Chapter 497: Rewarding Loyalty
Bruno welcomed Svetozar and the man’s family into his home, in a way that he felt would make the man most comfortable.
He walked to the door not in civilian attire, but wearing the old Austro-Hungarian Field Marshal gala uniform he had been bequeathed by Emperor Franz Joseph as a ceremonial title, along with all the medals he was granted for avenging the House of Habsburg during the great war.
Svetozar’s aging face practically lit up when he saw a familiar face and a familiar uniform. As Bruno performed a proper salute.
"Generalfeldmarschall Svetozar Boroević has arrived!"
A full honor guard was present to raise their swords and welcome the Austrian hero back home to the lands that he had once defended. The man’s face was both astonished and jovial as he witnessed the grandeur of Bruno’s palace, which was still under construction, as well as the display of traditional Austrian uniforms on display for him, and him alone.
The past few years he had felt underutilized, and underappreciated by the Hungarian King, but Bruno had gone out of his way to make the man feel most celebrated and welcome in Tyrol. Which, while now officially no longer a part of the Archduchy of Austria, was still a land he had spent years in the trenches defending.
Because of this, Svetozar returned Bruno’s salute, trying his best to hold back the tears in his eyes as they concluded the formal gesture, and shook hands with a far more casual approach.
"It has been too long my friend. I must apologize again. I had been ill-informed and was ignorant of your position. But you need not worry about that now. Here in Tyrol you are a hero. You defended these lands against the Allied onslaught time and again.
You were front and center when we reclaimed the territory they occupied after a brief breakthrough. Tyrol owes you everything for holding the line while I was elsewhere. Tell me, what do you ask as a reward for your services? A noble title? Land? Wealth? Simply ask and it will be yours my friend...."
Svetozar had already undergone a full medical checkup, confirming, as Bruno had expected, the stroke which claimed in his past life was one caused by distress and old age, and not an underlying disease.
The man could theoretically live another 10 or twenty years, assuming life didn’t crush his spirit and will to live as it had in the previous timeline. But Bruno did not want him worrying his life away in the military. The man had earned retirement and so much more.
Svetozar himself could hardly believe what Bruno was offering him, and was quick to shake his head, and decline Bruno’s kindness.