Tyranny of Steel

Time flew by, and while the Byzantine Army marched across the Middle East, annihilating every opposing force they came across, Berengar had taken his sister, Henrietta, and the children they had together to England for a brief family vacation.

The journey to England was a simple one. First, they would travel to Hamburg via the Reich's high-speed rails, and then, from there, the family would sail from the German port city to London, which was the capital of the Kingdom of England.

Why could they not simply fly from Kufstein to London? Well, that was because Berengar had yet to actually invest in the construction of an airport for the medieval island nation. After all, that would require an enormous effort, and it was not as if Berengar himself visited England all that often.

Thus, after a lengthy journey, Berengar and his family arrived in England, where they were amazed to see that the old feudal system was still alive and well within the region. After coming from a modern state, whose technological capabilities were on par with 1970s America. Berengar's children were particularly bewildered at the sight of such a primitive and ancient society.

Aside from the devastating loss in the last crusade, England had never been forced to modernize on any aspect of society. As a result of this, the English remained in their steadfast ways. The only difference between England today, and the way it was twenty years ago, is that the Catholic Church had officially been replaced with the Church of England. Something which would not normally happen for at least another few centuries.

The Church of England was Catholic in everything but name. They followed the Catholic traditions and maintained much of the same clergy. Only now there was no pope to answer to, and instead, the King of England was the official head of the Church.

This meant that Lukas now wielded both secular and religious authority over the English people. Something he could use to his benefit as he slowly reformed this medieval nation into an early modern state.

Despite how different England was from the Reich, Lukas and his siblings found the quaint and primitive city of London to be rather endearing. Berengar, however, looked around in disgust. Aside from the obvious lack of proper sanitation facilities, everything about this place screamed as if it were only a matter of time before it brew a major plague.

It was not only England that was like this, many of Germany's protectorates and tributaries were also little more than medieval European states. And while Germany had provided some investment into these kingdoms to help them recover from their disastrous crusade, he did not bother help to advance them to the early modern era, like he had done with the Empires which his eldest sons would inherit.

Thus, after a minor stroll to the Windsor Castle, Berengar and his family were unsurprisingly greeted by the various English noblemen, who had been running the Kingdom in the absence of a proper monarch for many years now.

Berengar allowed his son to sit upon his throne, as each English Duke, Count, and Baron came forth to kneel before their new King. It had been some time since a man last sat upon this throne. Lawrence was presumed dead, and his son abdicated in favor of their German conquerors. Since then, England had been a tributary state of the Reich, waiting for the day when their young King came of age to claim his throne.

Berengar could instantly tell that none of these feudal noblemen were particularly pleased that a German boy now sat upon their Kingdom's throne, but under the threat of the overwhelming power which Germany had at its disposal, not a single one of these men would dare to utter a word of disagreement.

As for Lukas, he was quite the astute leader himself, having been raised from birth to become a King, he had spent years building the skills necessary to fulfill the role, and because of this he could immediately understand that his new subjects looked at him with disdain behind their false smiles.

Thus, when a particularly handsome Duke came forward to spout his platitudes, Lukas could only look past the man's facade, and see him for what he really was.

"Oh, great King of England, for years I have been waiting for you to come and sit upon your throne. I can say now that I have seen your majesty in the flesh, I can die happy knowing that England will be well looked after in my absence.

There is just one matter of importance that is keeping me from entering the grave, and that is my youngest daughter Olivia has yet to be wed. For years I have been waiting for the perfect suitor, and yet all who dared to attempt to claim her hand had proven utterly disappointing. Yet you, my King are truly worthy. Would you do me the honor of taking my daughter as your lawful wife?"

After saying this, the man reached into the crowd and pulled forth his daughter, who was a particularly beautiful young English woman. Olivia was roughly the age of Lukas and appeared to be rather meek and submissive. And though those were ideal qualities in a wife, Berengar suspected she was merely acting this way as part of her father's ruse. After all, her posture was not that of a submissive woman, no matter how hard the girl tried to pretend she was such.

Evidently Lukas also felt the same way as his father, because after narrowing his gaze towards the girl, he responded to her father, the Duke, with an empty gesture.

"Though it would be my honor to marry such a beautiful young woman, I am afraid that I can not accept your proposal at this point in time. I have only now just entered England and have yet to understand the proper political ramifications that such a marriage would impose upon me and my house.

As the King of England, I must choose my bride with much consideration, and thus, I will not make a decision until I have a proper understanding of this place and all of its noble houses. However, I will keep your young daughter in mind, and look forward to getting to know her."

The Duke and his daughter were clearly not happy that their proposal had been rejected. After all, if Olivia could become the new Queen of England, then it meant she would be able to manipulate this young boy quite easily. Effectively making her house the de facto rulers of England.

However, it was clear that both she and her father had underestimated Lukas. What they thought would just be another spoiled prince had in turn proven to be quite intelligent, and thus, the Duke and his daughter could only accept their defeat and move onto another scheme.

Berengar nodded his head in approval at his son's decision. There was plenty of time to marry a woman, and many alliances to be forged. This Duke had clearly proven himself an opportunist and a sycophant. One who would say and do anything to gain an extra inch of power.

After the Duke and his daughter retreated back into the crowd, the rest of the English Noblemen greeted their new King. Lukas decided to host a small banquet, where the Kitchen staff at the Windsor Castle prepared a meal. Naturally, they were thoroughly vetted before Berengar and his family had ever stepped foot in England. Thus, there were no concerns about them poisoning anyone.

Though Berengar and his family did not necessarily enjoy the food, as it was quite bland. It was able to provide some nutrition to their bodies. During the meal, Lukas took note of everything that his new subjects had said. As well as the expressions on their faces. It was clear that though they were all obligated to greet their new King upon his arrival, that they were testing the waters to see how Lukas would rule over them.

Lukas did not make any promises or accept any gestures on behalf of his guests. Instead, he maintained a perfectly neutral stance, at least until he could properly understand the political situation in England, and while he cautiously maneuver through the minefield that was feudal politics, Berengar watched with silent approval.

As for Henrietta, she was approached by several men during the evening, all of which wished to express their admiration of her. Though Berengar introduced his sister as his wife Adela, Henrietta was so beautiful, especially when compared to the medieval women of England, that these men could not help themselves.

Because of this, Berengar found himself near his beloved sister's side throughout the entire night, shooing away those men who did not know how close they were to losing their heads.

After a night filled with festivities, Berengar and his family bid their guests farewell before retiring to the quarters they had taken.

While Berengar and his family slept peacefully in their beds, the members of the Leibgarde stood watch throughout the dark corridors of the medieval castle, ensuring that no threat ever approached their master. Even in a primitive and feudal land filled with scheming nobleman, the von Kufstein dynasty was perfectly safe. No harm would ever come to a member of Berengar's family, so long as his elite bodyguard stood watch over them.

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