Duchess Mecklen’s Elegant Revolt - Chapter 22 Part 2

Jack Ruby hesitated for a moment. Should he accept this woman’s offer?

Strictly speaking, he wasn’t on particularly good terms with Milo, the broker. But to make decisions based on personal feelings in this line of work would be no different from amateur behavior.

Jack Ruby was the best broker on Ferret Street No. 13, and Milo knew this well enough to recommend him to this woman. Of course, Milo must have also explained just how dangerous it could be.

“You must have a lot of money, young lady,” Jack Ruby said nonchalantly.

“……?”

“To be throwing gold coins around like this for a job.”

Although Jack Ruby tried to appear indifferent, his heart was pounding. He knew this was a huge deal. Most requests started at 10 gold, yet this woman seemed unaware of the usual rates.

Judging by her attire, she was indeed from a noble family. But coming here without a knight in tow suggested she was a naive young lady, trying to hide something from her family.

As he thought, Jack Ruby put out the still-lit cigar under his foot. The persistent gleam in his eyes as he looked at Eleanor gradually darkened.

“Alright.”

Contrary to Milo’s warning that Jack Ruby would be difficult, he accepted easily.

Eleanor did not let her guard down as she asked, “When should I expect the results?”

“Well…” Jack Ruby trailed off ambiguously, humming as if he were preparing for an outing.

Slowly rising from the sofa, he couldn’t stop grinning. He was the kind of man who would do anything for money, and as long as he had money, he could accomplish anything.

“No need to wait. Right now works best for me.”

“……?”

“If I kill you, I get 100 gold for free.”

The sudden change in Jack Ruby’s voice made Eleanor’s face harden.

Jack Ruby looked at the frail noblewoman before him, a sinister smile spreading across his face. “You may not know much about the world, but isn’t this a bit too naive? Coming to a place like this alone?”

“……!”

“Even if you die, no one will easily find this place. Ferret 13 is where even noble lords tread cautiously.”

Jack Ruby stood up and reached for another cigar from his pocket. Eleanor stepped back slightly, but Jack Ruby doubted she could escape.

Lighting the end of his cigar, he let out a rough laugh. “Nobody hates easy money.”

Killing a noble? Most people would be shocked, but this was nothing new for Jack Ruby.

Wealthy nobles sometimes disappeared after venturing into the back alleys to hire someone like him. If no one knew where they had gone, even knights conducting search operations had their limits—especially for shady dealings like this.

“Might as well handle this cleanly.”

“……!”

Jack Ruby clapped his hands three times, and suddenly, the sound of a wall collapsing echoed through the room.

Eleanor turned her head to the right. What she had thought was an empty space was actually a double wall. From behind the broken bricks, four large men appeared as if they had been waiting.

Eleanor pressed herself against the door she had entered through to avoid them.

“I heard you were the most capable broker on Ferret Street, but I see I was mistaken.”

“No, I’m capable enough,” Jack Ruby replied, puffing on his cigar with a grin. “You’re just unlucky, young lady.”

“……”

“Then why did you come alone?”

He sounded almost mocking.

Seeing Jack Ruby’s sly smile, Eleanor calmly asked, “How long have I been inside?”

The unexpected question made Jack Ruby pause and remove the cigar from his mouth.

“Who knows? Ten minutes? Twenty? But does it matter? You’re going to die anyway.”

Even if she acted calm, Jack Ruby knew she must be trembling inside. His eyes greedily shifted to the pouch of gold in Eleanor’s hand. It seemed like too much to just snatch and kill her.

“Maybe I should sell her as a slave in Bahama. She would fetch a high price.”

Jack Ruby’s gaze swept over Eleanor as he grinned.

Yes, selling her as a slave was a better option. It might be difficult to hide, but if he managed well, he could make a fortune. She was pretty enough for that.

Without a weapon and with no one to help her, Jack Ruby saw no reason to hesitate. He signaled to his men.

“Capture her without any injuries.”

“Yes!”

The men moved toward Eleanor, reaching for her as she found herself cornered.

“Aaahhh!”

“What… what’s that?!”

A scream rang out from the first floor, startling everyone into freezing in place. The sound echoed, repeating itself, seeming to get closer with each passing moment.

The screams were from Jack Ruby’s subordinates who had been stationed on each floor, rushing out only to be overwhelmed. Their cries were growing nearer, like a warning.

Jack Ruby pulled out the knife strapped to his waist.

“Could it be… did she bring a knight…?”

Click.

Despite the raucous screams, the door opened quietly.

The man who stepped through wore a long black robe, his hood hanging loosely as he lowered it. Silver-gray hair spilled out beneath the hood, and a wooden mask covered his face. Someone gasped at the sight.

