Tyranny of Steel

The week passed, and soon enough, it was time for Berengar to take his favorite wife on a date. Currently, the man was getting dressed in his formal attire. This was not a military uniform or some variation of it like he normally wore. Instead, it was a three-piece suit with a trench coat. 

Today Berengar had gone all out on his appearance, and had changed his usual slicked back hair style, to a textured quiff. When he was done dressing himself, the man gazed into the mirror and witnessed his own reflection, where he promptly smiled at his extravagant appearance. 

The maid who had helped pick out the clothes was blushing when she saw the Kaiser dressed in civilian clothes for the first time in a long time. She could not help but have amorous thoughts about the handsome man who reigned as the supreme hegemon of the western world.

She was young, and beautiful, and for the briefest of moments, she felt perhaps she should make a move. However, before she could complete her thoughts, the door opened to reveal a heavenly beauty like no other. 

Linde von Kufstein was in her early thirties, and had already given birth to five children. Despite this, her figure was sublime, and the years had clearly been kind to her complexion. The mature empress had an innocent appearance, despite her cunning and seductive nature. 

The redheaded beauty was dressed in a sky blue evening dress which cut itself short at the knees. It was a strapless design, which showed off the natural curves of her body. Her bountiful cleavage enticed any man who dared to gaze at it. 

Upon witnessing her man all dressed up for her sake, Linde quickly attached herself to his arm, and rested her head in his chest, a love-struck expression, like that of a schoolgirl who gazed upon her crush appeared on the woman's flawless face as she asked the question she had been waiting to say all week.

"Are you ready?" 

Berengar, who was closely observing his wife's immaculate appearance, smiled lovingly while he nodded his head. He rested the palm of his hand on the woman's delicate cheek before planting a soft kiss on her lips. The act of which caused the maid to gush with envy. The man's response to his wife's question was like that of a charming prince. 

"Of course, my love... It has been far too long since we have had a night to ourselves."

After saying this, Berengar grabbed hold of his woman's hand, and dragged her out of the dressing room, leaving the maid behind with her thoughts as if he had not even been aware of her presence.  While Berengar and Linde descended from the staircase, several of their children approached them, with the young boy Josef commenting on his mother's appearance.

"Mommy is so pretty!" 

While Linde always paid exceptional attention to her appearance to ensure that she was the living personification of female beauty, she had gone the extra mile today, so much so that even her own son could not help but express how wonderful she looked. The compliment of her second son caused a smile to appear on the redheaded temptress's lips while she bowed down and petted the boy's hair. 

"Mommy and daddy are going out tonight, so you and your siblings behave yourselves."

Josef smiled and nodded his head while basking in his mother's affection. As for his sister Isle, she approached her father and was quick to express her thoughts about the man's appearance. 

"Daddy, you look very handsome today, make sure to treat mommy right!" 

In response to this, Berengar merely smiled before picking his little girl up into the air and kissing her on the forehead. After doing so, he set her on the ground before petting the girl's hair like her mother had done to her brother. 

"You don't need to worry about that. I have always treated your mother well."

After saying this, Berengar's gaze set itself upon his eldest daughter Helga, who was hiding behind her other siblings. There was a peculiar expression in the girl's eyes while she gazed upon her father and mother, who had dressed up exceptionally well for this occasion. Berengar did not take notice of this affectionate gaze, and instead barked a command to the girl.

"Helga, make sure your siblings behave themselves. If there are any problems, go fetch one of your other mothers, and have them take care of it." 

The girl remained silent and only responded with a slight nod of her head. Upon seeing that she understood her duties for the night, Berengar sighed in relief before grabbing hold of Linde's hand and leading her out the front door of the palace. 

The loving couple descended the staircase and entered the courtyard, where a limousine sat, waiting to take them to their destination. A member of the German Leibgarde stood outside the vehicle, where he opened a door for his Kaiser and Kaiserin.

The man was dressed covertly for the evening. As such, he wore a black three-piece suit, with a white dress shirt underneath, and a solid black tie. He also wore a pair of sunglasses. He was not alone in this regard, as every member of the leibgarde who would be watching over their Kaiser's safety was also dressed in an identical fashion. 

Berengar ensured that Linde was safely inside the limo before entering himself. After doing so, the bodyguard closed the door behind him before entering an armored SUV. Two of such vehicles existed in the front and rear of the Kaiser's limo, creating a caravan. 

The drivers already knew of the destination which the Royal Couple desired, and thus they headed towards Little Kyoto, which was the section of the German Capital dedicated to the Japanese Refugees who had fled the horrors of their homeland, seeking asylum in the Reich. 

Berengar watched the streets pass him by as he sat in the limousine with his arms wrapped around his wife. The woman was resting her head on the man's shoulder, while thinking about all the fun she was going to have tonight.  After several moments, Berengar interrupted the silence with a rather serious question on his mind. 

"Assuming Yi Min-Ah proves to be a hostile, should we arrest her on the spot, or find a reason to do so at a later date?"

Linde's smile shifted upside down as she heard these words, before looking up towards her man's handsome face. She had a stern expression on her face as she said the following words.

"Arresting her on the spot would cause nothing but problems. We can't use your divine sight as a legal justification to have her detained. I will have to concoct some evidence and plant it in her apartment. Once we have evidence, we can arrest her at will at any place, and at any time. So if she does prove to have ill intentions towards you, then it will take me at most three days to have her in custody.

Thus, you do not need to worry too much. As soon as you ascertain her true motives, we will treat this night as a normal date. So you just sit back, relax, and just enjoy yourself. After all, it has been a long time since the two of us have gone out together like this."

As per usual, Linde was a master when it came to matters of intrigue. Thus, Berengar would refer to her judgement. Instead, he smiled and stroked the woman's silky red-gold hair. He owed a great deal to this woman. It was a debt he could never fully repay.

Thus, as Berengar sat there in silence, his thoughts drifted to what he would do after he defeated the Japanese Empire. For the past ten years, every moment of his life had been spent either preparing for a war, or fighting one. 

Though he had done his best by his family. As a man who built an Empire from scratch, there was only so much time he could spend with them. It was not his fault, for every time he thought he gained some semblance of peace, a new and more powerful threat revealed itself beyond the horizon. 

However, once Japan had fallen, there would no longer be anyone left in this world to challenge his will. No rebellion, nor any resistance that he could not easily overcome. Since that was the case, he would have a lot of free time available to him. Time that he would spend with his family. 

While Berengar thought about his plans for the future, the convoy approached the Japanese restaurant where Min-Ah was employed as a hostess. Once the car came to a stop, Berengar and Linde would enter the lion's den, where they would engage in a battle of counter-espionage, before enjoying their night as a couple. 

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