Tyranny of Steel

Within the Royal Palace of Austria, two young women were having a conversation. Since Henrietta had confessed her feelings to her older brother, she had been alienated by most of the women in Berengar's life. The only exception to this rule was the High Queen Adela, her cousin, and her close friend.

As the two young women stood next to each other, it became increasingly clear how closely related they were, as they shared many similar features. If one was unaware of their background, they might even assume they were sisters. Despite being two years younger than Adela, Henrietta had grown more significant in stature than her elder cousin.

By now, the teenage girl was taller and curvier than Adela, which brought a frown to the High Queen's face as she noticed this. She had no idea what Berengar had been feeding his sister for her to grow so much bigger than herself. However, she quickly turned her face away from this noticeable difference and instead returned her attention to the event she was planning.

As the years passed, the first batch of recruits from Berengar's Armed Forces who were now hardened Veterans would be retiring from active service and entering the reserves, leaving the Nation's defense to the younger Generation.

Considering Berengar had time and again expressed the importance of honoring the Nation's soldiers and preserving its militant culture, Adela had taken it upon herself to organize a Grand Ceremony for the thousands of Soldiers who had perished in battle and the many more who were now seeing the end of their days in combat.

Without the King's advice, Adela planned to hold the first annual Veteran's day parade when the soldiers stationed in Iberia returned from their exhausting campaign. With this in mind, she had opted to involve the King's sister in the planning as Henrietta needed to fulfill her duty as a member of the Royal Family.

The High Queen of Austria pointed at the replica of the City of Kufstein that lies on the table before her; specifically, she was aiming her dainty finger at Main Street, which would be sectioned off and used as the area for the parade, as she did so she expressed the thoughts on her mind.

"We should have the surviving veterans of each conflict stroll out one at a time in chronological order of their wars!"

Upon hearing this, Henrietta nodded her head before coming up with an idea of her own; however, she struggled to express her opinion out of fear that it would be rejected due to her meek nature.

"Maybe... If it is not too much, we can have them wear replicas of the uniforms they wore during that conflict?"

Upon hearing this, a gorgeous smile appeared on Adela's luscious lips as she listened to her cousin's input.

"That's a wonderful idea, Henrietta! We will start with the peasant militia at the battle of a mining town and move on to the mixed uniforms of the veterans from the Kitzbühel Border War. After that, we will honor the soldiers who fought in the Conquest of Tyrol, and so on!"

Henrietta's lips curved into a pretty smile as she heard the praise from the High Queen; her confidence in her role began to skyrocket as she began to suggest another idea.

"Perhaps we can dust off some of the old weapons in storage and have them refurbished to be used in the parade?"

Adela nodded her head in response to this before moving on to the next point of the event as she moved a small wooden figure used to represent Berengar into position at the head of the formation.

"Our beloved King will be leading the parade atop horseback, in whatever uniform he desires; after it is complete, he will give a speech about the Veterans and their efforts towards this Kingdom."

Henrietta smiled warmly at the thought of her precious big brother leading the parade in all his glory; this smile did not go unnoticed by Adela, who felt frustrated. She did not know how to broach the subject without making it awkward. After all, Henrietta's feelings for Berengar were most definitely taboo, and Adela did not support them. Eventually, the young Queen mustered the courage to ask about the topic.

"So... Henrietta, there are sure to be many prominent young noblemen in attendance for this event; after all, military service is considered a civic duty, and there are bound to be a few exceptional young lads who have proven themselves on the field of battle. Is there anyone in particular who might have caught your fancy?"

The young Austrian Princess flushed with embarrassment as she thought about the question; in her mind, there was only one man she adored, and as such, she felt uneasy speaking about it even though she had kissed her brother on the cheeks and professed her intent to fight for him, now that she was being asked about the question directly by one of his wives she did not know how to react.

Upon seeing Henrietta's innocent and sheepish reaction, Adela felt a need to protect her from Berengar. After a few drinks, the man was liable to lay his hands on any woman who he deemed attractive, even if that woman might be his younger sister. More importantly, the High Queen felt the need to keep a distance between the two siblings considering that it was Henrietta, not Berengar who was the most interested in such a taboo affair.

