Tyranny of Steel

Hans sat outside the door to the room where his mother and father were having a shocking discussion. The young boy hugged his knees to his chest as he listened to every word his father spoke, as if it were a commandment from God himself.

He could hear the voice of his mother as she prodded the man's mysterious background with more questions. It would appear that no matter how much Berengar spoke of his past life, Linde was never fully satisfied. She desired to know everything about her man, and thus she immediately inquired about past lovers.

"So you died when you were in your mid-twenties? You must have had a wife, or a lover then? Here I thought I was your first..."

She could hardly believe Berengar's next words as he spoke about his past life with a nostalgic smile on his face. 

"You were my first in both lives. I was not exactly what you call handsome in my past life. I was also an introvert who had a hard time approaching women. There were a few girls I was close to, but they never really saw me as their equal, and because of that, they treated me like a little brother.

Besides, none of them were as beautiful as you. They were all harpies who coated themselves in pounds of makeup to make them appear as if they were princesses. You are entirely different from those hags and are naturally beautiful, a trait most women don't have. You could say reincarnating into this world and meeting you was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. "

Linde blushed in embarrassment when she heard these words. It was rare for Berengar to speak so fondly of her. Though he treated her well, he seldom used such shameless flattery. As for Hans, when he heard his father's words, he took a mental note. He had always wondered how the man subdued someone like his mother. Perhaps it was his kind words that won her heart. 

Of course, if the young boy knew the truth of how his parents had come together, it would definitely skew his conception of romance. After all, their relationship might seem like one out of a fairy tale on the outside, but behind the scenes, it was far from it. Luckily for him, Berengar and Linde had seldom spoken the truth about how they became a couple. After all, it was not something you would normally say in polite company. 

Linde fawned over her husband after he spoke such sweet words to her, completely missing the point that in his past life he died bitter and alone. It took her several minutes to break away from Berengar's charm and realize the meaning behind his words. After doing so, she only had more questions on her mind, which she quickly voiced. 

"You're telling me that in the entire life you lived, you never had a single woman who loved you? What is wrong with the bitches in that world?"

Berengar wore a bitter expression as he reminisced about his past life. In the end, he simply sighed and shrugged his shoulders as if admitting defeat. 

"That's just the way things were in that world. The sad truth of the matter is that by the time I died, the prospect of marriage had long since become a joke. Only a foolish man would risk such a union. I'm better off here with you. Hell, I'm not sure that I had much to look forward to, even if I somehow survived my last tour in Afghanistan..."

Linde could not agree more with Berengar when he said that. He was clearly better off in this world by her side. However, she obviously had more questions on her mind about his past life and was quick to voice them.

"You previously said you had no siblings, nor did you have any friends, or girlfriends... Was your relationship with your parents at least decent?"

Berengar sighed heavily as he heard this before revealing more about his past.

"Sure, when I actually saw them. However, they worked long hours, and most days, I had to take care of myself. I would only get to see them for a few hours every night, and by that time, they were too exhausted to really do anything with me. Though I suppose I have a few good memories of them. 

This one year, they worked overtime for several months just to pool together enough cash to take us on a family trip to one of the country's major theme parks. I don't think I ever spent so much time with my parents as I did then. I ended up getting sick on the last day and vomited the entire trip home. Still, it was fun... Of course, the moment we got home it was like the trip had never happened; they had to go to work the next day, and once more I was stuck by myself, with nothing but my books to keep me company."

Linde could see the joy on Berengar's face dissipate as he mentioned that last part. It was as if she could feel the pain and loneliness in the man's heart. She couldn't bear seeing her man harboring such emotions and quickly seized his hand to assure him he was not alone in this life. Berengar smiled as he saw the concerned expression on Linde's pretty pink lips. He then assured her he was okay. 

"It's alright, I've long since accepted my past. My only worry is that I'm doing the same thing to my own children. I turned out to be just like my father, working from sun up until sundown. By the time I'm finally finished with all my work, I'm too exhausted to spend any time with them. I suppose they are lucky to have multiple mothers who care for them in ways I can't. I wasn't afforded such a luxury in my past life."

When Hans heard these words on the other side of the door, he struggled to contain the tears in his eyes. For some time, he had been resentful towards his father for not being a consistent part of his life. However, the man was simply overworked. After all, he was the leader of the world's most powerful Empire.

When the boy heard his father had suffered through a similar childhood, but with his mother absent as well, he realized how lucky he was to have Linde as an ever present part of his life. Hans was still a young child and couldn't control his emotions very well. He rushed into the room and hugged his father's leg as he apologized for being angry with him.

"Father, I'm sorry, I didn't know!"

It shocked Berengar and Linde to see their eldest child run into the room while crying. Berengar was especially bewildered, as he did not know what the boy was talking about. He quickly picked the child up and set him on his knee while inquiring further about his current state of mind.

"What's wrong, Hans?"

The child continued to cry as he wiped his snotty nose all over Berengar's Imperial Regalia. 

"I hated you! You were never there for me, but I know now how good I have it!"

Linde was stunned that the boy was eavesdropping on them the entire time. She quickly asked how much her son had heard of her private conversation with her husband.

"Hans, how much did you hear?"

The boy did not dare hide the truth from his mother and uttered a single word in response to her interrogation.

"everything..."

Berengar and Linde looked at each other with astonishment. Ultimately, the german emperor sighed before flicking his son on the nose.

"Hans, it is not polite to eavesdrop. You must keep everything you have heard today a secret. If such knowledge became common, it could be disastrous for us. There are those who would not understand, and would stop at nothing to harm our family."

The boy nodded his head in silence. He was obviously aware of the dangers such a secret presented not only to his father, but to himself as well. He swore then and there he would never tell another living soul.

"I swear, I won't say a word to anyone..."

Ultimately, Berengar sighed before gazing out the window and realizing it was already morning. The boy had stayed up all night listening to their conversation. Thus, he quickly got up from his seat and carried his child with him towards the boy's room.

"You can't stay up all night. It's not healthy for you. You are going to get some sleep, and we will talk about this tomorrow."

As for Linde, she followed her husband toward's the prince's quarters where for the first time in a long time tucked the child into his bed together as parents. The moment the boy's head hit the feather pillow, he passed out from exhaustion. Linde gazed at her husband with a warm expression on her pretty face.

"It looks like you will need to make some time for our son. It is not good for him to grow up with resentment in his heart, especially at such a young age."

Berengar simply nodded his head in agreement before expressing his opinion.

"Not just Hans, I need to make time for all of my children..."

Having said this, Berengar decided he would cut his hours to a manageable level and begin spending some more time with his family.