Re: Blood and Iron

Chapter 194: Selecting a Replacement

Chapter 194: Selecting a Replacement

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Bruno returned to the party not long after his conversation with the Prussian Princess. They would never speak again of what had been said in private within the snow-filled palace gardens, nor would there be any hostilities between them due to the awkwardness that had resulted from the misunderstandings of a teenage girl and her unrequited love.

In fact, Hedwig, Olga, and Sakura were all around the same age and would themselves be married off in the following years, forgetting all about whatever foolish notions they had towards Bruno. This did not mean, however, that the bonds Bruno had forged with their royal families as a result of these misunderstandings would disintegrate.

Rather, he would be far friendlier with all of them going forward, as any sense of unease caused by these misunderstandings was thoroughly gone, replaced instead with a sibling-like friendship.

When Princess Victoria-Louise returned to the party in a much better mood than she had been for quite some time, the Kaiser approached Bruno and patted him on the shoulder.

"I take it things went well between the two of you?"

This was a question obviously hinting at Bruno to address the elephant in the room: whether he had cleared up the matter between him and the Kaiser's daughter. Bruno simply reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a flask, whose leather carrier was embossed with the symbol of the German 8th Army, which he had recently been given command of.

The flask naturally contained some form of distilled spirits, and from the slight sense of intoxication the Kaiser received just by taking a whiff of it, he figured the alcohol inside was unusually potent.

After taking a swig from the flask, Bruno quickly stashed it away before grumbling something or other about what he had just been through.

"Had I known she had such feelings toward me, I would have told her to get over them a damn decade ago, before they had time to manifest into something stronger... Why the hell didn't you tell me about this?"

Kaiser Wilhelm II displayed an unusually chipper and playful character toward Bruno as he smacked the man on the back, joking at his misfortune.

"I'm more surprised you never figured it out. I honestly thought for a very long time you were simply leading my daughter on in the hopes you could have her as your mistress when she finally came of age. But then that day came, and you were still as oblivious as ever.

Imagine the surprise of my wife and me when we realized you were actually socially inept and that it wasn't all some Machiavellian scheme, which we had suspected was the case for years on end.

I suppose if you're not even tempted by a beautiful and naïve young princess who is wholly devoted to you, then your wife really does worry too much after all. Her gaze is unusually fearsome whenever it's cast in the direction of my daughter-an expression I hear isn't unique to Victoria alone..."

Bruno couldn't help but gawk at the shamelessness of the Kaiser, a man he had immense respect for. His expression caused the Monarch to laugh at his expense, prompting an even more unusual reaction from Bruno.

"You're actually enjoying this, aren't you?"

Wilhelm looked away from Bruno with a guilty expression on his face, which he tried to hide - rather poorly, at that by drinking from the cocktail in his hand. Unfortunately, he utterly failed to do so, choking on the drink through his own laughter at the absurdly offended expression Bruno was giving him, as if he genuinely couldn't believe his eyes at the German Emperor's sheer audacity to enjoy his personal lament.

Finally, Wilhelm admitted to it with a rather amused tone in his whimsical voice.

"Honestly, I am very much so... It's nice to see that you're more human than I thought. Frankly speaking, even I was a bit concerned you might be a legitimate demon hiding within the flesh of a man. I mean, your ruthlessness in pursuit of the enemy is legendary, and even you have to admit you have a rather sick sense of humor.

Yet somehow you are charismatic enough to, without even attempting to do so, charm four imperial princesses to the point where they fruitlessly pined after you for years, only for it to turn out that you were completely oblivious to their affection the entire time. It's a rather humorous chain of events, no?"

For the first time in Bruno's life, he was left entirely speechless. Usually, he had something to say in response to any statement casting shade at him, but he honestly could not think of a single thing to retort with in this circumstance. And thus, he chose the honorable option: silently admitting defeat and coping with this loss by drinking.

He immediately reached back into his coat pocket and pulled out his flask, taking another swig from the exceptionally powerful spirits inside. Afterward, he waited for Wilhelm to respond, which he eventually did.

"It's good to see that she can finally move on... I suppose this is ultimately the best outcome for everyone. Well, Bruno, I must say this has been a hell of a retirement ceremony for your father, although I will admit I will miss his expertise sorely.

But I suppose that nobody would dare complain if your father was succeeded by your brother Ludwig, right? Sure, his tenure in the Reichstag has been short, but even I must admit he is a natural when it comes to politics."

Bruno nodded in agreement with the Kaiser's suggestion. With the combined influence of the House of Hohenzollern and the German Conservative Party, of which Ludwig was elected as a part, getting him appointed to the Bundesrat by the Prussian State Government was a relatively simple matter.

Bruno knew it was best for both him and his family for Ludwig to be in such a position when the war broke out. Politically speaking, having a member of the von Zehntner family within the Bundesrat and on the Land Army and Fortresses Committee gave Bruno and his family significant influence within the Empire.

At the same time, Bruno knew Ludwig would oppose the Great War with his vote when the time came, giving their family a reputation as those who opposed unnecessary wars while still being willing to fight for the Fatherland when the need arose.

After all, Bruno would hold significant authority over the war effort when the conflict finally arrived and could theoretically have complete operational control over an entire theater of

war at its start.

Thus giving credence to their family's reputation as war industrialists. It always served their interests to openly oppose war, even if they profited from it, while also fighting in said wars to prove they weren't cowards. Thus, Bruno had been quick to not only endorse his brother during his run for office but also agree with the Kaiser's suggestion.

"I can't help but concur; Ludwig will be an excellent replacement for our father. As you said, he has incredible latent potential, even if he is a bit inexperienced in the world of politics compared to other potential candidates for the position.

You have my full support, albeit however limited my influence may be over the party..."

Kaiser Wilhelm II looked at Bruno with a questioning gaze, almost as if he were trying to determine if Bruno was genuinely dense again or if he was simply trying to act humble. The truth was that it was the former.

Bruno had a tendency to overlook his influence on society as a whole. The fact of the matter is, even if all he did was verbally endorse his brother with a public message, that alone could be enough to sway many members in the German Conservative Party and the Kingdom of Prussia's state government toward supporting Ludwig's appointment to the Bundesrat. Perhaps it was because Bruno had an incredibly humble outlook on life, or maybe it was because he was heavily introverted at heart. But his tendency to overlook his public perception in the eyes of others was one of the reasons he had never once thought that Victoria-Louise, Olga, Hedwig, or Sakura had any interest in him.

When the Kaiser realized this, he couldn't help but chuckle once more before assuring Bruno that it would be best if he gave a public endorsement to his brother. "Regardless of what you may think, I would advise you to come out publicly with the idea that your brother Ludwig should replace your father on the Bundesrat and give a list of reasons why, especially before he officially puts himself in a position to do so. You may be surprised by the effect your word has on the whole ordeal..."

Wilhelm didn't wait for another word from Bruno in response. Instead, he smirked smugly as he walked off, drinking from his cocktail once more. Bruno, not thinking anything of it, decided he would do exactly as the Kaiser advised, entirely missing the point the man tried to make him realize as he did so.