Duchess Mecklen’s Elegant Revolt - Chapter 21 Part 1

21. Misunderstandings and Misconceptions Start from Small Things

As the night deepened, the guests at the party began to leave one by one. Eleanor, also preparing to leave, suddenly noticed cold sweat forming on Brianna’s forehead. Alarmed, Eleanor examined her complexion.

“Lady Brianna, are you alright?”

“Of course.”

“……”

“…Ah, no. Actually, I think my stomach feels a bit upset. It’s not because of what happened earlier, I swear. It’s just my stomach.”

Brianna’s once confident tone gradually weakened. It was in stark contrast to her earlier bravado when she had brushed off the humiliation from Vivia as if it were nothing. Eleanor realized that Brianna was struggling emotionally.

“You should go rest.”

Before Brianna could insist on staying, Eleanor firmly dissuaded her. Unable to refuse, Brianna reluctantly agreed.

“…Then, I’ll head out first.”

“Lady Norah, could you accompany Lady Brianna?”

“Of course, let’s go together.”

Since Eleanor needed to stay behind to take care of Henrik, she asked Norah for help. Although Norah reassured her, Eleanor couldn’t shake her concern easily.

Just before Brianna was led away by Norah, she suddenly grabbed Eleanor’s arm.

“Eleanor.”

“……?”

“Earlier…”

Brianna hesitated, glancing around nervously as if trying to protect her pride. Even without hearing the specifics, Eleanor had a sense of what Brianna wanted to say.

“Thank you.”

Her voice was so soft it was barely audible. With that, Brianna quickly turned away, almost as if embarrassed. Eleanor watched her go, feeling a mix of affection and pity.

Brianna was clearly still affected by the incident in the powder room.

‘It was Vivia from the House of Delph.’

In her previous life, Eleanor remembered Vivia preparing to become Lennoch’s second empress. Caroline had always been especially eager to curry favor with the House of Delph. But in her previous life, Vivia had returned from her studies abroad much later than this.

Had the timeline changed, causing Vivia to appear earlier this time? Regardless, the Vivia she had just encountered in the powder room was not someone to be taken lightly.

‘She might cause trouble.’

The image of Vivia glaring at her while leaving the room with Brianna was still vivid in Eleanor’s mind. The malicious glint in her eyes was unsettling.

As she contemplated the situation, Eleanor turned to Henrik beside her.

“Shall we leave as well?”

Naturally, Henrik welcomed the suggestion. They joined the other nobles departing the party.

The carriages, gathered from all corners, waited in an area further away from the palace. To reach the carriage, Eleanor and Henrik had to walk through several small gardens dotted along the path.

The carriage of the Hippias family was among those waiting. As they walked along the dark path together, Henrik, who had been silent until then, suddenly spoke up.

“Are you starting at the palace tomorrow?”

Henrik’s question wasn’t just an attempt to break the silence—it came from genuine curiosity. After hearing that Eleanor had been appointed as the new head of a department in the imperial palace, his heart raced with excitement.

‘So, she really is an important person.’

The imperial palace was a world beyond reach for many, including Henrik’s father, Morgan. Yet here was Eleanor, about to enter that world under the name of the Hippias family, even though their relationship was based on mutual interests.

“Yes. Starting tomorrow.”

“Will you meet the Emperor in person?”

Henrik tried to sound casual, but he couldn’t hide his rising excitement. The Emperor was a figure of awe and admiration, especially for nobles from the provinces. The current Emperor was praised as the greatest ruler in history, beloved by the people. The thought of Eleanor meeting him in person filled Henrik with a sense of reverence.

“I’ll probably see him often since I have to report daily… I think?”

Eleanor’s response trailed off uncertainly. While she had promised Lennoch that she would report to him daily, she suddenly realized how busy he might be. Would she even be able to see him whenever she wanted? He was no longer someone she could treat as casually as before.

And she couldn’t keep relying on his help forever.

‘I wish I could be of more help to him now,’ Eleanor thought as she walked.

Rustle.

“……?”

A strange noise caught Eleanor’s attention. It wasn’t just the wind. She instinctively became alert.

