Berengar had spent the night mingling with those n who would beco major players in the newly ford Indian Empire's political system. In fact, he had stolen the spotlight from Dharya, sothing that the young emperor was actually quite thankful for, if he was even remotely capable of being honest with himself.
Of course, Dharya watched silently from the side, while drinking whatever alcohol he could get his hands on. He continued to do this until the only remaining guests in his palace were his sister and Berengar himself. Once the trio were all alone, the Kaiser sighed and shook his head before addressing his Indian counterpart.
"Truly, I can think of no worse way to spend an evening than socializing with these parasites. It's the sa no matter where you go, opportunists looking to gain your favor. Don't you agree, Dharya?"
It struck the young Indian emperor speechless when he heard how open Berengar was about how he felt regarding so-called 'socialites'. After recovering his senses, Dharya simply glared at his guest before asking the man why he had travelled such a long distance for such a minor occasion.
"What's your actual angle for being here? I don't presu you ca all this way just to watch put a crown on my head in front of a bunch of 'parasites'..."
In response to this, Berengar took a sip from his wine and gazed out the windows into the night sky with a solemn expression. He remained quiet for several seconds before answering the man's question.
"My reason for coming here was two-fold, firstly I wanted to help nd the rift that has ford between you and your sister as a result of our relationship. Personally, I can't understand just what your qualms are with us being together.
I an, just look at your sister and how beautiful she has beco over the years. To think that when I first saw her, she was once a scrawny little girl months away from death. I thought you would be pleased with this developnt. She is happy and healthy in my household, and now, under my protection, she will never be forced to suffer such a horrific fate again. That's sothing I cannot guarantee for a re hostage.
I understand you have an attachnt to the girl because of your childhood trauma. Perhaps even an unhealthy one at that. If it is such a serious issue, then might I suggest a eting with one of my many military psychiatrists that I have posted here in Anangpur? If not for yourself, then for your sister's sake? She's worried about you."
Throughout the entirety of Berengar's speech, Dharya had beco increasingly agitated, to the point where his fingernails were practically digging into the palms of his hands. Having noticed this, Priya quickly closed the distance and hugged her brother, who seed to be on the border of a ntal breakdown.
"Big brother, it's ti to let go of the past. Our Uncle is gone. You have reclaid your birthright, and I am now safe, happy, and healthy. None of this would have been possible without Berengar's aid. Please, get so help. I have heard that German psychiatrists have helped many soldiers overco their trauma. They can do the sa for you!"
Upon feeling his sister's warm embrace, Dharya's fists uncurled, and his teeth unclenched. In the next mont, tears ran down his cheeks as he returned his sister's gesture, and hugged her with all his strength.
Berengar remained utterly silent during this exchange, instead he rely sipped upon his drink and watched as if he was nothing more than a bystander. Several minutes passed in silence as the two siblings continued to hug before Dharya finally let go. After wiping the tears from his eyes, the Indian Emperor sighed heavily, before nodding in agreent at his sister's suggestion.
"Fine... I will do as you ask... All I ever wanted in life was for you to be safe and happy. If this old bastard can provide that for you, then I guess I can finally let go..."
Berengar's face imdiately scrunched up when he heard this remark, as if he had just eaten sothing too sour for his tastes. His thoughts were imdiately drawn to the boy's comnts, even if he didn't voice them.
'Old bastard? I'm thirty three, you little fucking cocksucker! I still have at least two years before I am no longer considered young! How fucking dare you!'
Priya noticed Berengar's expression from the corner of her eye and broke out into a fit of giggles. Seeing the man she loved get offended about being called old was simply endearing to the young woman. It was at this mont that Dharya rembered Berengar's previous words and was quick to clarify the issue.
"Earlier, you said you had two reasons for visiting today. What's the second?"
Now was the perfect ti for Berengar to get revenge on Dharya for his crass remark, thus with a smug grin on his face, he slowly approached the boy while finishing his drink. After doing so, he placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and gave him an intimidating glare.
"I have co to collect my pound of flesh. Over the past few years, I have invested heavily in your Empire, and it was thanks to my forces that you were so swiftly able to defeat your enemies. In return I ask that you cede Sri Lanka to the Reich. I intend to use it as a naval and air base to counter Japanese naval operations in the Indian ocean. Consider this partial repaynt for the debt you owe ."
Having heard these demands, Dharya sucked on his teeth. He knew that sooner or later Berengar would demand repaynt on the debt that India owed him. He just didn't expect the price to be so high. However, after thinking about it for so ti, Dharya nodded his head before responding to this request.
"Alright, Sri Lanka is yours. Do with it as you will. It's the least I can do for all the help you have given ."
With Dharya having agreed to his demands, Berengar smiled and nodded his head. His next words startled both Priya and Dharya as he placed his glass down on a nearby table.
"Well then, that concludes my business here today. Priya, we should return to our ho now. I'm afraid I have other important matters to attend to, and if we do not leave at this very mont, I might be late for them. A mistake I can not afford to make. After all, it is a very long flight back to Kufstein."
There was a look of longing on Priya's face as she heard this, but ultimately after giving it thought for several seconds, she nodded her head and chased after her man. She left one final farewell to her brother before doing so.
"I'm sorry Dharya, we are on a tight schedule, we will talk more when after I get back to the Palace. Rember the promise we made today, okay?"
With that said, the Indian Princess had run after the Kaiser, as the two prepared to depart from the city of Anangpur. Dharya was left by his loneso, with a head full of thoughts regarding the past, present, and future.
As for Berengar, what he said was true. The winter midwinter solstice was rapidly approaching, and soon he would need to cast off for Iceland. Should he miss the event, it would certainly anger the gods. Sothing he had already done once, and was still living with the consequences of.
The last thing he wanted was for another deity to see him as a target for vengeance, and thus, even though the Kaiser may want to spend a bit more ti in India, he did not have the opportunity to do so. He and Priya caught the first flight out of Anangpur, where Berengar imdiately fell to sleep on a large bed.
Though Priya was by his side, it was not she who he dreamt about, instead the mont he fell to sleep he was once more visited by the goddess Freyja, who had for the past few months been entering the man's dreams every night, in an attempt to have her way with him.
The dreams were enjoyable, as Berengar was not limited by his mortal body's stamina, but they had one side effect. Whenever he woke up in the morning, he would be fully satisfied, aning that he could not please his wives and their early morning urges. Sothing that had begun to take its toll on their relationship. If he did not resolve this dispute between him and Freyja soon, he feared that his harem might collapse around him.
Thus, Berengar truly ant the words that he could not afford to be late for his eting with Odin. If he did, the consequences would be disastrous.
---
If you're not reading this on Webnovel, consider supporting by donating at /zentister
Reviews
All reviews (0)