Chapter 347: An Awkward Family Dinner (2/2)

When that happens, you will be eligible to succeed in my throne if you meet the criteria as an efficient leader. Of course, if you desire such a thing, then you must work hard because I will have many children, and only the fittest to rule shall become King.”

When Hans heard this answer, he was further confused; he inquired further about the issue at hand with an innocent expression on his face.

”I thought you were going to marry Miss Adela? How are you also going to marry Mommy?”

Berengar could feel the leering gazes of all three of his women set upon him as he struggled to come up with an answer to satisfy them all. As for Henrietta, she was silently eating her meal, trying to avoid getting involved in her brother's affairs. In her eyes, he had made his bed and now had to lie in it.

Adela was not precisely in the best of moods; she was entirely aware of the degree of hedonism that Berengar was engaging in with his two lovers upstairs for the past few hours. Though she disapproved of excessive drinking, drug use, and group sex. She also knew that Berengar had just come home from the horrors of war and needed a way to relax.

Of course, the real issue bothering her was that Honoria and Linde were now wearing their engagement rings, a tradition that Berengar had started with herself. She felt it was wildly inappropriate for Berengar to propose to the two women before she was married.

Thus Adela was staring at Berengar with a gaze filled with fury; However, she had forced herself to remain calm and wait for Berengar's explanation for such things. Now that her fiancee's son, who she also thought of as her own, broached such a question, she was more than curious to find out about the answer.  Berengar, of course, shrugged off the vicious gazes he was getting from his girls and began to explain the complexity of his relationship with them to his young son.

”You see, Hans, in the days of our ancestors, it was not uncommon for men of great wealth and power to have multiple wives. Though with the introduction of Catholicism, we accepted many foreign practices. One of these changes was the law that men could only have one wife. It is my intention as King of Austria to bring back the ways of our forefathers. So you can think of Adela and Honoria as your other mommies...”

The expressions on the girls' faces differed; for Linde and Honoria, they were happy with the result, and as such, they gazed lovingly at Berengar. However, Adela reacted far more poorly; she was greatly displeased that Berengar had neglected to mention her position as the first wife. She was also upset that her children would have to compete with Hans to succeed their father in the future. As such, she glared intensely at Berengar with the fury of a woman scorned.

While this silent battle between Berengar's harem was ongoing, Hans thought about his father's answer for a few moments before he blurted out the first thought that came to his mind.

”Does that mean I get to have milk from my other mommies too!?!”

When Adela heard this, she felt as if she had been struck by lightning and quickly flushed in embarrassment, looking away from Hans' innocently excited expression. Berengar, on the other hand, nearly choked on his food as he struggled to maintain his composure. Linde broke out in laughter; she had never even thought of the idea that her son would be as big as a playboy as his father until now. As for Honoria, she gazed at the kid as if he were the cutest child in the world; thus, she hatched a devilish plot as she began to tease Hans.

”Sure, kiddo, come over to mommy Honoria!”

When Hans heard this, he nearly jumped out of his seat at the opportunity he was presented, but Berengar stopped him before he was able to reach Honoria's open embrace.

”Hans, you've already eaten; we can talk about this later.”

the young boy began to frown as he heard this and was about to object to his father. However, Berengar raised his hand, signaling the boy to be silent, and thus he began to pout in his chair at the cruelty of it all.

Henrietta was gazing at the whole scenario with an amused expression as she continued to eat in silence. She knew for a fact that this was a conversation she did not want to get involved in, and as such, she drank from her wine glass while watching Berengar slowly navigate through the minefield he had created.

The family ate in awkward silence for the rest of the dinner; However, Hans had many more questions about Berengar and his three mothers; despite this, his father had seemed to become uncomfortable and unwilling to discuss it further. As such, he would have to wait for a later date before he could inquire further about the complex nature of Berengar's harem.

---

If you want to support me so that I can commission art of the characters in my novel, as well as maps, coat of arms, and other important illustrations, please visit my Patreon page at

All of the art will be released within my discord server for free.