Duchess Mecklen’s Elegant Revolt - Chapter 31 Part 3

After completing his interrogation, Marquis Delph stood triumphantly at the palace steps.

He was not alone.

“I look forward to working with you.”

Marquis Delph turned to Duke Mecklen as he spoke.

Ernst, however, did not respond.

Though the duke’s chilling presence should have been enough to intimidate him, Marquis Delph remained unfazed, smiling as he nudged him verbally.

“Since we’ll be seeing each other often, why not part on good terms? I’ll be visiting you soon.”

“No need. I’ll summon you when necessary.”

“You’re quite rigid.”

“I have not forgiven my mother.”

Ernst cut him off firmly.

“I used the pardon only because it was necessary for the moment.”

His gaze landed on the Mecklen carriage.

Caroline, having just descended the stairs, was being helped into the carriage by a servant.

Gritting his teeth, Ernst recalled the conversation he had with Marquis Delph the night before at the charity party.

“Isn’t this difficult for you? If you’d like, I can offer my assistance.”

“Leave.”

“Doesn’t this feel unfair?”

“……”

“To be honest, I find this upsetting.”

On the terrace, Marquis Delph wore an expression of deep sorrow.

“Your Grace, in a way, His Majesty has taken your wife from you.”

“……”

“And because of that, my daughter Vivia has lost her future. I was certain His Majesty would choose our family. My daughter even gave up studying abroad and returned home. When she hears of this, her heartbreak will be immeasurable. As a father, it pains me deeply.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Help me make Vivia the Empress. If she sits beside His Majesty, your wife will have no choice but to return to you.”

For the first time, the frozen expression on Ernst’s face wavered slightly. Suspicion crept into his voice as he asked:

“What if Eleanor is made Empress instead? Lately, even the nobility seems to be supporting that idea.”

“I will change the tide.”

Marquis Delph was certain.

“Manipulating public opinion is no challenge at all.”

“……”

“I will sway not just the nobles, but also the commoners. I have a newspaper under my patronage. I’ll make sure it publishes articles highlighting your unfair treatment.”

Public opinion was a simple thing.

“The people don’t care about complex politics. They just need a topic to chew on for months. They’re foolish like that.”

“……”

“Even if His Majesty is praised as the greatest ruler in history, if he’s branded as a corrupt monarch who steals his vassal’s wife, his favorable reputation will slowly crumble. Ah, and it would be even better if we garner sympathy.”

“Sympathy?”

Playing on emotions was one of Marquis Delph’s greatest talents.

He used sympathy both as a shield and as a weapon.

“What if we release letters of longing for Lady Eleanor?”

“……”

“A tragic separation between two lovers. If the people read letters detailing your heartache, they will sympathize with you and oppose His Majesty’s decision to make Eleanor Empress.”

“What power do commoners have? They can’t even set foot in the palace.”

“Haha, if they remain scattered, yes. But if they unite, they become a force to be reckoned with. If you don’t believe me now, just follow my lead. You’ll see how terrifying public opinion can be.”

It was like the whisper of the devil.

“We must join forces to curb His Majesty’s power. You know how he’s been tightening control over the nobility lately. If this continues, we’ll be forced to yield everything to him—our wives, our wealth, our influence. Everything.”

“……”

“Are you going to let him take everything from you?”

No.

Shaking off his thoughts, Ernst muttered, “I don’t care who becomes the Empress of Baden. As long as it’s not Eleanor.”

“Of course. If Vivia becomes Empress in the near future, she will never forget your contributions.”

Marquis Delph nodded in satisfaction.

“At the upcoming meeting, all you have to do is nominate a candidate for Empress. I’ll handle persuading the other nobles. We must put firm pressure on His Majesty.”

Unlike during Empress Edea’s reign, when the Empress Dowager had pushed forward a candidate citing precedent, this time was different.

Even the Empress Dowager wouldn’t stand on their side this time.

“To be honest, my reputation has taken a hit due to the Balkan Trading Company scandal. It’s embarrassing to meet with the nobility right now.”

Feigning humility, Marquis Delph sighed dramatically.

“But I’ll do my best. Since you’ve played such a valuable card for us, I must ensure we succeed. Oh, and if you need anything, just say the word. I will help in any way I can.”

“Mecklen does not need anyone’s help.”

“Oh, but I think you will. For instance…”

Marquis Delph’s eyes glinted cunningly.

“Slaves.”

“……!”

“Lady Caroline testified that the slave was killed, but who’s to say? The slave might still be alive.”

Ernst’s brows furrowed deeply, as if he had been struck.

He turned to Marquis Delph and asked, “Do you know where the slave is?”

“I have no idea. But can you really trust Lady Caroline’s word?”

The Mecklen carriage had already left the palace grounds. Caroline was likely heading straight back to the duchy. She had been complaining of back pain the entire time she descended the stairs.

Marquis Delph shook his head. “I don’t think she had time to dispose of the slave. It all happened too quickly. If we hadn’t called Count Verdik to meet at the party last night, we wouldn’t have been able to control today’s investigation so successfully.”

