Tyranny of Steel

Berengar became aware of the disturbance that happened within his own halls not long after the incident took place. He was outraged, beyond measure. He had invited Wolfgang and his family into his own home, and yet the man not only insulted him, but struck his child. Berengar was left with no option. He would execute the man for his offense.

However, something shocking happened. Before he could even leave his office, the victim of the assault, as well as the offender's wife, approached him. Berengar sat back in his chair, while Ava sat across from his desk with Hans in her lap. The Kaiser was aware that his son had a certain soft spot for his aunt, and thus he did not question it. Instead, he repeated what the woman had said to him in disbelief.

"You want me to spare your husband? Are you out of your God damn mind?"

Truthfully, Ava wanted Wolfgang dead. Since his younger brother Adelbrand had deposed him, he had been nothing but a burden to her. However, it was unlikely that she would remarry, and she had no wealth of her own to speak of.

If she had the slightest chance of marrying another man after Wolfgang's death, then she at least had to play the part of the dutiful wife. Thus, she bowed her head slightly as she pleaded with the German Emperor for leniency. 

"I know what my husband did was wrong, and that he deserves to die for his actions. However, if you execute him, I will become the widow of a traitor. No man would wish to marry me! How am I supposed to look after my kids!?!"

Berengar had a sneer of disdain on his face as he simply ignored Ava's request.

"That is not my concern. Wolfgang should have thought about the consequences of his actions before doing something as foolish as assaulting the Prince of Germany. He will die. It is just a matter of time..."

Hans noticed the worried expression on Ava's face and quickly spoke up on her behalf.

"Father! Have you no pity for Aunty Ava? Her only sin is being wedded off to a fool! If you kill her husband, she will have nowhere left to go! You better be prepared to take responsibility!"

The boy's statements immediately dumbfounded Berengar. Responsibility? For what? It's not like he got the woman pregnant! Just what nonsense was the boy speaking? Berengar could not handle his son's comments anymore and quickly kicked him out of the room.

"Hans, this is a discussion between adults. Leave us..."

Hans was a stubborn little brat. He did not want to leave his aunt behind until he had some assurances that she would be taken care of. However, his father's glare was truly frightening, and after a few moments, he could not resist the urge to flee any longer. He had a sorrow filled expression as he left Ava behind to deal with his father's wrath alone.

"I'm sorry Aunty Ava!"

After saying this, Hans scurried off, leaving the woman alone with the most terrifying man she had ever met. When the door shut behind her, she expected Berengar to scream at her. However, to her surprise, he sighed heavily and poured two drinks, handing one to the woman with a look of sympathy on his face.

"Go on drink, it will make you feel better...'

The woman did as she was instructed, but the kind gesture confused her. She was about to voice her concerns when Berengar interrupted her.

"You have been through a lot because of that idiot, haven't you?"

Perhaps it was the booze, or Berengar's kind tone, but Ava broke down crying, releasing all the emotions she had bottled up for the past few years. Berengar had difficulty sitting by and watching the woman cry, thus he awkwardly got up and comforted her. In between her sobbing, Ava would utter nonsense like.

"You have no idea!"

"That fucking idiot!"

She continued to cry for some time. After nearly half an hour had passed, she was no longer capable of crying. Now that her emotions had been released, Berengar stated the facts that could not be avoided.

"Wolfgang has struck the Prince, without proper authority, or justification. That is a capital offense. If I do not take his life, then the authority of my dynasty will diminish, and I can not allow that to happen."

Ava felt like she was going to break out into tears again as she imagined the cruel fate that awaited her after Wolfgang's death. Truthfully, she did not care in the slightest about that fool or his miserable life, but she cared about her children. She could not imagine what difficulties they would face once their father was gone. However, Berengar's next actions shocked her. He wiped the droplets from the woman's eyes and grabbed hold of her dainty chin before uttering some reassurances.

"Wolfgang must die for his crimes.... However, you are my cousin, and my sister by law. I will not throw you to the wolves just because your husband is an idiot. For the time being, I will permit you and your children to reside in the old castle. You will have servants to look after you, and can live a relatively carefree life raising your children to be better than their father. They will need your support after Wolfgang's death. 

