Tyranny of Steel

Berengar sat back in the Royal Train with a drink in his hand as he watched the Austrian Landscape go by. Since German Unification a year ago, substantial progress had been made on the German National Railway, and though it was far from completed, many cities across Southern Germany were now connected in a way they had never been before. 

The young emperor took a sip from his drink before placing it down on the table in front of him. The kitchen cart had prepared a hot meal, and Berengar dined on one of his favorite breakfasts. By introducing the potato, many staples of German cuisine from Berengar's past life had now been introduced to his empire.

Among these was a meal referred to Bauernfrühstück which was a dish made from fried potatoes, eggs, green onions, parsley, cheese, and bacon and ham. With a warm glass of milk by his side, Berengar dined upon this breakfast with a satisfied smile on his face. 

Eventually, a servant approached Berengar and handed him a telegraph report. After doing so, the young woman silently scurried off, leaving the German Emperor alone.  Berengar waited until after his meal was complete to read the report in his hands.

When he did, he could not help himself from smiling. This report contained the latest news from the conflict in Iberia. During his absence Madrid had fallen, and the German-Granadan forces marched further north, seeking to cut off any response by the Catholic World before they could pass through the Pyrenees. 

It appeared the restoration of Al-Andalus was merely around the corner. All he had to do was sit back and wait as his forces unified the lands under the rule of the Al-Fadl dynasty. As Berengar gazed out the window, he reflected on everything that had happened to him recently. If there was one thing that left an unsettling feeling in his gut, it was the encounter he had during his visit to Baduhenna's grove. 

Since then, he had established a government department of archeology to dig up any information they could find on the old gods of Germania, and yet despite their best efforts, nothing had been revealed. Or at least nothing he did not already know. Thus, he could only sigh in defeat as he dwelled on the words the girl had spoken to him. 

Ultimately, he left this matter to be. Whether the gods truly existed, and if they had some plans for him, would reveal themselves in time. For now, he would focus on securing his Empire's position in the world. Now that his Empire was unified, and on the path to industrialization, he would need to secure many of the world's hidden resources if he wished to transform Germany into the industrial powerhouse he desired it to be. 

Hours passed by as Berengar dwelled on his actions, and eventually the train arrived in Kufstein, where the Imperial Guard led him back to the Imperial Palace of Kufstein. The moment the door opened, a pair of dainty, pale hands wrapped themselves around Berengar's eyes as a sultry voice entered his ears.

"Guess who?"

Berengar smiled before answering the question with utter confidence. 

"Linde, my love, I'm surprised to be greeted in such a way."

The redheaded beauty immediately released her grip and put on a pouting display as she realized her game had been ruined. However, she quickly recovered from her state and instead focused on more important matters.

"So, I hear that you have secured peace with the Muslim Kingdoms, I must say I am impressed. That is not an easy feat to manage."

Berengar chuckled when he heard this. Nothing of importance escaped this woman's ears. It did not surprise him in the least that she had become aware of what he had accomplished before it was even officially announced. Thus, he merely shook his head before giving a few juicy details.

"Though I am certain that you are already aware, allow me to tell you in person. I believe I have established a long-term peace between Christians and Muslims alike, maybe not the catholics, I'm sure they will be pissed when they hear about what we have accomplished, however through some harsh negotiating we have solved the centuries old dispute of the Holy Land."

Linde was not the least bit surprised as Berengar revealed this information. She had a tendency to keep a close eye on him while he was away from home. There were plenty of people by his side who reported the Emperor's affairs to his veteran spymaster.

One might call it obsessive, but Linde liked to know that Berengar was safe, and more importantly, behaving himself while abroad. After he had brought home Yasmin unannounced, Linde had gone to great lengths to ensure that she knew everything her husband did while overseas.

The last thing she needed was her man bringing home another foreign whore.  Speak of the devil and he shall appear, the moment Linde thought of this Yasmin entered the room and hugged onto Berengar like lamprey as she kissed his neck.

"Welcome home, husband!"

Linde was stunned when she saw this. Yasmin's actions were completely against what his wives had previously agreed to. Besides this point of contentions, there was another aspect of the intimate display that bothered the veteran spymaster.

If there was one woman in Berengar's harem who threatened the redheaded beauty, it was the Moorish princess. After all, Yasmin had been nothing but a perfect wife to Berengar, so much so that she even stayed out of family drama altogether, believing herself to have no part in it. When Berengar saw Yasmin, he kissed her on the lips and informed her of what he had achieved in his absence.

"You should be happy to know that I have brought peace and prosperity to our two peoples. I have single-handedly ended the hostilities between Christians and Muslims, or at the very least begun a long path toward such a result."

Yasmin stroked Berengar's slicked back golden hair and complimented him for his efforts.

"That's my husband. No man alive is greater than he!"

When Berengar heard this, he chuckled before remembering something.

"Oh yeah, I met your cousin while I was in Constantinople. You never told me she was married to the Timurid Sultan..."

Yasmin's face grew dark as she heard this. She simply crossed her arms and made a snide remark about the woman.

"That harlot? I really do not care to hear about her..."

Such a harsh response had led Berengar to believe there was definitely some conflict between the two cousins who looked so similar. However, if Yasmin did not want to talk about it, he would not force her. Instead, he grabbed ahold of the woman's plump rear and whispered sweet nothings into her ears.

"She's got nothing on you. If anything, she is merely a discount version of the beautiful Moorish Princess, who I am lucky to call my wife." 

Yasmin chuckled as she heard this before bopping her husband on the nose with her index finger.

"Behave yourself. I have already prepared food for your arrival. I wouldn't want it to spoil..."

Upon hearing this, Berengar chuckled and nodded his head. The bedroom fun would have to wait until later. After all, there were few things Berengar despised more than wasted food. 

"Very well. Shall we adjourn to the dining room?"

After saying this, he looked over towards Linde, who had been completely sidelined by her rival, and asked her to join them.

"Linde, join us. I am sure whatever Yasmin has cooked is delicious."

The redheaded vixen stared in disbelief at Yasmin. She was well aware of the surprise that awaited her man in the dining hall. However, she was shocked to see that the moorish princess had stolen her thunder.

Despite this, she put on a pretty smile as she accepted Berengar's terms and grabbed ahold of his hand, leading him into the dining area. As she did so, she gave a fierce glare to Yasmin, silently scolding the woman for her thieving actions. 

Yasmin merely smirked in response. Sometimes Linde's jealousy was just too adorable. Yasmin knew fully that out of all of Berengar's women, the redheaded vixen was his favorite, and despite this, the girl still acted with hostility to anyone who got too close to her man.

Berengar did not notice the heated rivalry going on between his two favorite brides and instead entered the dining hall with an excited expression. The moment he walked into the room, it shocked him to see that all of his wives and their children were present. It was the first time in a long time that they had a giant family meal together. 

Usually at least one child was not present at the family meals because of their age. However, as he gazed upon the gleeful eyes of his many children and their beautiful mothers, who tended to them, he could not help but smile. Thus, he happily took his seat at the head of the table and prepared himself for a nice family meal.