Eleanor looked up at the man who had positioned himself solidly behind her.

“Lennoch.”

“I told you, didn’t I?”

The eyes behind Lennoch’s mask looked tenderly at Eleanor.

“It’s dangerous to come alone.”

***

Jack Ruby and his men were caught far too easily. Now kneeling in front of Eleanor, they were all in poor condition, having been thoroughly beaten by Lennoch during the capture.

Lennoch stood beside Eleanor, glancing at the defeated men. “What should we do with them?”

“P-please, spare us…!”

Jack Ruby promptly threw himself to the floor. His face, bruised and battered from his foolish attempt to fight Lennoch, looked worse than a rotten apple.

Trembling on the ground, Jack Ruby cursed his own foolishness.

‘I must’ve lost my mind.’

The masked man and his group were overwhelmingly strong. And he was ruthless. The people in the room were still alive, but Jack Ruby could guess the fate of those whose screams had echoed earlier.

They were all dead.

Jack Ruby shivered at the sight of the still-wet blood dripping from the knife in Lennoch’s hand.

“We were foolish. We dared not recognize a noble and committed an unforgivable sin, deserving death. But please, if you spare us just this once, we will repay you.”

“Forgive us, please spare us.”

Jack Ruby’s men echoed his plea from behind.

Eleanor spoke in a calm voice, “How can I trust you?”

Eleanor now sat in the chair Jack Ruby had occupied earlier. The oversized chair made her appear smaller as she clasped her hands gently in her lap. But Jack Ruby was far more terrified of the man beside her, who kept his eyes fixed on him.

Jack Ruby crawled forward on his knees, bowing his head at Eleanor’s feet. “If you spare me, I’ll do anything. I don’t need any payment. I’ll bring you any information you need. If you want, I’ll work for you for the rest of my life.”

“……”

“I’ve been in this business for a long time. Trust me, I won’t betray you.”

“For someone who’s been in the business for a long time, your decisions today haven’t been very wise.”

Jack Ruby couldn’t respond to Eleanor’s gentle remark.

She was right—his actions had been a grave mistake.

Who could have known Milo would bring such a powerful figure?

‘Milo, you bastard.’

Jack Ruby cursed Milo internally.

Most brokers took their commission and vanished, leaving the traders to their fate. He had assumed Milo was just another broker, making a quick profit and leaving.

‘No wonder I felt something was off.’

It had been unusual when Milo had greeted him with such confidence after a long absence. And Jack Ruby had ignored Milo’s warning to be extremely cautious around the noble using his code—a warning that had come back to bite him.

Perhaps he had been blinded by greed, desperate for more clients in a dwindling market.

Jack Ruby abandoned his pride, tears welling up as he apologized. “I’m sorry. Truly, I am. I have no excuse. I should never have broken our trust first…”

Eleanor remained silent. Milo had advised her early on that whenever dealing with brokers on Ferret Street No. 13, she should always bring adequate escorts. That’s why, instead of knights, she had brought the most reliable person she knew.

While Eleanor glanced briefly at Lennoch, Jack Ruby kept his head bowed.

“Recently, a new broker has appeared on Ferret Street. His name is Russell. He’s been stealing my clients, and it’s been hard on me. I lost sight of a big client today because I was desperate for money. Please forgive me. I am sorry.”

As Jack Ruby spoke, Lennoch’s demeanor grew even more severe.

“And because of that, you set a trap?”

It was all too clear what would have happened if Lennoch hadn’t arrived.

Jack Ruby, still trying to excuse himself, shuddered at the killing intent emanating from Lennoch. The men behind Jack Ruby, still lying on the ground, shrank back as well.

Then Eleanor’s eyes widened slightly, as if she had remembered something.

“Wait. Russell?”

The name sounded familiar.

Seeing her reaction, Jack Ruby nodded vigorously. “Yes, yes, Russell. Recently, he’s caught the interest of some big player, and now he’s threatening my business.”

“When did this start?”

“Less than a year ago. He has no principles. Many brokers have been killed or driven out by him. If I can’t protect my territory, I’ll soon be swallowed up too.”

“Ah.”

Eleanor remembered. Russell.

‘He was the broker dealing with Caroline.’

She recalled overhearing his name in her previous life.

When she was punished in Caroline’s place, she remembered that even dealing with the broker had been part of her guilt.

“Wouldn’t it be better to just clean things up?” asked Lennoch casually.

By “clean things up,” he meant eliminating them. He was only maintaining his composure now because Eleanor was present. If she left them to him, Jack Ruby would soon be joining his fallen subordinates.

Lennoch’s eyes, cold behind his mask, shifted as Eleanor parted her lips to speak.