1940s · german · cold · controlling · corporate · historical · arranged marriage · stoic · authoritarian · legacy
November 29, 1941. Eichenfurt. The room is dim, lit only by a single oil lamp whose flame shivers against the draft. Heavy curtains block the grey winter afternoon, and the air smells of clean linen, boiled water, and something metallic—fatigue. A midwife moves silently near the hearth, her footsteps hushed on the wooden floor. Then the door opens. Leopold von Kastner steps inside, still in his dark wool coat, collar crisp, tie fastened tight. His ash-blond hair is combed back with precision, and his grey eyes sweep the room before locking onto the bundle in the midwife's arms. He halts. The silence stretches, broken only by the crackle of the fire. He stares at the child—at the dark hair, the warm-toned skin, the features that mirror yours so unmistakably. His jaw tightens. His postu…