Tyranny Of Steel

Itami entered the dining hall of the German palace to find that Berengar had pulled out all stops for the event. A full feast of the finest German cuisine, along with a small band which played classical music, were awaiting the Japanese Empress and her family in the venue. 

The moment Berengar saw Itami enter, he stood up from his seat as a sign of respect, even if his face wore a rather stern expression. He quickly snapped his fingers, causing the members of his Leibgarde to pull out Itami's, Momo's and Mibu's seats for them. 

Momo and Mibu were more than happy to sit down, and stare at the plethora of dishes which sat in the center of the table, waiting to be scooped onto the individual dishes of Berengar's exceptionally large family, as well as those of their guests. 

Once seated, Berengar motioned for a servant to appear, and ordered a round of fine wine from the South Tyrolean region to be served to everyone of age. It was only after the glasses were poured that Berengar stood up once more and made a toast.

"I would like to take the moment to say a few words. Though we have had our differences in the past, I think it is now time for us two monarchs to put aside our animosity towards one another and work together to restore the balance of this world. To friendship!"

Berengar spoke the words first in Japanese, and then in German so that everyone present could understand them. Then he took a hefty gulp of his wine before sitting down once more. As for his guests, there were rather excited smiles on Momo's and Mibu's beautiful faces as they lifted their glasses in reciprocity before taking a drink of their own.

Itami, however, said nothing and merely sipped from her glass while eying Berengar carefully. This action did not go unnoticed by Berengar and Linde, who exchanged glances but said nothing to one another.

Upon Itami's inspection, there were multiple beautiful women sitting at this table, many of which were helping their youngest offspring eat their meals. While others appeared to be fawning over the young Prince. To Itami, this scene was extremely confusing, and as a result, she could not help but ask Berengar the most important question on her mind.

"Just how many women do you have as a part of your harem?"

Linde glared menacingly at Itami and felt the need to say something in Berengar's defense. However, the Kaiser saw this and quickly raised his hand in response, which ultimately silenced his wife. For the first time since he had met Itami, no more than an hour prior, Berengar smiled at her when he answered her question.

"I have ten women, in total, all of which whom love me dearly and have birthed my children. As you can clearly see, not all of these fine ladies are currently present. Though it breaks my heart, it is a matter of necessity that a few of my women live elsewhere. Some are present in Kufstein within their own chateaus, while others reside abroad. 

To be precise, I currently have four wives and six concubines. For the record, in the Reich, a man is permitted to have a maximum of five wives. However, marriage is a complicated political issue for a man in my position, and in many ways my concubines fall short of meeting the requirements for one reason or another."

Momo wore a bright and cheery smile as she leaned over and whispered something in Itami's ears, which caused the woman to blush. After which, Itami took a sip from her wine and tried to steer the subject away from whatever it was that Momo had told her. 

"I've heard rumors that you have taken your sister as a lover. I hope these accusations are not true." 

Berengar wore a stoic expression, before telling Itami the truth of the matter. It was clear that he did not care in the slightest about these rumors. 

"It's true. Henrietta and I are in love, though the matter of our familial relations is rather complicated. While Henrietta was raised as my sister, since I was very little, we are not actually blood related siblings. She is, in fact, the bastard daughter of my late grandfather, who was adopted by my father while she was still an infant. 

The truth of Henrietta's lineage is not publically disclosed. The reason being that if this matter were to be revealed to the public, then I would be forced to revoke her royal status, as she is, in reality, not an official member of my dynasty.

Henrietta is perceived by the public as a pure maiden who has dedicated her life to folk and fatherland. After an attempt on my life that left my beloved sister wounded, we decided to inform the people that she was incapable of bearing children, and has instead decided to live her life through acts of charity.

My sister plays an important role in society by leading the Henrietta foundation. Which is the leading sponsor of orphanages, and the less fortunate in our Empire. If people were to find out that she was in reality a bastard, and the mother of several of my children, it would ultimately cause more harm for our nation, then it would do good. Sometimes bitter truths are best left unrevealed. 

I can tell by the look on your face that you are judging me inwardly, and that is fine. By all means, I don't expect most people to sympathize with our relationship. However, it is my belief that we do not choose who we fall in love with, and that is all the justification I need." 

Momo seemed to be inspired by the story Berengar had told about his relationship with his adopted sister. However, Itami looked at Berengar with a hint of disgust on her face. She could not believe the man had so many women by his side, and one of them was his sister. However, when she gazed upon the many women who could not understand the Japanese language and were instead helping feed their youngest children, there was a hint of envy and despair in Itami's own heart. 

Berengar's family was large, and seemed to be genuinely happy, despite the unorthodox nature of its structure. This was something that Itami was definitely lacking in her life. After interrogating Berengar for some time, Itami finally took a bite into the venison jaeger schnitzel which sat on her plate and nearly orgasmed from the flavor. There was a slight moan that escaped her lips, that was far more lewd than it should have been. Causing several eyes to cast themselves upon her. 

Naturally, Itami flushed in embarrassment, as she quickly took another bite from the delicious meal. Not wanting to waste a single bit of it. Whether it was this life, or her past one, she had never tasted German food before.

After all, Julian never had the ability to cook for her. However, when she thought of this, a slight tear emerged from her eyes. This was the same food that Julian would have eaten in his past life, and yet, she never had the opportunity to share it with him. 

Berengar noticed that Itami had suddenly become emotional, and simply looked away, not willing to gaze upon the albino beauty's pitiful appearance. As if right on time, a distraction presented itself, which came in the form of a leopard cub, which chased Linde's cat, midnight through the Dining Hall. 

Running after the two felines was a maid with a dishevelled appearance who was calling out to the naughty kitty, who was once more misbehaving himself. 

"Spots, get back here this instant! You must not interrupt the master's meal!" 

Linde immediately began to scowl as she shouted across the room towards the playful leopard cub, instantly stopping him in his place, as he was just about to tackle the solid black house cat. 

"Get down, you naughty child!"

Spots instantly jumped off the table, which Midnight was now sitting upon while hissing at the leopard cub. Midnight's entire fur was standing on end, as the cat made its annoyance clear to the misbehaving leopard. Spots looked up to see that Linde was already towering over him with a vicious look on her face. This had caused the cub to lower its head and look away in fright. 

Linde merely picked up the leopard cub from the nape of its neck, and wagged her finger in its face, all while berating him for his misbehavior. Once spots had received a thorough talking to, he was handed off to the maid, who scurried out of the dining hall with her apologies to her employers.  Berengar naturally had a smug grin on his face as he made a joke at his wife's expense. 

"Damn Linde, even the leopards are afraid of you..." 

Linde did not immediately respond to Berengar's jest, and instead picked up her aging black cat, and held it to her substantial bosom while petting the creature in an attempt to comfort it. Finally, after Midnight seemed to be satisfied, she let the cat down before responding to her husband's remarks. 

"If those damned leopards weren't chasing my poor Midnight all the time, I wouldn't have to be so intimidating."

Berengar chuckled, while Itami gazed in complete and utter shock at what she had just witnessed. Did these psychos seriously have a pack of leopards running around the palace grounds? Naturally, Itami could not understand Linde as she spoke in German, but by the way the redheaded beauty was reacting, this appeared to be a common occurrence.

After that little incident, Berengar continued to have a conversation with Itami and her family in their native tongue. All the while, the rest of his family enjoyed their meal together. If one thing was accomplished by this lavish feast, it was the fact that Berengar was somewhat humanized in the mind of the Japanese Empress. 

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