Re: Blood and Iron

Chapter 187: The Road to Hell Part I

Chapter 187: The Road to Hell Part I

?

The unification of the German Reich in 1871 came with many benefits. For the first time in their history as a people, Germany was united into a single empire under a single ruler. While the Holy Roman Empire had been ruled almost exclusively by German kings throughout its history, it was composed of various cultures, languages, and ethnicities, some of which held significant power over who came to the throne.

That could not be said for the German Reich. Of course, there were some drawbacks to the unification of the German States, such as the loss of sovereignty for many men who had once proudly called themselves monarchs.

Among these various kingdoms, principalities, grand duchies, etc., was the Kingdom of Bavaria, which had been ruled by the illustrious von Wittelsbach family since the High Medieval Period. The history of Bavaria was overshadowed only by that of Prussia and Austria among the German states.

But unlike the Prussians, renowned for their martial prowess, the Bavarians were well- regarded for their affinity for music, theater, and the high arts. Even so, that did not mean their Royal Family was entirely composed of patrons of the arts or a people whose sense of regality was beyond reproach.

The wife of Heidi's father was a von Wittelsbach, though her exact relation to the main line of the prestigious Bavarian Royal family was uncertain. Most likely, she was a distant cousin from a branch family that was on the decline.

Nevertheless, her maiden name alone commanded respect and, more importantly, authority. She was the woman who had commanded that Heidi's mother suffer an untimely death. After all, this "Princess" was far from the archetype she bore in title only.

No, she was a vicious, petty person who had always resented her husband for taking a lover and, moreover, siring a bastard girl whose beauty was well beyond that of her own daughters.

The only reason Heidi was not marked for death as well was that her foolish father had actually provoked the Junker coalition by engaging his bastard daughter to the ninth son of a prominent industrial family-who were little more than upstarts in the eyes of the ancient Bavarian Kings and Queens.

Or so it was perceived by the von Wittelsbach family, who looked upon Heidi's father with disdain, despite his awareness of his own position and the unfortunate circumstances his daughter faced as a result of his actions.

No one would have guessed that the man who played the part of a socially inept fool was, in fact, a wise man hiding his cleverness with a carefully crafted façade. And while it wasn't impossible for the von Wittelsbachs to lash out at Heidi during her childhood, the window for such an opportunity had long since passed.

With her marriage to Bruno, and Bruno's rapid rise to prominence within the German Reich, daring to touch a hair on his beloved wife's head was as good as summoning the Demon Prince of Wrath to unleash hell upon their family.

Bruno, after all, was a man with a fierce reputation, one who had no qualms about shooting someone in the head in broad daylight if sufficiently provoked. Thus, the current Prince Regent of Bavaria, Luitpold von Wittelsbach, was now discussing the matter with his distant relative, the wife of Heidi's father.

"Woman, if you were not related to me by blood, I would have you drawn and quartered for what you are suggesting. You are talking about a man who holds the rank of GeneralOberst in the Army and has the ear of not just the Kaiser, but the Tsar as well.

In addition to this, his wealth is comparable to that of our entire dynasty-if not greater! He has private security on retainer protecting himself and his family at all times. Do you really believe it wise to provoke such a figure, when you and I both know all about his wrath?

All over what? Some petty feud you have with the woman's mother, whom I already had killed on your behalf! It was one thing to kill the mistress of that idiot husband of yours-some lowborn woman who nobody cared about. But that girl's daughter is a legitimate Princess in Russia, and the lawful wife of one of the most powerful figures within the Reich!

If I hear another word of your petty plots and schemes against this woman, I will have you exiled from our family! And I will draw up papers to have you and your children fully disowned from the family line. Do you understand me?"

The wife of Heidi's father was red in the face, having screamed about how much she wanted Heidi killed over the last fifteen minutes, only to be so thoroughly rebuked by the current acting head of their prestigious family.

After all, the current King of Bavaria, Otto I, was a man suffering from severe mental illness and was a monarch only in name. Luitpold was the real man pulling the strings. And he had had enough of entertaining this distant family member and her childish tantrums over something so common among men of power.

Luitpold had damn near suffered a heart attack from the sheer amount of anger he felt at this moment. He would be turning 91 this year, and such stirrings of emotion were far from ideal for a man of his age.

It was only after the troublesome member of his dynasty left him to his peace that the aging Prince sat down in his seat and gazed out the window. It was still early enough in the year that snow fell from the sky into the city streets of Munich.

Frankly speaking, with each passing day, Luitpold felt death's presence more and more. It would only be a matter of time before he kicked the bucket. And then what? Who would succeed him? And, more importantly, how would God judge him for all he had done in this life?

