Duchess Mecklen’s Elegant Revolt - Chapter 35 Part 2

Having finished the greeting, Ernst neatly withdrew.

Eleanor watched his retreating figure for a moment and sensed that something about his demeanor had changed.

What kind of conversation had taken place in the office?

Unable to hide her curiosity, she stepped inside.

Lennoch was so deep in thought that he didn’t notice her arrival.

“Lennoch.”

Only when she approached did he react.

“What are you looking at?”

Rather than answering, Lennoch chose to show her.

He handed Eleanor the confidential documents Ernst had left behind.

As she read through them, her eyes grew dark.

‘This is… basically a hit list.’

The documents Ernst had left contained records of noble assassinations targeted by the former Duke of Mecklen and Emperor Heinrich II.

Not just a few, but more than dozens.

Seeing that Marquis Delph was listed as the top target, Eleanor became even more confused.

‘If there had been conflict between the Delph family and the previous emperor from the start…’

Then was the previous carriage accident not a coincidence?

How had Lennoch come across these documents?

But the answer came quickly, without much thought.

They had been given to him by Ernst.

Then, Lennoch spoke again.

“There’s something else I failed to tell you.”

“……?”

“A report came in from Russell.”

Originally, all informant management had been entrusted to Berenice.

It had been difficult for Eleanor to keep track of everything while handling palace affairs.

She had already known that communication between Lennoch and Jack Ruby had opened due to recent events.

But even Russell had begun reporting directly to him?

Lennoch, noticing Eleanor’s wide eyes, smiled apologetically and pulled out another report.

“This arrived together with the report from Jack Ruby upon returning to the palace. I intended to pass it to you, but something urgent came up, so I issued orders first.”

The report detailed Russell’s investigation into Madam Müller’s death.

It included evidence found recently from Revoni, a maid of the Müller family, that Vivia had killed her.

The next portion, written hastily, revealed that Caroline had sought Russell to find a hiding place.

“I ordered false information to be fed to Caroline to keep her from moving freely. If she changed her mind and tried to abandon Russell and flee, it would become troublesome.”

“You did well.”

Though she smiled, Eleanor realized Lennoch was tense, worried that she might be upset.

Sensing this, she offered a gentle smile to reassure him. “It’s because Marquis Delph’s matter hasn’t been fully resolved yet, right? If she still has a communication network, the two might conspire again. If Caroline clings only to Russell out of distrust, it’s easier for us to manage her.”

She must have read his thoughts precisely.

Seeing Lennoch’s subtle smile, Eleanor was sure of it.

“Exactly. Duke Mecklen has declared that he will completely sever ties with his mother.”

“…So that’s why.”

Now she understood the subtle change in Ernst’s demeanor.

Eleanor couldn’t hide her bitterness.

Then Lennoch reached out to her.

As his fingers gently stroked the back of her hand, Eleanor’s stiff expression softened slightly.

“Under that condition, the Mecklen family and the duke’s title will be preserved.”

This meant that Caroline’s crimes would be treated separately from the Mecklen family.

Eleanor nodded silently.

Lennoch’s low voice continued. “And as you may have realized from the report just now—Marquis Delph already knew about the existence of allium, the purple flower.”

“…My goodness.”

Revoni’s testimony in Russell’s report confirmed the suspicion.

It detailed how the poison had been administered to Madam Müller, how suspicion had been avoided, and exactly how Vivia had utilized allium.

It also proved that not only was the Delph family aware of allium, but they had actively used it.

As she listened in silence, Eleanor murmured softly, “Then could it be that the late emperor tried to kill Marquis Delph because of allium?”

“It’s very possible.”

And one more thing—

“Edea’s death was also caused by that poison.”

That meant Marquis Delph had killed his own daughter.

Eleanor’s expression changed.

Lennoch, still holding her hand, continued, “If Marquis Delph knew from the beginning about Edia’s relationship with her lover Zerata, then he would have had a motive to kill his daughter.”

“……!”

“Giving birth to a prince from a man outside the imperial family and passing him off as an imperial heir is tantamount to treason. Rather than taking the risk of being exposed, death would have seemed a cleaner solution.”

