Tyranny of Steel

After having his little discussion with Honoria, Berengar sent her away from his office, claiming that he had work to do. She was happy to oblige and thus left Berengar alone in the room. Not long after Linde arrived and appeared rather upset, the moment she closed the door behind her, Berengar knew he was in trouble.

Linde stood before Berengar's desk while staring him down; after a few moments of awkward silence, she sighed before sitting down and resting her pretty face on the palm of her hand before speaking.

"I can't leave you alone with the girl, can I?"

Berengar had a worried expression on his face, he was well aware of how dangerous Linde could be when she was upset, and though it was a misunderstanding, she would not easily believe him. Thus he tried to explain his innocence to his lover.

"I swear I am innocent, I simply did her a favor, and she latched onto me like a leech; how was I supposed to know she is so clingy?"

Linde's sky blue eyes stared at Berengar with a curious gaze before she asked the question on her mind.

"You did her a favor, huh? What might that be?"

Berengar had nothing to hide, and as such, he explained the conversation he had with Honoria.

"I merely told that since she was interested in sailing, I could hire someone to teach her how to sail a riverboat properly. If she was interested further, I could always send her to the Naval Academy I am building sometime in the future."

Linde had a hard time believing Berengar's words; after all, the girl was clinging to him so tightly, and thus she narrowed her gaze at Berengar to see if he was lying. Though Berengar was nervous, he was innocent of any foul play, and as such, he returned Linde's glare with one of grit.

Seeing how Berengar wasn't lying, Linde sighed before giving him a friendly warning.

"Don't let that little vixen dig her claws into your heart; if she turns out to be the Byzantine Princess, it could only bring trouble..."

Berengar nodded his head in response as if he understood Linde's message. Though in reality, he had begun to reconsider his options regarding this so-called "Lady Valeria." If the girl was Princess Honoria, then several paths presented themselves on how to proceed.

Linde was no fool the moment she saw Berengar nod his head, the look in his eyes flashed from being genuine to being deceitful, and thus she glared at him before demanding answers from him.

"Just what is it that you are thinking in that scheming mind of yours?"

When Berengar heard that Linde had already discovered he was plotting something, he smiled bitterly before revealing this thought.

"I can't hide anything from you, can I? Fine, I will tell you my schemes."

Hearing this, Berengar poured himself and his lover a drink as they began to chat about his plans. He ran a chalice of fortified wine for himself, but since he and Linde aimed to have another child, he poured her a cup filled with water.

"Let's say that the girl is Princess Honoria; aside from appeasing the Byzantines and preventing a diplomatic crisis, what can we possibly gain from shipping her back to the Empire?"

When Linde heard this, she thought about it for a few moments and answered her question.

"We could potentially gain their gratitude, further increasing the amount of trade we have with them? Isn't that enough?"

When Berengar heard this, he wagged his finger and clicked his tongue.

"Tsk tsk tsk... You are thinking too small, my dear. If she is the Princess and has fallen for me, why not take advantage of this and have a son with her? If I do this, my Dynasty gains a claim to the Byzantine Empire, a weak claim sure, but enough to depose the next Emperor if he proves hostile to us."

Linde looked at Berengar as if she were speaking to a madman before expressing the thoughts on her mind.

"That is a little risky. If the Byzantines find out we are harboring their runaway Princess with the intent for you to make her into another one of your consorts, they will surely take action against us!"

To this, Berengar leaned back in his chair and smiled before speaking his opinion on the matter.

"By the time they can take any practical action against us aside from severing trade, our Army and Navy will be greater than theirs. It will take years for them to conquer North Africa, assuming they ever find out that we harbor the Princess.

How many people know what she looks like? How many of them are here in Kufstein? Only Arethas would be able to reveal her identity, but she can easily be hidden from him. Sure there is a significant risk, but there is an even greater reward.

Even if they do paint a picture of her and use it as a bounty for her safe return, let's be honest, how many people will recognize her? The artistic talent of people these days is not exactly lifelike. Not like the artists I have fostered here in Kufstein!

Of course, all of this relies on the fact that she is the Princess. If she is who she claims she is, then I have no interest in the girl, and you can rest easy."

After hearing this, Linde sighed before looking deeply into Berengar's eyes and asking the question on her mind.

"So you don't have feelings for her?"

Berengar smiled with a wide grin on his face while leaning back into his chair; as usual, he was blatantly honest with his lover on how he felt about the other women around him.

"At the moment, no, I am simply planning for the future. However, if she proves to be Princess Honoria and my plans come to fruition, which is to say I do not fall for the girl? After all, her innocence is quite charming, and I have more than enough love to give to three women..."

To this, Linde scoffed; it was hard enough balancing things with Adela; if a third girl entered the picture into their already complex relationship, she knew she would have a headache. Despite this, she also knew that once Berengar had set his mind to something, it was impossible to convince him otherwise.

As such, she took ahold of the chalice she was provided and quickly downed its contents, carefully making sure not to spill a single drop of the water within before responding to Berengar's audacious claims.

"I hope you know what you are doing..."

Before Linde could get up and walk away, Berengar spoke again, instantly gluing her attention to the words he spoke.

"Of course, there is another option available. I could always marry the girl and seal an alliance with the Byzantine Empire. Though this would require effective diplomacy, and at the very least, I would have to elevate my status to that of a King, in order to gain the Emperor's approval."

Hearing this, Linde was shocked and immediately began to stare at Berengar as if he were a scoundrel.

"You would break your betrothal to Adela for this woman you barely know!?!"

To this insinuation, Berengar feigned offense as he clarified his thoughts to his lover.

"Why Linde, I am offended that you would suggest such a thing; you know how much I love my little fiancee. Of course not, but who is to say I am limited to one wife? As King, I could easily enact Polygyny.

After all, with my new succession laws, it will not be an issue for the future of the Kingdom, and if the reformists have a problem with it, I can always justify it with the fact that Abraham had multiple wives."

Hearing this, Linde stared at Berengar with shock for a few moments before expressing the thoughts on her mind.

"You have truly thought through everything, haven't you?"

To this, Berengar nodded his head with a smug grin on his face before answering in the most arrogant way possible.

"Someone has to, do they not?"

After hearing this, Linde smiled before departing, though after she left, that smile quickly shifted to a frown. She was not happy about this new arrival or Berengar's plans for her. As such, she quickly got to work writing a letter to Adela to inform her about the appearance of a new rival in their complicated relationship.

Perhaps together, the two girls could convince Berengar not to go through with such a thing. Of course, Berengar had no idea that his two women would begin to scheme behind his back to prevent Honoria from entering his little harem. 

After all, he was much too busy overseeing the management of the Duchy of Austria and implementing a series of reforms that would change the political and legal landscape of the realm for the foreseeable future. 

Under his guidance, the Industrial Age would soon be forced upon Austria. If he wanted his territory to enter the new era peacefully, significant changes would have to be drafted to his rudimentary constitution and transitional government.