Tyranny of Steel
chapter-364

Days had passed since Berengar first returned from the Kingdom of Bohemia with its former Princess in tow. Though the girl found a friend in Henrietta, she could not help but notice the intense glares that she received from Berengar's harem every time she came into eye contact with them.

Because of this, she had grown frightened and stayed primarily within her quarters; though Berengar wanted to help, he found himself buried under paperwork that had amassed itself while in his absence. On top of that, he was confident any involvement with the girl's matters was sure to invoke the ire of the women who surrounded him, and as such, he opted to give Veronika some space for the time being.

While Veronika was slowly adapting to her new life in Kufstein, Linde had begun to investigate her background; due to the extensive network of Austrian Spies established within Bohemia during its civil war, she was quickly able to gather all kinds of information about the young Princess's personal life. Berengar's suspicions were confirmed; the girl was mistreated by her family and locked away from the public eye to ensure that the superstitious peasants did not try to murder the poor girl.

Though Linde felt pity for Veronika, she did not yet accept her existence within the royal palace. As such, the veteran spymaster made sure every action the Bohemian Princess took was closely watched. After all, Veronika was an unknown variable, and Linde feared those most of all.

As for Adela, she spent this time supporting her husband in any way she could, primarily by bringing him his meals while he worked day and night to overcome the seemingly insurmountable degree of paperwork that he was forced to contend with. If there was one thing Berengar despised most in this world, it was paperwork.

Honoria had opted to laze about within the confines of the royal palace; she and her crew were currently enjoying the era of peace Austria found itself in. Unless they wanted to break faith with the Austrian Crown and take up piracy, there was not much work to be had.

However, they had made a fortune during the war with the Empire, and as such, the women who made up Honoria's crew were more than happy to spend some of that wealth on themselves and enjoy the moment of peace in luxury.

After nearly a week had passed, Berengar emerged from his study with bags under his eyes. He was beyond exhausted; after spending almost every waking hour going through various documents, Berengar had finally finished his paperwork. In doing so, he made his way to the bath, where he would wash away the sweat and grime that had accumulated on his body over the past few days.

It was a testament to Berengar's tenacity as a ruler that he would forsake his health for a few days at a time to ensure that he accomplished the most amount of work possible. If not for Adela and her efforts, he likely would have died of dehydration by now.

When Berengar finally arrived within the bath, he noticed a peculiar scene. Adela was currently within the large pool floating in its center, oblivious to his arrival. Her hair, usually contained within twintails, was loose and flowed down to her hips like a river of honey as it soaked in the steaming bathwater. This gave Berengar a wicked idea as he silently entered the pool-sized tub, where he sunk beneath its surface and swam up to Adela's naked body from below.

After a few moments, he emerged from beneath its surface and latched onto Adela's waist like a Kraken swallowing a ship, where he proceeded to drag her beneath the pool's surface. The young Queen immediately began to panic until she stared at her husband's excited expression, where she proceeded to flick him on the nose, forcing the couple to rise to the surface.

Berengar could not contain his laughter as he gazed upon his beautiful young wife with his one good eye. On the other hand, Adela was furious and pouted; she had every desire to slap her man across the face for his practical joke.

After a while, she sighed and swam over to Berengar, where she pressed her naked chest against his, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him passionately. Her anger subsided, and with it, Berengar's exhaustion seemed to vanish. After releasing from each other's embrace, Adela wore a warm smile as she asked her husband the question on her mind.

"So, I assume you are done with your work?"

In response to this, Berengar yawned before nodding his head; he did not even want to think about paperwork at the moment; the very idea rekindled his physical exhaustion.

"For the time being, but there is always more paperwork to be had."

Adela began to giggle as she heard this before swimming back to the edge of the pool and sitting upon its steps; as she did so, she beckoned Berengar over to her side, who was more than happy to oblige. After arriving near his wife, Adela reached for the body wash, where she began to rub it upon her bare chest before pressing herself against his back. While cleaning his back sensually, the young Queen began to admonish her husband for his lack of self-care.

"I know you're busy with work, but you really shouldn't forget to groom yourself; you're filthy! Let me take care of you..."

Berengar, of course, did not refuse such exemplary treatment, and as such, sat back and relaxed as his wife washed every corner of his body. After seeing that Berengar had grown excited, Adela reached for his shaft and began to stroke it softly. A wicked grin appeared on the young monarch's face as he began to tease his beautiful bride.

"You naughty girl, what do you think you're doing in the bath?"

In response to this, Adela rolled her eyes before gripping his rod even tighter as she did so; she whispered in his ear from behind.

"You think I don't know what you and the others get up to during your baths? A wife must aid her husband, so sit there quietly and let me relieve you of some stress."

Berengar did not know what had come over Adela; she was not usually this authoritative, but he did not dislike this part of her, and as such, he sat quietly as she stroked his shaft up and down with increased intensity. The oily body wash combined with her small and soft hands brought intense pleasure to the young King.

Eventually, Adela began kissing Berengar on the neck as she pressed her bare breasts against his back. The more stroked, the closer Berengar reached a climax, that is until the doors to the bath opened, and two other women appeared.

The moment Honoria and Linde appeared naked within the bathroom, they witnessed the intimate scene between Berengar and his wife, forcing him to ejaculate into the air and the pool below. Berengar breathed heavily as a wicked smile appeared on Honoria's face. She instantly teased the young couple as she entered the steaming water.

"Why Adela, I had no idea you and Berengar got up to such raunchy behavior while you were in the bath! To think the prudish Queen of Austria would be giving her husband a handjob as he bathed, it is truly scandalous!"

Adela instantly began to frown; just when things started to get exciting between her and her husband, the others had to arrive and ruin her fun. As such, she stuck closely to Berengar as Honoria approached, like a lioness protecting her territory in the face of a ravenous hyena. As for Berengar, he saw this as an opportune moment for some bonding between himself and his three women. Thus when Linde finally joined the bath, a wide smirk appeared on his face.

"Well, why don't we all continue where Adela and I left off?"

However, when Berengar suggested this, Adela sighed with disgust and got out of the tub. She had no desire to engage in such debauchery alongside Berengar and his lovers. The moment she exited the pool, she glanced back at Berengar with a stern gaze and muttered her words of contempt.

"You have fun by yourselves; if you need me, I will be eating breakfast!"

After saying this, she disappeared from the bathroom and proceeded to get dressed. As for Berengar, he was left alone with his two lovers; however, seeing Adela's disappointed expression, he was no longer in the mood for fun. As such, he, too, sighed and raised from the bath. When he did so, Linde immediately called out to him.

"Wait! Where are you going!?!"

Berengar gazed back upon his lovers, who appeared as if they had lost all hope and smiled bitterly before expressing the thoughts in his mind.

"I'm going to go calm Adela down; it wouldn't be right to enjoy myself while she's in a bitter mood; after all, we were in the middle of something..."

Linde and Honoria both began to pout when they heard this. However, it did not change Berengar's mind, and thus he left the bath and followed Adela to the Dining Hall where he hoped to gain her favor. After both Berengar and Adela were gone, Linde finally spoke, with a bitter tone in her voice as she began to hatch a wicked scheme.

"We need to find a way to get that bitch to join us. Otherwise, Berengar will continue to choose her over us!"

Honoria immediately began to frown upon hearing this and voiced her concerns over the matter.

"How! She's a prude, and you know it! There's no way we can convince her to have a foursome!"

Upon hearing this, a wicked smile formed upon Linde's perfect lips as she remembered an important event of her past; as such, she leaned in close to the Byzantine Princess and prefaced her scheme with a single question.

"Did I ever tell you how Berengar and I first made love?"