Duchess Mecklen’s Elegant Revolt - Chapter 36 Part 3

She almost pulled her hand away in surprise.

The rough yet intense rhythm of his heartbeat carried through the air and made Eleanor’s own heart race.

But she couldn’t let go so easily.

His hand gripped hers so tightly it was hard to breathe.

“It’s because you’re too beautiful.”

As if to excuse the pounding of his heart, Lennoch whispered.

Her body temperature rose sharply in response.

He called her beautiful, but he was just the same.

The soft, thick crimson cape draped over his white ceremonial uniform suited him so perfectly it looked like it had always belonged to him.

Eleanor couldn’t suppress the smile tugging at her lips.

“Lennoch, you too.”

“I’m glad you think so. Makes all the effort since dawn worth it.”

Lennoch laughed with her and took the lead.

Brianna and Norah followed behind, making sure Eleanor’s long veil didn’t get tangled.

“Now I understand why the Empress Dowager was so proud of you.”

Still unable to take his eyes off her as they walked, Lennoch spoke up.

“No word, no description could possibly express how perfect you are right now.”

“You’re flattering me too much today. It’s overwhelming.”

“Not at all. I mean it. If I had known, I would’ve made time to see you at the dress fitting. I thought anything would suit you well, but…”

“It’s fine, Lennoch. Things were hectic back then.”

“No, I was careless.”

He sighed with genuine regret.

“To think I let the Empress Dowager take your first.”

He spoke as if the Empress Dowager were his rival.

‘So he was jealous, after all.’

Eleanor smiled quietly at the thought.

She could picture exactly how much the Empress Dowager must have teased him.

Lennoch muttered in frustration, “Can we rewind the wedding to before the dress fitting?”

“Again?”

Stifling her laughter, Eleanor shook her head.

“I don’t think I could go through it a second time.”

***

A herald announced the arrival of the Emperor to the nobles waiting in the hall.

As the doors swung open, nobles kneeled and rose in succession, row by row, from the far end.

“May infinite glory be upon Their Majesties.”

Hundreds of nobles were there to welcome the new Empress.

Eleanor walked beside Lennoch down the crimson-carpeted aisle.

Many faces came into her view.

“Congratulations, Your Majesty!”

Count Hilda, who had greatly helped in uncovering the truth behind allium, clapped and shouted.

Next to her, Marquis Nestor wore a beaming smile.

“We believe in you, Your Majesty!”

Since proposing the urban development project, Marquis Neto had supported every opinion Eleanor voiced.

That cry of trust was surely tied to it.

He had once been unpredictable and volatile like a bomb, but in truth, he was surprisingly simple.

“……”

On the other hand, Marquis Liege looked as if he were chewing something foul.

He clearly wasn’t happy with his daughter Brianna’s choice to follow Eleanor, evident by her holding the Empress’s veil.

Duke Ezester glanced at him with evident disdain.

Not far from them stood Childe.

‘He’s avoiding looking this way.’

For some reason, Childe’s expression was grim.

Next to him, Duke Nestor and Pedro seemed to be consoling him, patting his shoulder.

And finally—

‘…Ernst.’

To Eleanor’s surprise, Ernst had shown up after a long absence.

He was with Vito.

Dressed neatly in formal wear, Ernst looked more composed than usual—he must have put in effort.

Still, Vito’s face was pale, not yet comfortable in such crowded settings.

He clung tightly to the hand of the child who had come with him from the farm.

Suddenly—

Ernst turned his head and followed Eleanor with his eyes.

‘It was like that back then, too.’

She recalled the day she had first arrived in Baden.

Back then, Ernst had worn an all-black uniform.

And she, holding a bouquet, could only stare at the flowers.

She had been too conscious of Caroline’s glare to even hold Ernst’s hand, only hoping the stiff and suffocating ceremony would end quickly.

“……”

Eleanor completely turned her eyes away from Ernst.

She no longer felt anything.

