Tyranny of Steel

Over the next week, Berengar's family got to know the Danish Royal Family fairly well. During this time, more and more guests from across the Reich, and Europe, began visiting Kufstein, and paying their respects to the Kaiser. Many of them were housed within the royal palace for the duration of their stay.

The last King to arrive was one Berengar was not expecting to actually show up. If not, simply because of how poorly he had been treated in the past. King Aubry arrived with his siblings in tow. Not only did he have his sister Sibella by his side, but his younger brothers as well. When Berengar gazed upon the royal family of France, he could not help but wonder whether the seed of the former king was inherently flawed.

Aubry was a man in name only. Despite being an adult male, he was so feminine that he made most women look ugly. There likely wasn't even an ounce of testosterone in the French King's body. Sibilla, on the other hand, was a second-rate beauty who had a screw loose in her head. Violent and psychopathic tendencies had plagued the woman for her entire life, and now, thanks to her treatment in the German Labor Camps, she had severe PTSD.

Surely Aubry's other siblings would not be so defective? Or so Berengar had thought. However, it took one glance for the man to realize that the French Royal Family were truly cursed. Whatever the reason, Aubry's two brothers were the personification of their dominant character traits.

One of these brothers was a greedy coward, and as one would expect, he had the appearance of a rat. Not so much in his facial attributes, as he was at the very least mildly attractive. But more so in the way he moved and spoke. It could not so easily be explained other than the fact he just gave off the general vibe of a rat.

The other brother of Aubry was a round tub of lard, as if since the day he had been born he had done nothing but consume food and sit on his ass. It was truly remarkable that a man in this feudal era could be so fat.

From the moment this man had entered the German Palace, he had rudely pulled out a chair and sat in front of the snack table that was set up to greet the foreign monarchs and their families. Since then, he had done nothing but shove his face with the delicacies that Berengar had prepared for everyone. Just by looking at the man devour sweets, Berengar felt as if he was going to contract diabetes.

The French had a unique position in this ceremony. They had previously been a trading partner of Germany, but had also played a leading role in economic sanctions against the Reich as well as the crusade against the Byzantine Empire. However, unlike all the other defeated nations of Europe, they had not actually taken up arms against Germany and remained neutral during the brief, but bloody conflict.

Would they have done so if their army was actually capable of such a feat? Nobody was denying that, but by remaining neutral, France had fared better than their former allies and had even become the last bastion of Catholicism in Europe. Where the local clergy had made some vain attempts to preserve what little was left of their religion.

King Aubry was slightly unnerved with the meeting in Germany, and had grown quite fearful of Berengar. The last time they met, he attempted to seduce the man, and it had terrible results. Not only that, but the Kaiser had ruthlessly imprisoned his sister for a year for simply speaking out of turn, where unspeakable things had happened to the poor woman.

If that wasn't enough, Berengar had completely demolished Aubry's former lover, and rival Duke Renault de Burgundy. Even now, the French King had no idea where the man's body lie. It was for this reason that during the breakfast that was being held for all of Europe's monarchs, Aubry kowtowed onto the ground as low as possible, feeling is if by pressing his head to the floor, he would be able to gain some redemption in Berengar's eyes.

Even Berengar had to admit that seeing Aubry in such a submissive position was a bit of a turn on. The French King was cross-dressing as per usual and looked prettier than his sister, who gazed in shock at her brother's shameful actions. In a hyper-feminine voice, Aubry swore loyalty to Berengar and the Reich, an action that he was not being compelled to do by virtue of being a neutral actor.

"Oh Great Kaiser, Berengar von Kufstein. Please take pity on my petty Kingdom, and allow me King Aubry de Valois to swear my eternal loyalty and that of my dynasty to you and your sons. I promise that so long as my family reigns, the Kingdom of France will exist to serve you, and your desires, under the condition that your Empire act as our benevolent protector!"

Both Berengar and Linde reacted with surprise when they heard the French King speak these words, not just the two of them but everyone in the hall. However, for the Kaiser and his lovely wife, this act of submission threw a wrench into their plans. Berengar and Linde had long since conspired to balkanize France and destroy its cultural unity. For Berengar, this was an act of revenge for Versailles.

Since France had done everything in its power in his past life to divide the German people and steal their lands. Berengar intended to do the same to them in this life. It wasn't good enough for the French to find their natural place on their knees, servicing their German Masters.

To Berengar, this was a matter of pride. Germany needed to be avenged for the losses they suffered after the fall of the monarchy, and the failed experiment that was the third reich. Thus, it came as a surprise to everyone when he rejected King Aubry's request by spitting upon him.

"Do you really believe that your pathetic Kingdom is worthy of being subservient to the Reich? I have no intention of taking your sissy ass as my pet, nor do I plan to protect your people from the myriad of threats they face.

You have brought your downfall upon yourself, and now you must face the consequences of your actions and those of your forbearers. You, as King of France, are here in Kufstein to bear witness to a new era of prosperity, one that you and your Kingdom shall be excluded from. Enjoy your stay in my Palace, because I promise you these will be the last peaceful days that you shall see in your miserable life."

The Kaiser's response utterly dumbfounded Aubry and his siblings. But how could they understand the rage of a man whose homeland was taken from him before he was even born? Whose family was forced to flee the burning ruins of the greatest civilization the earth had ever seen? Whose heritage was spat upon and denounced by the world over because of the actions of a succeeding government. One that was built upon the hatred the German people had for Versailles.

To Berengar, France was to blame for the pitiful state that Germany had become in his past life. A spiritual successor to the failed Weimar Republic, one that was every bit as degenerate and weak as its predecessor. Germany had become a shadow of the nation's former glory, one whose sole sense of pride came from its robust economy.

In this life, Berengar had created a true nation-state. One which had a shared sense of heritage and culture. A nation that was entirely self reliant, and capable of protecting its borders without foreign intervention. This was not something that could be said about the Germany from his past life, at least not in his last days, and to Berengar, this was the ultimate humiliation, especially when one considered the power and prestige the German nation once held as the Kaiserreich.

Despite the unprovoked scolding that Aubry had suffered, nobody in the room dared to speak up on behalf of France. The reason for this was obvious: Berengar was the most powerful man in Europe, perhaps the entire world. He had just spent the last few months smashing the armies of the nations present for this ceremony, and killing their previous monarchs.

However, perhaps equally as important of a factor was the simple fact that the men and women in this room were all Christians, many of which were steadfast in their religious beliefs, which is the primary reason this war was fought to begin with. Because of this, they had all long since held a sense of disdain for Aubry and his out-of-place character. Why bother provoking the Kaiser when they already hated the man for his sexual preferences?

Thus, France had offered submission to the Reich, and was thoroughly rejected. Though they did not know what Berengar had planned for them, the French delegates were in deep fear after the final words Berengar had spoken to them. One thing was certain: the Victory Day celebration had started with a bit of a rough start.