Vetranis sat in his office with a haggard look on his weary face. The years had not been kind to him, and if Berengar were to gaze upon the man, it would appear as if he had aged over a decade since the last time he saw him.

Not only was the Byzantine Empire struggling to prop up its failing economy, it was now facing an invasion from the north. The Golden Horde had broken through the Caucasus and was now raiding Anatolia with impunity.

Whatever paltry force could be mustered to defend the region was quickly slaughtered by the enemy. The only force that Vetranis had to call upon in this war that was remotely intact was those that belonged to the Strategos of the Balkans.

As a result, Palladius was standing here in the Byzantine Emperor's office, awaiting his orders. Despite this, Vetranis did not immediately make a move, and instead gazed upon the photograph that sat on his desk, which was of his only daughter and her young children.

"Oh my sweet Honoria, I hope you are doing well in Kufstein, because things are chaotic here in your homeland..."

It had been many years since Honoria had visited her family. This was naturally a result of her killing Decentius during her last visit. An action which Vetranis had forgiven after learning the truth behind his son's vile actions. However, that did not mean that the rest of her family had done so. While the byzantine emperor was moping about in his office, Palladius was quick to give him advice on the dire situation that they were currently facing.

"Your majesty, it will take me at least two weeks to deploy my forces from the Balkans to Anatolia. I highly suggest you call upon Kaiser Berengar von Kufstein for military assistance. Even though relations have soured between the two of you, there is still a defensive alliance in place, and he will be obligated to send troops to our aid!"

Just as Vetranis was about to respond to this advice, a knock resounded on the door to his office, which was followed by a familiar voice.

"Father, I have urgent news from the south. Will you allow me an audience?"

Over these past few years, Vetranis rarely spoke with his son Quintus. As the architect behind the treaty with the Papacy, which was responsible for much of the Byzantine's current woes, Quintus's reputation had suffered greatly.

The treaty with the Catholics had ceded large swaths of land to the Church, which was in itself a monumental act of humiliation. However, it was also responsible for the transfer of almost all the Byzantine Empire's treasury to the papacy.

This Gold and silver was now in the hands of the German Empire, who stubbornly refused to give it back to the Byzantines. The reasoning behind this? The Germans considered this wealth as compensation for the betrayal they had received from the Byzantine Empire when Quintus had foolishly decided to hand over the Kaiser's pass, at least on paper, to the Papacy.

This had caused the Byzantine economy to almost completely collapse on itself. Bankrupt, impoverished, and incapable of funding its own army, the mighty Romans were now at the lowest point in their nearly two thousand years of history.

Quintus, who had orchestrated this disastrous treaty, was naturally held responsible for its effects, and as a result, relations between the father and son had worsened to the point where they seldom talked with one another, even though they lived in the same house.

After a deep sigh, Vetranis nodded his head before getting up from his seat and opening the door to his office. He did not even look his eldest son in the eye, as he returned to his chair and poured himself a glass of German whiskey. His silence was all Quintus needed to speak his mind.

"Father, it would appear in our weakened state that the Mamluk and the Jalayirid Sultanates believe us to be defenseless. Intelligence suggests that they are amassing their troops on our southern borders. If we do not send a peace delegation, they will inevitably invade Egypt and Palestine. Something we can not defend against, especially when the Golden Horde is ravaging Anatolia as we speak. I urge you to send me to speak with the Saracens. I will-"

Before the man could even finish his statement, his father snapped at him with a rather vicious glare in his weathered eyes.

"You will do what? Sell half our country away? For what? Peace? What point is there in peace when we must give up the lands that we have fought all these years to regain? Our treasuries are empty, are armies, nonexistent! We as a nation are deeply in debt to our German allies, with no hope of ever escaping!

The only reason we can somewhat keep ourselves afloat is because of the wealth that Egypt and Palestine bring us. If you give them away, like you did to the fucking Catholics, our Empire will not last another decade!

I am tired of your peace. I am tired of your failures. No, we will not send a delegation. Instead, I will gather what little remains of my army, outside of Palladius' forces, and march them to the south to deal with these invaders myself."

Quintus could no longer hold back his thoughts, and was quick to wrestle the bottle of alcohol away from his father while scolding him about the morality of this conflict.

"Father, violence never solved anything! You could die. Who would rule over our Empire if that were to occur?"

It was at this moment that Vetranis could no longer control his emotions, causing him to backhand his eldest son across the face before screaming at the man in a fit of rage.

"Have I no capable successors? You and your brothers, you are all a monumental disappointment! You dare say that violence never solved anything? Tell that to the Germans who in ten short years have eclipsed our millennia's worth of history to become the supreme power in the west!

How do you think the Germans accomplished this? With violence! You are a pathetic coward, and will never inherit my position, for the day you do, it will be the end of the Romans not only as an Empire, but as a people!

Get out of my sight! No, you know what? I want you to gather your drunken wastrel of a brother, your mother, and all my advisors. I have an important announcement to make."

Though Quintus felt wronged by the slap he had received, he gritted his teeth and bowed respectfully before fulfilling his father's orders. Once the door was slammed behind him, Palladius gazed at the weary Byzantine Emperor, who collapsed into his seat, and asked the question on his mind.

"Don't tell me you intend to-"

Before he could finish speaking, Palladius drank from the bottle of whiskey directly, and nodded his head in silence three times. There was an utterly defeated look on his haggard face as he scoffed before answering the question that his greatest general intended to ask.

"You think, after all these years, I don't know what you and your faction have been up to? At first, I resented you for it. The fact that you thought so little of my sons was borderline treasonous. Or so I foolishly believed.

However, after all these years, I can say with certainty that you were right all this time. It's funny, when Berengar first proposed the idea of a matrilineal marriage with Honoria to me. I thought he was insane. After all, his kids with my daughter would remain in my dynasty, and that could be perceived as nothing but a loss on his part. But I was nave...

It is only recently that I can look back on that moment, and realize the depths of this man's schemes. It is no exaggeration to say that he is responsible for the current state of the Byzantine Empire. He has driven me, and my dynasty, to the point where I have no choice but to name his son as my successor. It is true that Alexandros is a Palaiologos, but he is a Palaiologos in name only.

The boy was born and raised as a member of the von Kufstein Dynasty, and that is where his loyalties lay. I have no doubt that he will one day create a cadet branch, the House of von Kufstein-Palaiologos, effectively ending our family's reign over the Byzantine Empire.

However, at this point, I have no other options. My sons are not fit to rule, and if, by appointing Alexandros as my successor, I can end this feud with the Reich and gain their military support during this crisis of our times, then so be it. I was never a match for Berengar von Kufstein. From the moment my daughter fled to his arms, his goal has been to usurp control over my Empire. Well played..."

Palladius gazed upon the defeated Emperor and shook his head. Even he did not expect Berengar to plan for this hostile takeover so early on. After all, until this very moment, he had thought he was the one to plant the idea in Berengar's head all those years ago when they first met. It was only now, when gazing upon the hopeless expression of the man he had served for so many years, that Palladius truly understood how terrifying the Emperor of Germany really was.