Chapter 28 : Chapter 28
Chapter 28. Rumors, Punishment
After settling Zoe in, William did not linger. He once again took an Exit Authorization and left the palace.
On the streets of the Royal Capital, the discussions about the Fourth Prince were even louder than they had been the day before. Many commoners looked at him with eager eyes, and some young people even followed him from afar, hoping to gain a chance to be noticed.
“Your Highness,”
Tos lowered his voice and leaned closer to William’s ear.
“We just received word that someone outside is deliberately spreading rumors. They are saying that you only favor commoners and keep your distance from nobles. This may cause quite a few nobles to develop resentment toward you…”
William did not slow his steps. Listening to the growing chatter around him, he instead curled his lips into a cold smile.
“Resentment? So what?”
He swept a glance over the common youths gathering around him. His voice was not loud, yet it carried unquestionable authority.
“I am a prince of the kingdom. Why should I explain my actions to them?”
Tos froze for a moment, then quickly understood.
His Highness simply did not care about the opinions of those nobles—or rather, perhaps this kind of “division” had always been within his expectations.
“They are just a bunch of idiots.”
William pushed through the crowd, his gaze sharp as it swept across the street.
“The more they try to sow discord, the more we should continue at our own pace.”
“Tos, go check the mercenary tavern ahead. All kinds of people gather there. There may be some good seedlings hiding inside.”
When the surrounding commoners saw that he showed not the slightest impatience and was genuinely selecting talent, they became even more excited and began recommending themselves all at once.
William ignored the noise. He focused only on the halos of aptitude floating above each person’s head. Whenever he found someone suitable, he had Tos write their name down and instructed them to head to the manor outside the Royal Capital.
In a teahouse at the street corner, several young nobles watched the scene through the window, their faces full of disdain.
“Hmph, just as expected from a prince who has never seen the world. Mixing together with a bunch of mud-legged peasants.”
“Just wait. Once he offends all the nobles, he will suffer for it.”
Although the discussion in the teahouse was quiet, every word reached William’s ears clearly.
His steps paused.
Then he turned and walked toward the private room where those noble youths were seated. Seeing this, Tos immediately signaled for the Palace Knights behind them to follow.
The moment the door was pushed open, the young nobles inside were still holding teacups, mocking smiles lingering on their faces.
But when they saw William appear so suddenly, their hands trembled in fright, spilling tea all over themselves.
They scrambled to their feet and tried to bow, but their movements were so panicked that they looked utterly pathetic.
William’s cold gaze swept across them. His voice was low, but it carried a bone-piercing chill.
“Did your families never teach you the most basic etiquette?”
“Or has your family already lost all sense of honor, to the point that you dare gossip about a prince of the kingdom behind his back without the slightest restraint?”
He stepped forward and lightly tapped the tabletop with his fingertip.
“Whispering slander behind someone’s back, making reckless comments about a member of the royal family…”
“I would very much like to know which families you come from, to have raised such children.”
The faces of the young nobles turned deathly pale, and their legs nearly gave out beneath them. One of the older ones stammered in a trembling voice, “Y-Your Highness, we were wrong. Please forgive us this once. We will never dare do it again…”
William acted as though he had not heard him.
He turned to Tos and said, “Take them to the Royal Court and have the adjudicator investigate them thoroughly.”
“Tell the adjudicator that I want a result that satisfies me. Otherwise, I will hold him personally accountable.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Tos bowed and motioned toward the door.
Seven or eight Palace Knights in armor immediately entered. Ignoring the cries and pleas for mercy, they directly seized the young nobles and dragged them out toward the Royal Court.
Outside the private room, the other nobles in the teahouse had already fallen silent with fear, not daring to make a sound.
They had also spoken about the Fourth Prince to varying degrees just moments earlier. Now, seeing these youths taken away on the spot, all of them showed expressions of terror, inwardly relieved that they had not gone too far with their own words.
William swept his gaze around the room.
Everyone he looked at lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.
He gave a cold snort and turned to leave the teahouse.
The sunlight outside remained bright, and the commoners on the street watched the entire scene with complicated expressions.
Some felt the prince had been too harsh.
Others thought those nobles had gotten exactly what they deserved.
After all, when had those lofty aristocrats ever treated commoners as people?
Following behind William, Tos spoke in a low voice. “Your Highness, will this…”
“Will this what?”
William cut him off.
“The dignity of the royal family is not won through tolerance. If they dare speak recklessly, they must be prepared to bear the consequences.”
He paused, and his tone returned to calm.
“Continue looking for people. Do not let trivial matters delay serious business.”
Order gradually returned to the street.
But the sight of those noble youths being dragged away remained like a thorn in the hearts of all the onlookers.
Only then did they realize that this seemingly young Fourth Prince was absolutely not some soft target that could be manipulated at will.
His methods were even harsher than those of many older members of the royal family.
William paid no attention to their gazes. He walked straight into the mercenary tavern.
The moment the mercenaries inside saw a prince enter, the tavern fell silent, and everyone turned to look.
William swept his eyes across the room and finally fixed his gaze on a burly man with a thick beard drinking alone.
Above the man’s head floated a halo of Legendary Aptitude.
However, his aura was somewhat weak, as if he had once suffered a severe injury.
“Sir, are you interested in living a different kind of life?” William walked over and asked directly.
The bearded man looked up. A trace of vigilance flashed through his eyes, only to turn into self-mockery a moment later.
“A cripple like me—what qualification do I have for a prince to care about?”
“Whether you are qualified or not, we will only know after trying.”
William handed over a contract.
“I will give you resources to heal your injuries, and you will serve me. What do you think?”
The bearded man looked at the contract, then at the certainty in the young prince’s eyes.
After a moment of silence, he picked up the wine jug on the table, drained it in one gulp, and slammed the empty jug down heavily.
“Deal!”
Tos, standing at the side, clicked his tongue in amazement.
His Highness’s boldness was starting to resemble His Majesty’s more and more.