Tyranny of Steel

Currently, Berengar was sitting in a booth with his wife Honoria by his side, and two of their children seated across from them. Out of all the local eateries within the city of Kufstein, Berengar had selected what could only be described as a barbecue joint to share a meal with his family and mull over some of their deep-seated issues. 

Honoria had a pleasant smile on her face as she bit into the ribs and savored their taste. Though it had only been a few days since she returned from her journey to Oceania, she seemed to be taking her retirement rather well. At least on the surface. Humans were naturally complicated creatures, and a mere few days was clearly not enough time for the woman to properly process her emotions. 

Still, that did not get in the way of Honoria spending time with her family. In fact, since her return, she had spent nearly every waking hour with her children or her husband. She had even been rather aggressive in the bedroom, having an intense desire to bear more children. After all, though Honoria had been with Berengar for almost as long as Linde had, she had fallen behind the redheaded vixen in terms of progeny. 

Thus, Berengar was in a rather pleased mood, as Honoria had been taking advantage of every given opportunity to sleep with him. Though he never lacked the company of woman, he did enjoy it when his wives were so eager to please him. 

While Berengar and Honoria had fat smiles on their faces as they happily ate away at the barbecue ribs and pulled pork. Their children, Alexandros and Helena, were not nearly as pleased. Though they had given their mother a second chance, and were pleased to see their efforts were not going to waste. It was not easy to remove the damage of neglect. Ultimately, it was Berengar who broke the silence as he decided to question his young son about what he had been learning lately. 

"So, Alexandros, why don't you tell your mother about your academics? You and Ghazi should be going through special leadership courses. How have your grades been as of late?"

In addition to their regular school work, which Berengar made sure that his children were not slacking off in. Alexandros and Ghazi were also being groomed to be the perfect leaders for their mother's homelands. Ghazi was technically already the Sultan of Al-Andalus, but he was too young to actually rule, and because of that, his father was Regent. 

As for Alexandros, though he was not yet officially the heir of the Byzantine Emperor, Berengar had laid the groundwork that would lead to Quintus and his wastrel of a little brother being stripped of their rights to succession. In the end, Vetranis would choose Alexandros to succeed him. Berengar was extremely adamant about that.

Because of this, the boy had to sit through many courses regarding administration of a realm, military tactics, the art of diplomacy, and economics. In fact, Alexandros and Ghazi were in a bit of a friendly competition to see who received the best grades, thus, the boy was quick to brag about his latest scores. 

"I scored a ninety-eight on my last economics exam. I beat Ghazi by three whole points!" 

Berengar smiled and nodded his head. He had nothing but praise for both of his boys, but he still needed to reward the winner of their little competitions. Thus, he took a rather playful tone as he addressed this fact. 

"Good job! I'll tell you what, just for that I'll let you order a desert of your choice. How does that sound?"

Alexandros nodded his head with an excited smile. As for Honoria, she was happy to see her boy was doing so well and was quick to add something to the conversation. 

"I didn't expect you to be going over such complicated topics at your age. You must be mommy's little genius."

Alexandros forced a smile when he heard his mother's compliment. While he was aware that he was naturally more intelligent than other kids his age. When compared to his eldest brother, Hans, he was by no means an actual genius. But he did not correct his mother. She seemed to be genuinely happy for him, and thus he did not want to ruin the moment. However, Helena was not so polite. 

"What's so great about a ninety-eight on an intro to economics course? When Hans was his age, he was already studying mechanical engineering!"

It was clear by the look in Helena's eye that she had great admiration for her eldest half-brother. So much so that she was willing to insult her full-blooded brother and counter her mother's praise. Normally, such a thing would provoke a mother, but she had such a close relationship with Linde that she also considered Hans to be her son. Thus, she only wore a faint smile before replying to her daughter's sharp remarks. 

"Hans is an exceptionally gifted child. It's unfair to compare anyone else with him. I am even willing to bet that when he finally matures into an adult, his mind will be greater than even his father's." 

Berengar was in the middle of drinking a beer when he heard this statement, and nearly choked on the liquid. While it was true that Hans was a genius on the level with history's greatest minds, Berengar still did not want to admit that his son would one day be more intelligent than him, let alone hear his wife praise the boy in such a way.  His reaction to Honoria's remark had caused the woman and her two children to laugh at his expense. With Helena roasting Berengar on the spot. 

"Haha, even daddy can feel inferior to someone else. Don't worry daddy, you're still the greatest in your daughter's eyes! Even though Hans will one day be smarter than you!" 

Berengar remained completely silent when he heard his daughter mocking him. He did not have the face to argue with a child about a point he knew to be true. Instead, he merely sighed in defeat, knowing that his son's supreme intellect would be used to advance the Reich beyond how he personally left it. 

To Berengar, his legacy meant everything to him. It was not just good enough to build the world's greatest empire. It had to be stable and survive in all its glory long after he himself passed away from this world. He did not want to be like Alexander the Great, who worked his entire life to build a mighty empire, only for the empire he forged with his own hands to completely collapse after his death. 

Though Berengar rarely thought about the succession issue, Hans was indeed the most ideal candidate, at least for the time being. He had many children, and the majority of them were still toddlers. It was impossible to know just what great things the offspring of Berengar the Blessed would achieve in their lives.  After several moments of being laughed at, Berengar pushed away his pride and admitted the truth in front of his family, something they never thought he would actually do.

"So what if Hans will be more intelligent than me? That just means that I can rest easy in the afterlife, knowing that the Reich will be in good hands. Besides, it's not just Hans. I foresee a future where all of my children are extreme talents in whatever fields they choose to pursue within their lifetime. A golden generation of the von Kufstein Dynasty who shall work together to keep my dream alive. I feel no shame in admitting this, rather a deep sense of pride!" 

Helena pouted when she heard her father boast about his kids in such a haughty manner. Her next words were like a bucket of ice water dropping on Berengar's head. 

"Daddy is really shameless, isn't he?"

This critical strike had pierced through Berengar's heart and made him sigh in depression. The very look on his face was enough to make Honoria break out into a fit of giggles. She could not believe her little girl had spoken so ruthlessly to her father. It was absolutely adorable to the woman who was once known as the Pirate Queen.  However, after seeing Berengar sulk like a kid who was just robbed of his lunch money. Honoria wrapped her arms around the man's shoulder and comforted him with her words.

"Daddy truly is shameless, but that's one reason why I love him so much!"

This was the first time Helena and Alexandros had heard their mother call their father by the term "daddy". It was usually a pet name the woman reserved for the man in private. However, she had instinctively used the term after hearing her daughter call her man such a name. 

Despite being so ruthlessly burned by his daughter, Berengar could only chuckle and take it in stride. After all, the kids appeared to be warming up to their mother, which was a good thing. This entire meal was about getting together, and hashing things out, and it appeared to have a good start. 

The rest of the meal would be shared with lighthearted conversation and an overall enjoyable experience for Berengar and his family. When the group finished, they returned home. Where Honoria tucked her kids into bed before spending the night with her man. Though tonight's venture seemed like a minor thing, in reality, it was a big deal to both Alexandros and Helena, who for the first time felt like they had a mother who would not be leaving them behind. 

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