Duchess Mecklen’s Elegant Revolt - Chapter 35 Part 4

Marquis Delph looked into the mirror.

The lips that curved gently above his neatly trimmed beard wore a joyful smile.

As he adjusted the collar of his black jacket, Marquis Delph muttered to himself, “Ah, I shouldn’t be smiling.”

After all, today was—

None other than Eleanor’s funeral.

To maintain his composure, Marquis Delph forcibly stiffened his facial muscles.

He couldn’t afford to appear too pleased in front of everyone.

Once fully dressed for the occasion, he stepped out of the mansion.

“Father.”

“Did you wait long?”

With a gentle smile, Marquis Delph greeted his daughter waiting by the carriage.

Vivia, dressed in black, wore a hat with a veil that covered her face.

Father and daughter climbed into the carriage and sat facing each other.

“Well done.”

As soon as the carriage started moving, Marquis Delph praised Vivia.

“I was right to trust you. We finally killed that princess.”

“……”

It was the praise she had long yearned for.

Yet Vivia’s expression was far from bright.

She nodded reluctantly, inwardly struggling to suppress her unease.

‘Why did Countess Lorentz suddenly quit her maid duties?’

Was it because she feared being exposed?

But Vivia had emphasized it many times:

There was no way they’d get caught.

Edea, Madam Müller—both had died from that poisonous flower, yet no one had ever uncovered the truth.

Surely, Eleanor’s death would be no different.

It had to be. Countess Lorentz had gleefully taken the flower, saying such a poison posed no risk.

‘Besides, she hasn’t responded at all.’

Vivia had gone to visit her house, hoping to find the missing Countess Lorentz, but had been treated as an unwelcome guest and chased away.

Her family showed no concern over her whereabouts.

In the end, Vivia had been the only one left anxious, pacing in frustration.

It was almost a relief to hear of Eleanor’s death soon after.

Had that news not come, she might have died from the anxiety alone.

“What’s with your expression?”

“…It’s nothing.”

Vivia quickly shook her head under her father’s questioning gaze.

“Once the funeral ends, His Majesty will likely start looking for a new consort, won’t he?”

“Of course. He can’t leave the empire to a blind prince. Like it or not, he must remarry to produce an heir,” Marquis Delph answered with a sly smile.

‘Once Vivia has a child, it might not be so bad to eliminate him later.’

Prince Hail was of little use.

If left alive too long, he would only tarnish the family name.

Imagining the day his daughter would wed the emperor, Marquis Delph couldn’t suppress his grin.

“When the time is right and I return to the palace, I’ll arrange your marriage. This time, I won’t go down so easily.”

Vivia gave a quiet nod—this was what she wanted as well.

The carriage, bearing Marquis Delph in high spirits and Vivia, still unsettled, soon reached the palace.

They headed straight for the chapel.

Funerals held in the chapel, a separate building, were typically reserved only for the emperor, his consort, or direct bloodline.

In other words, holding the funeral of an empress-to-be who had yet to be crowned there signified she was being honored as an empress.

“They really are going all out.”

Clicking his tongue in displeasure, Marquis Delph clearly didn’t like the arrangements.

Even at a glance, hundreds had gathered outside the chapel.

Most of the central nobility must have attended.

Yet, despite the number, the atmosphere remained solemn.

Through the somber procession, Marquis Delph entered with Vivia and took his seat.

‘That one must be brought down eventually too.’

Marquis Delph glanced sideways at Duke Nestor standing a short distance away.

He had not forgotten how Duke Nestor had once struck at him.

Standing with Duke Ezester, Duke Nestor looked deeply mournful.

Beside them stood his sons, Pedro and Evan, and further down, Brianna stood with Marquis Liege.

Brianna’s eyes were so swollen from crying, it was hard to see her pupils.

“……!”

Then, the bell signaling the start rang.

Marquis Delph followed the others in bowing his head slightly.

A pure white coffin passed before him.

‘…What is this?’

Something felt off.

Why hadn’t the coffin been sealed?

Though an odd feeling passed over him, it didn’t seem meaningful enough to dwell on, so Marquis Delph dismissed it.

Then, he saw the emperor approaching the coffin at the altar.

“……”

In just a few days, the emperor’s appearance had changed noticeably.

His expression as he looked at the coffin was unreadable.

Even his usually neat hair was disheveled, hinting at the emperor’s mental state.

Marquis Delph observed each proceeding with narrow, calculating eyes.

Soon, the ceremony neared its end.

In solemn silence, the priest circled the coffin, scattering incense.

“Next is the floral tribute.”

Having finished the prayer, the priest announced the final part.

The blind Prince Hail, guided by the Empress Dowager, stepped forward and placed a white rose on the altar.

Next came the three highest-ranking dukes—Ezester, Nestor, and Mecklen—who offered flowers in turn.

Then it was Marquis Delph’s turn.

Receiving the flower from a retainer, he stepped forward.

‘Farewell.’

Seen up close, Eleanor looked as though she were merely asleep, her face at peace.

As he laid the flower on the altar, Marquis Delph secretly smiled.

Just before turning away, he happened to glance at her hands.

“……?”

Her fingertips weren’t blue.

The moment he realized it—

“P-princess…?”

Eleanor had opened her eyes and was smiling at him.

Marquis Delph instinctively rubbed his eyes.

Unless he was seeing things, Eleanor was rising from the coffin.

At that same moment, a sharp slicing sound rushed toward him.

“Duke Mecklen…!”

From somewhere, Ernst had drawn his sword and pointed it at Marquis Delph.

Feeling the blade press close to his throat, Marquis Delph’s hair stood on end.

