Omens (3)
Rogerius and Zoi's marriage. Since it was none other than Rogerius himself who brought it up, the nobles had no choice but to fall into chaos.
Rogerius's sudden move. The emperor, already privy to all his plans, pretended to be shocked for show but soon accepted his request. The reason was simple: Zoi had reached the age where she ought to marry. Moreover, with the nobles themselves having merely mentioned matchmaking prospects for her recently, the emperor had no grounds to refuse. On the surface, it even looked as though he was accommodating the nobles' opinions by entertaining Rogerius's proposal. In effect, the nobles alone had been blinded and mutilated while wide awake.
Even Leonus, who had been completely in the dark about this scheme and had been pushing for a match between Zoi and his adopted son Michael, was plunged into deeper shock.
"This cannot be allowed!"
Leonus vented his fury. In this gathering with the nobles, held before the shock from the morning council meeting had even faded, he made no effort to hide his rage.
"We cannot stand by any longer while this Varangian struts around puffed up from his great deeds."
"Indeed. It's an act that tarnishes the purple bloodline itself."
Devgores and Alexios voiced their agreement with Leonus's words.
In stark contrast, Ioannikios remained silent. Frustrated, Leonus turned to Ioannikios, who had been listening mutely from behind.
"Why do you sit there idle?"
Ioannikios stared at Leonus without responding. After a brief silence, he let out a long sigh and countered with a question of his own.
"What can we possibly do right now?"
"What do you mean, nothing we can do?"
"The emperor's power currently pierces the heavens. And that power was forged entirely by this Varangian brute named Rogerius."
An undeniable truth. The emperor had indeed suppressed the nobles by quelling two rebellions, but it hadn't been an overwhelming victory. To put it precisely, it had been a tense tug-of-war between the emperor and the nobles, with the emperor gaining a temporary upper hand.
Temporary power meant it would eventually revert to the status quo once time passed. But then, out of nowhere, the Varangian mercenary Rogerius had appeared. By rendering great service in both wars, he had bolstered the emperor with even greater strength and authority. As a result, the noble faction was now politically cornered on all fronts.
"Rogerius, the very man who earned immense merit in those two wars, has proposed marriage to Her Highness. How could we possibly block that?"
Leonus was speechless at Ioannikios's words. Their power was far too insufficient to obstruct Rogerius, who held real authority. The political influence they had amassed as nobles of the East Roman Empire over long years seemed like a formidable force capable of slaying with words alone—but lacking substance, it was inevitably weak against tangible power.
And that tangible power was military might. In Rogerius's case, as Dux of Lazica and Admiralis, he could crush the nobles by force. Normally, they could have sown discord between him and the emperor to strip away that power and neutralize him. But the emperor's trust in Rogerius now reached to the skies. He had even accepted the marriage proposal on the spot, right there in that chamber.
This meant schemes of division wouldn't work on Rogerius.
"Does that mean we just sit on our hands?"
"Of course not. But there is something we must do first."
"Nothing is more urgent than nullifying this marriage."
Ioannikios ignored Leonus's retort and pressed on, as if dismissing it entirely.
"Our top priority must be preventing this Varangian from becoming Praetorian Prefect."
The nobles, who had nodded along with Leonus until then, murmured their agreement.
"Yes. If a barbarian becomes inspector general, we're done for."
"He'll hound us endlessly under the guise of inspections."
The nobles, burdened by their many skeletons in the closet. Having built their power in East Rome over ages, their misdeeds were legion. The Marbrozomis family's profiteering from grapes during droughts was mere child's play by comparison. Tenant farmer exploitation, privatization of central legions, bribery—all flourished under the banner of "custom." It was so blatant that even the emperors turned a blind eye despite knowing full well.
But now, with the emperor's power at its zenith, the situation had changed. The moment an inspector general stepped in to uncover the facts and report to the emperor, he would surely begin purging the nobles. For them, it was a matter of life and death—unlike Leonus, who had a direct stake in the marriage, they were far more sensitive to this threat than to the betrothal itself.
"This issue demands our immediate attention."
