Chapter 12

Chapter 12
## Chapter 12

“What in the world is happening?!”

Jordi bellowed as he stormed through the corridor, his inner circle of attendants scrambling to keep pace.

His features were contorted in a turbulent blend of shock and indignation.

“I was informed just this morning that the brat made a total fool of himself attempting to discipline Jenny! It has been a mere matter of hours—how is he already flogging her?! I was under the impression the household staff were disregarding his commands!”

“T-That is the case, my lord.”

“Then explain yourself clearly! Have the servants lost their wits and decided to obey him? Or did that weakling suddenly find the strength of a giant and haul her away himself? Which one is it?!”

The elderly attendant quaked under the young master’s wrath and dipped his head low in submission.

“I-It was the staff, sir. They appeared without warning and seized Jenny. I cannot fathom how it occurred, but unlike earlier today, they did not seem to harbor the slightest bit of fear toward her.”

“Are you mocking me?! Why does your account keep shifting?!”

“I-I am terribly sorry! All I am certain of is that the Third Young Master’s demeanor underwent a total transformation after he returned from his trip…!”

Jordi ground his teeth together at the incomplete intelligence.

It would have been more logical if Lucian had apprehended her personally or employed mercenaries. But the staff, who had been completely defiant only this morning, were now unhesitant to lay hands on a struggling Jenny?

The logic of the situation escaped him entirely.

*Crack!*

—Aaaaagh!

The sharp report of a lash striking flesh, followed immediately by a blood-curdling shriek, rang out through the hallway.

Jordi’s eyes flew wide as he recognized the voice.

“Curse it!”

Abandoning what remained of his self-control, Jordi bolted forward alongside his aides. Without a second of hesitation, he slammed his boot against Lucian’s door, forcing it open.

*Thud!*

“Cease this! What do you imagine you are doing?!”

Jordi’s shout thundered through the chamber, taking in the sight before him.

Jenny had been forced to her knees by two stout men, her body limp and drifting toward unconsciousness. Even though the discipline had only just commenced, the floor was already marked with crimson droplets, signaling the brutality of the strikes.

Lucian, who had been poised to deliver another blow with the whip, simply gave a casual shrug at Jordi’s intrusion.

“What brings you by, brother? I am occupied at the moment, so I must ask you to return at a later time.”

“Oliver! Gert! Secure Jenny!”

“Understood, sir!”

Disregarding Lucian, Jordi barked instructions to the knights at his side. The two warriors moved inward, looking prepared to strike down anyone who dared obstruct them.

It was in that moment that Lucian spoke a single name.

“Hugo.”

*Shink.*

“…!?”

At Lucian’s signal, Hugo unsheathed a dagger and pressed the cold edge against Jenny’s throat. The knights stopped dead in their tracks, caught off guard by the sudden turn toward lethal force.

In the middle of the tense, razor-edged standoff, Lucian gave a further instruction, loud enough for every person in the room to hear.

“If a single soul takes another step, cut her throat. I shall take the entire burden of responsibility. Do not waver.”

“As you wish. Have no fear, I shall not allow her to survive by so much as a hair’s breadth.”

The steel pressed firmly against the beating pulse of her neck. The freezing, sharp contact of the metal finally snapped Jenny back to her senses, and she began to wail in absolute horror.

“J-Jordi…!”

“Withdraw that blade this instant. If you maintain that edge against her, I will ensure your head—and the heads of your kin—are displayed upon the fortress walls.”

A freezing threat was hurled at Hugo. Yet, Hugo did not even flinch. He merely shook his head slowly.

“I am afraid that is impossible.”

“What?”

“My master is Lord Lucian, not the Second Young Master. I have no obligation to heed the directives of one who is not my sovereign.”

“You common filth! Do you take my words for a jest? Or do you honestly believe this simpleton can shield you from my reach?!”

“Neither. As a servant, I am merely fulfilling my obligation. Whatever consequences follow are of no importance; if my lord commands a killing, I kill.”

Jordi recoiled slightly at the intensity in Hugo’s gaze. He wanted to brush it off as a hollow bluff, but the man’s presence was far too concentrated to be an act.

Grasping that he could not win through brute force, Jordi finally shifted his attention back to Lucian.

“What could Jenny have possibly done to warrant such barbarity from you?”

“The grievances are numerous. She insulted me publicly, ignored my direct commands, and even interfered with the treasury. Quite frankly, these are transgressions that merit a death sentence, not merely a lashing, wouldn’t you agree?”

“And so you have raised a hand against my milk sibling? I presume you are taking this action because others witnessed these acts, and not merely on the basis of your own claims?”

As he spoke, Jordi directed a subtle, lethal stare toward the hovering servants. If they possessed any survival instinct, they would realize which side held the true power.

But once more, Jordi’s assumptions were turned upside down.

“Yes! We witnessed it with our own eyes!”

“She was shouting unmentionable slanders at the Young Master!”

“If you require statements, we can offer them all right this moment!”

“…!?”

*Have they all lost their minds?*

Jordi sharpened his glare, but the staff did not waver. They understood with chilling certainty that if they betrayed Lucian now, they would perish by his hand.

Acknowledging that intimidation was no longer an effective tool, Jordi exhaled a heavy breath.

“…Very well. You have won. Let her go.”

Lucian emitted a dry, mocking laugh at the blunt demand. After tampering with his essential capital, Jordi believed he could resolve the matter with a few casual words? It was pathetic.

