Duchess Mecklen’s Elegant Revolt - Chapter 31 Part 8

The wedding announcement was something Lambert had heard directly from the Emperor himself.

In fact, that conversation had happened just today.

Late in the afternoon, after being urgently summoned to the palace, Lambert recalled his exchange with the Emperor.

The Emperor had mentioned that he enjoyed reading the interview from the charity party and expressed his desire to announce his marriage to the entire empire through Fox.

At the time, Lambert had felt honored and grateful that his newspaper had been chosen by the imperial family.

‘But… the wedding announcement date is different.’

Marquis Delph had said it would be tomorrow, but the date Lambert had coordinated with the Emperor was actually the day after tomorrow.

He had no idea when the noble council would be convened.

Half of what Marquis Delph knew was correct, but the other half was completely wrong, making him extremely suspicious.

Lambert sharpened his hearing further.

“Fox is obviously going to write favorable articles about the imperial wedding. We must take the opposite stance no matter what. We need to undermine the imperial family as much as possible and drag their reputation through the mud.”

Marquis Delph clicked his tongue in regret, remembering Eros.

If Eros had still existed, how useful would it have been in times like this?

Now that Eros was gone, the top newspaper in the empire was unfortunately Fox.

Had the Emperor not forcibly shut it down, this plan would have been much easier.

Still, for now, he would have to make do.

The journalist Marquis Delph was dealing with was from the third-rate newspaper Black Cat.

As he meticulously explained how the article should be written, he pulled a letter from his pocket.

“This is a love letter from Duke Mecklen. It was difficult to obtain, so make sure to craft the story well.”

“Understood.”

“Make the headline as provocative as possible. Emphasize the injustice of him having his beloved taken away.”

“Don’t worry. Black Cat specializes in that kind of melodramatic piece. We’ll spin it perfectly.”

‘Josh from Black Cat? Since when did that bastard get so close to Marquis Delph?’

Lambert recognized the journalist’s voice immediately.

He never liked Josh.

In fact, saying they had a bad relationship would be more accurate.

Black Cat and Fox had been bitter rivals since their inception.

The jingle of gold coins indicated that Marquis Delph was handing over a pouch of money to Josh.

Lambert, eavesdropping on their shady deal, furrowed his brows deeply.

It was clear they were conspiring to spread malicious rumors and slander the imperial family.

‘As expected, I need to report this secretly.’

That seemed like the best option.

Perhaps, this report could even earn him a great favor or reward from the imperial family.

And there was one more thing.

Lambert recalled something Eleanor had said during their interview.

“Noblesse oblige. Nobles are born into privilege. I believe that privilege comes with ethical responsibilities. That’s why making donations for the less fortunate is an honorable duty for nobles.”

‘Yes. If someone with such noble beliefs becomes Empress, life will be much better for commoners like us.’

Even if he himself didn’t directly benefit, helping the poor and disadvantaged was meaningful.

‘Then I need to bring back evidence.’

But what exactly should he take as proof?

Storming in and exposing them now wasn’t an option.

This was Delph’s territory, and private soldiers could rush in at any moment.

Lambert was deep in thought when—

“Oh, Marquis, do you remember my younger brother who recently became a coachman at the palace? He’s been struggling with the upper ranks, finding it hard to adjust… Would a transfer be possible?”

“Of course. If he has a preferred position, let me know in advance. I have a good relationship with Count Davis, who handles personnel matters. The Emperor has no idea about our connection, so we could arrange the transfer discreetly.”

“Thank you, Marquis!”

This was it.

It was information he could only have learned by overhearing it firsthand.

Lambert’s eyes sparkled with excitement as he remained hidden.

‘I can investigate that annex later. For now, I must return to the palace.’

***

He had been certain he was going to die.

But no blade came to strike his neck, even as time passed.

‘What’s going on?’

Tense, Jack Ruby cautiously opened the eyes he had tightly shut.

“…Whoa.”

Before he could stop himself, a breathless exclamation escaped his lips.

The sword that had been poised to cut him down was now blocked by another blade.

The two weapons, locked in a fierce struggle, wavered in balance, but gradually, the force was shifting against Ernst.

Jack Ruby instinctively looked up.

‘Silver hair?’

He had seen that color before.

The man with silver hair who had saved him was evenly matched against Ernst.

As the man held his ground, refusing to yield, Ernst finally had no choice but to withdraw his sword.

“…Your Majesty.”

It was the Emperor.

“I never expected you to mobilize palace knights for such a personal matter. That’s quite unlike the normally composed Duke.”

Unlike Ernst, whose aura exuded killing intent, the Emperor’s face remained calm as ever.

Hearing his composed voice, Jack Ruby, still sprawled on the ground, was startled.

“Y-Your Majesty…?”

Ernst’s piercing gaze shot toward him upon hearing the accidental mutter.

The murderous glint in his eyes made it clear—he could kill Jack Ruby at any moment.

Sensing imminent danger, Jack Ruby scrambled to his feet.

He quickly grabbed Saruka, who was still unconscious on the ground, and dashed toward Eleanor.

“Where do you think you’re going—!”

Ernst swung his sword at Saruka once more.

But again, the Emperor intervened.

Clang!

Their blades clashed loudly, the impact reverberating through the air.

For the second time, the Emperor blocked Ernst’s attack.

Seeing this, Ernst’s face twisted in frustration.

“Your Majesty, that man is a criminal.”

Even as he spoke, Ernst did not loosen his grip on his sword.

“So we can’t just let him go.”

