It was no exaggeration to say that Heidi’s humanitarian efforts had a monumental payoff for the German Reich, its wounded veterans, and their families. Less deaths meant fewer orphans and widows. And those that were created were well taken care of by the financial support that Heidi had put in place for them via her nationwide charity.
The result of these selfless acts were widespread, and well known, in part because of the influence the von Zehntner family had over the press, but also because good deeds done for their sake alone were a rarity in this world.
Altruism was a concept that existed in theory only. It was an idea of what humanity could be, but in reality would never be. Any time any human ever did something that could be perceived as selfless there was always some ulterior motive.
Vanity, fame, penance, or simply fear of not fulfilling God’s will. Every generous act had some selfish motive tied to it, if not driving it entirely. It was simply human nature, and Heidi was no real exception to this.
Albeit her reasons for being so charitable weren’t to conceal some greater sin, or to simply stroke her own sense of virtue.
Two reasons which one might argue were the most reprehensible reasons for committing a good deed. Rather, she was genuinely trying to change from the person she had been into something more ideal.
That was the thing about change. It was damn near impossible for someone to change their true nature for the better. It was incredibly easy for someone to break down and corrupted to a level where they could do things once thought to be inconceivable.
But changing into something better, or even wholly good? That was an idealistic notion, a hope that fools clung onto thinking that eventually they might not be the wretch they are now? Could they alter their behavior? Oh most certainly, and even then, the difficulty in doing such a thing in regards to self improvement was seldom easy.
However, one’s nature was ingrained in a person’s body, mind, and soul. Hence the phrase “a leopard can’t change its spots.” Which was a common idiom in the English language. People seldom really became a better person on an intrinsic level, and it was why pattern recognition was among the greatest survival skills one could possess.
To be able to understand someone’s past behaviors was the ability to predict their future actions. Most of the time this rang true, but on the rare occasions one might “fake it until they make it” and eventually undergo a metamorphosis into an entirely different human being.
It was so rare that such shifts in character were the work of myths and legends. Even so, the price one would have to pay in order to undergo such a change was usually immense personal sacrifice and suffering.
Perhaps one in a billion people were actually capable of transforming into something better. Overall, it was not like Heidi had a starting point among the worst of sinners. No, she was quite a virtuous person from the start.
She had a sense of love and loyalty to her family, so much so that it bordered on the extreme. She was a wonderful mother and wife. In addition to this, she had always been kind and ladylike as she was properly raised to be.
So much so that even her half-sisters had always envied Heidi for her qualities, which were exemplary of princesses like themselves. Qualities which they were always lacking. But deep down inside there was a hatred in Heidi’s heart that she had been battling constantly to keep from poisoning her soul.
This hatred was justifiable, and was only towards those who had wronged her in ways that she had only recently in the course of the last few years been able to forgive, and move on from. But hatred was an emotion that was insidious, and infecting.
It was the most powerful human emotion in existence, and once one’s soul had been corrupted by its influence, it was damn near impossible to be rid of. It would fester and grow until one acted in a way they otherwise normally wouldn’t.
Or, it would lie dormant, forever a part of them. Perhaps if they had the strength of will it could be suppressed for years, decades, or perhaps even a lifetime. But it could never be expunged. Not truly, only in legend could such a saving grace overcome a man, or in this instance a woman, and change her fate for the better.
But if Bruno’s acts in this life had not been such a miracle to the world, and the people within it, then what else could be defined as such? Perhaps had Heidi never met Bruno, never been engaged to him, had a family with him, and come to be influenced by him. She would have died young, or perhaps even been a miserable, hateful witch for her entire life.
Yet that was not this timeline nor the life which Heidi lived in it, and because of this she was finally able to forgive, and move on from her childhood suffering, and the death of her mother.
She was able to change, and become someone who genuinely, honestly, sacrificed her time and family’s fortune to help the less needy for no reason other than the fact that it was the right thing to do.
And because of this, while Bruno was marching into Southern Serbia with an army of roughly one million men. Heidi had been called to the Kaiser’s palace. It was a rare thing for her
personally to be granted an audience with the German Emperor.
Every time she and her children had been invited to the Imperial Palace it was because of Bruno’s influence. This was the first time that Heidi was alone and her presence had been requested. Hence why she was a bit nervous, as she dressed in her most formal attire, and styled her hair in a way that was most elegant.
She would be turning 33 in October, and yet she was as beautiful and ravishing as a maiden ten years younger. Without Bruno by her side to scare the wolves away, no doubt there would be several hundred suitors trying to steal the bride from her man.
But that was ultimately not the case, as when Heidi stepped foot in the palace she was surprised to find that it was not the Kaiser himself who had requested his presence, but rather the Emperor’s wife.
Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, who was standing next to her daughter, Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia, as well as a variety of other German noble ladies many of which were Queens, Grand Duchesses, and Princesses in their own right.
Before Heidi could ask why she was summoned here, the Kaiserin quickly stood up from her seat, prompting all others to do so, and gave Heidi an order. One that she was quick to follow.
“It is customary to bow when in the presence of an Empress…”
Heidi was all too aware of these customs, but was so blindsided by this strange gathering that she had completely forgotten her manners. Quickly bowing her head and performing a proper curtsy as she apologized for her poor manners.
“Apologies, your highness, I was dumbstruck momentarily, do forgive my lack of manners
and respect…”
The Kaiserin looked over at her daughter, who silently smiled and nodded her head, prompting the Empress to sigh before announcing which Heidi was summoned to her home.
“After careful consideration, and discussion with the fellow members of the order. I have deemed it fit to grant you, Heidi von Zehntner with an Order of Louise, Dame, 1st Class, as a reward for your exceptional charitable actions towards the Kingdom of Prussia and the German Reich as a whole.”
After saying this, the Kaiserin walked over to Heidi and pinned the ribbon of the order and its distinctive medal to the left breast of her finely tailored dress. Heidi stared in disbelief, never expecting such an incredible reward for actions she had taken purely as a means of helping the less fortunate during an unfortunate time in human history.
She wanted to say something, but stammered in disbelief as tears welled up in her eyes. An act which prompted all the other women to smile at her, and comfort the woman who now stood among the most elite order of aristocratic women in the German Reich. An order of chivalry entirely meant for women of noble birth and their charitable deeds.
Whether it was becoming a full-fledged Princess as a result of being Bruno’s wife, and the actions he had taken in Russia to earn them such status, or it was the fact she was now being treated as a proper noble lady by legitimate Empresses, Queens, and Princesses. Heidi finally felt as if her questionable heritage was a matter of the past. Something which had haunted her
for her entire life.
Not even Bruno’s brother Maximilian could dare to say a word towards Heidi or her parentage, lest he invoke the wrath of the House of Hohenzollern who now recognized Heidi as a noble lady of the highest virtue.