In the following weeks, Berengar and Itami worked hand in hand to restore the Japanese Empire one step at a time. From the privatization and reseeding of the rice fields, to the reconstruction of power plants, and the national railway. Japan was being redesigned from the ground up to be a prosperous and peaceful state.
Meanwhile, Berengar had announced the date for his wedding to Itami, which would be held at the Inari shrine just outside of Heian-kyō. From all around the world, important guests were coming to visit the reconstructed city in order to pay their respects to the mighty Kaiser and his newest bride.
It had been weeks since Itami had seen her mother and sister, but when they finally arrived in Japan, they were quick to greet their relative with open arms. Momo, in particular, was exceptionally happy at this moment, as she hugged her elder sister, and praised her for finally sealing the deal.
"I'm so happy for you onee-chan. You have finally found yourself a husband! I'm so jealous! Who knows, maybe I will meet somebody special at your wedding!"
Itami was quick to show off her expensive ring, which caused Momo to squeal with joy.
"Oh, my god! It is so beautiful and matches your eyes perfectly!"
In the center of the ring was an eight carat heart-shaped red diamond, which was set in a layer of white diamond encrusted platinum. Beneath the centerpiece, there were two platinum bands, which had been soldered together and encrusted with even more diamonds.
Out of all the wedding rings Berengar had prepared for his wives, this was by far the most extravagant and expensive piece. Something he would have an extremely hard time explaining to his other women. Luckily for him, he had already come up with a plan to appease his wives in this regard.
However, none of that truly mattered at the moment. Instead, Riyo was showing off her engagement ring to her family, as if it were her most prized possession. Even the woman's mother gazed at the masterpiece with a hint of envy in her mature eyes. Despite this feeling, Mibu calmed her nerves, and congratulated her daughter on her upcoming nuptials.
"I'm not going to lie, Riyo. I have been worried about you for some time. Your standards have always been so extreme that I feared you would never get married. It seems I was mistaken in my assumption, and am happy that you have finally found a man who is worthy of your affections. I wish you all the best and hope to see my grandchildren soon enough."
At the mention of grandchildren, Itami's face flushed as red as her diamond ring, causing her to look away from her mother's kind smile. The young woman was obviously too embarrassed to think about such a prospect.
However, this did not last long, as in the next moment, her biggest rival appeared on the scene. When the redheaded beauty entered the room, all eyes were drawn to her, though in the next moment, many returned their sights to the Japanese Empress, who in many ways was just as stunning as Linde.
Despite this sudden silence, Linde gave it no mind, and instead approached Itami with a smile on her gorgeous face. That is, until she caught sight of the exceptional ring on the albino beauty's finger. The moment she saw this, her sky-blue eyes suddenly became dark and foreboding. Linde forcefully grabbed hold of Itami's wrist and examined the stone with a cold expression on her otherwise flawless face.
"That's a nice ring you have there. I suppose Berengar spared no expense to get you a stone that matched your eyes. What is that, ruby and white gold?"
Itami exchanged Linde's glare with one of her own. She had never been one to back down from a fight. And since Linde was so obviously defensive about the ring, which the albino beauty proudly displayed on her finger, she decided to further add salt to the proverbial open wound.
"Actually, it is platinum, and a red diamond. The rarest and most expensive of all gemstones. I suppose since I am an empress in my own right, Berengar felt the need to gift me a ring made from only the best materials."
This remark instantly caused Linde's brow to furrow, her ring was made of white gold and blue topaz, which was beautiful in its own right, but nowhere near as luxurious as the ring that Itami was sporting. In fact, she now had a sudden urge to force her husband to commission her a ring made of platinum and blue diamond just to compete with her newest rival.
What was also noticeable was the heart shape cut of the red diamond, which somehow seemed so much more romantic than the typical gemstone cut that her ring had. Linde could only admit her loss in this moment and compel her husband to replace her ring with something superior at a later time. Thus, she forced herself to remain calm as she released Itami's wrist.
"Hmph, it is indeed a splendid ring, but you, as the newest of Berengar's wives, you should remember your place. It would be a pity of if something happened to that jade like hand of yours."
The veiled threat that Linde had just made, combined with her chilling glare, immediately reminded Itami of Honoria's words regarding the spider queen of Germany. Upon realizing that she had actually infuriated such a fearsome opponent, the albino beauty hid her precious ring behind her back, and lowered her head in deference to the Reich's most fearsome empress.
An act which caused Linde to ever so slightly calm down. Upon realizing that Itami had become more docile, Linde shifted her gaze elsewhere, and immediately began to search for her absent husband.
"If you will excuse me, I must go fetch my husband. It was a long flight to this backwater of a country, and yet he still hasn't come to greet me!"
Once Linde was gone, Itami let out a deep sigh of relief. The look on her mother's and sister's faces was one of concern. However, not for Itami, but for Berengar. Mibu placed her palm on the side of her cheek as she expressed her worry aloud.
"Ara ara, I do fear Berengar is in for a bit of a spat with his beloved wife... Perhaps you should not have boasted so loudly about the expense the man had paid for your ring..."
After hearing her mother's worries, Momo could not help but voice her own.
"Do you think Onii-sama will be alright?"
Itami simply harrumphed and shifted her gaze away from her mother and sister, specifically so they could not see the flushed expression on her face as she expressed her thoughts.
"Don't worry about him, knowing those two, it won't be long before they are humping like rabbits..."
Momo and Mibu looked at Itami with a hint of surprise in their eyes before giggling like a couple of schoolgirls. Something which the Japanese Empress found to be rather irksome.
Berengar was within his temporary office that he had established inside the Japanese Imperial Palace when the door was suddenly and violently kicked open. Standing in the doorway was none other than his favorite wife.
However, for the first time in a very long time, Berengar noticed that the woman was utterly furious as she stared at him with a livid expression on her otherwise gorgeous face. Before he could even ask what was wrong, the redheaded beauty began to scold her husband for his misdeed.
"Platinum and red diamond! What is that, eight carats' worth of red diamond? Just how much did you spend on that little whore!"
It did not take a genius to understand why Linde was so upset with him, but rather than act like an intimidated little puppy, Berengar sighed heavily before opening up a drawer in his desk, where he pulled out a small container. He gently tossed it over to Linde, who barely caught it while in her enraged state. She was just about to continue her rant when Berengar finally spoke.
"Open it..."
Linde simply harrumphed before doing as she was told, where she was immediately greeted by an exceptional ring that was even more extravagant than the one she already possessed. Like Itami's ring, it was primarily made of diamond encrusted platinum.
Where the ring differed was in the center where a heart-shaped ten carat blue diamond lie. The piece of jewelry was almost identical to the one Itami wore, except for the fact that its centerpiece was slightly larger, and a different color. One that matched Linde's sky-blue eyes.
Immediately after seeing this gift, the fury Linde felt in her heart, after being outshined by her newest rival, immediately vanished, and was replaced with a burning desire. Berengar noticed the look in the woman's eyes and smiled before commenting about the ring.
"I knew you would get upset after seeing the expense I paid for Itami's engagement ring, so I had a something more exquisite crafted for you. I also commissioned similar pieces for the others. Basically, they are all the same design, but with different gemstones in the center to match your eyes and different precious metals of the bands.
Just don't wear that thing until after I marry Itami, this event is not about you, and you should know that. If you go around wearing an even nicer ring than the one I bought Itami before I even marry her, it is bound to cause problems."
Linde smiled, and closed the small box which contained the exceptional ring, before forcing herself into Berengar's lap while kissing him passionately. As Itami had predicted, the couple immediately proceeded to hump like rabbits.
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