Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king

Jasmine stirred beneath the heavy sheets, the warmth of the bed still clinging to her skin as she slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze drifted to the other side of the bed, now cold and empty. With a soft groan, she lazily propped herself up on her elbows, her hair tumbling messily over her shoulders as she blinked, adjusting to the soft morning light filtering through the curtains.

She rubbed her eyes, her limbs still heavy with sleep, and glanced around the room. There, at the far side, was Alpheo, already up and seated at his desk. His back was to her, his posture focused as he leaned over a stack of parchments, his hand moving steadily as he wrote.

Jasmine sighed and slumped back onto the pillows for a moment, half tempted to close her eyes again. Instead, she muttered softly, ”Of course, you’re already working...” before swinging her legs over the side of the bed and forcing herself to get up.

Alpheo, still scribbling on his parchment, heard the soft rustle of sheets behind him. Without turning, he asked, ”Did I wake you up?” His voice was gentle, though there was a hint of amusement in it.

Jasmine groaned in response, saying nothing as she stretched, her body still sluggish with sleep. She blinked, rubbing her eyes, before muttering, ”How long have you been awake?”

”A few hours,” Alpheo replied, his quill pausing briefly over the paper. He chuckled softly, ”I’m a light sleeper.”

Jasmine sighed, running a hand through her tangled hair. ”Did you at least have breakfast?”

He shook his head, a faint smile on his lips. ”Not hungry.”

With a shake of her head, Jasmine stood and made her way toward him, the soft patter of her bare feet on the stone floor the only sound in the room.

Jasmine approached Alpheo’s desk, leaning slightly to peer at the scattered parchment. ”What are you working on?” she asked, her voice still thick with sleep.

Alpheo glanced up, a tired but content smile on his face. ”I’m planning a reform for the administration of the fiefs under royal control,” he said, tapping a page filled with notes. ”It’s nothing too exciting. Just trying to smooth things out for the crown.I told you about it, remember?”

He looked up at her and raised an eyebrow. ”Want to give me an hand?’’

Jasmine let out a soft scoff, crossing her arms. ”Seems bothersome. I think you can handle all those things on your own.” Her voice had a teasing edge to it, but the smile in her eyes showed her affection.

Alpheo chuckled, shaking his head. ”You’re the one who wanted the crown, remember?” He leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms.

She smirked, remembering their early days. ”When I first thought I’d marry a mercenary, I assumed you’d only care about luxury and war. I didn’t expect to marry a man who dives into books from dawn until dusk.” Her tone softened. ”Not that I’m complaining,” she added, a playful glint in her eyes.

Alpheo laughed, the sound warm and genuine.

Jasmine tilted her head and asked, ”Do you want to have breakfast?”

Alpheo glanced at the papers scattered across his desk and shook his head. ”I need to finish these up first.”

With a sigh, Jasmine reached over and snatched the parchment he was writing on. Alpheo blinked in surprise as she held it up and began reading, her eyes skimming the words for several seconds.

After a few moments, she looked up and asked, ”What’s all this?”

Alpheo leaned back, rubbing his temples briefly before answering, ”I’m dividing the administrative tasks for each region. I want to make sure one area balances the other, so no position gets too much power or becomes too autonomous.”

Jasmine continued reading for a few more moments, then frowned. ”Why do we need so many people for all these different tasks? We’ve always just named a regent to deal with everything in a region before, and it seemed fine.”

Alpheo smiled wryly. ”Because they are allowed too much free space to work with . When one person controls too many things, they get sloppy—or worse, greedy. By splitting tasks, each part of the administration keeps the other in check, and there’s more oversight. It also makes it harder for anyone to scheme behind our backs.”

Jasmine rolled her eyes but kept reading, absorbing the details. ”Hmm... sounds like a lot of work for a lot of people. Are you sure we can trust them all?”

”Of course we can’t trust everyone fully. Corruption comes with power. You can cut it back, reduce it, but never wipe it out completely. It’s not just about who you assign to a task—it’s about the ruler himself,” Alpheo said, leaning back and looking at Jasmine with a serious expression.

