Lords go left, Emperors go right

The daughter of Marquis Brian is currently working in the office here in Ignasius Market. She is also the acting warden of Ignatz Prison. When Marquis Brian is away, she can exercise some of the warden's powers on behalf of his father.

Marquis Brian has a son and a daughter. His son, Sir Brand, is currently in the Falatilt Empire, trying to establish a relationship with the daughter of a certain prince in the Empire. He is busy with political marriages and has no time to come back to inherit his father's business.

Marquis Brian had to make an exception and let his daughter handle some things. His original intention was not to let his daughter manage such things. After all, given the particularity of this industry, men are obviously more suitable to inherit this position, and women may have serious resistance and discomfort.

After taking over some of the affairs, the daughter of Marquis Brian did not disappoint her father. She handled many things in an orderly manner. Over time, Marquis Brian felt relieved and handed over many important matters to his daughter. This was also the reason why he was relieved and dared to recommend his daughter to Osta. He had that confidence.

A hundred years after Marquis Brian, the management rights of Ignatz Prison and the inheritance rights of the territory were basically inherited by his son Sir Brand. It was impossible to give it to his daughter, which was not in line with tradition. It depends on how Brand compensates his sister for her hard work over the years.

"Sir Brian, I have met your daughter several times. You always said you were busy, but now that my friend Oger is here, you are free. What a coincidence."

"Mr. Maxim, this is just a coincidence, you don't have to worry about it."

Marquis Brian smiled and said so, but his actual actions were different. He quickly found a reason to let Maxim stay in the Igesius Market, and when he was free the next day, he would personally take Maxim to the prison to select goods.

Today, only his daughter and Osta's family entered Ignaz Prison to select goods. Maxim could only complain symbolically, and after receiving Osta's eye hint, he accepted the arrangement.

Osta guessed that maybe Marquis Brian was worried about his daughter serving as Maxim's guide. The fat man was a bachelor. The wealthy businessman Mr. Oger, disguised as Osta, was different. After all, he was a "married man" and came with his wife, secretary and mistress. He should not have any strange thoughts about Marquis Brian's daughter.

Maxim got off the carriage quickly and waited outside the Ighuis Market. Aosta continued to ride the carriage with Marquis Brian to meet his daughter. Although there was a slight change in the action, it did not affect Clyde much, as long as the destination did not change.

Chapter 5 The Ruler of the Ighuis Market

In this generation of the Solomon Islands in the Clement Sea, the main island of Solmos is the most famous. The Ignatz Prison on the island has been a forbidden place since the ancient maritime empire of Solmos. In ancient times, this prison was used to imprison heretics and seal some monsters, unlike now that the Falatilt Empire took over, it has been used to imprison people.

With the final demise of the ancient maritime empire, Ignatz Prison was left unattended for a long time, and the monsters imprisoned in it had long since taken the opportunity to escape. When the Falatilt Empire took over Ignatz Prison, it had been many years, and the cells in the prison were empty. Only the heavy iron chains left on the ground could be seen, all of which were violently destroyed. It was unknown how credible the legend of the monsters imprisoned was.

Where did the monsters that were originally locked up in Ignatz Prison go after they successfully escaped from their cages? These are all unsolved mysteries. However, so far, there is no clear evidence to prove that there were any monsters or demons imprisoned in the depths of Ignatz Prison. All the rumors are just speculations and lack evidence.

The lord of the Solomon Islands, the hereditary Marquis Brian, originally planned to personally lead Osta and take him to Ignatz Prison to select the goods. However, due to a temporary change, the itinerary had to be slightly changed.

Marquis Brian was going to meet with Duke William, the "Duke of Terror", to discuss some shady business. He was too busy to do anything else, so he had to appoint his daughter to be a guide for Osta. Osta had no objection to this, but was secretly delighted. The daughter was definitely much easier to deal with than the cunning Marquis Brian. The gentleman also became interested in the young lady.

"Mr. Brian, is your daughter also responsible for the operation and management of this place?"

"Mr. Oger, this market is also managed by my girl. My son is away all year round and can't take care of the business here."

"Mr. Brian, the girl on the stage over there could be yours... She's quite cute."

"Mr. Oger, this is her assistant. You misunderstood. Usually, the girl would not show up in person on such occasions."

