It was a new day, and a day which Bruno did not have to report to the Central Division of the German High Command, no less. It was perhaps because this was his first official leave of absence in a very long time that Bruno was invited to his parents’ house.
All nine of their sons had long since moved out of the house. The youngest of which was Bruno himself, who was already in his mid-twenties, at the ripe old age of 25. He had three children, which was the lowest number of all of his siblings and the families they had spawned over the years.
But knowing the fact that he received an official invitation to the family estate, this was no simple request from his mother and father to visit them with his family. No, this was a yearly occasion on which the entire von Zehntner household would gather.
This not only included Bruno’s siblings and their families, but his father’s siblings and their families as well. Because of this, after reading the official letter of invitation, Bruno was quick to gather his wife aside and address the issue in private with her away from the children’s prying ears.
“Heidi, do you know what this letter entails?”
Heidi nodded her head. She had obviously not read its contents, as it was sealed when Bruno picked it up. But she recognized the coat of arms emblazoned on the letter, which belonged to the von Zehntner family. There was really only one thing she could think of for why they received this note, and because of this she was quick to speak of her suspicions.
“I suppose it is around that time, isn’t it? Though it has come a bit earlier this year than in the past. I will set aside a proper set of attire for the children. No doubt your father will want you in uniform. I will have it cleaned and pressed so that you look nice and proper for your family to see…”
Bruno himself was aware why this letter was sent, and like Heidi was suspicious about why it was sent earlier than it should be. There was no way that his father had moved it up a month or two in advance simply because Bruno was freely available now, would he?
I mean, he was the youngest son of the family, sure over the years he had managed to achieve some significant contributions in the military. Even so, such a privilege had never been afforded to any of his siblings in the past. Let alone the heir apparent, which was of course his eldest brother.
However, other than this, Bruno simply could not understand why the date had been moved up. Regardless, there was no avoiding what was to come. And because of this, he was quick to nod his head and agree with Heidi’s statement.
“Then I will trust the preparations to you my love. In the meantime, I need to see to some personal matters. I’m afraid I will have to step out for the day. Look after the kids for me, will you?”
Heidi silently nodded her head, as she watched Bruno climb up the stairs, no doubt to fetch an appropriate set of attire for what he was about to do. Once he was no longer in eyesight, she sighed heavily.
When Heidi was growing up, her own family had never even recognized her as one of them. The only person she had ever been able to call her family was her mother. But Heidi’s mother had passed away shortly after her daughter’s wedding, and under mysterious circumstances no less.
The woman did not even live long enough to meet her grandchildren. It was indeed a matter that Heidi was still investigating to this day. And though she had yet to form any proper evidence to support her theory, Heidi had no doubt that her father was the man responsible.
But this was neither here nor there. Rather, it was Bruno’s parents that had always been the ones to treat Heidi as family. Though the marriage was forced upon them, and was less than ideal, Bruno’s parents accepted her as their son’s future wife, nonetheless. And treated her as their own child from a young age whenever she would visit their home.
Not only that, but the two of them had always done everything they could to support Heidi while her husband was not at home to help. Whether that was the years he spent at the academy or on the battlefield.
But that did not mean that Bruno’s siblings were equally pleasant to her. Bruno was the youngest son of his family, and a prodigy rarely seen in a century. Because of this, the man’s siblings, especially those lower in the family’s hierarchy, had always had a sense of disdain for him. And considering the fact that he married a bastard, they held an even greater resentment for his wife and children.
Quite frankly, it was only Bruno’s oldest siblings who had treated him with any sense of value. But this was, of course, because of their position in the family’s hierarchy that they felt no threat towards him. In addition to this, they only began treating Bruno this way after he had proven his worth in China.
It was no doubt because of this that past family gatherings had been difficult for Bruno, Heidi, and their three young children. Though Bruno did everything he could to mitigate the ostracization that his children received from their cousins, aunts, and uncles. There was only so much he could do as the youngest son of a noble family.
Still, over the course of the past year, Bruno’s reputation had grown quite fearsome. It was this in mind that Heidi hoped they would be left undisturbed this time around. She could only sigh and voice her complaints in silence after her husband was out of earshot.
“Into the nest of vipers we go…”
After saying this, Heidi went to begin making the preparations necessary for their eventual visit to the von Zehntner estate.
—
After getting properly dressed, Bruno drove to the city of Berlin. He had briefly called the number of someone in his family in an attempt to set up a meeting. The other party in question was one of his brothers who commonly showed him more respect than the others.
They had agreed to speak in person at a particularly popular restaurant within the city. And after arriving several minutes early, Bruno was forced to wait fifteen minutes after the appointed time for the arrival of his second oldest brother.
The man appeared dressed in a finely tailored suit, which was far more eye catching than the more modest attire which Bruno himself had chosen to wear. No doubt a sign of the significant wealth he possessed.
After all, their family was quite wealthy, and though this man had not inherited the family business, he had long since made a name for himself in other prosperous ventures. Yet despite Bruno’s more lacking attire, he actually seemed pleased, as he shook Bruno’s hand and dragged him into a brief brotherly hug. All the while speaking basic pleasantries.
“I’m glad to see you made it back in one piece. I heard how those damn Japs forced you to lead the Charge at Port Arthur. To treat the Kaiser’s representative with such disrespect, simply barbaric! I’m amazed the Kaiser has actually decided to align himself with those yellow bastards after such a thing!”
Bruno forced himself to wear a smile, despite his brother’s rather crude use of language. But that was just the man’s personality when there was no need to be formal. He was blunt, to the point, and by 21st century standards, quite offensively so.
Despite this, he was one of the few men in Bruno’s family who showed him the proper respect he deserved. And because of this, Bruno never made a stink about his personality. Not that it personally bothered him, he was not the type of man to take offense on behalf of someone else, let along strangers on the other side of the world.
Still, after the respect which Emperor Meiji had shown Bruno, he was forced to speak up on the man’s behalf, and that of Japan as a whole.
“Though I am grateful for your worries. I still have to point out that just because a few of them are devious old bastards, doesn’t mean the Japanese are all that way. Emperor Meiji is a respectable figure, one with great foresight. He more than made up for his generals and their lack of respect.
I have no doubt that Japan will soon become a great power in the coming decades. One that may potentially even rival the mighty empires in Europe. And I’m not just speaking about a backwater like the Russians who they have already defeated.
In fact, Asia as a whole is a sleeping giant. The Chinese, in particular, have great potential that has yet to be realized. But for the time being they have a long way to go before they reach the point of their neighbors to the East.”
Bruno’s brother was not a particularly prejudiced man, he just had a harsh way of speaking when doing so casually. One that was particularly normal for the era. Because of this, he took Bruno’s opinion in regards to Asia with newfound enlightenment, and was quick to make a remark about it.
“You would know better than me little brother. Unlike you, I have spent no time in the region. But if your opinion of them is so high, then perhaps I have been misinformed. Regardless, enough with the chitchat. Why did you call me here? Is this about the upcoming family gathering?”
Seeing as how his second eldest brother, Christoph, had seen through his intents. Bruno could simply smile and nod as he and the man got down to business.
