Re: Blood and Iron

Chapter 218: A Final Admission of Defeat



News of the Liberation of Armenia reached the German Reich shortly after the Russians kicked the Turks out of the region. Celebrations were had all over Armenia, where the Russian, Austro-Hungarian, and limited number of Germans who had engaged in the fighting were fully celebrated as heroes of war by the locals.

As for the German Reich, it was seen as a major win for Christianity, even if the Armenians were generally of a different denomination. The liberation of Christian lands from Muslim occupation was always a cause for celebration by the devout.

And because of this, the Kaiser and his family were also having a feast to honor the sacrifices of those who had fallen in pursuit of this victory for Christendom. By now the Prussian Princess had been married off to some duke or another within the German Reich.

Was she happy with her marriage? Not exactly, even though she had confessed to Bruno, and put her past affections to her, knowing that pursuing her childhood crush was ultimately an act of futility. She could not help but compare her husband to the man she had grown up fancying.

And unfortunately, Victoria-Lousie was not along in this regard. Both the Tsar and the Austrian Emperor had brought their families to Berlin for the relatively minor occasion. Using the Russian victory in Armenia as an excuse to get together and speak of future ambitions, and more importantly debate over war aims.

Usually when a war was declared there were obvious objectives that each nation had in fighting it, but as was the case in Bruno's past life, the Great War had more or less come out of nowhere, and the territorial ambitions that each power had was loosely defined throughout the course of the conflict, and in many ways shifted as the years passed.

Thus while the Kaiser, the Austrian Emperor, and the Tsar spoke of such important matters, the princesses gathered to gossip about Bruno's latest achievements, and sulk about how they had utterly lost out on whatever chanced they thought they may have had when they were younger to steal him away from his wife.

Neither Hedwig nor Olga were yet married, despite being old enough to do so, even then, after hearing what Bruno had said to the Prussian Princess, from the woman's mouth herself, they all sat there in despair, fully realizing that their husband, and future husbands would most likely fail to compare to the man they all fancied when they were younger.

With Hedwig, being the youngest of the trio, broaching a question to Victoria-Louise that she did not quite realize was wholly inappropriate.

"So... I have to ask... Your husband, he's the current Duke of Brunswick, correct? Is he serving in the war?"

Victoria-Louise looked at her old friend, who ironically enough she had grown close to as a result of their mutual friendship with Bruno, as if the woman was a dunce, before outright questioning it to her face.

"Are you daft Hedwig? My husband is a Duke. Even if he did sign up for the war he wouldn't be fulfilling a combat role. Every honor he has ever been granted has been the result of his position, that and the fact that he is technically my third cousin once removed, and thus shares some familial ties to the House of Hohenzollern...

I mean honestly, when was the last time you heard of a Duke actually fighting his own battles?"

Hedwig did not feel slightly insulted by the ruthless banter which her friend gave to her, instead pointing out that there was indeed a nobleman far more prominent currently serving on the front lines of war, and in doing so accidentally put her foot in her mouth.

"Well, was it not a fortnight ago that Bruno fought on the front lines in the defense of Belgrade? I have it on good authority that he was personally there in the trenches shooting at the Serbian Provisional Army alongside the soldiers beneath his command, and valiantly defending the city from their attempt to retake it when he did so!"

Olga quickly facepalmed and sighed as she shook her head. They were trying to avoid talking about Bruno, and yet the Austrian Archduchess had taken the first opportunity to mention him. As for Victoria-Louise, she blushed in embarrassment.

Not only had her friend rather innocently insulted her husband, by refuting her fact that a prominent nobleman had indeed taken up a position on the front lines of war. But the Prussian Princess also knew her father was already preparing an Iron Cross First Class for Bruno's successful defense at Belgrade.

Because of this she was quick to lash out at the Archduchess of Austria for her poor choice of words.

"Alright sure! But he's different! You know what kind of madman he is! Four princesses confessed their love to him, and he decided instead to stick with his commoner wife, and pursue an early death fighting in war! What kind of madman does that?"

Luckily for the trio of Princesses, Vicotria-Louise's words had not carried far enough for anyone else to hear her outburst. Even so, they were all both embarrassed and depressed now that they thought about the matter.

No matter who they married how could they ever compare to their Prince Charming who they all held such high regards for? Unfortunately, it was never meant to be, and ultimately it was Olga who was quick to remind them of this fact.

"Let's just be happy for him. I mean the man is finally being given the awards he has long since deserved. I bet by the end of this war he and his family will not only be hereditary princes in Russia but also in Germany as well..."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Hedwig was about to say something, but immediately bit her tongue. Which luckily for her went entirely unnoticed, because if she revealed her maternal grandfather's plans to reward Bruno for dispatching the Serbian Royal Family, and the remnants of the Black Hand to hell, there would be serious repercussions for her and her loose tongue.

As a result, she remained utterly silent, nodding her head, with a bitter smile on her face as she too admitted defeat, wanting nothing more than for Bruno to soar to the greatest heights, and to maintain the platonic friendship she had built with the man over the years.