Tyranny of Steel

Shortly after the incident with the Grand Duke of Moscow, Hans was summoned to his father's study. The boy had taken Veronika to the Court Physician of the Royal Family. Though he initially refused to leave the girl's side as Ewald looked after her, the Imperial Guard ultimately forced him to do so.

Veronika was in good hands. After all, Ewald had learned the basics of modern medicine from Berengar, and had even begun to use surgeries to cure certain conditions. The Princess of Bohemia was not beaten too badly, and because of that, she just needed a small amount of treatment. 

As for Hans, he was sitting with a fiercely defiant glare in Berengar's office. His mother was standing next to his father as the two of them castigated him for his behavior. Berengar was furious. His own son had maimed a boyar of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, as well as the Grand Duke. Berengar struggled to calm his wrath as he took a quick swig from his flask before getting the words right in his head. 

"So let me get this straight... You castrated a Boyar and maimed the Grand Duke of Moscow. Do you have any idea the damage this will cause in relations between Germany and the various Rus states? Give me one good reason why I should not kick your ass right now!"

Despite the outrageous actions Hans had taken, he was firm in the belief that his actions were righteous, and thus he did not back down from his father's fearsome threat as he outlined his exact reasoning for being so extreme. 

"I only did what father would have done if some Slavic bastard had dared to lay his hands on mother!"

Berengar and Linde were taken aback by this statement. It had been a few minutes since the incident occurred, and they had yet to conduct a proper investigation into the matter. It was because of this that Berengar continued to interrogate his eldest child for his horrific actions.

"How so?" 

Hans' lips curved into an arrogant sneer as he outlined exactly why he had acted so ruthlessly towards the Muscovite delegation. 

"That effeminate bastard laid his hands on my woman. I was returning to my room from the Cadet Corps when I heard Veronika scream, I quickly investigated the scene only to find that Slavic cunt hitting my girl, I tried to force my way into the room to stop him but his bodyguard halted my advance, so I had no choice. I held him hostage with my blade and told him if he did not let me pass, then I would feed his manhood to the pigs. He refused to do so, so I stabbed him in the balls."

Linde gazed in horror at Hans's words. He was just a little boy and yet he had acted so violently. More importantly, she was furious at the type of vulgar language he was using and was quick to condemn him.

"Hans, language!"

Upon seeing that his mother was furious, the boy put on a pitiful facade and apologized for his harsh wards.

"I'm sorry, mommy..."

Berengar sneered in disdain when he saw through the act of his errant child. However, he was more fascinated with the tale his son was spinning. He immediately inquired further about the topic.

"What happened next?"

Hans continued to meet his father's gaze as he outlined everything that had happened between him and Casimir.

"I was furious, so I decided to give that Slavic dog a personal reminder as to what happens when he dares to defy the Reich! After carving a smile on his face, I left with Veronika to seek medical treatment. Can you honestly say you would have done less if you were in my position?"

Berengar could not deny that he would have behaved any better if one of his women were targeted. As he reflected more on the incident, he realized it was highly likely that Casimir beat Veronika because she had refused his advances. It was because of this that he left out a heavy sigh before punishing his child for his violent behavior.

"Under these circumstances, I will confine you to your room until an investigation into the matter can be completed. If you are lying to me, you will be severely punished. If, however, you are telling the truth, I will be lenient. After all, a man must protect his woman from those who would harm her, and I will not fault you for acting in such a manner when I would have done worse."

Hans smiled upon hearing his father's decision and bowed his head slightly before thanking him for his benevolence.

"You have my thanks, father. I promise that everything I have said is true, as you will find out soon enough."

After saying this, the boy departed from the study and returned to his room. As for Berengar, he was left with a major headache, while Linde was suffering from complex emotions. Upon learning the truth, she could not find fault with her son for his actions, but she still believed he went too far.

Nevertheless the boy had outsmarted both of them, and used his father's nature against them. Berengar poured himself a proper drink into his skull chalice that he had not used in some time before commenting on the situation. 

"That boy is too smart for his own good..."

Linde merely scoffed at her husband's remarks before inquiring about what their next move was.

"Obviously, we can't use the Grand Duchy of Moscow to deal with the Golden Horde now! What shall we do about this?"

Berengar took a large gulp from his whiskey before commenting on the situation. After everything that had happened, his plans for the future were now in ruin. He could only think of an alternative course of action.

"There have bound to be some loyalists to Casimir's late father in his court. We could use them to depose the boy and establish a new regime that is hellbent on the destruction of the Golden Horde. Either that or we will have to focus our efforts on one of the other Rus states, like Kiev or Novgorod."

Linde remained silent as she reflected on everything that had occurred. She still could not believe her baby boy had reacted so viciously to the Grand Duke of Moscow and his military advisor. Perhaps Berengar's extreme nature was setting a poor example for her children.

Despite this possibility, she still could not pin the blame on the man. In the end, she loved that aspect about Berengar, and would not rebuke him for it. Berengar, on the other hand, had a goal in mind as he grasped hold of his wife's hand and comforted her.

"For now, we need to determine if what our son said is true or not. It should be a simple matter. Find Veronika and check on her condition. The boy said he had sought medical treatment for her. If she is in such poor condition, then she will be in Ewald's clinic. I want you to investigate this matter yourself. You're the only person I can trust to find the truth."

Linde nodded her head before responding to Berengar's command. 

"I will get right on it."

After saying that, she kissed her man on the lips before departing from his study. It was only after she had left the room that he cursed Casimir for his foolish behavior.

"Stupid child, who do you think you are? Forcing yourself upon my ward! When I find out the truth of the matter, you will not be let off with a simple disfigurement. The boy was too lenient with you. He should have claimed your life..."

Thinking back on his past life, Berengar could not help but shake his head. At the end of the second world war the Red army raped between two to four million german girls an average of sixty times per girl. It was one of the greatest war crimes of the war, and nobody ever talked about it. Upon reflecting on this, he sighed and spoke his thoughts on the matter aloud.

"Some things never change..."

With this said, he formulated a plan for how to make an example of Casimir. As Berengar's ward, Veronika was under his protection, and not only did his guest from the east attempt to force himself on the girl, he had severely beaten her. Such a thing was a massive slap to the face of Berengar and the German Empire as a whole. 

This could not go unpunished. If Berengar let this matter go, the Reich would become a joke in the eyes of the east. He had decided that if the investigation revealed that Hans was speaking the truth, he would have the Grand Duke of Moscow castrated and sent to a labor camp for the rest ofhis miserable existance.

A permanent disfigurement to the face was not the message Berengar wanted to send to the Russians. Instead, he wanted them to know the price of laying their hands on German girls, even if Veronika was technically Bohemian.