King of the Sea

Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Linde looked around to see if anyone else was nearby before asking her question. Her flawless porcelain skin glistened under the sunlight that shone through the windows.

"Is anyone else here?"

Ingbert shook his head as he put down the glass of wine on the table in front of the young enchantress before taking a sip of his own. However, to his dismay, she refused the drink.

"I am sorry, I am afraid that I am not able to drink right now."

She immediately motioned to her stomach; at first, he did not understand what she meant, but after a moment, he quickly realized the secret she was trying to tell him. His face immediately became flushed as he understood what she meant. He cursed at Lambert inwardly in his mind for being lucky enough to impregnate such a heavenly beauty. Eventually, he forced himself to put on a smile and hissed through his teeth.

"Lambert is a lucky man..."

Linde could not help but smile at the man's appearance, his envy was incredibly obvious, but surely the young man before her had to know that she was in a league far above his own. After shoving the glass of wine away from herself, Linde began to twist the boy to do her bidding.

"That's actually why I'm here... I heard that you are thinking of backing out of Lambert's plots. Is this true?"

Though Ingbert did not want to admit his cowardice in front of the woman he lusted after, he had no choice. The way she stared at him sent him into a trance where he could not deny her wishes.

"... It's true... So has Lambert sent you here to ensure my loyalty?"

The thought of how she came to acquire such knowledge did not even cross the dull boy's mind in the slightest. Instead, Linde used the boy's affection for her to win him over to Berengar's cause.

"Actually, it is quite the opposite."

Ingbert stared at her with a blank expression; he could not tell in the slightest what she meant by such a thing. Before he knew it, Linde had put her acting skills to work and had begun to form a tear in her eye as she cast a line for Ingbert to bite into.

"Lambert is an exceptionally cruel man... He has beaten me on many occasions. In my despair, I ran into the arms of his brother Berengar, the very man my fiance conspires to kill. I'm in fear for my life as I have begun to suspect that Lambert knows of my relationship with his brother and will stop at nothing to get revenge. I beg of you, please switch sides, and help Berengar obtain the evidence he needs to lock that monster away!"

By now, the waterworks were in full effect, and they had begun to cascade down Linde's divine heart-shaped face. The sight of which instantly enraged Ingbert. He could not accept that Lambert had abused such a kind and caring woman driving her into the arms of someone like Berengar. Though Ingbert was not particularly fond of Berengar, the fact that Lambert would lay his hands on Linde outraged him, and Linde's acting was more than enough to convince him to switch sides. As such, he tried to placate the crying woman before him.

"I promise, I will do everything in my power to make it so that bastard will never lay his hands on you again. With what I know, I can act as a witness against Lambert's treachery and ensure that he is in no position to harm you or your child!"

Linde continued to sniffle, but after some time, the tears ended as she questioned Ingbert's sincereity.

"Really?"

Ingbert nodded with a foolish grin on his face as he confirmed his allegiance.

"Of Course!"

After hearing that her plan was a rousing success Linde jumped into Ingbert's arms and hugged the young man platonically as she thanked him for his aid.

"Thank you! Thank you so much! I knew I could count on you!"

Ingbert had no way of knowing that he was being manipulated by a pretty face and the man behind her. Instead, he enjoyed the brief moment Linde wrapped her arms around him with a satisfied grin on his face. However, the moment was far too short for his liking, and she quickly escaped from his grasp. After doing such a thing, she internally felt like she needed a bath. After recovering his senses, Ingbert voiced his concerns.

"Do you wish to stay the night? I'm certain I can find some space for you?"

Linde shook her head and put on a solemn expression.

"I'm afraid not; if I'm gone for too long, Lambert will begin to suspect I am up to something. I must return to the Castle quickly, or else I will have to suffer his wrath."

Though Ingbert felt dismayed that her stay was so brief, he was happy just to assist the young lady and would soon meet with Berengar to discuss Lambert's downfall. Just like that, Berengar had gained another key piece of evidence in his future efforts to bring justice upon Lambert and his dastardly schemes.

After leaving the manor, Linde got into her carriage and rode off towards Kufstein Castle; she could not wait to tell her master the good news. Hopefully, he would reward her for the efforts she had to go to. Of course, he also might punish her for hugging another man, even if it was just a friendly gesture. Berengar was quite possessive with his property; either way, she would enjoy the treatment she received from the man she loved.