I encourage you to take the time you need to grieve, and then get back out there and look for another husband, one who is more intelligent, more kind, and more capable. Lord knows I do not wish to support you forever." 

It dismayed Ava to hear these words. It sounded like Berengar had no interest in her, and she immediately questioned it.

"What about you?"

Berengar raised his brow in curiosity when he heard this. The idea had never crossed his mind. Nor was he interested. Ava was a woman who knew how to get on his nerves, and he would never take such a woman as his lover. Besides, she already had four kids, and he did not want to be their father. Because of this, he shook his head. 

"I don't know what that little bastard of mine may have led you to believe, but allow me to make this abundantly clear to you. You are not a woman I love. If I am being completely honest, you had your chance to be with me and you blew it.

Now it is no secret that Adela and I have had our fair share of squabbles, but she puts effort into maintaining our relationship. She may be a bit of a prude and a spoiled little brat at times. Yet I still love her. The same can't be said for you. To put it simply, there will never be a relationship between you and me."

Ava broke out in tears once more when she heard this. There was nothing she regretted more than throwing away her previous engagement to Berengar. If she had known he would grow up to be such an outstanding example of a man, she would have done everything in her power to secure her marriage to him. Unfortunately, she had underestimated him and ended up marrying a dolt like Wolfgang.  Berengar poured another drink for the two of them before commenting further on Wolfgang's fate.

"I am a just monarch. It is because of this that I will give your husband a fair trial, as citizens of Germany are afforded as per the constitution. Because you are his wife, I can't expect you to testify against him. However, I want you to know, the case against him is solid, and he will be convicted. The moment after he is convicted of assaulting a member of the royal family, he will be taken out back and shot for his crimes."

Ava drank as much as the wine as she could stomach while crying her tears out. She did not expect Wolfgang to get himself executed days after being allowed to live in the Royal Palace. She greatly lamented her lot in life. As for Berengar, he kept the woman company until she was no longer overwhelmed with depression.

Once the woman was returned to her room, Berengar quickly tracked down his errant son, and dragged him by the ear into his study, where he slammed the door behind him before scolding the little brat.

"Hans! What in God's name do you think you're doing?"

The boy immediately played ignorant with such superb acting skills that his performance almost convinced his father.

"What do you mean, father?"

The moment Berengar heard these words, he realized who he was dealing. This boy was a devious little brat who had inherited both his and Linde's genes and Berengar would not be so easily fooled by his act.

"Cut the shit, boy! You tried to set me up with your Aunt Ava, didn't you? Before you even think about leaving this room, you are going to explain everything to me in detail!"

Hans knew his father had seen through his schemes and immediately apologized.

"I'm sorry, father... I won't do it again..."

Berengar gazed at the boy with fury in his sapphire eye before scolding him once more.

"That's all I'm going to get? Not good enough. Explain to me what you were thinking!"

Hans struggled to express his views because he knew there was no way to justify them. Eventually, after realizing there was no way to mitigate the damage, he just blurted out his actual thoughts.

"Aunty Ava's bosom is so big, and filled with milk, I thought it would make you happy!"

The moment Berengar heard these words, his expression dropped entirely. He could not believe what he had just heard from his seven-year-old son. He could only sigh and rest his forehead in the palm of his head while shaking it in disgrace.

"This is your mother's fault... Clearly, she breastfed you for too long. Hans, you will never try to set me up with another woman. Is that understood?"

Hans could only look at his little feet and sulk as he nodded his head before saying the words.

"Understood..."

After coming to this conclusion, Berengar sighed once more before sending his son back to his room.

"Alright, you are confined to your room for two weeks, so that you can reflect on your errant behavior."

Hans was about to protest this decision, but his father simply glared at him and uttered a single word.

"Go!"

The fierce reaction of his father caused the young prince to flinch. He did not hesitate to follow the man's orders and ran off to his room. Meanwhile, Berengar was left with the headache of filling out another stack of paperwork. Filing the required forms to bring charges against someone was never a fun experience, but it had to be done, or else his people might accuse him of tyranny. Thus, as per usual, the Kaiser's work was never finished.