Duchess Mecklen’s Elegant Revolt - Chapter 33 Part 5

“Brother…!”

The child Lennoch, who had been anxiously watching the scene unfold, shouted loudly.

“Hurry, get back!”

The elderly man’s speed, though slightly above that of an average person despite his injury, was no longer impossible to evade entirely. However, the sight of him charging forward with a stolen sword in hand was terrifying enough to make one’s blood run cold.

Vito quickly hid behind a tent with the child.

But—

Rip.

A harsh tearing sound followed as the fabric was instantly shredded.

“S-stop him!”

The surrounding soldiers, snapping out of their daze, rushed toward the old man.

Among them was a knight.

However, even when faced with their assault, the armed old man was not easily subdued.

In mere moments, a brutal skirmish broke out as the child grabbed Vito’s hand and led him away from the chaos.

‘Where should we run?’

As long as they were visible, the old man would keep chasing them.

Would it be better to hide somewhere completely out of sight?

The child glanced around, trying to find a suitable place, but the area was too open.

Tap. Tap.

“Brother?”

A small hand tapped the child’s shoulder, prompting him to look up.

Vito was pointing to the opposite direction.

Following his gaze, the child spotted something—

A thick cloud of dust rising in the distance.

“What… What is that?”

“……”

At the child’s question, Vito shook his head, signaling that he didn’t know either.

The dust cloud grew larger by the second.

It was moving toward them rapidly.

A cavalry unit.

As they thundered across the plains, the child could only stare in awe, momentarily forgetting to run.

“Wow…”

It was a breathtaking sight.

Like the legendary knights from the old stories his late mother had once told him.

Leading the charge was one man in particular who stood out.

His silver-gray hair, once neatly tied back, had been tousled by the wind, yet even that added to his striking appearance, like a figure from a painting.

Tap, tap.

“Ah, right.”

If Vito hadn’t nudged him, the child might have stayed frozen until the cavalry arrived.

Though they were still in danger, they quickly resumed their search for a hiding place.

“There, let’s go there.”

The child pulled Vito into a nearby barracks.

Due to the emergency, there were no soldiers stationed inside.

Only an empty table and a few chairs occupied the space.

The child wasted no time and immediately lay flat on the ground.

Even though they had hidden, the situation remained tense.

Lifting a small flap of the tent, the child peeked outside.

Vito, lying beside him, did the same.

“He’s coming.”

The man leading the cavalry passed right in front of them.

Now that he was closer, the child could see his face more clearly, and he stood out even more.

The man walked forward in long, purposeful strides, unfastening the cord securing his sword to its scabbard.

“Move.”

“Your Majesty!”

The soldiers, who had been hesitating on the battlefield out of fear of striking their allies, immediately stepped aside.

The crippled old man was still locked in combat with the soldiers, unaware of the emperor’s presence.

One of the knights stepped back slightly to create an opening, and in that instant, the emperor surged forward with a swift stroke of his sword.

Clang—!

‘What…?!’

Caught off guard, the old man barely managed to parry the emperor’s attack.

The force behind the strike was beyond comparison to the soldiers he had been fighting earlier.

Even before he could register what had happened, a relentless series of powerful attacks followed.

Forced to focus solely on blocking, the old man let out a strangled grunt.

‘Even if I were in perfect condition…’

There was no certainty of victory.

In that brief moment, he realized his defeat.

At this rate, not only would he fail to kill Vito, but he wouldn’t even be able to protect himself.

‘Then I’ll just die.’

Rather than being captured and tortured, death would be preferable.

He bit down on the poison capsule hidden in his mouth.

But—

Before he could swallow it, the emperor’s sword moved in an unexpected arc.

Before he could fully grasp what was happening—

The blunt end of the sword’s hilt struck him squarely in the jaw.

“Urgh!”

With a pained cry, the old man’s body crumpled to the ground.

As his head twisted at an awkward angle, the poison capsule tumbled from his mouth.

His jaw was broken.

Blood trickled from the corner of his lips.

“Restrain him.”

“Y-yes, Your Majesty!”

The soldiers, momentarily stunned, quickly obeyed.

Considering the fierce struggle before, the conclusion felt almost anticlimactic.

Some knights, awed by the emperor’s skill, murmured genuine praise.

“Do we have shackles instead of ropes?”

“Use this.”

One of the cavalry soldiers accompanying the emperor handed over a bundle of thin iron chains.

The old man, groaning weakly, no longer had the strength to resist.

Firmly bound in chains, his figure looked pitiful with blood still dripping from his mouth, yet not a single person expressed sympathy.

“Incredible.”

The child Lennoch gaped in amazement.

Even Vito, who was unfamiliar with combat, could clearly sense the emperor’s overwhelming strength.

“Brother, should we go out now?”

“……”

At the child’s suggestion, Vito hesitated before nodding.

Slowly, they emerged from the tent, but instead of approaching the emperor directly, they fidgeted anxiously from a distance.

‘He must know Lady Eleanor, right?’

Since Eleanor had come with these soldiers to rescue them, it only made sense.

In the chaos of their escape, they hadn’t even had the chance to properly reunite with her.

If they had, perhaps they would have learned more about these people.

Just then, the emperor’s gaze fell upon the two of them.

He began walking toward them.

“Are you Lennoch?”

“H-huh?”

The child’s eyes widened in shock.

How did he know his name?

The emperor, looking down at the smallest figure among the group, let out a quiet chuckle.

“Just as your name suggests, you are lucky.”