“Sister?”

“Shh.”

Eleanor raised a finger to her lips. Henrik, sensing the tension, tensed up as well, his face growing serious.

‘Should I call for the guards?’

She considered it, but the area was deserted. The guards had likely just switched shifts, as it was around the time of their regular rotation. Eleanor cautiously moved toward the source of the sound—a rustling in the bushes.

“……”

Henrik followed her hesitantly, unable to just stand and wait.

Unaware of the two approaching figures, the dark silhouette behind the bushes continued to move, as if searching for something. Eleanor, moving slightly ahead of Henrik, stepped forward carefully.

“Who…!”

Henrik instinctively clapped his hand over his mouth. He couldn’t make a sound now, not when it might give them away.

Lowering his head reflexively, Henrik noticed a thick branch on the ground. Without hesitation, he picked it up, gripping it tightly just in case.

Thud!

A dark figure suddenly leaped out from the bushes, and Eleanor’s startled shout echoed in the night.

“Sister!”

Henrik jumped forward in alarm, just in time to see a man with shining silver hair catching Eleanor as she stumbled backward. The man, much taller than Henrik, had stepped into the moonlight.

Without thinking, Henrik swung the branch he was holding straight at the stranger larger than himself.

***

“I’m sorry…”

Henrik bowed his head in shame.

No matter how many excuses he could offer, there was no justifying what he had done. In fact, he considered it lucky if begging for forgiveness would be enough to absolve him.

‘How could I have swung a branch at him?’

Ignorance was indeed a sin, and Henrik realized just how true that was at this moment.

“I wasn’t hurt, so there’s no need to worry about it.”

“No, Your Majesty. I dared not recognize Your Majesty and committed such an unforgivable offense… I deserve death.”

Henrik was so embarrassed that he looked as if he might dunk his head into a bowl of water, had there been one nearby. Lennoch chuckled softly as he watched Henrik struggle with his guilt.

The dark figure Eleanor had suspected beyond the bushes was none other than the Emperor. Thankfully, the Emperor had only dodged the attack, but if the branch had struck his face… the thought alone made Henrik’s skin crawl with horror.

As Henrik continued to keep his head down, Eleanor, who was standing nearby, tried to soothe him.

“His Majesty has already forgiven you, so don’t worry too much. If anything, it was more my fault for suspecting a mysterious figure.”

“Sister…”

“Are you Eleanor’s brother?”

Lennoch, who had been listening to the conversation, asked. From what he had observed, Eleanor seemed quite fond of Henrik, despite them having known each other for only a few days. It felt like only yesterday she had mentioned negotiating with the head of the Hippias family, but they appeared to have grown close in no time.

“He’s a good kid. Kind, too.”

“I-I’m really not that good. Sister is just being kind.”

Henrik was horrified by Eleanor’s compliment. He had never been called “kind” in his life.

Eleanor laughed softly, finding Henrik’s reaction endearing. “You were very diligent today at the party, greeting people and actively engaging with everyone. I was impressed.”

“It was all thanks to you, sister. You guided me well.”

“That’s only because you’re smart and picked things up quickly.”

“You set the table, and I merely brought the fork.”

“……”

Watching the two of them exchange compliments, Lennoch flinched slightly. A harmonious sibling relationship was heartwarming to witness, but… somehow, he felt a little uneasy. Perhaps it was his imagination, but it seemed as though Eleanor was giving him less attention than she used to.

“…You seem to get along well.”

“Do we? I’m glad it appears that way.”

Oblivious to Lennoch’s feelings, Eleanor smiled brightly.

“Thanks to Your Majesty’s help, I was able to adjust more easily. I will repay your kindness.”

When Eleanor had left for Hippias, Lennoch had given her a bundle of gold coins and jewels, concerned for her well-being. Eleanor had promised to repay him twofold, but…

‘She doesn’t need to.’

Lennoch smiled awkwardly. Even after leaving for Hippias, Eleanor visited the palace frequently. Together with Lennoch, she met the Empress Dowager to discuss their future direction and exchange information. In terms of work, she was a perfect partner. But there was no opportunity for anything beyond that.

