“What the hell is going on here!?”
Jordi shouted as he ran ahead of his companions.
His face was completely twisted with confusion and rage.
“This morning I heard that the useless brat just tried to punish Jenny and ended up making a fool of himself! And now, just a few hours later, he’s whipping her!? They say the servants completely ignored his orders!”
“T-That’s right.”
“Speak clearly! Did those servants lose their minds and obey him for no reason? Or did that useless idiot suddenly gain monstrous strength and drag her off by himself!? Which one was it!?”
The old servant trembled under the young master’s shouts and lowered his head.
“I-It was the servants. They appeared out of nowhere and took Miss Jenny. I don’t know what happened either, but unlike this morning, they didn’t show a trace of fear.”
“Are you messing with me right now!? Why do you keep changing your story!?”
“I’m sorry! The only thing I know for sure is that, after the third young master left and returned, his attitude changed completely…!”
Jordi ground his teeth at the vague report.
If Lucian had captured her himself or hired someone from outside, that would be one thing.
But the same servants who refused to cooperate in the morning now had no hesitation in putting their hands on the headstrong Jenny?
He couldn’t understand what the hell was going on.
Smack!
“Ahhhhh!”
The sound of a whip striking flesh, accompanied by a heart-wrenching scream, echoed through the corridor.
Recognizing that familiar voice, Jordi’s eyes flew wide open.
“Damn it!”
Abandoning all pretense of dignity, Jordi sprinted with his followers and kicked open the door to Lucian’s room with full force.
Bang!
“Stop! What the hell do you think you’re doing!?”
With his shout, the scene inside the room was laid bare.
Jenny was kneeling on the floor, held by two massive men, half-conscious and slumped over.
Even though the punishment had only just begun, the floor was already spattered with drops of blood.
Lucian, about to raise the whip again, merely shrugged upon seeing Jordi burst in.
“To what do I owe the visit, dear brother? Sorry, but I’m a bit busy right now. Could you come back later?”
“Oliver! Gert! Take Jenny away!”
“Yes, sir!”
Completely ignoring Lucian’s words, Jordi gave orders to the knights at his sides.
When both stepped forward, ready to cut down anyone who stood in their way—
“Hugo.”
Clink.
“…!?”
At a single word from Lucian, Hugo drew a dagger and placed it against Jenny’s neck.
The knights flinched and came to a halt on the spot.
Amidst the tense silence, teetering on the edge of an explosion, Lucian issued another command for all to hear.
“If anyone approaches, cut her throat on the spot. I’ll take full responsibility. Don’t hesitate.”
“Yes. There will be no mistake, so rest assured.”
The blade pressed firmly against her pulsing artery.
Feeling the cold, sharp metal, Jenny barely regained consciousness and began to sob in terror.
“J-Jordi…!”
“Put that dagger down right now. If you lay another hand on her, I’ll not only cut your throat, but your entire family’s and hang them on the walls.”
The icy threat flew at Hugo.
But he shook his head without even blinking.
“Sorry, but I can’t.”
“What?”
“My master is Lucian, not the second young master. I have no reason to follow orders from someone who isn’t my lord.”
“You bastard! You think this is a joke!? Or do you really believe that useless idiot can protect you from me!?”
“Neither. I’m just fulfilling my duty as a servant. Whatever happens afterward, if my master orders me to kill, I’ll kill. That’s my job.”
Seeing the fierce glint in Hugo’s eyes, Jordi instinctively stepped back.
He wanted to think it was just bluffing, but that presence left no room for doubt.
Finding no way to break through, Jordi’s eyes turned toward Lucian.
“What did Jenny do for you to treat her this cruelly?”
“Countless things. She insulted me openly, disobeyed my orders, and even meddled with the budget. Aren’t those crimes enough to have her executed on the spot?”
“And for that, you dare lay hands on my milk sister? You say it like it’s just your word, but others saw it too, right? Is that why you staged this little play?”
As he spoke, Jordi shot a threatening glare toward the servants.
If they had any brains, they should know whose side to take.
But once again, his expectations were shattered.
“Yes! We clearly saw it with our own eyes!”
“She hurled all kinds of unforgivable insults at the young master!”
“If asked, we can testify right here and now!”
“…!?”
Had these idiots lost their minds together?
Jordi’s murderous glare intensified, but the servants didn’t budge an inch.
This time, they knew without a doubt that if they changed their story, they’d die by Lucian’s hand.
No matter the pressure, no one retracted their words.
Realizing that threats no longer worked, Jordi let out a long sigh.
“…You win. Let her go.”
At those empty words, Lucian let out a dry, ironic laugh.
After ruining such valuable funds, did he think he could settle things with a line like that?
It was a bad joke.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, brother. ‘Win’? I’m just punishing a servant who tampered with public funds for personal reasons.”
“…!”
“Looks like you came to rescue her because she’s your milk sister, but you should separate public from private matters. Embezzlement is a crime for which even a noble can be executed. If we overlook it for a mere servant, order will collapse. Don’t you think we should set an example?”
