Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Deathbed
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That day onward.
Wilhelm II and the Victoria Dowager Empress began spending much more time together.
Ever since arriving at Schloss Friedrichshof, the Kaiser's face had never once relaxed, but now it seemed as though some long-held tension had eased, leaving him with a remarkably serene expression. Even the prickly Victoria Dowager Empress had softened considerably.
"Ha. Pigs really might fly someday. To think I'd see Father and Grandmother talking and laughing without fighting... Hans, what on earth did you do?"
"Your Highness, I merely gave the two of them a gentle nudge."
"You think a simple push like that could change Father and Grandmother so much?"
"It may seem trivial, but it was the one thing they needed more than anything."
"Mother and the aunts are grateful to you. They said you accomplished what no one else could."
Well, the Augusta Empress and the other imperial family members probably couldn't say something like that so bluntly to Wilhelm II and Victoria Dowager Empress.
Given the two's unusually strong personalities, everyone feared the Kaiser and the Dowager Empress, making it hard for them to approach.
"Though Aunt Charlotte doesn't seem too pleased with this atmosphere."
"Is that so."
"Eh, no need to worry about it. That's just how Aunt is."
Crown Prince Wilhelm said this with an awkward smile.
'Come to think of it, Crown Prince Wilhelm didn't like me much at first either.'
But now we were close enough to joke around like this.
Gurgle~
"Hm. Getting hungry. Hans, what time is it?"
"Around 11:30, Your Highness."
I checked the pocket watch at my waist and replied.
I'd bought it because I liked its antique look, but it was heavier than expected and a hassle to carry.
Wonder how long until wristwatches come out?
"Already? Then let's head back to the castle."
"Yes."
"Wilhelm! Hans!"
As we nodded and turned toward Schloss Friedrichshof, Princess Margarete came running up, shouting in a panicked voice.
Something about her made me feel an ominous chill.
"Aunt Margarete? What happened?"
Crown Prince Wilhelm seemed to sense it too.
With a hardened face, he asked, and Princess Margarete gasped for breath as she cried out to us.
"Hurry, hurry back to the castle!"
"Yes?"
"M-Mother...!"
Princess Margarete could say no more.
Her face was pale with shock and fear.
"Lord have mercy."
The Crown Prince murmured, as if he'd guessed what had happened.
In the end, that day had come.
"Grandmother!"
"Your Majesty the Dowager Empress!"
"Cough, cough... Ah, you've finally come."
Following Princess Margarete, we rushed back to Schloss Friedrichshof and headed straight to the Victoria Dowager Empress's bedroom.
But the moment I saw her, I bit my lip without thinking.
She'd seemed perfectly fine that very morning, yet now she lay in bed, utterly wasted away.
As if she'd reached her absolute limit.
"...It seems my time has come."
The Victoria Dowager Empress spoke in a feeble voice, and the Augusta Empress, Princess Victoria, and Crown Princess Sophie, who had been at her side, began to weep.
Wilhelm II and Prince Heinrich held back their tears, but their faces were steeped in profound grief.
Princess Charlotte still had her sullen expression, though.
"Margarete, my youngest daughter."
"Mother."
Princess Margarete, eyes reddening, grasped her mother's frail hand.
Beside her stood her husband— the Victoria Dowager Empress's only son-in-law present— Friedrich Karl, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, gently holding his grieving wife's shoulder.
"Live harmoniously with your husband and children, just as you do now. The most precious thing is always family."
"Yes."
"Friedrich Karl, you've always been a good son-in-law. Cherish Margarete from here on as well."
"I will, Mother-in-law."
Friedrich Karl, who would briefly become King of Finland in the future, nodded.
He wasn't the most imposing presence, but since he truly cherished Princess Margarete, there was no need to worry.
"And Margarete, take good care of what I've entrusted to you."
"Yes."
With that, the Victoria Dowager Empress turned her gaze to her fifth child, Crown Princess Sophie.
Sophie was so overcome with grief that I worried for the child in her womb.
"Sophie, you grieved deeply when my mother passed. This must be a hard time for you."
"Sob... Mother......"
"But you must stay strong, for the sake of the child. Your position demands it."
"Yes..."
Crown Princess Sophie, once Crown Princess of Germany, nodded solemnly at the advice from the woman who had held that role before her.
The Victoria Dowager Empress briefly spoke with her second daughter, Princess Victoria, then turned to her second son, Prince Heinrich.
"Heinrich."
"Yes, Mother."
Now it was Prince Heinrich's turn.
"When you were young, I always scolded you as a lazy, foolish boy. For not studying and always fooling around."
"Haha, you did."
"But I was wrong."
"!"
"You're a brave and proud son. Thank you for growing up so well."
"Mother......"
Prince Heinrich's voice choked with emotion.
"And Charlotte."
"...Yes, Mother."
Princess Charlotte replied with a reluctant face.
"I won't say much. Be kinder to Feodora. She's your only daughter. When you're in hardship later, the only ones you can rely on are family."
"Sigh, I understand."
Princess Charlotte sighed in response.
But unlike her siblings, she didn't seem to take it to heart.
"Finally, Wilhelm."
"Yes, Mother."
And now it was Wilhelm II's turn.
His face seemed composed, but he couldn't hide his sorrow.
