Duchess Mecklen’s Elegant Revolt - Chapter 22 Part 4

The place they found wasn’t too far from the city center; it was a lake.

In spring and fall, it was usually bustling with noblewomen out on picnics, but in winter, it was seldom visited, and the surroundings were serene.

Compared to the size of the expansive lake, the two people on the frozen surface looked like mere dots. They had huddled together closely.

“Is this how you do it, Lennoch?”

“Yes, you’re doing well.”

Eleanor, wearing thick fur gloves, held a hammer in her hands. She placed a pointed metal rod on the ice and began to strike it.

Thanks to Lennoch, who had dug out most of the ice hole, the remaining ice was just a few millimeters thick. Each time Eleanor struck the rod, there was a thunk, thunk sound.

“This is more fun than I thought,” Eleanor spoke, white breath puffing out as she smiled. Her cheeks were flushed red from the cold, but her bright smile was genuine.

Lennoch, worried that Eleanor might hurt herself, was busy glancing back and forth between her hands and her face.

“Oh, oh?”

It broke.

With a crack, the ice shattered, and water began to seep through the gaps. Lennoch smiled faintly as Eleanor rejoiced.

“You seem to have a knack for ice digging, surprisingly.”

“How did you know? I’m a pro at this kind of stuff.” Eleanor responded with a smile as Lennoch joked with her. This was a different side of her from the palace, where she was always formal and polite.

Lennoch met Eleanor’s vibrant gaze and paused for a moment before speaking again, “You’re just like when you were a child.”

“When I was a child?”

“Back when we faced those traffickers.”

Little Eleanor, though small, had been brave, unafraid of the threats of the rough men wielding swords.

Recalling that time, Lennoch smiled.

“Do you remember patting my head? You praised me, asking how I had the courage to fight them.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t quite remember that part.”

“It’s all right. You were very young; it’s understandable.”

Unlike Lennoch, who remembered it vividly, Eleanor struggled to recall the distant past. It was a miracle in itself that she remembered anything of her childhood with the current emperor.

It wasn’t just that their appearances had changed drastically—back then, many children had been in similar situations.

Among the children crying their eyes out, had Lennoch also shed tears?

Eleanor pondered deeply.

“Sorry, but I didn’t cry.”

“…How did you know?”

Eleanor smiled bashfully, caught in her thoughts. Lennoch smiled back and attached a bait to the hook.

“Aren’t you cold?”

“I’m fine. This fur clothing is warm. I’m glad I changed in advance.”

After buying their tools at the general store, they had stopped by a boutique to change clothes, realizing their current attire wouldn’t withstand the midwinter cold.

Upon the staff’s recommendation, Eleanor had changed into a hunter’s outfit and wore a fur hat that covered her ears. Lennoch, who couldn’t take his eyes off her round head, suddenly spoke.

“What should we do after this?”

“Again?”

“Since we’ve come out of the palace, we might as well try a variety of things.”

Lennoch added with a grin, “There are things we can only do outside, after all.”

“Is there something you want to do besides fishing?”

“Hmm. To be honest, I haven’t thought that far.”

Ice fishing had also been a spur-of-the-moment idea.

After thinking for a moment, Lennoch asked, “Do you like plays?”

“Of course, I love them. I used to watch them occasionally when I was in Hartmann. It’s been ages since I last saw one.”

“Then let’s watch a play.”

“Do you think there’s a theater nearby?”

“If not, I’ll take you elsewhere. I saw a new theater that opened recently. It seemed quite popular, with a lot of people attending.”

Lennoch had discovered the theater while buying desserts for Eleanor. Receiving his suggestion, Eleanor hesitated briefly.

Even though she had entrusted things to Eger, wouldn’t it be too much if she stayed out of the palace for too long?

Still, her hesitation didn’t last long.

“All right.”

The moment Eleanor agreed, Lennoch, overjoyed, dropped the baited fishing line into the hole.

“I hope a fish bites the bait soon.”

He moved the fishing rod up and down above the ice hole as he spoke.

