Chapter 2: A Sudden Engagement
Five years had passed since Bruno's rebirth in this new world. And it became immediately apparent to him that he was no longer in the 21st century, which he had perished in prior to reincarnation.
Curiously enough, he had been born before the folly and wrath of a bygone era. One that would permanently change the fate of Germany from a mighty empire to yet another subordinate state of globalism.
The year of his rebirth was 1879, a full eight years after the unification of the German Empire. Though the German people were finally united, it was a time of economic downturn. One that would last until the 1890s.
Despite this, Bruno was fortunate insofar as he was born the 9th son of a minor noble house within the Kingdom of Prussia, one that possessed significant wealth due to their status as war industrialists.
This house, despite being forged less than a century ago during the Wars of Napoleon, had become quite wealthy as they had a talent for engineering machines of destruction which were purchased and employed by the German Army.
Bruno's father was a wealthy and busy man. He had connections to the military as a former officer himself, as well as the politicians in the Reichstag. Making him fairly important in the society that Bruno found himself in. This meant that he was seldom home, or capable of spending time with his newest son.
As for his brothers, the oldest was already nearing the end of high school, where he would soon ship off to the Prussian Military Academy, as was tradition in the von Zehntner family. After all, they were founded in the heat of battle, and so, too would their sons experience the
same.
Whereas the youngest of Bruno's older brothers was only two years ahead of him in age. He had no sisters to speak of, and because of this, if he wished to one day become the head of the house, he would have a long and vicious battle ahead of him.
But Bruno had much larger ambitions. Rather than be the head of a minor German noble household. His goals were to prevent the fall of the German Reich in 1918, and instead ensure its dominance in the century to come.
And it was because of this that he decided to live out the early days of his childhood to the best of his ability. And that meant that Bruno spent the majority of his time studying everything he could within the Manor's library.
Very early on in his new life, Bruno had proven himself capable of walking, talking, reading, writing, and performing basic feats of arithmetic well before a young child should have the means to do so.