< World War II - Winter Storm (2) >
December 24, 1940.
As 1940 drew to a close, it was now Christmas Eve.
The Allied Powers had agreed to a Christmas Truce with France and the Soviet Union, lasting from the 24th to the 26th.
For France and the Soviet Union, who had lost air superiority, it was a welco, if brief, liberation from artillery and bombing, and the ti was too short for any large-scale resupply.
The Allied Forces, exhausted from the long war, could also enjoy a sweet rest, at least in shifts. Honestly, I expected Stalin's side to refuse, but surprisingly, they accepted imdiately.
Could it be that the Soviet Union was also facing issues with its war effort due to its hasty mobilization? I hope this isn't just my own wishful thinking…
In any case, unlike the tragic one from the original history, the World War II of this world was able to replicate the Christmas Truce from the first year of World War I.
It was a grace period for both sides before Manstein could launch his planned Western Front offensive, Operation Winter Storm.
Thanks to that, I could also catch my breath.
Around this ti last year, I was busy fighting against Poland's surprise invasion, and I was too occupied discussing military operations to care about Christmas…
This year, however, I was determined to spend it with Claudia, so I shook off Churchill, who tried to hold back saying there was still much to discuss, and hurried back ho.
We discussed the front-line offensive plan, that should be enough. Making a wife of less than two years spend Christmas Eve all alone!
This Christmas, I will definitely spend it cozily with Claudia!
…Or so I thought, but the mont I rushed ho, I was t with news I didn't want to believe.
“What did you say?”
“The Emperor has invited you to a banquet.”
“…On Christmas Eve?”
“Yes, on Christmas Eve.”
I took the invitation Claudia handed .
An invitation to a banquet at Sanssouci Palace.
This damn Emperor, really…
“Can't I just not go?”
“It would be front-page news in the newspapers.
'Discord between the Vice-Chancellor and the Emperor,' or sothing like that?”
I let out a sigh.
“I wouldn't mind that, though.”
Claudia smiled subtly and reached out to stroke my hair.
“Everyone knows the Emperor is troubled over the Wilhelm II matter, right? You should cut even people you dislike so slack when they're down.”
“…Hah…”
-
December 24, 1940
Potsdam, Northern Germany – Sanssouci Palace
In the end, I visited the Sanssouci Palace where the Emperor was staying.
Built by Frederick the Great during the Prussian era, the palace, whose na ans 'without a care,' was a beautiful palace in a garden, like sothing out of a modern novel.
“The palace is beautiful.”
“…It is.”
Frederick the Great was famous for his artistic sensibilities.
The stairs leading up to the palace, built on a terraced garden, certainly looked elegant.
If he had told to co alone, I would have kicked the invitation aside, discord rumors be damned, but since he said it was fine to co as a couple, I ended up taking these unwilling steps with Claudia.
“I'm sorry. I really wanted us to spend this year comfortably, just the two of us.”
“It's not your fault. Since it's a banquet, I'll just eat my fill of delicious food.”
“Haha…”
I'm honestly grateful that she says that.
Climbing the stairs and being guided inside the palace, Emperor Wilhelm III was waiting, sitting alone at the banquet table.
A Christmas Eve banquet attended only by the Emperor and us, a married couple. How very impressive.
“Your Majesty.”
“You've co.
Sit. I've put quite so effort into the preparations.”
As we greeted him side-by-side, the Emperor acknowledged us with a wave of his hand and offered us seats.
“This is unexpected, Your Majesty.
I didn't think you would be alone.”
“My children are spending ti with Cecilie.”
Wilhelm III said this with a sowhat bittersweet expression. Surprising, Emperor.
He wasn't the type to be popular with his children, but he could have kept them here if he wanted to.
When I first saw him, he seed like an iron man pursuing absolute monarchy, but now, he seems a little more human.
Have the things he's been through changed him?
That's all well and good.
“…So you sought out my wife and I instead of the imperial family?”
“I only sought you.
Bringing your wife was your choice.”
What, so I was supposed to leave my wife alone on Christmas Eve? This Emperor, really…
Wilhelm III actually smiled at my utterly disloyal gaze.
