With the League of the Four Emperors established in the Year 1907, Bruno was one step closer to fulfilling all of his goals. Currently, his interests lie outside of work and family was on these ambitions. For example, a joint infrastructure project was announced, partially due to Bruno’s connections with his father in the Bundesrat.
Where, after a small fortune was used to bribe the right officials of the Three Empires, Germany, Austro-Hungary, and Russia decided to work on reinforcing and extending their railways. Germany had begun undergoing this effort after Bruno returned from the Russian Civil War, and after a year of working on it, had made some significant progress.
Now Austro-Hungary and Russia wanted in. Which, thanks to the League of Four Nations, was a new possibility. This meant that the Russian Oil Fields could now ship much needed oil and natural gas to their allies in the West. Who no doubt would be taking the brunt of the fighting against the Entente when the Great War Finally Broke out.
This was a major relief for Bruno, firstly because he had yet to really establish ties to Romania where he could coerce them into siding with the League of the Four Emperors, and thus gain access to their oil deposits.
Meanwhile, his efforts to build the necessary infrastructure in German Kamerun were indeed going as planned, but the transport of the oil and natural gas from Africa to Europe required heavily protected convoys to get the job done. And said convoys would be prone to attacks from Entente Naval forces while they were en route, making them a less than a reliable supply of critical resources to continue the war effort.
And while Bruno would continue with these other two alternatives, the very idea that Russian Oil and Natural Gas would flood into Germany and Austro-Hungary via their newfound infrastructure projects, including both railways, and pipelines, made Bruno far less anxious about Germany’s oil stockpiles for the future.
But the League of the Four Emperors wasn’t the only alliance currently making efforts towards preparing for the upcoming Great War. Italy had in the recent months since the League was formed discovered that the meeting had taken place without them being invited.
Seeing this as their previous allies snubbing them, the Italian King decided that the best course of action was to pursue alternative allies, considering the fact that the nations he thought were friendly to him had formed a secret alliance behind his back without even consulting him.
As a result, King Victor Emmanuel III arrived in Paris to meet with the representatives of the French and British Governments. Both of which were growing incredibly anxious about the current state of affairs in Europe. Especially after the Italian King betrayed his former allies and warned them what the Germans were up to.
“It is simply outrageous. We had formed a pact in years past, and yet the Kaiser did not even invite me to this secret meeting held for the sake of forming a military and economic alliance! It is clear to me now that they never wanted Italy to side with them. They were merely taking advantage of my friendly nature and my naivety!”
While the British and French representatives didn’t outright say it, they conveyed with their eyes that they were incredibly lucky that the Kaiser had excluded Italy from this secret meeting. As it meant there was one more nation to fight alongside them.
As a result, they were quick to extend an open invitation to Italy to join the Entente, as the sooner they secured this new entry into their alliance, the better it was for both of their nations.
“Well, we can certainly understand your frustration. And I must say you were most certainly wise, you Highness, to come searching for allies with the two of us. No matter how much the Germans might boast of their unified nation never being defeated in war, it is ultimately his majesty’s navy that rules the waves.
With the combined might of our three nations, I have no doubt that should the Germans be foolish enough to provoke a conflict with any of us, they will come to sorely regret it! All we need is your official confirmation that you are willing to join the Entente, and together we will work towards countering this threat in the east that seems to be ever aggressing towards war!”
It did not take much convincing to get the Italian King to sign on the dotted line, and because of this, the Triple Entente was signed only about three months after the League of the Four Emperors was formed. The two factions would later become known more commonly as the United Imperial Powers, and the Allied Powers, or the Imperials and Allies for short.
—
With Serbia currently being suppressed and being compelled to agree with the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the so-called Bosnian Crisis of 1908 had more or less been averted in this new timeline.
Though, quite frankly, Bruno’s discovery of the Black Hand, and their crimes against the previous Serbian Royal Family, was indeed a cause for concern for the Serbian Government. Not only that, but the humiliation they were forced to suffer as a result of their botched assassination attempt only further added fuel to the flames that were always burning in the Balkans.
Because of this, Bruno may have prevented the Bosnian Crisis from breaking out, but had managed to not only make himself a target for revenge but had further ignited the flames that would eventually lead to all-out war between the world’s major powers.
Either way, the Great War was likely to break out as it was destined to. Even if the Bosnian Crisis was not a contributing factor, but instead the actions Bruno had taken to instigate the Black Hand. In addition to this, Bruno increased security around his home, moving into a temporary residence to be able to provide this for his family.
While he did not necessarily fear the Black Hand, as it was believed that they were incapable of striking into the German Reich, there were necessary precautions taken, regardless. And because of this, Bruno and his family moved in with his father and mother, whose security was not only already impeccable but was further bolstered.
After all, the estate he wanted built for his family’s personal home in Germany would take far longer than a mere six months to complete. Hence currently, Bruno had to watch as his wife and mother got along extraordinarily well, talking about him as if he wasn’t in the room, drinking with his father.
“I did warn you, didn’t I Heidi? My baby boy is exceptional in every regard! It was only a matter of time before a bunch of ill-mannered strumpets tried to steal him away from you! But to think those little harlots would be actual princesses? It seems even I underestimated my son!”
Heidi, though generally not the type to entertain such thoughts, was more than happy to engage in friendly banter with her mother-in-law, who was more like an actual mother to the woman when she was growing up than her own biological mother.
The two of them were happily chatting away, speaking of the young princesses who had begun to take some form of interest in the man.
“Oh, I assure you, I have made it clear to all those little girls that my man is my man alone! They simply don’t have a chance to compete with me, anyway. It’s not like my husband is the type of man to go after little girls who had yet to fully grow into their bodies, right dear!?!”
Bruno was in the middle of a card game with his father, as the two sat in the living room not far away from where the women were gossiping among themselves. Bruno was about to respond when his father glowered over his cards and silently shook his head.
Giving the man a warning with his eyes that told him not to say any more than was necessary. Because of this, Bruno stopped whatever protests he had in mind and simply agreed with his wife and mother, both of which were staring right into his very soul.
“Whatever you say, love…”
After saying this, Bruno lowered his head and looked back at his cards, trying to avoid the piercing gaze cast his way by his wife and mother, both of which were women who had a borderline obsession with him.
It was ultimately after they had begun talking again, to the point where they were no longer paying heed to what Bruno and his father were saying, that the old man finally sighed heavily and shook his head before quietly speaking to Bruno in a way that concealed his words from those prying ears nearby.
“I’m amazed… But that little girl ended up turning out exactly like your mother…. I don’t know whether I should congratulate you, or mourn your loss…”
Bruno remained utterly silent, not wanting to engage in such a conversation, and instead played with his next hand. Either way, now that he was temporarily living with his parents, his mother and wife would be spending a lot more time together.