'If this were the original history, he'd have had an attitude like Princess Charlotte's.'
"We've only just opened our hearts to each other, and now the Lord won't grant me a little more time. It's regrettable."
"Mother..."
"Billy, my son. Many trials and tribulations lie ahead of you. I used to worry if you could overcome them, but now... I think you'll be fine."
"Is that so."
Mother and son shared a faint smile and, for some reason, looked at me.
Was it my imagination, or did my shoulders suddenly feel heavier?
"Come here, Hans."
"Yes, Your Majesty the Dowager Empress."
"All I can say to you is thank you."
"......"
"Take good care of Billy and my family from now on."
"I will."
The Victoria Dowager Empress said this and stroked my hand.
Unlike before, her hand was chillingly cold, filling me with pity.
"Cough, cough! Mother, Friedrich, Sigismund, Waldemar..."
I'll be able to see them soon.
The Victoria Dowager Empress murmured this and closed her eyes.
And she never opened them again.
August 5, 1901.
Princess Royal Victoria Adelaide departed for the side of her beloved husband and young sons.
With a small smile on her lips.
"Your Majesty, my condolences."
"Thank you, Frederick."
Sir Frederick Ponsonby, godson of the Victoria Dowager Empress, comforted the somber-faced Kaiser and offered sincere condolences for the death of his revered godmother.
After the Dowager Empress entered eternal rest, all of Schloss Friedrichshof was shrouded in grief, but the imperial family had no time to rest.
Given the nature of Europe's interconnected royal houses bound by blood, the death of a royal was never a light matter.
Especially since Victoria Adelaide was the eldest daughter and most beloved child of Queen Victoria, known as the Grandmother of Europe.
Royals and government officials from around the world would surely visit Germany to pay their respects, so Wilhelm II and his family now had to prepare both the Dowager Empress's funeral and to receive these guests.
"Then we must inform the royal houses and governments of the various nations of Godmother's passing."
"Mm."
"May I inform the British royal family and government on Your Majesty's behalf? It would be better than an official government notice."
"Very well. I'll leave it to you, Frederick."
Wilhelm II said this and patted Sir Ponsonby's shoulder as if to say thanks for your trouble.
"......"
Once the Kaiser left to inform the cabinet of his mother's death, the grief-stricken godson's face vanished from Sir Ponsonby's expression, replaced by the cool demeanor of a British noble.
His godmother's death was undoubtedly tragic.
But now that she had passed, it was time for Sir Ponsonby to fulfill his duty.
"To the hotel."
"Yes, my lord."
Sir Ponsonby left Schloss Friedrichshof, boarded his carriage, and headed straight to his hotel in Kronberg.
"You've arrived, Sir Ponsonby. Earlier than usual today."
Upon reaching his room, his servants greeted him warmly.
"The Princess Royal has entered eternal rest."
"!"
But their faces darkened instantly at the news.
They still remembered her.
The pride of their once-great British Empire, their treasure: Princess Royal Victoria Adelaide.
Her passing was heartbreaking news.
"We must send word to the homeland."
"Yes. Prepare the telegram at once."
At Sir Ponsonby's words, his servants—nay, the British royal household's minions—sprang into action.
Meanwhile, Sir Ponsonby began compiling the information to send back home.
His mission had been to witness the Dowager Empress's final moments while secretly observing whether the German imperial family or the Kaiser showed any unusual movements.
It wasn't very gentlemanly, but true to his 100% British blood, Sir Ponsonby was the sort who wouldn't hesitate at even dirtier deeds for Britain and the royal family.
But lately, Schloss Friedrichshof had undergone a major change from its usual state.
"Who would have thought the Kaiser would open his heart to Godmother and resolve their grudge."
Sir Ponsonby muttered.
He knew well the rift between Wilhelm II and the Victoria Dowager Empress.
Just months ago, at her request, he had secretly smuggled her personal letters to Britain to keep them from the Kaiser's hands.
Their mother-son relationship was far from normal.
Though most European royal families were similar.
But that was only until recently.
Things had changed now.
Because of one Eastern boy.
"Hans Choi......"
The boy famous in Britain for saving Kaiser Wilhelm II from an assassin.
The improvement in the Kaiser and Dowager Empress's relationship was thanks to him.
First impressions: just a clean-looking yellow man.
But from the day he arrived at Schloss Friedrichshof, continued observation revealed Hans Choi was no ordinary child.
"What in the world is he?"
Smart kids exist.
But Hans Choi was too smart.
What kind of kid debates the limits and future of monarchy versus democracy, quoting Hegel and Thomas Mill?
'He's definitely nine years old, right?'
He could toss the boy into the viper pit of British Parliament and he'd stroll out unscathed. At just nine?
It made no sense, no matter how he thought about it.
'What on earth has the Kaiser brought into the palace?'
With Victoria Adelaide's death—the link between the German and British royals—Anglo-German relations would shake dramatically.
In a bad direction, given the Kaiser's attitude toward his maternal side.
But Hans Choi could be a wildcard.
And Sir Ponsonby couldn't judge if he'd be a boon or a threat to Britain.
"I must warn His Majesty to beware of that boy."
Sir Frederick Edward Grey Ponsonby, personal secretary to King Edward VII, murmured to himself.