Duchess Mecklen’s Elegant Revolt - Chapter 32 Part 1

32. Fox vs Black Cat

“Damn…!”

Bang! Caroline flinched violently at the sound of the table being slammed.

When Ernst returned at dawn, she thought he had captured Eleanor, but nothing had gone as expected, and his face had transformed into something akin to a demon from hell.

Sensing her son’s unusual demeanor, Caroline couldn’t act as she normally would and anxiously gauged his reaction.

“The private soldiers, the butler, the servants.”

“……?”

“I will fire them all and rehire new ones.”

“Th-that many people?”

Caroline murmured in shock, but Ernst was resolute.

“There is no need for dogs that cannot guard the house.”

If he dismissed them all immediately, the household would be in chaos for a while, but that didn’t matter.

Caroline realized that Ernst was truly furious.

It was the first time she had seen her son like this.

Had he ever been this enraged before?

Moreover, seeing him like this—

‘He looks too much like the late Duke Mecklen.’

That realization made Caroline shrink even further.

“St-still… for your mother’s sake, just once more—”

“Mother?”

It was only a single word, yet it only fueled Ernst’s fury further.

In an instant, his rage erupted. He pulled a dagger from his coat and tossed it onto the table.

He growled at Caroline as if he were about to tear her apart, “Just kill yourself.”

“……!”

“I cannot bring myself to kill you, so it would be better if you took your own life.”

Caroline’s mouth fell open in shock.

No matter how cold-hearted he was, they were still mother and son.

Yet, her son had just thrown a knife at her and told her to die.

Even someone as arrogant as Caroline was deeply shaken.

Her trembling lips barely moved.

“E-Ernst…”

“I have endured enough. No, I thought this would be the last time. But to think you hid Saruka? It hasn’t even been 24 hours since I used my right to grant amnesty to remove you from the investigation, and yet you have already given them another weakness to exploit and humiliate us?”

There was still a trace of murderous intent in Ernst’s eyes.

Even in a situation where he should have been joining forces with Marquis Delph to strike at the emperor, Caroline had completely ruined things at the worst possible moment. No matter how rational Ernst usually was, even he couldn’t suppress his emotions this time.

Caroline, unable to meet his burning gaze, broke into a cold sweat.

“N-no, that’s not it. I didn’t deliberately hide Saruka. I was just taking precautions. If Saruka were captured, we would be in trouble, so I only wanted to secure him in advance—”

“Don’t spout nonsense.”

Caroline’s excuse didn’t work.

“Saruka should have been killed outright. Or sent to East Harlem so he could never be found again. Was that so difficult to understand? The emperor is desperate to take down our family by any means necessary, and after everything that happened with the Balkan Trading Company, why on earth would you keep him around?”

“I-I never imagined Eleanor would come looking for him herself…”

As Caroline stammered, her eyes gradually welled up with tears.

But they were not tears of regret or remorse.

It was merely a desperate ploy to escape Ernst’s wrath.

However, this was the second time Ernst had seen his mother cry, and he would not be deceived again.

“Where exactly did you meet someone like Saruka?”

“……”

“I’ve already heard the general circumstances from Marquis Delph, so don’t bother lying. You were the one who first brought Saruka into the trading company, and you were the one who revealed he was from East Harlem.”

At that, Caroline secretly cursed Ernst in her mind.

So this was why Marquis Delph had pretended to help her—he wasn’t siding with her, but with Ernst.

Fury surged within her, but she was in an overwhelmingly disadvantageous position at the moment.

Unable to say a word, Caroline simply let the tears stream down her face, but Ernst coldly cut her off.

“Let me make it clear—I will no longer tolerate the filthy deeds you’ve been carrying out behind my back.”

“Filthy deeds?”

As if someone had pressed a switch, Caroline suddenly exploded.

“Aren’t you being too harsh? You know how much I’ve worked for Mecklen’s revival. To dismiss it all as filthy…!”

“You claim to serve the family, yet you engage in sordid dealings in East Harlem, hoard wealth for yourself, beat servants and maids, maintain a secret plantation, hide slaves, and even conceal Rachel’s child. Are you truly saying all of this was purely for the family’s sake?”

