AYKRR Chapter 3
Monarchist
28th May 1942,
The Imperial Party's headquarters was quite impressive, no doubt about that. A repurposed opera house that was bought out after its previous owner went bankrupt, it could seat hundreds and allow a single speaker to be heard easily in any one of its four theatres. Guarding the main gate were two burly security guards carrying metal cudgels and holstered pistols.
I walked to the entrance, disguised with a wig of curly brown hair, four-inch-thick platform shoes to mask my shortness, green contacts and an oversized scarf to conceal my facial features, along with spectacles. Flashing my fake journalist license that Elya had arranged identified me as twenty-two-year-old Anna Ködermann from the Berun Times. Elya had managed to book me an interview with von Schiel, with me posing as the interviewer.
It wouldn't do for me to be publicly seen as Chancellor-President, making such a visit to the headquarters of the Imperialist Party. I didn't want to give people the impression that I was in any way a supporter of their monarchist movement.
The two guards stood aside to let me through to the foyer, where a friendly receptionist flashed me a smile and led me to von Schiel's office on the second floor and knocked on it. The man who opened the door was nearly identical to the photograph I saw, but he now looked more the part of a businessman with the suit and tie he was sporting. Walther von Schiel introduced himself primly and I responded in kind.
Von Schiel then led me to his table, where he handled his Party's paperwork. It seemed he had cleared it out in preparation for this interview. We sat down on plush seats, where biscuits and steaming coffee were already waiting. I internally nodded in approval.
Fishing out a pen and notepad from inside my jacket, I began the interview.
"Herr von Schiel, what would you think is Germania's biggest issue in the current day?"
"That Imperials are still separated from their friends and families by borders imposed upon us by foreign nations. Don't people from Lothiern speak the same language as us? Didn't the Danes, Pulls, Czechs, Slovaks and Hungarians bleed their blood for us in the war? Chancellor Degurechaff has done a fantastic job with Osterry, that I agree. But the Albish dogs and Francois frogs are always sabotaging her efforts. If she had her way, the entire Empire would be united already. Though I suppose it's just the dogs in our way now that the Argent has put the Franks in their place." Oh, he was a revanchist, alright. This type of bellicose attitude would have plunged Germania into a war with the Albish. Moreover, I didn't like him having such a false impression of me. He made me sound like a power-hungry bully. On the other hand, he would be quite elated at the news of the plebiscites being announced next week.
"Do you approve of Chancellor-President Degurechaff?" I instinctively corrected his misuse of my position.
"Approve? Does the sun rise from the east? Do the tides not rise and fall? I could understand why some may hold a differing view of our Chancellor before the war, but now? Anyone that disapproves of Chancellor Degurechaff is either stupid, a Frank, or both." That was surprising, I thought he would think I wasn't absorbing the Imperial successor states quickly enough.
"I've read about your stance on reverting back to a monarchy. Can I ask why you hold this opinion?"
"Frau Ködermann, while democracy may sound good in theory, it can also make a nation weak. Just look at the Francois, and how De Lugo brought them to ruin out of their own hubris. Or Ildoa, where Muzzioli rigged the election. Or Albion, where their Parliament sat paralysed as a continental war waged, then ending up paying for it. Or even the Unified States, where you're either on the left or the right. Don't even get me started on Ispagnia and their raging civil war. The common people are simply too manipulatable. This allows the wrong people to come into power. Before you point out the Argent, Germania was simply lucky to have her. She was the exception, not the rule."
This was dangerous, Walther von Schiel truly did believe that democracy was a failed system. He was even engaging in cognitive dissonance by ignoring the fact that I was democratically elected.
"And how would an absolute monarchy be an improvement?"
"A strong and decisive leader, unbound by bureaucracy and constant worries for re-elections or approval is what Germania needs. Back to the good old days, I say. We can keep the Reichstag, of course, but our monarch should be the ultimate voice. The President of Germania serves a similar role, yes, but even a President needs to get elected and can only hold office for so long. The Reichstag would function similarly to a council of advisers to the monarch, with the Chancellor serving as a vizier and the position of President abolished to make way for the monarch.
