Chapter 182: Taking Advantage of a Crisis

After Berengar shared an awkward meal with his inlaws, he and Count Otto finally moved into the old Count's study, where they could communicate about the issues at hand. Count Otto was aware that Berengar was primarily here to see Adela, but officially the young Count was in Graz to discuss business; as such, the two men quickly got to the issues at hand, with Count Otto taking the lead.

"So Count Berengar, tell me what is so important that you would cross a battlefield just to speak with me in person?"

Berengar smiled at the way his uncle addressed him, in a formal setting such as this, referring to Berengar by his noble title was a way to show respect to his position; Berengar followed in a suit when he gave his reply.

"Count Otto, I am here to address the ongoing crisis in the borders of Austria, by now the Bavarians have taken Vienna, and occupy large portions of Upper Austria, Lower Austria, Salzburg, and Kärnten, the only three Counties left that are remotely intact are that of our regions, and Vorarlberg. As such, I have come to request your assistance in resisting Bavarian Tyranny."

Count Otto narrowed his eyes at Berengar, he was not yet aware that Vienna had fallen, nor the consequences it had; after all, he did not have a spy in the Duke's Court. Thus he was unaware of what had recently transpired. As such, he attempted to clarify his confusion.

"Since when did Vienna fall?"

Berengar was aware that his uncle was in the dark of the recent developments in the war for Austria. As such, he quickly informed the mighty Count of the information that he was privy to.

"The Castle of Vienna fell a few days ago. If everything has gone as planned, then my agents were able to smuggle out one of the late Duke Wilmar's heirs before the rest were executed, thus sparing the main Habsburg line from the brutality of Duke Dietger. When he arrives in Kufstein, I plan to establish a government in exile so that we may fully resist the oppression that Duke Dietger and his army of Bavarians bring forth!"

Count Otto noticed that Berengar was sure of the outcome, despite not providing any substantial evidence; thus he questioned him further.

"Do you have any evidence of these claims?"

In response to this, Bernegar merely chuckled before responding to his Uncle's interrogation, he was confident enough in his spy network that they had succeeded in their endeavors. After all, he was traveling to Graz while they were at work rescuing Conrad from the Bavarians, so he had no way to know for certain if everything went according to plan. 

"Admittedly at the moment I am lacking in evidence, however, I am confident in the ability of my underlings. In the upcoming days, I am certain that my claims will become public knowledge. So until you can confirm my words for yourself, why don't we act as if they are the truth, and plan accordingly?"

Though Count Otto was uncertain about whether or not Berengar's claims were true, the sheer confidence the young man had to make plans based on the assumption that everything had gone according to his desires was enough to convince Otto that the likelihood of such an outcome was high. As such he sighed in response to this news and voice his innermost thoughts.

"So my worst fears have become realized. Tell me which of Wilmar's heirs did you rescue?"

Berengar smirked as he revealed the name of the heir that he had specifically chosen to save from the Bavarians' wrath.

"Conrad..."

Immediately Count Otto's face twisted as he heard those words; he was well aware that Conrad was by no means fit to rule the Duchy of Austria. As a wise man, he could already guess what Berengar was planning; as such, he immediately began to protest.

"You saved the youngest and least competent of Wilmar's heirs so that he can be your puppet while you possess the real power behind the throne?"

Berengar did not deny the charges. Instead, his lips curved into a sinister smile before he professed his guilt to the man who questioned him.

"I am afraid that I am, in fact, guilty of the charges you lay before me. However, let us be brutally honest with ourselves here. Do you genuinely believe that in the entire realm, there is anyone that is more fit to lead our Duchy than myself during these darkest of days?" 

Count Otto had a hard time believing that Berengar would outright admit to his schemes, but it appeared as if the young Count was unafraid of the consequences in doing so; after all, he knew that his uncle would not reveal his plots, nor side against him.

The two men were related by blood. They also shared a similar goal: to reunite Austria; if Otto opposed Berengar's wishes, he would create a civil war between the Austrian nobility who remained free from Bavarian occupation.

In such an event were to occur, Otto knew that Berengar would ultimately be the victor and would likely succeed in his efforts to repel the Bavarian invaders. Either way, Berengar would install a puppet on the ducal throne of Austria and claim power for himself.  Resisting such an inevitable outcome was an act of futility.

Thus Count Otto sighed heavily before accepting the result; he recognized that by not seizing the opportunity to break the Bavarian siege of Vienna, he had played right into Berengar's hands, allowing the young man to usurp the power of the Duchy for himself.