"Priorities matter in affairs of state. Fail to block the marriage, and catastrophe will follow."
At Leonus's words, Ioannikios approached him.
"If Lord Leonus had informed us even a little sooner about Rogerius capturing the King of Georgia, we could have dealt with it adequately."
As Ioannikios implied, had Leonus shared the intelligence with the noble faction a bit earlier, the situation might have been different. Thus, he could only flush with anger at Ioannikios's remark, unable to muster a rebuttal.
In the end, they circled back to square one. The facts remained: they had to thwart Zoi's betrothal and Rogerius's promotion to inspector general.
With that, Ioannikios extended the first olive branch.
"Things have gotten tangled, and I spoke too harshly. I apologize."
Leonus, equally desperate, accepted the reconciliation at once.
"No, I should have informed you first. Forgive my complacency."
Thus, the two dramatically shifted to an atmosphere of amity. Yet their true feelings couldn't have been more opposed. Each plotted to eliminate the other the instant their immediate crises were resolved. But they were far too shrewd to reveal it outwardly. True to form as seasoned politicians, they exchanged apologies of "I'm sorry" while calculating furiously in their heads.
In any case, Ioannikios and Leonus had superficially reconciled. Now, with the nobles, they pooled their heads to tackle the problem.
"How about isolating the Varangian politically?"
"With the emperor's protection, that won't work. Why not eliminate the Moselaph family first?"
"Why bring up the Moselaphs out of nowhere?"
"Even as inspector, he'll struggle without allies. That's the idea behind the suggestion."
The nobles traded ideas. Yet none proposed a sharp solution.
It was a meeting going nowhere, like a hamster wheel. Then one man sighed deeply and rose from his seat.
"Do you all truly intend to solve this?"
A young man's pointed remark. The aged nobles immediately condemned his brashness.
"What is the meaning of this outburst?"
"How rude."
"He's devouring the dignity of nobility."
The man showed no sign of yielding to their rebukes. Ioannikios watched with keen interest to hear what he had to say.
"The purple bloodline's betrothal has already been announced to all and cannot be undone. The Varangian's appointment as inspector is merely delayed—practically a done deal, isn't it?"
The nobles had no retort to the youth's words. As he said, with the engagement proclaimed, nothing could revoke it.
"If we just huddle here debating endlessly, we'll all end up ruined."
As the condemnations continued, the nobles turned their ire on him.
"You have no solutions either, do you?"
"Look to yourself before criticizing us."
"Parading your foolishness with a self-inflicted wound. A no-name house sullying the honor of established families."
Vitriolic attacks. Any other might have backed down, but the youth stood firm.
"Do you think me your equal?"
As the nobles bristled to retort again, Ioannikios intervened directly, having observed long enough.
"How about we end the grandstanding here?"
The youth smiled and nodded at Ioannikios's words. The noble leader instantly sensed he had danced to the young man's tune. Provoke the nobles to draw all eyes, forcing the faction head himself to step in. Ioannikios realized the youth had orchestrated this provocation to lend weight to his own words.
"My apologies for the rudeness to Lord Keroularios. But for one from an insignificant house like mine, young as I am, it was the only way to seize everyone's attention."
The youth candidly revealed his intent. The nobles wore dazed expressions, while Ioannikios nodded as if conceding a point.
"An amusing fellow. Very well, all eyes are on you. Speak your piece."
The youth expressed thanks before laying out his view.
"There is a way to resolve both issues at once."
The nobles gasped in surprise. Leonus and Ioannikios alike eyed him skeptically, questioning his sincerity.
"Is there truly such a method?"
"Didn't you just say the water's already spilled?"
"Sophistry."
"A waste of time."
The nobles grumbled. But the youth, as if anticipating even this, pressed on.
"The dead cannot speak."
Assassination. At that bombshell, the nobles gaped at him in stunned silence.
"I've already secured not only guardsmen but also a Varangian burning for revenge against Rogerius."
The youth had prepared meticulously. Having heard it all, Ioannikios approached him.
"To think we had such a bold soul among us. What is your name?"
The faction leader's question. The youth answered.
"Constantinos Doukas."