Unreasonable Demand

Oscar fled Wilhelm II's office in a sorry state. Under Wilhelm II's towering rage, he did not dare linger for even a moment. He had no wish to provoke Wilhelm II further; that would do him no good at all.

If Wilhelm II, in a fit of fury, directly struck him from the Hohenzollern family register, he would truly be finished. By then, he would not be able to get by anywhere in Germany, or even all of Europe. Anyone cast out by the royal family would become the target of pointing fingers wherever he went.

Could it be that I really have to spend four years at Kiel Naval Academy? Wouldn't that waste so much time? After returning to his room, Oscar was deeply unwilling to accept it.

"No, I have to think of another way." Oscar muttered to himself. He began racking his brains for a solution.

Wilhelm II's order was for him to report to Kiel Naval Academy within a week. Furthermore, without permission, he was not to return to the palace. It was clear just how disappointed Wilhelm II was in him.

"If I can get Director Birkenhagen to open a convenient door for me, then even if I go to Kiel Naval Academy, I will still have enough time to handle my own affairs."

Of course, Oscar did not need to think to know how difficult it would be to get that rigid old man, Director Birkenhagen, to bend the rules for him. Germans were, after all, known throughout the civilized world for their rigidity. Director Birkenhagen had held the position of dean of Kiel Naval Academy for many years and had trained a great number of talents for the German Navy. At the same time, he enjoyed Wilhelm II's deep trust. Getting him to show favoritism and twist the law was no ordinary feat!

"No matter what, I have to give it a try. Otherwise, I really will be sitting in prison at Kiel Naval Academy for four years!" Oscar made up his mind.

"Karl, go buy two train tickets to Kiel!" Oscar ordered.

"Yes, Your Highness." Karl von Jonerait answered from outside the door. At the same time, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

News that Oscar had been reprimanded by Wilhelm II and had driven him into a rage had already spread throughout the palace. This made Karl von Jonerait feel a deep sense of crisis. As someone close to Oscar, his fate was almost tied to Oscar's. If Oscar fell out of Wilhelm II's favor, or was even hated by him, then Karl could forget about having any good future as well.

Fortunately, Oscar seemed to have come to his senses and intended to report to Kiel Naval Academy. This finally allowed Karl von Jonerait to put his heart, which had been hanging in the air all this time, back into his stomach.

Germany's transportation was extremely convenient, and its railway network was exceptionally dense. Nearly every German city was connected by rail. In an age without airplanes, traveling by train was undoubtedly the most convenient way to get around.

With his status and position, Oscar and Karl easily obtained two first-class tickets to Kiel. Even so, the first-class carriage was still far inferior to trains of later generations. But considering this was more than a hundred years ago, they could not demand too much.

Although Potsdam was only a little over three hundred kilometers from Kiel, at the speed of trains at the time, it was already night by the time Oscar and Karl stepped off at Kiel Station.

"Find a hotel to rest in. Early tomorrow morning, we'll pay Director Birkenhagen a visit."

Karl nodded without saying much.

The two quickly found a decent hotel. Exhausted from the journey, they hastily ate a little before going to bed.

However, Oscar lay in bed unable to fall asleep no matter what he did. He needed to come up with a way to make Director Birkenhagen open a back door for him. An hour later, Oscar finally thought of one. Only then did he fall asleep with a faint smile on his face.

Early the next morning, after breakfast, Oscar and Karl headed for Kiel Naval Academy.

Kiel had originally been a small city, and almost everything there was connected to the navy. Not only was it home to the Naval Academy, it was also an important base for the German Navy. Faced with the threat of the powerful British Navy, the German Navy could deploy in the relatively safe Kiel. If anything happened, it could travel through the canal to Wilhelmshaven and enter the North Sea for battle.

In addition, Kiel was home to naval shipyards and Germaniawerft. Both were large shipyards capable of building battleships.

After arriving at the Kiel Naval Academy and presenting his identification, Oscar and Karl were quickly led to Director Birkenhagen's office.

"Your Highness, welcome to Kiel Naval Academy. Have you come to officially report for enrollment?" Director Birkenhagen asked. Not a trace of a smile could be seen on his rigid face. Clearly, word that Oscar had refused to study at the Naval Academy had already reached his ears.

In Director Birkenhagen's eyes, Oscar had already become the very embodiment of an ignorant and incompetent royal. If not for Oscar's status, he would not even have wanted to waste his breath on him.

"Yes, Your Excellency. However, I hope Your Excellency can grant me one small request." Although Oscar did not know what Director Birkenhagen was thinking, he could more or less guess eight or nine out of ten.

"A request? Please speak, Your Highness." Director Birkenhagen frowned.

"Your Excellency, during my time at Kiel Naval Academy, I hope that I will not need to attend regular classes. I will only come for the final examinations, and my time will not be restricted."

Upon hearing Oscar's request, Director Birkenhagen's face immediately darkened like the bottom of a pot. As the cradle of German Navy officers and commanders, nearly everyone admitted to Kiel Naval Academy was an elite. After entering the Naval Academy, everyone studied diligently so that they could serve their country after graduation.

As a member of the German Empire's royal family, the Hohenzollern family, Oscar should have set an example for the people of the entire nation. Yet now he had made such an unreasonable demand, which naturally enraged Director Birkenhagen. At the same time, his gaze toward Oscar was filled with contempt. A person like this simply did not deserve to be a member of Kiel Naval Academy.

Karl, who had come with Oscar, was equally stunned. He had never imagined that Oscar would make such a request.

"Your Highness, if you do not wish to attend Kiel Naval Academy, I will not force you. To be frank, Your Highness's enrollment was originally His Majesty the Emperor's requirement. I can immediately send a telegram to His Majesty the Emperor and ask him to rescind his order!" Director Birkenhagen's face was ice-cold.