Duchess Mecklen’s Elegant Revolt - Chapter 34 Part 3

For a moment, Eleanor thought something was wrong with him.

His face darkened in an instant.

However, unconsciously leaning closer to him, she was caught off guard by what followed next.

Something beneath them made its presence known.

Pressing against her, more prominent due to their close proximity.

“…No way.”

Eleanor narrowed her eyes slightly.

“Have you been thinking about this the whole time?”

At her teasing reproach, Lennoch looked somewhat sorrowful.

His eyes seemed to say he hadn’t expected to hear such words.

Looking disheartened—though the same couldn’t be said for the rest of him—he whispered softly, “You already know.”

That I can’t resist you.

“Being held so close to you like this makes me tremble.”

“…Shouldn’t it be the other way around?”

Wasn’t she the one being held?

Even now, Lennoch’s arms were wrapped tightly around her waist like a rope.

And trembling?

Why did he look more expectant than nervous?

Eleanor’s eyes turned into sharp slits. “I can see exactly what you’re thinking.”

“What do you see inside my head?”

“Hmm… Mischievous and indecent thoughts.”

At that, Lennoch adopted a serious expression.

“You’ve caught me?”

“…Don’t say things like that so earnestly.”

It’s embarrassing.

Her face flushed in an instant, yet she couldn’t suppress the smile tugging at her lips.

‘I can’t let myself fall for this.’

The palace had been busy, and with Hail clinging to her every night, she hadn’t had much time to think about Lennoch.

Seeing his honest reaction now made her feel both sympathetic and oddly amused.

Not wanting to reveal her inner thoughts, she tried to cover her face with her hands, but Lennoch was quicker.

Before she knew it, he had caught her hands, locking eyes with her.

“Then, what are you thinking about right now?”

“That…”

Eleanor pursed her lips awkwardly.

Lennoch’s lips, so close she could barely focus on anything else, seemed unusually red today.

As if drawing her gaze irresistibly.

“…Hail?”

“You’re thinking about him while I’m right in front of you?”

His low voice tickled her ear. Unable to bear the sensation, Eleanor reached up and touched his forehead.

“Your hair is a mess.”

It was meant to change the subject, but it was also true.

Lennoch, who always kept himself impeccably groomed, looked uncharacteristically disheveled today.

And somehow, it suited him.

The tousled hair added an unexpected allure, making his already sharp features seem even more seductive.

As she gently combed through his hair, Eleanor murmured, “I wonder if Childe is getting along well with Vito. Having a child around might ease Vito’s shyness, but it still wouldn’t have been an easy decision for him.”

“…Did you just say ‘Childe’?”

For a moment, she almost understood why Lennoch enjoyed teasing her so much.

“Hmm, I’m also a bit worried about Eger. I hope nothing has happened at the palace in my absence.”

“Eger often manages the office alone. He’ll handle things as usual.”

“Oh, and Henrik seems to have taken an interest in architecture recently. He’s studying with Milo and plans to expand his business in that direction.”

“If you’re interested, I could learn about it too.”

“Lord Pedro is still in his homeland, right?”

“……”

At that, Lennoch gave her a look as if he had lost all hope.

Eleanor couldn’t hold back a giggle.

Unable to resist, she lifted her head and kissed the bridge of his nose.

Then—

“Let’s go to bed.”

She pressed her lips against his.

It was the first time she had initiated a kiss.

As the soft, moist sensation spread across her lips, Lennoch froze.

But only for a moment.

“……!”

The hand resting on her lower back began to move.

Feeling her clothes slowly being pushed upward, Eleanor pulled him closer.

Their lips, deeply pressed together, parted for just a moment.

“The bed is too far away.”

Before she could respond, his lips found hers again.

A shiver ran down her spine.

The heated intensity of the kiss made her whole body tingle, not just where he touched her.

As their passionate exchange deepened, one piece of clothing after another slipped to the floor beside the sofa.

Eleanor unconsciously pushed Lennoch back onto the couch.

Following her lead, he reclined slightly.

“…Can I do as I please?”

Her voice was slightly breathless, her chest rising and falling.

With a husky murmur, Lennoch replied, “Anything you want.”

Like a willow swaying in the wind, she moved gracefully above him.

Like a victorious empress surveying her conquered land, Eleanor tilted her head and gazed down at him.

Through the parted fabric of his shirt, his sculpted chest was revealed.

Broad and firm, without a trace of excess.

Her fingers unconsciously trailed down from his chest to his toned waist.

He flinched slightly.

“…Ah.”

How fascinating.

That a man’s body could be this beautiful.

With fingers as delicate as a paintbrush, she traced over him gently.

“―…!”

Each breath he took sent ripples through his muscles.

The undulating curves of his form weren’t the only thing moving.

Like a shimmering mirage, her flawless, alluring silhouette swayed atop him.

Lennoch never once looked away.

“…Beautiful.”

The low murmur slipped from his lips amidst soft gasps.

Though she had taken control, she was still somewhat clumsy.

But he was thoroughly enjoying it.

Meeting his gaze, filled with unrestrained admiration, Eleanor suddenly paused.

She was beginning to tire.

At the same time, Lennoch sat up.

“Lennoch?”

Their bodies, still entwined, shifted together.

Eleanor reached out, startled.

His heated skin pressed against her bare flesh.

“Don’t push yourself too hard.”

“……!”

He must have noticed that she was struggling.

Though it was embarrassing, Lennoch showed no hesitation.

