Within the Imperial Palace of the Byzantine Empire, three factions were gathered. The King of Georgia and his family sat at the left side of the table, while the German Emperor and his wife sat on the right. As for the Byzantine Emperor and his family, they sat at the head of the table. Berengar had a conceited expression on his handsome face as he bantered about the current border crisis.
"The sheer nerve of the Timurid Empire, causing trouble at your borders. If it were me, I would not tolerate such insolence..."
With a bitter smile on his face, Vetranis addressed Berengar's bold statement with a humble counter.
"Unfortunately, the Byzantine Army is still undergoing a massive restructure. The Strategos' who hold control over vast portions of my army are reluctant to relinquish control. To put it simply, unlike the German Empire, we here in Byzantium are not prepared to take on the Arab world by our lonesome. It is with this in mind that I am thankful for both of your presences."
Besarion gazed upon the heated conversation between his brother-in-law, and this strange emperor from the west. The sheer arrogance in Berengar's voice led the man to believe he was either a fool, or could truly backup his words with overwhelming power. Though he was more inclined to believe the former, Vetranis had warned him of Berengar's might, and if this man intimidated the Byzantine Emperor, then clearly he should be, too."
While the three kings bickered over the rising conflict with the Timurids, Honoria whispered something in Berengar's ear that went unnoticed by the others. However, a smirk appeared on Berengar's face before nodding his head in approval for the woman to depart. With a gracious bow, Honoria informed the party of her temporary absence.
"I must apologize, but I am having some... erm... Womanly troubles. I am afraid that I must take a leave of absence for the time being..."
After saying this, Honoria departed. Meanwhile, the gathered people continued on their heated political discussion. As Berengar entertained the Royal Family of the Byzantine Empire, and their guests, Honoria snuck off to the kitchen. Where she could unleash her vile plot to expose and assassinate her elder brother.
One thing the Byzantine Princess immediately noticed when she first sat down for the meal is that her elder brother Decentius was not present for the discussions, thus she figured they would feed the man via a separate plate. As she looked for the food intended to go to the Second Prince, she noticed something shocking. There was not a plate reserved for the man, but a cup with what appeared to be a mashed up meal contained within.
It was only now that Honoria realized the extent of Decentius' injuries, the man could no longer eat solid food, and thus relied on meals similar to that which infants ate in order to sustain himself. When Honoria thought of the poor state her elder brother must be in, a wicked smile appeared on her face. She instantly reached into her bosom, and pulled out a small vial, filled with a white powder, where she uncorked its lid before pouring a small concentration of the poison into the mashed meal.
"Eat well, big brother, because this meal will be your last!"
After carefully stirring the substance to ensure the poison was concealed, Honoria fled the kitchen. It would appear her presence had gone completely unnoticed, and thus she fled to the bathroom, where she quickly mixed the vial's remaining contents with water, creating an opaque white liquid.
If not for trade with Austria, then the Byzantine Royal Palace would not have the plumbing necessary to create running water. The very idea that her husband had helped her family live a life of greater luxury brought a smile to the Princess' face where she returned to the dining room, and took her seat next to her husband as if nothing had happened.
Now that Decentius' meal had been poisoned, it was only a matter of time before he started showing symptoms. When he did, she would reveal her plot, and force him to confess his sins. Honoria could hardly wait for such a result, and because of this, she was practically squirming in excitement. Berengar immediately noticed this anxious behavior and responded by grabbing ahold of the girl's hand where he kissed it gently, before whispering in her ear.
"Calm yourself. We don't want your family getting suspicious."
After a deep breath, Honoria calmed her heart before involving herself in the discussion at hand.
"So, have you come to a consensus on what to do about the current border crisis?"
Vetranis smiled upon seeing that his daughter was interested in the subject and responded emphatically.
"The actual strategic meeting is tomorrow. Tonight we are merely brainstorming. However, your husband has made an interesting point. If we placed enough artillery on our borders, it may be enough to deter any invasion, or at the very least buy our armies enough time to enter the fray."
