Berengar sat within the confines of his study. In his hands was a gilded chalice which contained a drink of fortified wine. Nearly half a year had passed since Berengar had unified the German Empire beneath the banner of Austria. In this time, Berengar had spent nearly every waking hour overhauling the government of his Empire.
Progress was slow, but by now the Feudal Nobility had lost most of their previous power, and in its place, the semi-constitutional, meritocratic government that Berengar had already instilled in Austria spread to the rest of the Empire's borders.
After fierce negotiations, Berengar had divided the provinces of Germany into several kingdoms and Grand Duchies, which included the following. The Kingdom of Austria, the Kingdom of Prussia, the Kingdom of Bavaria, the Kingdom of Bohemia, the Kingdom of Baden-Württemberg, the Grand Duchy of Switzerland, the Grand Duchy of Rheins, the Grand Duchy of Hannover, the Grand Duchy of Brandenburg, and the Grand Duchy of Holstein-Mecklenburg.
Naturally, the existence of the Colonies was still a highly classified secret, and thus the Grand Duchy of New Vienna and the Grand Duchy New Swabia were not on any official map of the Empire or its provinces. The various Kings and Grand Dukes, while technically monarchs themselves, served beneath the King of Austria, who was also the Kaiser of Germany. Thus, Berengar had created a federal monarchy loosely based upon the German Empire of his past life.
As a result, Berengar had drafted a Federal Constitution which was largely based upon the German Empire's from his past life, but with the provisions he had added to Austria's constitution during their previous convention. Allowing the Kaiser to have a greater degree of control over the Empire's affairs, and ensuring that only the most competent of his future heirs would succeed him.
Aside from this major political restructuring, Berengar had been left largely to his own devices as he worked on mending the wounds to his family's bonds. Six months was not enough time to fix the issues between Adela and his other brides, let alone their children, who were all fiercely loyal to their mothers. It was only now that Berengar realized just how much he had neglected his family in pursuit of conquest. A mistake he swore he would never make.
Thus, Berengar sipped upon his wine as he reminisced about all that he had accomplished thus far in this life. In the next moment, the Emperor heard a knock on his door, which he quickly answered to.
"Come in..."
Quickly the door opened to reveal one of his beautiful brides who, for whatever reason, was dressed in rags and had a slave collar around her neck. It was none other than Honoria, and she was currently sporting white hair, much like she had done in the past.
However, judging by the luscious sheen of her snow colored hair, she had not used powder and pomade, rather; she had devised a way to dye her hair with a mixture of coconut oil which she had brought back from her travels to the New World, bleach powder, toner, and other hair care products that had been developed during this peaceful period.
When Berengar gazed upon this look, a smile curved itself upon his lips as he reminisced about the days he had first laid eyes on the beautiful young woman before him. If he did not know for a fact she dyed her hair, brows, and lashes, he would assume she was an albino. Honoria had a pouting expression on her face as she approached her husband and begged him to be merciful.
"Daddy... please, it has been six months. I promise you, I have learned my lesson about slavery. I beg you to release my collar and allow me to rejoin the family! This is humiliating, and unlike Linde, I don't have a fetish for such a thing!"
Berengar merely chuckled when he heard this. For the past six months, he had subjected the girl to some rather intense roleplay as punishment for her actions in the New World. Not only did Honoria have to sleep in a shed on the property, but she could not interact with the Royal Family as anything other than a slave. On top of all this, he forced the once proud Princess of Byzantium to do domestic duties within the household, and service him whenever he felt in the mood.
For Berengar, it was quite an enjoyable experience. As for Linde, it excited her to have Honoria as a plaything beneath her control. She would commonly force Honoria into degrading acts as the trio spent their nights together. Letting her dormant dominatrix side take control over the poor princess who suffered at the hands of her Master, and Mistress alike.
As Berengar reflected on the debauchery he had engaged in these past few months with his two favorite pets, he sighed heavily before opening the drawer on his desk and pulling out a small iron key. When Honoria saw this action, her mint green eyes immediately shone with excitement.