Adela gritted her teeth and clenched her fists at the thought of such a sinful relationship; such a fate could never be allowed to exist; she swore in her mind then and there that she would do whatever necessary to stop Berengar and Henrietta from progressing beyond the point of siblings. After all, it was her life's goal to save Berengar's soul, and incest was not something easily forgiven even by the Lord God Almighty.

After a while, Adela calmed her nerves before placing her hand on Henrietta's shoulder, which caused the girl to react in fright; she was not used to being touched by anyone as she was usually timid. Upon witnessing her cousin's intense glare, Henrietta's heart became filled with dread. Adela forced a smile on her face as she gave a fair warning to her younger cousin.

"I know what you're thinking, but I assure you that it will never come to pass. Even if you have gotten some twisted ideas about your brother in that pretty little head of yours, I will make sure that he never engages in such a wicked sin. You should let go of your incestuous thoughts and find a man more suitable for yourself."

However, despite the Queen's fierce pretense, Henrietta did not back down like Adela believed she would; instead, she gathered all the strength within her heart and lifted the arm from her shoulder as she returned Adela's frightening gaze with a determined expression.

"You do not get to determine who is right for me, cousin! My love for my brother is as pure as the driven snow, and just because you and the others may disapprove of it does not mean that I won't fight for us to be together!"

After saying this, Henrietta began to depart from the room with a smug expression; as she did so, Adela called out to her from behind with a challenge.

"We will see about that!"

Adela was practically fuming as she stomped her foot on the ground in a fit of rage. She could not believe the girl would be so stubborn even after being confronted about her sinful thoughts. This task would be more complicated than she initially thought.

If Henrietta could not be convinced to cease her abominable pursuit, then Adela's only choice was to focus on monitoring Berengar's behavior and prevent him from doing something that would permanently tarnish his soul.

With the gauntlet lain, Adela was prepared to return to her work of planning the upcoming Veteran's parade. However, a knock on the door immediately garnered her attention as she looked over to see the purple-haired beauty that was Honoria standing by the door. A second later, she could hear her rival's voice resound throughout the air.

"We need to talk..."

Adela sighed before putting on a friendly facade; as she forced herself to smile, she spoke the words most appropriate for a woman of her position.

"Honoria, pray to tell what is so important that you must interrupt my work?"

Honoria had a solemn expression on her face as she spoke the thoughts on her mind.

"It is about Linde..."

Upon hearing this, the friendly smile that Adela presented instantly collapsed and was replaced with a frown; she began to speak with a voice filled with contempt.

"What did that bitch do now?"

Honoria chuckled when she heard such harsh language from the supposedly pious High Queen of Austria and decided to instigate conflict between her two rivals.

"It is not much; I just thought it was necessary to inform you that Linde claims she is Berengar's favorite, and that she is asserting her claim by rubbing in the fact that she knows top secret information about Berengar's plans for the Defense of Austria..."

Adela's frown instantly soured further as she began to speak her mind about her oldest rival.

"Of course, she knows classified information about the defense of our Kingdom; she is the Director of Intelligence! That has nothing to do with being Berengar's favorite at all! That bitch is always talking smack behind my back! First, I have to worry about Henrietta trying to snatch Berengar away in an unholy union, and now I have to deal with Linde's snide comments?

You tell that whore that if she were actually Berengar's favorite, then he would have chosen her to be his High Queen! She knows damn well that our Husband is not the type of man who abides by obligations such as engagements if it gets in the way of his whims!"

Honoria had a devilish grin on her face as she heard Adela's response to Linde's claim. She had successfully baited the girl into open conflict with her rival. While these two bitches were at each other's throats, she could reap the spoils.

All she had to worry about now was the dark horse in their household. After all, Honoria also did not trust Berengar to be alone with his little sister at the moment. Having fulfilled her plot to divide and conquer, Honoria put on a friendly facade as she responded to Adela's comment.

"I will be sure to inform Linde of your words."

After saying this, she departed from the room, leaving Adela in an increased state of fury. As usual, Berengar's wives' relationship was far from cordial behind the scenes. Each of them struggled to gain his affection and secure the future of their progeny. Even though Honoria's marriage to Berengar was matrilineal, there was still much to be gained for her future son by having the King of Austria's support.