I can’t help but wonder if the artist knows that “merci” does not mean “mercy”

C_Inferno said:

I can’t help but wonder if the artist knows that “merci” does not mean “mercy”

That’s literally the title of the painting that this fanart is referencing.

C_Inferno said:

I can’t help but wonder if the artist knows that “merci” does not mean “mercy”

It actually can mean that, though it is a bit archaic. the word is rarely used that way on its own nowadays ("pitié" would be more common), but the expression "sans merci" to mean "merciless" still crop up when trying to sound fancy.