“Yes, seeing you definitely improves my mood.”
“…”
Wilhelm III, instead of looking at who was at a loss for words, turned his gaze to Claudia.
“A wife who is respected and loved is a good sight. Your dignified beauty shines.”
The Emperor and Claudia's first eting was the absolute worst, and the Emperor was famous for his chaotic family life, full of discord with his wife Cecilie and womanizing since his days as Crown Prince.
For such an Emperor to say sothing like that to Claudia was quite unexpected.
Claudia, too, seed a bit surprised, her eyes widening.
“…Thank you, Your Majesty.”
The conversation ended there, and spectacular dishes fitting for a banquet began to be served. In the banquet hall with only three people, for a while, only the sounds of tasting and savoring food echoed.
The food itself was delicious, but honestly, I couldn't tell if I was eating with my mouth or my nose, and my mind was too complicated to leisurely savor the taste. What on earth is that Emperor thinking?
The silent al continued for a while before the Emperor opened his mouth.
“Are you on good terms with your father?”
I think this is the first ti he's referred to my father as 'father' and not 'Chancellor'.
I paused to think for a mont before answering.
My relationship with Father Hjalmar. Honestly, Dietrich before I took over his body was quite the delinquent, so it was the worst at first—
“It's not bad.
…Probably.”
I've made my own efforts, and thanks to showing a changed side of myself, it doesn't seem to be bad now, at least.
Father is a man whose thoughts are impossible to read, and he's not particularly affectionate toward either, but I think that's just his natural personality being on the bad side…
After saying it, I lost confidence and t Claudia's eyes, and she nodded with a smile.
It's a bit of a funny story, but she spends more ti with my parents than I do.
It's partly because I'm simply busier, but…
While I'm still a bit reserved because I find my father difficult and feel a sense of debt to my mother, Claudia, perhaps because she lost both her parents early, often visits my parents' ho when I can't be with her on holidays due to work.
It's a relationship hard to imagine considering the in-law dynamics in Korea, but the atmosphere in Germany is different.
My parents also seem more comfortable with her, who is more affectionate than I am, and seem to like her more. Well, if she says it's right, it must be.
The Emperor watched our interaction and then spoke.
“As you know, I have dread of the revival of absolute monarchy.”
As I turned my gaze to him, the Emperor added with a bitter smile.
“Even after acknowledging your victory in the Junkers' coup d'état, I couldn't completely abandon that dream.
In fact, I had an expectation that you, too, would change once you tasted power.”
“Has your mind changed now?”
In response to my question, the Emperor raised his wine glass, took a slow, savoring sip, and then spoke.
“I don't want to admit it, but I've co to realize it over ti. That even the brilliant German Empire I dread of building could be tarnished and brought down at any mont by a single incompetent, unqualified human being.”
The feelings stirred by the sight of none other than his own father must have been incredibly bitter for him. The Emperor paused for a mont before continuing.
“…And that no matter how much ability and ambition I have, I would not be able to control the current Germany as I please.”
He had quietly watched the process of the War Cabinet and I clashing with all sorts of factions in Germany, sotis to the point of a civil war crisis, and navigating coordination with foreign countries to get to this point.
There are many who, even after seeing all that, wouldn't realize it without experiencing it themselves. Fortunately, it seems the Emperor was not such a person.
The Emperor let out a deep sigh and then spoke.
“I have thought and thought, but I still have not been able to decide on the Forr Emperor's treatnt.”
The senile Wilhelm II is still throwing a tantrum, demanding to return ho imdiately and reclaim the throne, but he is still Wilhelm III's father and was once the Emperor of a great power that commanded Europe.
Before he beca like that, Wilhelm III must have dread of being an absolute monarch while watching his father lead the German Empire as one of the European powers, so their relationship must be close to a love-hate one.
If we bring him into Germany, there's no telling what kind of trouble he'll cause, but if we leave him neglected like that and he dies of old age in the Netherlands, that's a problem in its own right.
I thought for a mont and then spoke.
“Your Majesty has two options to choose from.”
