While the preparations for the upcoming weddings to both Linde and Honoria were being fulfilled, the Byzantine Emperor Vetranis Palaiologos and his family were seated at Berengar's table, enjoying a feast that had been prepared for Austria's guests from the East.
An alliance between the Kingdom of Austria and the Byzantine Empire had been negotiated due to the upcoming marriage between Berengar and Honoria. Despite this fact, tonight was the first time that Berengar had entertained his young fiancee's family. Aside from Vetranis himself, he was meeting the members of Honoria's family for the first time.
Sitting beside the Byzantine Emperor was his wife, Empress Olympia Palaiologos, who was exceptionally beautiful in her own right. She looked like a mature version of her daughter, aside from the purple-dyed hair that Honoria had. Berengar was quite pleased with this, as it meant that when Honoria was her mother's age, she'd still be an exceptional beauty.
However, unlike Honoria, the Empress was utterly expressionless, almost as if she had a complete and utter disregard for her host and future son-in-law. Sitting beside the Empress was the eldest son of the Emperor and his Wife. Quintus Palaiologos was one of the candidates being propped up by the various factions within the Empire for a succession of the Imperial Throne.
Overall he was a wise and charismatic individual; in fact, there was a reason he was considered the favorite in the ongoing succession dispute. If not for the fact that he was somewhat of a pacifist, and the fears surrounding his meek attitude on foreign policy, Andronikos and his faction might have pledged their support to him.
Decentius, on the other hand, was not present for this occasion. In fact, he was currently within North Africa, continuing the campaign Arethas had started. As the second prince, he was the other primary candidate. He was a renowned commander and hawkish in foreign policy, which gained the support of many of the more battle-crazed supports of the Emperor. However, in the eyes of Andronikos and his allies, the man simply had no mind for anything other than warfare. He would undoubtedly plunge Byzantium into debt and despair if he inherited the Throne.
Sitting beside Quintus and across from Henrietta was a young man, roughly Adela's age, who was Honoria's younger brother Aurelius Palaiologos; he had a charming appearance and a glib tongue; however,,, he was essentially the Byzantine equivalent of Berengar prior to his reincarnation. An indolent, childish drunk who had no leadership skills whatsoever. The only difference between him and Berengar before he had been gifted with the memories of Julian Weber was that Aurelius was also a massive lecher who screwed anyone he could.
This was immediately apparent to Berengar, especially when the boy started flirting with his little sister. Despite the fact that Berengar had yet to find a proper fiance for Henrietta, he knew in his heart that Aurelius would be a terrible choice. As such, he kept a close eye on the boy and his actions; if he so much as laid a hand on Henrietta or any of his Brides, he would have it removed.
Eventually, Quintus spoke up and struck a conversation about trade with Berengar; as a skilled administrator, the man was quite astute to matters of state, business, and development. As such, he was quite interested in the project he witnessed being constructed on during his travel from Trieste to Kufstein.
"King Berengar, I do apologize if I am speaking out of turn, but I am quite curious. On my journey to your Capital, I witnessed something peculiar; your peasants appeared to be constructing some form of the massive mound from Kufstein to Trieste. On top of this mound, they appear to be bolting steel into the ground! I was wondering if you could enlighten me on what purpose this serves?"
Berengar smiled when he heard this remark. The mounds that Quintus was the railway that was currently under construction. Even if Berengar explained how the railway functioned, the Byzantines could not replicate it, so he decided to be to entertain Quintus' curiosity.
"Firstly, allow me to correct you; those are not peasants, as I have liberated the common people from serfdom. They are citizens of my Kingdom who are being paid a living wage for their work. Secondly, those are not mounds but the foundation of something great that, in a few years, will allow rapid transit across my realm.
Not only will people be able to travel across all of Austria, Switzerland, and Bohemia, but various supplies will also be able to be transported across the realm. Including weapons and munitions that will ensure reinforcements and resupply to the border guard will be rapidly available in the event of some form of foreign incursion into my lands."
Quintus' interest was further peaked upon hearing this. Initially, he thought the construction of the so-called mounds was some form of tribute to the primitive ancestors of the Austrian people. However, now that he was aware of its true purpose, he desperately wanted one of his own. As such, he inquired about its construction.
"Tell me, King Berengar, is it possible to build one of these devices in the Empire? If so, how much would it cost?"
Honoria instantly eyed Berengar with curiosity; she did not know how he would respond to this. Of course, Berengar immediately declined the offer. He was more than happy, uplifting Byzantium ahead of their rivals; yet, he would never usher them into the Industrial age like he was doing for Germany.
