Tyranny of Steel

Adela sat within the confines of the room, which contained her Grand Piano. She effortlessly pressed the keys in masterful fashion, resulting in an eerily depressing song. She had spent much time over the past few months in solitude, reflecting on the matters that had caused Berengar to become so distant to her as of late. 

She had finally come to realize that her pious nature had caused her husband to drift away from her. However, it was not only her zealotry that created a rift between her and Berengar, but her overwhelming sense of moral superiority towards him and his other wives that resulted from being the High Queen.

Adela was no longer the High Queen. She had a more lofty title now, that of Empress. Despite this, she never felt more worthless. Currently, within her mind, the young woman reflected on her lack of value as the High Queen of Austria, especially when she compared herself to the other wives that surrounded Berengar. She had neither been the most emotionally supportive nor the most useful of his brides.

Sure, she had played a significant role in the growth of Austria's culture, but there were little in terms of tangible benefits she provided to her husband's realm, especially when compared to her competition. These things created a sense of despair as she wore a bleak expression while reminiscing about her past relationship with the man she loved. 

Tears formed in the girl's sapphire eyes as she played the keys to the song she had written to aid with her growing depression. A single phrase escaped her lips as she wallowed in a misery of her own creation.

"I have been such a fool..."

Coincidentally, Berengar was walking through the halls, and overheard the tune being played. It was eerily similar to a song he once loved from his past life. He could not help but voice his thoughts aloud as he walked closer to the origins of the fine music.

"Fade to black?"

When he finally entered the room where Adela sat crying, he gazed in shock towards his first wife, who was at this point struggling to maintain her control over the keys. Unbeknownst to the German Empress, her husband rapidly appeared behind her and wrapped his hands around her waist from behind, hugging her tightly. 

This action thoroughly shocked Adela, who immediately halted her music and gazed over at the man responsible for grabbing her in such an intimate fashion. It surprised her to see Berengar gazing at her with a comforting expression as he held onto her from behind. So much so that she expressed her doubt aloud.

"Berengar?"

The German Emperor smiled bitterly as he nodded his head, before wiping the tears from the girl's eyes. A hint of worry was within his sapphire iris as he gazed upon his Empress with a complex expression.

"What's wrong?"

By now, Adela could no longer contain the feelings buried deep inside her heart, and she immediately grabbed hold of her husband while crying hysterically into his tunic. Between her rampant sobbing, a single coherent phrase escaped her luscious lips.

"Berengar... I'm sorry..."

Such a vague statement immediately caused Berengar's heart to harden in misunderstanding. Many scandalous situations were appearing in his mind, causing him to firmly grab hold of the woman by the shoulders and stared deeply into her eyes.

"What happened?"

This, of course, had the opposite effect of what Berengar desired and caused his wife to cry more profusely, seeing that he had made a mistake, the German Emperor merely stuffed the girl's head into his chest and stroked her golden hair to comfort her into a state of reason. Eventually Adela got control over her emotions and expressed her thoughts clearly. 

"Berengar, I have been a terrible wife, mother, and Empress... I tried to force my religious views on you and ended up driving you straight into the arms of your other wives, causing me to resent you because of it. In doing so, I have failed to provide you the emotional support you need after returning home from those gruesome wars.

I have also foolishly competed with your other brides over trivial matters, and created a wedge between your many children. If that wasn't bad enough, I have neglected our son and daughter in pursuit of revelation on how to fix our marriage when I should have just spoke to you about my fears. I have been such a fool. Can you ever forgive me?"

Berengar sighed heavily as he held onto his first wife, reflecting on the past few years. While their relationship had always been plagued with problems, largely because of his own infidelity, it had never been as bad as it was now. For some time now, he had been outright avoiding Adela to the best of his ability and hadn't slept with her in months. 

Frankly, her uptight personality, overwhelming sense of moral superiority, her pettiness, and jealousy, as well as her tendency to preach to him a bout the virtues of Christianity rather than have a real conversation were among the many reasons he had been so distant lately. If he wanted to be lectured about the bible all the time, he would have married a nun. 

Thus, if he was going to forgive the girl for all her misgivings, then he would need assurance that she would not revert to her old, snobbish ways. After several moments of contemplation, Berengar calmed himself before staring at his wife with his one good eye. 

"Adela, I will be frank. Your overwhelming sense of moral superiority over me and the others is a serious point of contention. If you want me to forgive you and take you back into my arms once more, then I'm going to need to make sure you have truly reflected on your behavior and will work hard to change for the better."

Adela wiped the tears from her eyes as she sniffled. After several seconds, she nodded her head before grabbing hold of Berengar's hands and pleading with him.

"I will do anything you ask of me. I just want the same happiness that the others have!"

When Berengar heard this, a sadistic smirk appeared on his face before he uttered the words that would forever change the dynamic of their relationship.

"If that is truly the case, then promise me that from now on you will not put your religion above me, my family, or my Empire. Swear to me that from this day forward I am your god, and all happiness you receive in this life shall be derived through your faith in me!"

Adela was stunned when she heard this condition. What Berengar was asking of her was not only blasphemous, but a complete rejection of all she was raised to believe. Her parents had always instructed her to put the will of God above all else, yet now her husband was asking her to submit to him before the Lord? Surely such a thing would lead to damnation...

Thus, the Empress was hesitant, and when Berengar saw this, his smirk disappeared. Only disgust remained before he turned away from the girl. If his Empress was unwilling to be completely loyal to him, then he had no use for her. When Adela saw the man she loved look at her with such disdain, she knew she had screwed up, and instantly called out to him as she knelt to ground and pressed her head to the floor. 

"Wait.... I swear it... I swear to be completely loyal to you, your family, and your Empire. From this day forth, you are my everything, and my faith belongs to you!"

When Berengar head this, he instantly halted his steps. A cruel smile carved itself upon his lips as he relished in victory. For too long, this girl had put a fictional man in the clouds above her own King and husband. Finally, after all these years, he had broken her will and forced her to submit. Thus, before turning around, he put on a loving smile as he helped the girl to her feet.

"I have been waiting to hear those words for a very long time..."

After saying this, Berengar wrapped his arms around his Empress and kissed her passionately. Which she immediately accepted with a fervent smile on her face. It had been too long since she was last intimate with her husband, and now she could finally enjoy the warmth of his embrace. 

With this loving reunion between husband and wife, Berengar had cleared the first obstacle to uniting his family together. After all, Adela's skewed loyalties had always been a factor that divided Berengar's growing dynasty, and if left unchecked, would surely result in ruin. 

In the coming days, Berengar would work on correcting Adela's behavior and repairing the relationship between her and his other brides. Now that he did not have to worry about conflict with his neighbors for the time being, his first action as emperor would be to fix the damage to his family's bonds that resulted from the mischievous women he had surrounded himself with. It was time for Berengar to put his house in order.