Indeed his nephew was an ambitious and cruel man. Nevertheless, by marrying his youngest daughter off to Berengar, Otto ensured that his Dynasty would also rise alongside that of the von Kufstein's. As such, Otto had no plans to spoil his young nephew's endeavors. After agreeing with Berengar's schemes, he quickly asked the question on his mind.

"So, what is it that you need of me?"

Berengar once more grinned as he heard the result, the look in his eye was that of an evil mastermind who was pleased that his ambitions were progressing smoothly. Thus, he answered Otto's thoughts without delay.

"It is simple; I need you to endorse me openly; I fear that despite my stern warning, Conrad might still be a bit upset over the fact that I am engaged to the woman he fancies. What I need of you, the father of the said woman is to help convince Conrad that I am the best choice for the position of regent. There is little doubt in my mind that he will try to select you to fulfill that role, even if it is out of spite."

Count Otto nodded his head in agreement; Berengar's concerns were a likely outcome if left to their natural events. If that were the case he would do his best to convince the spoiled brat that Berengar was the best man for the job; however, another worry instantly appeared in Otto's mind as he thought about Berengar's schemes. Thus he voiced his concerns.

"What about the Count of Vorarlberg? Surely he would be a potential candidate for the position."

However, Berengar's reaction surprised Count Otto as the young man merely laughed at his worries before replying with an arrogant expression.

"Do not worry, the Count of Vorarlberg owes me a significant debt for sending troops to his aid; there is also the fact that so long as my armies are on his soil defending his lands, he will never oppose my wishes. The consequences of doing so would be dire, to say the least..."

Count Otto was not a foolish man; he immediately realized the threat that Berengar hid behind his words. If the Count of Vorarlberg were to vie for the position of regent, Berengar would turn his armies defending the borders of Vorarlberg to attacking its capital.

The middle-aged Count instantly realized that allowing Berengar's troops military access to his lands was a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they were powerful enough to defeat any potential invading force and could be a great ally. However, in the very next minute, they could be enemies and deal far more damage to his lands than any other army in the world. 

After realizing this, Otto nodded his head in agreement and said no more; he would do as Berengar wished. After all, so long as Adela was set to marry Berengar, they would remain allies, and Berengar was a powerful ally to have.

After thinking about Adela's position, Otto immediately remembered his concerns from breakfast. He quickly began to shift the subject so that he could find out the exact nature of Berengar's relationship with Ava.

"So now that we have that settled, I have a question I would like to ask you if you do not mind?"

Berengar was caught off guard by this and raised his eyebrows in response, realizing it had nothing to do with his plans, his curiosity was peaked, and thus, he entertained Otto's questioning.

"Go ahead; I have nothing to hide."

After receiving his nephew's approval to interrogate, Otto quickly asked the question on his mind.

"What exactly happened between you and Ava, for her to be behaving so strangely this morning while we were eating breakfast?"

Berengar immediately broke out into laughter when he heard such a comment; Otto was not like his own father; he had a critical eye for social issues and quickly noticed something was amiss; however, the man was overthinking it, because of such confusion Berengar decided to clarify the issue before it turned into something serious.

"Trust me, Uncle, I am not interested in Ava; this is a misunderstanding. She forgot to lock the door to the bath, and I accidentally walked in on her; of course, I immediately retreated when I saw such a thing. However, she later came to find me in my room and attempted to seduce me, where I thoroughly rejected her. She is in a poor mood because I implied I had no interest in a used woman."

A giant scowl formed on Otto's face; if one looked closely, one could even see a vein appearing on his forehead. Though he was not Angry for the reasons Berengar thought, it was only when the man revealed the reason for his fury in the form of a question did Berengar thoroughly understand why his uncle was so upset.

"She did what?"

Berengar had anticipated the man being enraged at him for walking in on his daughter while she was bathing, but instead, he was more concerned with his eldest daughter's actions. Thus Berengar decided to add fuel to the fire to punish Ava for acting so arrogantly.

"She tried to seduce me. Honestly, I don't believe she has any interest in me personally. Instead, I think she is jealous of the relationship between Adela and myself and is simply trying to create drama. For a woman who is married and has three children, she acts like a child..."

After hearing this news, Otto sat down in the chair next to him; he needed a breather; why was it that so many of his children were trying to vex him into an early grave? After taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down, Otto quickly replied to Berengar.

"Thank you for being honest with me; I will take care of this matter so that she does not cause you or her sister any further insult." 

Afterward, the man walked out of the room in a fit of fury. Berengar merely grinned at the sight while thinking to himself.

'You have brought this upon yourself Ava, if you were not such a harlot trying to seduce your sister's fiance, you would not be in such a position.'

Thus Berengar and Otto's meeting for future events had concluded; all that was left for Berengar's visit to Graz was to spend time with his darling little fiancee.