Tyranny of Steel

With the military exercise completed, Berengar now found himself back in the city of Kufstein, within his royal palace. He was currently within his study approving expense reports and signing bills into laws. While he was going through these documents, a knock resounded on his door, and a meek voice could be heard on the other side.

This young, feminine voice was one he was all too familiar with, as it belonged to his ward Veronika. As per usual, she spoke with a hint of fear in her voice as she tried to gain the Austrian King's permission to enter.

"Your Majesty? It is me, Veronika, if you aren't busy, I would like you to listen to a request of mine..."

Truthfully, Berengar had been so dreadfully busy that he rarely found the time to speak to the girl. He left the parenting of his children mostly up to their mothers, and the wards were no exception. Despite this, the young Princess of Bohemia had deliberately sought him out rather than Linde, which meant she had a request that only the king could grant.

Thus, the young Monarch rose from his leather-bound seat and walked over to the entrance to his study, where he opened the door to reveal the doll-like appearance of the young Princess of Bohemia. Her mismatched eyes were always a stunning sight to behold and immediately stole Berengar's glance.

As he awkwardly looked into the girl's eyes, she felt uncomfortable and lowered her sight towards the ground. After realizing that Berengar had gawked at her condition like an idiot, he scratched the back of his head before moving to the side and allowing the girl to enter his office.

"Please, come in... I have little time to spare, but I can move some things around to speak with you, princess."

When Veronika heard these words, she nodded her head in silence before following Berengar over towards his desk, where she sat across from him. The Austrian King poured two chalices of wine and handed one over to the girl before taking a sip from his own.

The girl stared at the red substance for some time before drinking delicately from the gilded chalice. After several large gulps, she sighed heavily before revealing the thoughts on her mind.

"I wanted to ask you about your plans... for my future..."

Berengar looked up from his chalice and nodded his head before inquiring further about the specific item of interest the girl sought an answer to.

"What about it, in particular, are you interested in?"

The young princess of bohemia fiddled with her long blonde hair for a few moments, struggling to find the words to speak her mind. After several seconds of silence, she finally found the courage to ask for the answer to the question that had plagued her mind for some time now.

"Do you plan to marry me off to Hans?"

Berengar did not answer this question right away, instead he took a sip from his chalice before swiveling his chair around to gaze out the window for a few moments. As he saw the sun set behind the alps, he closed his eyes and entered a state of mental clarity.

<br/>"That was my intent. Why do you ask? Perhaps you are displeased with this arrangement?"

When Veronika heard that Berengar truly intended to engage her with his eldest son, she felt rather conflicted. Though the boy was intelligent beyond his years and was the prodigal son of the King of Austria; he was still substantially younger than herself.

The young Princess of bohemia became quite restless as she thought about the consequences such a distant age gap would have, which caused her to shift in her seat. This did not escape Berengar's sight, and he immediately moved to defend his position.

"The boy may be a bit of a brat. I can resolve such personality issues in time. As the Princess of Bohemia, you have to think about your position. There is no better match for you than my son. Hans has a bright future ahead of him.

If, for whatever reason, he proves incapable of succeeding me, he still has the intelligence to become quite the influential figure in both economic and political affairs. You will live a life of wealth and power that few other women in this world will be capable of.

If instead I were to wed you off to some foreign Prince, I can assure you that your life will be far less luxurious. Which begs the question, is there something in particular that bothers you about the prospect of marrying my son? Perhaps I can remedy such a thing."

Veronika knew that Berengar's reasoning was valid, and there was one thing in particular that was bothering her about marrying Hans, especially when there was a much better prospective candidate for that position sitting in front of her. Thus, she could not help but speak her mind.

"I like Hans. Despite being so young, his is unbelievably intelligent, and I am certain that his future will be one of great success, and whoever ends up marrying him will definitely be a lucky lady. However, I feel that perhaps he is a bit too young for me.

By the time he is of age, I will be in my twenties, which means I will have to wait eleven more years to fulfill my obligations. What if he thinks I am too old by then, and chooses not to go through with the betrothal you have set for him? After all, he is only allowed up to five wives, and I'm certain he would prefer them to be younger than me.