The Emperor looked at , and I paused for a mont before speaking.
“The first is for Your Majesty to personally decide the Forr Emperor's treatnt. Abdication is impossible anyway, so what Your Majesty can do is either bring the Forr Emperor to Germany and deal with the consequences, even if he doesn't accept Your Majesty's ascension, or wait until the Forr Emperor passes away to bring him back.”
Whichever he chooses, the aftermath is the Emperor's responsibility. To think 'what can a senile Mustache Kaiser do' and lightly bring him to Germany is a risk, judging by his current behavior.
However, with the Netherlands having joined the Allied Powers, and us now an ally of Britain who had blocked Wilhelm II's return and an enemy of France, there's no obstacle to his return. If the Emperor is left to die, it will beco a source of criticism, and Wilhelm III himself would not be at ease.
Well, the Emperor has surely thought of this as well.
“The second is to delegate the authority to decide on the Forr Emperor to the People's Governnt.”
Wilhelm III narrowed his eyes and looked at . He was not so dull as to not know the aning of handing over the right to decide the Forr Emperor's treatnt to the Cabinet.
The current Germany, which has adopted the Constitution of the Weimar Republic almost as is, only replacing the President with an Emperor, grants all of the President's powerful authority to the Emperor.
Since this is the weakness in the constitution that allowed Hindenburg to protect Hitler and let him take over Germany, it needs to be fixed as soon as the first Parliant is elected, but that hasn't happened yet.
So, the Emperor's authority is still imnse, and if the head of the Imperial family hands over the treatnt of an imperial family mber to us, it would serve as a clear declaration of the old regi's collapse, as we, the People's Governnt, would be making the decision about a remnant of the old Empire.
The Emperor continued to eat in silence.
I, too, did not press him for an answer.
For him, it would an personally ending the dream of restoring the absolute imperial system he had longed for his entire life.
anwhile, Claudia, as if determined to eat her fill since she was here anyway, had finished her al, having devoured a considerable amount of food, unfazed by the atmosphere.
As expected, my wife is soone who wouldn't starve to death no matter where she goes.
I chuckled, picked up a napkin, and wiped sothing from the corner of her mouth, and Claudia's eyes widened at before she smiled gently.
Ah, this is happiness, not great power or honor.
To think I'm eting the Emperor during a ti we should have been spending alone together.
When I turned my gaze to the Emperor with a hint of dissatisfaction, the Emperor, who had been staring at us, put down his utensils.
“I suppose we've enjoyed the al enough. You may leave.
You won't need an escort, will you?”
Nodding, I rose from my seat, approached Claudia, and offered my hand. She smiled, placed her hand in mine, and stood up.
“It was an honor to be invited to this pleasant banquet. We will take our leave now, Your Majesty.”
“Thank you for the invitation, Your Majesty. I wish Your Majesty and Germany peace in the new year.”
As Claudia and I bowed side-by-side, the Emperor rose from his seat, nodded, and turned his back.
As we too turned our backs, the Emperor's voice ca from behind us.
“I will consider it.”
Glancing back, I saw the lonely back of the man who was, at least nominally, the leader of Germany.
-
Claudia and I walked down the stairs of Sanssouci Palace.
It was quite elegant, and seeing it like this, it didn't seem like a bad place for a Christmas Eve date.
As I was having such silly thoughts, Claudia spoke.
“Can a governnt ford by a Chancellor appointed by the Emperor truly be called a People's Governnt?”
“Huh?”
I couldn't give any answer to Claudia's question.
In reality, the Ergency War Cabinet was ultimately composed of my father, the Chancellor appointed by the Emperor, as the Vice-Chancellor, and the ministers we proposed and the Emperor approved.
Of course, there had been no problems so far because our War Cabinet acted wisely with popular support, and the Emperor did not step forward to directly use his authority.
But just because there have been no problems so far doesn't an there are no problems with the system, and we are, after all, the Emperor's governnt. It's not for nothing that other countries doubt whether we will actually introduce democracy.
