Tyranny of Steel

On the following morning, Berengar rose bright and early with a sense of fatigue. He once more had most of the energy drained from his body as he entertained his wives. More importantly, he had an important meeting later in the day, and thus there was little time for him to relax. 

With this in mind, he quickly finished his morning routine before heading out the door of the royal palace; as he sat within his carriage, he carried a briefcase filled with important documents regarding his five-year plan. 

His destination was simple; it was the temporary residence of his Uncle and father-in-law, Chancellor Otto von Graz. Since their victory in their war for Independence seven months ago, Austria had become a sovereign Kingdom.

However, despite this, they had until now operated under a Constitution designed while they were still a subservient Duchy. With this in mind, Berengar now felt it was time to hold a Constitutional Convention. The purpose behind this was to draft a new Constitution for an Independent Austria. This was Berengar's reason for visiting his Uncle on this fine morning. 

After knocking on the door a solid three times, the door opened to reveal a young maid. With the abolishment of serfdom, servants such as maids and butlers now had to be paid a living wage. Despite this, it was a highly desirable position as, generally speaking, housing and meals were accommodated as part of the position.

The young maid stared in shock as she realized that the man standing before her was the King of Austria; it took her a few moments to pay her respects to Berengar, where she quickly kneeled in front of him and apologized for her lack of decorum.

"Your Highness, I apologize; I was just surprised to see you here. I will go alert his Grace of your presence right away."

As the young girl departed, Berengar waited inside the entrance of Otto's chateau for a few minutes before the man arrived; he was dressed in nothing but a silk robe and had an unpleasant expression on his face; it would appear as if he was still sleeping when Berengar arrived.

Nevertheless, the moment he saw his nephew and son-in-law standing before him in a military uniform, he realized that more important matters were afoot. Thus Otto greeted Berengar with a warm smile before leading him into the study.

"Your Highness, I was not expecting your visit so early in the morning. I apologize for my improper appearance. Please wait in my study; I will have young Magdelen here attend to your needs while I tidy up."

Berengar merely nodded his head in silence, signaling to his Uncle that he approved. Afterward, the older man rushed up the stairs and into his bathroom, where he began to bathe and select appropriate attire for the meeting.

While this was going on, Berengar noticed the maid eying him carefully as if he were a wolf, and she was a lamb. Evidently, his reputation as a womanizer had preceded him, seeing as how the girl seemed to be exceptionally cautious around him.

Nevertheless, Berengar had no interest in a lowly maid; if he took up another lover, she would have to be at least a Princess. Thus Berengar put on a friendly smile as he gave an order to the young maid in a polite and delicate manner.

"Magdelen, was it? I would greatly appreciate it if you would fetch me a cup of coffee."

The girl instantly nodded her head in silence and scurried off like a frightened rabbit as she began to prepare what her monarch had requested. Before long, she returned with a fresh glass of black coffee, where Berengar immediately began to request another favor.

"Please, if you would add some milk and sugar, that would be most welcome."

The maid instantly nodded in silence and fetched a fresh glass of milk and a sugar cube that she skillfully mixed into the ceramic cup. After doing so, she asked the question on her mind.

"Is there anything else you require, your majesty?"

However, Berengar merely shook his head as he responded to her inquiry.

"No, you have done wonderfully, thank you."

The girl instantly blushed as she heard this and ran off into the background; she knew it was best not to stick her nose into the business of the nobility, especially the King of Austria. After a while, Otto returned in his noblest attire before sitting down across from Berengar, where he opened up the conversation with small talk.

"So, how is my daughter treating you? I hope she hasn't been causing you too much trouble..."

Berengar smiled as he heard this and placed down his cup upon the small plate provided with it. 

"Quite the contrary, I greatly enjoy her company; with her around, I find my workload much easier to handle. However, due to her pregnancy, she and the others are a little bit, shall we say... moody."

Otto chuckled briefly when he heard this before sizing up Berengar in his new field uniform. Afterward, he inquired about the state of his attire.

"So you're going off to war, I take it? You chose a good time; by the time you return home, your girls would have either already given birth or will be damn close to it. Meaning you will have to suffer less."