“I didn’t expect to meet Your Majesty in such a place.”

“Ah, that…”

Lennoch began to reply instinctively but paused, glancing at Henrik. Though Eleanor had become a part of the Hippias family, Lennoch wasn’t yet ready to trust Henrik.

With a faint smile, he concealed the fact that the body of the guard, who had been closely linked to the death of the nanny, had been found at the very spot where he had just been standing.

“I was waiting for you.”

“…Pardon?”

“I thought you might pass by here on your way to the carriage. How was the atmosphere at the party, your first one as a Hippias…”

Lennoch’s voice trailed off as he spoke, his words suddenly halting. The smile that had been on Eleanor’s face had vanished in an instant, leaving him flustered and speechless.

‘Did I say something wrong?’

Had he crossed a line? Had he gone too far? A flood of thoughts raced through Lennoch’s mind. Normally, his quick-witted brain would have guided him out of the situation, but now it felt as though it had stopped working entirely.

As the Emperor’s words abruptly ceased, Eleanor, realizing the awkwardness, quickly searched for her fan. After half-covering her face with it, she managed to speak.

“My apologies, Your Majesty. I was briefly lost in thought…”

“No, no, it was my fault.”

Though his tone remained composed, Lennoch noticed a slight tremor in Eleanor’s voice. This had happened before—whenever she saw him, she would become a little off-balance. She had never meant to ignore him, but seeing Lennoch so at a loss made her feel guilty.

“Did I offend you?”

“No, not at all. Absolutely not.”

“That’s a relief. The party was quite enjoyable. The atmosphere was very welcoming, and many of the nobles were not well-acquainted with Hippias, so Henrik and I introduced ourselves to many.”

Trying not to make any further mistakes, Eleanor spoke with determination, her trembling voice calming with effort. However, there was no stopping the flush that crept up her neck. The conversation faltered once again as Henrik glanced between the two, puzzled.

‘What’s going on?’

The Emperor, who had been so poised earlier, now appeared awkward and unsure. Meanwhile, Eleanor was hiding behind her fan, her neck turning a deep red.

‘Something… is off.’

Henrik, baffled by the situation, thought to himself.

***

“You’re early.”

Marquis Delph adjusted the glasses perched on his nose and spoke as Vivia entered the study. He had stayed home, having decided not to attend the New Year’s party.

Vivia, without a word, sat on the sofa opposite her father, her lips tightly shut. Noticing his daughter’s unusual mood, Marquis Delph gestured for a servant to bring tea.

“Did you not meet His Majesty?”

“He was occupied with foreign diplomats and didn’t show up at the party.”

“I see. But you don’t seem to be in a good mood.”

His voice was dry, as if he already knew the answer. Vivia crossed her arms, staring into the empty space ahead as though someone were there.

“Do you know Princess Hartmann?”

“…The former Duchess of Mecklen?”

“She seems to be quite close with Brianna.”

“And so?”

“You’ve heard from Evan, haven’t you? There’s something suspicious between Brianna and His Majesty.”

Marquis Delph nodded without a word. Evan had been spreading those rumors, not just to Vivia but to other nobles as well.

Vivia scowled. “Today at the party, I planned to ensure that Brianna would never again dream of becoming Empress, but that princess interfered.”

“……”

“It seems His Majesty trusts her quite a lot. According to the nobles, she’s the first female to ever become a department head.”

Hearing his daughter’s story, Marquis Delph set down the quill he had been holding.

“And you simply left her alone?”

“What else could I do? She practically threw a vase at me in a fit of rage.”

Vivia still remembered Eleanor’s piercing blue eyes that had glared at her, striking fear into her very core. While Eleanor left the room with Brianna, Vivia and the other ladies had been too overwhelmed by her presence to say a word.

‘So, I lost this round.’

Marquis Delph could tell, even though his daughter pretended to be unfazed, that she had been thoroughly bested by Eleanor. She hadn’t even become Empress yet, and she was already displaying such weakness.

‘If this keeps up, she’ll turn out to be an even worse failure than Edea.’

The marquis clicked his tongue inwardly.

“There was a rumor during the Hartmann annexation.”

