Reincarnated as the third son of the Duke

"It seems Sir Hendrick was telling the truth after all. Could it be that you—"

"Who the hell said that?!"

Jordi's roar rang through the training grounds, cutting William off.

He had no choice now.

There was only one way forward.

"I never said such nonsense," he spat. "Sir Hendrick must have confused me with someone else."

"...!"

Hendrick's eyes widened in shock.

The second young master had just thrown him under the carriage.

Jordi didn't even look at him as he continued, his voice perfectly composed.

"Sir Hendrick is a fine knight, but it has been years since he last trained as a squire. It is understandable that he might confuse certain details. Isn't that right, Sir Hendrick?"

The air around them seemed to freeze.

Hendrick's breath caught in his throat.

For a fleeting moment, he hesitated—desperate to protest, to explain.

But then he met Jordi's eyes.

The cold, piercing warning in them sent an unmistakable message.

Slowly, Hendrick lowered his head.

"Y-Yes, my lord. I… I must have been mistaken."

Jordi turned away from him immediately, as if the matter had already been settled.

"Everyone makes mistakes," he said smoothly. "Though you wrongly used my name, I'm sure it was unintentional. I will overlook it this time—but be more careful in the future."

"...Thank you, my lord," Hendrick mumbled.

His face burned with humiliation.

He had only acted on Jordi's orders—and now, he was the scapegoat.

This will haunt me for years, he realized bitterly.

The other knights had already begun exchanging glances. He would never live this down.

Jordi, however, had already moved on. He turned his gaze back to William, his usual arrogance returning.

"Are you satisfied now?"

William smiled.

"Completely. As expected, you are as wise as ever, brother."

Jordi's eye twitched.

"...Are you mocking me?"

"Of course not," William said smoothly. "I simply realized something. Sir Hendrick is a fool. Can we truly call someone like that a knight?" He tsked in disappointment. "Forgetting the most basic foundations of his craft? He should be called a helmet stand, not a knight."

Hendrick trembled violently.

His face, already red with embarrassment, was quickly approaching a dangerous shade of purple.

But William wasn't finished.

"Tell me, Sir Hendrick. How exactly does one forget ten years of training? Is that even possible? Forgive me, but I lack the mind of a simpleton—I can't quite grasp it."

"Th-Third Young Master! Your words are too harsh—!"

"Are they?" William asked, tilting his head. "Why don't we ask the other knights? Have any of them made the same mistake as you?"

Silence.

Not a single knight spoke up.

Even the squires, who had not yet earned their titles, knew the truth.

William chuckled.

"Well then, Sir Hendrick. It seems even the squires know better than you. How does it feel, being a knight who is inferior to a trainee?"

"I—I…"

Hendrick's teeth clamped together so tightly that his gums bled.

William turned back to Jordi, lowering his head ever so slightly in mock apology.

"My apologies, brother. It seems I got caught up dealing with a fool."

Jordi's patience snapped.

"You think you can just walk away after all that?!"

William gave an exhausted sigh.

"My apologies again, but I am still recovering from my injuries. I simply lack the stamina for a prolonged discussion. If you wish to speak with me further, you may do so after I have fully recovered."

And with that, he turned and walked away.

Jordi's face twisted in barely contained fury.

"You dare—!"

William, however, remained perfectly composed.

"Father has been keeping an eye on me lately," he said, his tone casual but deliberate. "Surely, we wouldn't want any… unfortunate incidents between brothers, would we? Especially if the cause of such an incident were you, brother."

The mention of Grand Duke Sigmund made Jordi's lips press into a thin, bloodless line.

William inclined his head slightly and turned away.

Without another word, he left the training grounds.

Jordi could only watch him go, his hands clenched into fists.

Finally, with an aggravated huff, he spun on his heel and stalked off in the opposite direction.

All that remained was a single humiliated knight, left standing in the wreckage of his own disgrace.

Hans practically sprinted after William, his complexion ghostly pale.

He kept glancing over his shoulder, as if expecting someone to come after them at any moment.

"Y-Young Master… Is this really okay?"

William barely looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"You—Sir Hendrick… The second young master—you humiliated them both! Won't they retaliate?"

"Retaliate?"

A quiet chuckle left William's lips.

"A mere knight seeking revenge against me, the third young master? He's welcome to try. But if he does, I doubt he'll even get the chance—his knighthood would be the least of what he loses."

Loyalty wasn't just expected of knights—it was their entire identity.

If a knight was caught seeking personal revenge over an insult, it wouldn't just be seen as pettiness. It would be a betrayal of their entire oath to their liege.

Even before Grand Duke Sigmund had to step in, the other knights would deal with Hendrick themselves.

A knight who couldn't swallow his pride was no knight at all.

Of course, Jordi was a different matter.

William exhaled, tilting his head slightly.

"As for my dear brother… well, some things are inevitable. But if you spend your life worrying about retaliation, you'll never stop being a target."

Hans visibly swallowed. "S-So you really think he'll come after you?"

"Most likely."

Jordi had managed to shift the blame onto Hendrick today, but that wouldn't erase the damage done.

Everyone had seen it.

Despite William's relentless insults, Jordi had done nothing to defend his own man.

That kind of weakness wouldn't go unnoticed.

A lord who didn't protect his subordinates… would never be trusted.

And Jordi knew it.

Even if he couldn't strike back right away—because of their father's watchful eye—he would eventually.

"Jordi has always been the type to remember every slight against him, no matter how small," William mused. "I'm sure he's already planning something."

Hans looked increasingly uneasy.

William, however, wasn't the least bit worried.

A child's schemes are only as dangerous as the mind behind them.

And Jordi, no matter how cunning he thought himself to be…

He was nothing but a petulant boy.