Your Grace, That’s Unreasonable!
As the two collided and tumbled down the riverbank, the people around them screamed in horror, "Your grace!" cried Luxe and Matthew in unison, rushing forward to try and catch the Grand Duke and the young man before they fell into the river. But they were too late. In an instant, both the Grand Duke and the young man tumbled down the riverbank and into the water below. Chaos erupted as they were dragged by the current, with Luxe and Matthew frantically calling out for help.
Matthew knew how to swim but the moment he was about to jump out, the young man was dragging the Grand Duke, and Matthew shouted, "Hey! what the hell are you doing?!"
The young man answered, "Dragging him of course! Do you think my body can carry him? He's really heavy!"
Matthew stared at the young man in disbelief. He couldn't believe the audacity of this boy, dragging the Grand Duke into the river without a second thought.
But before he could do anything, Luxe appeared beside him, eyes wide with concern, "What happened? Is he hurt?"
Matthew shook his head, "No, it's the boy. He dragged him in."
Luxe's face turned to a scowl, "Why would he do that?"
"Apparently, he thinks he's too heavy to carry.." Matthew replied, still in a state of shock.
Luxe's scowl deepened, "We'll deal with him later. Right now we need to get them out of the river."
Together, Matthew and Luxe rushed into the river, Matthew jumped in, swimming as fast as he could towards the pair of sinking figures.
Luxe glared at the young man, "Let go of him now!" she shouted, her voice carrying across the river.
Matthew quickly swam towards Kaiser, grabbing him under his arms and hauling him towards shore. The two of them landed on the bank, exhausted and dazed. Luxe and Matthew ran towards them, checking for any signs of injury.
The young man wasn't assisted to swim ashore, only Matthew who jumped in and Luxe didn't. But the young man didn't mind, he knew how to swim he wouldn't want the shrewish woman to hold him either.
"Thank goodness they're both okay." Matthew panted, his heart racing.
As they looked down, they saw Kaiser lying unconscious. He wasn't moving nor waking up, and they were afraid he might drown.
Luxe's voice was shaken with fear as she cried out, "Matthew, we need to perform CPR to save Kaiser! Quick!"
"But what can we do? Neither of us knows how to perform CPR." Matthew replied.
That's when the young man stepped forward and shouted, "I know CPR! Let me help!" Despite their reservations about the young man's intentions, Luxe and Matthew had no choice but to agree.
They watched in amazement and with anxiety as he performed CPR on Kaiser, saving him from drowning. But what would the Grand Duke's reaction be when he realized he had a lips to lips contact with a stranger? Luxe was his fiancee and she hasn't kissed him yet!
As the Grand Duke took his first breath of air, Luxe and Matthew breathed a sigh of relief. They were both in shock, unable to believe what had just happened. The Grand Duke opened his plum eyes, the first thing he saw was the youth's lips moving away from him, he quickly shot his head up which bumped his forehead to the youth's.
The Grand Duke winced, "What did you just do?" touching his forehead with pain.
Luxe stepped forward, her eyes locked on the Grand Duke's as she spoke. "Your Grace, I..."
But before she could finish her sentence, The Grand Duke winced and spoke up, his voice sharp and pained, "What did you just do?" he asked again, his hand touching his forehead where the young man's head had bumped into it.
Matthew cleared his throat, "Your Grace, the young man was doing CPR to save your life."
The Grand Duke stared at the young man, his eyes wide in surprise. He looked back at Luxe, "You allowed a complete stranger to perform such an intimate act on my behalf?!"
Luxe hesitated before answering, "Your Grace, we had no other choice. Neither of us knew how to perform CPR and you were unconscious!"
'Your Grace?' Is this man more than a noble? thought the youth.
The Grand Duke was angered when he heard this, He just had his first kiss to a random guy?! Unbelievable! His pointy ears started to redden while anger and embarrassment took him over before thanking the youth. How dare this commoner steal his first kiss? and had an intimate act with him? The Grand duke is offended and violated!
"Seize him!" yelled the Grand Duke, the young man was stunned in shock, Luxe and Matthew had no right to interfere so they stepped out of the scene. three imperial guards went to seize him with a statement.
"Your Grace, I assure you, I didn't mean to disrespect you in any way. I only wanted to help save your life." The youth said in his defense.
