"What on earth is going on?!"
Jordi shouted as he rushed down the hall, his closest aides trailing behind him.
His face was twisted in a mess of bewilderment and rage.
"I heard just this morning that the brat made a fool of himself trying to punish Jenny! It's only been a few hours—how is he already whipping her?! I thought the servants were ignoring his orders!"
"T-That is correct, sir."
"Then speak clearly! Have the servants lost their minds and decided to follow him? Or did that weakling suddenly develop Herculean strength and drag her off himself? Which is it?!"
The old servant trembled under his young master's fury and bowed his head low.
"I-It was the servants, sir. They appeared out of nowhere and dragged Jenny away. I don't know how it happened, but unlike this morning, they didn't seem the least bit afraid of her."
"Are you playing games with me?! Why does your story keep changing?!"
"I-I'm sorry! All I know is that the Third Young Master's attitude changed completely after he returned from his outing...!"
Jordi gnashed his teeth at the half-baked report.
It would have made more sense if Lucian had caught her himself or hired outsiders. But the servants, who had been uncooperative just this morning, weren't even afraid to lay hands on a resisting Jenny?
He couldn't wrap his head around what had happened.
Crack!
—Aaaaagh!
The sound of a whip lashing against skin followed by a piercing scream echoed through the corridor.
Jordi's eyes snapped wide at the familiar voice.
"Dammit!"
Casting aside the last of his composure, Jordi sprinted forward with his aides. Without a moment's hesitation, he kicked Lucian's door open with all his might.
Thud!
"Stop! What do you think you're doing?!"
Jordi's roar filled the room, revealing the scene inside.
Jenny was forced to her knees by two large men, slumped over and half-unconscious. Despite the punishment having only just begun, the floor was already splattered with blood, a testament to the severity of the blows.
Lucian, who had been about to swing the whip again, merely shrugged at the sight of the intruding Jordi.
"What brings you here, brother? I'm a bit busy right now, so please come back later."
"Oliver! Gert! Get Jenny!"
"Yes, sir!"
Ignoring Lucian, Jordi barked orders at the knights flanking him. The two knights stepped forward, looking ready to cut down anyone who stood in their way.
It was then that Lucian spoke.
"Hugo."
Shink.
"...!?"
At Lucian's word, Hugo drew a dagger and pressed it against Jenny's throat. The knights froze in their tracks, startled by the sudden escalation.
In the midst of the hair-trigger standoff, Lucian issued another command, loud enough for everyone to hear.
"If anyone comes closer, slit her throat. I take full responsibility. Do not hesitate."
"Understood. Rest assured, I won't let her survive by even a hair's breadth."
The blade pressed firmly against her pulsing carotid artery. The cold, sharp sensation of metal finally jolted Jenny awake, and she began to sob in terror.
"J-Jordi...!"
"Put that dagger away this instant. If you keep that blade on her, I'll have your head—and the heads of your entire family—hung from the castle walls."
A chilling threat flew toward Hugo. However, Hugo didn't even blink. He simply shook his head.
"I'm afraid I cannot do that."
"What?"
"My master is Lord Lucian, not the Second Young Master. I have no reason to follow the orders of someone who is not my lord."
"You lowborn wretch! Do you think I'm joking? Or do you truly believe this half-wit can protect you from me?!"
"Neither. As a servant, I am simply doing my duty. Whatever happens later is of no concern; if my master tells me to kill, I kill."
Jordi flinched at the glint in Hugo's eyes. He wanted to dismiss it as a bluff, but the man's aura was far too intense to be faked.
Realizing there was no way to force his way through, Jordi finally turned his gaze toward Lucian.
"What could Jenny have possibly done for you to be this cruel?"
"The list is endless. She insulted me openly, defied my orders, and even tampered with the budget. Honestly, these are crimes worthy of execution, not just a whipping, wouldn't you agree?"
"And so you laid hands on my milk sibling? I assume you're doing this because others saw the same things you did, and not just based on your word alone?"
As he spoke, Jordi cast a subtle, murderous glare at the surrounding servants. If they had any sense, they would know which side to take.
But once again, Jordi's expectations were shattered.
"Yes! We saw it with our own two eyes!"
"She was hurling unspeakable insults at the Young Master!"
"If you want testimony, we can provide it all right here!"
"...!?"
Have they all gone mad?
Jordi intensified his glare, but the servants didn't budge. They knew with absolute certainty that if they crossed Lucian now, they would die by his hand.
Realizing that threats were no longer working, Jordi let out a heavy sigh.
"...Fine. You win. Let her go."
Lucian let out a hollow laugh at the blunt demand. After messing with his precious funds, Jordi thought he could settle it with just those few words? It was pathetic.
"I don't follow, brother. Win? I am merely punishing a maid who dared to touch public funds for her own private gain."