Rather—

“I will put in more effort.”

What?

She couldn’t bring herself to ask out loud.

Lennoch’s gaze was entirely different from before.

The shaded face beneath the dim light carried something deeper than excitement—something far more dangerous.

That was—

Eleanor opened her mouth as if to protest, but before she could speak, a soft moan escaped her lips.

An overwhelming tide, far beyond what she had expected, crashed over her suddenly.

As if trying to anchor her drowning consciousness, his fervent lips sought her out and devoured her.

Eleanor, gasping for air, could do nothing but cling to him, forgetting everything else.

Beyond the haze of ecstasy, a dazzling light burst forth.

***

Her legs trembled so violently that they hit the table leg several times.

She bit her nails.

Her lips had long since cracked from dryness, and her face was so pale that she looked like a patient on the verge of collapse.

Considering how confident she had always been, Caroline’s current state was a striking contrast.

She sat in the darkness of an unlit room, muttering to herself, “Why isn’t he coming back?”

Ernst had left, declaring that he would kill the slaves, yet he had not returned.

The plantation she had hidden was not far from the Mecklen estate.

It wasn’t a place that required an entire day to travel to and from.

They say no news is good news, but in her current state, every moment of silence only fueled her anxiety.

‘Could he have figured it out?’

That Vito was part of her plan?

But Caroline quickly shook her head.

Even if he wasn’t a god, how could he possibly deduce such a thing simply from their resemblance?

Discovering Vito, who looked so much like Ernst, had been sheer coincidence at first.

Rachel had fled while pregnant, eventually crossing over into Bahama, and on the day Caroline personally tracked her down and killed her to erase any lingering threats, the baby had vanished without a trace.

But Caroline was a woman of persistence, ruthlessness, and relentless determination.

She never knew how to give up.

And in the end, she found Vito.

She had raised a knife to his throat, ready to slit it instantly—until she noticed the uncanny resemblance to Ernst and changed her mind.

At the time, the late Duke of Mecklen had not been long dead.

“…It would have been better if Ernst had died sooner.”

If that had happened, maybe he wouldn’t have ordered her to die now.

The child Rachel had left behind, which she had kept as a precaution, had grown exactly as she had hoped.

Vito and Ernst were the same age.

Their faces were so alike that one could easily mistake them for twins.

Verifying his relation to the late Duke of Mecklen would not be difficult—the bloodline was undeniable.

He was the perfect tool.

“No, Ernst has to stay alive.”

Caroline, who had been envisioning a scenario where Ernst had died, frowned.

Right now, it was too dangerous.

If she acted too hastily, she might lose everything she had left.

‘This is all Eleanor’s fault.’

Even as she trembled with anxiety, Caroline couldn’t stop her resentment and rage.

If only Eleanor had never set foot in Mecklen—

Ernst no longer believed her.

Saruka had been captured.

The Balkan Trading Company had crumbled.

Her connections with Marquis Delph and Count Verdik were severed beyond repair.

The nobles who once sought her out to maintain ties with Mecklen had suddenly disappeared.

The flood of party invitations had slowed to a trickle.

Her relatives had ceased contact after her business failure.

The once lively mansion was now eerily silent, with servants and maids constantly gauging her mood.

This only pushed Caroline further into hysteria.

“What should I do?”

It felt like she was drowning in a deep, suffocating abyss.

Walls closing in from all sides.

Overwhelmed by the burning frustration within her, Caroline grabbed a glass of cold water and drank it in desperate gulps.

Between the trembling hands clutching the glass, a dagger glinted in the dim light.

“……”

Before she realized it, her fingers had reached for it.

As she unsheathed the blade, the silver edge reflected her face.

A face twisted by years of unquenchable greed and relentless struggle.

An expression contorted beyond recognition, leaving behind only malice.

“—Am I supposed to just die like this?”

Her hands trembled slightly.

“Leave Mecklen behind? After everything I did to claim it? I fought, I endured, I clawed my way to the top—just to be cast aside?”

Caroline, the Duchess of Mecklen.

This title had been carved out solely for her.

No other woman had accomplished what she had.

Who else would dare to frame and eliminate a former duchess just to seize her place?

Caroline even took pride in it.

Only she had been bold enough to defy fate and change her destiny.

“I will survive to the end.”

She would be the victor once again.

There was no way she would meekly accept the death Ernst wished upon her.

It was frustrating to have given away critical information, but Ernst himself couldn’t recklessly act on it.

He would never expose his father’s disgrace himself.

Even if he chose to confess everything to the emperor, the result would be the same.

If the emperor discovered the truth about Saruka’s past, he would be unable to punish Mecklen.

So, until then—

‘I just need a place to hide.’

She would disappear until the dust settled.

And once everything had been taken care of—

She would return.

As the Duchess Dowager of Mecklen.

‘Even if Eleanor becomes Empress, it doesn’t matter.’

As long as the Mecklen family remained intact.

As long as Ernst was alive, and as long as she drew breath, her influence would persist.

This was merely a temporary retreat.

Resolving herself, Caroline hurled the dagger to the floor.

She strode toward her dressing room to retrieve her coat.

‘I’ll have to make use of Russell.’

Russell, the informant of the Ferret Street.

She could no longer rely on her household staff.

Ernst had taken steps to replace all the servants, stripping her of any control over them.

But if it was Russell, he would surely find her a secure place to hide without anyone noticing.

Dressed and ready, Caroline hastily left the mansion.

***