Chapter 667: She Pushed Lady Camellia!
"Bang! Bang—!"
Gunshots echoed over the Seine, immediately drawing everyone on the Boroscaphe's attention to the northern side of the river.
Captain Bliss and his crew rushed to the deck, only to see the Seven Birds anchored not far away. The warning shots had clearly come from there.
A sailor stood atop the main mast of the paddle-sail ship, holding two lanterns and signaling with intricate gestures—a communication method agreed upon by sailors navigating the Seine.
Captain Bliss quickly interpreted the signals:
"Someone… overboard… starboard side…"
His expression froze. He turned and shouted at the third mate:
"Quick! To starboard! Go rescue them! Henry, drop anchor!"
The passengers aboard the Boroscaphe were no ordinary people—after all, not just anyone could ride alongside the Prince. If someone drowned, Captain Bliss's career in France would be over.
Seven or eight crew members leapt into the water one after another, splashing as they hit the surface. A lifeboat was also lowered hastily.
Though the last traces of sunset made visibility difficult, the water's surface was faintly discernible. Before long, a crew member pointed toward a trail of bubbles.
"Look! Over there!"
Moments later, a black-and-white maid's uniform emerged, followed by golden hair glinting in the fading light. Then, Camellia's pale, unconscious face surfaced.
A sailor quickly tied a rope around her waist, and the crew on the Boroscaphe hauled her onto the deck amidst a flurry of movements.
By now, Joseph and several nobles had rushed out from the dining hall. Seeing Camellia's lifeless form sprawled on the deck, the Prince's chest tightened.
"What happened here?!" he demanded.
"Y-Your Highness…" Captain Bliss stammered, his face pale. "I deeply… deeply apologize…"
The third mate pressed down on Camellia's abdomen, attempting to expel water. He then placed his fingers under her nose, only to panic and look up.
"She's not breathing!"
"What?!" Joseph shoved him aside, ready to perform CPR himself, when a weak-footed Perna approached. Joseph waved at her urgently.
"Doctor Lamarque! Perform CPR on her, quickly!"
For Joseph, who had learned some first aid techniques in his modern-day university days, CPR seemed second nature. However, Perna froze for a moment, looking confused.
But she quickly crouched beside Camellia, tilting her head back. From her medical bag, she retrieved a thin bamboo tube, preparing to insert it into the girl's mouth.
Joseph widened his eyes and stopped her:
"What are you doing?"
"Providing ventilation to her lungs, of course," Perna replied matter-of-factly.
"No," Joseph said urgently. "You need to do chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth!"
"Chest compressions? Mouth-to-mouth?" Perna looked at him blankly, like a child lost in an unfamiliar world.
Joseph slapped a hand to his forehead. Oh no. They haven't invented these techniques yet!
"Step aside," he ordered. He positioned his hands over Camellia's chest, trying to recall the CPR techniques he'd learned during his college orientation.
"Something like 30 compressions and 2 breaths, right?"
He interlocked his fingers and pressed down firmly on Camellia's soft chest 30 times. Then, pinching her lifeless lips apart, he inhaled deeply and leaned down for a breath of air.
As his lips met hers, the sensation of her cold, soft lips surprised him briefly, but he quickly refocused. He tried blowing air into her lungs.
Leakage!
He frowned, smacking his forehead in frustration. Realizing his mistake, he pinched her nose shut before attempting again—inhale, blow, inhale, blow.
He returned to compressions.
Around him, dozens of stunned onlookers watched in silent shock as their Prince performed such an intimate rescue maneuver. Joseph hesitated for only a second before continuing.
"Come on, come on," he muttered under his breath.
By the sixth round of mouth-to-mouth, Camellia's body suddenly convulsed, and she coughed violently, expelling a mouthful of water onto Joseph's face.
She instinctively curled onto her side, hacking and retching for what felt like an eternity before finally sucking in a ragged breath of air.
The surrounding crowd froze momentarily, then erupted into cheers of excitement:
"Thank the Lord! Thank the Virgin Mary!"
"His Highness actually brought her back to life!"
"Amazing! She had clearly stopped breathing just now…"
At the back of the crowd, the fox-eyed Miss Légris saw that Camellia had regained consciousness. Her expression immediately darkened, and she muttered a few curses under her breath. But then, she joined the others in shouting:
"This is truly a miracle from God!"
Perna quickly stepped forward, took over, and performed a brief examination of Camellia's condition. She then instructed two of Joseph's personal guards to place the maid on a stretcher and carry her into the cabin.
More than half an hour later, Camellia finally began to regain consciousness. Leaning on Perna, she broke into tears.
Joseph approached and gently wiped away her tears, speaking softly:
"Are you feeling better?"
Camellia nodded.
"What happened? How did you fall into the water?"
The girl froze for a moment before finally managing to say with difficulty:
"It seemed like… someone pushed me…"
Joseph's eyes instantly turned icy as he glanced at Croisade:
"Find out who did this."
"Yes, Your Highness!" Croisade immediately walked out.
Meanwhile, Sorel had taken a small boat from the Seven Birds and was slowly rowing toward the Boroscaphe. The crew helped pull her aboard with a rope.
She strode toward the cabin and, upon seeing the captain, immediately exclaimed loudly:
"That young lady was pushed into the water—I saw it happen!"
Then, she turned her head and saw Prince Joseph stepping out of one of the cabins. She froze.
She had been on the Seven Birds since the previous day, enjoying the luxury dining services as a guest of honor. Until now, she had no idea that Prince Joseph was on another ship so close by.
"You saw the person who committed the crime?" Joseph asked.
Sorel quickly curtsied and nodded:
"Yes, Your Highness. I saw the person wearing…"
At that moment, Légris suddenly emerged from the crowd, curtseyed to Joseph, and pointed directly at Hérault. She shouted:
"Your Highness, I must report! It was her who pushed Miss Delvaux off the ship!"
Delvaux was Camellia's surname.
Already cowering in a corner and trembling all over, Hérault collapsed to the ground at Légris's accusation. She looked at her supposed friend in disbelief.
"You… how could you…"
Joseph signaled to Croisade with a glance, and the latter immediately ordered the guards to restrain Hérault.
Sorel turned to scrutinize Hérault's clothing and build. She nodded forcefully:
"Yes! Yes! It was her!"
Joseph looked back at Légris.
"Please, explain what happened."
Légris appeared visibly nervous as she said:
"Yes, Your Highness. This afternoon, I overheard Hérault cursing at Miss Delvaux's back, saying she wished her dead.
"I tried to advise her not to harbor such thoughts and urged her to stay away from Miss Delvaux. But she pushed me away forcefully and angrily told me to shut up. That's why I suspected her of harming Miss Delvaux just now."
At that moment, another noble lady stepped forward hesitantly, curtsied, and said in a small voice:
"Your Highness, I did hear someone shout 'Shut up' near the corner of the cabin."
A middle-aged man nearby chimed in as well:
"Yes, yes, I heard it too."
"No! That's not how it happened!" Hérault screamed wildly at Légris. "It was her! She's the one who told me to stay away from that Austrian w—"
Before she could finish, Légris lowered her head, tears welling up in her eyes. She said sorrowfully:
"Your Highness, I never expected Hérault to do something so terrible… I should have told you earlier."
Joseph's face darkened as he waved toward Croisade.
"Lock her up."
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