Tyranny of Steel

Weeks had passed since the incident between Adela and Linde, and just as Berengar had planned, Adela refused to visit Linde on the following day, which resulted in the redheaded beauty hunting down the Empress and forcing her into a similar humiliating state.

After such an occurrence, Adela begrudgingly visited Linde as the days passed, and slowly but surely expanded their relationship. While this was going on, Berengar and Honoria had made preparations for their journey to Byzantium. At the moment, Berengar was standing in his office preparing one last farewell to his loving bride.

The German Emperor gently wrapped his arms around the redheaded lass and kissed her on the lips before giving his orders to the young woman.

"Linde, in my absence, I want you to continue Adela's training. Don't let up for a second. I want her heart and mind fully submitted to you by the time I return. The only way I can achieve unity in my household is by one of you two girls submitting to the other, and I know who I am betting on. After she has properly overcome her religious upbringing, it will be time for me to invest a considerable amount of effort into the relationship between me and Adela."

Linde merely nodded her head with a pretty smile on her lips before reassuring her husband that she was up to the task.

"Do not worry, master, I will have the bitch grovelling on her knees for you to impregnate her upon your return. I assure you that she will be completely and utterly loyal to our dynasty, and the proper hierarchy, by the time I'm through with her. You should just focus on enjoying your alone time with Honoria. It has been a while since the two of you could be so intimate, and I know she craves for it."

Berengar chuckled as he heard this before petting the girl's silky strawberry blonde hair.

"You are always so supportive of your bitches, alright, I will leave things in your care. I look forward to my return."

Linde gazed into her husband's eyes and kissed him passionately one last time before whispering in his ear.

"I love you more than anything, master!"

With a smirk on his face, Berengar responded to this statement of affection with one of his own.

"I love you too."

After saying this, the young Emperor departed from his palace and disembarked from his household with Honoria and a veteran unit of his Imperial Guard in tail. The journey would be short, but he intended to make a most of it. Perhaps on this quest for vengeance Honoria would finally achieve the closure she needed to move on from her godfather's death, and her brother's betrayal.

Thus, after several days aboard the vessel without incident, Berengar now sat beside Honoria on a comfortable sofa on the ship that was heading towards the Byzantine Empire. For the time being, the personal vessel of the German Imperial Family was a large and luxurious clipper. Until a time where Berengar's ship industries could easily lay down ocean liners, he would continue to use this more primitive sailing ship as his primary means of transportation to allied nations.

This was the first time in a long time that Berengar could enjoy some proper alone time with Honoria, and over the past few days the couple had made the most of it, with nonstop intimacy, whether that was as hugging, kissing, sex, or just plain conversation.

Currently, The Byzantine Princess was sipping on some coffee while a pretty smile formed on her face. Soon, the vessel would arrive in Constantinople and she was finally going to avenge her godfather. However, that was not the thought dwelled in her mind at the moment. Instead, she reflected on how great her life had been since she first arrived in Kufstein. Especially as of late.

Currently, Linde and Honoria had a special bond that was on the brink of romance. Despite this intimate relationship with the redheaded beauty, her heart truly lied with Berengar, and before this trip, it had been some time since the man she loved had shown her the attention she needed. '

Of course, this was not entirely his fault, as she often sailed around the world undertaking acts of piracy and exploring new corners of the Earth. If anything, she was equally to blame for the current state of their relationship. Thus, Honoria was overly eager to share every moment she could with Berengar. However, Berengar's sudden question immediately stunned the woman.

"So, how have things been going with Linde? I understand the two of you get along pretty well during my absence..."

Honoria's face flushed with embarrassment. She did not know that Berengar was aware of her and Linde's relationship and immediately stammered in response.

"y... yo... you knew?"

A wicked smile formed on Berengar's face as he teased the girl.

"Of course! Linde tells me everything, like the good little slave she is. By the way, she quite enjoys being your mommy..."

The young Princess of Byzantium was so embarrassed right now she wished she could jump overboard and drown. She completely misunderstood Berengar's intent in revealing this and immediately bowed her head in guilt.

