Chapter 249: A Jealous Lover (1/2)

After having his little discussion with Honoria, Berengar sent her away from his office, claiming that he had work to do. She was happy to oblige and thus left Berengar alone in the room. Not long after Linde arrived and appeared rather upset, the moment she closed the door behind her, Berengar knew he was in trouble.

Linde stood before Berengar's desk while staring him down; after a few moments of awkward silence, she sighed before sitting down and resting her pretty face on the palm of her hand before speaking.

”I can't leave you alone with the girl, can I?”

Berengar had a worried expression on his face, he was well aware of how dangerous Linde could be when she was upset, and though it was a misunderstanding, she would not easily believe him. Thus he tried to explain his innocence to his lover.

”I swear I am innocent, I simply did her a favor, and she latched onto me like a leech; how was I supposed to know she is so clingy?”

Linde's sky blue eyes stared at Berengar with a curious gaze before she asked the question on her mind.

”You did her a favor, huh? What might that be?”

Berengar had nothing to hide, and as such, he explained the conversation he had with Honoria.

”I merely told that since she was interested in sailing, I could hire someone to teach her how to sail a riverboat properly. If she was interested further, I could always send her to the Naval Academy I am building sometime in the future.”

Linde had a hard time believing Berengar's words; after all, the girl was clinging to him so tightly, and thus she narrowed her gaze at Berengar to see if he was lying. Though Berengar was nervous, he was innocent of any foul play, and as such, he returned Linde's glare with one of grit.

Seeing how Berengar wasn't lying, Linde sighed before giving him a friendly warning.

”Don't let that little vixen dig her claws into your heart; if she turns out to be the Byzantine Princess, it could only bring trouble...”

Berengar nodded his head in response as if he understood Linde's message. Though in reality, he had begun to reconsider his options regarding this so-called ”Lady Valeria.” If the girl was Princess Honoria, then several paths presented themselves on how to proceed.

Linde was no fool the moment she saw Berengar nod his head, the look in his eyes flashed from being genuine to being deceitful, and thus she glared at him before demanding answers from him.

”Just what is it that you are thinking in that scheming mind of yours?”

When Berengar heard that Linde had already discovered he was plotting something, he smiled bitterly before revealing this thought.

”I can't hide anything from you, can I? Fine, I will tell you my schemes.”

Hearing this, Berengar poured himself and his lover a drink as they began to chat about his plans. He ran a chalice of fortified wine for himself, but since he and Linde aimed to have another child, he poured her a cup filled with water.

”Let's say that the girl is Princess Honoria; aside from appeasing the Byzantines and preventing a diplomatic crisis, what can we possibly gain from shipping her back to the Empire?”

When Linde heard this, she thought about it for a few moments and answered her question.

”We could potentially gain their gratitude, further increasing the amount of trade we have with them? Isn't that enough?”

When Berengar heard this, he wagged his finger and clicked his tongue.

”Tsk tsk tsk... You are thinking too small, my dear. If she is the Princess and has fallen for me, why not take advantage of this and have a son with her? If I do this, my Dynasty gains a claim to the Byzantine Empire, a weak claim sure, but enough to depose the next Emperor if he proves hostile to us.”

Linde looked at Berengar as if she were speaking to a madman before expressing the thoughts on her mind.

”That is a little risky. If the Byzantines find out we are harboring their runaway Princess with the intent for you to make her into another one of your consorts, they will surely take action against us!”

To this, Berengar leaned back in his chair and smiled before speaking his opinion on the matter.