Page 47 of I Ran Away to Evil
I had figured out that while Keithdidmanage things well enough in his kingdom that he wasn’t workingevery day, he still swung by the office just in case files with Immediate Action required his attention. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as often as I’d imagined.
“In Nilheim, I only have a few cities under me, and each of those is ruled very differently based on the people who live there,” the Dark Overlord explained to me. “Most of them are autonomous and simply report mandatory revenue and trade information, who was born and who died, who immigrated or emigrated, and any concerns. My spies are all golems whom I can see and hear through, and they don’t require a transcript unless I’m using that knowledge to direct minions.”
I eyed the three stacks of paper that had made it from the diligent group busy paper-shuffling in the corner. “What about the rest of it?”
“What do you mean?”
“Where does the rest of that paperwork go if you aren’t going over it to make sure it’s correct?”
Keith stared at me like he didn’t understand, and I started babbling nervously, “I mean, how do you know if the documents are forwarded correctly and no one is breaking the law or committing fraud?”
“Simple.” Keith smiled. “I don’t, and I don’tneedto. My office assistants are from every corner of the Dark Enchanted Forest, and they are required to audit each other in a rotation. There was a magician named Ajax who retired two years ago who used to clone himself and audit everyone forfun.”
“How do you audit someone for fun?” I couldn’t fathom it.
“We have an enchanted abacus that calculates the input and output of anything it’s set atop,” he explained. “When it’s your turn to audit, then you get to take a day off and wander through the previous two years’ tomes checking that the budgets drafted for each month line up with the records. If you find anything amiss, you get a bonus, and if it’s important, you get a paid two-weeks’ vacation.”
“And no one cheats?”
“Of course they cheat.” Keith laughed. “It’s politics. But I don’t care as long as my constructs bring back news from across the kingdom that things are running smoothly. The generals run the kingdom, the clan leaders run the towns, and I just have to clean up problems by directly using my golems.”
“And it works?”
“I wouldn’t say it—”
“No one’s going to welcome me back?” An adorable woman with long, curly sun-blonde hair and sparkling green eyes stood in the doorway to the office. “Or do I need to request a formal audience,Your Royal Viciousness.”
CHAPTER 30
Leave My Captured Princess Alone, Chloe
Keith
“Welcome back,” Keith said, dryly. “Now get back to work.”
Chloe Watercress and Rufus Triever had been Keith’s best friends since he could understand what friendship meant.
While Rufus was the second son of the Gren’s Keep clan leader and was all butgivento Keith as a suitably aged playmate, Chloe was a literal stray brought home from one of Feliwyn’s flits about the Dark Enchanted Forest.
A flight of fancy, as it were.
“Truly?” Chloe sauntered over and leaned against the desk. “You’re going to war with Drendil after capturing their most-desirable-in-all-the-land to be your queen … and you can’t even be bothered to introduce your most trusted advisor?”
Said princess coughed and reached for her waterskin. Keith smirked. “We both know Rufus is my mosttrustedadvisor.Youare just the mostpowerful.”
“Damn straight I am,” Chloe agreed. Then she winked at Ria. “Powerful, that is, not straight. Is Keith treating you all right, darling, or should I show you the dark delights arealblack magician is capable of?”
“Oh my …” Ria had actually pulled out a traveling pack of nuts from her belt pouch and was happily snacking on them while looking back and forth between Chloe and Keith.
Keith rolled his eyes. “Leave my captured princess alone, Chloe; she’s too busy to play with you.”
“With what?” The woman tossed her golden hair over her shoulder and shifted her attention back to Keith.
“Me.”
Henrietta put up her hand to get their attention. “Hello, Chloe? The necromancer, I assume? Keith is correct, and we are … um, courting? Is that the right word?”
Keith nodded. “I think that works nicely.”
