Chapter 763 Negotiating with the ExiledEmperor
Currently, Berengar was lying on a bed in the harem room of his royal palace. His girls surrounded him and for whatever reason they were all dressed in skimpy attire loosely based upon arabic harem clothing, or at least the ahistorical attire that was common in popular culture from his past life. Despite the skimpy and colorful attire that these beautiful women wore, Berengar"s eyes were not focused on them, instead they were shut as he enjoyed an oil ma.s.sage being performed by all five of his lovers.
He had been hard at work recently, and decided to take an afternoon off to bask in hedonistic pleasure. Linde kneaded the finer points of his back as she applied a special oil to it, which soaked in to his skin. While she was working on his back, Yasmin and Honoria worked on his lower back, while Adela and Henrietta worked on his arms.
Berengar was truly relaxed in this moment, partially because of the oil ma.s.sage, and partially because he had taken a huge hit from the hookah just moments before they began. While this was going on, a knock resounded on the door. Who was interrupting the Kaiser while on his day off? Berengar did not know, but whoever it was would surely face his wrath if it was not anything of importance. Ultimately he sighed before calling out to the intruder from the depths of the large room.
"Come on in."
Upon hearing this, the door opened to reveal the young Anangpur Emperor and his little sister Priya. The two of them gazed through the mist of the hookah smoke that Yasmin had just puffed out beneath her veil, to see the scandalous sight. Though these women were not nude, they were dressed so liberally that there was little to the imagination. Being a hormonal teenage brat, Dharya lost all sense in that moment and flushed red while stammering. Completely forgetting his reason for visiting.
"W....Wh...."
Priya was also a bit fl.u.s.tered, but she kept her cool as she nudged her older brother in the ribs and whispered in his ear.
"Get a grip. We came here with a purpose, remember?"
Upon hearing this, the boy nodded his head and reclaimed his sanity as he asked the question that had been plaguing his mind for some time.
"Kaiser Berengar von Kufstein, I wanted to know what it would take for you to help me reclaim my throne!"
Berengar sighed when he heard this, and sat up, causing his girls to stop what they were doing. Only Linde, who was working on his back, continued to ma.s.sage him as while he covered his manhood with a towel. The sight of the man"s abs, which were glistening with oil, thoroughly sent Priya over the edge as she ended up in a fuguelike state, much like how Dharya was moments before.
The Kaiser noticed this and smirked smugly before taking another hit from his hookah. After doing so, he responded to Dharya"s question in a confident manner.
"You"re too young, and too inexperienced to rule over your family"s Empire. At the current rate of things, you could not even perform as my puppet. I have taken you into my home and act as your s.h.i.+eld against your uncle"s murderous plots. You"d be surprised how many merchants from the east have come with the intentions to claim your lives.
If you want to reclaim your birthright, you will first have to learn to rule, and to do that, you will need to go through some proper schooling. When the time comes, I will help you reclaim your throne, but you must be aware that there is a price for everything. Providing military a.s.sistance to an exiled emperor in the hopes he reclaims his throne is not a debt that is easily forgiven. Tell me, what do you offer me in exchange for my kindness?"
Dharya bit his lip. He had a hard time determining what it was that Berengar wanted. The boy understood that Berengar was a highly intelligent and ruthless man who wanted global hegemony. He also understood that the German military could not reasonably be opposed. If the entire world united against them, it was entirely possible that Germany would end up as the victory. Thus, Dharya had come prepared to make some concessions in order to retake what was rightfully his.
"I will offer you land to build a naval base so that you have a staging point for your eastern ambitions. I will also ensure that your Empire has access to all the spices you could desire. From my understanding, that is one of the reasons you are interested in my Empire is it not?"
Berengar thought about it for a few moments and nodded his head in agreement. Those terms sounded fair, however, it was still not enough to convince him to invest in military intervention. Thus, he spoke up about his perspective.
"That"s a start, but you still need to sweeten the pot..."
It was at this moment, while Dharya was thinking of the best way to convince Berengar to support him, that Linde acted in a manner that neither he nor Priya expected. The redheaded vixen wore a l.u.s.t filled gaze as she reached her hand under Berengar"s towel where she began messaging his member. Berengar immediately grabbed the woman"s hand and pulled it out before s.h.i.+fting his head so he could look into her sky-blue eyes and scolded her.
"Not now!"
Despite wearing a baby blue veil, Berengar could still make out the pout on the woman"s face as she retreated towards his back. However, the woman"s inappropriate action had caused Priya"s face to light up as red as an apple. When Dharya saw this, he came up with an idea.
"What about my sister? You still need a fifth wife, right?"
Berengar scoffed when he heard this before shaking his head.
"She"s too young. By the time she"s of age, I"ll be in my thirties. Are you sure she wants to marry a man so much older than herself?"
Dharya gazed over at Priya and noticed she was glaring at him. Did he seriously just use her as a p.a.w.n in negotiations? She wanted to sink her claws into him to teach him a lesson, but she ultimately decided not to. Upon seeing this, Berengar chuckled before lecturing Dharya on his negotiating skills.
"Kid, it"ll be years before you"re even old enough to properly rule. You don"t need to give me a satisfactory answer right now. You should enjoy your youth her in Kufstein while you can. Your throne will be waiting for you. I do hope after a few years you can come up with a more satisfactory form of payment.
It"s not that your sister is a bad bargaining piece. After all, an imperial princess is always a valued commodity. It"s just that she is way too young for my tastes. Now, if that is all you wanted to say, please leave. I"m not sure I can keep Linde here off of me for much longer."
Dharya harrumphed as he stormed out of the harem room with Priya by his side. Unlike her brother, she looked back on Berengar and his many women one last time before the door shut behind her. She was not the most experienced girl in the world when it came to relations.h.i.+ps, but she could make an educated guess about what was about to happen in that room.