Tyranny of Steel

After the Vienna peace accords came to a close, and all the world's major rulers had returned to their homes, Berengar found himself with a shocking amount of free time on his hands. Aside from the issues with Dharya, which Priya was in the act of smoothing over at this very moment, Berengar had few concerns to deal with for the time being.

Perhaps because of this, he found himself dreadfully bored. So much so that he was soon complaining to Linde about his lack of stimulation. His words had slightly perturbed the redheaded beauty who was busy with work of her own.

"Linde, my love, how about you take some time off and we go take a bath together? It has been a while since it has been just the two of us!"

While making this suggestion, Berengar was clinging onto his lovely wife, and kissing her neck passionately, an act that would normally elicit a positive response. However, for whatever reason, the woman was not pleased with her husband, and instead shoved him away as if he was nothing more than a nuisance.

"Berengar, my love, though your offer is tempting, I simply don't have time for such a thing at this very moment. If I don't get this work done by the end of the day, there could be disastrous consequences.

If you have so much free time on your hands, why don't you go visit your parents? I can count on one hand the amount of times you have spent with your mother and father since you so callously forced them into exile over a decade ago."

Berengar feigned offense when he heard these venomous words come from the luscious lips of the woman he loved most of all in this world. In truth, he knew that she had said such falsities because she was annoyed with his suffocating behavior, but still, forcing his parents into exile? Such a thing was practically slander. However, before he could complain, Linde sighed and stood up from her seat, before pushing her man out of the room.

"Go shoo, you're being a bother!"

Berengar was left speechless as he soon found himself alone outside Linde's closed door. Ultimately, he decided to take the woman up on her offer, and soon found himself departing from his house in casual clothing, while taking a car out to the countryside where his parents' villa was located.

After a substantial drive outside of the city of Kufstein, Berengar found himself in the midst of the Austrian alps, where a large estate was located. In the past ten years, he had been so busy that not once had he visited his parents in their own home. In fact, despite designing the villa, this was the first time he had ever seen it in person.

Thus, he took a moment to take in the scenery. That was until he noticed another car parked in the driveway. With a hint of confusion on his face, Berengar approached the villa's door and knocked on it, where a young maid was quick to open it.

The cute young girl who served his parents gasped when she saw who it was who had come to visit. After taking a moment to calm her nerves, the girl responded with a curtsey while she greeted the Kaiser into his parent's home.

"My Kaiser, I was not expecting you. Please come in!"

Berengar took the girl up on her offer, and entered the villa, where the young maid led him towards a common area where his parents were sitting enjoying tea with another guest. Though he was gazing at the back of the man's head, Berengar immediately recognized who was visiting his parents, and quickly smiled while he expressed his shock.

"Ludwig? You old bastard, is that you? I haven't seen you in years!"

Ludwig had retired from his job as the lead engineer at the Kufstein Royal Armory some years ago, leaving his position for his eldest son, Jakob. In his twilight years, the man had surprisingly moved nearby Sieghard and Gisela's estate, where he visited them quite often.

Both Berengar's parents, and his old friend, were stunned to see him visit, where Sieghard and Gisela immediately rose from their seats and greeted their son.

"Berengar, my baby boy, what are you doing here? Don't you have a country to run?"

Gisela was quick to latch onto her son and shove his head into her hefty bosom. While Sieghard was equally speedy in his shaking of his son's hand. Berengar could only smile and greet his parents, who he had not seen in quite some time.

"Mother, father, I'm sorry that it has been so long since we last met. Truly, I am unworthy of being your son."

Sieghard shook his head when he heard this before responding to his son's shame in a comforting tone.

"Speak no further. You have brought a level of honor and prestige to our house that I never would have believed possible. It is I who am unworthy to be your father. I left you with a small barony, and you have turned it into a mighty Empire. I can only imagine how busy you must be. To take the time out of your schedule to come visit your parents is in itself the greatest gift you could give us."

Berengar smiled bitterly when he heard this and nodded his head in acceptance of his father's praise. After reconnecting with his parents, the man approached his old friend and grasped the man's shoulder.

"Ludwig, you are looking well. How has retirement been treating you?"

The old man had a bitter smile on his face as memories of what only seemed like a lifetime ago flooded his head. Despite it only being a short few years, he indeed felt like he had been in retirement for decades. Upon seeing the man who made his current luxurious lifestyle a possibility, Ludwig only had words of praise for his old friend.

"Your Majesty, it is good to see you after so long. Though I miss working in that old factory, I can say with certainty that my life has never been better. What you have done to your family's territory, no, for all of Germany, it is something I never would have imagined growing up. My son comes to visit me from time to time, and tells me of how far our engineering department has come, and I simply find the things he tells me to be unbelievable.

I can assure you that I am well taken care of in my twilight years, and I have no regrets. The wealth that you have allowed me to create has gone a long way to providing a healthy lifestyle. Perhaps I might even live a few decades longer, thanks to the advances in medicine that your scientists have created. I would love to see my grandchildren grow up to be fine additions to that old department I helped build."

Berengar could only smile and nod his head as he listened to Ludwig speak about what he had been going through in life. Among all the friends Berengar had made after coming to this world, Ludwig was the first. Thus, there was a special bond between the two of them.

Ultimately, Berengar would spend the rest of the day catching up with Ludwig and his parents. By the time he finally returned home, he felt reinvigorated, knowing that his family and friends were doing so well, even though he was no longer an active part of their lives.

However, as much as he might desire to make visits to his parents' place a regular thing, he was far too busy to do so. A day like this, where he had little to do, had only occurred once within the past thirteen years, and he was likely not to see another for at least another few years.