Chapter 6: Silent Submission

Chapter 6: Silent Submission



It did not take long for the young Princess to return to her father and report what Bruno had done to her. Granted, as a young woman aggrieved, she purposely left out certain details that painted her in a bad light, and may have justified Bruno's behavior.

Because of this, the Prince quickly arrived at the manor which Heidi and her mother resided in, with several armed guards by his side. These were not soldiers of the army, nor did they wear military uniforms. But they were veterans who were paid a hefty sum to protect the Prince and his family.

Upon arriving in the gardens where Bruno was in the act of comforting Heidi, the Prince quickly pointed at the boy and demanded his guards surround him.

"That's him! That's the little shit who struck my daughter, seize him!"

Bruno quickly acted on instinct, placing Heidi safely behind him, as the multiple armed guards came to apprehend Bruno for assaulting the Prince's daughter. There was just one problem. When the man closest to Bruno reached out to grab him, Bruno quickly grabbed hold of the man's wrist and swept him to the floor with a hip throw.

He had in his past life learned the basics of grappling and unarmed combat in the army. It wasn't exactly something he specialized in, but he knew how to throw a grown man to the ground. And despite being only ten years old, with the right technique and leverage it could be accomplished.

The guard hit the ground, while his comrades quickly lowered their rifles at Bruno, and Heidi, meanwhile Burno held his captive in an armlock, while shouting at the Prince to calm himself. "Your Grace? Is this how you treat your guests? Attempting to arrest them in your own home with armed mercenaries? Under what grounds do you dare?"

The Prince had always been cautious about Bruno, especially after being bested by the boy when he was a mere five years old. To him this was a simple mishap on his part, and he justified his loss by saying he could not have anticipated that the boy would develop a crush on his bastard daughter and immediately agree to his offer of betrothal. Nor that the Lord who was Bruno's father would accept such a childish mistake.

Nevertheless, the Prince had kept a close eye on Bruno and his development over the years. And he knew that the boy was indeed more intelligent and wise than he should be at his age. Still, he did not believe he would fall prey to the boy's cunning twice. And was quick to announce the charges laid against Bruno to his face.

"What grounds do you say? I'm arresting you under charges of assaulting a noble lady. Do you have the gall to deny these claims?"

There was a smug look on both the Prince's face, and that of his daughter who brought this matter to his attention. Meanwhile, Heidi had fallen to her knees, and was trembling at the intense conflict that was taking place at this minute. She was shocked to see Bruno release his prisoner and pat the man on the back, before addressing her father's statement in a way which she had not anticipated.

"Assault? That would depend on how you define the term? Did I slap that young maiden by your side who I presume to be your daughter? Most certainly? But were my actions justified? Absolutely so...

Did your daughter tell you why I left that mark upon her face? It was because she dared to lay her hands on me, a noble lord, without my permission. She attempted to force me away from my fiancée without my consent.

I do after all have the right to defend my person, do I not your Grace? If an older woman is attempting to take me away from where I am supposed to be, and from the supervision I am protected by. What ill intentions could she possibly have towards me?"

When the Prince heard this, he eyed his daughter with a fearsome gaze. She had not mentioned that she tried to force Bruno away from his fiancee, and physically so at that. She may be a literal Princess, but she was still a woman.

One who had a fiancee. Regardless of her intentions, she had acted in a way that, if spun successfully by her father's enemies, could reflect very poorly on their family.

And because of this, he was quick to confirm whether or not this was true. He knew his daughter would never lie to him, especially when some pressure was applied. Perhaps because of this, his voice was filled with suppressed rage.

"Is this true? Did you lay your hands on this boy?"

The young Princess, perhaps because she had been spoiled her entire life, did not see why this was such a big deal. So she wanted to go play with this little boy, and perhaps leave a mark on his neck that would traumatize his little fiancée. What was the big deal? It's not like she planned to go all the way with him!

Because of this twisted and narcissistic mindset, she was quick to confess to her crimes, so to speak.

"Yeah? And? I just grabbed his wrist. It's not like I-"

*smack*

Even Bruno's mouth fell agape when he saw the Prince backhand his daughter across the face. He knew the girl well enough to guess what her intentions were and was quick to chastise her for it.

"You fool! Do you have any idea what the repercussions of your actions are? This boy's father is a prominent member of the Junker faction.

