Chapter 105
Chapter 105
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 105
Chapter Title: The Crown Prince's Wedding (2)
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"Your Majesty. Your Highness."
The Duchess Cecilie, upon arriving in Berlin, was greeted by the enthusiastic cheers of the city's residents amid a shower of red rose petals. She made her way to Schloss Bellevue—a palace that would one day serve as the residence of Germany's presidents.
There, the Duchess Cecilie gracefully curtsied before Kaiser Wilhelm II, the Augusta Empress, Crown Prince Wilhelm—who would become her husband that day—and the rest of the imperial family waiting for her. The Kaiser and his wife welcomed their first daughter-in-law with pleased expressions.
'Well, there's no way Wilhelm II wouldn't approve of Duchess Cecilie.'
If he didn't like her, he would've thrown a fit and ordered the Crown Prince to break it off ages ago.
Any other son might be different, but the Crown Prince's wife would become the future Empress of the German Empire and mother to the next Crown Prince.
In that regard, Duchess Cecilie must have seemed not just suitable but an outstanding match for the role in the Kaiser's eyes.
Her father was the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, one of the most prestigious ruling houses in Germany, and her mother was Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna, granddaughter of Tsar Nicholas I. She had impeccable lineage, along with the talents and character befitting a Crown Princess.
"You will bear many duties and responsibilities as Crown Princess from now on. It is a heavy burden, but one you must endure."
"I will keep that in mind, Your Highness."
The Augusta Empress, once Crown Princess herself, offered this advice to her new daughter-in-law, and Duchess Cecilie nodded.
"Now, we can't keep the bride standing forever. Let us all head to the Berlin Palace."
Over fifty royals and nobles from abroad, gathered for the wedding, awaited the bride at the Berlin Palace.
There, Duchess Cecilie would exchange greetings with the royals and be invested as a knight of the Order of Louise in their presence by her father-in-law, Kaiser Wilhelm II.
The Order of Louise had been founded by King Frederick William III of Prussia—during the Napoleonic era—to honor his wife, Queen Louise, who was beloved by the Prussian people. It was awarded to royal women or those who had made great contributions to the state.
In simple terms, it was like the female version of Britain's Order of the Garter.
However, I didn't follow Duchess Cecilie to the Berlin Palace.
I had business elsewhere.
"Your Majesty, I'll head to the cathedral right away to check if the broadcast preparations are in order."
"Very well. Go ahead."
As Crown Prince Wilhelm and Duchess Cecilie passed through the Brandenburg Gate amid cannon salutes and the roaring cheers of the crowds on their way to the Berlin Palace, I made straight for the Berlin Cathedral, where the main ceremony would soon take place.
The procession could be filled in with a script and staging, but the wedding itself was to be broadcast live in real time, so I needed to confirm everything.
"Good day, Baron."
"Hello, Mr. Strauss. How are the rehearsal preparations coming along?"
"Perfect. No—they have to be perfect. Not only have I been invited to this grand occasion for the German Empire, but I've been entrusted with conducting the orchestra for one of its highlight moments!"
Richard Strauss—the composer representing the final golden age of late German Romanticism, following in the footsteps of Richard Wagner and Franz Liszt—waved his arms excitedly in response to my greeting.
I personally wished he'd calm down a bit.
The reason the famous Strauss was here was that he had been tasked with conducting the orchestra for Wagner's Bridal Chorus from Lohengrin and the Mastersingers of Nuremberg at the wedding.
I hadn't brought Strauss in; Duchess Cecilie had insisted he handle the wedding music, so the imperial court had invited him.
It seemed the Duchess had considerable expertise in music, much like fashion.
"Oh, by the way, my new opera is set to premiere this December. I'll send you an invitation later. If you're interested, come see it with the imperial family, Baron."
I smiled and promised to attend, but my face froze the moment I recalled which opera it was.
The Strauss opera premiering in December 1905 was the infamous Salome.
Salome was a masterpiece so brilliant that even Gustav Mahler, Strauss's rival in Austria, had hailed it as "the greatest work of our time."
If you ignored the controversy it sparked at the time over its extreme violence and sensuality.
I loved opera, but was it really suitable for minors?
"...Do you, Friedrich Wilhelm Victor August Ernst, promise to love the bride and fulfill your duties as husband?"
"I do."
"Do you, Cecilie Auguste Marie, promise to love your husband and obey him as his wife?"
"I do."
"In the name of the most holy God and His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, I pronounce you husband and wife."
Ding~ ding-da-dan~ ding~ ding-da-dan~
With the long sermon finally over, the wedding reached its climax.
As if he had been waiting for this moment, Strauss swung his baton, and amid the Bridal Chorus and the blessings of the guests, Crown Prince Wilhelm and Duchess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin—who had now become Crown Princess Cecilie of the German Empire and Crown Princess of Prussia—shared a kiss.
Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap───!
'Phew...'
As the vigorous applause from the wedding guests celebrating the successful union filled the cathedral hall, I let out a sigh of relief from my spot in the corner.
The wedding had gone off without a hitch, which meant the broadcast had succeeded too.
I signaled the broadcast team to wrap up, then approached the newlyweds, surrounded by the imperial family.
"Your Highnesses, congratulations once again on your marriage."
"Thanks, Hans. You did great too. Man, who knew weddings were this exhausting and complicated? I just want to crash right now."
"Hehe, hang in there a little longer, Wilhelm. We still have the banquet, remember?"
Crown Princess Cecilie laughed, and Crown Prince Wilhelm nodded wearily.
Following the ceremony, it was European tradition to hold a lavish banquet and feast.
But the Crown Prince couple wouldn't have time to enjoy it; they had to circulate and greet the guests—especially the attending royals.