“T-that’s…”

How did Ernst know?

Caroline turned pale as she froze in an instant.

A secret plantation with slaves.

And Rachel?

Her heart pounded as sudden anxiety took hold.

Ernst didn’t miss the opening and pressed his attack relentlessly.

“If this incident prompts another investigation from the Imperial Court, this time I will protect the family even if it means offering your corpse.”

“……!”

“Being blackmailed by the emperor is far worse.”

At her son’s ruthless statement, Caroline gaped in shock.

The back of her head throbbed.

The reality of him threatening her life didn’t fully register, and she had to blink several times to process it.

Caroline’s gaze instinctively dropped.

The dagger resting on the table seemed ready to plunge straight into her heart at any moment.

‘…This is truly terrifying.’

It was a cold-heartedness she could hardly believe belonged to a son she had given birth to.

Blood never lies, but how could he resemble his father so perfectly?

Family. The emperor. The Imperial Court.

The late Duke Mecklen’s mind had been consumed by those very things, leaving his former wife, Rachel, perpetually lonely.

Caroline had approached Rachel for that very reason.

She had calculated that by exploiting Rachel’s loneliness, she could gain some advantage.

But as she dug deeper, an unexpected plan had taken shape in Caroline’s mind.

A duke whose first and only priority was the family.

Then what if the family’s honor were tarnished, or worse, if someone threatened it?

That was why she had orchestrated Rachel’s affair.

As expected, the enraged duke had refused to hear Rachel’s excuses and cast her out.

Just one night.

In that single night, Caroline had conceived, securing her place as Duchess of Mecklen.

Her parched tongue moved slowly as she said, “Saruka is…”

“……?”

She couldn’t die like this.

She had come too far.

“He was personally taken in by the late Duke Mecklen—your father.”

It was unfair.

“Not long after the funeral, he came to me himself. At first, I didn’t believe him. He wasn’t recorded anywhere in the family’s history. But Saruka insisted I trust him and revealed commands that the late duke had given him. Then he told me to assign him tasks. He said he didn’t care what the job was, as long as he was paid. Even murder meant nothing to him.”

For the first time, a flicker of surprise crossed Ernst’s face.

Caroline let out a desperate whisper, her final attempt to hold on.

“I told you, didn’t I? No one knows this family’s history better than I do.”

You need me.

Beneath her sunken eyelids, Caroline’s eyes gleamed like those of a viper.

“Aren’t you curious? What exactly your father used Saruka for?”

And—

“With this information, we can strike another deal with the emperor and erase all past mistakes.”

“……!”

“Your father was a loyal servant of the late Emperor Heinrich II. The emperor still doesn’t know the full extent of the connection between your father, Saruka, and Heinrich II.”

This was her last, desperate move for survival.

Caroline had finally played the ultimate card she had kept hidden all this time.

There was truly nothing left now.

Revealing this information meant—

Caroline lifted her hand and gripped the dagger tightly.

As if ready to stab anyone who dared come near her.

“Do you think everything will be over if I die here? No, not a chance. Marquis Delph, you, all of you. I know Marquis Delph’s weaknesses too. If I say just one word, his daughter, Vivia, will never become empress.”

Because Vivia had murdered Countess Müller.

Caroline’s lips curled into a cruel smile.

***

Eleanor returned at dawn and changed into her indoor attire.

However, despite her body’s exhaustion, she couldn’t fall asleep easily.

There was too much to discuss with Lennoch.

Sitting comfortably on the bed, Eleanor turned to look at Lennoch as he approached her.

“How did you know I was there?”

Since Ernst had stopped the Hippias family’s carriage due to an unexpected situation, Lennoch, who had been in the palace, shouldn’t have known about it.

It was the first question that came to her mind.

Lennoch naturally sat beside her, smiling softly. “I’ve been receiving constant reports on the knights’ movements.”

“The knights…?”

“As I mentioned, I’ve been making gradual adjustments to the order recently. I’m ensuring that any suspicious activity reaches me immediately.”