Was it really too late for an old man like him, whose lifetime of sins-often done with the best of intentions in mind-were surely enough to damn him to an eternity of hellfire? The more he thought about this, as the lightbulb flickered in the background, the more Luitpold felt sorry for Heidi.

Her mother had done nothing wrong; she was a mistress, as was so common in this world for men of wealth and power like her father. That woman's death was on his hands. In this life, Luitpold had done only what he thought was necessary for the safety, security, prosperity, and dignity of his house.

But he had to admit... What he did to Heidi's mother was without justification. If he was truly destined to hell, then so be it. But before he stepped foot in the grave, Luitpold would right at least one of the wrongs he had committed in this life.

Bruno had been taking his time awaiting the arrival of the Great War, enjoying joyful moments with his wife and beloved children. His family continued to grow, especially now that his wife was nearing the age of thirty. Her biological clock was ticking, so to speak, and four kids were simply too few. She wanted at least six-no, ten!

And because of this, Bruno and Heidi had been busy. No doubt, by the time his wife finally became infertile, they would have as many, if not more, children than his own parents had. But regardless of the increase in their bedroom activity, Bruno and Heidi constantly made whatever time was needed for their children, who were the reason they worked so hard every

day.

Today was a Sunday like any other; Bruno and his wife would take their children to Mass before having an outing in Berlin, enjoying a nice, respectable family breakfast at their favorite establishment.

Or so it was supposed to be. Today, however, was different. As Bruno sat with his family in the restaurant of their choosing, he saw someone unusual enter. One could always tell royalty apart from the common man due to their upright demeanor and elegant way of dressing.

The man who entered the diner may have been approaching Methuselah levels of age, but he was a Prince nonetheless and carried himself as such. And Bruno knew exactly who he was.

Because of this, he immediately stood up from his seat with a stern expression on his face, keeping his hand close to his waistband, where he could easily draw his concealed weapon if

necessary.

Bruno stepped between his family and Prince Regent Luitpold. Noticing Bruno's threatening posture, Luitpold took a surprising action, bowing his head respectfully before the man and apologizing for interrupting his precious time with his loved ones.

"Forgive me, Lord von Zehntner. I did not mean to offend. But I figured showing up at your home would be woefully inappropriate for a man like me, who has wronged your family so... This old man only asks a moment of your wife's time.

I do not seek forgiveness, for I deserve none. I wish only to express my sincerest apologies for how I have wronged her and to extend my condolences for her loss, despite the years that have

passed since then."

Heidi was not ignorant of who was standing before her, and if she had not resigned herself to forsaking vengeance against those who had killed her mother for the sake of her children's safety and prosperity, she would have been compelled to make a scene.

Noticing their mother's distress, Heidi's children-at least those old enough to understand that she was shaken-quickly hugged her and asked why she was acting so strangely.

"Mommy, are you alright?"

"Mommy, who is that man?"

Bruno wanted to tell the old man to go to hell. He knew that killing a von Wittelsbach in the

middle of Berlin was a suicidal act, one that would also implicate his family. But he could not

prevent himself from lashing out verbally.

That is until Heidi stepped forward and grabbed hold of his hand. She was trembling with various complicated emotions, and her voice was shaking even further, but she still made it known that him acting out on her behalf would only sully his reputation, and that was the last thing in this world she wanted for the man after all the effort he had spent this past decade forging their family into one that commanded respect.

"It's fine my love... Honestly... I can spare five minutes... Please, look after the kids for me, I'll

be back soon..."

Luitpold looked at Heidi as if he had underestimated her resolve, and quickly thanked her for granting him the time to properly apologize.

"I understand your husband's fury, and he would be right to scorn me, even publicly. Even so, you stepped in to stop him. I must thank you..."

Heidi, however, sneered at the man, making him aware that his flattery was counting towards his time, and that she had only done so for Bruno's sake, and the sake of their family.

"I didn't do it for you... I just don't want my husband to stoop so low for the sake of someone like you... And by the way I said I can spare five minutes, and you have wasted thirty seconds of my time with this pointless flattery..."

Upon seeing the look of scorn in the woman's eyes, as well as the harshness of her words. Luitpold couldn't help but sigh internally as he straightened his posture, before beckoning Heidi to join him at a booth where the two of them could discuss the matter at length without

worrying her family.

"If you would please join me at the table I have reserved, I promise to be swift. After I have

said what needs to be said, you will never hear from me, or my family, ever again. This I

promise you..."

Heidi took one glance back at Bruno and her kids, before returning her gaze to the Bavarian

Prince Regent, where she nodded her head and followed the man to a more secluded part of

the restaurant.

Bruno of course immediately silently motioned towards the bodyguards he had embedded in

the establishment to keep a close eye on the Prince Regent, as well as everyone else in the facility who could very well be members of the man's staff who he had hidden in the building in preparation for this moment.