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 at odds with one another.
Seeing as how the von Zehntner family were wealthy industrialists who manufactured many of the Imperial Army's weapons. It was safe to say that by showing Bruno such disrespect; the Prince was showing disrespect to all Junkers, including the current Chancellor Otto von Bismarck who came from such a background.
Bruno had this card in his reserves, in case his threats of spinning the young Princess' actions into being something woefully inappropriate was not enough to convince the Prince to stand down. But ultimately, his first attempt had done the trick. With the Prince quickly settling the matter with an apology and the dismissal of his bodyguards.
"My apologies Lord Bruno. My daughter's actions were indeed worthy of a slap to the face. It appears to me that my staff may have misunderstood my orders, and sent you here to my mistress's home instead of coming to visit me personally first. This has all been a giant misunderstanding. If you would come with me, I would like to personally welcome you to my estate."
Bruno eyed the man carefully. It was abundantly clear to him that after threatening to expose his daughter's intentions, even if they were exaggerated, the man had caught on that Bruno had seen through his schemes. And was trying his best to rectify them in order to not give the boy more to condemn him with.
It was a smart move to pin the blame on servants, and because of this Bruno had been forced into a corner as well. He had no choice but to go to the main estate and visit the Prince and his proper family, who no doubt would be far more hostile to him, especially after this drama that had just unfolded.
However, Bruno was insistent that he was not going alone, and was quick to demand Heidi come with him. This was his way of escaping any potentially dangerous situation that may follow. As he knew the Prince would not allow this and would be forced to settle.
"Are you forgetting someone, your grace? I have come all this way to see my fiancée at her home. While I do appreciate the invitation to get properly acquainted with your family, it was my understanding that this visit was meant to further foster the bonds between myself and my future bride.
Or was I mistaken? I mean, if I were to have been so mistaken, then I wonder why your servants thought it would be appropriate to send me over your mistress's residence without even allowing me to properly pay my respects to the head of the house?"
In his haste to cover his tracks, the Prince had played right into Bruno's hands. Bruno had quickly sprung a trap on him. And that was to make it, so that Heidi, his bastard daughter, who had never been permitted to step foot into the primary residence within the Estate, could do so at long last.
This was a serious problem, due to the fact that the Prince's wife was quite the envious woman. And though she begrudgingly allowed her husband's mistress and illegitimate daughter to live on the grounds of the estate, it was under the condition that they would never be allowed into her home.
Bruno, of course waited very patiently for the response of the Prince who was trying to think all of this through. And how to get out of the predicament he was currently in. Ultimately, the Prince made the smart move of deciding to call an end to this visit prematurely.
"Oh dear, this entire day has just been one giant disaster hasn't it? I do apologize for the inconvenience I have caused. I fear at this point it would be best to simply call an end to this catastrophe once and for all.
Lord Bruno, I will make sure that those responsible for today's events are thoroughly rebuked for their failures, and promise that during your next visit you will be appropriately compensated. How does that sound?"
The truth of the matter was, Bruno did not want to leave the Prince without having a way out of this mess. As far as he was concerned, this was a petty matter between the two of them that was better off being swept under the rug.
However, he wanted certain assurances that Heidi would not receive any form of retaliation from either the Prince, his family, or anyone in his employ because of this. And he was quick to comment on this matter before accepting the offer of simply parting ways.
"That sounds fair to me, your grace. I am, after all quite exhausted from this whole ordeal. However, before I go, I want your personal vow that neither Heidi, her mother, or anyone in their employ receive any form of grief because of this whole incident.
And while I would not presume you would stoop so low as to dishonor yourself, I do fear that your daughters have ill intentions towards my fiancée. Especially after this ugly business just now.
I also fear that they might cowardly scheme against the girl, her mother, or her servants by using members of your house against them. So long as you ensure their safety from any form of reprisal, I promise you I will let this matter go and speak of it to no-one, not even my father."
As much as the Prince was absolutely seething right now. He could not make it apparent on his face. Bruno had thought of every little thing to press him into a corner where he had to drop the matter entirely.
He could not punish Heidi for today's events, nor could he inflict any suffering on her mother. 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.