Duchess Mecklen’s Elegant Revolt - Chapter 22 Part 1

As Ernst remained silent, Pedro glanced around the room.

Seeing the quill had sparked his curiosity about the other items.

However, Ernst’s desk, devoid of decorations, held nothing of interest to him.

“Honestly, this is amazing. Just a bunch of papers here,” Pedro said, clicking his tongue. It was just like Ernst—completely expected.

Any curiosity he had was slowly dissipating. Pedro glanced at Ernst with a slight frown. “Is there anything worthwhile here? I was going to appraise something for you since it’s been a while.”

“……”

At Pedro’s question, Ernst finally looked away from the quill. Without realizing it, he had zoned out.

Pedro, who was watching Ernst’s blank expression with curiosity, innocently asked, “What are you thinking about so deeply?”

“Nothing,” Ernst answered in a slightly weary tone.

He felt ridiculous for reacting so much over a single quill.

It could have been because he hadn’t slept well the previous night, and his focus was slipping.

Ernst rubbed his forehead with his hand.

‘It’s all because of that dream.’

Even after returning to Baden, the nightmares hadn’t ceased. Though they were not frequent, they were vivid enough to disturb Ernst whenever they surfaced. So vivid that forgetting them was impossible.

Ernst covered half his face with his hand as he thought about Eleanor’s face on the guillotine from the dream.

Pedro jumped at the sight.

“What’s wrong with you?” he asked, alarmed.

He even offered to call a doctor, but Ernst refused.

Only then did Ernst remember something Pedro might find interesting to appraise.

“The top drawer.”

Blinking, Pedro followed Ernst’s instructions and opened the top drawer.

All it contained was a single brown pouch.

Pedro untied the string on the pouch.

“Whoa? Is this Kaham’s Bracelet?”

Pedro’s eyes widened as he pulled out a bracelet from the leather pouch. He hadn’t expected to see a sacred relic here that he had only ever heard about in rumors. Pedro examined the Celtic cross symbolizing Lumana engraved on the shiny bracelet, letting out a laugh.

“Have you made a wish with it?”

“A wish?”

“This bracelet is said to grant wishes. There’s even a legend about it reuniting lovers separated by war. Hmm. I can’t assign a value to this one.”

Unlike his initial confidence in appraising it, Pedro took a step back. Kaham’s Bracelet was too rare, so valuable it defied conventional appraisal. Pedro carefully wiped the bracelet with his sleeve, afraid to leave any fingerprints on it.

“It must be fate.”

“……?”

“You can’t just buy this bracelet if you want it. There’s a legend that says Kaham’s relic chooses its owner. The Lumana Church has tried to reclaim it countless times, but it always eludes them.”

Pedro smiled broadly, stroking the bracelet.

“I’m glad to witness such a rare item. I don’t know how it ended up with you, but it must have chosen you.”

For a moment, Ernst almost told Pedro that he could have it if he liked it so much. A wish? Ernst wasn’t a child who believed in fairies bringing gifts if you tossed a tooth onto the roof. He would rather count on the millions the bracelet’s reputation might bring him than believe in some far-fetched divine miracle.

‘This brought me back to my senses,’ Ernst thought with a bitter smile.

“I asked for an appraisal, and you’re just spouting nonsense.”

“Hey, it’s not nonsense. You don’t understand the mystical power of this bracelet yet. You haven’t made a wish, have you?”

“Stop with the childish talk about wishes.”

Ernst sighed, avoiding Pedro’s playful insistence.

“It wasn’t given to me with that kind of meaning. If you can’t determine its value, just put it back.”

“What a waste.”

Pedro groaned at Ernst’s cold command. Here was a sacred relic that had found its owner, only to be left to gather dust in a drawer because its worth wasn’t appreciated. Pedro exaggeratedly wailed, and Ernst pretended to block his ears. He regretted showing it to Pedro.

Pedro carefully returned the bracelet to the leather pouch and added, almost in passing, “If you don’t need it, give it as a gift or something.”

“……?”

“Is there anyone around you you’d like to impress?”

To impress someone?

Ernst’s lips twisted in a peculiar way.

There was no such person.

On the contrary, there were only carts full of nobles trying to win the favor of him, the Duke of Mecklen.

If he absolutely had to give it to someone as a gift…

‘…Eleanor?’

No, that’s not right.

Ernst quickly dismissed the thought.

Seeing Ernst fail to respond, Pedro scratched the back of his head.

“I suppose you’re still not interested in anyone besides work. Even His Majesty says you’re a boring guy.”

“Are you trying to cause trouble?”

“No? His Majesty said it to your face.”

He wasn’t wrong. Ernst couldn’t refute it and simply gestured for Pedro to leave. A sense of fatigue washed over him even more strongly.

Seeing no other interesting items for appraisal, Pedro gave up and rose from his seat. Wearing a cheerful smile, Pedro waved his hand energetically.

“Alright, see you tomorrow!”

“Just hang out with Evan.”

Not that Evan would want to, Ernst thought.

