Chapter 457 - Family Reunion Part I (1/2)

Months had passed since that fateful day when Berengar entered into a relationship with his sister in secret, and things had become normal once more. Though he worked tirelessly behind the scenes to find an appropriate suitor for Henrietta, it was not as easy as he was initially led to believe.

Due to his fearsome reputation as a conqueror and a man with a severe sister complex, it was difficult to find any man worthy of his sister who had the stones to pursue the Austrian Princess. Thus at the moment, he was overseeing various dossiers compiled by Linde on men of high nobility or merit who could be considered acceptable suitors for Henrietta.

However, as he was glancing over these documents, a slight knock resounded upon the thick wooden door, interrupting his studies. Thus the young monarch elected to take a short break as he looked over at the intrusion before replying to the person whose identity was concealed on the other side of the door.

”What is it?”

Immediately he heard a somewhat irritated yet feminine voice behind the door, who he knew to belong to none other than his Second Wife, Linde.

”Master, your parents are here...”

Immediately Berengar rose from his seat before approaching the door; upon opening it, he witnessed the captivating sight of his beautiful redheaded bride. She was not very happy with her in-law's arrival, and Berengar did not blame her; after all, his mother had treated her quite cruelly in the past, and since their marriage, things had not gotten any better. Thus without hesitation, Berengar assumed his role as mediator between the two women and gave his wife an order.

”Lead the way!”

Linde nodded silently before leading her husband to the Dining Hall, where the entire family was gathered. An awkward silence prevailed in the room, aside from the sound of Sieghard speaking with Yasmin about how she had come to marry his son in secret.

”I have honestly never found tan skin to be attractive myself, but I must say you are gorgeous! My son is a lucky man to have a Moorish Princess as another one of his brides!”

Immediately upon saying this, Gisela glared at her husband, while she was playing with Adela's twins. She could not believe that the man supported their son's outlandish behavior. As far as she was concerned, Berengar had one wife, her niece.

Eventually, she noticed her son's arrival and glared at him menacingly as he entered the room. Though Berengar had no idea what he had done to invoke his mother's ire this time, he was glad to see that she at least remained civil with his various brides. Thus the Austrian King put on a broad smile as he greeted his parents, whom he had not seen in some time.

”Father, Mother, it is good to see you here in my home! I assume you are here to visit your grandchildren?”

Immediately Gisela handed off the twins to their mother before she approached her son and grabbed ahold of his ears as she yanked on it with force. The moment she did so, Berengar winced in pain as she began to rebuke him for his actions.

”You little bastard! You end up having children with your wife, and you don't even write a letter to inform us! I had to find out via the local newspaper, and they are far behind on the Capital's events! The next time you and your wife have children, you write me a letter ASAP. Do you understand me?”

Upon saying this small rant, the woman let go of her grasp over her son's ear, resulting in the young King rubbing it with a pained expression. He silently nodded his head in response to his mother's harsh words.

”Yes, mother...”

Upon witnessing this interaction, Henrietta smiled and giggled; no matter how powerful her precious big brother became, he would always react the same around their mother. It was good to know that though he had grown more ambitious with his ever-increasing power, fundamentally, he was still the same kind and caring big brother she had always known and loved.

As for Berengar's brides had mixed expressions; they noticed how the old Baroness had used the term ”wife” rather than ”wives” and were less than pleased with her assertion. Despite this, Adela walked over to her Aunt, with the twins in her arms, and smiled.

”Aunty Gisela, it is always nice to see you!”

The two women appeared to be on better terms than all the others, including the mother and daughter. Henrietta bit her lip as she witnessed her cousin getting along with her mother. She was not exactly on the best terms with her parents after they moved to the countryside and left her in the care of her brother all those years ago.

Upon seeing the awkward display, Berengar decided to get involved; as such, he approached his wife and mother and hugged the two of them before trying to soothe the tensions between them, his other wives, and his sister.

”Mother, it is good to see you. Have you said hello to Henrietta yet? She has grown into quite the beautiful young woman in your absence!”