Steel Empire
The Difficult Negotiation

The days had passed, and all the guests present for the Berengar Ceremony had left. All but Count Lothar, who is in the middle of a heated debate with Sieghard about Lambert's alleged affair with Linde. In fact, they shouldn't have engaged in such behavior before their wedding night, and Linde deliberately made it seem like she was being pressured by the drunk and warlike Lambert. Although nothing really happened between the two, the only people who were aware of that fact were Berengar and Linde who used this opportunity to sow division between Lambert and his biggest supporters. As far as the two families are concerned, Lambert has done a deed with Linde during Berengar's engagement ceremony, and it won't be long before Linde reveals that she is pregnant for both families. However,

Berengar sat in the large hall and listened to the quarrels of the two old men as he ate the schnitzel, which the cooks had prepared for him. He washed it with a glass of beer and enjoyed the scene of Lambert being scolded by two feudal lords who were angered by his behavior. Linde had done more than Berengar had asked and made it seem as if Lambert was practically imposing himself on the poor girl; of course, Lambert has no memory of the time he spent with Linde and deeply regrets it. If she really did what she said, then the worst part was that she could not remember what her naked body was like or how it felt. She had covered herself thoroughly with sheets when she woke up on the scene and could not catch a glimpse of her naked figure.

Linde stood beside her father with a sad expression; she was an excellent actor and could play the role of victim quite well. Lothar made his claim to Sieghard as he pointed his finger at him threateningly.

"Unacceptable! I will not support this; I demand some form of compensation for my daughter's case*cian, which was violated by your guilty son! Just because they're engaged doesn't mean he can force himself on my daughter as he pleases!"

Sieghard tried to manage the situation and felt very embarrassed by Lambert's actions; although he knew the boy's relationship with his fiancee was strained, he said, he had no idea that his precious son would act in such a way after drinking a few beers.

"I promise, I will do my best to fix it, but what exactly do you want to ask of me?"

Lothar was actually not too surprised by Lambert's behavior; in fact, it helped him greatly; this gave him a reason to demand a portion of Kufstein's iron reserves. Which he immediately asked for.

"I demand 25 percent of Kufstein's iron reserves in return for your son's actions."

Sieghard was enraged by the demand that gave a huge pile of wealth, especially now that Berengar had managed to find a way to turn all that iron into steel in an efficient manner. Therefore, he smacked his fist into the armrest of his seat of power and rejected Lothair's demands.

"Absolutely not! you tried to rob me!"

Count Lothar frowned at that innuendo and retorted correctly

"Murped you? A lowly baron like you might not be aware of this, but Linde's kes*cian has an extreme level of political significance attached to her as the Count's daughter. If your Barony isn't so rich in minerals, I'll marry him. for a Duke!"

At this point, Berengar had put down his fork and got down from his chair while tidying his mouth with his napkin. After which, he walked to the middle of the Great Hall, where the two nobles had a fight. As the person assigned by his father to lead the industrial sector, he had many opinions on how his resources were managed. There was not a single possibility that Berengar would let Lothar do what he wanted.

"I'm sorry, my Lord, but I don't believe that such a request doesn't even make sense. At most, I will be willing to sell you a supply of steel at a discounted price. Under no circumstances will I hand over the resources of my industrial district due to the inappropriate actions of my younger brother."

Lothar was furious with the interruptions and this offer. Who did this kid think he was so daring to interrupt the conversation between the two rulers?

"Under whose authority did you gain the power to negotiate with a person of my level? I'm busy talking to your father, son; you better get back to eating."

Berengar chuckled at the cruel response given to him by Count Lothar, who was technically his subordinate.

“I am afraid to say that my father has delegated all the responsibilities of mining and steel industry in this region to my hands. If you want to demand compensation in mineral form, I'm the one who needs to talk to you about this."

Lothar glared at Berengar threateningly; if this were true, he would have a harder time getting what he wanted from the von Kufstein family. Sieghard was mostly obedient and not as ingenious as Berengar. Over the past few days, Lothar had been observing Berengar and his relationship with the other nobles and discovered that he was a very intelligent young man. Berengar would not collapse under the pressure Lothar held as Count and would fight desperately to ensure every aspect of the deal benefited his position.

Lothar walked up to Berengar and looked the young man down, a challenge that did not make Berengar retreat. Instead he returned Lothar's evil gaze with a satisfied smile as if no matter what Count Lothar did or said, the negotiations would ultimately benefit him. This haughty expression further enraged Lothar to the point where he wanted to repulse the arrogant young man.

"I demand 25 percent I won't leave here until I get it."

Berengar had struggled to hold back his laughter; aggressive negotiations like this would never work on a person like himself. In order to do so, Berengar had to fear the power in the hands of Count Lothar, and given the fact that the young Lord could produce the power of nearly 1000 weapons and release it into the Counts feudal army, he was not afraid , or respect the little bit of power that a proud Count possessed. Therefore, he calmly rejected Lothar's demands.

"Then make yourself comfortable because it looks like you'll be here for the rest of your life. Do you understand the value of a quarter of our iron reserves when they're turned into steel?"

