"What in the hell happened!?"
Jordi shouted as he sprinted with his closest attendants in tow.His face was twisted with shock and fury.
"This morning I heard he tried to punish Jenny and humiliated himself instead! How has it only been a few hours, and he's whipping her now!? And the servants supposedly ignored everything he said!"
"Th-that is correct…"
"Explain properly! Have the servants gone mad and decided to obey him all of a sudden? Or did that sniveling wretch suddenly gain monstrous strength and drag her off himself? Which one is it!?"
The elderly attendant trembled under Jordi's roar and lowered his head.
"Th-the servants, young master. The servants suddenly appeared and dragged Jenny away. I do not know how it happened, but unlike this morning, they showed no fear at all."
"Are you playing games with me!? Why does your story keep changing!?"
"I'm sorry! All I know is that the third young master left earlier, and when he returned, his entire demeanor had changed…!"
Jordi ground his teeth at the vague, useless report.
If Lucian had kidnapped Jenny himself or hired outsiders, it would've made sense.But the same servants who had openly defied him that morning—Now they showed no hesitation laying hands on a resisting Jenny?
He couldn't grasp what had happened.
Slaaap.
***
—Aaaaargh!
A scream tore through the corridor, accompanied by the sickening crack of flesh being whipped.Recognizing the voice instantly, Jordi's eyes flew wide open.
"Gods damn it!"
Throwing away even the last shred of decorum, Jordi kicked off the floor and sprinted with his attendants.Without hesitation, he slammed his foot into Lucian's door.
Bang!
"Stop! What in the hell do you think you're doing!?"
At Jordi's roar, the scene inside the room was laid bare.Jenny was forced to her knees, held down by two massive men, her body limp and half-unconscious.They had beaten her so harshly that even though the punishment had only begun minutes ago, the floor was already spattered with drops of blood.
Lucian, who had been about to swing the whip again, lifted his shoulders casually when he saw Jordi enter.
"What brings you here, brother? My apologies, but I'm busy. Please come back later."
"Oliver! Gert! Bring Jenny here!"
"Yes, young master!"
Ignoring Lucian entirely, Jordi barked orders at the knights on either side of him.The two took a step forward—ready to cut down anyone who blocked them.
"Hugo."
Shk.
At just one word from Lucian, Hugo drew a dagger and pressed it against Jenny's neck.
At that sight, the knights froze, unable to take even a single step further.In the razor-tight standoff, Lucian raised his voice deliberately, as if wanting everyone to hear:
"Anyone who approaches—cut her throat immediately. I'll take full responsibility. Don't hesitate."
"Yes, young master. I assure you—there will be no chance of her leaving here alive."
The dagger pressed into Jenny's trembling carotid with a kkuuk sound.Feeling the cold, sharp metal, Jenny regained consciousness just enough to collapse into terrified sobs.
"L-Lord Jordi…!"
"Remove that dagger. Keep it there any longer, and I'll cut off not only your head but your entire family's and hang them from the walls."
The chilling threat was directed straight at Hugo.But Hugo didn't even blink—he simply shook his head.
"My apologies, but I cannot."
"…What?"
"My master is Young Master Lucian, not you, Second Young Master. I have no reason to obey someone who is not my lord."
"You filthy cur! Do you think I'm joking? Or do you actually believe that half-witted brat can protect you from me!?"
"Neither. I am merely doing what a servant must do. Whatever happens later, if my master orders me to kill, then killing is my duty."
The sharp, predatory glint in Hugo's eyes made Jordi flinch.He desperately wanted to dismiss it as bluff—but there was nothing fake about that murderous resolve.With no clear way to push through, Jordi finally turned his fury on Lucian.
"What grave crime has Jenny committed that you torture her like this?"
"Oh, countless ones. She openly insulted me, disobeyed my orders, and even meddled with the household budget. Honestly, for crimes like these, whipping her is lenient—beheading her outright would be justified, don't you think?"
"And so you laid hands on my wet-nurse sibling? I'm assuming you're not acting off just your own word—others must have witnessed this behavior for you to go this far, correct?"
As Jordi spoke, he subtly swept a murderous glare across the servants.Anyone with a brain should know very well which side to stand on.
But once again, Jordi's expectations were shattered.
"Yes! We saw everything clearly with our own eyes!""She said things to the young master that we cannot even repeat!""If testimony is required, we can all testify right here and now!"
"…What?"
Had they all gone insane?
Jordi intensified his glare, but the servants didn't budge.They were far too certain that if they contradicted Lucian now, they would die—plain and simple.No matter how much killing intent he radiated, the servants refused to change their story.
Realizing that threats were useless, Jordi exhaled a long, bitter sigh.
"…You win. Release her."
Lucian let out a dry laugh at those words—words that conveniently omitted everything Jordi had done.
After stirring up chaos in another's household budget, and that's the only line he's willing to give?Absolutely laughable.
"I'm afraid I don't understand, brother. Win? I'm merely punishing a maid who embezzled public funds."
"You may feel sorry for her because she's your wet-nurse sibling, but public and private matters must be kept separate. Embezzlement is a capital crime even for nobles. If we overlook it for a mere maid, the law itself becomes a joke—someone must set an example."
