Tyranny of Steel

Word had come over the wire that Hungary had officially surrendered. Linde gazed at the telegram that sat on her husband's desk and smiled. She had worked hard to redeem herself in the eyes of her husband after getting in the way of his plans for Hungarian succession. Without him even noticing, she had anticipated his moves perfectly.

By dispatching her agents to the Kingdom of Hungary to stoke the ire of the noble families, Linde had ensured that the former Hungarian monarch was ousted before her husband ever step foot in his lands. She also worked behind the scenes to strengthen Viktor's claim to the throne.

Despite previously holding animosity towards Noemi, and the young girl's plans to monopolize Han's attentions, Linde was had forced herself to overcome her emotions, and act in the interest of the Reich. However, that did not mean that she would treat the girl so kindly. Today it was her responsibility to greet this new ward, and establish her living quarters within the Imperial Palace.

Linde had gone out of her way to specifically make Noemi's life difficult, not in any overtly aggressive fashion, but in the form of passive aggressiveness. Thus, she had a cruel smile on her pretty face as the redheaded bombshell planned to take her vengeance against a teenage girl who was at least ten years younger than herself. If Berengar could witness the pettiness of his favorite bride, he would only shake his head and make a crass remark about the vile nature of women.

However, he was not present for this occasion, and as a result, he would not bear witness to the spectacle that was about to occur. After reading the telegram, Linde pulled out a lighter from Berengar's desk drawer and lit it a flame, once the document was turned into ash, she departed from her husband's office, and returned to the master suite where her clothing, accessories, and cosmetics lie in wait for her.

Linde had gone all out with her appearance, more so than usual. Though the woman prided herself on her natural beauty, she had gone the extra mile by fluffing her hair and applying the finest cosmetics manufactured in the reich to her elegant face. After ensuring that she looked her best, Linde placed a small tiara on the top of her hair.

This tiara was made of white gold and was encrusted with sky blue topaz gemstones which matched perfectly with her dress. In fact, her necklace, earrings, and wedding ring were all made of the same minerals. The piercing of one's ears was not a common practice in the reich. In fact, any form of body modification was considered taboo by society at large. As a result, the women of Germany relied on clip on earrings to adorn their lobes.

After ensuring that she was at her best, Linde confidently strode out to the courtyard to greet the young minx which sought to steal her firstborn's attention. Upon exiting the Palace and entering the courtyard, Linde noticed the carriage which had been used to transport the girl to the palace.

The young empress had to admit, this girl had a remarkably similar appearance to herself. She might even consider the possibility that Noemi was a long-lost half-sister if she wasn't so sure that her late father had never visited Hungary in his life.

Noemi gazed upon Linde's beauty and stopped in her tracks. Her mouth was practically agape. This was the second time she had met with the Empress, and she was even more beautiful than before. She instantly lowered her head in shame. She did not know why she was brought to the palace, but after her last meeting with Linde, she suspected that she was in trouble. The young Hungarian beauty immediately tried to defend herself, but was surprised to see Linde's reaction.

"Your majesty, I swear I have not approached Hans since our last encounter. Please forgive me for whatever transgression I may have committed against your family! Eep!"

Noemi was caught by surprise when Linde latched her arms around her and took the girl into her embrace. A soothing tone erupted from the young Empress's voice as she stroked her newest daughter-in-law's silky red hair.

"Shhh... That's all in the past, my dear Noemi. Things have changed, and naturally I must evolve with the times. Your brother Viktor has been named King of Hungary and, as a sign of submission to the Kaiser, he has offered you up to be Hans' fourth bride.

You are now my daughter-in-law, just like Veronika and Natalia. As of this moment, you are a ward of the von Kufstein dynasty, and shall live here in the Palace. As for your caretaker, she has been given appropriate compensation in order to ensure that she lives a fine life here in Kufstein. Come, let's get you settled in."

This news dumbfounded Noemi. How was her brother the King of Hungary? What about her father? He would never agree to her even being within the Reich, let alone marrying one of its princes. She had so many questions on her mind as the older woman dragged her into the Palace.

While Linde may have seemed like she was being sincere and kind in her actions, in reality, she had designed a special kind of hell for Noemi during her initial stay in the Palace. Linde purposefully did not reveal that the girl's father had died in battle. After all, she wanted Noemi's life to be difficult for the time being, but she didn't want to break the girl's heart. She would reveal that bombshell once the Hungarian beauty had settled into her life in the palace.

