Re: Blood and Iron

Chapter 385: A Wedding in the Wake of Winter Part II

Chapter 385: A Wedding in the Wake of Winter Part II

After the weeding itself had been concluded, Bruno's family and their multitude of guests retired to his grand estate to engage in celebration. The bride and groom had begun their traditional waltz on the dancefloor, as the attendees watched with varying and complicated expressions on their faces.

Bruno was a man who had come from a young noble house; through iron and blood, they had established their prominence over the course of the last century—born in steel and fire during the Napoleonic Wars and later cemented in the unification of the German Reich as masters of industry and military command.

Now, the current generation had risen to such heights that the house had earned the title of Counts. That was, of course, the primary branch, but Bruno's cadet branch held even greater titles—Grand Princes in Transylvania and Princes in Russia. Because of this, the young boy who would become a man this night was of significant noble heritage, even if the age of his house was not as grand as its recent elevation in status.

Yet he was marrying an orphan girl from Russia—something that reflected a new and increasingly common tradition among the lower nobility, even as they ascended to the greatest heights. Morganatic marriages were becoming more prevalent, and to many of the old nobles from ancient houses, some of which predated even the mighty Kingdom of Prussia, this was a troubling development.

To Bruno, however, it was simply the natural evolution of the world, nothing to fear. In time, many people of lower birth would rise to nobility through their own merit. But to others who watched in silence, this was a sign that their power was waning.