Aosta's current location is the core area of ​​the Ignatius Market. This simple market was built by the family of the hereditary Marquis Brian after they took over the Solomon Islands and became the lords here. It specializes in reselling the goods in the Ignatius Prison to the outside world.

Most of the goods being resold were death row prisoners. However, the supervision of the Ignats Prison by the Falatilt Empire was not in place, and the inspectors sent over were all bribed by Lord Brian, the hereditary marquis.

When it comes to supervising the execution of the death penalty, the inspectors all have a vague attitude of turning a blind eye. Many death row prisoners were not executed, but were transferred to the Igxus market by the prison. This gray business has been going on for many years, and there are many related beneficiaries. A relatively complete industrial chain has been formed, and there are many stakeholders involved. Even if the Falatirt Empire wants to ban it, it is powerless and can only pretend not to know.

Marquis Brian's daughter, Evelys, is the real manager of the Ignatz market. However, considering her status as the daughter of the Marquis, Evelys herself will not appear in public. She rarely shows up in public. This is necessary to avoid suspicion. At least on the surface, she cannot give outsiders the impression that the Ignatz prison is openly involved in this gray trade.

Evelys, the actual controller, was also behind the scenes. The person who managed the Ighuis market on the surface was Charlotte, Evelys's childhood best friend and playmate, who was originally her exclusive maid.

Charlotte's identity to the outside world is a free trader, and he has no connection with the Ignatz Prison. Even if he attracts special attention and is investigated in the future, it will not be traced to the Bryan Marquis family, and at most it will end at Charlotte. The hereditary Marquis Bryan secretly left a lot of back-ups and made many arrangements. Even if something unexpected happens, there are many ways to retreat.

As a scapegoat and shield, Charlotte was not the only one abandoned, there were many hidden chess pieces. Even Evelys herself might be sent out as a substitute at a critical moment. Marquis Brian had no intention of letting Evelys become the heir to his hereditary title. The father-daughter relationship between the two parties was delicate, and there was a possibility of backstabbing each other.

"Gentlemen, this is the latest batch of goods. If you want them, just raise your sign now. The highest bidder will take them directly."

"Ms. Charlotte, are these goods still original?"

"Ms. Charlotte, are those goods safe?"

"Of course it's first-hand goods, everyone. The items on display now have not been opened since they arrived at the prison. I can guarantee this. It's best to sell it now. If you wait any longer, I won't be able to guarantee it after a while."

In the center of the Ighuis Market, Osta saw Charlotte. Who would have thought that this petite little girl was actually the manager of the Ighuis Market? Charlotte was about 150cm tall, with pink shoulder-length hair and a pair of beautiful pink eyes that looked crystal clear. There was almost no complex emotion that was difficult to understand, and she was as pure as clear water.

Charlotte had a cute and innocent smile on her face, looking harmless. However, what this cute little girl was doing was not cute at all. Instead, because of the huge contrast, it gave people an inexplicable sense of strangeness.

Charlotte was wearing an outfit that was totally inconsistent with her lolita nature. She wore black shorts and a tube-top top, with her white navel and thighs, shoulders, arms, and upper body mostly exposed to the air. There were two black leather suspenders connecting the top and shorts, and below the suspenders, her legs were wearing a pair of black silk stockings and a pair of black high heels. On her white neck, she was wearing a leather ring ornament similar to a first round. In the center of the front of the leather ring neck guard, there was a special star-shaped accessory pendant, which seemed to be some kind of identity token and mark.

Osta feels that Charlotte's outfit is more of a queen-like type, and only a beauty with a queen-like aura can pull it off better. Charlotte herself is a lolita and obviously has not fully developed yet. It is a bit premature for her to wear this outfit now, especially the peak of her upper body, which is only A size. Strictly speaking, it is a standard flat chest. Even if she reveals too much, it is difficult to arouse Osta's interest.

Although Osta is a gentleman, he is not a serious lolita fan. Charlotte's dress is not very attractive to him. Charlotte dresses like this to cater to the atmosphere of the scene. In the Ighuis market, it is inconvenient to wear a lolita-style skirt that is standard. This lovely lolita knows that she can't handle that kind of sexy style. Now she is just forced to do business.

At this time, Charlotte was hosting the auction of goods at the Ighuis Market. She was standing on a pre-built stage in the center of the market. The stage had a red curtain in the background and was built according to the structure and layout of the stage in the opera house. However, on this special stage, there would be no dance performances, but rather scenes of sinful transactions.

