Tyranny of Steel

After the wedding ceremony was held within the confines of the Grand Cathedral, Berengar, Adela, and the hundreds of guests retired to the Palace for the Reception, in the ballroom of the Royal Palace, there was a place set for dancing, where Berengar and Adela were currently waltzing in the middle of the dance floor.

In Berengar's past life, it was a tradition of Germany for the Groom and Bride to waltz, followed by the bride dancing with her father and the groom dancing with his mother. This was a tradition Berengar had already established in Austria, and as such, he was currently waltzing with his new bride. As he did so, Adela began to speak to him with a loving smile plastered on her doll-like face.

"Berengar, my love, you look so handsome in your current attire. Your regal appearance is befitting of a man of your position!"

Berengar continued to smile as he danced with his wife; in doing so, he returned her compliment. 

"Adela, my darling, you are breathtaking, I knew you would look exceptional in that dress, but you are the personification of the ancient goddess of beauty and love, Frija."

Though Adela was a devout woman and frowned upon paganism, she could not help but blush at Berengar's remarkable comment. As such, she leaned in and kissed him as they waltzed the night away.

Shortly after doing so, the song ended, and Adela began to dance with her father, while Berengar danced with his mother, Gisela.  As he did so, his mother could not help but comment on his appearance just like Adela had done so.

"My son, when you were young, I never believed you would live to see the day of your wedding. I must admit I am quite proud as your mother to say that you have grown to be an exceptionally handsome young man. If only your brother were here to see this..."

When Gisela said, this Berengar began to frown and look away from her sight. Though she was aware of Lambert's death, Berengar and his father Sieghard had decided to hide the truth of the exact details behind Lambert's demise to spare her some heartache.

As such, Berengar had never revealed the truth behind his injury that served as a permanent reminder of his brother's betrayal.  With this in mind, he began to switch the subject to something more lighthearted. 

"Mother, I thank you for all the support you have given me throughout these years. I know I haven't been the best son, but I assure you that I have done everything for the sake of our family and the Austrian people! If there is anything you need from me, feel free to let me know, and if it is within my power, I shall grant it to you."

In response to this, Gisela chuckled before hugging her son. As she did so, she made a joke about his position.

"It's good to know that I have the King of Austria supporting me! Very well, if I ever have anything I need of you, I will not hesitate to ask, though I do have one question in mind."

Berengar smiled and nodded to his mother's request before responding.

"Go ahead, as long as it is not a State Secret, I will not hide anything from my mother."

Seeing how the King had given her the permission she needed, Gisela began to ask the question that weighed heavy on her heart ever since she first arrived at the new Royal Palace.

"What will become of the old castle? Now that you have a new and luxurious home, what are your plans for the seat of your ancestors?"

Berengar relaxed the moment he heard the question; at first, he thought it was something serious, but it just turned out to be something as simple as this. As such, he quickly relayed his thoughts on the matter. 

"It will be preserved for generations to come, as a museum about our family's history. Do not worry, mother, I will never allow our family home to be torn down!"

Upon hearing this, Gisela let out a sigh of relief; knowing her son's rather industrious and pragmatic nature, she was afraid that he would have the castle removed in favor of some new project. It was good to know that Berengar still valued his roots, despite climbing far above the position of his ancestors. 

Shortly after this conversation, the dance concluded, and Berengar reunited with Adela as they approached the dining table. As he did so, his father came to him before clasping his shoulder. The man did not age as severely as the last time Berengar had seen him; in fact, he seemed to be in exceptional health. He had even seen to put on a few pounds of muscle.  Sieghard had a proud smile on his face as he congratulated his son on the monumental occasion.

"My son, to believe that you would live long enough to marry, it is truly the happiest day of my life. On top of that, you are now a King respected by your people and feared by your enemies. If someone were to tell me such an outcome was your destiny just five years ago, I never would have believed it. Yet here we stand, words can not express how proud I am of you, Berengar."

After saying this to Berengar, Sieghard approached Adela, where he hugged his niece before complimenting her.

"Oh, little Adela, you have grown to be such a beautiful young woman. When I first told Berengar about his marriage to you, he was deeply concerned about being engaged to such a young girl. Time has a way of solving all of life's problems. I am glad that you stuck with my son, despite his lecherous nature."

Adela put on a graceful smile as she curtsied before her Uncle and Father-in-Law before expressing her thanks for his compliments.

"Thank you, Uncle; Berengar may be a bit of a playboy, but he is the man I love, and I assure you, I will put his lovers in their place so that they remember their position in the hierarchy." 

When Sieghard heard this, he began to chuckle as he gazed at his son and his lovely bride; as he did so, he expressed his approval.

"You two are a great couple. Alright, I will allow you to be; it is time to eat after all!"

As Sieghard had said, It was a time for celebration, and as such, a massive amount of food had been prepared. Growing up in a German family, Berengar had seen and learned how to make many dishes from the fatherland. He had also witnessed his cousins' weddings and was aware of what was traditionally served at a German wedding. 

With this in mind, Berengar had a variety of dishes served in the feast to the hundreds of people who had gathered in his dining hall to celebrate his marriage to Adela; the first course was a traditional German soup known as Hochzeitssuppe. It comprised beef shank, carrots, cauliflower, asparagus, spaetzle noodles, and egg dumplings.

Alongside the soup, a noodle dish known as Hochzeitsnudeln was served as part of the first course. This dish was of Prussian origin and had meatballs, capers, and cream sauce over whole egg-flavored noodles. 

The second course of the meal was Tafelspitz which was tender beef boiled in vegetable sud. Berengar had it served with Käsespätzle and Leberknödel as side dishes. These two dishes were the German equivalent of mac and cheese and beef liver dumplings. All of these dishes were served with a combination of coffee and wine. As such, the festivities were quite exceptional. 

Berengar and Adela sat at the head of the table, this was natural as Berengar was the King of Austria, and now Adela was the Queen. As such, they entertained their guests as they drank their wine and dined on the delicious food that had been prepared. Sitting on Adela's side were her parents and siblings, and by Berengar's side were his own family. 

Further down the table were Berengar's lovers and his children, as well as the foreign dignitaries and high-ranking Austrian Noblemen. Such as the Grand Duke of Switzerland, a position afforded to the previous Count of Chur, the man known as Rayner von Chur, who had previously sided with Berengar upon his army's invasion of the Swiss Confederation.

Linde and Honoria were quite perturbed that they were forced to sit so far away from Berengar. Despite this, they behaved themselves as they did not want to invoke their lover's ire. As such, the meal at the Reception continued relatively peacefully as the people present enjoyed the exceptional Austrian Cuisine that Berengar had introduced to his realm from the memories of his previous life. 

For Berengar, the wedding reception was progressing smoothly, the guests all seemed to be enjoying themselves, and Adela seemed perfectly happy with the result. In his mind, it was indeed the perfect wedding. The meal had just begun, and with it, Berengar would be forced to entertain hundreds of his guests.

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