"I apologize, Quintus, but the construction of the railway is a massive undertaking that requires a substantial degree of high carbon steel and advanced manufacturing equipment. I am unable to sell the tooling and resources necessary to construct such a thing to the Empire. In addition to this, the expense I am paying to undertake this initiative is no small sum, and it simply would not be profitable for me to help you build one across your vast Empire."
While Berengar and Quintus were discussing business Aurelius was busy flirting with Henrietta, which did not go unnoticed by Berengar or his women. Aurelius put on a charming smile as he attempted to converse with the shy princess of Austria.
"So, your name is Henrietta? That is a beautiful name. Tell me, Henrietta, what is your favorite type of wine?"
Henrietta, who had always been shy around strangers, found it challenging to speak in the presence of the Imperial family of the Byzantine Empire; as such, she quietly muttered a phrase that nobody besides herself could hear. After saying this, the lazy Prince immediately asked for clarification on what she had said.
"I'm sorry, what was that? I couldn't hear you."
In response, Henrietta slightly raised her voice which was still quiet but just enough for Aurelius to hear.
"I don't drink wine..."
After hearing this, a charming smile appeared on the boy's face as he hatched an idea which he thought was brilliant. As such, he handed his cup over to Henrietta and encouraged her to drink from his chalice; his true intentions were far from generous.
"Well, there is a first time for everything; here, have some of my wine; I have to say I am growing quite fond of Austria's drinks."
Henrietta struggled to deal with the situation presented to her. She didn't enjoy the taste of wine, and she had seen what overindulging in the substance led to, especially in regards to Berengar and his women.
As such, she was hesitant to accept the Prince's offer. However, she also knew it would be rude to decline. Thus she slowly reached her hands out to grasp the chalice when she overheard an oppressive voice call out to her, immediately causing her to flinch.
"Henrietta! While it may be a special occasion, you did not ask permission from me, your King, as to whether or not I would permit you to drink wine."
Aurelius immediately glared at Berengar with wicked intent in his eye, which did not go unnoticed by the Austrian King. It took one moment for Berengar to correctly guess what this boy's plan was for his sister, and as such, the wrath inside him began to boil to the breaking point.
This scoundrel planned to get his precious little sister drunk and take advantage of her. Berengar would have him lined up in front of a firing squad if he were not a Prince of the Byzantine Empire. The Austrian monarch was not the only one who noticed the boy's intent, both Vetranis and his wife were glaring at their son, so much so that the Empress spoke for the first time since she had sat down at Berengar's table.
"Aurelius, behave yourself!"
The pure look of disdain the woman had for her son was something Berengar had not seen in a mother's eyes before, at least not when gazing upon their child. The moment Aurelius realized that his plot had been revealed, he immediately began to defend his actions, despite knowing that his mother had seen through them.
"Mother, I was only offering the girl a drink; how was I supposed to know that King Berengar was so strict about drinking wine?"
Emperor Vetranis was struggling to contain his fury; if it were any other monarch's table they were sitting at, he would not care if his son had outright drugged a princess. However, Berengar was different. The Kingdom of Austria was a rapidly rising power that was capable of dominating both land and sea. It was only a matter of time before they eclipsed the Byzantine Empire in terms of international influence.
Angering Berengar was not the same as provoking a King of another realm. The very idea that his son would so blatantly try to take advantage of Berengar's bloodline made the Emperor seethe with rage and instinctively want to beg for forgiveness, for he knew Berengar was a cruel man who did as he pleased.
The only reason Berengar had not done something drastic to the boy was that he was Honoria's brother. Without Honoria by his side, Berengar indeed would have had the Byzantine Prince executed, or at the very least, removed one of his limbs. In doing so, a war would break out with the Byzantine Empire. Luckily for everyone involved, Berengar was forced to calm his wrath and deal with this situation rationally.
Ultimately Berengar gazed at the boy with murderous intent; as he did so, an oppressive aura filled the air; eventually, Berengar took a bite from his jaeger schnitzel before placing his fork down in a seemingly calm manner. Despite his appearance on the outside, everyone present knew that Berengar was far from relaxed. After washing down the schnitzel with a swig of beer, Berengar finally broke his silence.
"Aurelius, if I catch you so much as glancing at my sister, or any of the women under my protection with a lustful gaze, I will have you castrated and throw your manhood to the pigs. This is your only warning; test my patience again, and see what happens!"
After saying this, Berengar began to ignore the boy and once more dig into his meal. Utter silence prevailed in the room; the only sound that could be heard was that of Berengar using his utensils to cut into the slab of meat before him. As such, the remainder of the banquet was relatively quiet, for nobody dared to further provoke the ire of the man known as the Tyrant of Steel.
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