As was only common courtesy, Bruno was given a full tour of the Romanian King’s estate, as well as a lengthy, albeit interesting, explanation of his family’s history. The Kingdom of Romania was young, established as a kingdom as far back as 1881. But the family’s house was naturally much older, being the Swabian Branch of the House of Hohenzollern, which now ruled over the German Reich.
Many people in his place might find such a lecture to be a dull affair, but not Bruno; he was quite an avid enjoyer of history. And naturally, such ancient houses possessed knowledge that one might say was more difficult to dig up through conventional means, either in this life or in his past life.
Either way, Bruno had more or less proved his interest to the Romanian King, both in terms of his family’s history and his attempts to establish proper ties to them. Bruno was, after all, rather charming when he could be compelled to socialize.
By the time dinner came around, and the rest of the Royal Family gathered, Bruno had thoroughly convinced the Romanian King to treat him as if he were an old family friend, rather than, in reality, where this was their first time meeting.
Even the Romanian King’s wife, Elisabeth, had commented during dinner how Bruno was “exemplary of what a perfect gentleman should be,” to which Bruno simply replied, “My wife would be happy to hear it.”
A slight jest that caused several members of the Romanian Royal Family to laugh. If Bruno were being honest, these last few months, ever since he realized he was starting to become antisocial when visiting the German Kaiser and his family, he had started to take extra steps to re-socialize himself with the world, especially the aristocratic class.
Thus, even though he had forced himself to wear a smile and do things right, rather than use any of his usual dark humor around these men and women who were not accustomed to the humor often found among combat veterans like himself.
Ultimately, a topic that caused the jovial nature of the conversation to come to a bitter and abrupt end was not broached by Bruno himself this time around, but rather by Ferdinand, whom Bruno had been trying to get the attention of all night. The man bluntly approached a subject Bruno was all too familiar with.
“There is a rumor that a Great European War is coming, one that has the potential to engulf all the Great Powers. I’m curious about what the General from the German Reich thinks about this matter. Surely you have made some preparations in this regard, have you not?”
Carol eyed his nephew with a disapproving gaze, not only because it sounded like the man was trying to coerce classified information from their guest under the guise of friendship, but also because it was something the aging King had decided was inappropriate to discuss under the current conditions.
Even so, before the man could properly rebuke his nephew for his “poor manners,” Bruno chuckled and answered the question, nonetheless.
“Do you want my honest answer? Or do you wish for me to merely assuage your fears with empty platitudes?”
Frankly speaking, Ferdinand had not necessarily expected Bruno to answer with such a response. And while the current King of Romania may not be interested in the subject, as the designated heir to the throne, with his father Leopold having abdicated himself from the line of succession in favor of his children, Ferdinand was all too obsessed with the very real possibility, and thus there was an audible gulp among the dreadful silence that prevailed in the room before he asked Bruno for the honest truth.
“Your honest opinion on the matter would be most appreciated.”
Bruno did not immediately respond; rather, when he heard the Romanian Prince, who would one day succeed his uncle, ask for the truth, the joyful mask he wore to entertain these noble men and women suddenly cracked into a million pieces, only to shatter in the next second to reveal the dreadful, chilling expression Bruno was so renowned for.
He took a large gulp from his wineglass, ensuring that there was nothing left of his beverage before responding to the question asked of him in the bluntest way possible.
“From my perspective, war between the Great European Powers is neither a matter of possibility nor probability. Rather, it is an absolute certainty. And this conclusion has already been reached by many of the world’s leaders.
Fortifications across the world are being built in preparation for this future conflict, armies are being raised, weapons are being manufactured on a scale never before seen in human history. And alliances have already begun to be established between the world’s greatest powers.
Though we don’t speak of it in the open, as we all wish for this peace, we now take advantage of it to last as long as possible, soon the world—not just Europe—will be drenched in blood. Tens of millions will die, and in the end, whatever peace can be established among the ruins of the old world will most certainly result in a second and more devastating conflict within the decades that follow it.
Few know this truth I am about to speak, but if I am being one hundred percent honest, I calculated the outbreak of this war as a matter of inevitability as far back as my adolescence. It was the primary reason for me initially joining the German Army and continues to be a driving force that propels me to achieve the greatest heights imaginable in my choice of profession.
Naturally, we are not the only ones preparing for this war; our future enemies do so as well. And if I could give you all some advice on the matter, I would assure you that it would be best for your house and for Romania as a whole to stay out of the conflict altogether. But that is ultimately a choice you will have to make when the time to take up arms has finally arrived…
So, until that day finally comes for us all, how about we not focus on such dreadful topics and instead enjoy the peaceful years we have to look forward to…”
Utter silence remained throughout the feast, as glaring eyes were cast towards Ferdinand for souring the mood with such a grim topic. Even the man who had brought up this topic for conversation felt almost sick to his stomach upon hearing Bruno’s assessment and seeing the indifference in his eyes as he mentioned the potential outbreak of a global war and the destruction such a horrific conflict would cause.
He understood now why so many people spoke of Bruno behind his back as if he were some kind of monster wearing the flesh of a man. For what kind of human being could entertain such a subject and assert it was a matter of certainty for the future of the human race and yet act as if he could not be compelled to care about it?
Perhaps Bruno’s brutal honesty had an exaggerated effect on the Romanian Royal Family, one which he did not originally intend to have. Though they did not treat him any less friendly, there was indeed a sense of intimidation that Bruno could sense among them.
One that might end up working in his favor. Because what kind of madman or monumental fool would declare war, knowing that they had the potential to face such a monster in combat?
And though as the years passed by, Bruno would continue building his friendship with the Romanian Royal Family under the goal of preventing their entry into the upcoming Great War, the reality was that Bruno had single-handedly achieved this end here in this discussion, something he would not have had the possibility to do so early on had Ferdinand kept his mouth shut about such a sensitive topic.
