Tyranny Of Steel

While the war continued to wage in the East, Berengar had other matters to attend to. Governing an entire Empire that is at war with another industrial power was no easy feat. Even though the war was a large part of his focus, Berengar needed to keep his attention on a wide variety of issues.

Currently, Adela was working on the important task of setting up the Memorial Day Festival. Like the United States of America in Berengar's past life, the Reich had several national holidays dedicated to the military and the labor force. 

Memorial day was a time of mourning and remembrance for all those who had died in the many wars that Austria and the Reich had fought over the last fifteen years. However, it was also a time of celebrating those who had given their lives for the reich. Thus, there was a large festival and feast conducted in all major cities of the Reich that were held every year in the autumn.

Adela had approached Berengar on this day, to get his thoughts about some of her plans for the upcoming festival. She was dressed in a rather lavish sapphire blue gown which matched her eyes perfectly. The jewelry which adorned her neck and fingers was made of rhodium and sapphires. There was a pretty smile on the woman's elegant face as she detailed what she had in mind for the festivities. 

"I was thinking that along with the festival and the feast, we will hold a tournament this year. I don't know if you're aware, but there is a new sport which is rapidly gaining popularity across the reich. It's called football, and the athletes who compete in it are very talented. Unlike the other major sports, this one is competition between teams."

Adela then spent a lengthy period discussing the details of football, or as Berengar knew, it 'soccer' which had sprung up over the past few years in some variation. As a former American, Berengar could not care less about the sport, but since it was gaining popularity within the Reich of this world, he felt it would be a good way to entertain the public. Thus, he nodded his head before expressing his approval of the plan.

"Very well, we can host it in the Grand Kufstein Arena. Some work will have to be done to convert the facility from a combat stadium to a football field, but we should have the renovations completed in time for the festival. What else did you have in mind?" 

Adela quickly pulled out a binder, which had all of her notes regarding her, and her team's ideas for the memorial festival, and she spent well over two hours discussing the details with her husband, who in the end approved everything she had come up with. 

It was not until the sun had begun to set that the two of them completed their preparations, where Adela finally spoke about some more personal issues that their family was facing. 

"I don't know if you have been paying attention, but Linde isn't doing too well. I have tried all I can to help her process her anxiety, but I think it is getting worse... When was the last time you spoke with her?"

Berengar leaned back in his chair and thought about when the last time as that he had a proper discussion with Linde about her worries, and ultimately he sighed heavily before pouring himself a drink. He did not hesitate to down the entire glass before answering the question.

"It's been about two weeks. This war has kept me so busy, I can seldom find the time to be a proper husband to my wives and father to my children. In fact, I'm not going to lie. It has been rather nice to talk about something other than strategy, tactics, and casualty reports. Perhaps I should have a word with Linde now that I have some spare time. Would you care to accompany me in this endeavor?"

Adela could only smile, albeit with a bit of bitterness, as she shook her head and declined the offer.

"I have done all I can to help Linde through her dread. However, I think she needs you right now more than any of us. This should be a discussion that the two of you have alone. If I'm not mistaken, she's probably at the Palace's bar right now. I'm not sure if you know this, as you have always been the one to go to war in the past, but she always copes with her worries by drinking rather excessively, however I think she has set the bar so as to speak this time around."

Berengar nodded his head in silence before standing up and approaching the door. He gave Adela one last smile before departing from his office, leaving the woman all alone in his study. Berengar then journeyed through the enormous estate that was his home and masterfully glided through its corridors until he found the location which he desired to enter. 

After walking into the bar, Berengar noticed Linde was not alone. In fact, there were several members of his home's staff who were off duty, and enjoying a drink. As well as a few generals and admirals who had slept in the Palace's guest rooms during the length of this war. 

In fact, the massive Palace had kept quite a few guests over these past few weeks, all of which were military personnel. As the Kaiser, and a bit of a natural introvert, Berengar preferred spending time in the safety of his home. Because of this, it had everything he needed not only to manage day-to-day operations of the reich, but also to conduct warfare across the globe. 