"And who would we put on the throne?" I was getting a tiny bit vexed listening to his zeal for an ineffective system of governance that lacks proper checks and balances. Let's go for the question I've been wanting to ask the most.
Von Schiel gave me an incredulous look. "Who else but a tried-and-true ruler of Germania?" I see, he wanted the Kaiser back in power then. It was expected of him, being from a loyalist family. Furthermore, despite having been stripped of his official powers, the Kaiser's family still held much prestige and influence among the nobility of the former Empire. I didn't expect that his influence would be enough to make Walther von Schiel start such a publicly visible monarchist movement.
With that, I thanked him for the interview, shook his hands and made my way to the door. Just before I left though, he called out a question for me.
"Frau Ködermann, why do you think that Chancellor Degurechaff is not doing whatever she wants, damn what the Albish and frogs think?" Was that supposed to be a trick question?
"Because, Herr von Schiel, she is a democratically elected leader." Answering with a frustrated tone and putting special emphasis on 'democratically elected', I left with an impolite huff. With that answer, I meant to point out to him that it was the democratic system Germanian had that was preventing us from getting into conflicts over inane decisions made by dictators while hammering into his brain that I was a leader because of democracy, not in spite of it.
I exited the Imperial Party's headquarters while thinking about the information I just obtained from the interview. With von Schiel's slip, I could deduce that the royal family, or more specifically the former Kaiser, was the puppeteer directing von Schiel. Von Schiel himself was too extreme in his opinions to be of a threat. The average reasonable Germanian wouldn't ever stand for his views.
Was the Kaiser himself the Blessed? No, he wasn't a mage. However, the Imperial family was known for producing mages, even flight-capable ones. Wasn't the ace of aces Deborah von Edelreich, known as the Sword of Light, a princess of the Imperial family masquerading as a commoner? I vaguely remembered her during the First Great War. Last I heard, she got married and had kids. But let's not get sidetracked. Her existence proved that the Imperial family could naturally produce top tier flight mages on its own.
What if the Blessed was a mage in the Imperial family that was influencing the Kaiser to direct the Imperial Party? After all, the Kaiser was quite old and might pass away any day now. When that happens, the Blessed would be in a position to inherit the throne. Yes, it was obvious what the Blessed's ploy was now.
I should send the BND to pay closer attention to the Kaiser's family to determine which member of the family exactly the Blessed was. In fact, I should send him a personally written warning letter, thinly veiled as a letter to the Kaiser, Being X's pawn would surely have a way to read it if he's acting through the old man.
My mouth curled into a predatory smile under my scarf. Being X's Blessed, I got you now. You were clever, but not discreet enough.
Although Walther von Schiel had always taken pride in his noble birth, he did not disparage others of less privileged origin. In fact, he was aware that those who come from less fortunate backgrounds often develop more grit and determination to succeed than nobles like him. As such, he had always held a quiet respect for people that managed to uplift themselves from harsh conditions.
So, he had been very pleasantly surprised when he first heard of Tanya von Degurechaff back in 1927. An orphan that managed to become the greatest soldier in the Imperial Army, all before even reaching puberty. He cheered her on and wished her success back then, he still did now.
After the war, he had been heartbroken by the partitioning of the Empire. He'd grown resentful of the nations that defeated the Empire but couldn't do anything about it. So, he'd decided to open up a business to provide employment to fellow veterans.
It did well initially, but the hyperinflation that followed nearly killed off his clothing store. While he had wealth to fall back on, his employees did not. So, he decided to stick with the shop until he would be forced to close it down. That was until Chancellor Degurechaff's anti-inflation policies saved it from ruin.
Von Schiel never had much of an interest in politics back then and hadn't even voted in the previous election, but Degurechaff inspired him to start attending GWP rallies. Her cries for the revanchism resonated with him deeply, but even he was sceptical of the other Great Powers letting Germania reclaim a single foothold of its own Imperial territory.
