Tyranny of Steel

Within the city of Kufstein, the German Emperor and two of his brides sat in silence within the halls of a local restaurant. As part of their date, Berengar had reserved the entire facility for the night in order to ensure that the privacy of the Royal Family was properly maintained. After all, the last thing he needed was news of his little family drama getting out to the public.

Linde had a warm smile on her face as she drank from the fine vintage which was provided to her by the staff who operated this restaurant. As for Adela, she was scowling as her furious gaze shifted between her husband and his second wife. She had assumed this would be a private dinner between herself and the man she loved. When Berengar saw the young woman glaring at him, he smiled gracefully before breaking the ice.

"Adela, my sweetheart, it has been awhile since the three of us shared a meal together. Isn't it nice to eat a meal with your husband and an old friend?"

When the Empress heard her husband use the term "old friend" to refer to her greatest rival, she could no longer keep her mouth shut.

"Old friend? Since when? Do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound right now?"

Linde immediately sighed when she heard this childish rant before placing her glass on the table. Her gaze shifted from kind to outraged as she scolded Adela for her crass statement.

"You just couldn't go five minutes without making a scene, could you? Our husband brought us here to settle our differences, and yet you don't even have the emotional maturity to carry on with small talk. Why am I not surprised?"

Berengar immediately placed his forehead into the palm of his hand as he exhaled loudly. He knew this was a bad idea. Why did he have to let that little vixen coerce him into this? Still, he had decided to mediate between the two women, and thus he would not abandon this quest that he had already embarked upon. After several moments of mindless bickering between the two women, which Berengar paid no attention to, he abruptly silenced them by raising his voice.

"Enough! We haven't even gotten our appetizers and already you two are at each other's throats. I seriously can not understand why the two of you can not even pretend to get along in my presence. Seriously? Is it that hard to maintain civility?"

Linde merely snubbed Adela and returned to her drink. Whereas Adela pouted, after all in her mind, it was difficult to forgive Linde for all which she had done over the years. When Berengar noticed the stubborn expression on the girl's lips, he sighed heavily before outright asking where the nature of her grievance lied.

"Adela, it has been years since the two of you first began feuding. You have both sired my sons, who will one day compete for my throne. The last thing our dynasty needs is two princes who want to kill each other because their mothers couldn't get along. If I haven't made it abundantly clear by now, we are all one family, and the two of you, more so than my other brides need to get along."

When Adela heard this last part, she grew flustered. She honestly did not know why Berengar continued to pressure her to get along with Linde, of all people. Because of Berengar's scolding, the young Empress could no longer keep her tongue silent and lashed out at the two of them.

"Why is it you always take her side? You expect me to get along with Linde after she has stolen from me what was rightfully mine? I have sworn my loyalty to you and your house, but I can never forgive Linde for what she has done!"

Berengar and Linde both gazed at Adela in confusion. They did not know what Linde had done to the young Empress that would cause her to hold such a strong grudge against her. Thus, it was no surprise that the two of them voiced their confusion simultaneously

"What are you talking about?"

When Adela realized that neither her husband nor her rival knew what had compelled her to hate the redheaded vixen so much, she was astonished. Was it really not obvious? Thus, she did not hesitate to voice her greatest grievance with Linde aloud.

"This harlot came into your home, seduced you, and stole your chastity! As your fiancee, it was mine by right. If not for Linde's scandalous actions, we would have been each other's firsts!"

It was right about this moment where the server was bringing in a tray filled with the appetizers. Upon hearing such a remark, she blushed and quickly scurried out of the area. She felt it would be best to introduce the food once this awkward conversation was finished.

As for Linde, she too was flushed with embarrassment. She did not know that the foundation of their rivalry, and their continued disagreements, was the simple fact that she was older and got to Berengar first. When Berengar heard such a ridiculous reason for Adela's ceaseless fury, he chuckled before making a rather bold statement.

"That's why you always seek conflict with Linde? If such a reason hadn't caused me so many headaches over the past few years, I would honestly find it rather cute. Adela, you should not blame Linde for such a thing.

If you should have a grievance with anyone, it should be with God. After all, he is the one who made you so much younger than me. If you were her age when we were first engaged, I would have tried everything in my power to get into your pants as soon as possible. However, you were twelve at the time, and because of that, you were far too young for my tastes.

