Chapter 666: She Pushed Mademoiselle Delvaux!
Bang! Bang—
A volley of gunshots echoed over the Seine River, causing everyone aboard the Pyroscaphe to simultaneously halt their tasks and turn north.
Captain Bliss rushed to the deck with his crew, spotting the "Seven Birds" anchored nearby. The warning shots had evidently come from its direction.
A sailor stood atop the paddle-schooner's mainmast, holding two lanterns and signaling with an array of gestures.
It was a recognized form of communication among the rivermen who plied the Seine.
Captain Bliss, a seasoned riverman, expertly deciphered the signals from the other vessel:
"Someone... overboard... starboard side..."
His expression instantly froze. He whirled around and bellowed at the third mate:
"Quick! Starboard! Get to the rescue! Henry, drop anchor!"
Seven or eight crewmen plunged into the river like eager divers, splashing and calling out. Simultaneously, a small lifeboat was swiftly lowered from the side.
Thankfully, the last vestiges of sunset still cast a faint glow, allowing them to barely discern shapes on the water. Soon, a crewman pointed to a trail of tiny bubbles and cried out:
"Look! Over there!"
Another half-minute passed before a black-and-white maid's dress broke the surface, followed by a cascade of golden hair.
Then, Camelia's tightly shut eyes.
A crewman swiftly secured a rope around her waist, and the onlookers aboard the Pyroscaphe scrambled to pull her onto the deck.
Joseph and the assembled nobles rushed from the dining room. The sight of Camelia lying motionless on the deck sent a pang through his heart:
"What in the world happened?!"
"Your... Your Highness..." The captain's face was ashen, and he stammered, "I'm... I'm terribly sorry..."
The third mate vigorously pressed the maid's abdomen, then brought his fingers to her nose. He immediately looked up at the captain, panic-stricken.
"She's not breathing!"
"What?!" Joseph abruptly pulled him aside, about to take over the resuscitation himself, when he spotted Perna approaching with faltering steps. He quickly gestured to her. "Perna, quick, perform CPR on her!"
Such critical first aid was, naturally, best performed by a professional.
Perna paused, startled, but immediately bent over, supporting Camelia's neck. From her portable medical kit, she produced a bamboo tube, preparing to insert it into the maid's mouth.
Joseph's eyes widened. He raised a hand to block her.
"What are you doing?"
"To ventilate her lungs!" Perna stated, as if it were obvious.
"No," Joseph pressed urgently, "Not CPR? What about mouth-to-mouth resuscitation?"
"CPR what? Mouth-to-mouth?" Perna gazed at the Crown Prince with a bewildered expression, as lost as a child.
Joseph slapped his forehead. 'Damn it,' he thought, 'these emergency techniques haven't been invented yet!'
He could only signal Perna to step aside, then struggled to recall the CPR techniques he'd learned during his university orientation. He interlaced his hands and placed them on Camelia's soft chest.
'I think it's thirty compressions and two breaths...'
He forcefully administered thirty chest compressions to the maid's chest, then gently pinched open her small, bloodless mouth.
Out of the corner of his eye, Joseph caught dozens of onlookers staring at him in stunned silence. He hesitated for half a second, then took a deep breath, leaned in, and covered her cherry-red lips with his own.
The girl's lips were soft and chillingly cold. Joseph hadn't ever imagined his first kiss would be with Camelia, but in this moment, such thoughts were irrelevant. He blew a forceful breath.
'It's leaking...'
He frowned, then slapped his forehead. He pinched her delicate, upturned nose, inhaled, exhaled, inhaled again, exhaled, and then administered thirty more chest compressions.
Only then did Perna realize that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was, in fact, performing some form of emergency resuscitation.
"'CPR? Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation?' She had never heard of such techniques. She could only clench her fists and watch helplessly from the sidelines."
As Joseph delivered the sixth mouth-to-mouth breath, Camelia suddenly convulsed with a violent cough, spraying a mouthful of water onto his face.
