Tyranny of Steel

with a gaze filled with contempt.

The young woman struggled to speak, and just when she was about to say her first word since witnessing her father ’s death at the hands of the Prussian Army, she felt a sting on her cheek, as her fiance fiercely backhanded her across the face. She gazed in horror as she realized she had just been struck and merely whimpered as Eckhard chastised her.

”If I didn ’t need your bloodline to cement my legacy as the Grand Duke of Prussia, I would end your miserable existence here and now! Thank the Lord that I am a merciful man. In exchange for your life, I expect you and your family to come to heel. You will marry me, and bear my children, and you will do so with complete and utter loyalty to me and my house. Failure to do so will result in your immediate termination. Do I make myself understood? ”

The girl gazed in disbelief at the retired General who she had just moments ago mocked alongside her father. The grand army of Brandenburg was no match for the overwhelming firepower that Austria and its puppets wielded. All she could do was lower her head in disgrace and accept these terms that were presented to her.