Chapter 348: Industrial Innovations (2/2)

Berengar gazed upon these plans with a wide smile on his face. For now, he simply needed to know where they were located. He had no intentions to immediately hand these blueprints over to his garment district, after all, it would be some time before his arms factories were modernized, and the number of steam engines he could field in the near future was small. Thus he had to prioritize which sectors would be mechanized first.

Berengar knew it would take months before Kufstein's weapons factories were fully mechanized and years before all of Austria followed its path. It was only after the former had been achieved that he intended to introduce these blueprints to his textile sector.

With this in mind, Berengar put his designs away in a safe and memorable place before departing from his study. The moment he did, so he saw Adela standing outside the door with a tray of cookies and milk in her hands. Berengar was surprised to see the young maiden at his study so late into the evening; despite his concerns, he immediately allowed her inside. It was clear that she had something on her mind to discuss.

After sitting back down at his desk, Berengar made space for the tray of the desert, where he instantly began to snack on a ginger snap. As he did so, he commented on Adela's arrival.

”What brings you to my study at this hour?”

Adela sat down next to Berengar and stared him in the eyes before uttering the words.

”We need to talk...”

Berengar swallowed the bit of cookie he had bitten into and drained it down with a gulp of milk before asking the question on his mind.

”What about?”

As Adela heard this, she instantly became fidgety as she played with her fingers. After doing so for several moments, she decided it would be best to blurt out her concerns and get it over with.

”Did you buy engagement rings for Linde and Honoria?”

When Berengar heard this, he instantly became aware of what Adela was afraid of, and as such, grasped ahold of her dainty hands and looked into her deep sapphire eyes before nodding his head silently. After a few moments of silence, he began to explain his reasoning.

”The truth is, during the night of my coronation, I negotiated my marriage to Honoria with her father. Seeing that she and I are now officially engaged, I thought it was inappropriate for her to walk around without a symbol of our union.”

Adela bit her lip ever so slightly as she heard this before nodding her head. She understood the reasons for doing so, though she wasn't happy about it. In her mind, The Byzantine Emperor discovering Honoria's presence forced Berengar to negotiate for their engagement. However, she still had her doubts about the situation at hand, and as such, asked the second thought she had on her mind.

”What about Linde? You gave her one too?”

In response to this, Berengar scratched the back of his neck and told Adela the truth of the matter behind his decision to do so.

”Since I had decided that I was going to give Honoria a ring, I knew that I added to give Linde one as well. After all, she is my second wife and the mother of my children. It would break her heart if I only got Honoria an engagement ring.”

After saying this, Berengar grabbed ahold of Adela and shoved her into his embrace. While doing so, he stroked her golden hair gently before reassuring her of the position she held in his heart.

”You don't need to worry so much, my little Adela. You will always be my main wife. In a matter of days, we will be married, and you will be the High Queen of Austria, and when we do, I promise to spend our entire wedding night with you alone. By the time I marry Linde and Honoria as my second and third wives, we will already be man and wife for several months.”

After hearing this, Adela began to smile; she liked the idea of lording this fact over her rivals' heads for a few months. As such, she wrapped her arms around Berengar's neck and began to kiss him passionately. It was only after several moments did Adela break apart from Berengar's loving embrace, where she spoke in a playful tone.

”Okay... Since you said it, I am going to hold you to your words!”

Berengar smiled in response to his fiancee's determination before responding in an equally spirited tone.

”I wouldn't have it any other way!”

After saying that, Adela picked up the tray she had arrived with and left Berengar by his lonesome. Though she wanted to spend the night with him, she had made a promise to herself that she would only do so after they had gotten married. Besides, she had gotten the reassurance that she had needed.

Though Berengar had no way of knowing it, his words on this night would inspire Adela to take a more assertive approach to his other wives. As Berengar had said, Adela would be his primary wife, and she decided it was about time to act like it.

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