"...!"
"I understand you've come to save her out of pity for your milk sibling, but you must separate public and private matters. Embezzlement is a crime for which even nobles are executed. If I let a mere maid slide, the laws would fall into ruin. We must set an example, don't you think?"
He had no intention of letting this end with a simple conversation.
Jordi barely suppressed the curses rising in his throat. It was humiliating enough to lose to this half-wit, but now he was being told to pay reparations?
He wanted to flip the table and ruin everything, but he couldn't. It wasn't just because he was worried about Jenny. He had already abandoned Handrik recently. If he abandoned Jenny now—someone he had grown up with since childhood—his reputation would take a hit far worse than before.
In the worst-case scenario, he would be seen as an unfit leader, and even his remaining talent might desert him.
"What do you want?"
Lucian responded to Jordi's gritted teeth with a bright smile.
"Since ancient times, criminals who touched someone else's money usually faced a similar punishment: spitting back several times the amount they stole."
"...So, how much? Stop beating around the bush and give me a number."
Jordi felt a flicker of relief at the mention of money. Money was a relatively easy thing to negotiate with. If the amount was too high, he would refuse flatly. If it was reasonable, he would pay it and be done with it.
Lucian was a shut-in who had lived his life in a room. Since he had almost no experience in negotiation, Jordi figured the boy wouldn't even know how to use the leverage he had finally gained.
As Jordi looked down on him internally, Lucian tilted his head.
"How much research did you do before coming here?"
"...."
In the end, Jordi was forced to cough up an amount equal to eight months of his monthly allowance. While it wasn't enough to bankrupt him, it effectively drained all the liquid assets he had on hand.
"You must be pleased, having beaten your older brother twice. Enjoy it while it lasts. It won't be long before you're weeping tears of blood."
After paying the full amount and taking Jenny back, Jordi left a savage warning. Lucian merely chuckled, finding the threat ridiculous.
"Since you don't have any more money to cough up, why don't you try to behave for a while? If you keep acting out before you've recovered, you might end up coughing up something much worse than gold."
Jordi bristled but didn't bother to argue as he retreated. It was unsightly enough to lose; dragging out the conversation would only make him look more pathetic.
And so, the clash between Lucian and Jordi over the head maid came to an end. However, the aftermath was anything but small.
—I heard the Second Young Master's milk sibling was beaten within an inch of her life by the Deer Prince!
—And instead of getting angry, the Second Young Master actually paid a ransom to get her back!
—It's been a week, and he still hasn't dared to retaliate!
The rumors spread like wildfire. Whenever members of the household gathered, they whispered about the incident.
They had clashed once before over Sir Handrik, but this was on a completely different level. That time, it was little more than a war of nerves—a verbal spat that could be dismissed as a momentary flash of wit.
This, however, was a full-scale confrontation where one side interfered with the other's finances and the other laid hands on a close confidant. It was no exaggeration to say it was a battle where both sides had staked their pride.
And in that battle, Jordi had tucked his tail and lost to the boy they called the Deer Prince. Anyone who knew anything about the two was left in a state of shock.
"No, really? The Third Young Master actually picked up a whip?"
"I'm telling you. They say her back was a bloody mess from how hard he hit her."
"That's truly shocking. The Deer Prince, who couldn't even kill a fly..."
"Shh! Do you have a death wish? What if the Third Young Master hears you!"
"Oh, come on. Would he really care about something like this? We've been saying it for ages."
"You idiot! John and Brook acted like you, and they lost all their teeth! If you don't snap out of it and keep acting like you used to, you're going to end up dead!"
As the rumors spread, the first thing to change was the attitude of the servants. They had heard how he punished not only Jenny but also the two servants who had refused his orders without mercy.
Their movements became far more polite, and the habit of staring at him openly vanished completely. The nickname "Deer Prince," which had been used so freely, was suddenly on no one's lips. Even Hans, who had half-ignored him, began to treat him with extreme caution.
"To think the Third Young Master would suppress the Second Young Master like that."
"They say a lion's cub is still a lion. Blood will tell, after all."
"I wonder what this means for the succession competition. Is the Third Young Master joining in?"
"It'll be tough. He's been away for over a year without any notable achievements. Is it even possible to catch up now?"
"You never know. The fact that the Grand Duke resumed his support means he hasn't given up hope yet."
The knights, who had almost no prior contact with Lucian, were busy discussing the succession. If Lucian were to finally show his talent, it could cause chaos within the family.
But from another perspective, it was a new opportunity for some. Unlike the other young masters who had already established their factions, Lucian had no power base to speak of. An ambitious knight might see an opening to become a close aide to a rising successor.
Of course, what he had shown so far wasn't enough; they would need more time to observe.
About a week after the household began buzzing with these rumors, Grand Duke Sigmund summoned Lucian.