After turning the corner into the living area of the Palace, Linde opened the door to the room that Noemi would be staying in. She had a wide smile on her face as she revealed her marvellous plan to make Noemi uncomfortable. However before she could get a word out she heard the shrieking cries of two women enraged with each other.

"What is she doing here!?!"

"Why is this thieving bitch in my room!?!"

Linde forced a pretty smile as she observed the situation in great detail. Veronika was lying on her bed while reading a book. However, the moment the door opened, she witnessed the sight of her bitter rival. The sly cat who tried to steal her precious Hans away from her. Miraculously, Linde was by her side, leading her into the room.

Likewise, Noemi was equally astonished. She never expected to barge into the room of Hans's number one girl. However, after being called a thieving bitch by the heterochromia beauty, Noemi was equally outraged and demanded answers.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Linde continued to wear a pretty smile as she explained the situation to the two girls who were practically at each other's throats.

"For the time being, you two will be sharing a room! Since Noemi doesn't know how things work around here at the palace, I thought it would be great if she had a mentor to teach her how to properly behave herself. Immediately, I thought of little Veronika, after all, you are both at a similar age, and are both engaged to my precious baby boy. Who would be better suited to the task?"

Veronika was livid. Not only was she forced to share a room with this busty bitch, but she also found out that the girl was now engaged to her fiance. It was one thing for Natalia to be Hans's bride. After all, Veronika had lived with the girl long enough to consider her a little sister. However, Noemi was a scheming bitch, and she had no intention of sharing her man with such a harlot.

However, when she saw Linde's frightening gaze cast over her, she immediately felt as if she had been buried in a coffin made of ice. Linde had the ability to wear a pretty smile while concealing terrifying eyes. When she stared at you in such a way, you felt as if a guillotine was hovering over your neck. Thus, Veronika was quick to bow her head and submit to the will of the Empress.

"Yes, Kaiserin, I understand..."

It shocked Noemi when she saw Veronika behave so submissively towards Linde. She had not witnessed the intense stare that the woman concealed behind her pretty smile, and thus did not understand the fear that Veronika felt.

Nor was Noemi aware of the massive number of deaths that the redheaded beauty's keen mind had orchestrated. Linde was by far the most frightening woman in the reich, and possibly the world. However, very few people knew this truth. Thus, most people treated her as nothing more than a pretty face. That grave mistake had been the undoing of many men.

After seeing Veronika behave herself, Linde smiled once more before departing. However, she left behind one last bit of advice before she disappeared around the corner.

"Veronika, since you are Noemi's mentor of imperial etiquette, I will hold you responsible if anything were to happen. I trust that you will teach her thoroughly. That's all for now. Have fun, you two!"

After saying this, Linde disappeared. It was only after she was out of earshot that Veronika sighed heavily before revealing her true thoughts of the woman.

"Scheming bitch!"

Veronika's sudden change of character astounded Noemi. She instantly questioned the heterochromia beauty about her two faced nature.

"If you think about her in such a manner, why don't you express it to her face?"

Veronika stared at Noemi in disbelief. There was no way this girl was so stupid, to actively pursue the cub of such a fearsome lioness without even realizing the terror behind that pretty smile. She sighed heavily before revealing her thoughts on the matter.

"That's a good way to get yourself killed. Linde may not look like it, but she is the most frightening entity in this entire palace. Berengar may be a bloodthirsty warlord who has commanded the deaths of millions, but Linde is the mastermind behind his entire intelligence network, and an incredibly petty one at that. It's honestly a goddamn miracle that you haven't vanished yet. However, keep up that mentality, and it is only a matter of time.

Hell, she probably orchestrated this mess so that I can keep you from getting too close to Hans. Linde is incredibly possessive of her loved ones, and anyone who gets in the way of her relationship with them seems to disappear.

If I had to guess, I'd say that Linde is hostile to you, and not me, because she probably sees you as a threat to her maternal role in Hans's life. The only reason you aren't buried in an unmarked grave is because of Berengar's influence. You should remember that before you go do something stupid like talk back to the woman, or insult her to her face."

It astonished Noemi to learn such a wicked truth about Linde. The most beautiful woman she had ever laid eyes on was truly terrifying. Linde looked like an Angel, but was really a devil in disguise, one that would claim her soul should she step out of line. It was at this moment, Noemi decided to maintain a respectful distance from Hans, and follow Veronika's every word now that they were roommates.