“We should leave before the sun sets, after all.”

“It’s fine. If we can’t catch anything, we can just give up and leave.”

“My pride wouldn’t allow that,” Lennoch spoke solemnly, narrowing his eyes.

Eleanor couldn’t help but burst into laughter once again. Though it might not be the right thing to say to an adult, Lennoch’s serious attitude about catching a fish was strangely endearing.

“Don’t get so competitive over something like this.”

“But I’m serious.”

“Why is that?”

“Because I really want to impress someone.”

“……”

To whom?

Though she wanted to ask, she had the odd feeling she already knew the answer.

Eleanor pulled her legs together and sat on the small wooden stool. As she rested her head on her knees, Lennoch’s gaze persistently followed her.

Afraid he might hear her loudly beating heart, Eleanor curled up even more.

“…The weather is nice.”

“Indeed it is.”

Fortunately, Lennoch smoothly diffused the potentially awkward situation.

Eleanor glanced at Lennoch, who was focusing on the fishing again. With no one else around, he stood out as if he had stepped out of a painting, glowing vividly.

As she studied his more relaxed expression, now free of his mask, Eleanor noticed something and mumbled softly to herself.

“I suddenly remembered something.”

Should she say it or not?

Despite her hesitation, her lips moved almost of their own accord.

“When I rescued you from the traffickers… didn’t you hold my hand as we headed to the village?”

“……!”

“I think we were also together in the carriage.”

“You remembered even that?”

Lennoch turned his head away, avoiding her gaze. Seeing him flustered, something she hadn’t seen in a long time, Eleanor spoke with playful exaggeration.

“You held my hand so tightly back then that it hurt.”

“Ahem, ahem.”

“Be honest. What were you thinking when you held it?”

Though it was probably an impulsive action from his younger self, Lennoch’s evasiveness piqued her curiosity.

Eleanor closely observed the changes in his expression, her eyes sparkling with interest.

Finally, Lennoch looked away from the fishing rod and back at her.

“Because I liked it.”

“Pardon?”

“I liked seeing you fight.”

Huh.

“I also found you adorable. That sword you swung at the traffickers—honestly, you didn’t handle it well, did you? You swung it so recklessly, I couldn’t bring myself to tell you that you’d hurt yourself. I still remember how proud you looked in the returning carriage.”

“……!”

Lennoch’s smile deepened. “What about you? What were you thinking when you held my hand back then?”

The wind brushing her cheeks was cold, and for that, she was grateful.

Eleanor took a deep breath to calm her pounding heart. What should she say?

It felt like she had just heard an overwhelming confession, one she wasn’t ready for.

At that moment, luckily, the tip of Lennoch’s fishing rod began to move.

Eleanor pointed at it. “It looks like you’ve caught something.”

“Already?”

Lennoch sounded somewhat regretful, even though he had been eagerly waiting for a fish.

As he pulled on the line, a fish barely the size of a fingertip emerged.

“Not even enough for a taste.”

Lennoch nodded at Eleanor’s comment.

“Should we let it go?”

“It seems a bit of a waste… but all right.”

The flopping fish slipped from Lennoch’s hand and returned to the ice hole.

As Eleanor stared intently at the hole where the fish had disappeared, Lennoch spoke, “Would you like to try it yourself?”

“Me?”

“It’s fun.”

Lennoch offered her the fishing rod he was holding. Caught off guard, Eleanor took it and began to unwind the coiled fishing line.

As she dropped the line into the hole and waited, Lennoch came closer.

“You let out too much line.”

“Ah?”

Lennoch’s hand landed on Eleanor’s hand as she held the fishing rod.

Taken by surprise, Eleanor’s eyes widened as she found herself suddenly giving her hand to him without any resistance.

While Lennoch continued explaining something, Eleanor couldn’t take her eyes off the hand that held hers. Lennoch’s hand was much larger than she remembered. It was gentle and warm, cradling her hand carefully, as if ensuring she wouldn’t feel any pain.

“Eleanor?”