If Saruka had moved, it might have been possible. But there simply hadn’t been enough time. Caroline likely hadn’t even thought about dealing with the slave before this incident erupted.

Marquis Delph’s reasoning was sound, and it began to sway Ernst’s thoughts.

“Do you know where the slave is from?”

“Well, I only know they came from Bahama. Ah, but I do know one more thing. Lady Caroline brought two slaves with her.”

“Two?”

According to Eleanor, the slave was likely a hidden member of the family’s bloodline.

But if there were two slaves…

Who was the other one?

Facing forward, Ernst turned to look at Marquis Delph.

“There were two. That’s why I’m even more certain. Killing two slaves at once wouldn’t be easy. At least one of them must still be alive somewhere.”

“……”

“You’ve met His Majesty, haven’t you? You should know that he’s not one to give up so easily just because of a mere pardon.”

No.

For the first time, Ernst had felt a chill when looking into the Emperor’s eyes as he offered the pardon.

“We barely escaped judgment with that pardon. But if the issue of slave trading resurfaces, who knows what excuse His Majesty might use to target us again? It’s best to take care of the problem before it becomes a threat.”

He was suggesting they find and eliminate the slave before the Emperor could.

Ernst nodded at his words.

‘The slave isn’t of any real use to my family anyway.’

Meeting them wasn’t an issue, but their existence wasn’t particularly necessary.

Ernst’s thoughts wavered, tipping in favor of Marquis Delph’s plan.

“We must find them as soon as possible.”

“Of course. If I have trouble finding them myself, I’ll convince Lady Caroline to do it for me.”

Marquis Delph grinned broadly.

***

“The blue alliums cultivated in the imperial palace as ornamental flowers were deliberately eradicated?”

Few had the authority to do such a thing within the palace.

As the Emperor’s expression hardened, Count Hilda nodded gravely.

“At first, we were only focused on identifying the flower.”

Then, while investigating with Berenice, they toured a garden where blue flowers had once grown and realized something.

Perhaps they had been approaching the investigation from the wrong angle.

Initially, they had only looked for purple flowers…

But the purple flowers in the Empress Dowager’s garden were identical in shape to another flower—the blue alliums.

If the blue flowers were the original ones…

“What if the imperial family had always known about the blue alliums?”

After hearing his theory, Berenice suggested speaking with the palace gardeners.

The younger gardeners knew little, while the older ones had either retired or passed away.

After spending considerable time gathering and compiling accounts from gardeners across the country, they made a remarkable discovery.

“First, here’s the initial clue.”

They found records in an archive of discarded documents.

Access to the archive was restricted, but Berenice had obtained permission from the Empress Dowager to examine them.

“It was a short reference in historical records. It stated that blue alliums were the favorite flower of Criasta, the first Empress of Leopold II. There was no reason to erase such an innocuous fact, yet the original document had signs of deliberate tampering.”

The second clue:

“This is a record of landscaping renovations across the imperial palace. Changes in plantings were common depending on each Emperor’s tastes. But here, you can see a single line stating that all blue alliums in the Eastern and Western Palace gardens were burned.”

“……!”

Beyond that, Count Hilda presented a variety of additional documents, most of which had been discarded as irrelevant and stored away in warehouses.

Every record related to blue alliums had been erased.

“The most troubling aspect is this.”

Count Hilda paused briefly before continuing, “All these efforts to erase traces of the flower occurred during the reign of Oth III.”

The recent lineage of Baden’s imperial family was as follows:

Leopold II → Oth III → Heinrich II → Wenth I.

Wenth I was the official name under which Lennoch ascended the throne.

Heinrich II was Lennoch’s father.

‘That means Oth III was Lennoch’s grandfather…’

Eleanor, making a quick mental calculation, nodded in understanding.

At that moment, Eger adjusted his slipping glasses and spoke, “I don’t understand the reason.”

It was just a flower.

“Is there absolutely no toxicity in blue alliums, unlike the purple variety?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Then why go to such lengths to erase all records of it? It’s hard to believe they spent so much time rewriting historical texts, even revising encyclopedias, just to remove its traces.”

Hearing Eger’s point, Count Hilda agreed.

Then, a question arose in Eleanor’s mind.

“I’m curious—what causes a blue allium to turn purple?”

Upon hearing the question, Count Hilda smacked his forehead.

“Ah, I almost forgot to explain the most important part.”

“Evolution.”

“Evolution?”

“All living things change to survive. Those that fail to adapt are naturally eliminated. Most species reproduce to create stronger offspring capable of enduring their environment. However… According to the records found in the archive, alliums evolve at an unusually fast rate. They are a type of mutation.”

The harsher the environment and the lower the chances of survival, the faster blue alliums underwent dramatic changes to ensure their survival.

This accelerated evolution resulted in the emergence of the purple allium.

The purple variety, having adapted to barren conditions, contained strong toxins.

After hearing Count Hilda’s explanation, Eleanor whispered to herself.

“Then did Oth III know that the flower would turn purple?”

“What concerns me more is the relationship between Oth III and the Delph family.”

“……?”

The response did not come from Count Hilda but from another voice.

Everyone, including Eleanor, turned their eyes to the Emperor.