Thus, rather than wait for his generals and his office cadre to commute to the palace, he set them up in their own quarters so that they could respond at a moment's notice to critical developments. Adelbrand was sitting at the bar, and instantly snapped to attention and saluted Berengar when he saw the man enter the room.

Either Berengar took no notice of this, or he deliberately avoided the man, because he made a direct line towards his sulking wife, who sat at the bar with a cocktail in her hands. The young bartender who had worked in Berengar's palace for several years, had a wary expression on her face when she saw the Kaiser enter and approach his wife, she made a wide birth to give the royal couple as much space as they needed, as did everyone else in the room. 

Berengar sat down next to Linde and ordered a whiskey highball, before grabbing hold of her dainty and kissing gently. The act of which caused Linde to look up at him with a bitter smile on her face. Though her eyes were both puffy and stained with tears, which, despite her dreadful appearance, was still attractive in its own right.  As a result, he wrapped his arms around the woman, and hugged her tightly, before kissing her forehead, and whispering in her ears words of comfort.

"I know this war has been especially hard on you, more so than any of my other women. And I want to apologize for not being there for you when you needed me most. I thought that perhaps Honoria and the others could properly comfort you while I managed the war effort, but it is evident to me now that this was the incorrect course of action.

Linde, my love, if you need a shoulder to cry on, I am all yours. If you need a distraction from your woes, I am here for you, and if you need a friend to confide your worries with, I am your man. So please, stop torturing yourself about our son. He is a man now, and is fulfilling his role better than I had ever expected him to."

Linde pressed her head into Berengar's shoulder, and let out all the tears she her body could muster as she had done so many times before over this past month. Berengar could only sit there and stroke her strawberry-blonde hair as he drank from his beverage, letting the woman sob away until there was nothing left.

After some time, Linde wiped the tears away from her eyes, revealing her stained makeup as she began to speak about the crippling anxiety that had overtaken her since her eldest son had first marched off to war.

"I don't know it is, but I just have this wrenching feeling in my gut that our baby boy won't return to us. I've never felt this way whenever you went off to war. Sure, I was anxious, but I always knew you would come back to me in one piece. It's not the same with Hans."

Berengar grasped the woman's hand firmly with his own and wore a reassuring expression as he tried to calm her dread. 

"Linde, I gave the boy the ring of sol! Even if his plane was struck by a surface-to-air missile, which, as you know, the Japanese do not have in their arsenal, the boy would still survive and remain entirely unharmed.

There is nothing you need to worry about. He has the power of a literal god protecting him. The weapons of man, no matter how powerful they are, have so far proven incapable of piercing the ring of Sol's defences. You know as well as I that I thoroughly tested the thing as much as I possibly could after first gaining it in my possession."

Linde once more sniffled as she nodded her head, knowing full well that Berengar's words were perfectly logical and reasonable. However, she could not shake this ominous feeling she had, thus she was quick to give voice to it, not willing to hide anything from the love of her life.

"I know, I just still feel worried, no matter how much I try to rationalize it!"

She was just about to take another sip of her cocktail when Berengar snatched it from her hands before lecturing her on her recent excessive alcohol abuse.

"I think you've had enough. In fact, I think we need to get you on a detox. We will be limiting your alcohol intake until your body can properly process all the poison you have forced into it this past month. You will do Hans no good if you kill yourself on this stuff. 

I'm not saying that your worries are invalid, you're the boy's mother, and you should be worried for his safety, because even though he has sol's protection, he is still in an active war zone. However, you should not let your anxiety overwhelm you and prevent you from doing your duty to your family. 

I hear you have taken a sabbatical from work, during the most critical time of our Empire's development, and that you have left the raising of our kids up to the others while you waste away here in this bar.

So, take today to cry out the last of your tears. I will be here with you all day and night if I must. But tomorrow we get back to our normal lives. No more excessive drinking, no more skipping work, and certainly no more neglecting your family. I love you, Linde, and you know that I want what's best for both you and our family."

After saying this, Linde got right back to crying. A flurry of conflicting emotions bombarded her after hearing her husband's speech, and thus the couple spent the entire day together to help process these feelings. 

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