Chapter 46: An Invitation to the Kaiser’s Palace Part II
Bruno stood in the Kaiser's palace, gazing upon the German Emperor with a stern expression on his face. The man seemed quite pleased to see Bruno there, thus alleviating any fears Bruno may have had towards a potential demerit.
As Bruno expected, Kaiser Wilhelm II was quick to salute him, as he himself was dressed in a military uniform, albeit a heavily embellished one. Which Bruno was quick to respond to in kind. Before the man approached him with a small wooden case that contained his new collar tabs and shoulder tabs.
"Generalmajor Bruno von Zehntner, for your exemplary performance acting as a military advisor to the Empire of Japan on behalf of Kaiser and fatherland, I Kaiser Wilhelm II of the house von Hohenzollern hereby reward you for your gallantry with a promotion to the rank of Generalleutnant! I know I myself, and many others within the Army's High Command look forward to your future in the military!"
Everyone nearby broke out into applause as the Kaiser handed Bruno the new insignia that would need to be fastened to his uniform by a skilled seamstress at a later date. And as Bruno gazed upon his latest promotion he couldn't help but smile, because wasn't he married to a woman who could perform the task for him?
Because of this, Bruno accepted the gift from the Kaiser and bowed his head respectfully while thanking the man for his generosity.
"I am unworthy, but if his majesty disagrees then who am I to argue? Thank you. I promise to live up to your expectations."
The Kaiser nodded his head in approval of Bruno's humble act and was quick to end the ceremony then and there by making a statement to everyone but Bruno and Alfred von Schlieffen.
"Wonderful, now that this little ceremony is over you can all go back to work!"
The Kaiser silently motioned for the German Field Marshal to join him, and as Bruno himself mistook the Kaiser's words, and in doing so was about to walk out the door the Kaiser called out to him.
"Not you... the Generalfeldmarschall and I would like to have a word with you..."
Bruno's hope of returning to his family swiftly was immediately dashed by this, but he dare not sigh in exhaustion, and instead responded in the affirmative to the Kaiser's wishes, following him into a more secluded room. Which appeared to be the German Emperor's personal war room.
A series of blueprints were handed over to Bruno, which he personally recognized as he was the one who had drawn them himself. Naturally, the Kaiser was testing him, as he hinted that he knew the true designer of these weapons, even if they were patented by his oldest brother. "Do you recognize these designs?"