The Princess didn’t have an opportunity to ask Valeria for an explanation, as her father and the Archon got to businesses right away. The only thing she could do was to sit on the richly decorated sofa and observe her carefully. The Commander’s face, however, didn’t show any sings of her harboring any passionate feelings for Oriana. In fact, she didn’t even bother looking her way, and instead was fully focused on the conversation between her father and the Archon, acting as if the Princess wasn’t even there.

You lying dastard! So you just wanted to play with an innocent maiden’s heart?! Oh, I’ll show you, you…

Valeria felt a sudden shiver down her neck and looked at the Princess sending her a murderous stare.

— The King wanted you to learn something, so stop staring at me and focus on the conversation. It’s important.
The Commander’s hushed voice carried by her warm breath sounded right by Oriana’s ear, sending a wave of unfamiliar warmth through her body.

— Humpf! You think I don’t have better things to do than to stare at you? Stop bothering me and let me listen… And don’t stand so close! — The Princess jolted away, rubbing her tingling ear. She fixed her position on the sofa and focused all of her attention on the conversation.

— Duke Tacitus sent me here to talk about the recent increase in taxes, Your Majesty. I would like to ask you to reconsider. The amount you’re asking of us is simply too much. This year has been very demanding on our people, and demanding more from them could be disastrous. — The Archon spoke softly with a truthless worry in his voice.

— That’s why I specified that the increase is only on the part payed by the nobility. I am fully aware of the struggles my people face every day. I instructed in the decree that no commoner shall be touched by the increase.

— How are we supposed to afford this new tribute, if we don’t collect it from the people? House Gallus isn’t as rich as Your Majesty believes, I’m afraid.

— That’s interesting. As it so happens, I’ve heard that the Duke bought another mansion in Messene. I heard it has a beautiful winery. Is he interested in wine-making now? Maybe once he starts selling it he will have enough gold to not extort people to pay his dues.

The Archon’s fake smile disappeared from his plump face, replaced by a trace of shock. He wasn’t expecting the King to find out about this matter. His master made sure to keep the acquisition a secret from anyone but his closest confidants. If this information made it all the way to the King, this had to mean that there was a traitor in their ranks.

A sense of urgency washed over the Archon. He had to close this matter quickly and rush back to the Duke to give him the bad news.

— If we are to pay the new amount, then I’m afraid that we will have to ask for the repayment of the King’s Loan, Your Majesty. It’s already been past the due date your father agreed upon. That is — a threatening smile slowly appeared on Pamphilos’ face — unless you would prefer for us to recall our troops from the army? With this we could replace the mercenaries we’ve been hiring to keep the border with the Alandic Tribes safe. They’ve been especially agitated as of late, so we have to deal with a lot of attacks. As you can see, we have our own struggles, Your Majesty. I hope such a benevolent ruler like yourself will understand and we will reach an agreement.

The King clenched his fists under the desk. He immediately realized what Pamphilos was aiming to do.

Soon after defeating the cult of Andros Kleos, his father - Lucius I - was crowned as the next king of Aelius. Even though the enemy was defeated, the country was in a dire situation. Five years of tyrannical rule under the cult’s leader, Balor, left the kingdom’s economy in shambles. With nearly one third of the population left homeless and the rest barely surviving from day to day, there was no way for the new king to fill the treasury through normal means.

To make matters worse, the neighboring kingdoms saw an easy prey in the weakened Aelius, and were waiting for an opportunity to attack. King Lucius I, in a desperate act, decided to take a loan from the richest houses of the kingdom. In return, each head of the family was chosen as a ruler of one of the provinces.

With the loan, King Lucius I was able to rebuild and protect the Kingdom from outer forces, but at the same time, it shifted the center of power towards the eight houses. The nobles soon started using the influence they had over him for their personal gain. He tried to regain control, but all of his efforts were immediately nullified by the aristocrats.

Eventually, King Lucius I and his wife died in an accident, and the crown was passed onto his son - Flavius, who became the new ruler at the age of twelve. Ever since then, he never stopped looking for a way to regain control over the Kingdom.

The situation, however, was still far from ideal. Trying to fill the treasury with gold that wasn’t borrowed from the nobles, the King had to raise taxes. This on the other hand, gave the aristocrats an excuse to extort the common folk even more, causing massive outrage. There were cases of riots breaking out in various cities of Aelius.