The Duchess of Mecklen was no more.

Though she felt his gaze lingering behind her, there was no regret—Eleanor stepped forward without hesitation.

The Empress Dowager was waiting to receive them.

“Welcome.”

Smiling with satisfaction, the Empress Dowager stood as the high priest emerged behind her and sprinkled holy water on the couple.

The steps ahead were reserved solely for the Emperor and Empress.

As they ascended, Lennoch firmly supported Eleanor’s waist to keep her from tripping over the hem of her dress.

“Welcome, Your Majesties.”

At the top of the stairs, the high priest who would officiate the ceremony spoke slowly.

His gentle features showed the passage of time.

Bent at the waist and leaning on a cane, the high priest looked at Eleanor.

A faint smile curled on his lips.

‘So this person is…’

An assistant priest offered him the prepared script, but the high priest waved it away.

“Not necessary.”

“Pardon?”

Ignoring the assistant, the high priest stepped closer to the imperial couple.

The holy emblem of Kaham hanging around his neck gleamed under the light.

“This is a love recovered after a long journey.”

“……?”

At his unexpected words, not only the priests but also the nobles below began to murmur.

Eleanor, too, was caught off guard.

‘This isn’t what Eger told me.’

Lennoch remained silent.

Since the Emperor made no move to intervene, the high priest’s address continued without interruption.

“At last, these two have found each other and now stand at the beginning of a new journey.”

And then—

“To bless your future, God Himself has guided me here.”

His words were simple, yet carried a different weight.

As Eleanor pondered the nuance, her eyes widened slightly.

The high priest winked at her discreetly.

“I believe—”

That from this day forward, this couple—

“—will face whatever hardships may come, with faith in each other, relying on one another, and overcoming them together.”

The priest’s voice was gentle yet powerful, gradually drawing everyone in.

He recited the final line.

“Do you swear eternal love to one another?”

As if it had been arranged, Lennoch and Eleanor turned to each other.

Their eyes met, and even the curve of their lips mirrored each other’s thoughts.

‘As husband and wife.’

As lovers.

‘Sometimes like friends.’

At times, as partners in statecraft.

“I do.”

“I do.”

Their declarations overlapped.

With a pleased smile, the high priest proclaimed them husband and wife.

“From this moment, you are joined as a complete couple.”

Fanfare and fireworks followed.

As cheers and applause erupted around them, Eleanor leaned her forehead against Lennoch’s and laughed brightly.

***

“They’re coming out!”

“Where?”

“There! Over there!”

The crowd swarming the palace gates surged with excitement.

The earlier you claimed a spot, the better the view.

Those rushing in were blocked by soldiers already stationed there.

From the open gate, a long procession poured out.

“Is that her?”

“She’s even prettier than the portrait.”

“Oh, she looked this way!”

“Long live Her Majesty the Empress!”

The knights leading the way were imposing, and the military band’s trumpets were festive, but to the citizens, only one thing mattered—the imperial couple waving from the roofless carriage.

The carriage passed through waves of cheers.

“Hey, isn’t that Jack Ruby?”

Eleanor, turning her head, spotted someone and whispered to Lennoch.

Somehow having made it to the very front, Jack Ruby stood with both hands raised high.

He was gripping Russell’s hand tightly.

Lennoch let out a chuckle at the sight of Russell, caught and forced to cheer.

“They actually make a good pair.”

Not long ago, Berenice had relayed Russell’s complaints—that Jack Ruby was tormenting him and he wanted to be left alone.

But seeing them together now, bickering yet close, it seemed those worries had been for nothing.

Eleanor nodded.

“I thought Jack Ruby would still be upset about the Saruka incident, but he seems to be taking it better than expected.”

At Eleanor’s request, Lennoch had handed Saruka’s body over to Jack Ruby.

What kind of resolution he had found after receiving it, they didn’t know.

But perhaps, in his own way, he had come to terms with things.

Enough, at least, to smile like this now.

