Sophie's Partner
In 1886, the New Year began relatively quietly.
Waldemar gathered with his sisters to quietly celebrate the New Year.
“I hope Victoria’s wish comes true this year.”
Victoria, who had been deeply troubled by the marriage issue with Alexander of Bulgaria, nodded shyly in response to Waldemar’s words of comfort.
“Thank you, Waldi. I hope you and Alix are doing well too.”
Sophie and Margarethe also chimed in.
“Sister, if you need support, just say so. We may not know about other things, but as family, we can at least lend a few words of help.”
“Thank you. Sincerely. When your turn comes to marry, I’ll help you too.”
The princesses exchanged support, confirming their sisterly bond and their unique sense of solidarity.
Waldemar envied their warm bond, but he could not live like them, acting without pretense.
Outwardly, Waldemar supported Victoria’s marriage, but in reality, he had no intention of doing anything about it.
He knew that this marriage would not benefit his sister long-term, and that the German state itself would oppose it.
Above all, if he spoke out here, he would be marked by Wilhelm II, who opposes the marriage.
Waldemar also had to consider his brother’s feelings, who would ascend to the throne in the future.
Victoria wiped away her tears and made a promise to her siblings.
“I will definitely marry him.”
In fact, Victoria had said the same thing last year.
Waldemar had his sisters served with a prepared tea and sweets to prevent them from sinking into gloomy reality.
When various kinds of sweet cakes and candied fruits arrived, the sisters looked puzzled.
“What is all this?”
“Eat it to cheer you up. It’s a custom in the East, they say.”
It was an example shown by Japan, one of the G7 in the 21st century, so Waldemar hadn’t misintroduced it.
“Eat it to cheer up?”
The sisters approached the sweet treats with curious expressions.
While tasting the sweets, they showered praise.
“Where did you get all this from?”
“I visited the hotel in the city and the patisserie.”
With ample money and someone to bring the sweets, anyone could do it.
Victoria ate a cream-topped strawberry with a sweet expression.
“It’s too sweet.”
“But it feels good, right?”
“That seems to be the case.”
While the sisters tasted the sweets, Waldemar also put a candied apple in his mouth.
“By the way, Waldi, when is the engagement with Alix?”
Margarethe’s innocent question made the other sisters look curious as well.
Thinking about it, the two were already recognized by society, and everyone knew they were engaged.
“Hmm.”
Waldemar thought it could be delayed a bit.
Alix’s age was one thing, but timing-wise, it wasn’t a good time to hold such an event now.
“What about you, Sophie? How does the person I introduced think of you?”
Waldemar had searched through German noble families for Sophie.
After casting a wide net, he found Prince Johann Georg of Saxony.
He was 17 years old, one year older than Sophie.
The age difference was just right.
In fact, in this era, nobles married even if the age difference was 20 or even 40 years, as long as status matched, but one year was no issue.
“Um, I’m just thinking about it.”
“Just thinking? No letter?”
“I haven’t sent even one.”
Waldemar felt a sense of frustration.
Although Sophie said that, it was clear that Prince Johann Georg didn’t appeal to her.
It was probably because of his appearance.
Waldemar regretted not introducing his younger brother, the beautiful Maximilian, as a candidate.
But there was a reason he hadn’t chosen his brother first.
Maximilian would later choose the path of priesthood, so he was somewhat risky as a marriage partner.
“Then, let’s forget about Georg.”
Waldemar decided to find other candidates for Sophie.
Sophie still had time.
That wasn’t it either.
He had to worry about Margarethe too.
Waldemar resolved to speed up the search for Sophie’s partner.
In just a few days, he found several new suitable candidates for Sophie.
How about Prince Ernst Ludwig of Hesse?
Prince Ernst Ludwig, Alix’s brother, was a quiet person who loved art and literature, with excellent appearance, and could be a stable husband for Sophie.
His status as heir to the grand duke also fit for a princess.
However, he also had disadvantages as a marriage partner.
First, Hesse was too intertwined with the Hohenzollerns.
Waldemar was intertwined with Irene for Alix and Heinrich.
If they added one more pair, Victoria the Crown Princess would obviously not approve.
Second, Ernst was already a person who had attracted attention in high society, so there were many women waiting in line.
When Sophie asked if she could win this competition, Waldemar wasn’t very confident either.
Waldemar decided to exclude Prince Ernst.