Charlotte kept a lovely smile on her face, raised her hands to both sides, holding several red lines in her small hands. Behind her, on both sides, three on each side, stood six items to be sold, which were being exhibited on this special stage. The exhibits had different hairstyles, body shapes, heights, and eye colors. In addition, all of them were hot and well-proportioned. The exhibits were equipped with special leather clothes made of black lines. The upper body size was good, with obvious ravines. Under the tightening effect of the black belt, the height seemed to have increased a lot.

The exhibits on the stage all had long black gloves on their hands, which were placed side by side and fixed behind their backs by linen-colored lines. The slender legs below were covered with black leather stockings and white high heels, creating a strong contrast. The legs were also entangled together and could not be separated because of the linen-colored lines. From the ankles upwards, there were three linen-colored lines entwined around the knees and thighs, which were entangled several times, making it impossible to separate the legs. They were forced to stand there as punishment.

Compared with ordinary goods, the goods that can be put on the exhibition stand are of higher grade, and their appearance and figure are not of the same level. In order to highlight the sense of mystery, the exhibits are equipped with black leather panties on the lower body, and the panties have a V-shaped open design upwards. On the highest peak of the upper body, the two highest red points are covered with two cross-black tapes, like a Band-Aid.

These special costumes can at least help the exhibits defend the last line of defense, unlike the goods outside the Ighuis market, which are all exposed and allowed to be appreciated and played with by passers-by at will. The exhibits' ability to speak is sealed by white spherical protective gear, and each of them wears an oversized black eye patch on their face, which is comparable to a tactical eyepiece that blocks their vision.

Without exception, the snow-white necks of the exhibits were equipped with a pair of heavy black metal head guards. The neck guards and head guards were connected in series with thick iron chains, as a set of side-by-side lines connected in the middle of the front of the head guards. The other end was in Charlotte's hand, allowing her to hold it.

Charlotte was holding three exhibits in one hand and promoting them to the merchants watching under the booth. This girl was skilled in business and could skillfully introduce the advantages of each exhibit in her hand, just like introducing ordinary commodities. It was hard to imagine what Charlotte, a beautiful girl with a simple and cute expression, had experienced in the past to be able to do evil business like she did now.

The exhibits were trembling, even if they were not visible, the feeling of being in the public eye, being stared at and scrutinized by a large number of gentlemen and businessmen, was something that could not be ignored. The poor posture of the exhibits was almost the same as being exposed outdoors in a public area.

Under Charlotte's inciting tone, these exhibits will soon be sold at high prices. After the gentlemen merchants raised their placards, they paid on the spot, paying gold and silver coins. After the amount was counted in person, the transaction was completed without any formalities. The black leather panties equipped with the exhibits had a zipper design on the front, which was convenient for buyers to enjoy at any time.

The exhibits trembled. If nothing unexpected happened, they would be bought by invisible buyers in the dark, and carried on their shoulders, just like carrying a bag on their arms. As for what to do after buying them, whether to sell them or enjoy them first, and then buy them after enjoying them, it is not within the jurisdiction of Ignatz Prison and Ignatius Market, and there is no responsibility or obligation. The trading rule here is "no return or exchange once the goods are sold."

"Master Brian, why...why are you here?"

"Charlotte, Evelys is there. I need to talk to her about something."

"Master Brian, the eldest lady is...she is in a state of panic and it is a bit inconvenient. This guest is..."

"What inconvenience does that girl have? Just take me there. Don't bother talking about other things, otherwise, I will consider getting a new assistant for that girl."

"Master Brian, I was wrong. I accidentally said something too much just now. Please...please don't blame me. I will lead the way now."

"Mr. Ogg, I'm sorry for not being strict with you."

"It's okay, Mr. Brian, I still have time. It's not a big rush."

Osta's arrival interrupted the transaction. He looked at the six items that were about to be sold on the stand and felt a little compassion. Although he couldn't save all the people, since he saw it, he could help as many as he could! He also tried to test whether Marquis Brian really had no suspicion of him and was willing to cooperate sincerely.