The Osterry plebiscite proved him wrong. Like a glass ceiling being shattered, Walther von Schiel realised that Tanya von Degurechaff was destined to be the one to lead the Empire back together. It was her that made him realise that the Empire could rise again, stronger than ever before.
The next day, he'd cobbled up whatever funds he had and formed his own political party. It was wishful thinking that Degurechaff would just up and move to his party, of course, but von Schiel had still managed to convince his old Junker war buddies and some other aristocrats to join him.
Over time, they've grown in influence, size and wealth. His and his supporter's goals weren't to regress Germania or to compete with the GWP like how many of his detractors seemed to whisper behind his back, but to rather show Chancellor Degurechaff that there was another, quicker way to bring the Empire back to glory.
So, imagine his surprise when halfway through his interview with a supposedly doe-eyed girl fresh out of university, von Schiel realised who he was truly conversing with. The future messiah of the Empire herself- Tanya von Degurechaff.
He knew that establishing a party with overlapping interest with the GWP would bring him attention. He just didn't expect that it would bring the Argent to his doorsteps.
Oh, her disguise was adequate, but Walther von Schiel was from a long line of Junkers. He and his brothers had been trained to see through deception and disguise since they were teenagers, and Degurechaff's amateurish attempt was easily unmasked.
Her first slip had come through when she first spoke. Sure, she made a great effort to put on a cutesy voice, but her mannerism and intonation still shone through. As a diehard Degurechaff enthusiast, he had listened to every speech of hers that had a recording available. He'd dissected them and even tried to integrate aspects of her speech style into his.
Her second mistake was correcting his use of Chancellor to Chancellor-President with such a casualness that could only come from having done it numerous times.
Her third mistake was minor, but was the one that made him sure it was Degurechaff. It was her body language. No two people ever share the same body language. Her gait was confident and strong, her posture told people she knew what she wanted and how to get it. He had seen that type of gait and posture from Degurechaff at the Reichstag. Her steps were placed in a way familiar to soldiers used to marching. The way she sat at the desk and even the way she drank coffee was very reminiscent of Degurechaff on the television.
Initially, he'd almost called her out on it. However, he stopped himself. Why would she disguise herself and come to his headquarters to interview him? The answer should have been obvious to him. This was a test. A test of loyalty.
So, he answered every question with utmost honesty, plucking out words straight from his heart. As the interview progressed, he noticed that Degurechaff started looking a little irritated. Were his answers not adequate? Or was it because he had vision, but no way to enact it? He couldn't pry into the mind of a genius like her, so he had no idea as to the reason. Nevertheless, he was confident that he had demonstrated to Degurechaff his unquestionable loyalty to her and the Fatherland.
When she left, Walther couldn't contain himself from asking a question of his own. He wanted to know why she hadn't reunited the Empire and crowned herself Kaiserin already. Her answer told him everything.
It was because she was chained down by democracy. To think he'd receive the answer straight from the woman's mouth. The way she delivered it was vague enough for plausible deniability of course, but the frustration creeping into her voice was genuine and whispered to him of its true meaning. That's why she emphasised the words 'democratically elected'.
No wonder why she'd become increasingly irritated throughout his interview. He had basically opined what she herself thought but had to banish to the depths of her mind for fear of public backlash.
He couldn't imagine keeping his sanity if he was one in her position. Holding all the best and brightest ideas but being unable to put them into action because of the opinions of those of lesser intelligence and courage.
Suddenly, he was struck by inspiration. A compelling imagery materialised in his mind. A poster featuring Degurechaff trying to piece back the territories of the former Empire together, but her arms were chained down to steel balls, preventing her from moving. Each steel ball was labelled with words like 'democracy', 're-election' and 'party dissent'. It would make a great piece of propaganda for his party, von Schiel mused. Perhaps he could even have it sewn onto shirts sold at his clothing store.
Looking out of his office's window, he could see the petite form of Chancellor Degurechaff walking away, her mood contemplative. Thinking back to it, it didn't make sense for him to see through her disguise that easily. This was the same woman who had cowed the entirety of Europa. Was the disguise meant to be flimsy all along?
