Five years had gone by since Lukas had first begun taking action as the King of England, and though he was still yet to marry, he now lived full time in England where he had begun developing the Kingdom from a primitive feudal state, to an early modern one. Not only that, he had even begun overhauling the political structure in a way that was largely based on the designs of the German Reich which his father had established.
However, when compared to his brothers, who had already gotten a head start on building their Empires, Lukas was quite far behind, he had not even managed to unite the entirety of the British isles, with the isle of man, and Scotland both being independent of his Kingdom.
Out of a desire to prove to his father that he was every bit as worthy as his brothers, Lukas had begun negotiations with Scotland for a unification of their two realms. The old Scottish King had perished not long ago, and his son, the Prince, who was once rejected by a lowly bartender in the Reich, had become the new King.
However, unlike his father, who clung to ancient glory, of a bygone era, the new King of Scotland was a much more progressive man, and by that I mean he understood that the Reich was now the center of the world, and that if Scotland wished to remain competitive in the world market, it would need to bend the knee in some way to the Germans.
Luckily, there was a German Prince sitting on England's throne, allowing the two men to communicate quite easily. At the moment Lukas was sitting in his office, with the Scottish King seated across from him. The two men snacked on tea and cookies, as they discussed trivial matters such as the weather and their families. Lukas had a friendly smile on the face as he brought up a question that would directly lead to their negotiations.
"King Robert, I must say, it is a pleasure to host you here in my palace, but now that we're on the subject of our families, I hear you have yet to procure a husband for your youngest sister. What was her name again, Ailis? Am I correct?"
Robert's gaze narrowed on Lukas. He could tell exactly where this discussion was headed, and was thus quick to nod his head in agreement, hoping that these negotiations would go well.
"Indeed, my youngest sister has just had her sixteenth birthday, and yet, I have still not managed to find a proper man for her. Why do you ask? Are you perhaps interested, King Lukas?"
Lukas smiled and nodded his head as he made a proposal, which he thought that Robert would find entertaining.
"Of course I'm interested. The last time we met at the ball you held in Edinburgh, I had a delightful discussion with the young woman. She is also quite beautiful... I think it is time we unite our houses, as well as our kingdoms.
Britannia will never achieve the greatness of the three major European empires outside of the Reich if we do not unite, and while my brothers are fighting over who will control what few countries are still independent, I fear one of them will turn their gaze upon Scotland.
Now my army is not as grand as the Nordic Empire's, but it should be enough to prevent them from thinking twice about invading your lands."
Robert considered the proposal for some time, but he still felt like giving up the title of King would be a disgrace to his ancestors, and thus he was quick to negotiate with a request he thought immediately would be shut down.
"I understand your concerns Lukas, after all, I have the same worries. However, my ancestors have ruled over Scotland for centuries, and I would bring dishonor to my house if I were to simply agree to annexation without a fight.
One which I know I would sorely lose, but still, to my people, honor is of the utmost importance. If, however, you were suggesting something like a dual monarchy, then perhaps I would be able to entertain the idea of this union. "
Like how Robert expected, Lukas did not accept this proposal, however the counterproposal that the English King made was more than generous enough to garner Robert's interest.
"A dual monarchy is a difficult proposal for me to accept, one that I can not easily agree to, considering that I am looking to overhaul the feudal system which still plagues these lands.
However, I do have a counteroffer, if you are willing to hear it..."
Robert gazed up from his cup of tea, and wore a friendly smile as he silently nodded his head, allowing Lukas to continue his train of thought. Upon seeing that the man was being so amicable, Lukas returned his smile before speaking his ideas.
"What I am proposing is the formation of a British Empire. I will be emperor, and you can remain king of Scotland. I will also allow a King of Wales and a King of Ireland, similar to how my father has set up the German Reich.
And while power would be centralized in my hands, as the Emperor, I will allow a certain degree of autonomy for Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. You and your descendents can remain King of Scotland, and yet we join together into a mighty Empire. What do you think of this proposal?"
After visiting the Reich in the past, Robert had done his best to investigate just how the nation had risen to prominence so quickly, and all he could understand from the texts that he read, was that Berengar von Kufstein was a genius of the highest caliber. He was not only skilled in academic pursuits but also matters of military tactics and political intrigue.
From this single conversation with the man's son, Robert could tell that Berengar had raised his children to be capable monarchs in their own right. At the very least, Lukas would be far more capable than himself.
With Scotland subjected to England, and following the whims and wishes of the new Emperor, it was only a matter of time before they rose to prominence on the world stage, rather than stagnate as a backward feudal state.
But most importantly, with this proposal, he would remain a King, even if it basically was in name only. Thus, Robert saw no reason to reject Lukas' offer.
"If these are your terms, then I must confess I find them most agreeable. Very well, I will agree to joining this British Empire of yours, and I will also consent to wed my sister to you. I look forward to what we are able to accomplish together in the future. After all, it has been my greatest fear for Scotland to fall behind the rest of the world, something which was sure to happen without some form of union of our two houses."
Lukas nodded his head in agreement with Robert's words. However, he was quick to add another point to their agreement, which Robert may have overlooked.
"Of course, the nobles beneath both of our rule will not be too fond of this new joint venture of ours. I suspect we will have to put down a rebellion or two. What do you say? Will you join me on the battlefield against our enemies?"
Robert responded exactly as Lukas thought he would. A sadistic sneer curved upon his lips as he nodded his head before responding with a cruel tone in his voice.
"Oh, I look forward to it!"
Thus, with this agreement made, Scotland would unify with the Kingdom of England to form the British Empire. Once they had put down their enemies in their own lands, and further brought their new empire up to speed. Lukas would then set his sights on west Africa, a land which he knew his father had no ambitions to expand into.
However, his brothers were another story. Ghazi had already claimed most of North Africa as his domain, while Alexandros had begun to expand to East Africa. If Lukas did not get his shit together soon and join the fight, then the scramble for Africa would be lost before it could even truly begin.
Thus, in the coming days, Lukas would form an army worthy of contending with his brothers' armed forces. Something which he hoped would prove more than capable of controlling his own piece of the pie.
I wanted to thank you all for supporting Tyranny of Steel up to this point. From here on out, until the very end of the novel, updates are going to be less frequent with one chapter a day. Instead, I would like to invite all of you to read my new novel Interstellar Age, at https://www.webnovel.com/book/interstellar-age_ 26235247006730205
Which will be receiving my primary attention from here on out. Thank you all for the support you have shown me, and I look forward to writing novels for you all for years to come!
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