The Archduke's Songbird-Chapter 81: The Crown Prince

The doors swung open, and in walked a proud prince, drawing everyone’s eyes. With blonde hair and blue eyes, he exuded an air of entitlement that bordered on disdain. Draped in the regal attire of military pomp, his coat adorned with intricate golden braids and a resplendent sash draped over his broad shoulders, he moved with the effortless grace of one born to privilege.

He smirked as he glanced around, clearly thinking highly of himself. His grin seemed fake, hiding something deeper.

Standing at the top of the stairs, where the throne sat, he surveyed the assembled crowd with a haughty tilt of his chin as they all bowed to him. His grin, as insincere as it was pompous, promised nothing but trouble—a gleaming facade masking the depths of his ambition and ruthlessness.

"Uncle!!!" His grin widened as his piercing eyes landed on William. "You’re here!" His eyes curved along his cheeks turning them to mere lines and yet, William noticed his eyes wandering to Isadora.

Willaim instinctively took a step forward to cover Isadora.

Although Louis Richard Kaiser was not a pervert, he found joy in teasing women to the extremes. No one knew what he thought. He was most certainly a virgin but he gave the impression that he was a lecher. He had openly stated that he loved ruining the reputations of noble ladies.

One of the ladies he "teased" committed suicide because her husband didn’t trust her and believed the rumor spread by Louis that she slept with him multiple times.

He showed his deluded attitude toward Jessamyn too. After their wedding, Joar had brought Jessamyn to the capital city for a royal ball celebrating the military.

It was the first occasion when nearly the entire high society laid eyes upon Lady Jessamyn. Her beauty sparked a flurry of hushed whispers among the ladies, while men gazed upon her with palpable regret for having missed knowing her earlier.

That was also the first ball Imogen attended with Jerrick after their wedding. The rumors about Jerrick choosing Imogen over Jessamyn had circulated to everyone by then, turning every eye on those newlywed couples.

Jessamyn was loved in Joar’s embrace and conducted herself appropriately while Jerrick tried hard not to look at her and concentrated on his own wife.

William noticed Louis chatting up Joar while he previously didn’t know of his existence. He knew then that Louis had marked Jessamyn as his next target for "teasing". Louis tended to ruin the happiness of others whenever he noticed it.

Louis offered Joar a guestroom to stay in the palace for the night and insisted he stay with his wife there. Joar couldn’t defy an order from the crown prince.

William watched everything closely. He was curious to know the man Jerrick left his first love with. He knew Jerrick was keeping an eye too. They knew what was coming and waited to see how Joar would handle it.

Louis planned everything perfectly. He made sure Joar would be drunk with his brothers in arms. Making sure Joar was trapped there, he sneakily got to the room Jessamyn was in. One maid seeing the crown prince leaving her room would be devastating. It didn’t matter if anything happened in the room or not.

Just as Louis opened the door, out came Joar with a bright smile, as if the one who was unsteadily drunk in the hall earlier was not him. Louis didn’t give up and tried to force his way into the room. Joar stood his ground.

Louis, the fool who had never been in actual combat before, pulled out his dagger to fight the captain of the cavalry. Joar tried to be patient, minding Jessamyn who was standing shakily behind him.

William had to interfere when Joar almost ended the king’s line. That was the first time William saw Joar with a deathly aura around him. He should have expected this considering Joar was the battle stallion they sent to the frontlines. He survived terrible battles. Joar wouldn’t have been a soft-hearted person as he portrayed himself at other times.

Later that night, William noticed Jerrick walking to the garden. His sharpened dagger was between his fingers. Knowing Jerrick had a "meeting" with Louis, William quietly followed. He did not want to succeed his brother. He would be a terrible king than his brother.

There, to the surprise of both, Joar had gotten to Louis first. Covering Louis’s face with a sack, Joar punched Louis in the face continuously. Noticing Jerrick, Joar stood up and wiped his bloody knuckles on his handkerchief while staring at Jerrick. Saying nothing, he walked away, not before kicking Louis a couple of times in the gut.

It was as if Joar had left the decision with Jerrick whether to reveal the truth or not. If Jerrick revealed the truth, Joar would be beheaded for attacking the crown prince. Knowing the truth, William had a feeling that it was Joar asking for Jerrick’s blessing for his marriage.

William knew Joar and Jerrick respected each other. They didn’t interact much, but they had a shared respect for each other. They never interfered in the other one’s business directly or indirectly. They had a relationship beyond understanding, surprisingly good, considering their history.

Jerrick left Louis to writhe in pain. It was William who convinced Louis that he got there drunk and tripped and fell. Louis still had a scar remnant of what happened that night.

Louis still hadn’t learned his lesson.

All in all, he had a twisted mind and the power to sustain his warped shenanigans. After all, he was the sole heir to the throne.

"I was invited, dear nephew," William answered. He sighed as Louis jumped down from the stairs.

Louis walked down focusing on Isadora but on the way, he stopped, right in front of Jessamyn. His lips curved to a smirk. "Who do we have here...?"

William clenched his jaws seeing Jerrick’s hand automatically reaching for the sword on his waist. Jerrick was someone who sharpened his ceremonial sword.

What is this fool doing? One word out of his mouth about Lady Jessamyn, Jerrick is going to make his head part his neck! Move away, fool... I do not want to be the next king!