Wait, but if that's the case, then the Argent hadn't just come to his headquarters to test his loyalty and resolve. No, she must also be measuring support for when she would eventually ascend to the throne as Kaiserin. Her coming personally to his headquarters was a show of silent approval and tacit support for the growth of his party. A thinly veiled endorsement of his efforts. To think that his work for the last four years had not been for naught. He had succeeded in making the Argent see another way to reunite the Empire, after all.
Just before the Argent disappeared from his view, he performed a salute at her retreating figure, whispering. "Heil Degurechaff. Heil Kaiserin."
That night, as I was penning down my letter to the Kaiser, Visha entered my office bearing a cup of coffee. Savouring the smell, I set it to the side and kissed her on the lips in appreciation.
"What are you doing?" Visha asked.
"Writing a letter addressed to the Kaiser's residence in Lothiern. I found out that he's been propping up the Imperial Party in secret." I answered.
Visha tilted her head. "The party that wants the monarchy back?" It seemed Visha had been paying close attention to the happenings at the Reichstag while I was busy with war. I nodded in confirmation.
"Germania has no need for autocratic rule. We've achieved so much since the First Great War because of our democracy."
"But weren't you the one responsible for all of that? The previous Chancellors before you were practically running the country to the ground." Visha said. "Speaking of having the monarchy back, I think you would make for a pretty good Kaiserin." Ah, Visha was having nostalgia for the past again. She had lived a good chunk of her life under the Tsar as a middling noble and had enjoyed quite a nice life being the communist revolution. It was probably her brain associating living under a monarchy with her old carefree life that she held such a positive view of monarchies.
I had no ambition to become any sort of monarch. While others would salivate at the chance to have total power, to me it just meant being responsible for everything if something went wrong.
I waved her point aside. "Germania would have eventually elected someone competent. It just happened to be me. And aside, the old aristocrats would never stand for an orphan like me lording above them." Visha just gave me a sceptical look and went to do her paperwork. I watched her walk away with an appreciative glance at her swaying hips. It's not like they would ever approve of a homosexual being on the throne either. An Empress would need to have biological heirs, and I had no desire to provide any.
Refocusing back to my letter, I wondered how to exactly word it. I couldn't write full-blown threats, that would be a crime of intimidation. I couldn't be too lenient either, or the Kaiser would just continue his work with the Imperial Party. I would need to inform him that I was aware of his actions, while vaguely implying that there might be consequences for overstepping. Perhaps I also should implore him to placate the nobles as a gesture that he won't try to subvert Germanian democracy again. I need to make sure that Being X's Blessed will be able to read between the lines too.
Finishing up the letter and having it stamped with the Chancellor's seal, I had it delivered to the Kaiser's residence in Lothiern.
5th June 1942,
The former Kaiser of the Empire, Wilheim II felt every bit of his eighty-three years of age as he sat down at his desk, his knees creaking. His doctor had told him that he was in relatively good shape for his age, his shrivelled left arm that has haunted him since birth notwithstanding. He was also aware that he lived a much more luxurious life than most, if not all eighty-three-year-olds in the continent.
Nevertheless, living in luxurious exile had not prevented him from musing over his mistakes and regrets in melancholy. Chief of all his blunders in the First Great War. He was aware that he had not been the finest head of state during that time, becoming enamoured in his seemingly invincible army achieving victory after victory, and pushing for more. That was until the tides flipped back against them, and the Empire had been defeated.
After the war, the humiliation of both the Imperial family and the Empire had scarred his heart, but he couldn't do anything but bear it. The subsequent disaster of the Germanian Republic's politics in the next few years hadn't done his fragile heart any service, and he'd elected to isolate himself from the world and ignore politics.
That was why the news of Germania winning the Second Great War and reclaiming its glory had brought a tear to his eyes. It had been a quiet day when his youngest son came sprinting in bearing the newspaper, proclaiming OZEV's victory. He had immediately ordered his servants to buy every old newspaper or book that even mentioned the name Degurechaff. He needed to do some research. What he had read about Chancellor Degurechaff astounded him.