“A criminal? What exact crime did he commit?”

“There is testimony from the servants. He attacked our household and tied up my mother with ropes, threatening her. Moreover, he is nothing but a filthy information broker from Ferret Street. A lowly scoundrel dared to disgrace and mock my family—I cannot stand for this.”

For a noble who valued honor, this was more than enough justification.

And more than that—

‘I must capture Saruka at all costs.’

Now that the Emperor had intervened, he could not let it be revealed that the man Jack Ruby was holding was indeed Saruka.

Even if it was known, Ernst planned to push forward with the excuse that his family had been insulted.

He would use that as justification to pierce Saruka’s neck with a single thrust.

As he watched for an opportunity, Ernst narrowed his eyes.

“So grant me permission to kill him.”

“…I understand your feelings well.”

Unexpectedly, a gentle response came.

It was the same tone he had once heard when they were still friends—before the coldness set in.

Familiar, yet now it only made Ernst even more uneasy.

There was no way the Emperor would be kind to him.

Just this morning, he had…

“Then, let’s make a deal.”

“A deal?”

“Previously, I traded a pardon for your mother’s crimes.”

“……!”

Ernst’s expression hardened in an instant.

Surely not.

“This situation feels quite similar to that one.”

Ernst’s hand, gripping his sword, trembled slightly.

“We can weigh the severity of your crimes and Eleanor’s against each other.”

“Your Majesty, you cannot simply overlook this matter…”

“I will overlook your misconduct, and in exchange, you will forget about the assault on your household.”

“……!”

He’s using it like this?

Ernst’s expression darkened considerably.

“This is blatant dereliction of duty.”

In contrast, the Emperor remained utterly composed.

“You are a knight of the imperial family, responsible for leading the imperial knights. Yet you mobilized them without my command and left your post. Punishment is unavoidable.”

“……”

“You can either accept the disgrace of punishment or choose to protect your family.”

Ernst could not respond immediately.

Would he accept the punishment as it was, or erase the family’s crimes?

Either way, both were losses for him.

Clenching his jaw, Ernst slowly lowered his sword.

He had realized that there was no longer any point in maintaining this standoff.

A faint smirk played at the Emperor’s lips.

“Whatever your choice, the consequences are yours to bear.”

Though the confrontation had been brief, countless emotions had passed between them.

The Emperor sheathed his sword as well.

“Think it over. I will give you a day.”

Leaving Ernst frozen in place, Lennoch turned and walked away.

The knights, still standing stiffly, belatedly saluted the Emperor, but Lennoch merely glanced at them with sharp eyes before moving forward.

His destination was clear.

“…Lennoch.”

Eleanor looked up at him as he approached.

The cold smile on Lennoch’s face melted away the moment their eyes met, as if snow disappearing in spring.

A trace of awkwardness and embarrassment flickered across Eleanor’s gaze.

“I always end up needing your help in a crisis.”

She had gone through all this effort, partly for Lennoch’s sake, knowing he was displeased about the pardon.

Yet, in the end, she was once again saved by him.

She had hoped to earn praise, but instead, it felt like a child getting scolded for trying too hard.

As Eleanor struggled to lift her head, Lennoch lowered his face toward her first.

“As long as you are unharmed, that’s all that matters.”

“……!”

“Hurk!”

Before Eleanor could even register the sensation of Lennoch’s lips brushing against her forehead, Jack Ruby’s strangled groan shattered the atmosphere.

Jack Ruby looked utterly stunned, as if he had just witnessed something world-shattering.

‘I suspected it, but…’

From the very first time Eleanor had visited Ferret.

The masked man who had swept through the brokers’ den had sounded just like the Emperor.

And now, Jack Ruby’s employer, Eleanor, had just received a kiss on the forehead from the Emperor.

Putting everything together…

“W-wait… Your Majesty was that man back then…? Then, does that mean the two of you…?”

Jack Ruby couldn’t even finish his thought aloud.

The memories of that day—the time he had tried to capture Eleanor, only to be completely overwhelmed by Lennoch—flashed before his eyes, filling him with dread for the future.

‘So the rumors about the Emperor and Eleanor’s marriage are true?!’

Jack Ruby suddenly realized his terrible miscalculation.

At the same time, Lennoch pulled Eleanor protectively into his embrace and gave a command to the surrounding knights.

“Take that informant to the palace. I will interrogate him myself.”

“……!”

“Trespassing on a noble estate without permission is a crime of its own.”

At the Emperor’s cold words, Jack Ruby flinched.

Eleanor opened her mouth, about to protest, but as she caught sight of Ernst’s burning gaze behind Lennoch’s shoulder, she closed it again.

Ernst had not moved from his spot.

His eyes remained locked on Eleanor and Lennoch, brimming with barely contained fury.

Jack Ruby shot Eleanor a pleading look, and in response, she simply formed a small circle with her fingers.

‘I’ll pay you more.’

Reading her silent message, Jack Ruby’s thick eyebrows furrowed deeply.

‘No matter how much I love money…’

Wasn’t this going too far?

“…I surrender.”

Jack Ruby obediently allowed the knights to restrain him.

Saruka had already been bound, so there was no need to subdue him further.

Now tied up beside Saruka and loaded onto a horse, Jack Ruby felt a small sting of wounded pride.

Something about this situation felt incredibly unfair.

As his expression soured, Saruka, also tied up on another horse, scanned his surroundings.

For the first time, he seemed resigned to his fate.

He knew there was no escaping the palace now.