That made it easy to deduce.

“You had yet to return to the palace, and I heard that the Duke had taken the knights and left through the east gate. That unsettled me. The moment I heard it, I immediately set out to follow.”

“I see.”

Eleanor, her face slightly flushed, looked up at Lennoch, who had moved closer to her.

Thanks to him, she had managed to protect Saruka and safely return in his arms.

Feeling both grateful and shy, Eleanor lightly tapped Lennoch’s hand, which rested on her knee, with the tips of her fingers.

Lennoch, finding her gesture endearing, gazed down at her with warmth.

“That secret organization you’re fostering—are they the ones providing you with information?”

“It had nothing to do with today’s events, but in terms of information gathering, it’s similar. They mainly operate outside.”

Lennoch answered patiently, showing no signs of irritation.

“Besides them, I’m also selecting new, trustworthy individuals from within the palace.”

Given the sheer number of people, it wasn’t an easy task.

Eleanor silently nodded.

She knew how much effort Lennoch was putting in.

Just then, his face suddenly moved close to her ear.

“By the way, how did you find the earring? It seemed too large to be worn here.”

“E-earring?”

“Didn’t you insist that you had to find it at Mecklen Mansion?”

“Ah.”

It had been a simple excuse.

A fabricated reason to go after Caroline.

When she subtly glanced to the side, she saw the smile lingering on Lennoch’s lips as he leaned in closer.

“Surely, you’re not asking me that while already knowing the answer?”

“Who knows?”

“You already know that the burn-scarred man beside Jack Ruby was Saruka, Your Majesty.”

She had clearly seen Lennoch issue orders regarding what to do with Jack Ruby and Saruka just moments ago.

He had obviously realized she had gone there because of Saruka, yet he was teasing her like this.

Was he just trying to have fun at her expense?

This time, Eleanor wasn’t about to be fooled. She shook her head slightly.

“By the way, when will Jack Ruby be released?”

“I’ve instructed the guards to let him go before dawn. He was given a generous amount of gold coins, so he won’t be lacking.”

“That’s a relief.”

Since Ernst had been watching them, they hadn’t been able to properly tend to Jack Ruby.

Fortunately, Jack Ruby had been quick-witted enough to grasp the situation on his own.

Hearing that he had been well compensated, Eleanor felt relieved, though at the same time, she couldn’t help but think of Saruka, whose situation had turned out completely different.

‘He was sent to the torture chamber.’

He would undoubtedly suffer greatly.

Considering his reputation for being ruthless and cruel, she didn’t feel pity for him, but there was a slight discomfort in her heart.

Suddenly, Lennoch’s hand brushed against Eleanor’s earlobe.

“Eli.”

“Yes, Lennoch?”

“Can I confess something too?”

“……?”

“While you were at Mecklen Mansion, I did a lot of thinking.”

“Thinking?”

“If you want to uproot a tree, shaking the trunk alone isn’t enough, is it?”

What did he mean?

Eleanor focused on his voice.

Lennoch wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

“Besides shaking it, you also have to dig around it thoroughly. You need to see how deep the roots go and how far they spread. The only way to truly know is to grab a shovel and start digging.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“So, how about a direct breakthrough?”

“……?”

“The day after tomorrow, we will publicly announce our marriage.”

For a moment, Eleanor’s eyes widened uncontrollably.

“I read the interview from the last charity party. The reporter from Fox, Lambert, seemed quite competent. Since their publication is favorable toward the Imperial family, we’ve decided to grant them the exclusive coverage.”

“An article…?”

Of course, she had already agreed to marry him, and she had been through a wedding before.

Yet hearing the words “marriage announcement” from Lennoch’s lips felt strangely surreal and overwhelming. Like a bride who had just received her wedding date.

As Eleanor struggled to suppress her racing heart, Lennoch continued, “And before the announcement, there’s one more important thing you need to do.”

“What is it?”

“When the Noble Council convenes.”

Lennoch didn’t remove his hand from her ear.

If anything—

His fingers seemed to linger a little longer, tracing slow circles over her earlobe.

“You will enter with me, hand in hand.”