Second Wirth Cabinet (4)
Adalbert von Preußen. The Emperor of the German Empire and head of the House of Hohenzollern, Wilhelm II, had six sons and one daughter. Following tradition, the Empire's princes and princesses entered the Army Cadet School upon reaching adulthood, imprinting Prussian traditions and discipline into their very bodies as they fulfilled their duties as Prussian royalty. But the third son, Adalbert, was different. With his strongly quiet disposition, Adalbert had wanted to serve in the navy—a desire that aligned perfectly with the Kaiser's naval expansion policy at the time—and so he enrolled in the Naval Academy. Even after the war ended, while all the other princes—even Joachim himself—voiced support for paramilitary groups like the Stahlhelm, Adalbert kept his mouth shut. He quietly retired from the military, joined no reserve organizations, and expressed no political views whatsoever. He simply shuttled between Germany and Switzerland, his sole interest his chronic respiratory treatments. He was the quietest son of the Hohenzollerns.
"I don't know what you called me here for, but if it's to throw your weight behind politics or anything like that, I'll have to politely decline."
Adalbert said this to me as he sat back comfortably. After some thought, I replied, "If that were the reason, I wouldn't have come looking for you in the first place, would I?"
"…True enough."
Adalbert sipped his coffee leisurely, taking in the scenery of Bern. The city's green landscapes, blue riverbanks, and brown rooftops blended into a vista that perfectly symbolized peace, and Adalbert was fond of it.
"Are you planning to relocate to Bern?"
"Not Bern specifically—someplace in nature. I have a house in Geneva, after all. Besides, my health isn't great, and neither is my wife's."
"Your wife?"
Adalbert nodded bitterly. "Wasn't it infamous even before we married? 'The third son joins the navy, and now he's marrying a sick woman.'"
I fell silent. I knew he'd gone into the navy, but I hadn't realized his wife was so ill that people called it "marrying a patient."
"So? You didn't drag yourself to Bern just for a brotherly chat."
I nodded at his words and answered, "There's something I need your help with, brother."
"If it's money or political backing, count me out."
"It's no trivial matter."
Adalbert paused at my words, slowly setting down his coffee cup. "…Not a 'trivial matter'?"
"No, it's not."
He placed the cup fully on its saucer with a faint clink. The relaxed expression was gone. "…Then let's hear it."
I gathered my thoughts, then spoke slowly. "I need to relocate one person."
Adalbert's eyebrow twitched ever so slightly. "From where to where?"
"From Portugal to Switzerland—here."
He said nothing, but his gaze sharpened. "And I'll protect that person in your name, brother. Not me—you, using the family name."
This time, I could feel him holding his breath. "…Who requires dragging the family name into it?"
Adalbert straightened in his seat. His face had shifted beyond mere exasperation at his little brother's antics—it was the grave look of a man facing a serious matter. I said quietly, "Karl…."
"Karl…? Karl? Your son, Karl Franz?"
"No… Karl Franz… Joseph Ludwig Hubert Georg Otto Maria…."
As I rattled off the lengthy name, his expression hardened further. "…In other words, Karl I."
Adalbert blinked rapidly, his mouth hanging open. His eyes narrowed in disbelief, but no words came. Finally, in the heavy silence, he spoke. "Joachim…."
"Yes, brother."
He stared at me again before opening his mouth. "Joachim! Jo-Joachim! Have you lost your mind? You're asking me to shelter the head of the Habsburgs? The responsibility's too much!"
"…"
Adalbert shot to his feet. I felt eyes from around us, but his face was flushed crimson as he glared down at me.
"I know."
"…You know?"
"Yes—that's why I'm asking you."
I looked up at him. "No one would suspect you, brother."
Adalbert's face stiffened. "You stay out of politics. You take no sides."
I continued steadily. "That's precisely why it's you."
He said nothing. I rose to meet his eyes. "If I make a move, it ties back to the Foreign Ministry. If another brother does, it's the monarchists."
Adalbert's expression soured to the point of rot, but I pressed on. "But if you move, it's nothing. Just simple compassion."
His eyes flickered faintly. "So… you're saying I'm enough?"
I nodded. "That's enough."
He collapsed back into his chair, hand to his forehead, silent. "…Joachim."
This time, his voice was different—resigned. "If I say no… does it end there?"
"…No. Without you, I'd have to resort to far riskier methods."
He raised his head. His gaze had shifted. "…Threats, then."
I shook my head. "Choices."
Adalbert stared long and hard, then spoke slowly. "…You've changed. The kid who couldn't even snap at Viktoria is talking back to me now."
He gave a resigned chuckle. I ducked my head, aware of the stares, and sat quietly. After a moment's thought, I replied, "Time passes, I suppose."
Adalbert let out a short laugh. "Time…."
He leaned back, gazing at the sky. "Can time change a man this much?"
I stayed silent. Moments later, he looked at me again. "…So."
His voice had steadied, low. "What do you get out of this?"
I weighed my words, then answered plainly. "One card to play."
His eyebrow twitched. "Calling the head of the Habsburgs—the Emperor of Austria—just 'Karl.' Time passing… it really hits different now."
I nodded. "As long as he's alive, his placement changes everything."
He murmured it back, mulling it over. "…Dangerous line of thinking."
"That's why I'm asking you. You're the safest choice."
Another brief silence. Adalbert said nothing for a long stretch. He pondered deeply, then met my eyes. "Must I decide right now?"
"No time to waste."
He clasped his hands over his mouth. A sigh escaped. I waited quietly. At last, he rose. "…I have a house in Geneva, where I stay during visits to Switzerland."
Eyes downcast, he continued. "Tell me the day you move him. I'll see His Majesty settled there."
His face still questioned his own decision, but I nodded and stood. I bowed slightly. "Thank you."
"…Go on, you fool of a little brother."
Adalbert managed a bitter smile. I left quietly.
"…Thus, we'll bring His Majesty to Geneva."
"To cower in the shadow of the Hohenzollerns…."
I didn't reply to Karl I. He sat listless and vacant, like a man who'd lost all hope, staring at the floor.
"Times change. Who knows when."
"Like you turning socialist?"
"…."
Karl glanced at me and smirked. "Not surprising. My family had one too. The grandson of Emperor Franz—the previous one—was a socialist, just like you."
I nodded. Elisabeth Marie, the only daughter of the tragic icon Crown Prince Rudolf, was famous for renouncing all her noble privileges in Austria to join the Social Democratic Party as a socialist. In a way, she was the female version of the path Joachim now walked.
"What now? What's your plan for me?"
To his question, I answered quietly. "Live quietly, at least for now. Even Germany bends to the Allies' whims—Your Majesty gets no second chances."
Karl nodded in resignation. I clasped my hands and stood. "I must head home. I've been away from my duties far too long handling Your Majesty's case."
As I turned to leave—
"Prince Joachim."
"…Deputy or minister, please."
I turned back. Karl cleared his throat. "Deputy Joachim, I have a question."
"Yes?"
"What's your real goal? I've heard the rumors, but I can't grasp what you're plotting."
His question made me blink, then counter. "…My goal?"
Karl nodded. I thought it over. Since possessing Joachim, my aims had shifted repeatedly, but now they'd converged on one, and I'd charged toward it relentlessly. I could answer clearly. Quietly, I told him: "The honorable… survival of Germany."
Karl blinked, then bowed his head slowly, murmuring, "…I see."
I left him behind and pressed on. There was still much left to do.