Chapter 270 - Preparing For A Journey
Chapter 270 – Preparing For A Journey
The Emirate of Granada, the last Muslim Kingdom in Europe; In Berengar's past life, fell to the Spanish in 1492; with the fall of Granada and having gained access to the Strait of Gibraltar, the Spanish hired explorers to set sail for parts unknown.
The results of this were the fact that a man named Christopher Columbus rediscovered the Americas after such knowledge was lost following Leif Erikson's expedition to Vinland. This discovery resulted in the expansion of European power and plenty of previously unknown resources finding their way into Europe.
However, in this timeline, the year is currently 1419, and the Emirate of Granda is still standing. Compared to its Catholic neighbors, it has been dramatically weakened from centuries of warfare. Despite this, things were about to change for the tiny Muslim Kingdom on the southern edge of Iberia.
Berengar had great plans in place for Granada. To put it simply the mighty Duke of Austria needed allies, and to him, the enemy of his enemy was his friend. Considering how zealous the Iberian Catholics were, it only made sense to make use of their longest-lasting enemy. As such, Berengar had prepared a trade envoy with his new merchant fleets over the past few months, making waves within the Emirate.
His intent was simple, establish diplomatic ties to the Emirate of Granada and arm them with sufficient weaponry.. The purpose was to distract the Iberian Catholics when the time came for the Crusade against the German Reformation.
After months of working hard to get the attention of the Grenada royal family, Berengar had finally caught their interest. At the moment, Berengar was seated on his Ducal Throne, where he read the letter in his hands.
This letter was from Sultan Hasan Al-Fadl, the current Sultan of the Emirate of Granada. This document addressed the desire to meet with Berengar in person, and upon reading its contents, a delighted smile formed on Berengar's lips.
After months of hard work, he had finally gotten the invitation that he craved. As such, he was eager to set sail as quickly as possible. Due to the diplomatic nature of the visit, Berengar would not be taking one of his frigates on his journey to the Emirate of Granada.
Instead, he would employ one of the many full-masted clippers he had designed for his merchant fleet. Such a ship was faster than any warship and would allow Berengar to safely reach the Iberian coastline even if he were pursued by hostile vessels.
After reading the letter Berengar raised from his seat, he knew his faults in regards to diplomacy. He was an incredibly prideful man who did not tolerate ultimatums or threats. To such things his usual response was violence. Due to his lack of ability in regards to diplomacy, he desired to bring someone along with him who could effectively nullify his naturally brazen attitude.
From what he knew, there was only one person he trusted to convey his best intent calmly and effectively. As such, he headed to his study, where he took out a piece of parchment and wrote a letter to a fifteen-year-old girl whom he had been neglecting for far too long.
The letter was addressed to Adela, and for the first time, Berengar planned to use her natural talents. As such, he sent the letter to his young fiancee informing her of the desire to take her with him to the Emirate of Granada to aid him in his diplomatic efforts.
It was also an excuse to spend some time with the woman who would become first among his wives. He quickly sent a letter explaining his circumstances and the desire to meet with her in Trieste, where he planned to sail with her to Granada.
After doing so, he immediately began to prepare for his excursion. The first matter of business was informing his two lovers of his departure. As such, he quickly left to find them; after searching around the castle for some time, Berengar found Honoria and Linde in his newborn daughter's room.
The two young women were playing with Hans and his little sister, who Linde had given birth to a couple of months prior. The little girl had a similar appearance to Hans, in so far that she had pale skin, strawberry blonde hair, and sapphire eyes.
The infant child was no older than two months and was being exceptionally doted upon by both Linde and Honoria; as for Hans, he had begun to act up because he was not getting the attention from his mother that he had previously acquired.
Hans had grown not only in body but in mind throughout this past year, he was over two years old now, and he was already beginning to read and write. He could speak in simple sentences and had displayed exceptional intelligence.
So much so that Berengar was beginning to question whether or not the boy was reincarnated like himself. However, he highly doubted such a thing for one simple reason. Despite the boy's high intelligence, he still behaved like a small child; he showed no sign of maturity and wisdom that a child with the memories of a past life would typically have.
So unless this kid was the reincarnation of an evil mastermind who decided to behave like a small child to blend in, then the likelihood of him being a transmigrator was slim. Still ever being the cautious man, Berengar kept a close eye on Hans and his behavior while he was able to do so.
After standing in the doorway for a few moments in silence, his two beautiful lovers finally noticed Berengar's presence and beckoned him over to their side. However, the young duke merely shook his head before responding with his intentions.
"I will be journeying to the Emirate of Granada for a diplomatic visit. I will be gone for some time; I just wanted to let you know. "
Linde nodded her head as she heard this; she was aware of Berengar's plan to ally with Granada and was well prepared for his leave of absence. Honoria, on the other hand, stood up from her spot with sparkling eyes.
"When do we set sail?"
She had assumed that she would be tagging along, considering that she was an experienced sailor by now. However, Berengar merely shook his head before responding to Honoria's comments.
"I am not taking you with me. Though you have begun to improve your acting skills, it is far too risky for you to follow me to Granada. If the Sultan were to find out about your identity, it could cause problems. For now, you should focus on finding your crew members. I promise I won't be gone for long."
Upon hearing this, Honoria began to pout in silence. She felt that Berengar was leaving too soon after mending the rift between them; especially after they had finally become an official couple. Nevertheless, she felt pleased knowing that no other woman would be accompanying him, utterly unaware that Berengar intended to drag Adela along with him.
After informing the two young women about his plans, Linde was the one to bring up a critical point of contention.
"So if you are leaving tomorrow, then who will you spend your last night with before your trip?"
Honoria was also curious about this, and both of the girls gazed at Berengar with pleading glances. Upon seeing this, Berengar began to chuckle as he approached the two women and grabbed ahold of them each with one arm before dragging them into his embrace where he made sure to grab ahold of their bountiful breasts.
"Is it too much to ask for both?"
Linde began to blush and cast her glance to the side as she heard this; as for Honoria, she shoved Berengar away and crossed her arms before pouting. It would appear the girl would need more convincing before Berengar could coax her into a threesome. When faced with such difficulties, Berengar gave his decree.
"I guess I will have to go with Linde then; sweetheart, put the kids to bed, and then we can go have our fun."
After saying this, Linde began to do as instructed, and Honoria scurried off in disgust. She was leaving Berengar and Linde behind with their two kids. As Berengar watched Honoria's fine behind pass through the door, he called out to her.
"You know where to find us if you change your mind!"
However, Honoria said nothing in response to this and rushed towards her quarters. As for Berengar and Linde, they put their kids to bed before absconding to the bedroom, where the couple had their usual fun.
The next day, Berengar would travel to Istria to meet with Adela and set sail towards the Iberian coast. He had plenty of work cut out for him if he wanted to succeed in establishing an alliance with the Sultan.
One thing was sure; he could finally spend some quality time with his future wife. He was ashamed that he could not spend as much time with Adela when compared to the degree he spent with his lovers. Thus he looked forward to the upcoming diplomatic visit to the Emirate of Granada and hoped that Adela would too.