Tyranny of Steel

Veronika sat in the dining hall of the royal palace. Across from her were the girls Natalia, and Noemi, both of which shared a similar position in so far as in they were from subordinate realms to the Reich and fiancees of the First Prince Hans von Kufstein.

By now, Veronika and Noemi were both sixteen years old, while Natalia was eleven, and despite the age disparity between the three girls, they had all become close friends. Especially after the last year and a half.

Hans had recently gone to the Aerial Warfare Academy, where he was studying to become an officer in the Luftwaffe. As for his weekends, he generally spent them at the nearby Air Base learning how to fly a plane.

Pilot training usually only occurred after one graduated from the academy, but Hans had the special privilege of being a Prince, and thus used his father's influence to get him into flight school while he was also attending the academy giving him a head start over the other candidates.

The fact that he had never visited since he first attended the academy, and would only write home, was a major point of contention for his three young fiancees, who were currently discussing the root of the problem over coffee and cake. Veronika had a calm expression on her pretty face while she expressed her detest for a certain someone who was not present for this meeting among fiancees.

"There is no doubt in my mind that the reason our dear Hans has not returned home is because of Ingrid. What I can't understand is how that bitch is so different from her niece. After all, Astrid is the sweetest little girl, and yet Ingrid is simply intolerable."

Noemi giggled when she heard Veronika refer to Ingrid as a bitch. The girl usually never used such crass language. To do so clearly showed the level of contempt she had for Ingrid. Noemi was surprisingly friendly as she addressed Veronika's claims.

"Hey, if there's one good thing that has come out of this situation, it is that we have a common enemy. It truly boggles the mind that a year and a half ago, we were at each other's throats. Now we are practically sisters."

This remark caused Veronika to break out into a fit of laughter. She found it comical how quickly enemies turned into allies. They were once both fiercely competing for Hans' affections, and now they condemned Ingrid for doing the same. They had come a long way since the two of them first met, and were now practically sisters. Noemi merely sighed before making another remark on the current situation.

"If it weren't for Linde's advice, I think I would have turned out like Ingrid. You know, I am pretty sure the whole reason the Kaiser's harem doesn't fall apart is because of the efforts of that woman. It is clear that he loves her the most of all his wives, and yet the others never seem to complain."

Noemi had not lived in the palace long enough to understand just how turbulent Berengar's relationships were in the past. Thus, Veronika took a sip from her coffee before explaining the dirty details.

"It wasn't always that way. Adela used to be a lot like Ingrid. Conceited, nosy, entitled, envious, and just a real bitch in general. I used to think that Berengar would either divorce her or kill her off in some kind of "accident". Her problem was the same as Ingrid's. It was her monogamous mindset that had really created a rift between her and Berengar.

As for the others, they seemed to be fine with the whole polygamy thing. However, somehow Adela came around to the idea, and now she is really close to Henrietta. They're practically sisters. She also doesn't seem to become jealous when Berengar spends time with his other women anymore."

It was at this time that a familiar voice erupted from behind the girls, startling them to the core.

"You know who was behind that transformation? Me..."

The girls looked around to see Linde standing behind them with the grace befitting a woman of her position. She was as stunning as ever, despite recently giving birth to yet another child. So much so that it intimidated the trio. Linde had been eavesdropping for some time, and sat down at their little gathering as if they invited her to it in the first place.

"So, you're all sick of that little cunt too, huh? If it has become a problem for all of you, and for my little Hans, then it appears that I need to have a talk with my hubby about that bitch. I won't allow Hans to go through the same heartbreak his father had to endure with Adela. You have no idea just how much work I put into convincing that little minx into accepting the status quo."

The three girls looked at Linde as if she were a different person than they were accustomed to. In the past she had been so refined and formal around them, yet, now she was speaking with such familiarity and vulgarity that they could hardly believe these words were coming from the honored lips of the second Kaiserin. Linde immediately noticed their expressions and giggled before responding to them.

"What? You weren't expecting me to be so informal? You're all practically my daughter-in-laws now. I don't think I need to put on the act of an overbearing mother anymore."

It took the girls a few moments to realize that perhaps Linde had endured so much shit with Ingrid over this past year and a half that she had slowly come to accept her other future daughter-in-laws as ideal candidates for her eldest son. With this in mind, Veronika was quick to ask the woman for some advice.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you convince Adela to accept a polygamous relationship?"

The other two girls intently listened to what Linde had to say, as if she were some divine prophet bestowing upon them the wisdom of God. Linde giggled when she saw how focused they were before gently whispering the answer into Veronika's ear.

The heterochromatic beauty's pale face instantly reddened when she heard such a shameless response. Though Noemi did not know what exactly was said, she could make an educated guess based on the reaction on Veronika's face. Causing her to suffer from second hand embarassment.

Natalia could tell something was going on between the other two girls, but could not quite surmise what it was. Thus she could only pout, seeing as how Linde did not want to tell her the truth. After a brief moment of awkward silence, Veronika spoke up, despite still being visibly embarrassed.

"I can't do that... it's so... dirty..."

When Linde heard this, she giggled once more before responding to her statement.

"I never asked you to... You and I both know you're not cut out for such play. But you asked how I managed to tame that little bitch, and that is how. Though I seriously doubt it would work on Ingrid. She's not so much of a prude as she is just plain selfish.

Ingrid just doesn't want to share a man, and she uses her religious upbringing to justify it. There are genuine nun-like girls, and then there are selfish bitches pretending to be pious to excuse their poor behavior. Adela was of the former, while Ingrid is of the latter. However, it's not Ingrid you three need to worry about. You are aware of the new rules at the Military Academies, right?"

Veronika and Noemi looked at each other in confusion before simultaneously asking what Linde was referring to.

"What are you talking about?"

Linde sighed, partially because she felt bad about these girls' ignorance. In truth, she already knew about Anne, and how she was currying favor with Hans in her spare time. Though there was not much Linde could do about it.

Anne was a Bavarian Princess, and relations between Bavaria and Austria were still somewhat tense after the whole invasion and occupation ten years prior. If she tried to interfere, it would only complicate matters. Thus, Linde decided to warn the three girls about their new potential rival.

"As of this year, the military academies are accepting female students so that they may fulfil non-combative roles in the military. Primarily in Administration and Medicine. Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal, but you should know that the military has become a haven for young men seeking to escape undesirable matches, and these rules now apply to the women who join as well.

For all you know, there might be a beautiful young princess in Hans's class who sees him as a better match than the man she ran away from. Because the Aerial Warfare Academy is a boarding school, the two of them could be spending lots of time together, while the three of you patiently await his return to the palace."

The three girls who were set to marry the First Prince of Germany instantly became riddled with doubt. Had they known such a thing, they would have tried everything they could to dissuade Hans from going to a military academy.

However, it was too late. The boy was already enrolled and was guaranteed at least 8 years of military service after graduation. They could only sit back and conspire against Ingrid, and this new unknown foe.

Linde, on the other hand, merely smirked as she drank from one of the girl's coffee. If she could not directly intervene on Hans' emerging relationship with the Princess of Bavaria, then she could indirectly apply pressure to her son, via his three existing fiancees.

After learning the truth about Anne, Linde feared the girl was just using her son to escape an unfavorable marriage, and she would never allow such a petty bitch to become the future Kaiserin of the German Empire.