Chapter 404: Constitutional Convention Part II

Having established the three branches of government within the Austrian Constitution, Berengar had now moved onto the individual rights and liberties that the people in his society would maintain. Naturally, as a Semi-Constitutional Monarchy, the people would not be given the extent of freedoms that they had during Berengar's past life.

"Amendment I of the Austrian Bill of Rights is as follows:

Unless in the event that such freedoms have been deemed a threat to National Security, Parliament shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Amendment II of the Austrian Bill of Rights is as follows: 

Unless in the event that such action is deemed necessary for National Security, no soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Amendment III of the Austrian Bill of Rights is as follows: 

Unless in the event that such freedoms have been deemed a threat to National Security, the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Amendment IV of the Austrian Bill of Rights is as follows: 

Unless in the event that such freedoms have been deemed a threat to National Security, no person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise, infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Amendment V of the Austrian Bill of Rights is as follows: 

Unless in the event that such freedoms have been deemed a threat to National Security, In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

Amendment VI of the Austrian Bill of Rights is as follows: 

Unless in the event that such freedoms have been deemed a threat to National Security, Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted."

Berengar had once again simply copied several aspects from the United States Constitution that he deemed to be necessary. However, for the purpose of future stability of his Empire and to combat the potential threat of dangerous ideologies, Berengar had ensured that there was an exemption to these individual rights under the guise of National Security. 

With these Amendments spoken, Berengar searched around to see if any member of the Constitutional Convention disagreed with any of the terms presented. However, such things had already been thoroughly debated over the past few days, and thus not a single person rejected these notions. 

Having established the three branches of government and the people's individual rights. There was one final article of the Constitution that Berengar wanted to establish. Thus, he spoke in an authoritative tone as he addressed the convention. 

"There is one final addition that I wanted to add to our Constitution, and thus I will present it now where it will be open to the floor to decide whether it is contained within or not.

All men, who are between eighteen and thirty years of age, must serve a minimum of four years in active duty to the Armed Forces of Austria and another four in the Reserves. Exemptions shall be issued under the condition that one may be deemed unfit for service; however, if one is in fact deemed unfit for service without a proper disability, they will be forced to pay an additional 3% of income tax until the age of thirty-seven for a maximum of eleven years."

After saying this, Berengar gazed around at the gathered people expecting some form of fierce debate to erupt, thus causing this constitutional convention to continue for another few days. However, only silence remained. That is until one man, in particular, stood up; this man was well respected within the Kingdom of Austria as its most outstanding General; as Eckhard stood up, he threw a Roman salute towards his Monarch while shouting a patriotic slogan.

"For King and Fatherland!"

Upon seeing the fervent response from the man responsible for many of their Kingdom's victories, everyone else in the room stood up and followed in his footsteps.

"For King and Fatherland!"

Berengar gazed upon the men gathering before him with a sense of pride as he returned their salute with one of his own and with it the phrase he commonly used in response.

"Hail Victory!"

After doing so, he allowed the commotion to calm down before addressing the members of the Constitutional Convention. 

"If there are no disagreements, then I will conclude this Constitutional Convention, and we will hereby ratify this document as the basis of our Government!"

With this said, the crowd erupted into cheers; after several days of agonizing debate, they had finally come to a unanimous agreement on the roles of government and the liberties of the people. While this government may appear restrictive to the people of Berengar's past life, it was undoubtedly the most liberal that had ever been seen in this medieval world. 

Of course, in the end, under the guise of national security and the power of Royal Edicts, the Royal Crown of Austria still held significant authority to do as it pleased with the country. Thus, in reality, Berengar's power was not limited in any meaningful capacity that might prevent him from instituting the reforms he deemed necessary for society. 

What this Constitutional Convention managed to create was a sense of belonging by all members of society, as if all classes were represented in the creation of this new form of government, rather than having the King draft it by himself.

As Berengar returned to his palace, he began to wonder if a true liberal republic would ever present itself in this world that he had so drastically altered. After all, with the overwhelming power and technological superiority of the future German Empire, would the other Nations seek to emulate his Semi-Constitutional Monarchy? Would the age of Enlightenment and its ideals ever come to pass?

When he considered the fact that his society would one day be the envy of the world, with principles based upon the ideas of collectivism, militarism, meritocracy, and autarky. How would the ideas of liberty and individualism ever sprout when his people realized that under the reign of their Monarchs, they had been uplifted to a state where the average man lived a better life than that of foreign nobles. 

He thought of these questions as he opened the door to his palace and entered inside. As he had suspected, his family was waiting for him, with different expressions. Linde was concerned that he may have ceded too much power from himself in an attempt to appease the masses, while Adela was happy that he was taking steps to ensure the rights of the common people. 

On the other hand, Honoria simply did not care about the constitutional convention as it would not affect her or her children. Instead, she was just happy that her husband was home so that she could fool around with him. Thus she was the first to approach him and plant a kiss on his lips while whispering in his ear.

"Welcome home, daddy!"

Berengar by now had become accustomed to the intimate expression that the young princess used to refer to him and stroked her purple hair as he embraced her. Following this, his other wives followed suit in an attempt to one-up one another, each kissing him, before referring to him by their affectionate nicknames. 

However, in the next moment, something unexpected happened; Henrietta ran up and hugged him before planting a kiss on his cheek; after doing so, she rested her head in his chest before saying the words contained deep within her youthful heart.

"Welcome home, big brother!"

Berengar was confused, his sister did not normally behave in such an overly affectionate manner akin to his lovers. In fact, for a while now, she has been purposely instigating conflict between his wives, yet now all of a sudden, she followed the way they welcomed him upon returning home. He was just thankful that she didn't kiss him on the lips, or else he would have to have an awkward conversation with the girl about boundaries. 

Due to how intoxicated he was, Berengar had forgotten entirely what he witnessed during the time he had played poker with his sister. Thus he could not rationally think of why her behavior was so sporadic throughout these past few months. However, he decided not to dwell on it and quickly pet her golden hair before shifting the subject.

"So, what is for dinner?"

While Berengar may not know what was going on in his little sister's mind, Linde had begun to gaze at the young girl with suspicion. Henrietta had single-handedly stolen the spotlight as she gained the majority of Berengar's affection. The veteran spymaster began to consider that quite possibly, Henrietta was not the little rabbit that she had always thought of her as, but instead was a sly fox. 

Berengar was a rational and logical man. Because of this, he had never considered the possibility that maybe Henrietta was beginning to develop feelings for him. After all, she had been cooped up in the Castle her entire life. Because of this, the girl had limited interaction with people outside her family, and they were all the girls from her school. 

Her two brothers were the only males she had ever interacted with in any significant capacity who was remotely close to her age. With Lambert dead and Berengar being the only man in her life, naturally, as she entered her teenage years and began puberty, she had started to entertain some taboo ideas. 

One thing was certain if Berengar did not find a proper suitor for his sister soon, she was bound to act upon her incestuous fantasies, which was something that could only bring trouble for the young Monarch. However, he did not know any of this, and as such, he brought his family to the dining area, where they enjoyed a meal in peace. The only person in the room who had begun to suspect Henrietta's intentions was Linde, whose gaze never left the young girl's sight. 

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