The growing tension could be felt in the capital as well. Posters with anti-royalty slogans could be found all over Lucetta, and some people took to the streets to incite locals to rebel against the Palace.

Having the money or the troops taken at a moment like this would mean the end for Aelius. The King couldn’t let this happen.

— Which one will it be then, Your Majesty? The money or the troops, hm?

— Fine.

— I am afraid I don’t understand. Which one you decided on, Your Majesty?

— I’ll retract the taxes. — The King spoke through clenched teeth.

The Archon couldn’t hide his satisfaction.

— Ah, Your Majesty is truly the most generous of all! Your name will be remembered for centuries as the most benevolent…

The Archon didn’t get the opportunity to finish his unscrupulous flattery, as the door opened and a tall, lean man entered the office.

— Gideon. — Lucius II welcomed his friend and adviser.
The man gave his greetings to everyone in the room, then looked at the King with a serious expression.

— I’m sorry to interrupt your meeting. I have just returned to the Palace and I have some urgent news for His Majesty.

— No need, no need. I was just about to leave. — The Archon got up from his chair and headed to the exit — Thank you again, Your Majesty. I’ll give Duke Tacitus the good news right away.
Once the official was gone, Oriana and Valeria also said their goodbyes, leaving the King and his adviser to talk about their business.

Walking back, Oriana kept thinking about the strange meeting she just witnessed. She couldn’t understand why her father would agree to completely backtrack on the tax. To her understanding, the King had absolute power over his people and could enforce any new law or tribute he saw fit.

— Why would father allow the Duke to not pay? I don’t understand. Couldn’t we just give back whatever that whole debt was about and just do as planned?

— We can’t. The Kingdom’s treasury is empty. The Palace is barely able to pay for the basics, there’s no way we could pay off even a fraction of the debt.

— How is that possible?!

Oriana was shocked hearing this revelation. She had a hard time imagining that the country could be in such a dire situation. She never felt that anything was missing, or that they weren’t able to afford something. Every day, the Palace was resupplied with exotic food and the luxurious beauty products she adored so much.

Valeria stopped as she started explaining the intricacies of the Kingdom’s dependence on the noble’s money. She told her about the pressure they were giving both her grandfather and father, and how both of them tried to free the country from the clutches of the few aristocratic houses. The Commander also explained why it was impossible for the King to let go of the soldiers levied from the Duke.

Listening to everything Valeria was telling her, Oriana fell silent.

She never expected that the Kingdom was in such a bad shape. Growing up, she was made to believe that her life was like a fairytale, where she could have just about anything she imagined. Her parents never spared any expenses showering her with gifts, and fulfilling any wish she had.

— Shouldn’t we live more humbly then? Wouldn’t it be better to be more strict with our spending?

— It’s not that simple. As a Kingdom, you can’t show weakness. Eleutherius has been waiting for a good opportunity to attack for a long time, and recently even Adhelm and the Hartmut Duchies seem interested in Aelius’ territory. Fortunately, they would have to go through Adler, so we should be okay for now. If the Palace starts counting every gold piece we’re spending, that would send a signal to the other nations that the Kingdom isn’t doing well, and they would attack. — Valeria explained. — Don’t worry, Your Highness. It’s in the Kingdom’s best interest that you keep living as extravagantly as always. This is just a tiny portion of the Palace’s expenses anyways.

The crease between Oriana’s eyebrows disappeared hearing the Commander’s explanation. She felt guilty thinking about everything she was always buying. She was even considering selling all of her dresses if that could help the country. But now she felt assured. She will keep spending money!

— You really need to start paying more attention to the situation of the Kingdom, Your Majesty. You have to know how to navigate conversations like this, and how to talk with these people. It’s for your safety, and for the wellbeing of the nation.

The Princess clicked her tongue.

— Why would I need to know that? After I marry, it will be Prince Emil taking care of all of these things. And for my safety I have you, don’t I? You’re going to protect me, because I am your Princess, right? — A mischievous smile rose on the Princess’ face as she brushed coquettishly against the Commander’s shoulder and started walking to her room.

I knew I shouldn’t have said anything. It would be easier to just get poisoned by the Archon and his daughter.