Tyranny of Steel

Berengar sat at the personal bar that existed within his palace. The young bartender he employed to mix drinks for him leaned against the edge and gazed upon the handsome face of the kaiser as he drank from a glass filled with twelve-year-old rye whiskey. Her favorite part of her job was that she could be so close to the Kaiser.

As the pretty young woman stared at him, Berengar silently swallowed the amber colored liquid that was produced by a distillery which he owned a fair amount of shares in. As he did so, the sight of an incredible bronze skinned beauty approached him. Priya was now a young woman, and though it had been years since she first started developing feelings for Berengar, she had never truly expressed them.

However, in her heart, the young Indian princess knew that the man was a creature of habit, and because of that, he was downing the nicest whiskey he could find on this Friday evening. Usually Berengar was accompanied by one of his many women, and because of this, Priya had never found the right opportunity to approach the man.

However, tonight he was all alone, with only the company of his bartender. Because of this, she knew it was her chance to finally express the complex emotions she felt towards a man who was practically twice her age. Thus, she sat down next to Berengar with a pretty smile on her exquisite face. Berengar was surprised to see Priya sit down at the bar, and quickly voiced his surprise.

"Never in my life would I dare to believe that the young, and pure Anangpur Princess who is completely devoid of vice would sit down at my bar and order a drink. Honestly, Priya, do you even know what you want?"

The young Indian woman could only pout as she heard this remark before gazing over at the bartender with fierce determination in her eyes and ordering the drink she desired.

"I would like a coconut daiquiri please..."

There was a clear hesitation in the girl's voice. This made Berengar chuckle as he took another sip of his whiskey. In his mind, he scoffed to himself, thinking that, of course, the little girl would order such a fruity drink.

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The Bartender didn't say a word, and merely observed the way Priya was looking at the Kaiser as she prepared the girl's drink. After doing so, she passed the beverage to her guest before pulling out a lighter and a pack of cigarettes, where she informed Berengar of her intentions.

"Hey boss, I'm going to go take a quick smoke break. Is that alright with you?"

Berengar merely nodded his head in silence, signalling the woman that she was free to leave. He could tell by the exceptionally anxious look on Priya's face that there was something she wanted to tell him in private, and he was glad that the woman he hired to serve him drinks was socially conscious enough to take a hint.

After the young woman left the two together, Berengar smiled before taking another sip from his whiskey, where he was quick to interrogate his ward and why she had approached him on this fine evening.

"So tell me, Priya, what's on your mind?"

The girl blushed slightly as she took a sip from her drink. Though there was a little taste of the rum within the drink, it was still strong enough to cause her to feel the effect of alcohol. Priya was visibly shaking. There was obviously something important on her mind, but she just couldn't voice the words properly.

Perhaps it was the effect of the alcohol, or maybe it was the extreme anxiety she felt within her heart. Whatever the reason may be, the extensive plan that Priya had come up with to seduce Berengar into taking her as one of his many lovers immediately flew out the window, as she bluntly asked the question that had plagued her mind for months now.

"I like you! Will you please take me as your mistress?"

Berengar nearly spat his drink out of his mouth upon hearing the girl be so blunt. However, he managed to only slightly choke on the burning liquid as it stained his esophagus with its overwhelming strength.

After several heavy coughs, he placed his whiskey glass down on the bar, ensuring that he did not spill a single drop of the highly valuable substance. It was only after a few moments was he was able to fully recover his senses before asking the immediate question on his mind.

"A little blunt, don't you think? I mean, honestly Priya, there were about a thousand ways you could have asked me this question that would have been more romantic! Do you even know what you are asking?"

Priya had an innocent glint in her eyes as she placed a finger on her lips before asking another question in her mind. Despite her naïve expression, there was a fierce determination on her pretty face.

"Of course I know what I'm asking! What, don't you don't like me? I know that can't possibly be the case. After all, I see the way you look at me as I pass by in the halls... Won't you take responsibility?"

The final words that Priya had said caused Berengar to feel a headache. He did not know if this girl was deliberately being cute, or was truly so pure of heart that she did not understand the depths of her request.

However, one thing was clear to him. This girl was simply too innocent to properly comprehend what she was asking. If he were to pounce at this opportunity, even he felt like he would need to be locked up. Thus, he took another sip of his whiskey before responding to her request.

"You're going to give me a heart attack if you keep this up... I have to ask. You are aware of what your request entails, right?"

Perhaps it was the fact that the girl had had downed a rather heavy drink for the first time in her life, but the moment she heard Berengar's question Anangpur princess immediately thought back to a few years prior when she witnessed Berengar receiving an oil message from his wives within his harem room. Her cheeks immediately flushed an even brighter red as she turned her head away and nodded in silence. The voice she used to respond to him was so faint Berengar practically didn't hear her.

"You mean naughty stuff?"

Berengar gazed upon the cute expression of this young woman who had just barely become an adult, and could feel as if the police were going to drag him away from jail. He both had an intense desire to protect this girl, and also a desire to play a trick on her. Perhaps it was because of this conflict in his heart that he made his next move.

After finishing the contents of his drink, Berengar approached Priya, and shocked the young woman by grabbing hold of her chin and placing a childish peck on her lips. Though the girl's heart beat heavily, she turned her head away, fearful of what was about to come next. Not even aware that the kiss she had received was far from one of passion. However, Berengar's next words truly shocked her.

"You're still too young... You can't even kiss a man properly without being terrified. I mean, you may be an adult now, but you still have the mentality of the child, and I won't take advantage of your naivety. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did.

Should the day come when you are fully aware of the depths of what you ask, and you still desire to be my mistress, I will happily allow you into my harem. However, you need to mature a bit more before that becomes a possibility. I have neither the time, nor patience to entertain a child..."

Priya immediately broke out into tears after hearing Berengar's rejection and quickly scurried off. Though her heart was beating like crazy, it was also filled with despair. As for the bartender, she walked in at just the right time to see the girl run away with tears in her eyes. She quickly approached the counter and poured Berengar another glass of whiskey before commenting on what she had just seen.

"Damn... That was brutal. I never thought I'd see the day where you turned down a beautiful princess. I'm curious now. Why did you reject Priya?"

Berengar had a confident smirk on his face as he heard this before responding to the young woman's question.

"She's still young, and I am in no hurry to take another mistress. When her mind matures, and her character develops, I'm sure she will become a fine young woman. At the moment, Priya is nothing more than a child, even if she is physically an adult. Even I have too much of a conscience to corrupt such innocence..."

This response merely caused the bartender to chuckle. She could never tell what the man was thinking.

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