He had no intention of ending this with a single word.Jordi swallowed down a curse rising all the way to his throat.It was humiliation enough to be outdone by this half-wit—And now he was expected to pay compensation?
He wanted to flip the whole situation upside down, but he couldn't.
It wasn't simply because Jenny was his wet-nurse sibling that Jordi felt cornered.
He had already abandoned Hendrick before.And now he was expected to discard Jenny too, someone who'd grown up with him since childhood?The damage to his reputation would be incomparable to when he threw Hendrick away.
In the worst case, people would decide he wasn't fit to be a lord at all—And even the talented subordinates he still had might leave him.
"…What do you want?"
Grinding his teeth, Jordi spat out the words.Lucian turned to him with a bright, pleasant smile.
"Since long ago, criminals who embezzled funds received a similar punishment—return several times the amount they stole."
"…So how much do you want? Stop circling around and say it clearly."
Hearing that Lucian wanted money, Jordi felt a sliver of relief.Money was the easiest thing to negotiate.
If Lucian demanded an absurd amount, he could refuse outright.If the amount was reasonable, he could pay it immediately and be done with it.
Anyone else might be a threat, but Lucian?He'd been a shut-in weakling all his life.He probably had zero experience negotiating anything.A fool like that wouldn't know how to take advantage of a position of power even if it was dropped into his hands.
Confident in his judgment and secretly looking down on him, Jordi waited—And Lucian tilted his head with a slight nod.
"How far did you investigate before coming here?"
In the end, Jordi was forced to pay an amount equal to eight months' worth of his personal stipend.It wasn't impossible to pay, but everything he could immediately liquidate from his private assets was wiped out.
"You must be delighted—beating your elder brother twice in one day. Enjoy it while you can. It won't be long before you shed blood-red tears."
After handing over every coin and reclaiming Jenny, Jordi left behind a cold, murderous warning.Lucian, hearing it, simply snorted as if it were too ridiculous to take seriously.
"Perhaps you should refrain from stirring trouble for a while. You don't have anything left to cough up. If you cause a scene before you recover… you might end up coughing out something worse than money."
Jordi's face twisted, but he didn't argue.Arguing after losing would only make him look even more pathetic.
Thus ended the confrontation between Lucian and Jordi over the head maid.But the aftermath was anything but small.
—The Second Young Master's wet-nurse sibling was beaten half to death by the Deer Prince!—And instead of retaliating, the Second Young Master paid to get her back!—It's been a whole week and he still hasn't dared to take revenge!
Rumors spread through the household like wildfire, and whenever members of the house gathered, they whispered about it nonstop.
Although the two brothers had clashed once before over Sir Hendrick, that incident was nothing compared to this one.Back then, it had been little more than an exchange of harsh words—A light skirmish of wits that either could have walked away from without much consequence.
But this time was different.This was a full-scale confrontation: one side meddled with the other's finances, and the other physically seized the first's closest subordinate.
Backing down would mean losing.It was no exaggeration to call it a battle fought for the sake of pride and status.
And in that battle, Jordi—the one feared by most—was defeated and forced to tuck his tail between his legs…
by Lucian, the so-called "Deer Prince."
Anyone who knew even a little about the two brothers couldn't help but be utterly astonished.
"Wait—are you telling me the Third Young Master actually wielded a whip himself?"
"I'm telling you, yes. They say he beat her so hard her entire back was drenched in blood."
"Well, I'll be damned… the Deer Prince who couldn't kill a fly, doing that…?"
"Shh! Do you have a death wish!? What if the Third Young Master hears you!"
"Oh, come on. You think he'd get mad over just that? People used to say it now and then—"
"You idiot! John and Brook said things like you just did, and all their teeth got knocked out! Keep running your mouth like before and you really might end up dead!"
The first thing that changed after the rumors spread was the servants' behavior.After hearing that not only Jenny but even the two servants who disobeyed had been punished without mercy,their posture became drastically more respectful.They no longer stared at him directly as they used to.Even the openly whispered nickname Deer Prince vanished from everyone's lips.
Even Hans—who had half-dismissed him before—began treating him with caution.
"To think the Third Young Master would press the Second down like that.""A lion's cub is still a lion in the end—bloodline can't be deceived.""But I wonder how the successor competition will go now. Will the Third Young Master join in too?""Hard to imagine. He's been absent for over a year without any achievements. Catching up now seems unlikely.""You never know. The Grand Duke resumed supporting him—so it must mean he hasn't given up hope yet."
The knights—who had almost no interaction with Lucian before—gossiped endlessly about the potential successor struggle.
If Lucian suddenly began to stand out, there would surely be turmoil within the house.But from another perspective, this also meant new opportunities.
Since Lucian had no real faction of his own, unlike his brothers who had already built power,ambitious knights might eye the chance to secure a position at the side of a newly rising contender.
Of course, what Lucian had shown so far wasn't enough—so they would need to watch longer before making any commitments.
About a week after these various conversations circulated throughout the household—
Grand Duke Sigmund summoned Lucian.