He continued, ”Picture a newly crowned young ruler, unsure of himself, or an old man who’s lost his edge. The people beneath him will steal, bribe, and embezzle without fear, knowing the king’s too weak to stop them. But now, imagine a strong king—one who doesn’t tolerate corruption. All it takes is for him to punish one or two guilty men, and the rest will start thinking twice before lining their pockets. They’ll downgrade their schemes to just small enough that it flies under the radar, and even then, they’ll tread carefully.”

Alpheo stood and stretched, as if to emphasize his point. ”Now, think about what happens when you have multiple people working the same region. It makes things a lot trickier for anyone trying to be dishonest. Before they act, they have to worry if one of their coworkers will notice and rat them out. That alone cuts down on corruption, and if we change their posts every few years, they won’t get too cozy with local powers or criminals. It keeps them from growing roots in any one place for too long.”

Jasmine tapped her finger on the table, a hint of amusement in her voice. ”So it’s more like a game of fear than trust, then?”

Alpheo chuckled. ”Not exactly fear—more like accountability. When they know they’re being watched by both the crown and their peers, they’ll be less likely to let greed take over. It’s the best we can do, really.Of course some small actions of embezzlement are almost impossible to detect and stop; hence it is much better to make the heavier one harder to accomplish.”

Jasmine pulled out a chair and sat down across from Alpheo; her curiosity piqued. Alpheo couldn’t help but smile at her interest as she settled in.

”Alright,” she said, folding her arms on the table. ”It’s clear you want me to ask more, I lived with you enough to know you like flaunting your ideas around.... Tell me, how have you divided these tasks?”

Alpheo leaned forward, his fingers tapping lightly on the table as he began to explain. ”First, we’ll have a Taxarius. His sole responsibility will be collecting and managing taxes, making sure the treasury is filled without bleeding the people dry. Then, we’ll have a Judicarius—the one who handles justice and disputes in the region, ensuring the laws are followed and order is kept. A third, the Praesidiarius, will oversee the local militias and garrisons, keeping control over military matters and security.”

He paused, watching as Jasmine absorbed the information, then continued, ”Finally, the Referentius—they’ll be the one to gather reports from all the others and summarize the situation to send to the crown at the end of each season.”

Jasmine raised an eyebrow, intrigued. ”So, the Referentius is like a watchdog for the rest?”

”Not really ” Alpheo said honestly, ’’More like someone to make our job much easier , as we will not have to read through hundreds of reports each season. He will also be the one to report any problems regarding the fiefs, like there being a drought or a banditry problem.’’

Jasmine leaned back in her chair, a smirk forming on her lips. ”By the way, those names stink,” she said bluntly, teasing him.

Alpheo raised an eyebrow, ”Alright, fine. I’ll think them over later. Naming isn’t exactly my strongest suit

Jasmine leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. ”There’s one problem,” she said, her tone serious. ”We don’t even have that number of courtiers and administrators to fill all these positions.Last I counted, we have more than six governors assigned on royal fiefdoms.”

Alpheo waved a hand dismissively. ”That won’t be an issue. There are plenty of merchants—wealthy ones—who’d jump at the chance to secure an administrative position for one of their sons. They’ll come flocking as soon as we give them an opportunity.”

Jasmine raised her eyebrows in surprise. ”Merchants? You’re not going to give those jobs to the small nobility?” She leaned back, her curiosity piqued.

”Not a chance,” Alpheo said, shaking his head. ”The last thing we need is to hand over political power to people who already have ties to noble families outside the royal circle. Merchants don’t have that kind of political baggage. They’re after wealth, not power—at least not the kind of power that could destabilize the crown.We could also make use of them when we are in need of quick cash...”

Jasmine sighed, pushing her chair back and standing up. ”I’m tired of speaking about this and I ’m hungry,” she said, nudging Alpheo’s shoulder playfully. ”Come on, let’s get something to eat.”

Alpheo chuckled, glancing up from his work. ”Alright, alright,” he said with a smile, rising from his chair. ”I suppose I can take a break for food.”

Jasmine grinned as he finally agreed, grabbing his hand and pulling him toward the door. ”Good, because I wasn’t planning on eating alone.”

Alpheo laughed softly, following her out.