A voice came from above her head, startling her. Reflexively, Eleanor pulled her hand away, which caused her glove to slip off.

Worried that it might have looked like she had recoiled in disgust, Eleanor hurriedly added a clumsy excuse.

“It’s fine. I wanted to take off the glove anyway since it felt a bit stifling.”

“Stifling?”

“My hands felt too warm. I don’t think I need the gloves.”

Though hastily spoken, there was some truth to her words. Her face felt unusually hot.

Sensing something was off, Lennoch extended his hand to place it on her forehead.

Finding herself presenting her face to him, Eleanor’s already flushed face burned even more.

Her heart pounded loudly.

‘This is strange.’

Suddenly, her head felt heavy, and she was a bit short of breath, as if she were sick.

“Am I coming down with a cold…?”

“Cold?”

Lennoch reacted sharply to her mumble.

“Let’s pack up and go back.”

“Already?”

“It’s too cold out here. If you catch a cold, it’ll be bad.”

Looking like the world was about to collapse, Lennoch began to put away the fishing rod. Even though Eleanor tried to reassure him that she was fine, he was adamant.

Perhaps she had been too quick to assume she was sick. Seeing everything being packed up, a feeling of regret washed over her.

Sniffling a little, Eleanor spoke to Lennoch, “I feel a bit disappointed.”

“We can come back again. We can fish anytime.”

Lennoch replied as he extended his hand and took hold of Eleanor’s right hand.

Feeling the soft touch of his hand against her bare skin, Eleanor looked down. Lennoch had picked up the glove she had dropped earlier and was now putting it back on her hand.

“Don’t get sick.”

“……”

“Your being unwell is what scares me the most.”

Seeing the glove fitting snugly on her hand, Eleanor found herself momentarily lost for words. Lennoch didn’t let go easily, holding her hand firmly as if urging her to move forward with him.

Eleanor’s feet moved instinctively to match his stride, her eyes on his broad back as he walked ahead.

She thought back to their childhood. Their roles had completely reversed.

In her newly awakened memories, young Lennoch, with his scruffy silver-gray hair, had been the one forced to hold hands and be led along. The one dragging him back then was none other than her.

“Just trust me and follow me. I’ll take you home.”

Young Eleanor had said that with a confident smile. She wondered how Lennoch had looked at her back then.

“It would be best to see a doctor first,” Lennoch said suddenly, looking back at her.

Eleanor nodded without saying anything.

Today, she really was acting strange. Otherwise, none of this would have happened.

With her face still flushed, Eleanor tightened her grip slightly on Lennoch’s hand.

***

The two of them soon stopped by the nearby town, finding a privately-run clinic.

The doctor diagnosed Eleanor with mild cold symptoms. Judging it would be difficult for her to resume her duties at the palace, Lennoch ended up escorting her all the way back to her estate.

Upon reaching the entrance, marked with the crest of Hippias, Eleanor let out a small sigh. Finishing her day before the sun had even set felt like she was slacking off.

But Lennoch had been so earnest in insisting that she rest that she found herself softening.

Noticing her less-than-pleased expression, Lennoch asked with concern, “Are you feeling very unwell?”

“I’m fine. I took the medicine, and with some rest today, I’ll be better soon.”

Not wanting him to worry, Eleanor shook her head.

The carriage stopped in front of the mansion gates, and Eleanor disembarked with Lennoch’s help. The butler opened the door to greet her.

“Madam, you’ve returned?”

“I’m not feeling well, so I came back early.”

Eleanor explained to the butler the reason for her early return, and beside her, Lennoch made a simple request.

“Please prepare warm water and hot chocolate immediately.”

“Yes. …If I may ask, which family are you from?”

The butler, Kal, bowed politely, but couldn’t help asking. It seemed suspicious to let someone into the house when they were wearing a mask.

Moreover, despite his smile, Lennoch exuded a unique intensity that felt intimidating.

Given the circumstances, the butler’s question was only natural, and Lennoch didn’t seem offended.

He replied curtly, “Your first employer.”

“……?”