The Grand Dukewas not convinced. The young man had violated him in a way that no one had ever done before. He was a stranger, a commoner, a nobody - and yet, he had had the audacity to perform such an intimate act on him.
"I said, seize him!" The guards immediately moved to comply with the Grand Duke's order, and the young man found himself surrounded.
He tried to reason with them, but his words fell on deaf ears. The guards were under strict orders to capture him at all costs, and they were not going to let him get away. Despite the young man's attempts at persuasion, the guards grabbed him and restrained him.
The Grand Duke raised up his hand and the Imperial Guards halted, "Young man, what's your name? what's your age?" asked the Grand Duke.
But the poor savior was still in shock, he couldn't speak quickly so the other guard shouted, "The grand Duke asked for your name and age!"
The youth hastily replied, "I-I'm Elias Acker.. I'm 14 years old.. I'm so sorry. Your Grace.. please forgive me!"
Instead of forgiving the poor savior, The Grand Duke refuted, "You'll be held in custody!" and turned away coldly to grab Amias' stable, getting ready to mount and leave the riverbank. At the same, Elias was dragged by the guards, his hands were at his back, bound into the guard's clasp.
Luxe and Matthew could only watch in horror as their savior was taken away. They knew that he would not get a fair trial, and the thought of what might happen to him filled them with dread.
As the young man was led away, Luxe turned to the Grand Duke, "Your Grace, this is not right. He saved your life, and you repay him by having him arrested?"
The Grand Duke's expression hardened, "He has violated me in a way that no one has ever done before. His punishment will be severe."
Matthew stepped forward, "This is not how a just ruler should behave. You cannot simply punish someone for trying to save lives." But the Grand Duke was not swayed. He had made up his mind, and the young man's fate was now sealed. They could only hope that he would not be treated too harshly, but they knew that the odds were against him.
The Grand Duke left fiercely, his clothes damp and so did his disheveled hair. He urged Amias with a rash flick of the stables. He quickly wanted to get changed after that happened.
Amias took his master's command with haste. They rode as quickly as they could from the riverbank and back to the palace. The Grand Duke's mind was still reeling from the events that had just transpired.
He had almost drowned, and a commoner had performed CPR on him. Worse still, the commoner had performed such an intimate act on him - a kiss - without his permission!
The Grand Duke felt violated, and his pride had gotten the better of him. He had yelled at the commoner and shouted for his guards to seize him, but now that the initial shock had worn off, he was starting to realize the gravity of his actions.
He couldn't just have the commoner executed without a proper trial. As the Grand Duke rode back to the palace, he stewed in his thoughts. He had to clear his head and figure out what was the best course of action. He couldn't have people thinking he was a tyrant - he had to be just and fair, even if it meant having to let the commoner go unscathed. He had a big decision to make, and he needed to make it fast.
The Grand Duke reined in his horse and dismounted when they reached the palace gates. He handed off the reins to a stable boy and made his way to his chambers. Once inside, he took off his clothes and threw them into a hamper. He then headed for his bath, where he poured himself a steaming hot bath and climbed in.
He sat there for what felt like hours, lost in his own thoughts. He couldn't believe what had just happened. He had almost drowned, and a commoner had performed CPR on him and kissed him without his permission. He felt violated and embarrassed, but he also felt a sense of gratitude towards the young man.
Eventually, he climbed out of the bath and dried himself off. He needed to talk to someone about what had happened. He called for his advisor, who quickly came to his chambers, "Your Grace, what can I do for you?" the advisor asked, bowing his head respectfully.
The Grand Duke took a deep breath and started to tell his advisor about what had happened. He mentioned the drowning, the CPR, and the kiss. He didn't hold anything back, and he felt like he could finally let out all of his feelings and emotions.
The advisor listened attentively and offered his advice. He told the Grand Duke that he needed to be careful with how he reacted to the situation. He couldn't just punish the young man without proper cause, and he couldn't let people think that he was a tyrant. He needed to be fair and just, even if it meant letting the young man go without punishment.
The Grand Duke nodded as he listened to his advisor's words. He knew that he was right, and he had to make a decision. He had to be the Grand Duke that his people expected him to be, not one who was led by his emotions. He had to be fair and just, even if it meant letting the young man go unpunished.