They maybe nothing more than up jumped peasants, but if words get out that you tried to do something inappropriate with him, there will be hell to play. I'm sick of you causing problems simply because you are upset with my affairs. Go to your room and reflect on your actions. You will not be eating tonight!"

Bruno was honestly astonished that this alone had quelled the dispute between him and the Prince. I mean, he had prepared several other threats to get out of this situation in one piece.

For example, the disrespect he was shown on this day, by receiving a formal invitation by the Prince, only to be pawned off to his mistress's manor, was enough to outrage the entire Junker community.

The Junkers were a prominent faction in Prussian politics, but now that the German nation had become unified by Prussia, they were prominent across all the Empire. Junker was a term to describe those noble families like his own that were young and minor.

But they were a landed nobility and tended to have a large degree of authority over all of Germany's arable land. Combine that with their recent foray into the Military leadership, and the formation of a political coalition around them. And they had become a prominent faction in the German Reich.

The Junkers were in stark contrast to the ancient nobility that had gained their titles in the Medieval Era, and had amassed their wealth over centuries. Naturally, the two factions were

Or vent his frustration on the girl's servants. He was well and truly forced to let go of today's incident. And by a ten-year-old brat, no less.

Because of this, the man was forced to utterly quell his rage. And agree to the terms Bruno had

presented. Accepted his defeat with a silent submission, while verbally expressing it as a

draw.

"Of course, I would never wish for innocents to be caught up in this messy business. Had I known my daughters were mistreating your fiancée sooner, I would have stepped in. This has truly been an enlightening experience, on which we have both benefited from."

And though the Prince said these polite words, he was thoroughly pissed off from everything

that happened this day. He would take his leave immediately thereafter, using the maid who attended to Heidi to properly send Bruno off.

Meanwhile, the Prince would return to his office, and vent his rage the only way he could as

per his agreement, and that was by throwing a hissy fit in his office. Tossing tables over, and breaking everything that wasn't worth anything of value from his perspective.

As for Bruno, he would say his farewells to Heidi, and assured her that things would be

different from now on. Though the girl was reluctant to part with him after everything that had happened, he compelled her to see reason with his goodbye. "Though I wish I could say that it had been a pleasure, I would be lying if I did so. Still, with

all things considered I did enjoy the time I spent with you today. I'm just upset that we could not enjoy dinner together.

There is no need to be afraid. After a slap like that, I doubt your sisters will dare find trouble

with you again. And your father has promised to restrain himself and his staff around you. Things should be much better for you from now on."

Heidi silently nodded her head and blushed, averting her gaze from Bruno. Despite the roller

coasters of emotions she felt today, she was very happy that Bruno had come to visit, even after everything that had happened.

Because of this, she made an act that thoroughly surprised Bruno as he stood in her doorway,

being led out by her maid. The girl leaned in close and pecked Bruno on the cheek, causing the boy, with the mind of a middle-aged man to lose his composure, and track of thought. After

which she thanked him with a sheepish tone before running off, too embarrassed to stay any longer. "Thank you... For everything!"

Bruno stood in the doorway, completely absent minded, his conscious state only returning, and his heart only settling after the girls' maid giggled, no doubt laughing at him.

"It seems the Young Lord's heart can be moved after all. You're a very lucky boy. Even though

you don't know it, Heidi works very hard for the future. Outside of her studies she spends most of her time learning how to cook, and clean, and maintain a proper home." This remark only further caused Bruno's mind to be thrown into disarray as he looked at the

satisfied smile on the maid's face. She then leaned close and whispered something in his ears that he found to be completely alarming.

"Be careful, young Lord... The Prince has eyes and ears everywhere. He has been watching

your progress for years, and after today's efforts he may even begin to move against you in the shadows. He's threatened by your intelligence. You must be very careful moving forward!"

After saying this in the most severe tone possible, the maid returned to her usual self, smiling

at Bruno as she spoke to him as if he were a child, escorting him to his carriage where his escort remained awaiting his arrival.

Though they were shocked that the young master was heading out so soon, well before

dinner, Bruno would not tell them why. Only that everything was fine, and he simply felt the sudden urge to return home.

As promised to the Prince. What happened on this day remained entirely among the parties

involved. For after hearing what the maid had said, Bruno had suddenly become much more cautious. So much so that he felt the need to adjust certain things about his future plans and behaviors going forward.