Osta was lucky this time. The six items that Charlotte had just sold were actually the finale of this round of auction. The other party had a good business model and deliberately played a reverse routine. The finale was not placed at the end, but in the first half, and was delivered before the halftime. It happened to be seen by a gentleman prince. After he whispered a few words to Marquis Brian, the other party called Charlotte and explained to him.

Charlotte looked surprised. It was the first time she had seen such a generous person. He was generous and paid for all six exhibits with three times the estimated auction price. After all, if there were enough gold coins, all the rules would be nonsense, and the first-come-first-served rule would have to stand aside.

"Everyone, I'm sorry. I just received a notice from my superiors that the cases on these products need to be verified, so they cannot be sold for the time being. However, if the transaction is successful, the buyer will be given a rebate of one-sixth of the selling price."

“What a shame, these looked like they had a lot of potential.”

"Brother, you should be more open-minded. You dare to accept goods that have not been processed yet with a criminal record. If something really happens, no one will protect you if you don't have a background."

"Brother, I'm just expressing my feelings, nothing else."

Chapter 6: Special Explorer of the Ancient Prison

The author is currently revising the content of this chapter. Please check back later.

Chapter 7: The Darkness of Evil in the Ancient Prison

The author is currently revising the content of this chapter. Please check back later.

Chapter 8: The Ancient Dragonborn Who Was Sealed for Many Years

Evelys originally planned to take Osta to meet Archduke William. However, at this time, some unexpected changes occurred. A large number of soldiers entered Ignatz Prison and strengthened the security here.

Evelys's maid and assistant, Charlotte, the cute little girl with pink hair and pink eyes, soon learned the relevant information from the soldiers. It turned out that the eldest and second princesses of the Abiglans Empire were imprisoned in Ignatz Prison, and that they had the key to the national treasure hidden on them. Someone had leaked it out.

The news was known to the other two Faratilde Empire naval fleets stationed in the Solomon Islands and their supreme commanders, Prince Alfred of the Second Fleet and Prince Benedict of the Seventh Fleet. When the two princes guessed that the "Terrible Duke" Duke William wanted to keep the treasure for himself, they could not sit still and immediately brought their troops here to demand to participate.

Archduke William himself did not want to share the treasure with outsiders. Marquis Brian was the lord of the Solomon Islands, and he had to communicate and negotiate with him, so he had to share the treasure with the hereditary marquis. Now that there are two more people to share the cake, he is definitely unwilling. The two princes are not easy to deal with. There is no need to think about dividing it into four equal parts. They will definitely take the biggest share. Archduke William therefore does not want anyone to share a piece of the pie.

As a result, these four big men who had the power to easily call the shots in the Clement Sea area began to fight among themselves. They were all playing Tai Chi. Marquis Brian and Duke William insisted that there was no princess of the Abiglans Empire in Ignatz Prison, and that the treasure key was pure nonsense.

Prince Alfred and Prince Benedict certainly didn't believe it. The two sides argued with each other in Ignatz Prison, which directly caused the atmosphere in the prison to become tense in an instant. In such a delicate environment, it was not suitable to look at the goods. Evelys had to ask Osta and others to return to Ighuis Market to rest temporarily and come back after those guys finished fighting. The current atmosphere was not suitable for selecting goods.

Osta had no objection to this, but he bought the two hostages who had been detained for a long time from Ivelisse. These two beautiful women, daughters of noble families of the Abiglans Empire, had been played around with so thoroughly that no other valuable information could be dug out of them. Therefore, Osta easily bought them at a preferential price.

This transaction does not need to be reported to Marquis Brian. Osta has other ideas. These two young ladies should have met the princess of the empire. Although the princess may have disguised her appearance, some important intelligence clues may be obtained from the two young ladies.

"Mr. Ogg, once the dispute with my father is over, I will take you to Ignatz Prison to select the goods. I am really sorry, I originally wanted to take you to see the dragon."

"Evelise, I can understand this."

"Mr. Oger, thank you for your understanding. I will take my leave now and will not disturb you anymore."

"Evelise, go ahead and do your work. I'll wait for your notification."

In the simple market of Igexus, there is a hotel specially for receiving foreign guests. Aosta and Chris stayed here temporarily. Although the decoration of the room is simple and there is nothing gorgeous, it is still usable, so Aosta did not care too much.

