Among the knights, Lucian was known as the "Deer Prince."
It was a nickname born from the way he trembled at the slightest threat, looking like a deer shoving its head into a thicket to hide.
Yet, that very same Deer Prince was now hurling such vitriol at the Second Young Master.
Some of the knights even wondered if they were hallucinating.
"Y-Young Master."
Hans, his face pale as a sheet, tugged at Lucian's sleeve. He looked ready to bolt before the predator snapped out of its daze.
Unfortunately, it was the predator who regained his senses first.
"How... How dare you...!"
Jordi's cheeks twitched violently with rage. It looked as though he might lose his mind and draw his sword at any moment.
Despite the murderous aura, Lucian remained composed, tilting his head nonchalantly.
"Please, calm yourself."
"Calm? You're telling me to calm down right now?"
"You'll have to, whether you want to or not. We need to determine if Sir Hendrik's words are true. If you harm me here, wouldn't that be the same as admitting he spoke the truth?"
Grit.
Jordi ground his teeth so hard it looked like blood might seep from his gums.
Every fiber of his being wanted to beat Lucian until the boy begged for his life. A month ago, he might have actually done it.
But the circumstances now were entirely different from a month ago.
Damn it! If only Father hadn't resumed his support for this half-wit...!
The fact that the cut-off support had been reinstated meant that the Grand Duke's expectations had been revived. It would be one thing if those expectations had already soured, but if he crossed the line now, Grand Duke Sigmund might fly into a rage.
For Jordi, who was already lagging slightly behind in the succession competition, this was a situation he desperately wanted to avoid.
"Why no answer? I'm simply asking for confirmation of the truth. It's strange. This should be easier than flipping a coin."
"Shut your mouth!"
Jordi swallowed his fury and glanced around. Too many eyes were already fixed on them for him to simply brush this off.
If he backed down without answering, it would look like he had been defeated by Lucian. But if he tried to force his way through, he'd just look like a fool throwing a tantrum because he hated to lose.
It's a checkmate.
His head throbbed, making it hard to think. He had only intended to pick on a moron as usual—how did it come to this?
"Since you have no answer, I suppose Sir Hendrik's words were true. To think that my brother would—"
"Who said such a thing!?" Jordi roared, cutting Lucian off before he could steer the narrative further into dangerous territory.
There was only one option left.
"I never said any such thing. It seems Sir Hendrik confused me with someone else."
"...!"
"Sir Hendrik is a fine knight, but it has been quite some time since he mastered the basics. It's not surprising he'd get confused. Isn't that right?"
A flicker of bewilderment crossed Hendrik's eyes at the unexpected response. Before he could offer an excuse, Jordi glared at him coldly.
Under that chilling gaze, Hendrik hesitated for a moment before bowing his head.
"That is correct. I was mistaken."
"Everyone makes mistakes. You used my name, but I'm sure it wasn't intentional, so I shall let it pass. Be more careful in the future."
"I thank the Second Young Master for his mercy."
Hendrik squeezed his eyes shut, his face flushed crimson with shame. He had stepped forward on the Second Young Master's orders only to be made the scapegoat. What a disgrace. He knew he would be the laughingstock of the other knights for a long time to come.
Having pinned everything on Hendrik, Jordi looked down at Lucian with a haughty expression.
"Does that answer your question?"
"Quite sufficiently. As expected, you are wise, Brother. I am merely ashamed that I fell for such nonsense."
"Are you mocking me now?"
"Of course not. I simply realized once again how foolish Sir Hendrik is. Can he even be called a knight? To forget the very basics a knight learns first... Tsk, it would be better to call his head a helmet rack than a brain."
Hendrik trembled as Lucian's insults continued. His face, already red from high blood pressure, looked ready to explode.
But Lucian wasn't finished.
"Sir Hendrik, do answer me. How could you be off by ten years? Is that even possible? I don't have a brain like yours, so I simply can't comprehend it."
"Third Young Master! You go too far!"
"Too far? Why don't you ask the other knights? See if anyone else made the same mistake. I bet there isn't a single one. Not even a squire. Are you, a knight, inferior to a squire?"
"H-How... how can you insult me so...!"
A spray of blood erupted from Hendrik's mouth. It seemed he had bitten his lip too hard while trying to suppress his rage.
Lucian gave a small smirk, then bowed his head toward Jordi again.
"I apologize for the rudeness caused by one foolish knight. Since the truth has been revealed, I shall take my leave."
"Do I look like a joke to you? Where do you think you're going after saying whatever you please!"
"I apologize, but I am still a patient, and it is difficult for me to converse for long. If you have business with me, please speak to me after I have recovered."
"You dare!"
