Chapter 87: Counter Conspiracy (1/2)

Linde sat in her quarter's within the Castle of Kufstein; she received a letter which was written from her sister; in this letter, it described the scene in which Adelheid had witnessed and their father's treachery. The girl twirled a strand of her strawberry blonde hair in boredom as she read the words. She suspected sooner or later her father would betray her lover; it was only a matter of time before the Church offered him something he could not refuse.

After reading the words the Letter contained, Linde burned it before leaving her room, seeking out Berengar to inform him of the crucial issue at hand. Before long, she found Berengar in his father's study reviewing the ledgers on his grand infrastructure initiative. When Linde arrived in the study with a worried expression, he could guess that her sister had reported some troublesome news, and as such, he immediately inquired about the details.

”Well, don't keep me waiting...”

Linde immediately shut the door behind her and informed Berengar of the matters reported to her.

”The Bishop of Innsbruck has promised my father the Prince-Bisophric of Chur so long as he aids in the invasion of your realm when the time comes. He has accepted these terms, and thus in doing so, betrayed you.”

Berengar contemplated what this meant for a few moments; the Teutonic Order was sure to send a large army to enter his lands, but with the Count of Tyrol, on the other hand, would at best send a small punitive task force. He had greater ambitions than to gain the city of Chur, and by the time the Teutonic Order could muster a force to attack Kufstein, the Kingdom would either be on the brink of civil war or fully engaged in it. This truly did not change Berengar's plans all that much. In fact, this could be considered a blessing in disguise; by betraying Berengar and the alliance they had formed, Count Lothar was giving him a justifiable reason to invade his territory as such, Berengar decided at that moment on his plans to usurp the County of Tyrol from Linde's father. A wicked grin spread across his face as he thought of such things, confusing Linde as that was not the reaction she was anticipating, forcing her to ask why he was behaving so oddly.

”Why the hell are you smiling? Isn't this a serious matter?”

Berengar could not help but further smile at Linde's response, but ultimately he decided to inform her of the changes to his plans.

”Actually quite the contrary, this is wonderful news!”

Linde looked at her lover and master as if he were a lunatic before expressing her doubts.

”How could this possibly be considered wonderful news?”

Berengar got up from his seat and approached Linde, where he began to rub her shoulders as he explained the depths of his plots.

”Your father will at most send a few hundred men to honor the alliance with the Church. The reason being is that he can't afford to lose many men here in Kufstein, he has already threatened me once, and I easily repelled the bluff by addressing this point. The safety of Kufstein will be secured either way. On the contrary, this gives me a justified reason to march on Innsbruck and usurp his title when he is off at war trying to usurp the Duchy!”

Linde's gaze shifted from one of looking at a madman to looking at a genius. She struggled to believe Berengar came up with such a diabolical scheme directly after hearing about the news she thought was disastrous. This was why he was the man she had chosen, gentle but firm to his loved ones while being utterly ruthless to his enemies as a true man should be!