Chapter 193: You Will Be Home Before the Leaves Fall From the Trees (2/2)
”Now, go rest, for tomorrow we march to war!”
After hearing Berengar's orders, the high-ranking officers all began to head towards their quarters, where they all rested for the night. Berengar, on the other hand, had a private drink with Eckhard; he would finally reveal his schemes to become Duke to his most trusted General.
Eckhard knew something was suspicious from the start; after hearing that Conrad was saved by Berengar and brought to Kufstein for safety, he knew Berengar was plotting something serious; though he did not know what.
Berengar brought two mugs of beer over to the table where Eckhard was sitting hat before he sat down. After doing so, he handed a mug to Eckhard and began to drink from his own. It was only after the two had tasted the beer that Berengar began to address Eckhard with a grave expression.
”I will be Duke of Austria soon enough.”
Eckhard merely laughed as he heard these words; Berengar's ambitions were never satisfied; as such, he began to ask Berengar what his plan was.
”How do you plan to do that? Last I checked, Conrad was the Duke...”
Berengar was utterly frank with Eckhard, and as such, he told the truth.
”After I have won that boy's wars for him, I will continue to be his Regent; during this time, he will be slowly poisoned until the point of severe illness, it may be years, but before that boy turns sixteen, he will croak. Leaving me as Regent in a position to sweep in and usurp his title.”
Eckhard gazed at Berengar with a shocked expression on his face. Before leaning in and whispering to him
”You are going to poison a child?”
Berengar merely took a drink from his mug before answering Eckhard's question.
”It is either that or I will be forced to start a civil war.”
Eckhard looked at Berengar with a sense of disdain before asking Berengar another question.
”You want to be Duke so badly that you would kill an innocent child?”
Berengar shook his head and looked sternly at Eckhard before he began to lecture him.
”The boy covets my fiancee; the moment he gains any real authority by becoming a Duke, he will demand I hand her over to him; by that point, Adela will be my wife, and I will refuse to do so. He will try to have me killed for resisting his orders, and I will raise an army to fight him.”
Eckhard could not believe Berengar was willing to throw the Duchy into another Chaotic war all for a woman; as such, he tried to reason with Berengar since this was the justification Berengar had used for his actions, Eckhard would be sure to offer an alternative solution.
”You could just give the girl over to the boy; after all, you already have Linde, just marry her and legitimize your child!”
Berengar shook his head while taking another sip; after doing so, Eckhard grew furious and pounded his fist on the table before screaming at Berengar.
”Give me one good reason not to!”
Berengar glared at the man fiercely before answering him
”Because I love her!”
hearing this, Eckhard scoffed; seeing that the man was displeased with his plans, Berengar decided to pose a philosophical question.
”Eckhard, with all your infinite wisdom, explain to me why it is more righteous to have thousands of men die on the battlefield than it is to poison a single child?”
With those words, Eckhard stared at Berengar with disbelief. He honestly did not know how to answer that question. Berengar decided to add salt to the wound as he further pressed Eckhard, he pointed to the door while doing so.
”Why do the lives of those men not matter as much as Conrad's? Whether it is to secure Adela's hand in marriage or fulfill my great ambitions, it truly does not matter. If I can spare the life of a single one of my soldiers by poisoning Conrad, then I will do it! You would to best to remember where your loyalties lie. It is not just to me, but the men, women, and children beneath my rule, and if I can spare them the pain of war by engaging in a bit of evil, then I will gladly do so.”
Eckhard drained the mug of beer down his gullet before pouring another one, where he proceeded to consume its contents rapidly. It was only after he had chugged three beers and wiped the foam from his beard that he decided to say his final thoughts on the matter.
”You are right! I am sorry, I find it a bit cruel to poison a child, but you are right, as always. Even if you were willing to give up on Adela, put aside your ambitions, by allowing Conrad to be Duke that would only bring disaster to our lands, that boy is not fit to rule our people, but you are!”
Hearing Eckhard finally agreed to his plans, Berengar smiled and patted him on the back.
”Go get some rest, old friend; we will be marching to war at dawn.”
With that said, Eckhard smiled before departing, leaving Berengar by his lonesome. It was only after Eckhard was long gone that Berengar began to think thought about the actions he would have to take before reaching the heights of his ambition. In doing so, his lips turned into a sinister smile before voicing his thoughts aloud.
”For the path that I walk upon, poisoning a child is but a drop in the well. Oh, my dear friend Eckhard, I am destined to do far worse in the future. Yet, in the end, by doing so, I shall establish global hegemony for my Dynasty!”