: Gathering Evidence IV

: Gathering Evidence IV

: Gathering Evidence IV

A few days had passed and Berengar was currently sitting at his desk in his room; surrounding him were three people, Linde his lover and slave, Ingbert, formerly a close ally of his brother, now a turncoat, and Arnulf von Thiersee, who was an important vassal to his father. All three of these people could provide the evidence in which Berengar needed to justify the cruel actions he had planned for his brother. A Tyrant could do as he pleased, but to engage in cruelty and be praised for it by his people would require evidence of wrongdoing and well-placed p********a. He did not wish to be known as another kinslayer. Instead, he wanted to be known as the man who was willing to go to great lengths to ensure that justice was acted out against wrongdoers, even if one of those wrongdoers was his own flesh and blood.

He was currently listening to Arnulf discuss his terms for providing the ledger to Berengar with an indifferent expression on his face.

"I desire a position on your Council when you take up your position as Regent and certain assurances that Lambert will be dealt with accordingly. I do not wish to see leniency on his behalf because he is your brother."

Berengar tapped his finger on his desk thrice as he listened to the demands presented to him by the Lord. After sighing heavily, he began to present his counter offer.

"I assure you that there is no love lost between my brother and me. When he is charged and found guilty, he will be given an appropriate punishment for his crimes. As for the position of Councilor, I am a man who rewards merit; if you can prove yourself to be the most suitable candidate for the position you desire, I have no problems choosing you to fulfill it. However, if someone better appears in time, know that I have no qualms removing you from that position."

Arnulf stared into Berengar's icy sapphire eyes and felt intimidated by the pressure he was receiving. Sure enough, Berengar was not an easy man to negotiate with. However, he honestly could not think of a valid retort to Berengar's counter. As such, he acquiesced to his second demand and returned with a better offer.

"Fine, but I want compensation."

Berengar maintained his indifferent expression as he glared at Arnulf; there was no hesitation in his voice as he inquired about the details of such a thing.

"In what form?"

Arnulf gulped at the response; he did not explicitly state he wanted money, he merely desired compensation, and Berengar had caught that immediately. Clearly, the young lord was very shrewd in diplomatic affairs.

The man looked over at the suit of armor Berengar had lying in the corner of his room with envy in his eyes. Though it was only half-plate, it was truly magnificent in design, and he deeply desired a set of his own. A good suit of armor was worth a fortune in this time period, and if he were to march to war alongside Sieghard, he wanted superior protection than the set he currently had.

"Your factories produce plate armor such as that in high quantities, is that correct?"

Berengar scoffed at Arnulf's request; he thought too much of Arnulf and assumed the man would want his armies equipped with such magnificent technology; that was a demand which Berengar would never allow to come to fruition.

"My factories are currently busy producing the equipment necessary to arm my forces; I do not have the means of production to create enough to equip yours."

Arnulf shook his head and stopped Berengar before he could continue with his train of thought.

"You misunderstand my intent, My Lord. What I desire is a single set of plate armor for myself. Can this be arranged?"

Berengar was stunned when he heard this request; it was a far more reasonable offer than what he had initially estimated to be Arnulf's thoughts. Of course, a full set of plate armor was an outrageous expense, but that was because of the limited ability of this era to produce steel in high enough quantity to create such a thing. Not to mention the intensive labor required for personal fitting of the armor. However, Berengar had more steel than he knew what to do with at the moment. With the use of advanced manufacturing processes like trip hammers in his factories, the labor would be far less extensive, and as such, far less expensive to manufacture a set of full plate armor.

After careful consideration, Berengar agreed to the terms Arnulf had stated; as such, he rose from his chair and extended his hand to the Lord in front of him.

"Then, if that is all, I believe we have come to an agreement.."

The two men shook hands, signaling the dawn of a new alliance united against their common enemy. After agreeing to the terms, Arnulf handed over the ledger to Berengar for safekeeping, and Berengar promised Arnulf that he would get his set of armor within a reasonable amount of time. The style of armor in which he would craft for the man would be in that of the famous Maximillian set, which German Knights and Men-at-Arms used during the th century of Berengar's previous life.

After the two had concluded their negotiations, Berengar turned his focus to Ingbert, who was waiting patiently for his turn to speak. When Berengar motioned for Ingbert to voice his concerns, the man kneeled before him.