Lothar wanted to strangle the boy because of his arrogance. How dare he speak to his subordinates in a condescending manner. He had to give this kid a valuable lesson.

"Well, and I guess you have the ability to turn a large amount of iron ore into steel? Don't mess with me, son. It takes a lifetime to make that much steel!"

Berengar did not say anything; he just stood there with a satisfied smile on his face. If the Count knew how much steel he currently had and how much he could produce in a single batch, then the man would definitely never suggest such a high amount. Finally, Berengar broke the awkward silence between the two as he countered the Count's proposal.

"This is what I can do, as an official apology from the von Kufstein family for the unsightly stupid behavior of my younger brother, I'll cut the cost of selling steel to your family over the next ten years by 15%. That's the best I can. offer you, more than that, and I'll operate at a loss."

"Surgical with losses? Your brother stole my daughter's case*, and you're worried about a loss-making operation?"

Berengar did not say anything; he simply smiled and nodded his head. To be honest he did not count the demands that Lothair would make into his plan. He thought his father would pay Lothair a small amount of gold and silver as compensation, which would be the end of it. However, Lothar had made a ridiculous request that allowed Berengar to control the conversation. He now fully intended to profit from trapping his younger brother.

Lothar approached Berengar very closely and whispered to him in a voice that only the two of them could hear.

"Do you think your pathetic little Barony could withstand the power of the County of Tyrol if I ordered my banner troops to march into your home?"

Although Lothar boldly threatened Berengar in an attempt to get the youngster to back down, he did not get the results he expected. Instead, Berengar smiled wickedly as he whispered back to the old Count.

"My Lord, do you think it is wise to send your men to die in Kufstein when your troops will soon be needed elsewhere?"

The count stood dumbfounded after hearing those words. Either this young man was referring to his plot to overthrow the Duke, or he was referring to the impending civil war that everyone with half a brain knew existed on the horizon. Anyway, he's absolutely right. He was unable to send the troops under his control to Kufstein to punish them for such a small matter. His bluff had been called, and now the old Count had to admit defeat. Very reluctantly, he whispered back to Berengar.

"I accept your terms on the condition that the price of steel purchased from your land is reduced by 20%."

Berengar's smile was so wide that it almost covered the entire bottom of his face at the moment; just now, he had won by negotiation. All that was left was to see how much profit margin he could muster from this deal.

"17% and I will bear transportation, take it or leave it is my last offer ..."

Everyone looked at the two who were so close that their faces were practically touching, on Count Lothar's face there was a huge frown; he felt uneasy about not getting what he wanted, but at least he got a better deal with Berengar than he did from Ulrich, and better still it was steel bars, not iron ore that would be delivered to him. Even though her daughter's chastity had been violated before her wedding, at least, she could get something out of the occasion; after all, after all, she was able to get something out of it, he still needed Lambert to replace Berengar if he would eventually get the resources he needed. If anything, these tough negotiations serve as a reminder that Berengar must die if the Count's ambitions are to come true.

Little did the Count of Tyrol know that this entire scenario was a ploy from Berengar to pin Linde's pregnancy on Lambert. If Lothar realizes that the chastity of his daughter was not only taken by Berengar long ago but that she also contains the son of that bastard bastard, he is, then he would have the desire to draw his sword at that moment and aim it through Berengar's black heart. But, he did not know, and because of that, he pretended to be kind to Berengar as he accepted the young master's offer.

"Agreed."

After which, Lothar turned from Berengar and acted

"You made a difficult bargain Berengar von Kufstein; because of the respect I have for your family, I will agree to your terms. Come on Linde; it's time you went back home ...

Berengar almost laughed at the old man's bad appearance; however, he instantly became sad when he heard the last part of his sentence. There was no way he would let this old bastard snatch his lover away from him. However, before she could protest, Linde stood before her father.

"i'm not leaving!"

Lothar stopped in his tracks as he turned around and glared at his mischievous daughter.

"What did you just say?"

Linde was no longer afraid of her father's anger; now that Berengar protected her, she knew there was nothing her father could do; however, he is also intelligent and finds the right reason to stay and spend his days with the father of his son.

"you must have proper representation in any deal you have just agreed with Berengar. I'll stay and protect your interests."

Count Lothar was initially angry that his daughter wanted to stay behind after everything that happened, and was also completely confused. However, it turns out that he is looking for family interests as he always does. His explanation made sense, and the more he thought about it, the more he did not trust Berengar; somehow, the liar would mess it up; he could feel it in his bones. With Linde watching over the boy, she had nothing to worry about. After all, he was smart enough to follow Berengar.

"In such circumstances, I will allow you to stay. See you at your wedding."

Linde smiled and bowed to her father like a proper young woman.

"Of course, dad. See you soon."

After that, the Count departed from Kufstein, and thus the last guest on Berengar's invitation list had left his family's territory. From now on, Berengar no longer had to entertain the nobility and could return to his normal schedule. He has a lot to take care of in the coming days, and he's just happy to have a little reprieve.