Naturally, as a twenty-year-old virgin, the moment a busty young beauty like Linde presented herself to me, I could not resist. If you were of age when we first met, I would have gladly thrown myself at you if you so desired. To put it simply, fate denied you that chance. Do you really think I would have waited four years for you to catch up when I had beautiful women like Linde and Honoria throwing themselves at me? In case you haven't noticed, I am not a man capable of such restraint."

When Linde heard this, she maintained her silence as she continued to sip on her wine, avoiding eye contact with both Berengar and Adela. She could not believe they were having such a conversation, and was now extremely happy that Berengar had reserved the entire restaurant for themselves on this night.

Adela, on the other hand, stared in silence at the two of them. Was she really being that petty all these years? Still, she struggled to put the blame on god, or fate for being so cruel to her. After all, her upbringing would not easily allow her to hold her deity responsible for her misfortune. Rather than confront such a hard truth, she shifted the topic to another point in contention with what Berengar had previously said.

"For the sake of argument, let's say I agree with your premise that God and fate are to blame for what had transpired between the two of you. That does not change the fact that Linde stole what was rightfully mine as your fiancee and primary wife. Why are you so insistent that she and I act as sisters?"

When Berengar heard this, he stared at Adela in disbelief. He could not believe that she was so devoid of thought that she could not see the reason he needed her and Linde to get along more than any of his other wives. After a few moments of silence, he tried to get her to come to the answer herself.

"Adela, answer me this: how many of my wives have the privilege of using my surname?"

It took a few moments for the gears to work in Adela's brain. Though she was not dumb by any means, in fact, she was quite brilliant in her own regard. The problem ultimately lies with the years of religious brainwashing which had made her rather slow on the uptake.

"Two..."

When Berengar heard her answer this, and still not get his reasoning, he voiced another question.

"And those two are?"

Finally, Adela was understanding where Berengar was coming from. She repeatedly shifted her gaze between Linde and her husband as she understood what her husband was trying to tell to her.

"You don't mean?"

Berengar smiled and nodded his head in response as he reached out and grabbed hold of his two wives' hands.

"The two of you are the only brides of mine capable of bearing a son with the surname von Kufstein. Which means, ultimately, it will be your two bloodlines that determine the succession of the German Throne. Now, do you understand why, despite your many differences, I need the two of you, more so than the others, to come together?

For the sake of the stability of my Empire, you two need to raise your children, with the mentality that we are all one, loving family, united against a world that seeks to overthrow us. Personally I would like to see you two get along with Honoria and Yasmin as well, but if you are wholly incapable of such a thing, then all I ask, is that you realize, the two of you, have always been, and will always be my most important brides.

You were not born princesses like my other two brides, but through my actions, I have made you both Empresses, something the others will never be. So for the sake of our family, for the sake of our dynasty, and the future of our Empire, can you put aside your petty grievances and be my two most beloved wives?"

Adela gazed over towards Linde, who immediately nodded her head in silence, causing Adela to decide. With a heavy sigh, she responded to Berengar's question with an answer that would forever change her future.

"Yes, Berengar, for the sake of our dynasty, I think I can put aside my childish squabbles with Linde and raise our children together as one family under your rule."

A smile etched itself on Berengar's lips when he heard his wife become so agreeable. However, in the very next moment, his expression became stern as he shifted his gaze towards the other thorn in his side.

"Linde, can you agree to put aside your scheming nature, embrace Adela as an equal, and raise our children together as a single family?"

When Linde heard Berengar was aware of her schemes to place Hans on the throne, she immediately blushed in embarrassment. Despite being a master of intrigue, she had completely failed to conceal her hidden plots. This made her completely ashamed of herself. After several moments of contemplation, Linde sighed with a bitter smile as she nodded her head in agreement.

"What the hell? It sounds like it could be fun. Besides, now that you have freed Honoria from her sentence, I find myself dreadfully lacking a cute little plaything to entertain myself with. Now that I think about it, I have always wanted to have some fun with little Adela."

When Adela heard Linde's playful taunt, she felt a chill rush down her spine. She quickly gazed over towards her husband with a pleading gaze, as if she were rabbit caught in a hungry wolf's jaws. With a sheepish tone, she questioned the man about just what Linde had intended for the three of them.

"Berengar, what is she talking about?"

In response to this, the German Emperor merely smiled wickedly before whispering in Adela's little ears.

"You will find out later tonight..."

Having said this, Berengar immediately motioned for the server to bring in the appetizers. After having a productive discussion with his two wives, he found himself famished. Thus, he was more than happy to indulge himself in the fine cuisine. After all, he would need the protein for later that night.