Berengar stood by the bedside of the frail and aging Byzantine Emperor. The man was on the brink of death, and only his stubborn heart had kept the reaper's embrace away from him for so long. Vetranis voice was cold and raspy, as if his words were spoken by death himself, while he welcomed his son-in-law into his home.
"And here I thought you were going to wait until I entered the grave before finally visiting my home... Well, I suppose that you have some tact after all."
The relationship between Berengar and Vetranis was a complicated one, during the past twenty years there were multiple instances where Berengar had manipulated the Byzantine Emperor into doing his bidding, and as a result, there were definitely some old wounds that had never quite healed properly.
Berengar, however, did not respond to the disrespect he had just received, at least not how one would expect a man in his position to do so. Instead, he understood that these were the dying words of an old man, and thus he simply smirked before retorting to Vetranis' words with a quip of his own.
"You called me all the way to this city, just to say that? Come on, old man, I'm sure there's more you want to say to me than just complaining about my tardiness."
Vetranis coughed violently after hearing this before looking over at his son-in-Law with a stern expression on his gaunt face. Only the two emperors could tell what was silently being said between their eyes. Finally, after several moments of awkward silence, Vetranis spoke his mind for the first time in nearly twenty years.
"You may be the man that my daughter loves more than anything in this world, and the father of my grandchildren, but I am sure it won't surprise you when I say that I never liked you. Sure, you may have built an Empire that has eclipsed even the ancient glory of Rome, but you were never worthy of my daughter's hand in marriage, and judging by the way you have treated her all these years, despite her love for you, I would say that I was always right about you."
This response was well within Berengar's expectations, but Alexandros was completely and utterly stunned by his grandfather's words. However, before the boy could defend his old man, Berengar spoke up himself.
"The way I treat your daughter? That's funny. I recall giving the woman everything she has ever wanted. Unlike you, who kept her locked up in this palace like a little bird, I gave the woman her freedom, and yet she chose to always come back to my side. If you ask your daughter how she feels about our relationship, I am certain that she would say that she is satisfied. So tell me, old man, why do you think I have treated your daughter poorly?"
Vetranis simply scoffed as he looked at his son-in-law with cold eyes before responding in an equally chilling tone.
"Because she is my daughter, the daughter of the Roman Emperor, and yet in your eyes she has always been, and always will be, nothing more than a side piece. From the moment I first saw the two of you together, I knew that she was not, nor ever would be, your favorite woman. She deserves better than that."
His grandfather's remarks immediately outraged Alexandros, who was quick to speak up before his father could.
"Grandfather, with all due respect, but you have no idea what you're talking about. My father loves my mother, and even married her. The same can not be said for all of his women. So what if she is not his favorite? He has never shown her any coldness or cruelty and has always supported my mother in everything she has ever endeavored. I suggest you let go of this resentment towards my father, especially now that you are so near death!"
Though Alexandros had defended his father, Berengar simply stared at the dying emperor in silence for some time. It was not like he did not understand the man's feelings. As a father himself, Berengar felt that no suitor who had ever asked for the hand of one of his daughters had ever been worthy.
This was the primary reason that Helga and the others were still unmarried and unbetrothed, despite some of the girls being well past the age that was normal for such things. Thus, after several seconds of awkward silence, Berengar finally spoke.
"So you summoned me to your death bed so you that could voice your disapproval towards me? It is not like I don't understand your feelings. You are right, Honoria has never been, nor shall ever be, my favorite bride. And if one of my daughters married a man who felt that way towards her, I would resent him until the day I died as well.
There is also the fact that on more than one occasion, I have manipulated you for the benefit of my own realm. I have also taken advantage of Byzantium time and time again, and am even now limiting its growth so that it shall never threaten my Empire. If I were in your position, I would hate me too.
If that were all there was to it, then I would say you are justified in telling me all of this. But you are forgetting one critical component of your complaints. On multiple occasions, I have saved Byzantium from a gruesome fate, and without my interference in your affairs, especially regarding your succession, then by now the Roman Empire, and what little remains of its culture would truly be dead.
So as much as you may resent me for not favoring your daughter like I should, and for taking advantage of the debts you have owed me in the past. You should be on your knees kissing my feet, for my benevolence.
But you are an old man who is not long for this world. So I will not require you to do something so strenuous. Instead, I will accept your resentment and anger towards me, and will respond to it by roughly fucking your daughter in her childhood bed tonight."
Alexandros looked up at his father, and did not say a word. He just wanted to get the mental image of what the man had just described out of his head. As for Vetranis, he simply sighed before shifting the subject by asking his grandson a question.
"Is everything already prepared?"
Naturally, Alexandros knew that the man was referring to his coronation, and as such he nodded silently, which Vetranis responded to by giving out one last order to his grandson.
"Very well, then help me into my chair so that I can witness your coronation. I feel that the reaper is very close, and if we don't act now, then I won't be able to watch as my crown is peacefully passed onto my chosen successor. Thus preventing my own foolish sons from doing something stupid and destructive."
After hearing this, Alexandros helped his grandfather into his wheelchair, before wheeling the man out of the room, and towards the great hall, where the entire Byzantine and German Royal families were present, along with several other important guests from among the Byzantine Elite.
Berengar followed his son into the Great hall, where he stood by, and watched as the coronation ceremony began. The event was very long winded, and rather dull for a man like Berengar who was the supreme power of this world, however he waited patiently until the very end without saying a word. Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, Alexandros kneeled before his grandfather, who slowly, and carefully placed the crown on the boy's head, before declaring him the new Emperor of Byzantium.
"With this act, I Emperor Vetranis Palaiologos, hereby name my grandson Alexandros Palaiologos as the new Roman Emperor, and in doing so, pass my office, and power unto him. Kneel before your Emperor!"
All the Byzantine subjects in the audience immediately kneeled before Alexandros, while the boy stood up from his kneeled position, and faced his guests with a stoic expression on his face where he then made a shocking decree.
"My first act as the newly crowned Roman Emperor is to henceforth change the name of my dynasty. As of this moment, I am creating a cadet branch of both my mother's and father's dynasties, known from this day forth as Palaiologos-Kufstein. In doing so, I hope to act as a symbol of the unity between Germany, and Constantinople from now until the end of days!"
This news had completely caught the old Emperor by surprise, who, upon hearing such a shocking revelation, immediately passed away while sitting in his wheelchair. Alexandros took notice of this, and checked on the man, only to confirm that he had no pulse, where he proceeded to sigh, shake his head, and close his grandfather's eyelids.
"Emperor Vetranis if dead... Long live the new emperor!"
Immediately, all the kneeling byzantine subjects reacted to this news by chanting the words.
"Long live the Emperor!"
As for Honoria, she had broken out in tears upon seeing her father so suddenly pass away. Where Berengar quickly grabbed hold of his grieving wife and comforted her. All the while, Alexandros stepped past his grandfather's corpse, and took his seat upon his new throne.
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