“Then, about the nanny who died…”

Something flashed through Eleanor’s mind.

“If Marquis Delph knew about Zerata, he might have already known the nannay’s identity as well. She was Zerata’s mother.”

At that moment, Lennoch’s eyes narrowed.

“If he already knew that Hail was Zerata’s son, and he had been using the nanny for something… then later, upon learning she was captured and imprisoned—”

“……”

“It makes sense that he would kill her for fear that the truth about Prince Hail’s paternity might come out.”

The scattered events were beginning to converge.

Though she didn’t speak it aloud, Eleanor met Lennoch’s gaze.

She could feel it.

They were thinking the same thing.

Suddenly, he parted his tightly closed lips.

“Do you remember the list of nobles who opposed our marriage? We are extracting names of those closely tied to Marquis Delph based on that.”

And then—

“The names match the list created by the late emperor.”

It was the moment the true rot eating away at the Baden imperial family came to light.

And the most deeply rotten root among them was undoubtedly Marquis Delph.

Seeing Eleanor remain silent, Lennoch spoke honestly about his thoughts.

“I want to use this kill list my father wrote with his own hand to purge them all.”

“……!”

He meant to assassinate them.

Without a word, Eleanor gripped Lennoch’s hand tightly.

His once-brilliant green eyes were now clouded with deep darkness—

A murky and suffocating anguish.

“If it were you, what decision would you make?”

***

After leaving the Empress Dowager’s palace, Countess Lorentz wandered the garden, unable to return to the main palace or her own home.

Fearing a summons from a court lady, she purposely stayed in the most visible paths, yet no word came.

Holding back the urge to burst into tears, Countess Lorentz all but collapsed onto a bench.

She felt utterly defeated.

‘Her Majesty the Empress Dowager has truly abandoned me.’

The realization was like falling off a cliff.

“I… served her with such loyalty,” she muttered in despair.

There was no longer a place for her in the palace.

The injustice of it all stung anew.

She had once been the favored one.

Then Eleanor appeared out of nowhere, as if to prove the saying that a rolling stone displaces the embedded one.

Trembling with emotion, Countess Lorentz bit her lip.

‘Where am I supposed to go now?’

Resigning from her post as the Empress Dowager’s lady-in-waiting was akin to being banished.

Her husband had no interest in court affairs.

Returning to a stuffy, tedious noble household outside the capital felt worse than death.

Moreover, she had become estranged from her own children, so home held no comfort either.

But clinging to social events again risked public disgrace.

Facing the pitying stares of those who knew she’d been cast out by the Empress Dowager…

‘What am I supposed to do now?’

Like a mouse cornered with no escape, Countess Lorentz cradled her face in despair.

Suddenly, a dark shadow approached.

“Good afternoon, Madam.”

“…Lady Vivia.”

Countess Lorentz lifted her bowed head.

Vivia had gauze on her cheek, as though she had been injured.

She sat beside her without a word.

Countess Lorentz watched silently.

“Are you all right?”

“……”

“You must be going through a lot.”

Countess Lorentz could not bring herself to speak.

Vivia’s eyes curved subtly.

“I understand.”

“……”

“I’ve been troubled lately because of my father as well.”

She sighed and looked up at the sky.

The crimson twilight spreading through the sky looked like blood.

“I was devastated when I heard Father had been expelled from the Noble Council.”

“……”

“Yes, our Delph family did wrong. But Father always worked harder than anyone else for the empire’s prosperity… just like you did.”

Countess Lorentz flinched.

“He always told me to be humble. As a maternal relative of the imperial family, he taught me to maintain dignity and grace. He always warned me not to bring shame to the imperial family. And yet… the father who loved Baden so dearly was dismissed and cast aside by His Majesty for one mistake. It hurt so much.”

It struck a chord.

Countess Lorentz deeply empathized with her.

Then Vivia murmured softly, “The reason my father was expelled from the Noble Council was because he opposed Director Eleanor becoming Empress.”

“……”

“Doesn’t it sound ridiculous from the start? Taking in a foreign princess who’s even been divorced as Empress? Even if such a woman does become Empress, how well could she manage national affairs? We’d be lucky if she doesn’t end up constantly fighting with the nobles. Don’t you think so?”

