Tyranny of Steel

While Berengar was negotiating with the Byzantine Emperor over the rights to Egypt, Palestine, and Cyprus, one of his many guests was on the prowl. Robert Stuart, the Crown Prince of Scotland, had accompanied his father to the Reich after being invited to witness the victory day celebrations.

The Kingdom of Scotland had little direct interaction with the German Empire, however, their markets were dominated by German goods. Why was this? Because of their trade with the Kalmar Union.

The King of Scotland, a man by the name of Charles, had cordial relations with the King of Denmark who had warned him not to get involved with Germany's affairs after it rose to the status of a Great Power.

A warning Charles took to heart. Because of this, Scotland was one of two Catholic kingdoms that had not suffered at the hands of the Reich during the brief war that saw the downfall of the Papacy and most of Europe's royal families.

From the moment Charles and his son Robert stepped foot in the borders of the Reich, they could tell that they were, in fact, living a different world than the German people. If the train ride over to the German Capital wasn't shocking enough, then the airship, and the city's lights were truly marvels that boggled the mind.

Because of this, Robert seemed interested in taking a German woman as a wife, if only for the sake of bragging rights. After all, it was well known that German women struggled and competed with one another to marry the best of the German Men. They had even developed a reputation for being cold to foreigners.

This was definitely the case, as Robert chatted with a Princess of Bavaria. Anne von Wittelsbach was the youngest daughter of the Bavarian King. The once infamous Duke Dietger von Wittelsbach had been elevated to the status of King of Bavaria after the unification of the German Empire. Anne was a stunning beauty, and was not yet of marriageable age, thus the Prince of Scotland thought that perhaps he could gain her interest.

However, as he spoke about Scotland, and the battles he had fought in, the girl seemed entirely disinterested, as if she were talking to a country bumpkin. The young beauty rolled her eyes before not so politely telling the Scottish Prince to go fuck himself.

"I'm sorry, Prince Robert, was it? I'm sure your intentions are genuine, but I have no interest in marrying a foreign man. If you don't mind, I have more important matters to attend to. It was a pleasure to meet you, though."

Robert was shocked to hear this. He was a Prince, and he was handsome to boot. Why would the Bavarian Princess react so snobbishly towards him? Just who did she think she was? Her Kingdom wasn't even independent, it was a subordinate state to Austria! He wanted to curse the woman out, but he noticed the stares he was being given.

This was the third German Princess he had attempted to talk to, and the only one nice enough to even give him the time of day. He could hardly believe why these women were treating him in such a way. Though as he gazed around the room, he could tell that it wasn't just him. Other foreign princes and dukes were having an equally difficult time approaching the German Princesses.

Ultimately, the man decided that if he couldn't gain the attention of a German Princess, he would have to go lower on the noble hierarchy. Though it stained his pride, he approached the daughter of a German Duke. Whose appearance was pretty, but not stunning.

"Hello, I am Prince Robert Stuart of Scotland. It would be my honor if I could have the name of a beautiful young woman such as yourself."

The Duchess took two looks at the man and scoffed before returning to her conversation with another German noblewoman. This action stunned Robert. He was clearly better looking than the woman and was a Prince on top of that. Why would she not be interested in him? He had to find out the answer to this question, and once more tried to pry into the girl's conversation.

"Excuse me? Did you not hear me? I am a Prince! Shouldn't you show me some respect?"

The woman did not even spare Robert a glance. She completely ignored the man as if he were invisible. Such a rude gesture almost made Robert want to slap the bitch across her face. However, with the multitude of armed guards present in this chamber, let alone the palace as a whole, he knew he would be kicked out of the venue were he to do such a thing. Thus, he could only take a deep breath and sigh heavily before trying his luck with another girl.

After ten minutes, Rober had approached four duchesses, two countesses, and even a baroness, none of which were willing to give him the time of the day. Having suffered multiple strikeouts, he ended up at the bar drinking away his sorrows, where the other foreign noblemen who were in a similar position gathered together in depression.

As Robert took his drink from the bartender, he noticed she was a particularly good-looking young woman. After all, Berengar enjoyed looking at beautiful women, and because of this, the palace staff was filled with them. Naturally, his personal bartender was no exception.

After a few drinks, Robert decided to try his luck with a common girl. Obviously, he did not intend to marry a woman of low birth, but if she could ease his pain for some time, it would be something to brag about back home. Thus, he spit out the first line he could think of, expecting the woman to throw herself at him simply because he was a good-looking Prince.

"Has anyone ever told you that you have the most gorgeous eyes?"

The woman only sighed in annoyance as she cleaned an empty class with a rag. Robert was just one of many guys she had seen strike out throughout the celebration, and she felt these idiots would continue in their ways until some girl told them the honest truth. Thus she did not show the Prince the respect a man of his position was usually afforded, and instead responded bluntly to his advances.

"You should know that you are the seventh foreign prince so far tonight to try to pick me up. Believe me when I say, I have heard better lines from better looking guys and have turned them all down. Since you guys are having such troubles with the ladies, allow me to explain to you exactly why you will never be able to court a German noblewoman.

Here, in the Reich, we live a life of such luxury and convenience that even a bartender like me can claim with the utmost certainty that I live in a life of greater comfort than you. In fact, my boss, the Kaiser, pays me exceptionally well to pour him drinks and listen to his problems. So much so that I likely have greater wealth than you, the Prince of Scotland, do.

To these noblewomen, whose families' fortunes are above and beyond what I could ever dream of making, you foreign princes are a worse potential match than a German commoner. Because if they were to ever marry you, they would be forced to leave the wealth and prosperity of the Reich, and in doing so, live a life worse than our poorest citizens do, as the Princess of your backwards Kingdom.

If I'm being brutally honest, you would be hard pressed to find any German woman who would be willing to marry you for the same reasons. Sure, they may gain the prestige of being a "Princess" but their lives would be worse off if they were ever to make such a foolish decision.

Let me ask you something. You have partaken of the food that has been offered by the palace, yes? Are you aware that these are dishes that even commoners can afford to eat regularly? Sure, the cooks are more skillful here in the palace, but you can find a similar level of quality in restaurants across the reich.

The common people of Germany have ready access to luxuries that even your most wealthy nobleman would struggle to afford daily. Aside from the luxury and convenience that we have access to, we Germans also live in a safe society with the confidence of knowing that no foreign army may enter our lands.

Aside from our National defenses, we also have a robust legal system, which punishes criminals severely. Because of that, we don't have to worry about pickpockets, or highwaymen, or murderers, and rapists. Can you say that your Kingdom is devoid of such crime?

So before you get pissed off at all the woman who have turned you down, perhaps you should understand that their reasons for doing so are perfectly valid. The fact of the matter is, you offer less as a potential partner than a German commoner does and that is why you will never be able to successfully court a German Woman. So please, take this drink and enjoy the evening, instead of sulking like a child because you were rejected."

Robert could hardly believe his ears when he heard all of this, and he was not alone, all of the foreign nobleman who had sought to get friendly with the German noblewomen were stunned to hear all of this. Then again, when they thought about the marvels they had seen since they first visited the Reich, perhaps these bartenders' harsh words were true?