Pedro, as if he hadn’t heard Ernst’s last words, left the office.

22. An Unexpected Date

The next day, Eleanor requested permission to leave the palace. Once the Emperor easily granted it, she entrusted her duties to Brianna and boarded the carriage. The carriage left the palace, speeding across the roads. She was headed to Ferret Street No. 13.

On the surface, it seemed neat, but if one took the wrong turn, they could easily get lost in the maze of crisscrossing roads—an infamously confusing area. Moreover, it was also known for frequent encounters with men of rough demeanor in back alleys.

The coachman had offered to accompany her, but Eleanor asked him to wait at the entrance.

“Quite a fearless young lady,” someone shouted, seeing Eleanor walking through the alleys in her elegant dress.

Another man, holding a knife, let out a mocking laugh. Their jeers were of no consequence to Eleanor; she knew no good would come from engaging with them.

Ignoring their taunts, Eleanor continued climbing up and down the stairs until she finally found the peculiar house with a blue roof and a red door, with three chickens hanging from a rope in front.

Knock, knock.

“Who’s there?”

A voice responded almost immediately when she grabbed the doorknob and knocked.

The red door opened, revealing a man with a bluish beard. He looked to be in his forties. His curly hair was unkempt and tangled. He quickly scanned Eleanor from head to toe.

“A noble, huh?”

“I’m here to see Jack Ruby.”

“……”

The man frowned, not expecting to hear the name of their boss from the mouth of a well-dressed noblewoman.

Scars covered his face, giving him an intimidating appearance, but Eleanor met his gaze without flinching.

Unable to turn her away, the man crossed his arms.

“Chicken legs?”

“You can have them. I prefer wings.”

“Then who gets the breast?”

“Not me, so ask your friend.”

The rapid exchange was meaningless. It was merely the passphrase required to meet Jack Ruby. Each client had a different code, and Jack Ruby verified the identity of his clients based on these passphrases, as Milo had explained to Eleanor beforehand.

The one Eleanor had just used was a phrase Milo had devised. The man, who seemed unhappy that Eleanor had easily passed the test, turned around abruptly.

“Follow me.”

Eleanor followed him inside.

The house appeared uninhabited, with random furniture scattered around, though there wasn’t any dust, suggesting someone maintained it regularly. Ascending the stairs, Eleanor followed the man to the last room at the end of the second-floor hallway.

“Oh, bold one, aren’t you?”

As soon as Eleanor stepped into the room, a raspy voice filled the space. The room was empty except for a single sofa, and on it sat an elderly man—Jack Ruby. He lounged comfortably, puffing on a cigar. Ashes from his cigar lay scattered around, creating a mess.

Jack Ruby rubbed his chin with his thick hand. “Aren’t you afraid of me, young lady?”

“That’s not relevant to our transaction, is it?”

“I don’t get it. What kind of shady business brings you here?”

His tone was almost mocking.

Eleanor realized that Jack Ruby wouldn’t easily hand over the information. She began to understand why Milo had advised her to approach Jack Ruby last, after all the others. Though Milo had given her a list of brokers before leaving for Mondriol, Jack Ruby was the most experienced and successful among them.

‘It also means he’s the most difficult to deal with.’

Eleanor took a short breath before answering, “Do transactions need a reason?”

“Sometimes they do.”

“An advance payment of 100.”

“……!”

“If you do a thorough job, I’ll pay an additional 100 gold.”

The unit was gold. And the amount was far above Jack Ruby’s usual deals. Lounging arrogantly in his chair, Jack Ruby finally straightened his posture.

Seeing the conversation take a serious turn, Eleanor smiled. “I have two requests.”

The first was regarding East Harlem.

“I need the sales history of painter Jigor’s replica, Sunflower Girl, in East Harlem. I need information on both the buyer and the seller.”

“…That’s difficult.”

Jack Ruby frowned at the first request.

Unperturbed, Eleanor continued with her next demand. “The second concerns Countess Müller.”

“A background check?”

“Yes. I want the investigation to be as thorough as possible—her origins, family, friends, lovers, every relationship, and even her trivial preferences. And… I want you to investigate how Countess Müller died. Officially, it’s cardiac arrest, but I suspect there’s a deeper cause.”

Jack Ruby remained silent, only puffing on his cigar, his deeply wrinkled face showing no sign of willingness. After a long pause, he turned his head and spat on the floor.

“That’s tough.”

“……”

“And we’re information brokers, not detectives. Investigating a cause of death is beyond our scope…”

“Double the pay if it’s difficult.”

“……!”

“An advance of 100, and upon completion, a reward of 200 gold.”

Thirty gold was roughly the annual budget for a small noble family of four. Three hundred gold was enough to live as comfortably as any noble.

Jack Ruby’s jaw dropped. The cigar he had been holding fell to the floor, but he didn’t care.

Eleanor pulled out the pouch of gold she had brought. “Here’s the advance I mentioned.”

“…Ahem.”

“I assure you the reward will be substantial.”