He remembered her from the few times that they met when Degurechaff was a child, of course. She gave the impression of an intense soldier willing to do anything for the Fatherland, and her icy blue gaze told as much. But the grown woman was a completely different beast. To think that incredible girl had done the impossible and uplifted Germania out of ruins. She had brought back Osterry into the fold and just yesterday, she had announced that Pullska, Czechoslovakia and Hungary were holding plebiscites. Her policies, her speeches and all the battles she fought had been for Germania, no, the Empire's benefits. The Kaiser knew then that Germania was in safe and capable hands.
That was why the envelope that arrived today was nothing short of a surprise. Double checking the name of the sender to make sure his eyes weren't failing him; he opened the envelope. He couldn't fathom why she had chosen to contact him now when he had been ignored for the past decade or so. Reading the contents of the letter had provided him with the answers.
Your Imperial Majesty,
I hope that this letter finds you in good health. It has come to my attention that the Imperial Party in Berun has found itself in upward fortune lately. Their dedication to restoring Germania's system of governance to a monarchy has been received with small but not insignificant support in the Reichstag and the aristocratic population, which had prompted my notice.
It must be known that a restoration of Germania back to an absolute monarchy in this current political climate is frankly implausible. Any attempt to usurp Germania's democracy will be met with ire and vehement opposition from the democratic parties of Germania, most of all my Germanian Workers Party.
As the last Kaiser, many of the aristocratic families in the former Empire look up to you as the voice of reason and confidence. As Chancellor and acting President of Germania, I trust you to exercise your guiding hand to exact the best course of action concerning the nobles involved in this monarchist movement for Germania and her peoples.
With the utmost respect,
Tanya von Degurechaff
Chancellor-President of Germania
At first glance, it would seem as though the Degurechaff was asking for his assistance in curbing the monarchist movement in Germania. However, this was if you took the letter at face value and failed to read between the lines.
The Kaiser wasn't born yesterday. From his research into the current political climate of Germania, he was aware that Tanya von Degurechaff was perhaps the most powerful non-royal in Germanian history. As Chancellor-President, she could draft policies, have it approved with her party's supermajority, then rubber-stamp it as President. She could easily have this Imperial Party extinguished with a snap of her fingers, especially if the rumours he heard about what happened to the Communist Party was correct.
After re-reading the letter several times and doing his personal research into the Imperial Party, he had finally realised the letter's true intentions. She was aiming to become Kaiserin.
The reason why Degurechaff had not ordered the Imperial Party to be put down was because she didn't want to curtail it in the first place. If anything, Degurechaff was telling him that she was involved in the party's rise in prominence. In the first place, it made no sense for someone with eyes and ears everywhere like Degurechaff to only be noticing the Imperial Party now when they already have 13 seats in the Reichstag, unless Degurechaff wasn't paying attention to the happenings in the Reichstag at all.
The second paragraph of the letter conveyed to him that the Imperial Party was likely Degurechaff's way to test the waters by gauging Germania's support for a return to monarchism. She had then found that the monarchy movement would face opposition from her own party.
The last paragraph was asking him for support to use his position as the former Kaiser to raise support for her amongst the aristocrats. Maybe even throw his weight behind the Imperial Party.
He was not angry that she was coveting the prestigious position that his family once held. If anything, he was relieved that it was her that was aspiring for it. Him and his family had shown themselves incapable of bearing such a heavy duty. Conversely, Degurechaff had proven herself hypercompetent and indifferent to the corrupting nature of power, as she had repeatedly called for a Presidential election to be held, knowing it would reduce her political power. There was no one better in the nation to take up the mantle of Kaiserin.
But why was she aiming to become an absolute monarch if so far, she's shown no obvious greed for power? He mused over this question until he arrived at the most likely possibility.
It was likely she had a grand plan that could only be executed perfectly if she was unbothered by the tethers of a democracy and undistracted by the election cycle. Any description of a politician's capabilities in this way would be easily dismissed by propaganda, but this was Degurechaff. The woman who had repeatedly shown that her plans were years ahead of the curve, as if she could see the future.
