Tyranny of Steel

The door to the armored limousine opened to reveal the bodyguard who stood at attention, waiting for his Kaiser to exit the vehicle. As a proper gentleman, Berengar allowed his wife to exit first, before clamoring to her side.

A look of excitement filled the redheaded beauty's sky-blue eyes as she gazed at the flashing lights of the local carnival, which was in full effect. Hundreds of families walked through the streets, playing games, and eating tasty treats while enjoying their Friday night.

Berengar could only smile upon seeing how exhilarated his beautiful wife was. With a simple gesture, he grabbed hold of the woman's hand and dragged her off into the streets, seemingly carefree, knowing that he and his woman would be protected by the valiant soldiers of the leibgarde.

Everywhere the royal couple walked, eyes were set upon them. The carnival was not a location that the nobility frequently visited; instead, it was a place which was ruled by the middle class. However, with the Kaiser and his wife freely walking about, with wide smiles on their faces, the common people of German could not help but take photographs.

Berengar had no way of knowing this, but his actions on this night would spur many members of the nobility to venture to future carnivals and mingle with the common population. In doing so, breaking the social barrier that existed between the two classes to some small extent.

The Kaiser had no real plan upon stepping foot in the carnival and instead gazed upon his wife with a humble smile before asking her what it was that she desired to do first.

"So... What do you want to do first? Shall we go get a tasty treat? Or shall we take part in some of the games? Perhaps we could enjoy some of the rides, like the ferris wheel?"

Linde smirked when she heard this. She had a bit of a guilty look on her face, but she couldn't help but voice her desires to the man she loved.

"I know we just ate a nice meal, and snacked on popcorn at the theatre, but I've always wanted to try a corn dog. Can we go get one?"

_{ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ꜰʀᴇᴇwᴇʙɴoᴠᴇʟ. ᴄᴏᴍ}

Berengar did not need a second word. He swiftly dragged his wife off to the nearest snack booth, where all kinds of delicious, but rather unhealthy, fried foods were on display. Though the line attempted to part way for their Kaiser, Berengar did not allow their courtesy, and merely smiled before speaking his mind.

"Please, you were all here first. It is only right you get your food before us. Besides, we already ate before coming here, so we're not too terribly hungry. I insist."

The common people were stunned that the Kaiser refused to use his position to scale to the front of the line, and instead stood there patiently with his wife, while speaking casually with one another. As the royal couple continued to advance in line, Linde brought up one of their children.

"I'm sure Hans would enjoy something from this snack bar. He always enjoyed junk food."

Berengar's gaze swept the crowd where his sight coincidentally landed upon his son, and a young woman, the two of which were feasting on pretzels and fried pickles while sitting on a nearby bench. A smirk appeared on the Kaiser's face as he nodded his head in agreement with his wife's assessment before speaking his thoughts on the matter.

"It would appear that he indeed does enjoy the food at the snack bar. I hope I will like whatever we get half as much as the boy does..."

At first Linde did not know what her man was talking about, but then she gazed over at her son, and his girlfriend Anne, who appeared to be out of uniform, and on a date together on this fine evening. A concerned tone entered the doting mother's voice as she realized that her son was currently absent without leave from the Aerial Warfare Academy.

"That little scoundrel, playing hooky, to take his newest girl to the carnival. I should give him a piece of my mind!"

While Linde was cursing out her son, Berengar had paid for a couple of corn dogs, and received the food. He stuck one of the two treats into his wife's mouth without her notice, causing her to react with shock. After doing so, Berengar whispered suggestive words into Linde's ears while grabbing hold of her dainty hand once more.

"Be a good little girl, and suck on this while I go see what our errant son is up to."

The scandalous comments that her husband had made caused Linde to blush in embarrassment. However, rather than look like a fool with a corn dog stuck in her mouth, she quickly bit into the treat with a soundable crunch before chewing and swallowing its contents.

After taking a bite from her treat, Linde was dragged off by her husband to interrogate their son about his rogue behavior. The young couple approached the boy, and his date, who were feeding each other fried pickle slices, when Anne noticed the presence of the Kaiser, and more importantly, his most terrifying wife.

Hans, however, did not notice his parents approach and continued to laugh while his girlfriend pulled on his sleeve. He was about to say something when a stern voice interrupted him. It was not that of his father, but rather his doting mother.

"My oh my, if it isn't my beloved son, playing hooky on a Friday night, are we? Do you realize how much trouble the two of you could get in if anyone were to find out you were here?"

The boy slowly, but surely, shifted his sight behind him as a dreadful expression filled his face. He took one look at his mother and knew for a fact that he wasn't hearing things. The upset expression on the woman's flawless face was truly terrifying to the boy, who knew all too well what the woman was capable of.

"Mother... I...'

However, Linde looked away from her son, as if she did not want to speak with him, and merely took another bite from her corn dog while pouting in silence. She would leave the scolding of her child up to the boy's father. Berengar merely sighed before expressing his disappointment in his son.

"Boy, you're in the Luftwaffe now. You can't simply abscond from base anytime you want to go meet with a girl. You could be seriously reprimanded for this. I suggest the two of you finish your snacks and then head back to the Academy before somebody finds out about your unscheduled absence."

Though Hans wanted to protest, he knew better than to speak back to his father, and thus, he simply lowered his head in shame and agreed to the tyrant's demands.

"Yes, father, I will do as you have suggested. Come along Anne."

After saying this, Hans dragged Anne off, whose sight did not leave Linde's chilling gaze. Undoubtedly, this little scandal was caused by the young woman. As Hans was a rather obedient child, who seldom questioned the rules, let alone broke them. If there was one thing Linde hated more than anything, it was when her children acted in disobedience.

Even though she never wanted her son to enter Aerial Warfare Academy, he had received his father's blessing, and thus there was nothing Linde could do about it. However, to enter the Military academy, and then disregard its rules, such a thing was not only a slap in the face to the military as an institution, but to the royal family altogether. Thus, the redheaded beauty was scowling as she watched her son and his little girlfriend run back to their barracks. A solemn remark escaped the woman's luscious lips as she sighed in pity.

"It's a shame, he used to be used an obedient child..."

In response to this, Berengar merely chuckled before taking a bite from his own treat.

"You're being too harsh on the boy. He's at that age where rebellion is nature. If he didn't play hooky once or twice, I'd truly be concerned about his development. As long as he doesn't get caught, it's not an issue.

However, if he were to be found out, I would not interfere on his behalf. Every choice we make in this life has consequences, and the boy needs to learn that. Now, how about we forget this matter, and go play some games?"

A warm smile appeared on Linde's pretty face as she devoured the rest of her corn dog before throwing the stick into the trash. Her previous mood was back in full swing, as she disregarded her eldest son's truancy, and dashed off towards the games, leaving her husband to chase after her.

"I'll race you!"

Berengar merely smiled and shook his head while gazing up at the stars above, all while muttering to himself one simple comment before charging after his wife.

"I wonder how long these peaceful days will last..."

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