“I do not follow your meaning, brother. Won? I am simply penalizing a servant who presumed to touch public treasury for her personal benefit.”

“…!”

“I realize you have arrived to rescue her out of sentiment for your milk sibling, but you must learn to distinguish between personal feelings and official matters. Theft of funds is a crime for which even the high-born face execution. If I allow a common maid to escape justice, our laws would crumble. We must establish a precedent, don’t you think?”

He had no intention of allowing this to conclude with a mere chat.

Jordi barely managed to choke back the insults rising in his throat. It was humiliating enough to be bested by this fool, but now he was being instructed to provide compensation?

He felt the urge to strike out and destroy everything, but he was restrained. It wasn’t merely concern for Jenny. He had already cast aside Handrik recently. If he failed Jenny now—someone he had been close to since infancy—his standing would suffer a blow far more devastating than before.

In the worst outcome, he would be viewed as an incompetent leader, and even his remaining supporters might desert him.

“What is your price?”

Lucian met Jordi’s clenched jaw with a radiant, cheerful smile.

“Since the days of old, those who misappropriated another’s wealth typically faced a specific retribution: returning several times the sum they took.”

“…So, what is the figure? Stop dancing around the point and name your price.”

Jordi felt a small spark of relief at the mention of coin. Money was a simple thing to barter with. If the demand was excessive, he would simply refuse. If it was within reason, he would pay it and be done with the mess.

Lucian was a recluse who had spent his existence confined to a single room. Since he possessed almost no skill in bartering, Jordi assumed the boy wouldn’t even comprehend how to utilize the advantage he had finally secured.

As Jordi looked down on him mentally, Lucian tilted his head curiously.

“How much investigation did you perform before arriving here?”

“….”

—

In the end, Jordi was pressured into surrendering a sum equivalent to eight months of his personal stipend. While it wasn’t enough to totally ruin him, it effectively wiped out every bit of liquid currency he had accessible.

“You must be quite proud, having bested your elder brother twice. Savor it while you can. It will not be long before you are weeping tears of blood.”

After settling the full debt and retrieving Jenny, Jordi delivered a vicious parting threat. Lucian simply chuckled, finding the warning quite humorous.

“Since you possess no more gold to surrender, why don’t you attempt to stay in line for a while? If you continue to act out before your coffers have recovered, you might find yourself surrendering something far more precious than gold.”

Jordi bristled with rage but didn’t stay to debate as he made his exit. It was embarrassing enough to have lost; lingering would only make him appear more desperate.

Thus, the struggle between Lucian and Jordi over the head maid reached its conclusion. However, the ripples it caused were far from insignificant.

—I heard the Second Young Master’s milk sibling was flogged nearly to death by the Deer Prince!

—And rather than taking vengeance, the Second Young Master actually paid a fine to secure her release!

—A whole week has passed, and he still hasn’t dared to strike back!

The gossip spread like a wildfire. Whenever people in the manor crossed paths, they whispered about the clash.

They had locked horns once before concerning Sir Handrik, but this was on a vastly different scale. That previous instance was little more than a skirmish of wits—a verbal back-and-forth that could be written off as a momentary lapse.

This, however, was a total confrontation where one party sabotaged the other’s wealth and the other struck at a close associate. It was no exaggeration to claim it was a war where both had put their honor on the line.

And in that war, Jordi had retreated with his tail between his legs against the boy they ridiculed as the Deer Prince. Anyone familiar with the two was left in a state of utter disbelief.

“No, truly? The Third Young Master actually took up the lash?”

“I am telling you. They say her back was a crimson ruin from the force of his strikes.”

“That is truly startling. The Deer Prince, who wouldn’t even swat a gnat…”

“Quiet! Do you wish for a death sentence? What if the Third Young Master overhears!”

“Oh, please. Would he honestly be bothered by something like this? We’ve been talking like this for years.”

“You fool! John and Brook behaved just like you, and they lost all their teeth! If you don’t wake up and stop acting like you used to, you are going to end up in a grave!”

As the stories circulated, the first shift occurred in the behavior of the servants. They had heard how he dealt not just with Jenny, but with the two attendants who had disobeyed his directives without any pity.

Their actions became significantly more respectful, and the practice of staring at him with disdain disappeared entirely. The label “Deer Prince,” which had been used so casually, was suddenly absent from everyone’s speech. Even Hans, who had treated him with half-concealed contempt, began to approach him with extreme wariness.

“To think the Third Young Master would dominate the Second Young Master in such a way.”

“They say a lion’s offspring is still a lion. True blood will reveal itself in the end.”

“I wonder what this implies for the battle for succession. Is the Third Young Master entering the fray?”

“It will be a difficult path. He has been away for over a year without any real success. Is it even plausible to close the gap now?”

“One can never be sure. The fact that the Grand Duke has resumed his patronage suggests he hasn’t abandoned hope just yet.”

The knights, who previously had almost no interactions with Lucian, were preoccupied debating the inheritance. If Lucian were to finally display his true potential, it could ignite total disorder within the family hierarchy.

But from another viewpoint, it presented a fresh chance for some. Unlike the other young lords who had already solidified their inner circles, Lucian had no power base to speak of. A driven knight might see an opening to become a primary advisor to a rising star.

Naturally, what he had demonstrated so far wasn’t quite enough; they would require more time to observe his next moves.

Roughly a week after the estate began buzzing with these rumors, Grand Duke Sigmund sent for Lucian.