Chapter 282: Getting Acquainted With the Bulgarian Royal Family
Despite deploying his troops as quickly as possible to the borders of the Kingdom of Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire in an attempt to hold the line, and prevent the Turkish Army from mobilizing into Bulgaria’s eastern borders, Bruno himself remained in Sofia, waiting for the representative parties to arrive to discuss the terms of surrender.
It would naturally take a while, as each monarch representing their own nation’s interests, and their highest ranking generals were busy elsewhere. This would, after all be a discussion between the Kingdom of Bulgaria and the Central Powers as a whole.
Neutral ground was unnecessary as the Royal Bulgarian Army had surrendered in totality, and had accepted their fate as it was.
Bruno, having spent his time refraining from engaging in excessive drink, and from taking the slightest puff of tobacco, no matter how much his body may crave it, mostly spent his time in the Royal Palace, speaking with King Ferdinand about the ancient history of their lands, race, and culture.
Despite being a German nobleman, a Russian Prince, and Hungarian Grand Prince, the last of which was known only to Ferdinand by whispers, as Bruno had yet to officially receive his rewards from the Habsburgs.
Bruno remained respectful in a way which Ferdinand did not expect, and perhaps even eager for learning more about Bulgaria and its history than anyone could have anticipated.
The enemy was defeated, and had accepted an unconditional surrender, knowing that he was at fault for this war. And as the two men conversed in the following days, Ferdinand was surprised to see that Bruno was more than just a talented general, but a student of history, science, and the arts as well.
As Bruno gazed upon a mural which dated back to the ancient Thracians of which Bulgaria claimed some descent from, at least geographically, Bruno couldn’t help but sigh and shake his head as he made a comment about his own inadequacies in the field.
"I must admit, I am quite envious of those ancient who were able to make such a grand piece of art… Though I have studied the history of art, and its development throughout our history as a species, I must profess, I have never quite been able to depict my thoughts into reality in a way that remotely could be considered acceptable…
The fact that men over 2,000 years ago had the means to produce such murals, which I could never replicate if given a hundred years to learn is truly a testament to my own failures…"