Tyranny of Steel

While Honoria was preparing her crew for one last hurrah, Berengar was hosting a celebration inside his palace in the city of Kufstein. It had been thirteen years since he first reincarnated into this world. During this time, many things had happened in his life. However, despite being reborn into a new body, he still considered his family in this world to be just as important as the one from his past life.

Today was his mother's birthday, and like every year, he had his parents come out of the countryside and visit the city for the occasion. Gisela stepped out of the car that her son had provided for her and into the driveway of the imperial palace.

Though over a decade had passed since her husband abdicated his position as Baron of Kufstein, she had aged gracefully, and her beauty was still to be admired. As for Sieghard, the years had been kind to him as well. Though he had aged rapidly during his brief spout of depression, his years of retirement had helped rekindle his love for fishing and the more calm aspects of life. 

Upon seeing everything that his son had accomplished, he realized that he was never truly fit for the life of a nobleman. Everything he could ever ask for was provided by his son, a large villa with a lakefront property that was fitted with all the modern luxuries one could dream of. He had a staff of young women attend to his every need and spent his days with his lovely wife enjoying their marriage together. 

Berengar and his wives were standing in the driveway waiting for his parents' arrival. Though Gisela had first despised her many daughters-in-law due to the fact that they were in a polygamous marriage with her son. Over the years, she had come to accept them.

However, when she gazed upon the redheaded beauty who she once hated most of all, there was not the usual passive aggression in the mature woman's blue eyes, instead a loving smile on her face. This confused Linde, who was even more surprised when her mother-in-law hugged her tightly and whispered in her ears some shocking words.

"I'm sorry for the way I have treated you all these years. If I had known earlier what you have done for my son, I would have accepted you as my daughter-in-law. Even if I don't necessarily approve of my son's womanizing ways."

Gisela had seen the movie The Mines of Wildschönau, it shocked her to see that it was Linde who had saved Berengar from Lambert's sinister assassination attempts. The scene had moved the woman to tears and filled her with an overwhelming sense of regret.

Berengar was equally surprised to see his mother apologize to his favorite wife. The two women had never been on good terms, partially because of how Linde had treated Lambert. Not only did she abuse the boy for sadistic pleasure, but she even cheated on him with his elder brother. To Gisela, who was a devout Christian, this was unforgiveable.  After seeing his mother be so friendly to Linde, Berengar smiled and approached Gisela, where he opened his arms for a hug.

"Happy birthday, mom. It is good to see you and father are doing so well."

Gisela smiled and hugged her son for several moments. It had been too long since she had seen her baby boy. 

"My son, words can not describe all that you have done for our family and its lands. Everywhere I go, I hear people saying prayers for your continued health and that of your children. To think the sickly little boy I raised would become such a revered man. The chapel I attend has even begun to say prayers to you as the patron saint of the German people. I see you have even changed your coat of arms again. I must say that it is truly fitting..."

The tapestries that hung from the Gates to the Palace complex displayed the new coat of arms of the von Kufstein dynasty. The two crowns above the eagle's heads were replaced with saintly halos, with a single crown above them. As for the shield within the eagle's chest, it was now surrounded by a chain which contained the eye of Horus. 

When Berengar announced to the world that the lord God almighty had restored his sight to him, he established a new Chivalric Order that was ranked the highest among all honors within the Kingdom of Austria.

This Chivalric Order was appropriately named the Order of the Golden Eye. Its chain was modelled after that of the Order of the Golden Fleece from Berengar's past life, however rather than a gilded lamb in its centerpiece, it included a pyramid with the eye of Horus within. It was similar to the symbol associated with the Illuminati, except the pyramid was surrounded by what can only be described as angelic wings.

From now until the end of time, the head of the von Kufstein Dynasty, or in other words, the reigning Kaiser, would hold the position of Grand Master of the Order. It was a symbol of Imperial Authority, as much as it was a representation of the von Kufstein Dynasty. Incidentally, this new coat of arms was updated on the flag of Austria, as well as that of the German Empire. 

Berengar smiled when he heard his mother approved of his latest designs for the family's symbols. He nodded his head in agreement before complimenting Adela on her efforts. 

"I was just as impressed when Adela showed me the new design. She had an entire team work on it. However, it was her vision that saw it carried through to fruition." 

Gisela smiled and greeted her favorite daughter-in-law before hugging the young woman.

"Adela, is it nice to see you again I hope you are doing well?"

Adela bowed her head with grace towards Gisela, and spoke to her in a kind tone. The two of them had always gotten along well, even when Berengar's other women had not. 

"Mother, it is great to see you. Even after nearly a decade, your beauty lights up the room. I hope I am half as youthful as you when I am your age..."

Gisela spoke with Adela for some time before giving her greetings to the rest of the women in Berengar's harem. She also introduced herself to Berengar's latest batch of offspring. Despite treating many of her grandchildren as outsiders in the past, she seemed to have been much kinder to them this time around, as if she finally accepted them as part of her family. 

After saying her greetings, along with Sieghard, Berengar led the way into the palace, where he had prepared a feast for his mother's birthday lunch. The woman had a wide smile on her face as she chatted with her family members. Though she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. 

For the past few years, Gisela had gotten acquainted with Berengar's many wards. Among them was the young Princess Priya Tomara, who had grown into a beautiful young woman as time passed. With her ever-watchful eye, Gisela could tell the girl was interested in her son, which only caused her to sigh in defeat and mutter something under her breath.

"Thirty-two years old, and you're still catching the fancy of teenagers. What am I going to do with you, my son..."

Gisela did not know if Berengar was already in a relationship with the young woman, but by the way the two of them looked at each other, she could tell if they weren't already romantically involved. It was only a matter of time before they became so. Obviously, Gisela did not know just how many mistresses Berengar had. If she did, she would scold the man for his inability to keep it in his pants. 

Ultimately, the birthday celebration went on without a hitch. Family and friends surrounded Gisela, and it would appear that she had finally begun to accept her many daughters-in-law's as well as their plentiful offspring as members of her family.

As for Sieghard, he looked on in envy at his son. Wishing that he could live in the man's shoes for just a day. He was much too old to start a polygamous lifestyle, and his wife would never approve of such a thing. However, he admired Berengar's ability to keep his women in a sense of harmony, as they all appeared to be on better terms with one another than they had been in years past. 

The night ended with a share of drinks and a toast on behalf of Gisela, which was undertaken by Berengar. She and her husband would stay within Kufstein for the next week before returning to the countryside, where they would once more live out their days in peaceful tranquility, far from the hustle and bustle of the capital city.