I, on the other hand, was done with my duties and could just eat and enjoy myself.
"Hans! Come with me!"
"Princess Luise?"
That's when Viktoria Luise called out to me.
I nodded without a second thought.
Better to go around with someone than wander alone pathetically.
I was about to invite Prince Joachim along too, but Luise blocked my path.
"Joachim said he has plans."
"Plans?"
"I didn't say that... Mmph!"
"Haha, little sister. Come over here."
Joachim seemed like he was about to say something...
No choice—I ended up going around alone with Luise.
Luise and I left the cathedral with the other guests and headed to the banquet hall at the Berlin Palace.
The hall was decorated extravagantly to suit the Crown Prince's wedding feast, with tables laden with mouthwatering delicacies.
"Well, if it isn't Hans and Luise. You've both grown so much since I last saw you!"
"Ah, it's been a while, Crown Prince Constantine."
"Hello, Uncle. Have you been well?"
"Of course!"
Crown Prince Constantine of Greece—whom I hadn't seen since the Dowager Empress Victoria's funeral—spoke in a lively voice.
For reference, he was the uncle of Crown Prince Wilhelm and Luise, and also the sixth cousin of Crown Princess Cecilie.
European royal family trees were a mess, no matter how many times you looked at them.
"By the way, I don't see Crown Princess Sophie."
"Sophie's gone to see the young bride and groom. The Christian couple's with her too."
Turning to where Crown Prince Constantine pointed, I saw a giant even taller than Crown Prince Wilhelm and Crown Princess Cecilie laughing with Crown Princess Sophie and a woman who resembled the Crown Princess.
I knew who it was right away.
King Christian X of Denmark.
The woman resembling our Crown Princess was Cecilie's sister, Queen Alexandrine, wife of Christian X.
'Cecilie mentioned Christian X is 201 cm tall.'
Sure enough, he was impossible to miss.
He might be the tallest royal here.
Vittorio Emanuele III, staring in shock at the Prince of Wales—George—munching on Hawaiian pizza nearby, looked downright puny by comparison.
For the record, dessert was mint chocolate ice cream.
The world's best ice cream couldn't be absent from an occasion like this.
"Speaking of, I've been hearing all about this radio thing lately. That yours, right?"
"Yes. Are you interested, Your Highness?"
"We've got the Olympics in Athens next year. They say radio's great for sports broadcasts—maybe we could use it for the Games."
Ah, next year's Olympics were the Intercalated Games in Athens.
Held to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the first modern Olympics in Athens, the Olympic Committee and Greek government were going all-out to make it a success.
There were some complicated reasons behind it, of course.
Still, it was a prime opportunity to promote radio worldwide.
Time to taste some Olympic hype myself.
"I think that's a great idea. As someone who wants the Olympics to succeed, I'll help however I can."
"Much appreciated. We'll talk details later—the young lady next to you looks like she wants me gone."
"Pardon?"
I tilted my head, not getting it, and Crown Prince Constantine left with a knowing smile.
"Princess Luise, what did he mean?"
"...No idea."
Luise muttered that with her head turned away for some reason.
What's her deal?
Was there some secret European royal code I didn't know about?
Then Luise tugged at my sleeve.
"My head hurts. Let's step out for a bit, Hans."
"Huh? Oh, sure."
Luise led me outside.
I glanced longingly at the food, but she hurried out of the palace like her head really hurt.
We ended up alone in the deserted gardens of the Berlin Palace, sitting on a gazebo bench and gazing at the flowers.
"The flowers are beautiful."
"They are."
"Normally, you'd say, 'You're beautiful too,' right?"
'Sigh...'
I sighed at Luise's words.
Then I looked at her.
"No."
"What's no?"
"Us, like this."
No matter how dense I was, I couldn't miss this.
"Hans, do you hate me?"
"It's not that."
If it came down to like or dislike, of course I liked her.
A beautiful princess liking me? It was an honor beyond my station.
Politically, marrying Luise would be a huge boon for my future.
But that's exactly why I feared getting deeply involved with her.
"Because you're precious to me, I don't want to use you as a tool for my ambition. Besides, considering my skin color and status, it might harm you instead..."
"That doesn't matter. You idiot."
Mwah.
Suddenly, Luise cut me off and leaned in.
Something warm and soft touched my cheek.
"What matters is our feelings, right?"
Luise pulled back, her face flushed, and said,
"It won't be easy, sure. Plenty of people won't like us together. But I think we can overcome it."
"Uh..."
"So, take care of me from now on. Mein Liebe."
She whispered that in my ear and hurried off, cheeks still red.
I stared blankly at the spot where she vanished, completely dazed.
Swipe—
I touched my cheek where her lips had been.
It still felt warm, like her heat lingered.
It was like a sweet dream.
One I wanted to stay in forever.
'Hans. Hans. How dare you touch my daughter—you repay my kindness with betrayal!'
"Gah!"
But as the dreamlike moment faded and reality returned, I imagined an enraged Kaiser Wilhelm II's voice in my ear.
Terror washed over me, draining the blood from my face.
Every German knew Wilhelm II was a doting father who melted at Luise's words.
The moment he found out about us, he wouldn't let me off easy.
And the Kaiser's hobby was logging.
Not just chopping kindling—he felled actual trees with an axe.
He especially favored sturdy oaks for their satisfying chop, felling several a day. Over his lifetime, he'd cut down around 40,000 trees.
'Does he think he's Paul Bunyan or something?!'
Without thinking, I pictured it:
Kaiser Wilhelm II, bulging arm muscles flexing, swinging his axe at the ungrateful wretch who'd stolen his precious daughter's kiss after being taken in.
'...Better keep it secret for now.'
Luise would understand.