Chapter 192: Retirement Ceremony Part II
Bruno had realized damn near instantly that he had said something incredibly improper at the worst possible timing. Judging by the reactions on the faces of the veterans he was just bantering with via dark humor just a moment prior, someone of supreme importance was standing behind him and had heard every word he said.
The voice, of course, was instantly recognizable to Bruno, and he himself flinched before turning around when he heard the smug tone in the Kaiser's voice when he responded to Bruno's rather ill-suited attempt at a joke.
"I must say, is this how a son shows his love and respect for his father? And no less on the day he is to be awarded for a lifetime of effort and achievement with a medal for all of his services to my royal House of Hohenzollern?"
Kaiser Wilhelm II was standing next to both Bruno's father and the current chancellor of the German Reich, Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg. While in the background Bruno saw Heidi facepalming at him while shaking her head, along with all the not so silent whispers and worried looks he was being given by the rest of the guests in the venue.
Bruno had realized only then that their voices had carried thorughout the venue. And that their gruesome tales of the battlefield had made more than a few important figures in the German Reich deeply uncomfortable.
There was really only one thing he could do at this moment, and that was to apologize for his incongruous remarks. Which he was just about to do so when Bruno noticed the shiny new medal pinned to his father's rather elaborate tailcoat tuxedo.
It was the non-combatant version of the House Order of Hohenzollern. A rather prestigious order indeed, one which Bruno hoped to earn himself one day. Honestly, Bruno had done more than enough for the House of Hohenzollern to earn such an award. And yet he had yet to have such an honor pinned to his chest.
If Bruno was being honest with himself, he expected the Kaiser was waiting for him to gain significant achievements in the upcoming Great War in order to properly award him. As all of his major efforts to help the German Reich up until this point had been via diplomacy, and efforts behind the scenes in the civilian sector.
Which, while significant accomplishments on their own were not as suited for public relations purposes as it would be if he were awarded with the combatant variants of the same medals after achieving significant victories over the Kaiser's enemies within a major war.
Because of this, Bruno simply bowed his head and apologized to his father and the Kaiser for making such a poorly timed, inappropriate joke.
"Apologies, your Majesty, it was very rude of me to make light of such things, especially on a day to honor my father such as this. Do forgive me..."
Kaiser Wilhelm II simply chuckled as he saw how Bruno was behaving in front of him, the man's usually stern and defiant demeanor was nowhere to be found, and because of that he made fun of Bruno at his expense, while also reassuring the man that after all these years he really should not behave so formally with him.