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...