The more carefully Waldemar considered the pros and cons of the candidates selected by his servants, the more he felt that something was lacking compared to Ernst.
It really isn’t easy to find a candidate who can compete with my original brother-in-law George.
George’s name briefly crossed his mind, but it was just a thought.
Regardless of whether it was realistically possible, Alexandra, the British Crown Princess, and Victoria, the German Crown Princess, were not people who would agree to a marriage alliance because they argued over small issues.
Waldemar himself, when thinking about future relations with Britain, didn’t think that George and Sophie’s union would be positive.
George is out, and if Ernst isn’t, who is there?
Waldemar relaxed some of the conditions.
After pondering for a long time, he found a suitable candidate.
Ruprecht of Bavaria.
He hadn’t considered Ruprecht from the beginning partly because he was a Catholic noble, but also because the apparent status of the prince was low.
But soon, he would become the actual heir to Bavaria, so the current status issue could be resolved.
All other factors were good.
Not only was Ruprecht’s family background clean, but he also had abundant military talent.
Among German nobles who participated in the First World War, he had the most outstanding military record, so there was no need to explain his abilities.
In other words, Ruprecht was a man who possessed all the conditions Waldemar wanted as a brother-in-law.
Good. Sophie probably won’t dislike this much.
While Waldemar was in Berlin, he decided to resolve this issue.
He negotiated with his mother.
“Ruprecht? Who is that?”
As expected, the Crown Princess didn’t even know Ruprecht’s status.
If the Crown Princess couldn’t remember, it meant he wasn’t an important noble.
“He is a noble from the Wittelsbach family.”
“Oh? He doesn’t seem to be the heir.”
“Not yet.”
“Not yet?”
Victoria the Crown Princess sensed something in Waldemar’s subtle answer.
She knew her son was smart and quick with information.
“Soon, when the king of Bavaria changes, Ruprecht will become the actual ruler of Bavaria.”
At those words, the Crown Princess couldn’t hide her shock.
“The king changes? How?”
“Probably forced abdication. As far as I know, abdication is being prepared.”
“Then.”
“Yes. Ruprecht’s status will change. When that time comes, if Sophie proposes, I can’t guarantee success.”
At Waldemar’s assertion, Victoria the Crown Princess fell into thought.
The heir to Bavaria.
As a political or status-wise appealing marriage partner.
If they could tie Bavaria down, perhaps he would have more confidence in competing with Billy.
The Crown Princess calculated the pros and cons and decided to partially accept her son’s proposal.
“First, allow me to investigate the person named Ruprecht.”
“Just investigate? Isn’t that a bit insufficient?”
“Then, if the opportunity arises, invite Ruprecht here.”
Victoria the Crown Princess thought this was sufficient sincerity.
“Understood.”
After obtaining Victoria’s consent, Waldemar informed Sophie about the issue as well.
Sophie frowned at the news that her brother had found another suitor, but her expression changed when she heard the partner’s status.
“The heir to Bavaria?”
“It will soon be that person.”
Of course, the official title of Crown Prince would come when his father ascended the throne in 1913 as regent, but in fact, before that, Germans saw Ruprecht as the heir to Bavaria.
Sophie also requested a portrait of Ruprecht this time.
Waldemar promised to get Sophie a portrait, and if Ruprecht appealed to her heart, he requested her cooperation in the marriage.
“Okay. I promise.”
Sophie replied cheerfully.
She also knew she couldn’t live enjoying only love in a warm family.
“Instead, if Ruprecht turns out to be strangely looking, you’ll have to be prepared, brother.”
Waldemar assured her that such a thing wouldn’t happen.
Although Sophie’s issue seemed to be resolved, it was Victoria and Margarethe.
Waldemar sighed.
Victoria, if Alexander is driven out of Bulgaria, we’ll think of another way.
Waldemar decided to slowly unravel the complicated marriage issue of his second sister.
But before Waldemar could focus on his sisters’ marriages, an unexpected shock wave swept through the entire empire.
“The Poles are disloyal and impure subjects who are not faithful to the German state and its monarch. Leaving them inside the empire is like keeping an enemy inside the house! So we must expel the dangerous enemy from within our fences! For the future of the empire!”
German Chancellor Bismarck declared at the New Year’s speech in the parliament that he would resume the large-scale expulsion of Poles!
This declaration soon shook all of Europe.