Tyranny of Steel

Berengar was just about to step out of the Castle when he heard his father's voice calling out for him.

"Berengar, do you mind speaking with me in the study real quick?"

Berengar let out a deep sigh. Apparently, his plans to visit Gunther and use his connections to implement the four-field system would have to wait. Steadily, Berengar strode into his father's study. As he sat down in the chair in front of his father's desk, he could see his father staring at him with a curious gaze.

Berengar knew that look all too well it, however before he could protest, Sieghard let out a heavy sigh much like his own son had done not two minutes prior.

"Berengar, my son, you're twenty years old and still unmarried. I understand your reasons; however, a healthy glow returns to your skin with each passing day. It appears that whatever you've been doing has been good for your well-being. Now that your childhood infirmity seems to be passing, it's time to think about finding a wife."

Berengar repeatedly tapped the armrest on his chair while resting his face on his right fist, a habit which he had developed in his previous life whenever he was sitting down. During these moments, the only sound that could be heard was the clunk of the wooden armrest whenever a finger would strike upon it.

Within Berengar's mind, he attempted to find a way to prolong this discussion. He was not ready to be married yet. After all, he had so much work that needed to be done, and courting a woman would take up much of his time that was currently needed elsewhere. However, he could not tell his father such things, seeing as how the young lord's ambitions were on the borderline of infringing upon his Father's rights as Baron.

His father might have a penchant for fashion and luxury, but he was no fool. He could tell Berengar had lofty plans for the realm, but Berengar was still a young man; he would have plenty of time to enact such policies when he inherited the position of Baron. For now, he should find himself a bride and have children, thus continuing the family line.

Fundamentally Berengar had a 21st-century mindset for this kind of stuff. His plan was to get married in his thirties to a beautiful woman ten years younger than himself after he had made a fortune by beginning the industrialization of his family's land. However, in his estimation, this would take many years to accomplish fully.

One of his biggest concerns was that despite the vast resource-rich lands his family held, the population was sparse, uneducated, and mostly unskilled, seeing as how an overwhelming majority of them were working in the fields. For the time being, he could not take charge of the family's finances without his father's approval; as such, he could not implement policies that required substantial investment like public education, which would be vital in creating a new generation of skilled laborers in a variety of fields which was truly necessary for an industrial society to thrive.

Despite being deep in thought, Berengar needed to answer his father. The man was growing impatient, especially since the only thing the old baron could hear for the last few moments was the tapping noise produced by Berengar's fingers repeatedly pouncing upon the wooden armrest of his chair.

Just when Sieghard was about to scold Berengar, the young lord sighed as he sounded dejected at his father's request.

"Who do you have in mind?"

A small smile spread across Sieghard's lips as he gazed upon his son; the boy was finally growing up.

"You remember your cousin Adela, right? My sister's third daughter and the daughter of the Count of Steiermark."

Berengar was revolted at the thought of marrying his cousin. He had nearly forgotten that it was a fairly common practice in the Medieval period for nobles to marry off their sons and daughters to their siblings' children. Nevertheless, he kept a straight face as he showed respect to his father's wishes.

"Little Adela? I haven't seen her in ages; how old is she now, thirteen?"

Sieghard nodded at his son with a smile on his face.

"She will be turning thirteen this year. I hear she's blossoming into a stunning young woman."

Berengar tried not to frown; he had expected an age gap, but this was far too young for him to feel comfortable courting; though it may be slightly more normal in these times, his 21st-century mindset made him feel like a groomer just thinking about it. Nevertheless, the more he thought about it, the more the idea appealed to him. Not because he was attracted to his twelve-year-old cousin, but this gave him roughly four years to set his plans into motion before he was married. At most, they'd be engaged in name only, and he could probably find some way to weasel his way out of the betrothal before the girl turned sixteen and he was forced to go through with the act.

Berengar began to tap his chair once more as he thought about the monumental decision that would affect his entire life. After another few moments, he broke the silence between the two.

"I would have to meet her first and see what kind of young woman she has become..."

His father was pleased, though slightly disappointed. He did not fully manage to convince his son to accept the betrothal upon request, but Berengar didn't fully decline it either. Maybe there was some hope for the young man after all.

After nodding his head in approval, Sieghard got up from his chair and walked Berengar to the door.

"I will send a letter to your uncle informing him of your request; you should expect a response within a fortnight."

Berengar nodded; at the very least, this potential betrothal would buy him some time which he desperately needed. He probably would not appear before the girl for another three months. By that time, there should be some significant gains in his muscle mass, and his appearance would improve greatly. He would feel embarrassed trying to court a girl in his current borderline emaciated form.

"I'll leave it up to you, father."

After getting that business out of the way, Berengar was finally able to leave the Castle and meet up with Gunther to see how he and the land he worked was doing. Gunther had been hard at work, not only tending to the fields but spreading the idea of the four-field system to the other farmers. It had only been a day, but he successfully managed to convince three of his friends to implement such a system on the fields they tended to. It would appear Berengar did not have much to do in regards to spreading the system. Gunther was well connected with many of the peasant farmers within the Barony of Kufstein.

