Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Harbinger of the Storm (3)
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September 10, 1939
Dietrich Schacht's Residence, Frankfurt, 9th Military District, Central Germany
The uninvited guest who had shattered my plans for a rare, relaxing weekend with Claudia took a leisurely sip of his coffee before speaking.
“Well, it's adequate.”
“My apologies for our inadequate preparations. We weren't expecting such a distinguished guest.”
Claudia replied with a perfectly gracious smile, but I would bet my life she was incredibly annoyed.
What I couldn't understand was that Wilhelm also seemed to find Claudia thoroughly displeasing. But why?
“I heard you are not yet married.”
“She is my fiancée. We haven't been able to hold the ceremony, given the current situation.”
“Hmm, I see.”
Wilhelm still wore a look of displeasure. *Why the hell is this Crown Prince barging in on a Sunday morning like this?*
“If I may be so bold, Your Highness, might I ask the purpose of your visit to my home?”
“Of course. I've been rude, visiting so suddenly. My apologies.”
The Crown Prince only feigned a belated apology, then glanced at Claudia before looking back at me.
*This guy...*
“She is not just my fiancée; she is also my most trusted comrade. If this is a conversation she cannot be privy to, then I have no intention of hearing it either, Your Highness.”
For the first time, Wilhelm seemed a bit taken aback by my words. *What, is that so surprising?*
“Hmm, I see. I had no intention of offending you. But I am a man of the old school. It is rather difficult to discuss politics in the presence of an unmarried lady.”
*Wow, he's really spinning it that way?*
I was debating whether to just ask him to leave, elder and Crown Prince be damned, when Claudia squeezed my hand and stood up.
“Then I hope you have a pleasant conversation, Your Imperial Highness.”
As if to make a point, Claudia went upstairs and disappeared into her room.
I mentally erased our plans for a date in the park for lunch. We'd have to go for some sweet dessert to salvage this ruined mood.
The Crown Prince was an important figure. As long as he didn't side with the monarchists, compromise was possible, making him a crucial party for negotiations. I knew this in my head, yet I found him deeply unpleasant.
“I hear you are the link between the civilian factions and the military in the new government.”
“For now, that is the case, Your Highness.”
My official titles were hardly impressive: spokesman for the new government in charge of radio broadcasts, and Major. Before the new government was formed, I was just a mere Captain.
My rank was by no means high, so I had no idea what he knew, how much he knew, or why he was here.
Wilhelm looked at my face, took another sip of coffee, and began to speak.
“Count Blumenthal is a close friend of my eldest son. I am somewhat aware of what you all have been doing since the Munich Agreement.”
*So that's the connection?*
I had been wondering how he came to know of a low-ranking officer like me, but Count Blumenthal had been the one to raid Hitler's residence—a key operative who had plotted directly with us during the planning of the Widerstand operation.
It wouldn't be strange if he had told the Crown Prince everything about my role in this coup. Though the Count's own fate was currently unknown.
“Count Blumenthal...”
“He is a loyal subject who sacrificed himself for the Empire, a noble hero.”
I was about to express my condolences regarding his son's missing friend, but the Crown Prince spoke as if he were already a dead hero.
I was now beginning to understand exactly why he made me so uncomfortable.
“I hear you're not aiming for an empire, but for the revival of democracy. Is that correct?”
“That is correct, Your Highness.”
I wasn't even in the mood to deny it, so I affirmed it outright.
“Wasting time on useless pleasantries is pointless. Since you've answered me frankly, I shall be frank as well.”
The Crown Prince smirked at my response, then casually propped his legs up on the table and crossed his arms.
“I have no intention of bringing my father back as His Majesty the Emperor.”
*Ha, so that was it.*
The reason he'd been so lukewarm toward Dr. Goerdeler and the monarchists.
I hadn't thought he wanted a constitutional monarchy. If he had, there would have been no need for him to join the new government.
No matter how much the new government talked about restoring the monarchy, the Nazi Party couldn't touch the Crown Prince for that alone. Any rash move would only backfire.
Therefore, if he had no desire to play a leading role in the new government and was content to be a mere figurehead, he could have simply waited at Oels Castle for us to secure Germany.