A misleading smile formed curved itself upon Berengar's lips as memories of his achievements in battle flooded his mind, filling his sight and hearing as if he were hallucinating. His hands were as still as granite as he recounted the time he had spent engaging in pure unadulterated violence. Eventually, he broke free of the illusion and responded to Otto's line of questioning with an appropriate answer. 

"Out of the frying pan and into the fire, huh? Actually, for the time being, I will be here, at home in Kufstein. Unless the situation within Iberia turns volatile and my presence becomes required, I will not participate in this campaign, no matter how much I desire to do so.

As for the uniform, quite honestly, I felt it was a good change of pace from the overly luxurious attire I usually wear. In my humble opinion, it makes me look more militaristic and utilitarian than my usual style, and I greatly admire those attributes."

Otto immediately nodded his head silently in response to this statement. He sympathized with Berengar's point of view. Despite the fact that he did not partake in Austria's military, at least not since a centralized, professional force was established. He had still seen his fair share of war in the past.

Having engaged in small talk for an appropriate amount of time, Berengar sipped from his coffee once more before finishing it off; after doing so, he instantly switched the topic to his reason for visiting. After all, as King, he was a very busy man, and could not stay for long.

"Anyways, Uncle, this is not what I have come here to discuss with you. Instead, I have come to ask for your assistance. I am aware that you are well respected among the nobility of Austria; as the Chancellor of our Kingdom and the current Duke of Steiermark, you hold an advantageous position. Hence, I must request something of you."

Otto's gaze shifted to a severe glint as he prepared himself for what Berengar was about to ask. By the sound of his nephew's voice, something serious was about to transpire; as such, he nodded his head before speaking in the affirmative.

"Whatever you require of me, so long as it is within my power, I will fulfill it to the best of my ability."

Berengar naturally smiled when he heard this response; it was exactly what he wanted to hear. As such, he wasted no time and immediately began to inform his Uncle of the decision he had come to."

"Uncle, it is no great secret that some of my reforms have been less than popular among the higher echelons of Austrian nobility. Some still refer to me as Usurper and Upstart. They look down upon my lineage rather than kneel before my achievements. I have no ill will towards them; they are old and stubborn fools refusing to change with the times. 

Whenever a significant change occurs within a society, there will always be men like that. However, I do require their assistance. Soon I will be gathering together the heads of State and various noblemen from across the Kingdom for a matter of great importance. 

Now that we are an independent Kingdom, the time has come to establish a Constitution worthy of our great Nation. Though I have done the groundwork with the previous renditions, they were never intended to be the final product.

With this in mind, I want all of the great men of Austria, whether they come from the nobility or the common populace, to come together and aid me in creating a system that will endure the test of time and take everyone's needs into account. 

The fact of the matter is, with a simple request, I can quickly gain the support of the common men and that of the lesser nobility, for nobody has gained more during my time as a Monarch than they. However, I fear men of your caliber, the Dukes and Marquesses of Austria, will be a bit hesitant to join in on this Constitutional Convention of mine.

What I require of you is fairly simple, I would very much appreciate it if you could represent the interest of the higher nobility and call for this meeting as Chancellor before I make the announcement, so it appears as if I am not forcing my ideas onto everyone else yet again."

After hearing this, Otto was silent for several moments; he did not make a single movement as he reflected on Berengar's speech. After a while, he finally sighed, and in doing so, nodded his head as he accepted the task bequeathed to him by his sovereign.

"Very well, I will make a public declaration in the coming days, requesting a Constitutional Convention; I will call upon you, and everyone you deem to be of importance to attend the meeting in the Reichstag where we will come to a consensus on what should, and should not be put into our Constitution. Though I must be honest, I fear that you are simply using this as a propaganda piece to satisfy those who have been less than agreeable with your reforms."

Berengar chuckled when he heard this response; after doing so, he stood up from his seat and nodded his head with a smile etched upon his face before responding.

"Uncle, you know me so well... Very well, I will leave this task to you; after you make your declaration, I shall respond in agreement, where we will then set a date and time for the leaders of our society to gather in the Reichstag. I look forward to working with you in the future."

After saying this, Berengar departed from Otto's temporary residence; it was only after he had ensured that his nephew was long gone that Otto dared to release his breath and utter the thoughts he had on his mind.

"No wonder he has three wives, the amount of work this fool endures is enough to put any man into an early grave..."

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