Reincarnated as the third son of the Duke

Jenny's words were cut off by a brutal punch to the gut.

Her body lurched forward as she gasped, eyes wide in shock.

Hugo cracked his knuckles.

"Sorry, Young Master," he said, his voice laced with disgust. "My ears couldn't take it anymore."

William let out a soft chuckle.

"You did well. Someone bring me a whip."

"Yes, Young Master!"

Unlike before, the servants obeyed instantly, scrambling to fetch what he requested.

Moments later, they returned with a long, coiled whip—thick, made from water-soaked buffalo hide.

Tiny metal beads were embedded along its length, designed to tear through flesh with every strike.

William took the weapon in his hands, running his fingers over the braided leather.

"Wake her up."

"Yes, Young Master."

Smack. Smack.

Jenny's head snapped to the side as she was lightly slapped awake.

Her eyes fluttered open, dazed.

William crouched in front of her, twirling the whip idly in his hand.

"Awake now?"

"Y-Young Master… what… what are you…?"

"What does it look like?" he said, smiling. "An execution."

"E-Execution?"

"Did you think this was a punishment? My apologies—there was never a chance of you walking away from this."

Jenny's face turned ashen.

He was serious.

He was really going to kill her.

"J-Jordi! Do you not fear Jordi?!" she shrieked.

William let out a breathy laugh.

"And what about you? Are you not afraid of me?"

Jenny froze.

William leaned in, voice as casual as if discussing the weather.

"I'm a noble. I own you. And you—" His eyes darkened. "—dared to insult me to my face. I could execute you right now for slandering nobility, and no one would question it."

Jenny's breath hitched.

"B-But I—!"

"What? You're Jordi's wet nurse? And that's supposed to protect you?" William scoffed. "Even if I kill you, Jordi can't do anything. At worst, he'll beat me up. And if Father intervenes, he won't even get to do that."

With a flick of his wrist, William sent the whip lashing through the air.

SWISH!

The sound alone made Jenny flinch.

Only now did she finally realize—this was not a threat.

It was a certainty.

"Hugo," William called.

"We'll hold her down properly," Hugo said smoothly. He turned to Hans. "Senior, would you mind fetching some rags? The floor will get messy soon."

"Huh? Ah, right. Blood is a pain to clean up later."

Jenny's breath came in short, panicked gasps.

Her lips trembled as she stammered, "Y-Young Master… P-Please… I was wrong. I made a mistake. Please, just this once, forgive me."

William smiled at her.

"If you were wrong, then you should be punished, shouldn't you?"

The whip descended.

Jordi wiped his mouth after finishing his meal.

The food tasted exceptionally good today.

Not because of any change in the menu, but because of what he knew.

'To think he couldn't even control his own servants. What a pathetic excuse for a noble.'

The humiliation William had suffered made every bite of his meal sweeter.

Everyone already looked down on his foolish half-brother, but now? Even his own servants disrespected him.

And to top it off, instead of taking action, William had fled.

It was disgraceful.

A complete embarrassment to the Hern name.

His already poor reputation would plummet further after this.

"I wonder how he'll respond?" Jordi mused, swirling his wine.

William had two choices.

If he had any pride left, he'd try to remove Jenny.

But that wouldn't be easy.

Jordi had carefully ensured she was untouchable.

If William wanted to deal with her, he'd have to do it himself.

And when that happened… well, there were plenty of ways to twist the story.

'Even if Father knows the truth, it won't matter. What will matter is that William let a mere maid humiliate him and had to resort to desperate measures.'

Even if this whole scheme was Jordi's doing, the fact that William had fallen for it was what truly mattered.

At best, Jordi would receive a light scolding.

William, on the other hand? He'd lose what little favor he had left.

Of course, William could always do nothing and let Jenny stay.

In that case, Father's disappointment would be even worse.

Either way, William was finished.

"Young Master! Urgent news!"

Jordi frowned at his servant's sudden interruption.

"What is it?"

The man was pale as he stammered, "It's Jenny! The third young master—he's whipping her! The sound of the lashes can be heard from outside! If we don't stop him, she might die!"

"…What?"

Jordi's smirk vanished.

For the first time, genuine shock crossed his face.

"What the hell is going on?!"

Jordi stormed down the hallway, his closest aides scrambling to keep up.

His face was twisted in a mixture of disbelief and rage.

"This morning, I was told William tried to punish Jenny and got humiliated! That the servants ignored him! And now—just a few hours later—he's whipping her?!"

"Th-That is correct, my lord."

"Then explain it to me properly!" Jordi snarled. "Did the servants lose their minds and start obeying him out of nowhere? Or did that pathetic fool suddenly gain superhuman strength and drag her here himself?! Which is it?!"

The elderly steward flinched at the verbal assault, bowing his head in submission.

"I-I do not know, my lord. The servants—they were the ones who took Jenny. Unlike this morning, they showed no hesitation. They did not seem to fear her at all."

Jordi clenched his jaw so tightly it hurt.

If William had personally dragged Jenny here or hired outsiders, that would have made sense.

But the very servants who had ignored him earlier—the ones too terrified to lay a finger on Jenny—had suddenly turned on her?

It didn't add up.

CRACK!

A sharp snap cut through the hallway, followed by a bloodcurdling scream.

Jordi's eyes widened.

That voice…!

"You've got to be kidding me!"

Throwing aside all remaining pretense, he ran.

With a single powerful kick, he slammed open the door to William's quarters.

BANG!

"Enough! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"