Instead, Eleanor smoothly shifted the conversation.

“Your family’s reputation is important to you.”

“……”

“And I also want to protect the dignity of the Mecklen name.”

“In that case, there’s no need for us to divorce.”

Sensing a possible opening in her response, Ernst seized the moment.

“I’ve already placed my mother under house confinement.”

“…House confinement?”

“I’ve decided to personally oversee all family matters from now on. If you want, I can even send her away. I could move her to a provincial estate if you prefer.”

Eleanor’s eyes widened slightly at his words. Though she had always known Ernst to be a cold and calculating man, she hadn’t expected him to turn against his own mother so decisively. His offer to do whatever she wished left her momentarily stunned.

“I find that hard to believe.”

“She did wrong. She must face consequences.”

“……”

It was a side of Ernst she had never seen before, not in this life. To him, everyone—including herself—was nothing more than another person to deal with, each one equal. He truly was a man who embodied the word “sword.”

But Eleanor shook her head. “Even so, it won’t change my decision.”

“Why not?”

“My desire for a divorce hasn’t wavered.”

Ernst’s unchanging nature was the very reason she couldn’t expect him to change. He had always moved according to his own set of principles, and Eleanor had never found a compromise with him.

She decided to be more honest. “It’s your coldness that I cannot stand, Ernst. It has hurt me deeply.”

“…Eleanor.”

You may think you’ve acted rationally and logically, but there were times when I resented you for never truly trusting me. And…

“You probably don’t realize this, but… there are still memories that sometimes come back to haunt me.”

“……?”

The memory of her death in her previous life still haunted her.

Even now, Eleanor wondered if, when the time came, Ernst would be able to protect her, especially when she might be falsely accused of killing Caroline in the future. Would he be able to trust her then?

“We never even shared a bed. In fact, I’ve probably seen Gilbert the butler more often than you.”

“……”

“Is there any reason to keep this relationship that only exists on paper?”

There was nothing Ernst could say to that.

“We’re nothing more than strangers with the same last name. What more is there to say?”

Complete strangers.

Though her words were brutally cold, Ernst found himself unable to refute them. He frowned, his displeasure evident, but still had no words of rebuttal.

Though she could see his discomfort, Eleanor continued, “And in the future, I’ll likely continue opposing whatever it is you want.”

“……”

“Wouldn’t it be better to part ways cleanly and become cooperative partners, rather than live as enemies?”

“Cooperative?”

Ernst, clearly unsettled, repeated her words. Meanwhile, Eleanor’s confidence only seemed to grow.

“You are the Emperor’s sword. And I want you to continue being His Majesty’s sword.”

“……!”

“I, too, have many responsibilities to take care of by His Majesty’s side.”

Her path ahead was filled with important tasks—dealing with the Hartmann refugees, managing the slum projects, and, of course, addressing Caroline…

‘It wouldn’t be good for Lennoch either.’

Lennoch had promised to help her with the divorce, but Eleanor didn’t want him to lose too much for her sake. From what she had seen, Lennoch and Ernst had shared a long-standing friendship. If their relationship fractured now, the Emperor would suffer far more than anyone else.

Weighing everything carefully, Eleanor realized that, by making this decision, she could secure greater gains in the future.

“If we end this gracefully, with an amicable settlement, then it will only be seen as a minor incident.”

Ernst was someone who always prioritized his family’s reputation. Surely, he understood that this was the cleanest way to resolve things. A mutual divorce would preserve everything he valued, allowing all parties to walk away with their interests intact.

Then Ernst muttered, “I didn’t realize it before.”

“……?”

“But now… you seem different.”