Shortly after Marco made his exit, news sure quickly spread across.
Despite Leonard's outburst being at his own palace, the news managed to spread about his discord with Marco.
"House Lawson is really in shambles."
"They have a Crown Prince, but the house is in disharmony."
"Well, this Crown Prince isn't qualified anyway."
As the gossip continued, some of the servants failed to detect a person creeping behind them.
"Interesting, may I ask why the Crown Prince isn't qualified?"
"Well, naturally it's because—" Before the servant could continue his words, he suddenly found the voice to be very familiar.
The servant swallowed a mouthful of saliva and slowly turned his head around.
As soon as the servant realized who raised the question, his face turned extremely pale. His legs were also shaking, almost as if he could collapse at any moment.
The nearby servants were also petrified on the spot. Almost immediately, they all went on their knees and pleaded for mercy.
"S-Sir Reed… we didn't mean to gossip about the Crown Prince."
"It wasn't us who raised the topic. This was a rumor that's been spreading all across Elarion."
Spencer, who had just returned from his investigation, didn't expect the newly trained servants to be so courageous and bold enough to gossip about the Crown Prince.
What made him infuriated was the fact that they even dared to criticize and judge the Crown Prince as unworthy.
"There's nothing wrong with your words. Since you all believe in the rumors, then let's go with a bang." Spencer clasped his hands and unleashed his magic.
Instantly, the servants' faces fell flat to the ground upon being graced by the immense magic pressure.
"The male shall become slave miners to assist in construction. If they also have any children, they would immediately become one. As for the female, they could become a whore. A whore that is free and always available to all types of people and races." Spencer calmly said.
"No, please spare us."
"We were wrong, Sir Reed."
Panic and fear consumed the servants. Alas, no matter how much they regretted their actions and words, Spencer's expression was cold.
He signaled for the Crimson Guard to arrive.
"Sir Reed," Curtis and the other Crimson Guards quickly greeted upon receiving the summoning signal. As a Crimson Guard, Curtis and the rest were always on standby.
Spencer swiftly relayed the order about the punishment for these courageous servants.
Without hesitation, the Crimson Guards took action. From then on, their lives would be worse than death.
That was the consequence of speaking out of turn.
Sometime later, Curtis was the only Crimson Guard who remained.
"Sir Reed, the Crown Prince's 4th uncle, Count Marco has arrived this evening. The conversation was unknown, but a commotion was made after Count Marco took his exit." Curtis then relayed the events.
"So you're saying the Crown Prince's outburst was spread far and wide in the capital already?" Startled, Spencer's brows furrowed. He found the situation to be very abnormal.
The guards all signed a magic contract, preventing them from leaking any news that occurred within the palace.
The servants that Spencer stumbled across were also confined by the magic contract.
However, their content stemmed from rumors they heard outside and not from the palace. Hence, they were able to gossip about Leonard.
"Could it be Count Marco deliberately spreading the rumors?" Spencer muttered.
"Where is the Crown Prince currently at?"
"The Crown Prince went to the library shortly after the meeting with Count Marco. The library was overseen by Seth, so this subordinate didn't follow along."
"With Librarian Seth present, there is indeed no need for you to tag along." Spencer nodded. He then made some arrangements and gave some orders before dismissing Curtis.
As Curtis excused himself, Spencer quickly made his way to the palace library.
Upon arriving at the library, Spencer spotted Seth by the counter desk.
Just when Spencer was about to speak, Seth suddenly placed a finger by his mouth, clearly signaling him to keep his tone low.
"What is the Crown Prince currently reading?" Spencer understood the signal and whispered softly.
"The Crown Prince is browsing through the geographical elements and its historical events," Seth replied and pointed at the fifth aisle.
Spencer thanked the latter and swiftly made his way to the fifth aisle. From there, he spotted the Crown Prince reading and greeted, "Crown Prince, I have returned from the investigation."
"And the result?" Keeping his eyes on the book, Leonard didn't bother to glance at him.
"The result is a bit complicated. The House Lawson members didn't attempt the poison, but evidence showed that they knew something was amiss. Yet they didn't stop it and even turned a blind eye to the situation."
"I see…"
Upon hearing that information, Leonard could basically confirm that some of the words Marco said were true.
Nevertheless, he still held some suspicion and refused to blindly believe in his 4th uncle.
"By the way, I've received news that you punished some of the servants upon your return." Leonard suddenly commented.
Startled, Spencer didn't expect the crown prince to mention that matter.
"Yes. I've sentenced the males and their families to the mines. As for the females, they would become free whores in the slum." Spencer responded honestly. He had no intention of deceiving Leonard.
"Forget it." Leonard exhaled softly and pardoned them.
"But Crown Prince, they dared to gossip about—" Right at this moment, Spencer paused his words. As he recalled about Marco's arrival and the outburst scenario, Spencer's eyes widened.
Seeing his reaction, Leonard was certain that he already understood the situation.
However, what astonished Spencer further was the fact that Leonard came to learn the news almost immediately.
'Could it be Seth?' Spencer's thought wandered that Seth must have relayed the news to Leonard.
"This old servant is truly impressed," Spencer smiled warmly and expressed his admiration for Leonard's method. With the current situation in place, it solidified Spencer's belief that Leonard was starting to reveal his talent and might.