Tyranny of Steel

Immediately after the wedding ceremony concluded, the venue was changed to the Kufstein Royal Palace, where everyone gathered within the exceptionally large dining hall to celebrate. Naturally Hans, and his wives were not seated at the head of the table, but were given positions of respect, where Berengar provided a toast to them all. 

"To my eldest son, Hans, and his lovely three brides. I hope that your marriage is as happy and wholesome as the one I have with your mothers...."

Hans immediately drank to this toast, as did everyone in the audience, causing the snicker that escaped Henrietta's lips to be drowned out by the sound of clinking glasses. Naturally, the Princess of Germany was laughing over the choice of words Berengar had used in his toast. There were many words that could be used to describe Berengar's marriages, but wholesome was not one of them. 

Luckily, nobody had heard Henrietta's fit of giggles and was instead drawn to the immediate drama that followed the toast. Unexpectedly, Itami had opted to speak with Berengar personally and had chosen her words very poorly, as she congratulated the man on the successful raising of his eldest son. 

"Congratulations Julian, I am so very happy for you. It must be a hell of a thing to see your son married off to such lovely young women. I can only imagine the pride you must feel at this moment." 

Berengar simply smiled and hugged the albino beauty close, as he kissed her forehead and responded with an equally careless remark. 

"Thank you Ai. It means a lot to hear such a thing come from you, of all people."

Most of the guests did not hear the exchange of these foreign names. However, the moment Linde heard this, the cup of wine in her hand shattered from the fierce grip which she held it with, drawing the immediate attention of everyone in the room. 

Linde had always had a nagging suspicion that only Itami could rival her place in Berengar's heart. This was a deep fear of the woman, as in her eyes she was Berengar's one and only soulmate. All the other women were just playthings for the man to vent his unparalleled lust for, even if he did give some of them the title of wife. 

But after hearing the name Ai come from Berengar's lips, the redheaded beauty felt for the first time that her position as her husband's number one woman was under a direct threat. She knew everything about Berengar's life, both past and present. As a result, she was all too aware who Mizuno Ai was, and what she meant to Berengar. 

In that moment, a deep sense of envy, fear, and anger had overtaken Linde's sanity, so much so that she had completely forgotten where she was, and how many people were watching her every move. It was almost as if the light in her sky-blue eyes had been suddenly darkened by a deadly storm. 

Naturally, Berengar was concerned over the fact that his wife's glass just shattered, and was quick to check on her condition. Going so far to grab ahold of her dainty hand to examine it for any potential injuries. However, just when he was about to question what was wrong, Linde used her free hand to viciously slap the Japanese empress across the face, all while cursing her with a venomous tongue. 

"You fucking bitch! I knew it! I have known since I first let you into this house! I could feel it deep down in my heart this entire time, like a cage of thorns slowly bleeding me dry! You're trying to steal him away from me!"

The entire audience gazed in shock at Linde's vile words which she had spoken towards a woman they all recognized to be the most recent of Berengar's wives. As far as everyone present was concerned, the relationship between Berengar and his five wives was a harmonious one, but this incident clearly proved otherwise. However, before anyone could calm the redheaded vixen's fury, she turned on her husband and immediately began to scold him as well. 

"And you! How dare you not tell me something so important! I thought we didn't keep secrets from one another! What else have you lied to me about?"

Seeing the state of fury that Linde was in, both Berengar and Hans rushed forward to try to calm the woman, who looked like she was about to stab Itami in the heart with her dinner knife. 

"Linde, dear, calm down!"

"Mother, what's wrong?"

The two men voiced their sentiments at the same time, while the entire audience hall watched in horror at the scene which had so suddenly appeared. Linde then grabbed a hold of Berengar's collar, and looked him straight in the eyes, with such a crazed expression, that even a man such as himself, who had waged war on the front lines, and faced down death a hundred times, found to be terrifying. 

Just when Berengar felt that his life might very well be in danger, Linde did not in fact harm him, but instead kissed him passionately, as if marking her territory like a feral dog. However, in the next moment, she was quick to lace her words with venom once more. 

