Re: Blood and Iron - Chapter 895: Lunch in Vienna Part II
Chapter 895: Lunch in Vienna Part II
Karl looked over at Pál, almost as if urging him to hurry and ask the question. After all, Pál had effectively used Pál to broker this meeting since Bruno was not returning anyone’s calls at the moment outside of the Kaiser or the Tsar.
Knowing all the struggles he had gone through, and how much time he had already wasted. Pál took a deep breath before asking the question that had been dreading him for close to a year now.
“Well, I apologize for dragging this out so long, but in truth I really only had one major point of concern that Kaiser Wilhelm has not been obliged to give me assurances on.”
At this time the food arrived, and was placed in front of them. Bruno did not hesitate to partake in eating, all the while Pál continued to try to explain his position.
“As you may recall, during the Weltkrieg you were briefly given dominion over Transylvania by the House of Habsburg. And-”
Bruno cut the man off instantly after swallowing his food.
“Yes, I remember it well enough, I might be old but I’m not yet senile. You’re worried that the peace I brokered with your late father-in-law and the former King of Romania stands despite you going out of your way to violate it during the Second World War?”
Pál’s words stuck in his throat. He truly had not expected Bruno to say it outright. After all, he did go behind Bruno’s back during the Great War and unite Greater Hungary as his forebearer had dreamed.
He could only silently nod his head in confirmation. Bruno wiped his hands and mouth on his napkin before staring Pál directly in the eyes.
“If I wanted to do something about it, don’t you think I would have done so before surrendering my position as Reichsmarschall and announcing my retirement?”
Pál felt as if he had just been given a second chance at life after hearing Bruno say this. He was about to thank the man, but Bruno continued with his statement, almost as if to make his position abundantly clear.
“As far as I’m concerned I did my part. I brokered a peace for the people I had once been charged with protecting, I bought them nearly two decades of security when I had no need to. Romania threw away my goodwill by courting favor with the Allies, and you took advantage of that. Nothing more needs to be said on the matter.”
Upon hearing this, Pál felt as if the greatest weight he had been bearing for the last year had suddenly been lifted. He reached forward to thank Bruno with a handshake. Which Bruno entertained just long enough to drag the man in close, where he whispered something that only the two of them could hear despite being in an enclosed space with Karl.
“But know this: Romania won’t easily surrender those lands. You have taken them, now it’s up to you to hold them. Because Germany no longer cares about petty wars waged outside its borders. You’re on your own Pál.”
After saying this, Bruno adjusted his cuffs as if discussing a matter of trivial accounting. Before paying the bill and leaving a large tip for the waitress as he bade the two kings farewell.
“Karl, it is always a pleasure. Do keep in touch. Pál, next time you want an answer to a question nobody asked, take note that my silence is an answer in and of itself.”
Bruno then left the room, leaving Pál, feeling as if he had just survived an artillery shell that had gone off next to him.
Karl simply laughed and rolled his eyes at his neighbor’s dismay.
“I warned you not to provoke the old man out of retirement… You should have seen him in the war… The first one I mean… If you had maybe you wouldn’t have wasted his time like this.”
Pál slowly nodded his head before asking Karl for his thoughts on a semi-related matter.
“Yeah… You were right, but I didn’t believe he was actually retired. I mean, what does a man like that actually do when retired?”
Karl scoffed while sipping from his drink.
“He’s surprisingly normal. He wasn’t lying, he’s taking the next train to Innsbruck where he will watch television re-runs with his wife for the rest of the afternoon.”
Pál still couldn’t believe it, even after seeing it for himself, he looked behind him at the door, despite Bruno having long since left the establishment behind.
“You’re kidding? But he is-”
“He was…” Karl cut him off before continuing “… Now he is just a man who is trying to make up for lost time with the people he loves. And we should be happy to keep it that way. I pity the fool who is stupid enough to drag that man out of retirement.”
Those words were perhaps the wisest Pál had ever heard in his entire life. And after very narrowly being that man after pestering Wilhelm and Bruno for nearly a year now. Pál couldn’t help but count his lucky stars that he had narrowly avoided such a catastrophe for himself and for Hungary.
As for Bruno, he made his way to the train station, where he took the next train home to Innsbruck, there a car brought him to the Palace where Heidi greeted him with popcorn and beer.
The two of them sat down in front of their television within their living room, joined by sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, and grandchildren as they watched re-runs of Heidi’s favorite television series.
One that was produced by one of the family’s multiple film companies. They would only retire to help prepare dinner later that evening.
The world continued to bleed and burn. But for the first time in decades, Bruno allowed it to do so without reaching for the sword. At least not for another few months.
Once the Reichstag’s election was over, he would take his place as Chancellor, and then… Then he would once more be called back to the world outside his doors. But not today….