But instead, he had left Oels Castle in Silesia, tested the waters from the residence of his estranged Crown Princess, and then braved the dangers of the civil war to come here himself.
“You wish to become the Emperor yourself, Your Highness.”
“Just as the Count said, you have a quick mind.”
At last, the Crown Prince's actions began to make sense.
Yes, he was in his fifties. It was understandable that, at this point, he had no desire to place his father on the throne.
“Then what do you expect of me, Your Highness? As I've said, I have little interest in an emperor's empire.”
“I want an alliance with your faction.”
*An alliance? What is he talking about?* My expression must have been too obvious, as Wilhelm's face soured slightly.
“Why that reaction? I can be the most powerful check against the hardline monarchists who despise your faction.”
That was true. If the Crown Prince threw his weight behind us, Dr. Goerdeler's cause would be weakened. But—
“Then what do you ask of us, Your Highness?”
“It's simple. Make the people understand that bringing my father back is unrealistic.”
*Look at this guy.* Was he telling me to openly antagonize the monarchists and start an internal power struggle?
“I heard you have a decent grasp of diplomacy. Realistically, if we were to bring my father back and restore the Empire, Britain and France wouldn't stand idly by. Am I wrong?”
“Of course not, Your Highness.”
At my answer, Wilhelm launched into a fervent speech.
“I am not my father. He did nothing but blunder during the Great War. If I had run for president during the Weimar years, a madman like Hitler would never have become Führer! If only my father hadn't stopped me! He cannot rule! I will not allow a Germany that has struggled so hard to rise again to be plunged back into peril!”
The Crown Prince grew more agitated as he spoke. After my conversation with Tresckow, I had done my own research and knew the story.
He had intended to run as a presidential candidate during the Weimar Republic, but Wilhelm II, who despised the democratic system itself, had furiously forbidden it. He had given up and supported Hitler instead.
I could roughly guess how he felt.
"I don't know what you think, but I know reality. Those so-called monarchists who speak of loyalty merely want to reclaim their aristocratic privileges. I know full well they only need an emperor because they can't bear to be beneath commoners."
*So that's why he turned to us.*
“Do you think I'm blind to their scheme? They want to install an emperor, let an uncontrollable military rise again and start another war, and then pin all the blame on him! I and the royal family fought on the front lines of the Great War—a war we didn't even start—and our reward was silence from the military bastards who ignited it and the abolition of the monarchy.”
It was true that World War I could hardly be blamed on Wilhelm II alone. But that didn't mean the German imperial family was without responsibility.
“If you take my hand, my Germany will be one where the old order of the emperor and the nobility and the new order of the democrats check and balance each other. The monarchy is necessary to control the military, after all. The democracy you dream of isn't entirely realistic either, you know.”
Indeed. He had a grasp on reality and, unlike Wilhelm II, was by no means incompetent.
“When people hear the name Wilhelm, I want them to think not of my father, the Kaiser of defeat, but of me, the greatest monarch since Frederick the Great. And you are the perfect man to be my Bismarck.”
“A mere Major, you mean?”
I was flabbergasted by the Crown Prince's sudden leap, but he brushed off my comment as if it were nothing.
“I have watched you all for a long time through Count Blumenthal. I know very well that the so-called leaders of this new government were nothing but well-dressed bystanders. It was you who truly created it.”
The Crown Prince was speaking with great passion, clearly determined to persuade me.
It was surprising even to me that this Crown Prince, who had been thoroughly used and discarded by the Nazis and had remained silent for years, possessed such passion.
“Oster and Tresckow are zealous soldiers, but that is all they are. You, however, have a feel for things. You are passionate enough to plan a daring civil war, flexible enough to draw in all sorts of factions for it, and shrewd enough to succeed in reversing public opinion when it seemed impossible.”
I'd never imagined a situation where the Crown Prince would be singing my praises like this.
“If your birth and rank are an issue, I will have you marry my daughter, Cecilie. As a member of the imperial family, no one would dare say a word against you.”
“I have a perfectly fine fiancée, you know.”
