"Margaret, is Mother here?"
"Big brother?"
Princess Margaret, the youngest sister of Wilhelm II, showed a puzzled expression on her face due to her eldest brother's sudden question.
"Why are you looking for Mother, big brother?"
Margaret was truly both surprised and confused.
After all, her big brother Billy, who had been so quiet since the formal dinner yesterday, suddenly said such a thing. Anyone would find it strange.
Could it be that something had changed in his state of mind?
"What do you want to talk to Mother about, big brother?"
"I just want to have a chat with Mother, have a private talk."
"What?"
Margaret thought she had misheard for a moment.
Her big brother was going to have a private talk with their mother?
No matter how she thought about it, this wouldn't end well.
Moreover, it hadn't been long since that incident yesterday.
"Are you planning to have another argument?"
Just as Margaret didn't know what to do, her sister Charlotte's sarcastic voice came from behind.
This sister was holding a wine bottle, the origin of which was unknown.
"Charlotte, this has nothing to do with you."
"Hmph, I'm not interested either. I just want to leave this gloomy place and go home as soon as possible."
"Sigh..."
Wilhelm II seemed to be annoyed by his childish sister in front of him and let out a sigh.
Even though years have gone by since the scandal, his sister hasn't grown at all, constantly lacerating his heart with her caustic remarks.
"Don't test my patience any further, Charlotte."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Big brother Wilhelm, but what are you going to talk to Mother about?"
Margaret seemed to want to ease the atmosphere that had been ruined by Charlotte and asked.
Wilhelm II pondered for a while and then slowly spoke.
"Hans suggested that I talk to Mother directly."
"Hans?"
Margaret didn't expect to hear the name Hans from Wilhelm II's mouth and tilted her head.
But Charlotte seemed to have no idea at all who Hans was.
This wasn't surprising.
Princess Charlotte had only arrived at the Schloss Friedrichshof last night and had just gotten up.
She simply hadn't had the chance to meet Hans.
"Hans? Who is that?"
"Sister, he's the boy who saved big brother's life. He's still at the Schloss Friedrichshof now."
"Oh~ That little yellow man."
Charlotte had a look of sudden realization on her face, but her choice of words made Margaret and Wilhelm II's expressions turn ugly.
"Sister Charlotte, please don't use such words to address Hans."
"What? A yellow man is a yellow man. What else can you call him? A yellow monkey?"
"Sister!"
Margaret raised her voice, but Charlotte didn't listen at all.
She didn't realize at all that she had said something wrong.
In fact, Princess Charlotte's such remarks were not much different from the attitude of most Europeans towards the yellow race.
However, there was a reason why people at least knew not to say such things casually in front of others.
"Charlotte, watch your mouth."
"What?"
"Hans is not only the boy who saved my life. For me and the empress, he is also our family member."
Therefore, whether in the imperial palace or in Berlin, no one dares to publicly use the insulting term "yellow race" to refer to Hans.
If Wilhelm II hears such words, he will definitely fly into a rage.
The German nobles don't want to cause trouble.
"I'll let it go this time. But if you say such things again, I will really banish you from Germany. Do you understand?"
"Y-Yes, I understand."
Princess Charlotte seemed to be intimidated by Wilhelm II's imposing manner and slightly lowered her head to show obedience.
Although Charlotte always does as she pleases, she still has some sense of propriety.
"Then, Margaret, where is Mother?"
"...I'll go and ask right away."
Margaret, who was stunned by the performance of her eldest brother whom she had never seen like this before, came to her senses and walked towards the empress dowager's bedroom.
"Big brother, Mother said you can go in."
Soon after, the empress dowager agreed to receive Wilhelm II.
...
"...Wilhelm."
"...Mother."
The mother and son were facing each other for the first time after their quarrel, and the opening words were calmer than expected.
Because of what happened yesterday, when they were truly having a private conversation, it was surprisingly awkward.
"Margaret told me that Hans asked you to come and see me. Is that right?"
After a brief silence, it was the mother, Victoria Adelaide, who spoke first.
"He said that no matter what the result was, I should confront you in person."
"Hehe, that boy told me that he would persuade you, but I didn't have any expectations in my heart. I thought it was just words of comfort. I didn't expect that he really went and talked to you."
"That kid is just like that. If he thinks something should be done, he will definitely take action. He would even directly say in my face, 'You're wrong'."
Wilhelm II remembered an incident that happened not long after Hans entered the palace.
Even when he thought about it now, it was still a moment that left people stunned.
"Mother, do you remember what happened when I was 8 years old? When I was learning to ride a horse for the first time?"
"...I remember. You couldn't even ride a little foal well and kept falling off."
It was all because of this left arm.
"I cried non-stop at that time. I was in pain and felt wronged. But you just kept scolding me. Even when I fell and got injured, you made me get back on the horse again and again."
"...Are you asking me to apologize for that?"
"No, I want to ask why you did that at that time?"
Hearing her son's words, Empress Dowager Victoria closed her eyes and recalled that blurry memory.
It was a long time before she spoke.
