Duchess Mecklen’s Elegant Revolt - Chapter 24 Part 4

Ernst couldn’t bring himself to speak easily due to the shocks that kept coming one after another.

In the silence, different from before, Eleanor brought the cooled teacup to her lips.

She had another question.

“If I were to reveal the entire truth, what would you do then?”

What would Ernst do if he learned everything about Caroline?

His deep voice, filled with gravity, escaped. “…I haven’t thought that far.”

“Would you cast your mother out?”

“……”

Ernst stayed silent again. Many responses crossed his mind, but none seemed satisfactory.

Eleanor, following his lead, took another sip of her tea.

‘It’s not an easy decision.’

Their divorce had been handled in a way that didn’t tarnish the family’s reputation, allowing for an amicable separation. At that time, Caroline had only received a minor punishment, but this new revelation was different—the gravity of the matter was much more significant.

What decision Ernst would make mattered more to Eleanor than how much he believed her. She imagined he would be deeply conflicted.

‘In the worst case…’

Eleanor tried to anticipate Ernst’s reaction if he learned that Vito might be his half-brother. In the worst-case scenario, Ernst might try to eliminate Vito to protect the family’s secret. AFter all, he was a man who could be colder than anyone else when it came to his family’s honor.

Caroline had been deeply involved in the Mecklen family for decades and still wielded influence within it. If Ernst had to choose between the two, he would most likely lean toward protecting the family’s interests.

Eleanor parted her tightly pressed lips once more.

“Think about it a bit more.”

When your heart is certain.

“I’ll tell you then.”

It wasn’t the right time yet.

***

Ultimately, Ernst remained lost in deep contemplation until the end.

When Eleanor finished her tea and rose from her seat, he finally seemed to snap out of his thoughts and stood as well.

“I’ll escort you.”

“No, thank you. I must go see His Majesty now.”

“Then at least let me walk you to the office entrance. My uncle is still waiting outside.”

Despite the shock of Caroline’s story, Ernst managed to remain composed.

Eleanor didn’t reply.

As soon as she opened the door, all eyes waiting outside were drawn to her.

“There you are at last!”

“Duke, what’s going on? Are you two getting back together?”

“If you were going to keep meeting, why did you even get divorced?”

The barrage of questions made Ernst frown.

They were persistent, to say the least.

Eleanor noticed particularly that Norman looked at her with disdain.

He spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear, “I knew it. You claimed it was a divorce due to differences in personality, but in the end, you just missed our family. Leaving Mecklen must have made you realize what a great place it was, huh?”

“Of course not.”

Eleanor couldn’t let Norman’s sneer slide without a response, so she smiled slightly.

“If anything, the Duke is the one clinging to me.”

“……!”

“He just told me there was no one else like me, and he asked me to reconsider.”

“There’s no way the Duke would say such a thing…!”

“If you don’t believe me, you can ask him yourself.”

She hadn’t said it because she liked Ernst. She just wanted to divert attention away from Caroline to avoid making things uncomfortable for both of them.

Ignoring Norman’s shocked reaction, Eleanor glanced at Ernst.

‘Huh?’

Contrary to her expectation that his face would be twisted in discomfort, Ernst seemed unexpectedly calm—even a little awkward. For some reason, that made Eleanor feel strangely annoyed, and her face darkened.

“I’ll be going now.”

She made a vague gesture to Ernst and tried to leave in a hurry. But before she could take a step, Ernst blocked her way with his arm.

He had moved his left arm slightly to offer it to her.

“……?”

“Let me escort you.”

This wasn’t what she had in mind.

Eleanor stood frozen, taken aback, but her hesitation didn’t last long.

The stares of those watching them were still fixed on her. Since she was the one who had given a false excuse in the first place, she had no choice but to place her hand on Ernst’s arm.

‘Only to the office.’

As the two of them moved forward, the members of the Mecklen family who had been blocking their path stepped aside. Eleanor walked with her chin raised slightly, her gaze straight ahead.

“Thanks for the help.”

Once the voices of the whispering family members had faded completely behind them, Ernst spoke.

Eleanor replied curtly, “This won’t happen again.”

“Are we still in a cooperative relationship?”

“Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”

Barely listening to his words, Eleanor was lost in her thoughts.

The emperor’s office was drawing closer. Even without meaning to, all her senses were attuned to that place.

Lennoch was probably still working. She had wanted to come by earlier, but her heart wouldn’t allow it. Maybe he was waiting for her.

She hoped he wasn’t still blaming himself. The awkward way they had parted yesterday weighed on her mind.

“I hope we see each other more often.”

“……?”

For the first time, Eleanor’s steady stride faltered. The confusion caused by trying to understand what she had just heard momentarily disoriented her.

