Not only Prime Minister Otto, but the Eldest Prince was startled as well. He had accompanied his father on state visits before. The Bayern Kingdom, under both the previous king and the current King Albert, had always been a supporter of the Empire Council. It was for this very reason that the Empire had been able to integrate the Southern States, where Bayern's influence was strongest.
Historically, during the reign of Charles XIII, when the Empire was not yet whole, the Marlin Kingdom and the Holy Kingdom went to war. At the time, the Bayern Kingdom still supported the Order Church and had mistakenly sided with the Holy Kingdom in the conflict.