“Even if the War Cabinet decides the Forr Emperor's treatnt, won't there be people, both dostic and foreign, who believe the Emperor's influence was involved in that decision?”
“…That's… true.”
Definitely.
Regardless of what the Emperor and the Cabinet think, there's a possibility that those with animosity toward the Imperial family or foreign countries will dismiss it as staged collusion.
But we're at war now, and as long as we can't hold an election right away…
As I was thinking that, I felt as if I had been struck by lightning.
Why did I think we couldn't hold an election? Because we're at war? But we held a vote on Austria's remaining in the German Federation during the war.
Austria, the reason we couldn't hold an election, has already decided to remain, and as long as no part of the German ho country is occupied, we can hold an election if we try.
After all, in the original history, democratic nations like Britain and Arica held elections during World War II, didn't they?
Claudia, who had been quietly watching lost in thought, opened her mouth.
“Actually, opinions are still divided among the Social Democrats.
They are concerned that the War Cabinet might be using the state of ergency as a pretext to maintain its power, even though an election is possible.”
All the reasons why we said we couldn't hold an election imdiately have disappeared.
And yet neither I nor anyone in the Cabinet has argued that we should hold an election now.
Even I, while worrying that our Cabinet would solidify into a dictatorship, had perhaps grown accustod to it.
There's the excuse that there's no need to take a risk during a war, but in fact, if we truly intend to introduce a proper democracy, it is more dangerous for a War Cabinet appointed by the Emperor to persist for a long ti.
“Ah!”
I abruptly pulled Claudia into my arms and showered her with kisses.
“D-Dietrich! We're still outside! Outside!”
“Ah, sorry.”
It was sothing I obviously should have thought of, but my gratitude for her pointing out sothing I'd failed to consider while managing the war and worrying about diplomacy was so overwhelming that I just…
The war with the Soviet Union could go on for years.
If we don't hold an election after ending the war with France and before the war with the Soviet Union intensifies, the War Cabinet might have to remain in operation until the war ends.
“You're right.
To truly declare the end of the absolute monarchy and entrust the treatnt of the Forr Emperor, who bears responsibility for the collapse of the German Empire, to a People's Governnt, it must be entrusted to a governnt elected by the people's vote.”
This is a really important matter.
I'll have to discuss it with the Cabinet and the Emperor, but if the Emperor agrees to entrust the decision on Wilhelm II's treatnt to the first Parliant, it will create a clear justification for holding an election before Wilhelm II dies.
Claudia replied with a helpless smile.
“I'm relieved that's what you're thinking. To be honest, I debated whether I should say this.
You're so busy, I was worried I'd just be giving you one more thing to worry about…”
“Haha…”
Ah, but wait. The Social Democrats were concerned about this?
“So who was the one who raised this opinion? Minister Schumacher?”
Kurt Schumacher, the Minister of Labour and the leader of the Social Democratic Party?
Claudia shook her head and answered.
“The Party Leader seems satisfied with the War Cabinet, perhaps because he himself is a minister. It was Brandt.”
Brandt. Willy Brandt?
“…That person is back in Germany?”
“Yes, it's been a while.
About three months ago? He ca back with all the comrades who were in Norway and Britain.”
Wait, you're telling that womanizer with a chaotic private life has been eting my wife without my knowledge?!
But if I tell her not to et him, he's an old Social Democrat comrade of hers; would she dislike it, thinking I'm being obsessive?
As I was fretting, Claudia linked her arm with mine before my thoughts could spiral further.
“I'll ask just in case, but… do you doubt ?”
“N-No, of course not…”
There's no way I'd doubt Claudia, but even if Claudia has no interest, that guy's private life in the original history was such a huge ss…
Claudia studied my expression, giggled, and whispered subtly in my ear.
“Dietrich.
You're very appealing when you're jealous.”
“…”
“Ah!”
I abruptly swept Claudia into my arms and strode toward the car.
“A-Are you angry?”
“No, I just want to get ho quickly. Prepare yourself, my wife.
I'm not letting you go until tomorrow.”
Claudia stared at blankly for a mont, then replied softly, her face blushing.
“Look who's talking.”
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