Well, if the Silver Chancellor wanted his support, then she shall have it. And he shall support it in a way that gives any aristocrat no room for debate as to his allegiance. Furthermore, getting into her good graces and having her owe them a favour could only be a good thing.
The Kaiser dialled his grandchild Ludwig's home number on his estate's telephone and beckoned him over to discuss a serious matter of utmost importance. In three hours, his grandson had arrived at his study and made his way in.
Ludwig was a grandfather's dream. Tall, handsome and intelligent. His only flaw was his lack of experience owing to his young twenty years. Serious and dutiful since birth, Ludwig was favourite grandchild.
Sporting a handsome aerial mage uniform with an officer's cap over his blonde hair, adorned by a 1st Lieutenant's rank insignia, Ludwig struck a striking image of the ideal Imperial soldier. Wilhelm had opposed his choice in sneaking off to Germania's flight mage academy at the mere age of sixteen, but Ludwig's mother Deborah had supported his endeavours. Wilhelm had eventually relented, thinking that Ludwig would come fleeing back to the family when the training proved too difficult or when war broke out.
He'd been proven incredibly wrong. Not only did Ludwig excel at the academy, but he also excelled at war. It wasn't until the end of the war that the rest of the family had learnt of him becoming an ace of aces. Everyone had been under the impression that he'd been assigned in the rear, not the thick of fighting. To say that Ludwig had been severely admonished for his deception was an understatement.
This had shown that Ludwig was willing to do his duty for the Fatherland no matter what, making him the perfect person for what Wilhelm had planned.
"How's Deborah, Ludwig?"
"Mother's well, of course. She's been a bit mad at me that I hid my fighting on the front lines from her. She thought I was endangering myself by trying to become an ace of aces like her. She should cool down in a couple weeks."
With the pleasantries out the way, Ludwig started. "Grandfather, how urgent is this matter?"
"The Chancellor is making a move to ascend the throne and become Kaiserin." At that response, Ludwig stood upright. "She has asked for our support. We will give it to her." His shoulders visibly relaxed.
"And how shall we do that?" Ludwig asked.
"How attached are you to your position in the military?"
Ludwig shrugged. "I'd leave if I could make a stable living afterwards. I only joined the military because I knew a big war was coming. Now, I've done my duty. The military is already undergoing demobilisation. I'm simply not needed as a soldier anymore."
"That's good, I have a task for you. A task for the good of Germania. I need you to resign from the military and make your way to Berun. There, you will make yourself known to the chairman of the Imperial Party, Walther von Schiel. Then, become a registered member of the Imperial Party." Ludwig lifted an eyebrow at what he said.
Wilhelm continued. "The chairman should be working for Degurechaff. He'd likely give you a comfortable position in his party, perhaps sitting on one of the seats in the Reichstag. You don't actually need any political acumen, just throw your royal status around and get the aristocrats in line to support Degurechaff. Remember to remind them that your word is as good as mine. If you want, hold a couple speeches or rallies, get the people behind monarchism."
Ludwig looked unsure for a moment, before nodding resolutely. "Should I contact the Chancellor for orders, then?"
"No need, just ask von Schiel what to do. Degurechaff does not want the public or the GWP to know that she's behind the Imperial Party. We need to make people think that the Imperial Party is independent from Degurechaff. Your presence there will mislead them into thinking that our Imperial family is the Imperial Party's true benefactors. You contacting her will give the ruse away." Degurechaff will be very appreciative of his family going this far to support her.
"Understood, grandfather. By the way, what will you be doing in the meantime?" Ah, accusing his grandfather of being lazy, wasn't he? Where has the younger generation's manners gone?
"I'll be talking to the Prime Minister of Lothiern. Even in this low-lying country, Imperial blood runs deep." If Degurechaff was aiming to become Kaiserin, it was only appropriate that the Empire should be restored to its former glory too.
As Ludwig left, the old Kaiser was in a mirthful mood as he arranged a meeting with the Prime Minister of Lothiern while humming a song. It was only after a minute that he realised he was humming the old Imperial national anthem.