"Father has been keeping an eye on me lately. We wouldn't want any unpleasantness between brothers, would we? Especially if you are the one responsible, Brother."
Jordi bit his lip at the mention of Grand Duke Sigmund. Lucian bowed to the silent Jordi and walked away from the training grounds.
Jordi stared at his retreating back before turning away irritably.
In the wake of their departure, only one knight remained, looking like a complete fool.
Hans followed Lucian in a hurry, his face still pale. His eyes constantly scanned behind them, fearing someone might be following.
"Y-Young Master. Is it really okay to act like that?"
"What is?"
"You insulted Sir Hendrik, and the Second Young Master was furious. Won't they retaliate later?"
"Retaliate, you say?"
Lucian let out a short laugh at the words.
"A mere knight retaliating against me, the Third Young Master? Let him try. It won't end with just the stripping of his knighthood. I'm curious to see how he'd even manage it."
Loyalty was the foundation and identity of a knight. To attempt a petty revenge just because he was insulted by his lord's child? That wouldn't just be seen as being narrow-minded. Doing such a thing for personal reasons would be an affront to the very identity of a knight.
It wouldn't be strange if his fellow knights cut him down for disgracing the name of knighthood before the Grand Duke even stepped in.
If he used underhanded methods, that might be different, but what means would a common knight have? He wasn't even a Knight Commander. Swallowing his anger in the shadows was the most he could do.
"As for Jord—I mean, my brother... that can't be helped. I can't just let myself be pushed around forever just because I'm worried about retaliation."
"What?! Then he really will retaliate?"
"Probably."
Jordi seemed to have escaped well enough by blaming Hendrik, but today's events were actually a significant blow to him. Despite Lucian's blatant insults, Jordi had failed to stop him or even properly protect his subordinate. He would now be branded as a lord who couldn't even protect his own people.
Jordi likely knew this himself, so he probably wouldn't be able to sleep for a while out of sheer frustration.
He won't be able to do anything overt because of Father, but he'll try to pay me back somehow.
Jordi was the type of person who would harm others without a second thought but remember even the smallest slight against himself. He was bound to pull something soon.
However, Lucian wasn't particularly worried.
A greenhorn's schemes are just that.
Ultimately, the threat of a plot depended on the capability of the person behind it. What was there to fear from the schemes of a twenty-year-old brat? No matter what he tried, Lucian could just crush it head-on.
"...Strange. Why hasn't anything happened?"
Lucian tilted his head after finishing several cycles of mana circulation in his room.
A week had passed since that day, but nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. Even when Lucian provocatively took walks at the same time and place every day, it was the same. Jordi remained quiet, as if he were hiding from Lucian.
He's not the type to just crawl into a hole and stay there.
He had been humiliated by Lucian, the very person he considered a half-wit. The longer he went without retaliating, the more his reputation would suffer. Yet, there had been no reaction at all.
"Young Master, are you finished?"
"Yeah. Did my brother come by while I was resting?"
"No. I haven't seen hide nor hair of him."
"How odd. Was he always this patient?"
"Don't worry about it too much. Maybe the Second Young Master really did give up? He must be wary of His Grace the Grand Duke."
Unlike the puzzled Lucian, Hans looked bright. He had been worried sick, but since nothing had happened, he seemed to have put his mind at ease.
"More importantly, wouldn't it be better to think about how you'll spend your allowance? Today is the day, after all."
"Ah, is it that time already?"
A month had passed since the Grand Duke's support had resumed. The money he received previously had long since been spent on Moonlight Grass. He had just run out of the grass and other materials he had purchased. He needed to secure new supplies with the money coming in today.
"Since it's time, I'll go and collect it right now!"
Hans dashed off toward the building housing the Treasury Department. Since the day Lucian received his allowance was also his own payday, he seemed quite excited.
Lucian chuckled at the sight and waited for Hans to return.
However, as time passed, there was no sign of Hans. Just as Lucian was about to head out himself to see what was wrong—
"Y-Young Master."
Hans finally returned, looking at Lucian with tearful eyes. Lucian frowned, sensing something was wrong.
"What's the matter? Did someone hit you?"
"It's not that... Please, look at this."
Lucian snatched the document Hans held out. The document itself looked similar to the one he had received a month ago. The difference lay in the expenditure details and the amount remaining for Lucian.
As Lucian slowly read through the expenses, his face contorted in rage.
"This is insane...!"
The amount Lucian was to receive had been slashed to a quarter of what it was a month ago. Conversely, the employment costs for the servants—excluding Hans—had increased several times over.
Someone had clearly tampered with the numbers.
Enraged by the nonsensical breakdown, Lucian crumpled the paper and stood up.
"Who is the finance officer who wrote this?"