"When I was in England, I was showered with love from everyone. But after I married into Germany, I wasn't popular. You know, your grandparents didn't want a smart daughter-in-law, but a submissive one."
"Yes, they also didn't like your 'British-style liberal ideas'."
Precisely because of this, she had to leave her parents' side and grow up under the supervision of your grandmother, Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach.
Although Wilhelm II didn't have any particular dissatisfaction with this, for Empress Dowager Victoria, being forced to keep a distance from her children was a great pain.
"That's right. So I was especially cold and strict with you, Charlotte, and Heinrich. On the one hand, I was dissatisfied because you were closer to your grandparents. On the other hand, I wanted to prove something."
I wanted to prove that the children born to the daughter-in-law you disliked the most were so excellent.
The empress dowager said with a bitter smile.
"This was a selfish thought. Looking back now, it didn't mean anything at all."
"I once hoped that, even just once, you could hug me gently, just like you did to Victoria and Sophie."
Unlike Heinrich, Charlotte, and Wilhelm, Victoria, Sophie, and Margaret were raised by the empress dowager herself. Therefore, unlike their elder brother and sister, they enjoyed their mother's true love.
Because of this, when Wilhelm II was a child, he didn't like his younger sisters very much.
"Yes, it's a pity that by the time I realized all this, it was already too late. Only after losing two sons did I realize how important my children were."
"...You mean Sigismund and Waldemar, right?"
Wilhelm II lowered his head and recalled those sorrowful past events.
Besides Wilhelm II and Prince Heinrich, Frederick III and Victoria Adelaide had two other sons.
They were Prince Sigismund and Prince Waldemar.
However, Sigismund died of meningitis two years after his birth, and Waldemar passed away due to diphtheria at the age of 11. Frederick III and Victoria Adelaide had to bury their two young sons deep in their hearts.
"After losing them, I realized that I should have given my children more love. But by then, the relationship between you and me was already very strained. We kept arguing as time went by..."
"...And it has continued until now."
Wilhelm II said in a low voice, with a hint of melancholy on his face.
Talking with his mother made his mood extremely complicated.
"But I also had a lot of dissatisfaction with you."
However, it wasn't just Wilhelm II who had something to say.
"For example, what happened when your father died."
"..."
The story of how Wilhelm II blamed his mother, Victoria Adelaide, and took excessive actions after the death of Frederick III was already widely known.
Wilhelm II accused his mother of corresponding with Britain and claimed that there might be evidence of collusion with Britain in her letters.
In fact, his real purpose was to look for letters that might damage his reputation.
Even before his father's body had grown cold, Wilhelm II, accompanied by soldiers, burst into his mother's residence and searched her private letters, committing an act of great disrespect.
However, he found nothing in his mother's room.
This was because Frederick III had already anticipated such a situation and entrusted the letters and documents that might cause trouble to the custody of Windsor Castle in Britain.
"I was out of my mind at that time and blamed your death on you, Mother."
Frederick III died of throat cancer.
At that time, German doctors recommended a laryngectomy. But the British doctor brought by Victoria Adelaide believed that there were no signs of a malignant tumor in the pathological examination and opposed the operation.
The laryngectomy itself was very dangerous, especially since it had never been performed on a living person at that time.
Frederick III also knew this. Finally, after consulting with his wife, Victoria Adelaide, he decided not to undergo the operation.
"But His Majesty's condition kept deteriorating, and he eventually passed away. If I had been braver and strongly demanded the operation, would the outcome have been different?"
"...Even so, Father might not have accepted the operation. He had a very stubborn personality."
"Yes, you are the same. Your strong self-esteem is just like mine."
The soft laughter of the emperor and the empress dowager echoed in the room.
"By the way, do you know?"
After mentioning his father, Wilhelm II suddenly remembered something.
"The reason why Hans, that boy, was taken in actually has something to do with Father."
"What?"
A look of both confusion and surprise appeared on Empress Dowager Victoria's face.
After all, Hans wasn't even born when her husband died. What did this mean?
"A few days before I met Hans, Father's ghost appeared in my dream."
Wilhelm II slowly recounted the dream of that day.
His father, Frederick III, warned that Germany was in danger and said that only the noble person from the East who had saved his life could resolve the crisis.
"Later, Hans really saved my life."
"My goodness..."
"That's why I took Hans in."
Empress Dowager Victoria was shocked by this incredible story. At the same time, she couldn't hold back her deep affection and longing for her late husband and shed tears.
However, these were tears of gratitude, not sadness.
"Frederick was still worried about Germany even on his deathbed. Perhaps that boy, Hans, is a gift he gave us."
"Mother."
"Because of him, I have the opportunity to talk to you so openly and sincerely."
Of course, with just these things, it was impossible to completely repair the rift that had accumulated between the mother and son over the years.
But for the empress dowager, being able to open their hearts to each other before her death was already enough.
"Thank you, Wilhelm, for telling me all this."
Empress Dowager Victoria gently held her son's hand, which was already taller than her own.
Wilhelm II was slightly taken aback, but soon closed his eyes and gave his hand to his mother.
This was a longing that he had buried deep in his heart—the warm touch.