All Berengar had to do was sit back and let his competent underlings spread the industrial and agricultural innovations that he had already set in motion. For the remaining month, he would spend his time and energy increasing his fitness and building relations with the locals.

For the remainder of the evening, he would return to the castle, take a bath, and get a good night's rest. That was the plan, of course, but just like the day prior, the moment he entered the Castle's gates, Henrietta ran up and hugged him, inquiring about his whereabouts.

"Big brother, where did you run off to this time?"

A worried expression settled onto the little loli's face. Berengar could not help but smile at her cuteness and patted her head.

"I was just visiting the town and getting to know the locals; it's a Lord's job to understand the conditions of his people."

The little girl smiled as she felt her head patted and eventually let go of her hold over her brother.

"You're finally in time for dinner! Let's go eat!"

She said as he pranced off in the direction of the dining room. Berengar followed after her; as he did so, he noticed the same strange presence he felt the night before. Lambert's spies were getting sloppier. Just like the prior night, Berengar ignored it and continued to the dining room. Still, he kept a keen eye on the area he suspected the spy to be hiding. He did not want to receive a bolt in the back while he was not paying attention.

After reaching the dining room with his little sister, Berengar noticed his family already seated. They had not expected him to come home so soon after all his daily routine as of the last few days kept him busy during this hour. Nevertheless, he had arrived on time for once, his mother and father were pleased to see him, but Lambert was clearly not. After sitting at the seat across from Lambert, Berengar gazed at him briefly with an indifferent expression before returning his gaze to the plate in front of him. When he suddenly heard his mother's loving voice call out to him.

"So, my son, I hear you are finally betrothed?"

Berengar nearly choked on his food when he heard those words; he looked up to his mother with a shocked expression on his face. It had been merely a few hours since he discussed this with his father, and he had not fully accepted the betrothal. How did it suddenly turn into a done deal? Was this a setup from his father all along? Had the old man already negotiated the betrothal by the time they had the discussion?

Henrietta dropped her fork when she heard those words and looked at Berengar with shock. Her big brother was getting married? She had never even thought of it as possible since he was so much older and still single. Though she was very intimate with her big brother, she by no means had any unhealthy ideas towards him; if anything, she was happy that there was finally someone he could spend the rest of his life with. After the shock vanished, she smiled at Berengar and immediately asked him all kinds of questions.

"Who is it?"

"Is she pretty?"

"Do I know her?"

Henrietta sent a barrage of questions towards Berengar while still trying to comprehend what had transpired behind the scenes. Lambert was equally stunned; he did not believe a single nobleman within the region was remotely interested in setting up an engagement with Berengar. Hell, he had gone through great lengths to prevent it; just who was acting without his knowledge, or the knowledge of the Count of Tyrol for that matter! The boy could not believe somebody within the County of Tyrol would risk angering the Count. After all, the two had been plotting together against Berengar for some time. He never expected a Count of another region to personally arrange a betrothal with the wastrel that was his older brother.

Berengar, finally snapping out of his shock, glared at his father menacingly, his fists curling up as he struggled to contain the urge to strike the old Baron for plotting against him. Nevertheless, he was in no position to do so and calmed himself down, gritting his teeth as he chastised his father for his actions.

"Father! What did you do!?!"

Sieghard stared down his errant son; for too long, he had enabled this boy's idle behavior, the fact that he showed interest in the proposed marriage was good enough reason for him to accept it. He knew in his heart that sooner or later, the boy would accept the proposal, so why would he bother wasting time with an introduction between the two cousins.

"You seemed interested, so I expedited the process by accepting the Count's terms."

Berengar was furious, so there really had been terms already laid out, and his father gauged Berengar's level of interest on whether or not he should accept. Berengar was interested, but not for the reasons his father believed. He wanted to meet the girl to know for sure whether or not his plans could succeed. It was too late now, he was already betrothed, and there was nothing he could do about it. No longer in the mood to eat, Berengar ripped the napkin off his doublet and tossed it aside as he stormed out of the dining hall. He was no longer in the mood to dine with his family.

After finishing his bath, he returned to his room, where he fell asleep. He would no longer dwell on things that were out of his control; for now, he had to focus his efforts on getting stronger. It would only take a month or so before his innovations were fully adopted and in place within the Barony of Kufstein.

On the other side of the Castle, an oil lamp was lit on the desk in the room of Lambert; he was quickly writing a letter to the Count of Tyrol, his future father in law requesting his help in scheming against his brother once more. If his brother should marry and have a son before Lambert could get rid of him, it would be disastrous for their plans. Only after the oil had fully burned from his lamp did Lambert put down his quill. Attaching the letter to a carrier pigeon, he sent his wicked schemes into the night sky and towards the Count's residence at Innsbruck.