It had all happened in the blink of an eye.

Marquis Delph, stunned, opened his mouth in disbelief—but his ordeal was only just beginning.

“Father!”

At Vivia’s scream, which was nearly a shriek, Marquis Delph turned around in surprise.

As he moved, the blade grazed his neck and drew blood, but he didn’t even have time to feel the sting.

The armed knights seized Vivia.

And then—

“Y-Your Majesty, what is going on…? Aaargh!”

One of the terrified nobles was run through by a knight’s sword as he tried to rush forward.

At the sudden scream, the nobles attending the funeral froze like statues.

Marquis Delph instantly recognized the noble who had just lost his life.

Count Tiber, head of the Public Affairs Office.

He had been one of Marquis Delph’s most important men, acting as his eyes and ears.

From that moment, the nobles began to fall one by one.

There was no escape.

The open square had no obstacles, and the space was surrounded like a solid wall by armored soldiers and knights, making it nearly impossible to break through.

‘It was a trap from the beginning.’

Only now did Marquis Delph realize.

The knights moved with precision.

Those who were cut down were all nobles whose faces Marquis Delph knew well.

They were the ones who had long stood by his side, the ones he had planned to elevate Vivia to empress with.

Watching his long-time allies crumble before him, Marquis Delph unconsciously turned a glare toward the emperor.

The reason for staging a fake funeral and gathering them here—

‘From the start, it was to make escape impossible.’

To kill them all—

At once.

“…This is madness.”

Everything he had built over the years—

Was collapsing.

Marquis Delph’s eyes turned bloodshot as he watched the chaos unfold.

“All of this… just to do this?!”

His eyes trembled violently with rage.

“Aaargh!”

“P-please, spare us!”

Blood ran between the nobles as they died screaming.

Those unconnected to Marquis Delph clung to one another in fear.

Even if they weren’t killed, the knights swinging swords beside them were more than threatening enough.

Grinding his teeth, Marquis Delph muttered, “Do you think you’ll get away with oppressing the nobility like this?”

“……”

If they killed him, the emperor would lose Allium.

Staring at the dying nobles, Marquis Delph shouted desperately, as if it were his last stand. “I know secrets about the imperial family that Your Majesty does not! Think carefully about why the Delph family has long been the pillar that produced empresses for the Baden imperial family.”

“Oh?”

Unfortunately, the emperor showed little interest.

Marquis Delph then noticed Eleanor standing beside the emperor.

When he saw the emperor naturally wrap an arm around her shoulder, Marquis Delph’s eyes bulged in rage.

“Don’t worry. I won’t kill you right away.”

A smirk curled at the emperor’s lips.

“I plan to keep you in prison until the trial.”

At the unexpected words, Marquis Delph reacted sharply.

A trial meant there was still a sliver of a chance.

Hope that perhaps he could find a way to survive.

Fueled by both fury and desperation, he began to search for an escape route.

But then, another cold statement pierced him.

“There are ten days left until your execution.”

“……?”

“Count them.”

Each and every day—

As the inevitable death draws closer,

There would come a moment when he would struggle to grasp each fleeting second.

“The result won’t change anyway.”

“Ghh…!”

Unable to control his rage, Marquis Delph let out a low growl.

It wasn’t a promise of salvation through a trial.

It was just a cruel taunt.

Clenching his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white, Marquis Delph glared at Eleanor, standing by the emperor, as if to kill her.

In response, Ernst’s sword pressed even deeper against his neck, as if to issue a warning.

“……!”

The pain shot through him, making Marquis Delph flinch.

It felt as if one wrong move would see his head severed.

His lips trembling and pale, he was watched silently by Eleanor.

‘Just like I once was.’

It had been Eleanor herself who had proposed this very method.

Back in her previous life, when she was wrongfully accused and condemned to death, she had stood on the scaffold, waiting for the blade.

She wanted him to experience that same short, yet eternal journey.

Eleanor reached up and clasped Lennoch’s hand resting on her shoulder.

Deliberately, for all to see.

As expected, Marquis Delph’s face contorted with fury.

Eleanor smiled serenely as she watched.

“Soon, you too will know just how beautiful the blue sky looks from the guillotine.”

For a moment, Marquis Delph’s expression twisted in absolute despair.

***

How much time had passed?

Inside the carriage, which had no windows, Caroline had no way of knowing.

It was oppressively dark, making her feel as if she were imprisoned.

Out of frustration, Caroline banged on the walls of the carriage.

“How much longer do we have to travel?”

Even if they were escaping in secret, this was getting ridiculous.

It was miserable being hauled along like this, unable to see a thing.

She tried to sleep, but anxiety made it impossible to close her eyes.

Shifting positions restlessly, Caroline banged on the carriage wall again.

“Are we there yet?”

“Almost there.”

Russell’s voice rang out from the driver’s seat.

It was the third time he’d said that.

Suppressing her fiery temper, Caroline bit her lip.

She had no choice but to endure for now.

“Anyway…”

Who should she meet first once in Bahama?

Having frequented East Harlem, she wasn’t completely unfamiliar with the upper class there.

‘Should I meet Lord Etetus?’

Etetus had played a major role in placing the current king of Bahama on the throne.

Though she didn’t know him personally, she was acquainted with one of his retainers.

They had once done business under the name of the Balkan Trading Company.

‘I’m bringing plenty of money anyway.’

The dirty money earned through the Balkan Trading Company had been deposited in a bank in East Harlem, and she had the certificates with her.

As long as she had those, she could access her funds anywhere—it wouldn’t be a problem.

Thinking this, Caroline pouted her lips.

“It’ll be a problem if they demand too high a price.”