“…You’re right.”

“But in the end, my father, who spoke the truth, was the one driven out. A man who dedicated himself to the imperial family more than anyone else was cast aside.”

“……”

“So, I had a fleeting thought.”

Vivia gradually lowered her voice.

It sounded like she was delivering a secret code.

Countess Lorentz instinctively shrank back.

“If only.”

Their eyes met as Vivia turned her head.

“If only the woman who made us this way would just disappear.”

***

The next day, Eleanor headed to the Empress Dowager’s palace.

Unlike usual, her face showed clear signs of fatigue, as she had stayed up through the night holding a long meeting with Eger.

She had managed only a short nap at dawn—hardly enough to be called sleep.

Upon entering the Empress Dowager’s western palace, she happened to run into Berenice.

“Did something happen yesterday?”

Instead of greeting her, Berenice studied Eleanor’s pale complexion.

Eleanor shook her head. “I’ll explain later.”

It would take considerable time and effort to explain the purge that was about to take place.

Eleanor glanced to the side.

Countess Lorentz was walking toward them in the distance.

Noticing this, Baroness Berenice naturally led Eleanor into the dressing room.

“Perfect timing.”

The Empress Dowager, who had been speaking with a designer, welcomed them warmly.

Countess Lorentz followed soon after and offered a greeting, but once again, the Empress Dowager ignored her.

She flinched but stood silently in the corner.

Though she appeared obedient, her eyes were fixed on Eleanor trying on dresses.

A cruelty unlike before flickered in her gaze.

“Let’s start with this dress.”

The Empress Dowager pointed to a glamorous gown hung on a rack.

It was adorned with dozens of tiny diamonds clustered near the chest.

The designer assisted Eleanor in changing into the dress.

“My goodness, it suits you so well.”

“I was worried it might be too flashy, but it was unnecessary.”

Berenice echoed the Empress Dowager’s admiration.

The dazzling gown only served to highlight Eleanor’s serene features.

Excited, the designer fetched matching earrings and helped Eleanor put them on.

“Oh, those look wonderful too.”

“How about making it a set? With a tiara, it would be perfect.”

“Shall we?”

The Empress Dowager’s ears perked up.

At that moment, the other waiting designers sprang into action, sensing crisis.

At this rate, the first designer would monopolize all the credit.

“Your Majesty, there are still many dresses left. Please allow us a chance as well.”

“Yes, the Director has not yet made her choice.”

With earnest eyes, the designers turned to Eleanor.

Their pleading eyes reminded her of puppies waiting for their master, and she flinched.

“…Then I’ll try on the others as well.”

“Thank you, Director. You won’t be disappointed.”

“Our dresses are made with handwoven fabric by expert artisans. You’ll notice the difference in feel as soon as you try them on.”

The excited designers proudly presented their dresses.

The Empress Dowager and Eleanor exchanged smiles, resigned to the process.

Next came a ball gown with no elaborate embellishments but a glossy sheen from the fabric.

Its off-shoulder design drew attention to her round shoulders.

Again, the Empress Dowager and Berenice voiced their admiration.

The parade of dresses continued.

As the fittings wore on, the gathered group began to tire.

“I’ve brought refreshments, Your Majesty.”

At just the right time, May entered, pushing a cart with wheels.

“Let’s sit and rest for a bit.”

Berenice and Eleanor joined the Empress Dowager at the round table.

Countess Lorentz took separate care of refreshments for the designers.

With a cheerful smile, May set down teacups in front of each person, starting with the Empress Dowager.

Just as she was lifting her cup, the Empress Dowager paused.

“Why is this floral tea?”

“Floral blends have become popular lately for their fragrance, so I prepared some, Your Majesty,” May explained in a bright voice.

Yet her fingertips trembled faintly with fear.

She subtly hid her hands beneath her apron and glanced at Eleanor’s teacup.

“……”

Eleanor stared at the teacup set before her.

Among the colorful petals floating inside the ornate cup, one in particular stood out.

The purple poisonous flower—Allium.