After chatting with Osta for a while, Evelys and Charlotte got up and said goodbye. They still had to deal with the daily management of the Igxus Market. After the two of them left, Osta quickly closed the door and locked it. At this time, Sophia brought the two young ladies out of the bathroom in the room. After a careful wash, the strange snow-white stains on the two girls disappeared, and they became shiny and fair again.

As for the equipment, they still wore the same pair of black leather gloves and silk stockings, and the black leather belt was still there. The heavy black metal shackles on their ankles and wrists were not untied, and the black leather shackles on their snow-white necks were connected by iron chains, so the two could only stand side by side in front of Aosta.

The two daughters were looking at Osta with apprehensive eyes, their faces were subtle, they had no idea what the man in front of them was trying to do. However, the changes in their bodies were still very obvious. In addition to bathing and washing in the bathroom just now, Sophia used the forbidden sacred magic "Light Beginning" to trace their physical state back to when they were first captured and taken to Ignatz Prison.

After Sophia's forbidden sacred magic baptism, the two young ladies returned to the state before they were forced by the jailers, that is, they were not violated, and their mental state also returned to normal from being played badly. The broken eyes regained their highlights and colors. Osta specifically asked Sophia for help, otherwise, with the broken and bad posture before, it would be impossible to get any important information.

“Master…Master, whatever you want to do, don’t just watch and say nothing. I…we are scared!”

"Master, we will... be obedient. We don't want to go back there again."

Before Osta opened his mouth, the two young ladies begged for mercy in a gentle voice. The dark imprisonment in Ignaz Prison and the constant artillery attacks by the jailers day and night had long destroyed their pride as nobles and smoothed out their edges.

Sophia's "Beginning of Light" can only trace back the physical and mental state. It is said that it cannot interfere with memory. The previous dark memories are still there, as if they were a dream, and the truth is imprinted in their minds. The current state is more like waking up from a nightmare. Sophia can interfere with memory, but if it involves this area, it is considered to be using the authority above the level of the Creator God, which involves too much, so she doesn't want to use it.

These two daughters of noble families from the Abiglans Empire had been in prison before. Most of the time, they had their vision sealed by black blindfolds, biting the long stick protective gear with their pearly teeth and unable to speak. Sometimes, they spread their slender legs, leaned forward with their center of gravity, in a half-bowed state. Their height was not bad, at least the peak size of D or above, and they often leaned against the cell door. The jailer held the line connecting the black metal ring protective gear on their snow-white necks with one hand, and held the elastic hill on their backs with the other hand, and attacked them madly from behind.

Sometimes she would lie prone on the big bed in the center of the cell, with her legs spread to the sides, her elastic white back tilted and lifted, with a jailer pressing down from above, grabbing her with one hand and pressing the back of her head with the other, continuously attacking her from top to bottom. Even if Sophia used the sacred magic of "Light's Beginning" to restore her, the shameful memory had already been imprinted deep in her mind, and her body had the memory.

The situation of these two little cuties is special now. After being restored to their initial state, their memories have not been reset and they are still in perfect condition. They have unlocked almost all sexual positions and various ways of playing. When they saw that Osta didn't say anything but just looked at them with meaningful eyes, the two young ladies were so scared that they came over, knelt obediently in front of a gentleman prince, and begged for mercy with pitiful eyes.

In the past, the two daughters would have protested verbally. However, that was in the past. They did not want to experience the dark life in Ignatz Prison again. They could only hope that the gentleman in front of them would be a little gentler, at least not like the heavy tastes of the prison guards in Ignatz Prison.

"Your eldest princess and second princess are here too, right?"

"Princess... I... we don't know, Master, please don't joke with me. We really... really don't know."

"Are you sure you don't know?"

"I...we..."

Aosta's eyes revealed a hint of teasing, obviously not believing it. The two noble ladies blushed and looked at each other with complicated eyes, as if they were having a fierce ideological struggle. They knew that the imperial princess was also in Ignatz prison, and they were all traveling together. When they were interrogated by the jailers before, the two noble ladies kept their mouths shut and insisted that they didn't know, so they were bullied by the jailers and almost broken.

Now, this shameful black memory is firmly rooted in their memories, and fate seems to be playing a joke on them, giving them another chance to choose their future. At this time, their stance is not as firm as before, for fear of experiencing the dark hell torture again.

"I like honest ladies. Do you really not know anything about princesses?"

"Master, we were wrong. The princess and the others..."

