Reincarnated as the third son of the Duke-Chapter 82 - Whispers of Power: The Gathering Storm

82 Whispers of Power: The Gathering Storm

The real version involved whispered rumors of intentional malice.

Regardless, it had turned into a minor legend in the social circles.

Nigel suddenly straightened, eyes gleaming with interest.

"…Now that you’ve guessed my identity, it’s only fair I guess yours."

William smirked beneath his mask.

"Oh?"

"Let’s see…"

Nigel studied him carefully.

"…Dampierre family?"

"No."

"Then Kleist?"

"Wrong again."

Nigel paused, then continued rattling off different noble houses.

Yet not once did he name a house above a count.

It seemed he never even considered that William might be from a ducal family.

Eventually, Nigel sighed and raised both hands in defeat.

"I give up. I suppose I’m not as sharp as I thought."

William chuckled.

"On the contrary, I find it impressive that you recognized that many noble families on sight. You weren’t just guessing randomly, were you?"

Nigel smirked. "Ah… you caught that, did you?"

For a moment, he looked genuinely pleased.

Despite William’s slip in recognizing him outright, their conversation had started on good terms.

And since he was already talking, William decided to take advantage of it.

"Earlier," William said, "you mentioned something. That nobles are gathering here because of the Empire’s instability. I understand the need for networking, but… what did you mean by that?"

Nigel’s expression darkened slightly.

He stepped closer, lowering his voice.

"…Exactly what I said. The Empire is on shaky ground."

William and Nigel began to walk, conversing in hushed tones.

"The succession crisis surrounding the First Prince. The Empire Liberation Front stirring unrest. The vassal states grow restless. And now, even the hidden mages scattered across the land are beginning to move."

Nigel exhaled sharply.

"Nothing has happened yet. But something will. And when it does… alliances will matter."

William considered this.

"…So nobles are here, not just to form alliances, but to replace them."

Nigel nodded.

"It’s not about who you know. It’s about who survives."

William’s fingers tightened around his cloak.

The young nobles sensed what the older ones pretended not to.

A storm was coming.

And Nigel had just confirmed it.

"…Of course," Nigel added, "the real sign of instability isn’t the rumors."

William arched his brow.

"Oh?"

Nigel’s smirk turned sharp.

"…It’s the Hern family."

William froze.

"Why?"

"You haven’t heard?" Nigel’s voice was casual. "The Third Prince of Hern, long thought to be unimportant, has suddenly begun rising in power."

Nigel’s gaze darkened.

"If Hern itself is shifting… then something big is about to happen."

William’s breath caught.

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"…Is that so?"

Nigel leaned in.

"So, be careful."

His voice was low.

"No one knows what kind of man the Third Prince really is."

William nodded, though his expression was less than enthusiastic.

Word had it that people saw him as a schemer, someone who had hidden his claws until the perfect moment, only to reveal them when it suited him best.

Not surprising. I spent my life locked away, only to step out and shake up the family the moment I appeared. Of course, they’d think I had been planning something all along.

In truth, the only thing that had changed was the soul inside his body.

Feeling somewhat awkward under the weight of scrutiny, William glanced around the room and swiftly changed the subject.

"Now that I look around, I see quite a few people around our age. I didn’t expect so many young heads of noble houses in the Empire."

Nigel chuckled, shaking his head. "That’s not quite right. Most of them aren’t the actual heads of their houses. They’re either heirs sent as representatives or sons still competing for succession."

William frowned. "What? You mean all of them are just proxies?"

"Well, for the same reason as you."

William blinked at the cryptic remark.

Was he implying that he knew? Had Nigel been aware of his true circumstances this entire time and simply chosen to play along?

Noticing William’s reaction, Nigel smiled knowingly, as if confirming his suspicions. "With the Crown Prince acting as Supreme Commander, any noble house leader who showed up personally would risk being seen as his supporter. Sending an heir or another family member instead gives them plausible deniability."

"Ah, I see. Even if someone tries to accuse them of backing the First Prince, they can easily deny it later by claiming they weren’t present themselves."

"People tend to think alike. You and I aren’t so different, are we?"

Nigel shot him a knowing look, but William found himself unable to respond.

Because, in truth, his own situation was the complete opposite.

They sent their heirs to create excuses, while my father sent me to entangle me in alliances.

The irony of it made William chuckle bitterly.

Still, even if his situation was different, there was no reason to break the flow of conversation and draw unnecessary attention. He was just about to nod along when—

"What a disgraceful display. To receive an imperial decree and still try to weasel out of it, looking for loopholes… How shameful. And these people call themselves heads of noble houses?"

A deep, authoritative voice cut through the air from behind them.

Nigel stiffened, his temper flaring at the insult. After all, as a proxy himself, this was a direct slight against his house.

However, the moment he turned around and saw the speaker, his face drained of all color.

"L-Lord…!"

"Oh, calm yourself. Aren’t we all here incognito? You shouldn’t be greeting me so openly."

The middle-aged noble waved a hand dismissively, his tone indulgent. But despite the seemingly benevolent gesture, his eyes carried nothing but condescension.

William studied the man carefully.

Navy-blue hair, a beard, and an eagle insignia on his belt.

That alone was enough for him to identify the man.

After all, there was only one great noble house in the Empire with such distinctive navy-blue hair. And their crest? An eagle.

The Marquess of Logran.

With that knowledge, it was easy to deduce who stood before him—

Bernhardt Logran, the current head of House Logran. A staunch adversary of Duke Siegmund and one of the leading figures of the Aristocratic Faction.

"And who might this young man be?"

One of the Empire’s most powerful nobles stroked his beard thoughtfully, turning his gaze toward William.