Within the study of the Royal palace, Kaiser Berengar von Kufstein was seated in his leather-bound chair with a beautiful young woman sitting in his lap. The maiden who graced the Emperor's presence was none other than his wife Linde. The Second Empress of Germany had elected to dress in her intelligence uniform as she prodded her man's chest lovingly.
Sitting in front of the couple on the desk was an empty container which once held two important items. For the sake of Linde's exemplary service to the crown over the years, Berengar had established a new Chivalric Order, and conferred the title of Grandmaster onto his loving wife.
As the Director of Intelligence, Linde had acted as the commander over military intelligence in some of the fiercest conflicts that Berengar had taken part. Though Linde had not fought on the front lines herself, it was largely because of her efforts in intrigue that Berengar now found himself as an emperor.
Berengar knew well that he owed this woman a great deal of debt, and as partial thanks to her efforts, he established The Imperial Order of the House von Kufstein. This was an Imperial Dynastic Order of Knighthood granted to Military Commanders and civilians of Comparable Status who had given exemplary service to the Imperial Family of Germany.
By conferring the rank of Grandmaster on his wife, Berengar had made Linde the first female Knight in German History. In doing so, he ensured that all of her offspring were Imperial Knights of Germany as well.
The Medal itself that hung from Linde's neck was designed around two Maltese crosses of different sizes imposed on top of one another. The interior Maltese cross was the shade of white with gilded edges, while the exterior Maltese cross was the color black with gilded edges.
In between the edges of these two crosses was a series of gilded double-headed eagles in the shape of the von Kufstein coat of arms. Contained within the center of the cross was a white enamel outer circle that contained a golden inscription embedded within.
This inscription was written in the German tongue but contained the House motto that Berengar had chosen for his family upon ascending to the higher nobility. Berengar had ripped the words "Blood and Iron" straight from the pages of history, but despite plagiarizing a man who did not exist yet in this timeline, he felt it made a decent motto for his Royal Household.
Inside this outer circle was another circle made entirely of gold, which had the von Kufstein coat of arms embossed within its center. Fixed atop this prestigious medal was a golden crown which acted as the connecting point to the ribbon, that was in the colors of the German Empire. In other words, black, white, and gold.
Linde played with this medal, its matching breast star, and its sash as she thanked her husband for such a prestigious award.
"Thank you, master for all your benevolence. This lowly slave is undeserving of such honors..."
Berengar chuckled when he heard this, before kissing the woman passionately on the lips. Their tongues entertained for several moments before separating. When they caught their breaths, the German Emperor grabbed a firm hold over his wife's ample bottom and whispered in her ears the praise she was looking for.
"Nonsense. If you are undeserving of such prestige, then nobody in my Empire is. You are the reason I have achieved so much in this life, and I have not forgotten the support you have given me over the years."
It warmed the woman's heart to hear that her man thought so highly of her. For a while now, she had been dreading the idea that Berengar was angry with her over not being able to prevent Henrietta's injury. In this moment, she finally felt as if she was ready to ask for Berengar's forgiveness.
"Berengar, my love... please forgive me..."
The fact that Linde had elected to call him by his first name while they were alone together meant whatever was on the young woman's mind was incredibly serious. She normally had a playful attitude, and almost always used the term Master to refer to him when they were in private. Thus, Berengar's expression turned serious, as he imagined all kinds of scenarios that would causer her to beg for forgiveness, rather than punishment.
"Linde, what did you do?"
Linde bit her lower lip as tears fell from her sky-blue eyes.
"I failed you... You needed me to protect you, and your family, and I failed you..."
This sudden revelation instantly confused Berengar. He did not know what she was talking about. Thus, he could only ask for clarification on the matter.
"In what way did you fail me?"
By now, the tears were streaming from the woman's eyes as she clutched onto her husband's tunic with all the grip her dainty hands could manage. Finally, she revealed the thoughts that had been troubling her for months.
"The assassination plot that was against you, the one that ended up injuring Henrietta. I failed to find out about it, and worse yet I couldn't stop it! Since that fateful day, I have gone back and looked through the evidence, and it should have been obvious, but it completely escaped my net of intrigue! I am so sorry Henrietta was injured because of my failures. Please don't hate me!"
When Berengar heard these words, he felt pity for the woman. Had she seriously been living with these thoughts ever since the assassination attempt? He instantly grabbed hold of her head and shoved it into his chest while stroking her silky, strawberry-blonde hair.