He had no intention of letting this go with mere words.
Jordi forced himself to swallow the insults rising up his throat.
It was already humiliating to be outdone by this useless brother—now he was demanding compensation?
He might want to flip the table, but that option didn’t exist.
And not just because Jenny was his milk sister.
Jordi had already abandoned Hendrick once.
Was he now going to abandon Jenny, the girl he’d grown up with?
The blow to his reputation would be immeasurably worse.
In the worst-case scenario, people might see him as unfit to be a proper lord, and even the few talents he had left might leave him.
“…What do you want?”
Lucian responded with a radiant smile.
“Criminals who steal others’ money are usually punished in a similar way. Returning several times the amount they stole.”
“…Then how much do I have to pay? Speak clearly and stop beating around the bush.”
Upon hearing it was about money, Jordi calmed down inside.
Money, after all, was the easiest thing to negotiate.
If the amount was excessive, he’d reject it without hesitation.
If it was reasonable, he’d accept and pay it off without complaint.
After all, that guy had always been a recluse in his room.
With so little experience in negotiations, he probably didn’t even know how to properly use the advantage he had gained.
While Jordi continued to underestimate him, Lucian tilted his head slightly.
“How much did you investigate before coming here?”
“…”
***
As a result, Jordi had no choice but to cough up a sum equivalent to eight times his monthly allowance.
It wasn’t an impossible amount to pay, but nearly all of his liquid personal assets were drained.
“You’ve beaten this brother of yours twice in a row now, so you must be very pleased. Enjoy it while you can. Soon, you’ll be crying tears of blood.”
After paying the full amount and retrieving Jenny, Jordi left that final warning laced with violence.
Lucian let out a dry laugh, as if it wasn’t amusing at all.
“It’s not like you’ve got money left to keep losing, so how about you hold back for a while? If you go around provoking people before you’ve even recovered, you might end up vomiting something worse than money.”
Jordi choked on his rage but didn’t bother arguing further and left.
After a loss, dragging out the argument would only make it more pathetic.
And thus, the confrontation between Lucian and Jordi over the head maid came to a temporary close.
But the repercussions were far from minor.
– They say the second young master’s milk sister was whipped nearly to death by the “Deer Young Master”!
– And yet the second young master not only didn’t get angry, he even paid a ransom!
– It’s been a week, and he still hasn’t dared to take any revenge!
Rumors spread in the blink of an eye, and within the family, every gathering was filled with whispered talk about the incident.
They had clashed once before over Hendrick, but that and this were on completely different levels.
Back then, at most it was a battle of nerves—just a verbal exchange.
If one wanted to back out, they could do so easily, and even if they won, it was seen as a momentary stroke of cleverness.
But this time was an all-out war—one had tampered with the other’s funds, and the other laid hands on someone close to him.
Retreating was practically equal to defeat, a direct clash where both sides staked their honor.
And in that confrontation, Jordi had shamefully lost to Lucian, the so-called “Deer Young Master.”
To anyone who even remotely knew the two, it was an event that could only leave them stunned.
“Did the third young master really wield the whip?”
“That’s what they say. Apparently, he beat her so badly her back was a bloody mess.”
“What a surprise—the Deer Young Master, who couldn’t even hurt a fly…”
“Shh! Do you want to die? What if the third young master hears you?”
“Come on, what’s going to happen just for saying that? People used to say it all the time.”
“Idiot! John and Brook acted like you and had all their teeth smashed in! If you keep behaving like before, you’ll seriously get killed!”
As the rumors spread, the first thing that changed was the servants’ attitude.
It was said that not only was Jenny punished, but the two servants who disobeyed were also beaten mercilessly.
Their demeanor became much more respectful, and the bold stares disappeared completely.
The nickname “Deer Young Master,” once shouted openly, vanished from everyone’s lips without anyone knowing when.
Even Hans, who used to half-despise him, began treating him with caution.
“I never imagined the third young master would crush the second like that.”
“They say a lion’s cub is still a lion in the end—blood doesn’t lie.”
“By the way, I wonder how the heir dispute will turn out. Will the third young master participate as well?”
“It’ll be tough. He’s been isolated for over a year without any notable achievements—do you think he can catch up now?”
“Who knows? If the Grand Duke has resumed supporting him, it means he hasn’t given up hope yet.”
The knights, who had barely interacted with Lucian before, were now busy discussing the succession structure.
If Lucian began to stand out, even belatedly, it could stir things up within the family.
But from another perspective, it also represented a new opportunity for some.
Unlike the other young masters, who already had their factions, Lucian had no one around him.
For an ambitious knight, aiming to become the confidant of a newly competing heir wasn’t a bad bet.
It was still too early to judge based on what he’d shown so far—more time was needed to observe.
And so, when rumors had been circulating throughout the family for about a week—
Grand Duke Sigmund summoned Lucian.
____
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