Chapter 394: Temptations of the Flesh? Be Gone!
Peace had been restored to Luxembourg after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1916. France’s occupation had been brutally dismantled, to the extent that the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg had stipulated that France must not only pay for the damages caused by their two invasions and occupations but also bear the cost of removing their own dead from the territory.
There were simply too many Frenchmen who had perished during the 8th Army’s push through the relatively small sovereign territory. In the year since the war’s conclusion, negotiations between the Kaiser and the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg had proceeded smoothly, with Germany playing a leading role in the country’s reconstruction.
However, the Grand Duchess was deeply shaken, having been forced from her home twice in two years. Even her peaceful domain was restless as the agreed-upon time for the withdrawal of German troops approached.
Like it or not, a single company of gendarmerie was not enough to protect the Grand Duchy from the chaos engulfing the French countryside. A single company of riflemen couldn’t safeguard the people of Luxembourg from the threat of brigands crossing the borders and imposing tyranny.
Because of this, Marie-Adélaïde had requested Bruno’s presence—not for any tangible reason, but because he was the one person who made her feel safe. Their personal interactions had been brief, and the last time they had spoken, she had made an inappropriate advance on him. But Bruno carried himself with a paternal-like quality.
He was a stoic man of restraint and strength, someone who, even to a young woman in her early twenties like the Grand Duchess, projected an aura of protection. Knowing that the German troops were about to withdraw, she wanted him near to assure her that he would come to her rescue if anything went wrong with the peace process.
Bruno, of course, knew none of this. Emotional comfort was not his strength, especially when dealing with distressed individuals. Since he had been personally requested by the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, he expected this to be a diplomatic summons, not a house call.
Thus, one could imagine the uncomfortable expression on his face as he sat on a sofa next to the woman who was desperately clinging to him, already flushed from intoxication. He simply raised one hand and pushed her away as if she were a flea-ridden stray.
For a sovereign monarch, Marie-Adélaïde could not help but act extremely childish when rejected so prudishly, while Bruno used his free hand to down the alcohol in his glass as quickly as possible.
But she was the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg! She would not be so easily denied! Having already consumed three martinis and without the slightest bit of self-reflection, Marie-Adélaïde pouted and clung to Bruno’s arm, trying to entice him.
"My Prince! Please! I’m terrified! When your brave soldiers leave the borders of my people, we will be wide open to rapacious bandits and scoundrels of the most murderous kind! Who then will protect me? Won’t you stay here by my side... My perfect... eternal guardian?"
Bruno sighed heavily, realizing that the Kaiser had arranged this improper private meeting with a single noblewoman of proper age precisely because the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg was too sweet on him—and that this could be used to coerce her into annexing the region.