Where, in contrast, I would only have to wait four more years if I were to marry someone else, perhaps someone old enough to be Hans' father, a man has proven himself to be the most capable military leader in all of Christendom..."

Berengar listened to Veronika's words carefully and completely misunderstood her intent. A scowl formed on his face as he questioned if he was hearing her words properly.

"You want to marry Eckhard? How did you even get into communication with that old bastard? I give him the title of Grand Duke, and now he seeks to undermine my efforts?!?"

Veronika immediately felt embarrassed when she remembered the haggard appearance of the retired Field Marshal. She could hardly believe Berengar could be so dense at times. Thus, she ended up blurting out her true intentions to the father of her unofficial fiance.

"I'm talking about you!"

Just when Berengar was about to curse Eckhard's dynasty, she heard the girl's confession, and immediately felt awkward. He remained silent for a few moments as the young Princess flushed red with embarrassment. She could hardly believe she had said such a thing to Berengar.

Unbeknownst to the girl, Hans was on the other side of the door, listening to the entire conversation. When she came out and asked Berengar to marry her, the young Prince gritted his teeth in rage. He may be young, but he had already understood his father's intent to marry the girl to him, thus he had in a way already considered Veronika to be his woman.

Despite this, the girl was pining after his father so shamelessly. He refused to sit by and listen to such betrayal any longer, and returned to his room before he could hear his father's response. No matter what Berengar said, the Prince knew his father wasn't likely to accept such a proposition. After all, he had one slot open for marriage, and it would be best to use it to build a lasting alliance with a powerful Kingdom.

Berengar remained silent for several moments before revealing his thoughts to the girl. During this period of silence, the atmosphere became ever more awkward until finally the King's voice resounded throughout the study.

"Veronika, I am afraid that I am going to have to decline your request. Such a thing would put me in an awkward situation, as I already consider you akin to one of my daughters. I know you are impatient. It has already been some time since you have come to my Kingdom, and things are changing so rapidly.

However, you must remain patient. In the long run, my son is a better fit for your affections. Besides, by the time he is my age, I am sure he will be better looking and more accomplished than me. After all, he is his mother's son, and has inherited both her looks and her cunning mind."

The young Princess of Bohemia had a downcast expression on her doll-like face, as she was so thoroughly rejected. When she first conceived of this plan, she did not expect Berengar to deny her request. Now she just felt awkward and embarrassed for even suggesting such a thing.

With a heavy heart, she sighed before rising from her seat and bowing to the Austrian King.

"I thank you for sparing the time to listen to my foolish request. I will return to my quarters for the time being..."

After saying this, the girl fled the scene, and Berengar sighed in relief, however when he saw the tears on the ground, he felt as if he was an asshole as he gazed towards the entrance of his study to witness the sight of his stunning bride Linde standing with her arms crossed and a smirk on her face.

"You always were popular with the ladies.... This isn't the first time a twelve-year-old girl has fallen head over heels for you, is it my king?"

Berengar felt wounded when he heard this snide remark. He poured himself something stronger than wine into his chalice as he hurriedly drank its contents. After doing so, he wiped his mouth with his sleeve before responding to his second wife's taunts.

"Just how did you come to know of this so quickly?"

Linde sat down at the seat from across from her husband before revealing how she had come to know of this private conversation so soon.

"I saw Hans crying as he ran back to his room earlier. While you were speaking with Veronika, I had words for him. Evidently he heard what the girl said about him, and her awkward confession to you. Do you think this little incident will complicate their relationship?"

Berengar took another swig from his chalice before responding to his wife's question.

"Undoubtedly, but they are still young. I am sure they will sulk for a time before becoming closer than ever. Besides, I can use this as fuel to light a fire in the boy's heart so that he strives to surpass me in life. So I would say that even though things might be difficult for a while, ultimately it will be a good thing."

Linde merely nodded her head in response while murmuring. After all, she could not argue with Berengar's logic.

"mhmm"

With this said, Berengar had much work to get to, and Linde had plenty of children to babysit. Thus, they parted ways for the time being.