When Besarion heard this, he sighed before commenting his own opinion on such a reckless tactic.
"Or our enemies could see such action as a provocation to war. By amassing artillery on our borders, we are sending an obvious threat that we are willing and prepared to engage in war. They will surely respond in kind, or if they can not, then they will find other means to instigate us into making a diplomatic error.
This kind of strong-arm diplomacy will only further increase tensions between our two realms. What we should we doing is consider a policy of de-escalation so that we can avoid a war if at all possible."
When Berengar heard this pacifistic approach, he merely scoffed before arguing with the Georgian King.
"Might makes right, and a show of force is the only thing the Arabs will understand. If they are truly hell bent on waging Jihad for the Holy Land, then no amount of diplomacy will solve our difficulties. By withdrawing our forces from the border, we would foolishly create an opening for them to attack; something I am positive they will capitalize on. There are some matters in life that can only be settled with blood and iron, and this is one of them!"
Besarion could not stand such a hawkish attitude. It was one reason he supported Quintus, and his claim to the Byzantine Throne, thus he asked the First Prince his opinion on the matter.
"What do you think, Quintus? Do you agree that by amassing artillery brigades on our Eastern Border, we will only escalate conflict with our neighbors?"
The First Prince of the Byzantine Emperor smiled and nodded as he made a snide remark about Berengar's hawkish nature.
"Oh, undoubtedly, unlike the Tyrant of Steel here, I do not believe that conflict is ever completely unavoidable. However, I can see why Berengar must have such a mindset. After all, the man has waged war against most of his neighbors, and spat on their religion in the process. In Byzantium, we are far more civilized, and can solve our disputes with words, not bloodshed. Unlike the Germans, we Romans do not start star wars wantonly."
When Berengar heard this retort, he scoffed at the First Prince's naivety, and instead remembered of a quote from his past life, attributed to the Great King Charles XII of Sweden. With a confident smirk on his face, Berengar took a sip from his wine before responding to Quintus' remarks.
"In this life, I have resolved never to start an unjust war, but never to end a legitimate one, except by defeating my enemies. If you wish to rule this Empire one day, you will need to grow a spine and realize that sometimes war is inevitable."
Quintus was about to comment on Berengar's witty retort, yet was cut short when Vetranis spoke up on behalf of the German Emperor.
"Berengar is right. Our intelligence has confirmed that the sole intent of the Timurid Empire is jihad. They wish to reclaim the Holy Land, and that is something we cannot allow. We will discuss our options on how to deal with our enemies further tomorrow morning. For now, let us just enjoy this feast."
With that said, the political discussion had come to an abrupt end. They spent the rest of the meal catching up on personal matters. However, In another corner of the Palace, Decentius sat in a chair. He was missing one of his legs, one of his hands, and a good portion of his face. He gazed out of the widow, into the starry night sky, and cursed his fate.
"I swear I will get back at you one way or another for this grievous injury!"
At this moment, a knocked resounded on his door, followed by the voice of a servant.
"Your Majesty, I have prepared a meal for you!"
With a heavy sigh, Decentius put his vengeance to the back of the mind before calling out to the servant, giving them permission to enter.
"It is open..."
After saying this, the door creeped open, and the servant carried the cup which contained the Prince's meal over to him. They remained utterly silent as they inserted a straw into the container before handing it over to the prince. With a pretty smile on the servant girl's face, she wished the Decentius a cheerful meal.
"Enjoy your meal, your Majesty!"
Having fulfilled her duty, the servant girl then left the Second Prince by his lonesome to eat in peace. When he was finally alone in his room, Decentius gazed upon the mashed meal with a frown before bringing the straw to his lips and taking a drink from the meal.
In doing so, Decentius had unknowingly just consumed the poison that Honoria had prepared for him, and ultimately sealed his fate. It would not be until much later in the night before the Prince realized he had been poisoned, and when he did, Honoria would be there to coerce him into a confession.