Finally, she could reclaim her place as a Queen of Austria, and a terror on the seas. Berengar quickly walked over to the woman and unlocked her collar, which collapsed to the cold stone floor with a loud clang. Before the Princess could thank him, Berengar waved his finger in her face and scolded her one final time for her criminal acts.
"Don't make me regret this. If it was anyone else who had broken my laws against slavery, I would have sent them to a labor camp for several decades. You are lucky that you are my wife and I showed you leniency."
Honoria instantly responded by wrapping her arms around Berengar's neck and kissing him passionately before whispering something in his ear.
"Thank you daddy! I'm going to go get a proper bath, then perhaps we can meet up later and have a proper meal as a family!"
After doing this, Honoria quickly ran off towards the bathhouse that was established within the Royal Palace. Not long after, Linde found her way into the study with a satisfied smirk on her face. Evidently she had seen Honoria run by without her collar and could not help but poke fun at her husband.
"I see you have freed your slave from her bondage. I must say, I am going to miss our little group therapy sessions. It is a shame. I was just starting to feel like I finally had a sister who can join me in servitude to my master."
When Berengar heard this, he scoffed in disbelief. He knew how all too well the real reason Linde was feeling regretful over the loss of her so called "sister". However, before he could make a snide remark about the woman's true nature, she deflected and asked about something far more important.
"Have you finally run out of ideas for inventions? It has been six months, and you have not introduced any new technology. You know our enemies are working together to catch up to our armies as rapidly as possible."
Berengar took a sip from his chalice before answering this question with a smug smile on his face.
"Oh believe me, I have plenty of new inventions that I could begin introducing to the world, but now is not the time. In the past six months, I have been busy overhauling the government of every province of our Empire to match Austria's political system and economic system.
I have minted new currency which has become the universal standard throughout the Empire. Which, if I am being honest, as much as I scolded Honoria for her little slavery debacle, I have to admit the gold mines she discovered were an enormous help in that regard.
I have also had to incorporate all the soldiers from the various German States into a single Imperial Army. In doing so, I have had to train and outfit tens of thousands of men with brand new equipment. Hell, I have even had to design new uniforms, as Austria's signature black and gold colors are not a symbol of unity of the German people.
Believe me, when the time comes that the other German states have caught up to a similar level of industrial and agricultural capability as Austria, then I will begin introducing new technological marvels that will shock the world. However, before I do that, we have a long way to go.
More importantly, how has your relationship with Adela been? Is she still behaving herself? The last time I spoke with her at length about her personal issues, she seemed to be having a difficult time figuring out where her loyalties lay. I swear to god that dumb girl was meant to be a nun. If she spent half as much time on her knees pleasuring me as she does praying to the Lord, I would be far more fond of her. "
A smirk appeared on Linde's pretty face as she giggled in response to Berengar's words. She sighed heavily before sitting on his lap, where she nuzzled her head into his chest before speaking her thoughts about the matter.
"Adela has been slightly kinder to me these past few months, but it definitely seems forced. I know you must have said something to her. Knowing you, you probably given her an ultimatum like you so often do. However, you can't force a girl to change her nature overnight.
I can tell she is genuinely trying to bridge the gap between us, but it is hard for a proud, stubborn, and prudish girl like her to admit that she is, in fact, not superior to me or the others, especially since she looks down on our little group activities. Perhaps it would be best if you mediated between us.
Just think of it, the three of us, having a nice meal together, and discussing our deep-seated internal issues in an open and civil manner."
When Berengar heard this suggestion, he reflected on it in silence for some time. After a few moments, he nodded his head before agreeing to Linde's proposal.
"Very well, I will have someone inform Adela of our dinner plans, and the three of us can get together tonight. I want to end this rivalry between the two of you before it gets out of hand and causes problems for my Empire. This means you have to put aside your petty grievances and come together as sisters. Do you understand me?"
In response to this, Linde simply kissed Berengar on the lips before whispering in his ear.
"Whatever you command, my master!"
With this said, the redheaded beauty ran off and prepared herself for the evening. It would be the first time in a long time that Berengar had been alone with Linde and Adela, and he would be lying to himself if he said there was no possibility of a catfight breaking out.