Osta deliberately raised his tone a little, and the noble couple finally couldn't bear the pressure and no longer insisted on their previous statement, choosing to confess all the secrets they knew to Osta. It's not their fault that they were not firm in their stance, as they had already made a loyal choice and were loyal to the royal family of the Abigrans Empire.

This time, the two little cuties had to think about their future. Osta reached forward and pulled the two noble ladies into his arms. They snuggled in his arms, one on each side. After feeling the warmth and sense of security brought by his embrace, the two young ladies finally gave up the idea of ​​resistance and confessed all the secrets they knew to their master. This might be the last chance. If they didn't say it now, they might never have that chance again.

Osta was very lucky this time. The two pitiful babies in his arms were Asta, the beloved daughter of Grand Duke Alva of the Abigrans Empire, and Annie, the daughter of Grand Duke Abelard of the Abigrans Empire. Both dukes supported the princesses at the beginning, but they lost in the civil war of the Abigrans Empire and the war of succession to the throne.

The Duke of Alva was old, and because his son, the Earl of Alder, Asta's brother, defected to the faction of other princes, the old Duke was so angry that he died early, and Asta had no choice but to go to the princess.

Archduke Abelard was more cunning. When he saw that the princess had lost power, he turned to support the prince. As Annie insisted on supporting the princess, the relationship between father and daughter broke down due to political differences. She was expelled from the house by Duke Abelard and had to flee with the princess, which laid the groundwork for her subsequent misfortune.

Asta has silver-white hair, a standard long straight hairstyle, and a pair of fiery red eyes. Annie also has silver-white hair, which is almost straight, with a braid decoration behind her, and a pair of emerald green eyes. Both of them have slender figures, standard maiden attributes, the same shoulder-length hair, and are of similar height, estimated to be around 164CM to 166CM.

The two were almost the same height, and both were very tall and straight, with obvious ravines. Asta was about size D, and Annie was even above size E, which could not be held with one hand. Annie and Asta were standard daughters of noble families. These two young ladies used to live a pampered life. As daughters of the Duke, they had no worries about food and clothing, so they did not practice any martial arts or magic, which resulted in them being unable to fight back when they were in trouble.

After the last piece of cloth covering their shame was completely stripped off, they were like white lambs that could be slaughtered at will. Osta reached out and groped and caressed the smooth back, soothing the anxiety of Annie and Asta.

"Master, when the princess and her friends were on the run, they changed into ordinary maid clothes and used a special potion to disguise their appearance. They became more ordinary and perhaps a little ugly."

"It's such a good thing, why don't you use it? If you use it, you won't..."

"Master, the potion tastes terrible and the quantity is limited. We didn't expect it at the time... However, the potion's effect should expire soon. I'm afraid it can't be filled anymore."

"Master, can you...can you redeem the princesses? They are very beautiful and should be able to satisfy your taste."

"That's why I'm here. However, just wait for the ship to leave. I'll see if I can help you with your other companions. Also, do you remember which batch the jailer who bullied you was from?"

Although Osta was not a master in coaxing girls, under the special circumstances, Annie and Asta were still coaxed into blushing faces, and their eyes were no longer guarded. If outsiders did not know the truth of the matter, they might have misunderstood and thought that a gentleman prince was coaxing and seducing ignorant and simple beauties.

Yani and Asta happened to be the best friends of the eldest and second princesses of the Abiglans Empire, so they knew the princesses' situation. Before they fell into trouble, the two princesses used special magic camouflage potions to make themselves look ordinary or even ugly, and then changed into ordinary maid clothes, so they escaped by luck.

However, this is not a long-term solution, aside from the time limit of the special magic camouflage potion. In Ignatz Prison, all the equipment is removed before the body is cleaned and inspected. The face can be disguised, but the body cannot be hidden. Any gentleman with a little vision can see that an ugly face with a slender or hot body is not in line with common sense, and it is only a matter of time before the identity is exposed.

The eldest and second princesses of the Abiglans Empire were separated. Osta already knew their approximate locations. He felt that there was no time to lose, so he took action again later that day. This time, he left Yani and Asta in a room at the Igsius Market Hotel and asked Sophia to help take care of them. The gentleman prince took Chris and Yulia to raid the Ignats Prison at night to see if they could steal the two princesses directly before Archduke William and his men.