Before the second fight of the tournant’s first round could begin, the room, and its sullen atmosphere, was interrupted by the arrival of two individuals who imdiately lightened the mood.
Tsar Alexei and his wife, Tsarina Elsa, arrived dressed far more casually than one might expect from those of their position.
For Bruno, that was a hard rule at his family’s Christmas gatherings: co comfortable and unpretentious, or not at all.
When Bruno saw his daughter arrive beside her husband, along with their children and grandchildren, he could not help but rise from his seat and approach them.
He wrapped his second daughter in a tight embrace, a warmth breaking through his otherwise composed deanor.
"Welco ho, darling..."
Elsa, despite rapidly approaching forty, could not help but grow sheepish beneath her father’s affection, instantly reverting to an almost childlike state.
"Thanks, Daddy..."
Tsar Alexei did not intervene. He had long known that Bruno’s relationship with his family was exceptional, perhaps even deeper than the bond he and his sisters had shared with their own father while he had lived.
After greeting his daughter, grandchildren, and even a few young great-grandchildren, Bruno finally turned to Alexei. He studied the man with a cool, asuring gaze, as if weighing who he had beco.
There was no doubt the boy had grown into a man, one who bore a striking resemblance to his late father, though without the softness that once lingered behind his eyes.
Years of ruling an empire and commanding wars had forged Alexei into sothing harder. The boy who once dread of being a soldier had beco an emperor worthy of the mantle.
Bruno’s expression shifted into a calm, approving smirk. He took Alexei’s hand, gripping it firmly but without force, and welcod him into his ho.
"It has been quite so ti since we last t on such informal terms, hasn’t it... Your Majesty?"
Alexei groaned softly, dropping all pretense. He knew Bruno well enough to recognize when the man was enjoying himself at his expense.
"Father, please," Alexei said. "I know my imperial father granted you nobility in Russia, and that in so technical sense makes you subordinate to in matters of decorum, but can we drop the etiquette and simply be a family for once?"
Bruno chuckled and patted him on the back as Elsa smiled, clearly enjoying the exchange. It was the strength of the family bonds between them that kept their two Empires close, and stable.
However, it was only at that mont she noticed what was playing on the television, and what had gathered the n of her family so intently.
Her interest ignited instantly.
"Daddy, why didn’t you tell you were watching the tournant?" she exclaid. "I would have arrived sooner!"
Alexei shook his head with a resigned sigh. He knew well how much his wife adored the theatrical events Germany staged for Christmas Eve celebrations. Bruno rely laughed, leading his son-in-law toward the others.
"Of course I didn’t warn you," Bruno said. "Your sister will be joining us soon enough, and I know how competitive the two of you beco when wagers are involved. I have no desire to see either of you making a bet that permanently alters the borders of the German Reich and the Russian Empire."
Alexei shot Bruno a sharp glare that conveyed his thoughts without words.
Don’t you dare give her any ideas.
Bruno laughed again, patting Alexei’s shoulders as he leaned in, his voice dropping to nearly a whisper.
"Don’t worry. I would never allow those two to do anything that foolish. Besides, they lack the authority to gamble away our lands. That responsibility would fall to you and Wilhelm... now wouldn’t it?"
Alexei rolled his eyes at the ntion of Prince Wilhelm, grandson of Kaiser Wilhelm II. His father-in-law was far too coy to say it out loud. But even though the two n got along well enough, Alexei had sensed a quiet resentnt in recent years.
It was not personal animosity, but circumstance. Alexei had ascended to rule far earlier in life, while Wilhelm remained bound to wait for both his grandfather and father to pass, or step aside, before inheriting the crown ant for him. That shared generation, coupled with vastly different stations, had given rise to a silent friction neither openly acknowledged.
If even Bruno had spotted this tension, it ant it was getting worse. Or, perhaps Alexei had simply underestimated how keen the old Wolf’s eyes were for social matters.
With a weary sigh, Alexei dismissed the notion entirely.
"I’m afraid it would be incredibly unwise to make such a wager with His Highness," he said. "Now, if you’ll excuse , I intend to enjoy so of that Eierlikör and watch the fights with my wife."
Bruno said nothing in reply. He rely raised his glass in a silent toast and drained it, pouring himself another as he settled back onto the sofa just as the next bout began.
The fight ended exactly as Elsa had predicted. She boasted proudly about her insight, though she wisely refrained from reaching for her purse or making a formal wager.
Not only because she didn’t want to seem improper, gambling with n, but she also knew the real contest had yet to begin. And would not do so until her older sister, Eva, arrived.
As the tournant progressed and the first round concluded, victors were selected and advanced within the bracket. More family mbers continued to arrive at the Grand Palace of Tyrol.
Eventually, Eva herself appeared.
The future Kaiserin of the German Reich paused at the entrance to the ho theater, taking in the gathering of n, and, more importantly, her little sister and lifelong rival.
The two sisters exchanged a single glance. Elsa smirked before turning her attention back to the fight.
Eva responded by taking a seat beside her, becoming one of only two won present to watch the contest of blood and bone.
Quietly, she made a wager with her sister, determined that this ti, she would erge victorious.
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