“……?”

“It said that the Emperor intended to take the princess of Hartmann as his Empress.”

“……!”

Vivia’s head stiffened, slowly turning to face her father. Her wide eyes locked onto the marquis’s faint smirk.

“But around the same time, a different story emerged. It claimed that the princess of Hartmann was a symbol of decadence and indulgence, and that if she became the Empress of Baden, she would surely ruin the country just as Hartmann had fallen.”

“……”

“The public was enraged. How could the Emperor even consider making the woman who caused Hartmann’s collapse the Empress? Eventually, the princess was sent to the Mecklen family.”

“…That rumor about the ‘Princess of Decadence and Indulgence’—did you create it?”

“Yes.” Marquis Delph readily admitted it. “Conflict doesn’t always have to be visible.”

He tapped his temple lightly with his fingers as he continued, “Everything must begin here, in the mind. Stir things up just enough, and you can solve problems without lifting a finger. There’s no need to get personally involved.”

“I know that! That’s why I used the other ladies to try to corner Brianna today.” Vivia, feeling a bit slighted by her father’s condescending tone, pouted slightly.

The marquis responded with a warm smile. “Still, you have much to learn.”

“You’re early.”

Marquis Delph adjusted the glasses perched on his nose and spoke as Vivia entered the study. He had stayed home, having decided not to attend the New Year’s party.

Vivia, without a word, sat on the sofa opposite her father, her lips tightly shut. Noticing his daughter’s unusual mood, Marquis Delph gestured for a servant to bring tea.

“Did you not meet His Majesty?”

“He was occupied with foreign diplomats and didn’t show up at the party.”

“I see. But you don’t seem to be in a good mood.”

His voice was dry, as if he already knew the answer. Vivia crossed her arms, staring into the empty space ahead as though someone were there.

“Do you know Princess Hartmann?”

“…The former Duchess of Mecklen?”

“She seems to be quite close with Brianna.”

“And so?”

“You’ve heard from Evan, haven’t you? There’s something suspicious between Brianna and His Majesty.”

Marquis Delph nodded without a word. Evan had been spreading those rumors, not just to Vivia but to other nobles as well.

Vivia scowled. “Today at the party, I planned to ensure that Brianna would never again dream of becoming Empress, but that princess interfered.”

“……”

“It seems His Majesty trusts her quite a lot. According to the nobles, she’s the first female to ever become a department head.”

Hearing his daughter’s story, Marquis Delph set down the quill he had been holding.

“And you simply left her alone?”

“What else could I do? She practically threw a vase at me in a fit of rage.”

Vivia still remembered Eleanor’s piercing blue eyes that had glared at her, striking fear into her very core. While Eleanor left the room with Brianna, Vivia and the other ladies had been too overwhelmed by her presence to say a word.

‘So, I lost this round.’

Marquis Delph could tell, even though his daughter pretended to be unfazed, that she had been thoroughly bested by Eleanor. She hadn’t even become Empress yet, and she was already displaying such weakness.

‘If this keeps up, she’ll turn out to be an even worse failure than Edea.’

The marquis clicked his tongue inwardly.

“There was a rumor during the Hartmann annexation.”

“……?”

“It said that the Emperor intended to take the princess of Hartmann as his Empress.”

“……!”

Vivia’s head stiffened, slowly turning to face her father. Her wide eyes locked onto the marquis’s faint smirk.

“But around the same time, a different story emerged. It claimed that the princess of Hartmann was a symbol of decadence and indulgence, and that if she became the Empress of Baden, she would surely ruin the country just as Hartmann had fallen.”

“……”

“The public was enraged. How could the Emperor even consider making the woman who caused Hartmann’s collapse the Empress? Eventually, the princess was sent to the Mecklen family.”

“…That rumor about the ‘Princess of Decadence and Indulgence’—did you create it?”

“Yes.” Marquis Delph readily admitted it. “Conflict doesn’t always have to be visible.”

He tapped his temple lightly with his fingers as he continued, “Everything must begin here, in the mind. Stir things up just enough, and you can solve problems without lifting a finger. There’s no need to get personally involved.”