“W-who… are you?”

“Fortune.”

He considered revealing his identity but chose not to.

As the emperor’s gaze shifted to Vito standing beside the child, the child quickly stepped forward.

“Sorry, but my brother can’t speak.”

“He can’t speak?”

“I don’t know the details, but he’s been like this since he was little.”

At those words, the emperor’s brow furrowed slightly in discomfort.

Since childhood?

Eleanor had never mentioned this.

Scanning the surroundings once more, the emperor asked, “Where is the director?”

The soldiers standing behind them exchanged uneasy glances.

Someone had to step up and explain.

The emperor’s presence alone made the air heavy, and his demand to find Eleanor carried an undeniable weight.

After some hesitation, one knight cautiously spoke up.

“The director is still in the mountains. She is engaged in conversation and will descend soon.”

“With whom?”

“She encountered Duke Mecklen at the plantation, so… Y-Your Majesty?”

Before the knight could finish speaking, the emperor was already moving.

His direction was unmistakable.

He was heading straight for the mountain where Eleanor was.

The startled soldiers and knights rushed to follow him.

Of course, the cavalry that had accompanied the emperor also joined in.

As the number of people swelled to over a hundred in an instant, the child and Vito exchanged glances.

Who exactly was this man?

Just then, one of the remaining soldiers muttered in a nervous voice, “Surely, he’s not going to issue a mass punishment… right?”

It was common knowledge among the soldiers that the emperor deeply valued Eleanor.

Rumors had even spread suggesting a romantic relationship between them.

“We shouldn’t have left the director behind…”

“I know.”

Another soldier weakly agreed.

They had assumed everything would be fine simply because Eleanor had insisted it would be.

Regret settled in belatedly, but the emperor, who was already marching forward, was unlikely to accept their excuses.

The soldiers remaining at the barracks sighed in unison, filling the air with a heavy sense of unease.

***

“Your Majesty, please watch your step.”

One of the knights following behind him called out.

If he misstepped, the situation could become dangerous.

However, despite it being his first time on this mountain path, the emperor strode forward as if walking on level ground.

“Keep up.”

“Y-Your Majesty!”

The more they tried to slow him down, the faster Lennoch walked.

It was only natural.

‘Of all times, why did my worst fears have to come true?’

Since the charity ball, Lennoch had been highly wary of him.

Ernst had always treated Eleanor carelessly.

Lennoch had witnessed him grabbing her wrist and dragging her away multiple times.

The thought of him attempting to take her by force again—

His heart pounded violently, as if it might burst.

Simultaneously, the warmth in his eyes cooled into an icy sharpness.

An emotion was growing inside him.

A clear, undeniable intent to kill.

“Your Majesty, look ahead!”

At the sound of a knight’s urgent voice, Lennoch barely lifted his gaze to check the path ahead.

Just like the unit he led, another group was descending from above.

At the forefront were Captain Huger and Childe.

And beside them, a man and a woman.

“Eli.”

Lennoch’s steps, which had quickened without him realizing, came to an abrupt halt in front of her.

“Your Majesty?”

Eleanor, looking up at Lennoch’s suddenly cold expression, blinked in confusion.

She hadn’t expected him to truly come.

She had lied to Ernst about the emperor waiting nearby.

But for him to actually appear now—it was impossible that he had overheard her words.

“How did you… Len, Lennoch?”

Startled, Eleanor called his name as he suddenly pulled her into his arms.

For some reason, Lennoch’s heart was beating so strongly that she could feel it clearly against her own chest.

As the surprised Eleanor placed a hand on his cheek, Childe, standing behind them, spoke in a somewhat apologetic tone.

“My apologies, Lady Eleanor. His Majesty had already informed me in advance through a messenger pigeon that he was coming.”

“Oh.”

“I didn’t tell you earlier because I didn’t want to interrupt your conversation with the duke. I apologize.”

“It’s fine.”

Childe had been too far away to hear their conversation clearly.

Instead, he had been prepared to send a messenger pigeon immediately and rush to Eleanor’s aid if necessary.

But upon seeing Ernst cry, his mind had changed slightly.

He sensed that a conversation far more serious than he could interrupt was taking place.

So he had waited for the right moment to report to Lennoch.

“But then, Captain Huger suddenly arrived…”

Childe awkwardly turned to glance at Huger.

Huger, realizing that his sudden arrival had prevented Childe from delivering his message earlier, scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Are you okay?”

Lennoch still hadn’t let go of Eleanor, his arms wrapped securely around her waist.

Though she looked almost the same as when she had left the palace, he couldn’t fully relax just yet.

Seeing the return of his usual gentle expression, Eleanor smiled.

“Of course. Duke Mecklen protected me.”

“…The duke?”

“Yes. He didn’t let anyone lay a finger on me, so there’s no need to worry.”

Lennoch looked momentarily stunned at her unexpected response.

Eleanor let out a quiet chuckle and gently slipped out of his embrace.

Then, naturally, she took his arm.

“Let’s go.”

“……”

Eleanor praising Duke Mecklen?

Lennoch was relieved that she was unharmed, but hearing her compliment Ernst left him with a strange feeling.

Still, unable to resist her urging, Lennoch sighed and relented.

“Let’s all head down.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

As he turned away, he glanced at Ernst.

His expression was unreadable.

There were no traces of the tears he had shed earlier.

Lennoch, unable to tell what Ernst was thinking, simply resumed his descent down the mountain with Eleanor at his side.