“Is it because of your mother? I thought we’d agreed to talk about that later.”

“I was referring to what you just said.”

Although the word ‘cling’ might have been a bit much.

“You were right—there really isn’t anyone else like you.”

“…What?”

Eleanor was startled and quickly withdrew her hand from his arm. Where had that thought even come from? It wasn’t like he misunderstood that she meant it sincerely.

Ernst’s demeanor had changed drastically, but his expression remained as indifferent as ever.

Looking down at Eleanor, he spoke, “We’re in the same palace, so we should have tea together occasionally.”

“……”

“If you prefer, I could come by your office. There’s much I want to ask you—not just about my mother.”

It sounded as though meeting with her was an obvious course of action, as though he fully expected her to agree.

A strange confidence radiated from him, as if he believed that Eleanor would naturally meet with him again.

Suddenly feeling a chill, Eleanor decided to take a firm stance.

“You seem mistaken—our cooperative relationship doesn’t mean creating uncomfortable situations. It simply means helping each other when needed.”

The entire arrangement had originally been made for Lennoch’s sake. Eleanor had never intended anything else to happen with Ernst.

“You must have forgotten already. I thought I made it clear what kind of wounds you caused me.”

A wound from a blade might eventually heal, but a scar doesn’t vanish. To Eleanor, Ernst was such a scar.

“I haven’t forgotten what happened.”

“I’m sorry for that.”

“……!”

“I sincerely apologize. I was wrong.”

Eleanor was taken aback by his continued apology.

‘What’s wrong with him?’

It felt like she was talking to someone completely different. Had Caroline’s revelations shocked him that much? Or had something changed for him after the divorce?

But even so, he had hidden the reason for Caroline’s punishment from the emperor, maintaining a tight grip on family affairs from beginning to end. There was no way he could suddenly develop feelings for her now.

“I’ll be going now.”

Eleanor decided that it would be best if they didn’t get involved further. If they were seen together, it would only lead to unpleasant rumors.

She turned and began to walk away, but Ernst grabbed her arm again.

“Do you have any thought of meeting me again?”

Eleanor’s eyes widened.

“I’m not asking for us to reconcile.”

Then what?

“I just thought we could spend a little time getting to know each other.”

“Now, of all times?”

“It’s late, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. I wouldn’t be harming you. You can even tell me if there’s something you’ve always wanted.”

Ernst, always as rigid as clockwork, now displayed a faint vulnerability. There was a slight longing in his expression.

‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’

She was too stunned to even speak. The Ernst she would have preferred to see was the cold, emotionless man who didn’t acknowledge his faults.

If he couldn’t empathize with her wounds, it would have been better if he hadn’t apologized at all. Instead of trying to smooth things over with awkward words, exposing his true feelings like this.

Eleanor shook her arm free. “If we get to know each other, what comes next? Will you ask me to dance together?”

“Did you want to dance? That’s fine too. I’m not the best dancer, but I’m not bad enough to be embarrassed. If you’d like, we could attend a dance party.”

“I’m not in the mood for jokes.”

Eleanor put strength into her arm, trying to pull away. But escaping the grip of a knight wasn’t easy.

Just then, as Eleanor and Ernst struggled, the sturdy door to the office opened.

Both Eleanor and Ernst turned to look.

“…Your Majesty?”

Lennoch, standing there, had somehow come out in just a thin shirt and coat draped over his shoulders.

Lennoch’s gaze fell first on Eleanor’s shimmering blonde hair and then shifted to the wrist held by Ernst.

“……”

“……”

The warmth that had filled the emperor’s green eyes vanished in an instant.

He had come out to get some air, unable to shake off the tightness in his chest. But why were these two here together?

Lennoch silently watched Ernst, who bowed slightly in his direction. Eleanor, her wrist now free, gave a small curtsey, but Lennoch’s cold gaze didn’t soften.

“Is something the matter between you two?”

“No, Your Majesty.”

“Everything is… fine, Your Majesty.”

Eleanor’s response followed Ernst’s curt words, but it sounded awkward to anyone listening.

Lennoch’s eyes tightened slightly.

‘She always says she’s fine.’

Just like yesterday.

Even though she had been startled by his sudden actions, barely able to breathe, she had comforted him instead, telling him not to blame himself.

Was this ‘fine’ truly Eleanor’s genuine feeling? Could she be covering for Ernst?

The thought brought a surge of inexplicable discomfort.

Lennoch took a step forward. “You both seem far from fine to me. Were you fighting?”

“Not at all, Your Majesty. We were just having a light conversation.”

“A light conversation?” Lennoch’s brow furrowed. “Does your idea of conversation involve grabbing someone’s wrist like a criminal?”

“……”

“It looked to me like you were handling her as if she were a suspect.”