She then turned onto her side, curling into a ball, and continued to cough and expel water for a prolonged period, until she finally managed to draw a difficult breath.
The crowd around them paused, visibly stunned, before erupting into excited cheers:
"Thank God! Thank Holy Mother Mary!"
"His Highness really saved her!"
"Ah, it's a miracle! She had clearly stopped breathing just moments ago..."
At the back of the crowd, Miss Legris, with her foxy eyes, watched Camelia regain consciousness. Her face instantly darkened as she muttered a string of curses under her breath, yet she still joined the shouts of those around her:
"This is simply God's miracle!"
Perna rushed forward to take charge, conducting a quick check of Camelia's condition. She then directed two of Joseph's personal guards to place the maid on a stretcher and carry her into the ship's cabin.
Another thirty minutes passed before Camelia finally began to regain full consciousness. She leaned against Perna and began to weep.
Joseph stepped closer to wipe away her tears. 'Are you feeling better?' he asked softly.
Camelia nodded.
"What happened? How did you fall into the water?"
The girl froze for a moment, then spoke with difficulty:
"'Someone... someone pushed me, I think...'"
Joseph's gaze instantly turned icy. He looked at Clauzel.
"Find out who did this."
"'Yes, Your Highness!' Clauzel affirmed, immediately heading out."
Sorel slowly rowed over in a small dinghy from the "Seven Birds". Crewmen from the Pyroscaphe then used ropes to pull her aboard.
She strode towards the cabin. Upon seeing the captain, she immediately declared loudly:
"'That lady was pushed overboard just now! I saw it!'"
Just then, she saw His Royal Highness the Crown Prince emerge from a cabin, and she froze.
She had been aboard the "Seven Birds" since yesterday—enjoying luxurious guest services as a VIP—and thus had no idea that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was on a nearby vessel.
"You saw the perpetrator?" Joseph asked.
Sorel quickly curtsied, then nodded.
"'Yes, Your Highness, I saw that person wearing...'"
At that exact moment, Legris suddenly pushed her way through the crowd. She bowed to Joseph, then pointed at Herriot and declared loudly:
"'Your Highness, I must expose something! She was the one who pushed Mademoiselle Delvaux overboard!'"
Delvaux was Camelia's surname.
Herriot, already cowering in a corner and trembling violently, heard this accusation and instantly collapsed to the ground. She then looked at her best friend, incredulous.
"You... how could you..."
Joseph cast a sharp glance at Clauzel, who immediately instructed the personal guards to apprehend Herriot.
Sorel turned, her gaze sweeping over Herriot's clothing and physique. She then nodded vigorously.
"'Yes! That's her! It was definitely her!'"
Joseph then turned his gaze to Legris.
"Please tell me what transpired."
Legris seemed extremely tense. 'Yes, Your Highness,' she began, 'This afternoon, I... I overheard Herriot cursing Mademoiselle Delvaux's back, even saying it would be better if she died.
'I tried to tell her that wasn't right, and to keep her distance from Mademoiselle Delvaux. But she forcefully pushed me away and, with a terrifying scowl, told me to shut up. So I immediately suspected she was the one who attacked Mademoiselle Delvaux.'
At that moment, another noblewoman carefully stepped half a pace forward, curtsied, and murmured softly:
"'Your Highness, I did indeed hear someone yell "Shut up!" from around the cabin's corner.'"
A middle-aged man standing nearby chimed in, 'Yes, yes, I heard it too.'
"'No! That's not how it happened!' Herriot shrieked wildly at Legris. 'It was her! She told me to stay away from the Austrian slut, that's why I...'"
Legris immediately lowered her head, her eyes welling with tears. 'Your Highness, I truly never imagined Herriot would do such a thing. I... I should have told you sooner.'
Joseph's expression turned grim. He waved a hand at Clauzel.
"Confine her."
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