Re: Blood and Iron

Chapter 171: The Second Born Son



Bruno's time in Japan, or at least during his second visit to the eastern island nation, was one of relative peace. Other than the drama that occurred on the first two days of his visit, Bruno was given a full tour of the industrial nation and was able to witness its ongoing

developments in an era that was renowned in history for, in many ways, being the last days of an older world.

But eventually, the time came to return to the Reich once more, a return that Bruno greatly anticipated. If the man was being honest with himself, diplomatic efforts were not exactly something he was fond of performing on behalf of his nation and Kaiser.

But Bruno was first and foremost a soldier, and a soldier did his duty regardless of his own personal feelings towards whatever that duty may entail. Upon returning to the fatherland, after months of travel at sea, Bruno found himself welcomed at the rail station by his wife and his children.

Of course, Bruno's older children were more than happy to see their father, who had been gone for more or less four months, return home at last. They knew he was on a peaceful venture overseas, but being away from their father for so long naturally instilled a sense of dread in them.

After all, many things could happen on a months-long voyage across the world's oceans, and some of those possibilities were a frightening reality. The girls were easily the happiest; with their father's return, their mother's tyranny had come to a swift and sudden end.

Even in such a large palace, the woman had a damn near instinctive ability to tell when her children were misbehaving and was not far behind to catch them in the act and, in doing so, discipline them thoroughly.

With Bruno's leniency to his girls, it was as if the figurative chains about their necks had been released, as they jumped into their hero's arms and hugged him tightly.

"Daddy is home!"

Such a warm gesture and a loving statement were more than enough to make Bruno feel welcomed upon stepping off the train, which took him from Hamburg to Berlin, and

witnessing his loved ones waiting for his return.

Bruno, of course, greeted his two young girls with the same familial love, as he kissed them both on the forehead while holding them in his embrace, ensuring the two girls he would not leave them to their mother's authoritarian nature for at least some time.

"Daddy is home indeed, and he loves you two girls very much! Besides, I won't be going anywhere again for a very long time..."

Heidi, of course, had a stern expression on her face when she realized her husband was spoiling their daughters again, but she could never truly stay mad at the man and thus sighed and rolled her eyes, all while holding their newborn son in her arms.

That's right, during his absence, Heidi had given birth to a healthy baby son. She was, after all, already several months pregnant when he left. Because of this, Bruno apologized profusely to his beloved wife for missing the birth of their newest child.

Heidi was a forgiving woman, at least when it came to her loved ones, and easily let this matter go. Of course, there were conditions. Bruno would have to spend the next few days with his family and nobody else.

Work be damned, he needed a break after being forced to fulfill the Kaiser's personal obligations as a monarch. He was a general, not a diplomat, and if it weren't for the fact that Emperor Meiji was personally fond of him, he wouldn't have had to travel across the entire world for the sake of entertaining foreign nobles.

Bruno hugged his wife and kissed her on the lips, while addressing their newborn son, who luckily he and his wife had agreed upon a name for prior to his departure.

"And this must be little Josef, isn't that right? Or did you name the boy something else behind my back?"

Heidi immediately feigned offense at such a question, acting as if she were genuinely aggrieved by such an assertion, which she knew all too well was her husband's attempt at humor. And Bruno, of course, knew she was also pulling his leg with her rather impressive act.

"Am I such a woman in your eyes that I would actually go so far as to name our child something different than we, his parents, agreed upon just because I had the opportunity to do so because of your absence at the time of his birth? If you have such a low opinion of me, then I have no idea why we are even married!"

By now, Eva, Erwin, and Elsa were all too familiar with the way their parents acted and rolled their eyes at their little playful dispute, knowing that in the next second they would be hugging and kissing just as they had done seconds prior to such a well-performed façade. And this is exactly what happened as the two broke out into laughter before embracing in a public place. Shame be damned! Bruno had been away from his wife and children for so long, and he did not give a shit if onlookers judged them for daring to display their affection in public.

Heidi was equally shameless, as her mindset was the same, and thus, in a rather scandalous act, they shared a very intimate kiss before breaking off, where Heidi then asserted their dinner that evening would be absolute perfection.

"Welcome home, my love. I assure you that when dinner is prepared this evening, it will be flawlessly to your liking."

This was exactly what Bruno wanted to hear. There was nothing better in this world than a meal cooked for you by a woman who loved you, whether that be your mother or your wife. And while the food he had consumed the last few months had been nothing but exquisite, it failed to stir the emotions in his heart the way his wife's home cooking did.

Even if the food was partially prepared by a professional staff, it was ultimately overseen and cooked by his wife at the end of the day, and Bruno most certainly appreciated that. Hence why he took his young son into his arms and introduced himself with a gleeful smile on his face.

"Hello, Josef, I'm your father. I'm sorry we haven't been able to meet until now, and I know it will be one of the greatest regrets I have in this life. But I assure you I will spend the rest of my life making up for this."

Naturally, the child did not understand a word Bruno had said, being at most two months old, if even that. But nevertheless, Bruno felt the need to properly introduce himself to his newborn son, if not simply for his sake.

His wife and children watched Bruno speak to his young son. They were all as happy as he was, well, except for perhaps Erwin, who was having problems with the fact that a new son had been born. This meant he was no longer his father's sole potential heir.

It also meant that Bruno would have a little brother to compete with in life, which was ultimately something Erwin did not know if he truly desired. Whatever the reason, Bruno handed Josef back to his mother, noticing the conflicted glint in his eldest son's eyes, and simply patted his head, assuring him that just because he had a little brother, he would not be treated any differently.

"And what are you looking at, little man? You think just because you have a little brother that

I will favor him over you? If anything, his life will be more difficult than yours is, as he will always be seeking to prove himself against that which you have already proven yourself to be and will continue to prove yourself to be.

Besides, your mother and I are still young. I'm sure you will have plenty more siblings to speak of in the coming years. So don't you dare treat that little boy any different than you would your sisters, you understand me?"

Having raised his son properly, the boy immediately lost whatever conflict he felt in his heart, and instead nodded at his father with a look of understanding, responding to the man with

the utmost respect as he did so.

"Yes, sir..."

Seeing that he had properly dismissed any behavioral problems his oldest son might have now that he had a younger brother to compete with, Bruno patted the boy on the back before walking with his family towards where their car was waiting for them.

One of many that was currently being protected by armed security. After all, a convoy was best to ensure the safety of him and his family, which is exactly how they drove back to their

home.

"Now, let's go spend some quality time together as a proper family..."