Eleanor inhaled deeply, feeling at peace.

“What do you plan to do with the remaining allium?”

The purple poisonous flower, allium.

Since the Delph family, who had managed the allium since the reign of Oth III, had completely collapsed, it could no longer be hidden.

It would be impossible not to mention Oth III’s grave mistake at the upcoming memorial.

What’s more, the quantity of allium left in the secret garden hidden in the Empress’s palace was overwhelming.

Contrary to her concern, Lennoch answered simply, “We’ll burn it.”

All of the allium.

“And I’ll leave a record for future generations.”

So that such a tragedy would never happen again.

“Rather than risk someone abusing it, it’s better to reveal everything and exercise caution.”

It was a promise to become each other’s watchdog.

After all, the flower’s secret couldn’t be hidden forever.

Eleanor, reassured by his choice to be transparent instead of erasing all traces like Oth III, said playfully, “I knew you’d make the wise decision, Lennoch.”

So much for declaring he would become a tyrant—just an empty threat, it seemed.

In the end, he had chosen what was best for everyone.

“Looks like you don’t need me by your side anymore.”

Lennoch’s expression suddenly turned serious. “That won’t do. Did you already forget what the High Priest said? You and I are one—we can never be separated.”

“…Did he say that exactly?”

It had a slightly different nuance, if she remembered correctly.

She wanted to tease him more, but if she kept going, he might start begging in front of the entire nation not to leave him, so she held back.

Instead, she changed the subject.

“But there’s one problem.”

Eleanor leaned her head lightly against his shoulder.

“My revenge isn’t finished yet.”

“You mean Adler?”

Of course.

Lennoch already knew.

Rather than being surprised, Eleanor felt it was fortunate—and so she spoke freely.

“Adler said he wants to give up life in Bahama and move to Baden. So I gave him conditions and had him sign an oath.”

For now, he would be able to enter Baden as he wished.

But Adler had misunderstood one thing.

She had never said she would grant him a title.

“The only family I have in Baden is Henrik.”

Adler always used to say they were each other’s only family.

But in the end, he was the one who abandoned everything and fled to Bahama—a defeated man.

Even in her past life, he had turned away when she was executed.

Now he sought to use her out of convenience, but his intentions were so transparent, it was almost laughable.

‘I have no reason to be generous.’

Eleanor felt Lennoch’s hand wrap around her waist.

“I’ll assign Adler to manage the stables.”

If he hated that, he’d leave the palace on his own.

Just like she had once done, he would struggle to survive in a foreign land where he was completely alone.

He wouldn’t even be able to return to Bahama out of misery.

He had signed an agreement to become a spy.

If their deal ever leaked to Bahama, Adler would vanish without a trace.

“If only to show him—I will live happily forever.”

Lennoch gently stroked Eleanor’s cheek. “I’ll help with that revenge.”

“Having the best ally say that is truly reassuring.”

“Whatever it may be—”

Life.

And even death.

Their eyes met and locked in the air.

“Y-Your Majesty?!”

A shocked voice rang out from behind.

It was Eger, who had been riding in a carriage with the attendants.

He, too, was in a roofless carriage, and thanks to that, he had seen every bit of their affectionate display.

‘Shouldn’t someone stop them?’

Eger opened his mouth in disbelief, but it was already too late.

The public’s cheers doubled at the sight of the Emperor and Empress’s deep kiss.

Hearing the roar of the crowd, Eger took off his glasses and covered his face.

While their poor aide suffered, the couple who had caused the spectacle couldn’t contain their overwhelming joy.

Eleanor whispered joyfully, “I love you, Lennoch.”

Her one and only ally.

The one she would spend her life with.

Someone more precious than anything, whom she longed to protect.

“I love you, Eli.”

Eleanor looked up at the sky and laughed for the first time in a long while.

A gentle spring breeze wrapped softly around her as she basked in the happiness of the moment.

『End of The Elegant Rebellion of the Duchess of Mecklen』