Tyranny of Steel

Unlike Berengar's usual routine, today, he had awoken much later than normal. In fact, by the time he had managed to pry his eyes open and stare at the ceiling above, it was well past afternoon. The night prior, he had married Linde as his second wife, and even though she was already pregnant, the young couple had desperately struggled against biology to add yet another child into the mix.

Ultimately their efforts were futile. However, it did result in a highly pleasurable experience, one that Berengar would remember for the rest of his life. Unlike Adela, whose first time was taken on her wedding night, Berengar and Linde had been accustomed to one another's bodies for years now. As such, they knew just what made each other tick. 

Despite the fact that she had already having given birth to two children, Berengar never once got sick of making love to Linde, and the proof of this was the number of times he climaxed inside of her on their wedding night. This morning he was feeling not only fatigued but physically drained as well.

When he finally shifted his view over to where Linde should be sleeping, he noticed that she was not within his bed. Was she seriously in better shape than he was? He could hardly believe this; however, at the very next moment, he heard the door open and saw Linde, dressed in nothing but a sky blue silk robe, carrying a plate filled with a cheese and spinach omelet with a side of bacon and sausage.

Berengar gazed at the plate with a famished expression on his face. Despite having a massive meal the night before, he was practically starving at the moment. However, right before he dug in, he noticed something was missing, and as such, Berengar instantly asked the question on his mind.

"Where is the milk?"

Upon hearing this, Linde had a sultry smile spread across her immaculate lips, where she placed the tray down on the bed before loosening her robe to reveal her substantial bust. Berengar immediately noticed the collar that she wore around her graceful neck. As such, Linde prostrated herself before Berengar as she made an indecent request of him.

"If master desires, he can drink from my breast..."

Berengar honestly did not know what to say; for whatever reason, Linde had developed a breastfeeding fetish; he inwardly told himself that he could not be blamed for such behavior, while in reality, it was likely his fault.

After submitting herself before him like a proper slave, Berengar would not refuse the offer. As such, he lied back in bed and dragged his newlywed wife upon his lap, where he began to breastfeed from her bountiful bosom while eating from the tray of food she had brought to him. 

By the end of the experience, Berengar had a wide grin on his face, he knew he was a bit perverted, but he honestly didn't care. He was a King, and a King could do as he damn well pleased, especially if they had the power and wealth to back their actions. 

After finishing his meal, Berengar rose out of bed, where Linde gave him a morning kiss; as she did so, she slowly began to get dressed. Like Berengar, she was too exhausted from the previous night's activities to go for a morning round. As such, she decided to defuse the tension by making a joke. 

"It is going to be dreadfully boring for the next nine months, no hookah, no alcohol, whatever shall you do?"

Berengar also began to get dressed as he chuckled in response to Linde's remark. 

"I don't know; maybe I'll start a war; war is always fun!"

Linde did not seem to find his joke funny; in fact, she was practically scowling at Berengar as he said this. Instead of laughing, she immediately wrapped her arms around him and held her head tightly to his bare chest before revealing her thoughts on the matter.

"Don't joke like that... I am always worried sick whenever you march off to war; I can't imagine what I'd do if anything happened to you..."

Berengar immediately kissed the girl's forehead while hugging her back; as he did so, he smiled before responding to her claims.

"You don't need to worry so much; times have changed... We are now entering a new era of industry, and with it, machines beyond your wildest dreams will come into existence. Over these next few years of peace, I will create weapons so advanced that even if my enemies outnumber me ten to one, my army will be able to slaughter them with minimal effort. 

When the crusaders arrive at our borders, we will have an army the likes this world has never seen before. We will effortlessly sweep aside the Catholic Church and use the crusade as an excuse to conquer the German realms and unite our people into a single cohesive Empire under our Dynasty."

In response to this, Linde chuckled lightly; she was amazed at the level of ambition Berengar had. She had grown up around ambitious men like her father. Yet Berengar's aspirations soared above them all, and unlike the others, he had the means to achieve it.

If she hadn't rashly tried to drug Berengar the night they had first laid eyes upon one another, she wondered what cruel fate she would have followed. She would likely be dead like her father and Lambert. In her mind, even if it did not end the way she had planned, it was the most excellent decision she had ever made in her entire life. 

After assuring Linde that he would be alright, the couple proceeded down the stairs, where Adela and Honoria were waiting for the two of them. Adela had a smug expression on her face while Honoria was pouting. She was incredibly envious of Linde for having her wedding first. 

Noticing she was in an unpleasant mood, Berengar approached the young princess from the east and picked her up into the air before kissing her. After doing so, he placed her back down onto the ground, slapping her rear. 

In doing so, Honoria began to flush with embarrassment. However, she did not dislike the treatment, and as such, she kept her mouth shut rather than berate Berengar for his actions. Seeing that he had uplifted her spirits, Berengar decided to lighten the mood further with a joke.

"You're next, princess!"

Honoria immediately knew what he was referring to, and it wasn't simply the wedding. As such, she looked away from Berengar and bit her lip slightly; she was greatly anticipating her wedding night where she would be all alone with Berengar, much like Adela and Linde had been on theirs.

After entertaining his girls for a bit, Berengar returned to his study, where he saw a file waiting on his desk. The file contained information regarding the construction of two prototype weapons based upon the revolver designs he had sent to Ludwig. 

One full-sized 1422 Service Revolver and one snub nose 1422 Agency Revolver had been created. The documents listed that the weapons had succeeded in a basic test of function and would be submitted for further testing by the Department of Defense, as well as the cartridges they were chambered for.

This brought a smile to Berengar's face; despite the fact that pistols were rarely used in combat, at least in comparison to other weapons; they were excellent personal defense weapons for officers and rear echelon troops. As such, he looked forward to the continued testing of these weapons.

After seeing that weapons testing was going well, Berengar looked through his other documents to find the report of the progress in constructing the new artillery pieces. With his current production rate, The Austrian Royal Army could field a new piece every week. As for the munitions they utilized, they could produce a fair degree of shells.

It would appear that he would be able to replace the majority, if not all, of his current 1417 12 lb Field Guns by the time the crusade arrived, leaving the Fatherland in safe hands. The units that received the first of these new artillery pieces would be the battery with the most experience in combat. 

As Berengar gazed through the various documents on his desk, a satisfied smile appeared on his face. Things were progressing smoothly; Kufstein's Armory would be fully equipped with the newest machinery in a matter of months. With it, Berengar would start using steam engines to help industrialize his other industries.

Upon seeing this, Berengar sat back and relaxed within his recliner as he thought about how far he had come during these past five years. Within the next five years, the land beneath his rule would undergo a massive shift and become the world's foremost power. He began to wonder how long it would take him to fully industrialize the Fatherland after his wars of unification were finished. 

Truly, his work was never finished; as such, he snapped out of his daze and began going over the paperwork that had piled itself upon his desk. He unsealed his fountain pen and began singing his name onto the documents with a smile on his face. As he did so, he could not help but express his thoughts aloud.

"Just another day in paradise..."

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