Tyranny of Steel

After leaving his father's quarters, Berengar returned to the dining room where he ate breakfast; once more, Linde and Henrietta were at the table; however, this time, the two girls were far more cordial with one another. Berengar did not know what Linde had said to Henrietta, but they appeared to be on better terms than before; at the very least, the little girl no longer seemed to pin the blame of Lambert's exile on Linde.

While snacking on some wurst, Linde could not help but ask about Berengar's visit to his father, which put him in a difficult spot, if Henrietta were still secluded, he might be able, to tell the truth of the matter, but with the little loli innocently snacking on breakfast sausage he could not very well inform both of them to the severity of his father's condition. As such, he merely shrugged his shoulders and said the least dishonest thing he could think of.

"I have done all that I am able..."

Though Henrietta was too engrossed in enjoying her breakfast to notice Berengar's solemn expression, Linde immediately picked up on it and could tell that things were not going well for the von Kufstein family, especially for the head of the household. She felt bitter after seeing that helpless expression on Berengar's face, knowing full well that if there were nothing he could do, then anything she might attempt would only worsen things. After all, Berengar's parents did not exactly accept their relationship, even if they tolerated it.

As such, she snacked on her breakfast in awkward silence. Berengar, on the other hand, gazed deeply into his flagon of milk, which he desperately wished to be wine. However, he had more than enough self-restraint and forcefully deterred himself from resorting to morning drinking as a way to quench his sorrows. He preferred the slightly more healthy alternative of throwing himself into his work. As such, he quickly steered the conversation into a path more favorable for him.

"The construction of the city walls is underway. Soon enough, Kufstein will be a city like no other, it might take a couple of years to achieve fully, but ultimately the designs I have planned will usher in a new age of security and prosperity for the German people!"

Linde had witnessed his grand plans and was excited about such a proposition. It was truly an extraordinary design, and she had no idea how Berengar kept coming up with such revolutionary ideas. She greatly admired his intellect and his approach to problems. Though she felt he was spending too much money to make the common people's lives better. The defenses she could understand, but the advanced plumbing system and the complex apartments would come at great cost, and even if he rented the apartments out at a fair price as he planned, it would take quite some time to recoup his losses.

As a woman who grew up in the privileged family of the higher nobility and was greatly spoiled in her formative years, some things like snobbery were hardwired into her DNA. As such, Linde could not understand Berengar's benevolent attitude towards the commoners. Though she did not understand it, she did not look down upon it; she figured Berengar's benevolence to his people was one of his better qualities. If he was a completely ruthless sociopath who only cared for himself, she figured she would never have fallen for him to the depths in which she had.

Knowing that her lover's plans were progressing well made Linde feel happy, even if she felt he was spending too much money on the happiness of the commoners, as she smiled and congratulated Berengar on the current success of his grand infrastructure initiative.

"That is excellent news; I can't wait to witness the City's defenses once they are completed. Your designs are impressive, to say the least."

Henrietta looked up from her plate at the couple with a gaze of confusion, she had no idea what Bernegar was planning, nor the ludicrous amount he was spending daily on such plans. She lived a carefree life completely devoid of any thoughts regarding the realm's future and its prosperity. However, the term city and walls brought a minor degree of interest to her; as such, she could not help but question what Berengar was planning. Her azure eyes twinkled with excitement as she questioned her big brother about his supposed plans.

"What city? Walls? What are you talking about?"

Berengar could not help but smile at the innocent look on his little sister's face. It greatly calmed his nerves about the issues with his father's rapidly deteriorating health. As such, he decided to spoil the girl with information about his extravagant project.

"I'm currently transforming the town into a full-fledged city; with the increase in urbanization, a lot of the locals live in horrible conditions; as such, I have plans to alleviate those concerns, and build a strong defensive barrier around the city!"

Though Henrietta did not understand half of the words Berengar had used, she felt as if it was something extraordinary as such; she smiled and congratulated Berengar on his progress.

"Good job!"

She said while raising her thumb in approval. Though she would later come to realize just how effective Berengar's plans were, it would not be for some time before she came to such a conclusion. For now, the little girl merely enjoyed her food as Berengar and Linde continued their discussion about topics that bored her. After finishing her meal Henrietta looked up at Berengar with a cute expression; considering he was now sitting at the head of the table, it would be considered rude to run off without his permission.

"Big Brother, may I please be excused?"

Berengar smiled and nodded, allowing the little loli to flee off to her room to play with her toys. Completely unaware that she was missing a discussion about the construction of monumental advancements in defensive technology that would one day come to dominate the cities of the future German Empire.