Wilhelm shot a displeased glance toward Claudia's room at my reply before speaking. *So that's why he disliked her. He intended to make me his son-in-law from the start.*
“My daughter is quite lovely, but if you prefer your fiancée, then simply marry my daughter. You can keep the other woman as your mistress. Such is the way of the upper class, is it not? My own wife is an excellent Crown Princess, but she lacks charm as a woman. I will gladly approve of it.”
“Ha...”
“If it's difficult to decide now, think it over carefully. Marrying my daughter will be a great help to your future. In the end, what matters to those nobles is rank by bloodline.”
The Crown Prince, as if his throat were dry, downed the rest of his cold coffee and grimaced.
*Ah, cold coffee that's lost all its aroma and flavor. Just thinking about it tastes bad.*
“You will need time to think, I'm sure, but given the circumstances, I would appreciate a swift decision.”
“No, Your Highness. I will give you my answer right now.”
Wilhelm frowned at my words.
“Are you sure that's wise?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Wilhelm ran a hand through his hair and gave a bitter smile.
“Well, fine. Let's hear your reasons.”
“Then, with all due respect, Your Highness. Britain and France will oppose the restoration of the monarchy itself, regardless of whether it is the former Emperor on the throne.”
Crown Prince Wilhelm's expression turned uncomfortable. Of course, his own ascension was a different matter from bringing back Wilhelm II.
The Crown Prince was already in Germany. If we were to suddenly declare him Emperor, Britain and France might be slow to react, leading to a lukewarm response.
But that was only a possibility. Unlike with the Anschluss or the Munich Agreement, their patience had reached its limit, and their war preparations were well underway.
Who could guarantee they would remain idle if we handed them a pretext now?
“I have no intention of gambling the fate of a Germany we have struggled so hard to save from the Nazis' clutches on the whims of Britain and France.”
He furrowed his brow, stared at me in silence for a moment, then spoke.
“But surely we could overcome that through diplomacy, no? You are only a Major. Having many connections is entirely different from having power yourself. Imagine how much you could accomplish as a member of the imperial family and as my Chancellor.”
“Your point is valid, Your Highness. But it would also be a betrayal of the people who have trusted and followed me, dreaming of a restored democracy. And just as Your Highness is reluctant to rely on the monarchists for power, I have no desire to become someone easily disposed of, with my entire foundation dependent on you.”
He could not refute that. His offer was sweet to the ears. He would empower me and leave room for civilian factions to exercise some influence and hold positions even under a monarchy.
But ultimately, his plan to use the support of myself and the civilian factions to check the monarchists meant he wanted neither side to escape his control.
“Furthermore, I have no desire to serve a man who would tell me to make a mistress of the woman who believed in me and risked her life to come this far with me.”
If she hadn't connected me with the Frankfurter Zeitung, if she hadn't helped me back to my feet after I fell apart following the Munich Agreement, if she hadn't trusted my uncertain words enough to assassinate Ribbentrop.
The me standing here today, our new government, would not exist.
“Instead, allow me to make a proposal, Your Imperial Highness. Reign, but do not rule, as an honored Emperor in the people's democratic government. If you do so, the House of Hohenzollern, free from the worries of tyrants or fools, will be beloved by the German people and endure for a long time.”
Crown Prince Wilhelm let out a dry laugh.
“You've just kicked away the chance to go down in history as the great chancellor who raised a glorious Germany under the rule of a great emperor.”
It's not that I believe democracy is absolutely superior to monarchy. History has proven that a dictatorship under a wise ruler is far more beneficial to a nation than a subpar democracy.
If it weren't for these times, for this Germany.
He might indeed have become a decent emperor.
But in this era, in this Germany, his competence could become a poison.
A nation already industrialized, where nationalism has intensified, cannot be fully controlled by an absolute monarch. To overestimate one's own abilities in such a state would be a disaster.
“I hope you can become the great emperor you wish to be, Your Imperial Highness.”
“Hah. And I hope the German democracy you desire can be born.”
Envisioning the different Germanys we each desired, we turned our backs on one another.
< German Civil War - Harbinger of the Storm (3) > End
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