"You are mine! You have always been mine! Ever since we first laid eyes on one another! I don't want you seeing this little bitch anymore! No more flights to japan, and no more half-breed children! Do you understand me?" 

Despite Linde's sudden outburst, Berengar was not pleased, however before he could say anything in his defense, Itami jumped into the ring. She quickly grabbed hold of the man's collar and tore him away from Linde's grip, where she too marked her territory with a kiss on the lips. After doing so, she narrowed her blood-red eyes, and stared down at Linde's crazed gaze with one of equal determination. 

"How dare you speak to Ju — Berengar in such a hostile manner? Who do you think you are? I am also his wife. We have been married in witness to both gods and men, and I will not allow you to insult me, or my husband, in such a way! Where do you get off thinking you have the authority to compel my husband to stay away from me?" 

Seeing that blood was about to be spilled in a fight for his father's love, Hans was desperate to salvage the situation and was quick to try to intervene. 

"Mother, Itami, please calm down-"

However, before he could finish his thought, Berengar grabbed hold of the boy's shoulder and shook his head silently before taking the boy aside and speaking to him some words of wisdom.

"This has been a long time coming. Just let them have their little catfight. Your mother can handle herself, and so can Itami. I highly doubt either of the two women will kill each other. More importantly, you have guests to entertain, and this drama is unbefitting of you and your brides."

After saying this, Berengar forced a smile as he addressed the crowd, while two of his wives continued to bicker and slap each other in the background.

"I'm terribly sorry about all of this. There has been a minor dispute between two of my wives. I'm sure all of you who are married to multiple women are aware that these things happen from time to time. So please, if you follow me, we will move this reception to the garden, where we can enjoy our meals in peace."

Immediately, the kitchen staff began to change the venue of the wedding reception, while Itami and Linde pulled at each other's hair, as they continued to scream at one another. Hans noticed that his father sought to privately handle this matter, and thus he immediately fulfilled the role of the host while leading everyone outside in an attempt to give his parents some space. 

Immediately after everyone had departed from the room, Berengar used his overwhelming strength to force the two beauties apart. Despite what Linde was anticipating, her husband neither glared at nor scolded Itami, instead his fierce gaze fell upon herself, whose dress was all scuffed from all the fighting.

In a surprising turn of events, Berengar backhanded the redheaded beauty across the face, something which he had never done before. Leaving Linde in a state of complete and total shock. As Linde gazed upon her husband, whose face had turned cold, she felt an overwhelming sense of intimidation overcome her fragile heart. Whatever fury she contained within her soul had vanished in that moment, as Berengar no longer looked at her like the woman he loved, but instead, as if she were a disgusting piece of trash, unbefitting to be his wife. 

"Get a hold of yourself, woman! It is your son's wedding day, and you are making a fucking scene like a common tramp... Utterly disgraceful.... You want to know why I didn't tell you about this matter sooner? It is because I knew you would act this way.

Clean yourself up, and when you have calmed down, you can join the rest of us for the wedding feast outside. Until then, get your shit together. You have brought dishonor to yourself, and your family, with your petty actions!" 

After berating Linde, Berengar walked past her without giving the woman a second look, where he immediately grabbed hold of Itami's hand and led the woman outside, while speaking some final words before departing with the deliberate intent of hurting Linde's already wounded ego. 

"Come Ai, we have a feast to attend to... And with the way that woman has conducted herself tonight, she is unworthy of our attention." 

The moment Itami followed after Berengar, she looked over her shoulder and made a taunting face towards Linde before trying to keep up with her man, who was walking at a brisk pace. In doing so, both Berengar and Itami had left Linde alone with nothing but her thoughts to keep her thoughts to keep her company. Causing the woman to break down and cry for the first time in a very long time. 

Unbeknownst to Berengar, there was another figure who had stayed behind and remained hidden during this heated exchange. Once Berengar and Itami were gone, Honoria climbed out of the shadows, and hugged Linde tightly, while whispering words of comfort. She had known for some time how the redheaded beauty felt about her albino rival, and yet she never expected such a scene to occur on the night of Hans' wedding. 

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