Fairy Tale Economy (5)
"You've worked hard subduing those bandits. Glike mu."
Zoi threw herself into my arms. Her actions grew more endearing with each passing day, drawing an involuntary smile to my lips.
"You've had it rough while I was away, Zoi."
"Thinking of you toiling out there makes any task feel easy."
"For someone saying that..."
I turned my head to gaze at the mountain of documents piled on her vanity like a fortress. The work had overflowed, invading even our private space.
"We need a solution."
"It's just busy right now. It'll settle soon."
Zoi tried to reassure me, but I couldn't shake my worries.
"Can't we dump more on Lord Alberto?"
"He's already overloaded—might even submit a resignation."
Alberto, worked to the brink of collapse. Though he had a legion of bureaucrats under him, he was the one corralling them all—no helping it.
"If we can't train bureaucrats from within, why not bring them in from outside?"
"Outside? Who did you have in mind?"
"Anywhere. As long as they're capable. They'd have to convert if their faith differs, of course."
No reason not to hire them just because of race. In the medieval world, religious divides ran deeper than racial ones anyway—no issue there.
"Good idea. But..."
Zoi flashed a subtle smile. Instinct told me exactly what signal she was sending.
"Uncle never prepared a successor in advance, leaving the empire in chaos after his death."
"I've heard that story too many times..."
Zoi slipped off her outer robe, revealing her stunning figure in full. A sculptor's dream—flawless beauty with the passionate curves of a fiery lover. I wished I could describe it more vividly, but as a military academy man, this was the limit of my eloquence.
"Hee hee. It's nice to hear it again."
She took my hand, leading me toward the bed.
"Let me wash up first."
"No need, glike mu. I love every scent on your body."
Her gaze outshone any woman in the empire. Staring into those eyes, I finally understood why tyrants fell for temptresses.
Zoi pressed her lips to my neck. I returned the kiss to her forehead.
"Hope Theodora doesn't complain this time."
"Luckily, her room's far off now, so we're good."
Back when we'd traveled to Lazica, Theodora had griped nonstop. Her quarters had been too close to ours, so our sounds carried over inevitably. She'd always shoot us those hollow-eyed pleas to keep it down.
This time, indoors in the palace—no such worries.
"Hee hee. Perfect."
Suddenly, Zoi straddled me. Moonlight streamed through the window, bathing her in a glow that evoked a mythic lunar goddess—ethereal and regal.
"Work's had me so tense today; all this bad energy's built up. I think this is what you called 'stress' last time."
In Greek, it could mean tension, pressure, burden—no single perfect word, so I'd passed "stress" off as a Norman term.
"Will you help me relieve my stress?"
She'd latched onto the word since, especially during our intimacies—or so it seemed to me.
"Lately, I keep thinking I'll be seeing a niece or nephew soon. Not just my imagination, right, brother-in-law?"
Theodora eyed me pointedly. I cleared my throat awkwardly and changed the subject.
"So, why'd you want to meet today?"
"Give me work too."
"Work?"
"Yes, brother-in-law. Everyone's swamped—I don't want to sit idle."
I tilted my head at her declaration.
"You could've gone straight to Zoi for that."
Theodora shook her head.
"You know how she babies me, right?"
After Constantine VIII's sacrifice, Zoi had shouldered responsibility for her only sister. She meddled in everything Theodora did, urging safety above all.
Fed up with the overprotection, Theodora wanted out.
"I've had the full Macedonian education. If you tell her to let me help, I can handle anything."
Perfect timing with the document avalanche. No reason to refuse from my end—just let her dive in.
But she might bolt at the sight, so I probed her resolve once more.
"You sure? Once we decide, no take-backs."
"Yes. I'm serious."
Her eyes sparkled. I nodded and led her to Alberto.
Alberto's eyes were sunken pits—worse than his Muslim slave days.
He startled at my arrival, eyeing me like more work was incoming.
"Y-Your Majesty?"
"Sorry to bother you amid the chaos, Alberto."
"N-No, sir. What brings you and Her Highness to the administration?"
All admin flowed through here. Trapezounta-Lazica wasn't populous enough to split yet, so centralizing boosted efficiency.
"Theodora wants to lend a hand."
"A hand?"
His eyes lit up like a slaver spotting fresh merchandise—fleeting, unnoticed by her.
"But it might be tough for imperial nobility here."
Contradicting his glint, he cautioned. I started to intervene, but his look hinted at a ploy, so I hung back.
"As you see, most here are lower status than Your Highness."
Local nobles and wealthy captives from conquests—hostages turned bureaucrats to avoid wasting talent.
They should've rebelled, especially with kids hostage. But "imperial bureaucrat"? They welcomed it, dreaming of Constantinople's cushy elite life.
That delusion let us snag talent resistance-free.
"Mostly provincial nobles or rich merchants. Can one raised in palace luxury work alongside them?"
Alberto's provocative jab—rude, but transparent.
Theodora didn't hesitate.
"Don't worry, Lord Alberto. I can manage."
He beamed like a fisherman landing a prize, welcoming her warmly.
"With your palace training, you'll adapt fast."
Mission accomplished, he turned to me.
"May I train Her Highness in admin?"
"Proceed."
He shifted from sly to servile, ushering her to the dimmest corner like trapping prey.
"Sorry for deciding without telling you."
"It's fine. I understand."
After handing Theodora to Alberto, I briefed Zoi privately on the morning's events.
"You sent her to admin first to test her, right? Without looping me in."
"Exactly. She might quit if it doesn't suit."
"True enough. But... I didn't realize she felt that way."
Zoi nodded thoughtfully at my explanation. Overprotection had blindsided her.
Now she got it.
"So you tasked Alberto with her to learn the ropes?"
"To help you, she needs to grasp admin first."
Zoi held final say. Hands-on experience would reveal her duties.
"Planned to tell you once stable, but you'd sniff it out anyway."
Zoi tracked everything like a true chief.
Hiding from her? Futile—better be straight.
"Wise, glike mu. Nothing escapes me."
She added,
"Like how you're secretly funding refugees with Uranos funds."
Angelos knew; of course Zoi did.
"Play dumb on that."
"Can't ignore my husband's good deeds."
She sat beside me, producing a parchment from who-knows-where.
"What if we made your efforts official policy?"
"Official policy?"
"Yes. Prosperous subjects pay more taxes. Let's enact this as law."
Sounded familiar. Suspecting, I scanned the parchment slowly.
"This is..."
Provisions for the aid of the poor and refugees, including grain distributions, shelter provisions, and employment mandates upon imperial lands.
Core principles of welfare: support for the vulnerable to foster loyalty and productivity.
Anyone could see it concerned poor relief. Far from modern standards, but the skeleton was pure welfare policy.