The oil lamp's flame flickered in the castle's lord's chamber, casting Suleiman's shadow onto the stone wall behind him, stretching and twisting it by turns.
All traces of House Terry had been erased from the castle, declaring that its master had changed.
Suleiman sat alone at the desk, his mind filled with thoughts as he considered future development.
A sheet of parchment lay on the wooden table before him, and he continuously wrote and sketched upon it with the pen in his hand.
Survey the land, count the population, redistribute farmland, build irrigation works, find sources of income, streamline the administration, establish a tax system, establish a military merit system.
With no wise advisers at his side, he could only rely on himself for everything. He wrote it down to remind himself, intending to accomplish each task one by one.
He wrote, paused, and wrote again. At times, he stopped to think, lightly tapping his knuckles against the parchment with dull thuds.
Suleiman picked up the parchment and examined the development plan written upon it, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Nine years..." Suleiman murmured.
Time was not abundant. The Riverlands possessed vast fertile fields, but powerful neighbors surrounded it. Once war began, the land would be scorched and deserted. Nine years was not long at all; he had to quickly establish a system of rule that served war.
Those tough bones still occupying his territory would be difficult to deal with. He would set them aside for now and first test the waters, but he had to reclaim them in the end. This place would be the foundation of his future.
The matter of him burying Knight Terry alive had surely spread throughout the Trident by now. Rule could not rely on kindness alone; people also had to feel fear.
Power