"Daddy, I'm sorry! Linde, she tempted me in your absence and made me do those things! I never meant to betray you!"

In response to this, Berengar chuckled before kissing the girl on the lips, reassuring he was not the slightest bit angry with her.

"Honoria, you have nothing to fear from me. Believe or not, I actually approve of this relationship. Obviously, as Emperor, I can't always be there for you girls, and I would much rather you fall in love with each other in my absence than another man.

As long as you both still love me, and Linde hasn't replaced me in your heart, then you have my permission to be intimate with one another. Besides, it's not like the three of us haven't done similar things together.

I'd be a hypocrite if I asked the two of you to be intimate for the sake of my pleasure, but then deny you such a thing for your own sakes. If only the others had the same attitude towards my harem as the two of you."

Tears flowed from Honoria's eyes as she hugged Berengar as tight as she could while violating his tongue with her own.

"Daddy, I love you so much!"

Despite the many intimate moments that they had shared over the past few days, it appeared as if Honoria was ready for more. However, before Berengar could enjoy Honoria's embrace once more, a deckhand climbed down into their private cabin and alerted them of their arrival.

"My Kaiser, my Queen, we have arrived in Constantinople. It will not be long before we are docking. I suggest you prepare yourselves."

With this said, Berengar sighed in disappointment as he helped the young woman off of his lap. Sometimes things simply did not line up as he intended them to. Thus he and Honoria calmed themselves of their urges before rising onto the deck above. It would be wise not to keep the Byzantine delegation waiting.

In the time since Berengar's first visit to Constantinople, the Byzantines had established a special dock to house his massive clipper. When such a vessel entered the ports of the ancient Roman Capital, it drew all eyes to it.

It was quite obvious who this behemoth of a ship belonged to, as there was only one nation capable of building such a thing. Thus, since the moment they saw the ship on the horizon flying the German colors, the Byzantine delegation had rushed to the docks and secured the area with their forces. They could not afford to offend the German Emperor.

Historically, there were only two men in all of Christendom who could claim the title of Emperor, and that was the Holy Roman Emperor, and his Byzantine Counterpart to the East. However, in the last few months, a new figure had successfully claimed the title for himself. Such a thing was simply outrageous to the people of the Catholic World.

However, the Byzantines were far more accepting of it. Unlike the Holy Roman Empire, Berengar's new German Empire did not claim to be the true successor of Rome. Instead, they denied any part of Roman Heritage, embracing themselves as the successors of men like Hermann and Alaric.

Considering the German Empire was formed by Berengar's conquests of the German-speaking regions, the Byzantines naturally considered the Empire no different from their previous relationship with the Kingdom of Austria.

Thus, when Berengar stepped foot on the docks of Constantinople, he was given quite the prestigious welcoming. With a smile on his face, he latched onto Honoria's hand as they gazed upon the Byzantine delegation, which greeted them with open arms. A simple expression escaping his lips after a heavy sigh.

"Are you ready for this?"

In response to this question, Honoria looked into her husband's eyes and smirked with her beautiful lips before making a smug statement.

"I was born ready!"

Berengar admired the woman's fierce resolve. It was difficult to do something as wicked as killing your own brother. After all, Berengar knew this pain all too well. However, Honoria was no longer the helpless young Princess she once was. She had become not only a feared Pirate Queen, but a conqueror in her own right.

Thus, Berengar did not doubt that his beloved wife had the means to endure such an evil act. Because of this thought, a bitter smile formed on his lips as he gazed toward the ancient Roman Capital with fierce determination in his sapphire eye.

"Very well. It is time to enact our revenge, and in doing so, secure our son's future as an emperor!"

With that said, the German Emperor and his wife, the Byzantine Princess, had returned to Constantinople under the guise of negotiating military aid in support of the Byzantine Empire's current border crisis. In truth, their reason for visiting was a much more sinister purpose: to kill the second prince of the Byzantine Empire and avenge the loss of the late Strategos Arethas.