Chapter 431: Ghosts in the Night
Bruno and his family had enjoyed the opening ceremony and the diplomatic meeting, and now they returned home for the night. Though they resided in Tirol, they still maintained their estate in Berlin as a home away from home.
Erwin and Alya were the exception to this rule, living in the quaint manor in Berlin’s old quarter, a gift from Bruno’s father on his wedding night. It was where Bruno and Heidi had raised their first children.
Erwin approached his father, shaking his hand before being pulled into a brief embrace. Bruno wasn’t about to let his son grow distant just because he had grown up and gotten married.
Erwin didn’t try to break away. His father had become far more affectionate as they both grew older—perhaps because Erwin no longer needed a disciplinarian to guide him, but a supportive father, one who recognized his son was now old enough to make his own decisions.
After the embrace, Erwin stepped back, thanking Bruno for the magnificent ceremony and assuring him that he and Alya would meet them the following morning for the games.
"It was truly a sight I’ll remember for the rest of my life, Father. Now Alya will head home for the evening. I do hope you, Mother, and the rest make your way back safely. I’ll see you in the morning."
With a final farewell, their two paths diverged—though Erwin was Bruno’s heir, he would not walk the same path of sword and shield. That was not his role. It was better that he lived away from the family now that he was starting his own.
As for Bruno, his family was always under watch, the eyes of the state ever upon them. In Berlin, they were always on high alert, though the citizens were oblivious. Bruno, as well as other high-profile figures like the Kaiser, was under constant surveillance by those unseen forces—the shadows keeping the demons at bay.
Even now, as Bruno and his family split off for the night, shadows stirred beneath Berlin’s streets. A storm broke overhead as Bruno climbed into the armored motorcade.
"It seems God has blessed us with a storm tonight to hide the scent of blood that is bound to appear soon enough..."