Tyranny of Steel

After Berengar had opened the door, he noticed that Honoria was wiping tears from her eyes while trying to put on a calm facade. She was distraught from the scolding Berengar had given her, and despite this, Berengar did not pity her.

Frankly, he found the girl to be spoiled, and he wondered how on Earth she was raised. Berengar was not the type to tolerate a woman's shit if she stepped over the line, and as such, he had no intention to apologize. 

Honoria looked at Berengar from the corner of her eye, refusing to stare directly into his cold gaze. After a while, Berengar sat down next to her on his bed and began to lecture the girl about her behavior, albeit in a much gentler tone.

"You do realize you were out of line back there. I don't know what kind of conflict you have with Linde, but you should not purposely antagonize the girl."

To this, Honoria began to pout without responding. She was greatly displeased that Berengar had come to lecture her instead of apologizing. However, she did not make her thoughts known.. Instead, she sulked in silence. Berengar knew full well what she was thinking and elaborated on his thoughts.

"I am not going to apologize to you for raising my voice. From what I understand, you have been pampered and spoiled your entire life, and the fact that you expect me to get on my knees and profess my guilt is a sign that you were poorly raised growing up.

As long as you are under my care, I will properly discipline you when you step out of line, something your father should have done a long time ago."

When Honoria heard this, she began to frown bitterly; her entire life, she had been doted upon by her father, and it was part of the reason why she acted like such an entitled brat. However, Berengar would not tolerate that behavior; if this girl was Princess Honoria, she needed to be molded into a proper young lady. 

The fact that Berengar had to become a father figure to this naive, pampered princess was exhausting in its own right, but since her father had utterly failed in that regard, Berengar supposed he could step up to the role. 

Eventually, Honoria looked over at Berengar with a sheepish expression, hearing Berengar so boldly declare that he would take care of her bad habits left a favorable impression upon her. The young princess fiddled with her fingers for a few moments before expressing her thoughts.

"I am sorry... You spend so much time with Linde and give her so much attention; seeing her jealous for once made me want to boast."

Berengar immediately responded to this with a stern tone.

"I am not the one you should be apologizing to. What you said to Linde was vile and mean-spirited. You intentionally targetted her insecurities in an attempt to hurt her, and I will not tolerate such behavior. If you continue to act in such a manner, I will have no choice but to send you back to the Empire."

Upon hearing this, Honoria instantly froze, and tears began to fill in her eyes as a pleading expression took hold of her flawless face. The princess latched onto Berengar's hands and began to beg for forgiveness.

"Anything but that! Please, I will do better! Do not send me back home!"

Hearing this, Berengar began to chuckle; the look on the girl's face was priceless, and as such, he flicked her on the forehead before responding.

"Then you better go apologize to Linde and hope she accepts it. Ultimately it is up to her whether or not you are allowed to stay in Kufstein."

Of course, Berengar did not mean such a thing, but Honoria had no way of knowing this. Thus she quickly got up from the bed and ran out of the room, looking for Linde. Leaving Berengar by his lonesome in the quarters the princess was staying in, he began to sigh and express his thoughts.

"I should have stuck with two women; balancing a trio of bitches will be the death of me..."

After saying this, Berengar began to dust himself off as he stood up from his seat and looked towards the entrance that Honoria had run past not long ago. A wry smile appeared on his face as he voiced his thoughts aloud.

"Well, it is too late now, I don't know how she managed to do it, but that little brat has somehow managed to burrow her way into my heart. Hopefully, something good can come from this..."

Berengar moved for the door, where he followed Honoria's steps until he arrived at a scene of the girl prostrating herself before Linde as she apologized for her previous actions. Linde was snickering as she gazed at the princess, lowering herself to a simple concubine. 

"I am sorry for my cruel words and childish actions. I promise I will behave myself in the future!"

After listening to Honoria's apology, Linde feigned indifference for some time; this caused a sense of worry to fill Honoria's heart. However, the girl waited with her head bowed until Linde forgave her.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Linde sighed heavily before resting her forehead in the palm of her hand.

"Fine... I accept your apology. However, if you purposely try to invoke my ire in the future, I will surely have you shipped back to Antioch!"

Honoria felt chills down her spine as she heard this, and as such, she quickly raised herself from her kneeling position and nodded her head. Afterward, she said nothing more. Meanwhile, Linde ignored the young princess and went over to Berengar, wrapping her arms around his back and pressing her mighty bosom against his chest. As she did so, the young beauty whispered in Berengar's ears.

"Why don't we leave this little brat be and go enjoy ourselves?"

A devilish smile appeared on Berengar's face as he grabbed ahold of Linde's plump behind in front of Honoria; this was the punishment that Honoria deserved for her actions; it was now her time to be jealous. 

Of course, it did not quite work as Berengar had planned, as the couple's flirtatious actions made Honoria flush with embarrassment and cover her eyes. She was far too young and innocent to be witnessing the intimate display between Berengar and Linde as they violated each other's mouths with their tongues. 

After making out for a few moments, Berengar took Linde's hand and led her away towards their bed chambers; as the two left the room, Linde smirked at Honoria and blew her a kiss before departing with her lover. 

It would be some time before the two returned from their joint exercise. After doing so, they noticed Honoria sitting in the dining room with a flustered expression. The girl was too embarrassed to move from her seat and was staring off into space. 

Seeing how it had been well over an hour, and the girl was still shocked by his lecherous behavior, Berengar decided to play a prank on the girl. Thus he snuck up behind her and whispered in the girl's ear, snapping her out of her daze as he did so.

"Are you perhaps jealous?"

Feeling the warmth of Berengar's breath on her ivory ear, the girl quickly jumped out of her seat and gazed at Berengar like a frightened rabbit in front of a big bad wolf. Seeing the defensive look on her face was outright adorable, and as such, Berengar merely shook his head before responding to the girl.

"I am only joking, Valeria; you do not need to be so terrified. Sit, enjoy some food and wine."

Hearing this, Honoria began to settle her racing heart and sat in her chair while Berengar and Linde sat beside one another at the head of the table. Eventually, Henrietta arrived and sat in her spot as well. 

Thus Berengar drank from his skull chalice once more; after taking a sip, he exhaled heavily before peeking over at Honoria, who still seemed to be a bit flushed from the passionate display he had shown her with Linde. Thus he used this opportunity to inform the girl of the upcoming events.

"Valeria, the sailor I have hired to teach you will arrive in Kufstein tomorrow. It would be best to awaken bright and early to receive your training. I do not want my kindness to go to waste."

After hearing this, Honoria's appearance began to return to normal, and she nodded her head slowly and silently. It had taken some time for her to get accustomed to the sight of Berengar and Linde kissing passionately in the open. Despite being inexperienced; she knew enough to understand what Berengar and Linde had gotten up to after leaving her behind.

In a way, she felt defeated by Linde once more. Though she was interested in Berengar, it was not until she saw him locked in another young woman's embrace that she began to understand her feelings for the man.

Inside her heart was a mix of emotions she was trying to work through, and as such, she merely ate her meal in silence while the other three members sitting at the table discussed various topics. She began to ponder the possibility that the reason she was jealous of the attention that Berengar showed Linde was that she had fallen for the man.

After eating her meal, Honoria returned to her room, where she prepared herself for sleep. While waiting for her weariness to overtake her, she had thought long and hard about what complex emotions she had felt throughout the day.