Re: Blood and Iron

Having completed his surgical strike on the French brigands who had crossed the border into Luxembourg—laying siege to the royal house of the small but proud nation—Bruno wasted no time checking on the Grand Duchess and her family.

The battlefield still smoldered. Shell casings glinted beneath the broken moonlight. Fires hissed in the distance as the Werwolf soldiers moved like wraiths through the palace corridors, sweeping for stragglers.

Bruno and a small cadre of veteran soldiers followed what remained of the Luxembourgish Gendarmerie into the palace’s inner sanctum—a concealed bunker complex buried beneath the estate, more panic room than proper bomb shelter, but heavily fortified nonetheless.

Royal guards stood at attention before the reinforced doors, stone-faced and bruised but unbroken. Behind them, the royal family of Luxembourg had taken refuge in an emergency chamber designed for maximum concealment, hidden deep in the foundations of the estate.

It was only after the captain of the guard confirmed the threat had been neutralized—and that the German rescue had arrived just in time—that the Grand Duchess emerged.

“My savior!”

Marie-Adélaïde rushed toward Bruno with reckless abandon, eyes wide, arms open, her voice breathless with gratitude and emotion. But Bruno had seen this coming. He sidestepped her with the reflexes of a man who had dodged death on every continent—and now found dodging affection far more exhausting.

He let out a slow, tired sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose to stave off the migraine blooming behind his temples.

“I’m glad to see you safe, Your Grace. But please—try to avoid anything so… shameless.If word got out that you tried to embrace me, the scandal would drag your name through every gutter in Europe.”

Marie froze mid-step, her smile faltering. For a long moment, her face twisted between embarrassment and frustration. This was not the first time Bruno had deflected her advances. But it was the first time he had done so with such blunt finality.

She had believed she was getting closer—that each visit, each brush with mortality, each glance exchanged in dimly lit corridors, had chipped away at his carefully constructed defenses.

The truth was that she admired him—not just for his achievements or appearance, but for the impossible discipline that wrapped around him like a shell. She was not like many of the other, Marie didn’t want to conquer Bruno like a flirtatious coquette. She wanted entry into the one place no one had been allowed: his heart.

But that door had never opened. Not once. Not for her. It was completely and utterly infuriating. And she couldn’t fathom why. She wasn’t asking for the man to make an honesdt woman of her, to place a ring on her finger and call her his wife.

Hell, she didn’t even really want the man to stop by and warm her bed from time to time, like some dishonorable mistress. No, Marie just wanted Bruno to look at her with one tenth the pure love and affection she had seen him show Heidi time and again. So why? Why was this such an impossible request?

The captain of the guard, perhaps sensing the tension, interjected quickly in Bruno’s defense.

“Please, Your Grace. The Generalfeldmarschall and his men parachuted in under cover of night, crossed enemy lines, and performed a perfect encirclement of the brigands. He personally led the charge into the palace—first through the breach.He must be exhausted. Now may not be the best time for… diplomacy.”

Bruno shot him a look that said in perfect silence,

I owe you one.

Marie-Adélaïde turned her face aside with a dignified pout. Her composure cracked for a breath, then returned with practiced grace. She dipped into a formal curtsey—perfect, poised, yet undeniably tinged with disappointment.

“Forgive me, Your Royal Highness. I lost control of myself for but a moment there. The terror… the helplessness these past few days… I was not myself.

But you’ll be staying here now, won’t you? To ensure our protection—against any future incursions?”

Bruno met her gaze. She didn’t blink. He understood her perfectly. She wasn’t just asking for security. She was offering herself—and everything that came with it. Stay. Just this once. Be mine. And Luxembourg is yours. It was an unspoken proposal. One draped in velvet and wrapped in sorrow.

And still, Bruno did not move.

He was a man of loyalty. Of vows. And his vow—to his wife Heidi—was one not easily bent, not for power, not for politics, not for beauty or tragedy. He had seen what infidelity did to great men.

Time and again, he had seen the rot of compromise in palaces and trenches alike. He would not become one of them. He was a man who had always put his duty, to his wife, to his family, to his Kaiser, and his nation above his own personal desires and needs. And today was no exception.

Because of this, he stepped forward, placing his gloved hands gently on Marie’s porcelain shoulders. His touch was respectful—distant—but firm.

“Your Grace… I will leave a garrison of my finest men. Your borders will be secured. Order will be restored. And I’ll ensure a diplomatic channel remains open with the Kaiser, should you need it.

But I must be clear. What you seek from me… I cannot give. I’ve tried to be polite in the past, but mercy delayed is cruelty prolonged. So let me say it plainly now: it will never happen.

I am truly sorry.”

She blinked. Once. Then again. The weight of his words crushed the flicker of hope still burning in her eyes.

“I go now to return to my wife and my family.I made a promise to you long ago—that if you ever called for help, I would come.And I have. That promise is fulfilled. My part is done. This is goodbye.”

And with that, Bruno turned his back on her—and walked out of the chamber without another word. He did not see the way she stood there frozen, nor how her fists clenched at her sides as he disappeared from view. It took her several long seconds to process it all.

Her mouth opened—but no sound came. Just silence. Followed by tears. Silent. Dignified. Private. When they finally stopped, she whispered only to herself, her voice hollow.

“Fine. So be it.She will have you in this life.But in the next… I will find you first.And then…”

But even she did not know how to finish the thought. All that remained was the echo of her words in the cold, lonely silence of the bunker.