Second Thoughts
Second Thoughts
"Did I do something wrong? Why won't you talk to me?"
Berengar, however, did not respond, and merely rolled down the window, where he pulled a cigarette packet out of his coat pocket and lit one flame before taking a long drag from the nicotine. He continued to smoke in silence for the rest of the drive home.
Once the car had pulled into the driveway, Berengar exited his limousine and made a straight line towards the palace's entrance. It was clear by the look on his face that he was acting on impulse, rather than conscious thought, and as a result he had utterly failed to assist Itami in getting out of the vehicle.
After Berengar had entered his palace, he instinctively made his way to the war room, where Linde was currently overseeing the latest reports from the field. When she noticed her husband enter the room, her face lit up with a pretty smile. The redheaded beauty hugged her man and kissed him passionately before giving him a brief summary of how effective Itami's broadcast had been.
"While we only have information regarding the citizens of Little Kyoto at the moment, I expect that once we send these videos into the field, they will prove equally effective. I must say, Itami did an excellent job pinning all the blame onto Shiba, and announcing the formation of her new government in exile.
We are already receiving reports from Little Kyoto that many talented individuals who have received a german education are flocking to her cause. Within the next few weeks, we will be able to officially declare that the legitimate government of Japan is currently in exile here in Kufstein. This will have an enormous international effect on Shiba's regime."
Berengar had seemingly not heard a word that Linde had said, and instead stared at her as if he were in a trance. Linde could count the number of times on one hand that Berengar had been so distant with her, and because of this she immediately knew that something was wrong with him.
Thus, Linde grabbed hold of Berengar's hand and led him to his office, where she then shut the doors behind him, sealing off the room from any would be eavesdroppers. Once the royal couple were alone together, Linde was quick to inquire about just what had come over her husband.
"What has happened?"
Berengar sighed heavily as he sat down in his chair. He quickly pulled out two cups and poured himself and his wife some wine. At times like this, he often coped with his internal struggle via the consumption of alcohol. Once he had taken a few sips from his drink, Berengar responded to Linde's questioning with a glum tone in his voice.
"I don't really know if I'm being honest. When I first took Itami in, she was this damsel in distress, and as you know, I have a soft spot for those kinds of women. As a result, I treated her with the same kindness and generosity that I would to most women in her situation.
However, after seeing Itami dressed in her Imperial Regalia, and giving that speech to her people as a rallying cry. I guess you could say I suddenly realized that she was the same Japanese Empress who had caused the deaths of so many of my people.
When this thought dawned on me, I became conflicted. Am I truly going to marry this woman, who was once my enemy, and blame all of her past actions on her latest political rival? How will I be able to face my soldiers who have died at her hands when I see them in the afterlife? Sure, this marriage is politically necessary, but that just seems like an excuse..."
Linde had always known that Berengar had a soft spot for women in tough situations. It was the same reason he favored Honoria when they first met. In fact, this was one of the qualities she found endearing in the man.
However, as kind and gentle as Berengar was to damsels in distress, he was also merciless to those he saw as enemies. Thus, she was perhaps one of the few people in this world who could truly understand how Berengar felt right now.
Itami was both a damsel in distress, and the enemy who had inflicted the most casualties upon Berengar's army. To Berengar, the lives of his soldiers were worth more than the entire nations of his enemies. It was why he had specifically sought out to establish international law regarding the treatment of civilians and, more importantly, prisoners of war.
And while Japan had abided by this treaty during the duration of their conflict, the fact still remained that Itami had been responsible for thousands of dead German soldiers, and tens of thousands more wounded. Despite knowing how Berengar felt about this whole situation, Linde gave him advice that was counter to his nature.
"The reparations that Japan will pay to the Reich will go towards the families of those brave soldiers who have perished in this war. Itami will pay for everything she has done, however she will do so financially rather than with her life.
What the Reich needs now is for you to continue to get along with the Japanese Empress. I don't care what you have to do, but you must keep courting her until she decides that she is ready to be your wife. Do I need to remind you what is at stake here?
By having Itami sit upon the Japanese throne as our puppet, we are providing stability to the region. If Shiba is not taken care of soon, the Samurai clans will rebel against him in a bid for power, and in the ensuing chaos every scientist, and engineer will flee the country, who will most likely end up in places like the Ming Dynasty where they will use their knowledge to kick-start the industrial revolution.
Such a thing would be disastrous to the world hegemony you have built. Especially in the long term! So suck it up and continue building your relationship with Itami, for the sake of the Reich and our dynasty!"
Berengar looked up at Linde and saw the serious expression on her face. Just a few hours ago, she was still acting rather territorial with Itami, and now she was saying that it was a matter of national security for him to marry the bitch. Just how temperamental could a woman be?
Naturally, Berengar knew that Linde had always intended for him to marry Itami. Her standoffish attitude these past few weeks was just her way of establishing dominance. However, the moment Berengar began displaying second thoughts, the redheaded beauty was forced to place her foot down.
It would be a disaster if the Japanese scientists and engineers who Itami had fostered ended up in the hands of another nation. However, despite knowing this was the logical conclusion, Berengar still had a hard time coming to terms with marrying a woman with so much of his people's blood on her hands. What he needed was some time to think through his emotions, and thus he sighed heavily before voicing this thought aloud.
"I need some time to think. You should get back to the war room and continue to help orchestrate Itami's government in exile. Once this recording ends up in the hands of the Japanese people, it will be sure to spark a rebellion against Shiba's regime. By then, we will need a plan on how best to arm and supply these loyalists."
Linde saw that Berengar was still conflicted, but she had already given her advice, and thus nodded her head obediently before leaving her man behind with nothing but his thoughts to keep him company.
Berengar would spend the rest of the day thinking through just what he should do with Itami. There was no doubt that had been some form of budding romance between the two of them over the past few weeks, but the prospect of meeting his fallen soldiers in Valhalla, and explaining to them that he married the woman who had caused their deaths, that was something which was not easy to overcome. One thing was certain, Itami needed to atone for her sins if Berengar was ever going to rekindle the fledgling romance that had been forming between them.
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