"Linde, I love you more than just about anything, you know that. I could never hate you, not unless you betrayed me in some horrible way. What happened to Henrietta was not your fault, it was mine..."
The sobbing woman immediately gazed up towards her husband with her sky-blue eyes. Between sniffles, she asked for clarification.
"What... do you mean?"
Berengar sighed heavily as he revealed the guilt that he, too, had been living with since that fateful day.
"You were just following my orders. It was my idea to take agents from internal security and send them out into the field. I was so obsessed with the schemes I had, and gathering intelligence on my enemies, that I completely forgot my enemies had plots of their own.
I fell into a false sense of security and nearly paid for it with my life. It is not like you were aware of the enemy's plots and failed to warn me of the dangers. If I remember correctly, you even had some choice words about how stupid my plan was. However, like the good little slave you are, you followed my orders. If anyone is to blame for our failures, it is me."
After saying this, Berengar wiped the tears from Linde's eyes before planting a kiss on her lips. The couple entangled their tongues together for several moments before the Emperor broke away and whispered in his wife's ears.
"I meant what I said. Without you, I would never have made it this far. Hell, I probably would have died from your father's schemes all those years ago. Despite what title Adela may have as the First Empress, you have always been, and continue to be, the most important person in my life. The only thing I can say regarding our failures is we must learn from them, so that such a tragedy never again befalls our family."
Having received such high praise, Linde blushed. When she did so, Berengar practically fell in love with the woman all over again. It took a lot to make Linde embarrassed, especially after all the perverted conditioning he had put her through over the years. To see the angelic beauty's reddened cheeks once more while she pouted was truly a sight to behold.
Upon seeing Berengar's smug expression, Linde hid her embarrassment by resting her face on her husband's broad chest. When Berengar witnessed such cuteness, he couldn't help but smile while patting her head. The couple were quite comfortable in each other's arms, so much so that Linde quickly drifted into unconsciousness. When the young Empress was on the brink of entering dreamland, Berengar whispered to her in a soothing voice.
"I love you, Linde..."
After hearing this, a gentle smile formed on Linde's face as she fell completely asleep. As for Berengar, he merely clutched his wife in his arms and allowed her a much needed rest. While he sat there in silence, he reflected on the many women he loved and the position they held in his heart.
If Berengar had to say which of his brides was his favorite, it would without a doubt be Linde. Nobody had sacrificed more in life for the sake of his future than the redheaded spymaster. Though Linde had a habit of scheming against his other girls, Berengar knew she was completely loyal to him, and would never harm someone he thought of as family.
Yasmin was the newest addition to Berengar's harem and was definitely growing on him. Despite this, the Moorish Princess had a long way to go before she could compete with the Habsburg beauty. Still, her mature nature was appealing, and she seemed willing to do anything for her family. A quality Berengar cherished in a woman.
Henrietta, although technically Berengar's aunt, would always be his precious little sister within his mind. Perhaps he was a sis-con, but Berengar had undoubtedly developed romantic feelings for the girl over the years, and he knew she felt the same. In a way she held a significant place in his heart, not only as his darling little sister but also as his lover, and though Henrietta was not his wife, Berengar had taken the young woman as his mistress, and that was something he did not regret.
As for Honoria, the cute and innocent Princess he was knew was dead, corrupted by Berengar's influence into a merciless pirate queen. Though she was still obedient to him, they spent many months apart because of her free spirit, and thus, they simply did not have the time to forge a bond as strong as the one he held with Linde. Still, Berengar loved that woman, although maybe not as much as Linde did...
Adela, on the other hand, was probably dead last in the actual hierarchy of the Emperor's harem. Her Prudish nature and self-righteous attitude had created a significant rift between herself and her husband. Though she held the title of First Empress, the reality was she was just starting to get into the Emperor's good graces and if she ever wanted to compete with Linde in terms of his affection, she would need to have a major character overhaul.
Thus, while Berengar sat and enjoyed the sight of his favorite girl sleeping in his lap, he thought about all the things that had led to his current lot in life. He already had seven children, and yet he was only in his mid-twenties. Most of his wives were even younger. He should probably get to work on another round of offspring while he was still young and full of vigor. With this in mind, Berengar had decided to spend some effort impregnating his wives over the coming days, starting with Linde.
