Pronoia, Elysium
January 3rd, 1887
It had been a grueling time. The country had sacrificed a lot. Too much, perhaps. Perhaps. But in the end, the war was won!
King Alexandros Galantinus smiled.
Persephone had been right.
She always was right. Zeus, he was happy Father had let him marry for love. One of the few gifts he had given him.
He shook his head. A father should care more.
He would care more for his children. On that, he swore before the gods. And Persephone. Zeus, he loved her.
He had given a speech late in the war, around the time the troops of Elysium left Anahuac, beaten and in default – and occupied, not the least – for Asia. The threat of invasion had finally scared them to the peace table.
The speech was heartfelt. He really cared, and he hoped his subjects knew. He had told his people sacrifices had been made by them, and now was his time to share in them. He vowed to eat like a peasant, travel to them and listen to their plight, send people he trusted to hear those he could not meet.
And he had done so. Cut the imperial spending by 80% on his household, given from his personal treasury. All Persephone’s idea, and it was a good idea. Zeus, what would have done without her? What would he have
been without her?
A wreck for sure. Probably without a throne, without hope. She was his all.
And now the war was over. The economy was hurting, but he knew that as long as he did not entangle himself in another war, the surplus was large enough to repay most of the debt before the turn of the century.
The industrialization, the economy, was growing at immense speed even without government spending on growing it. The capitalists were investing like crazy. Living standards were rising, fast. Colonization into Canada and the remaining parts of California was going full speed. New immigrants were coming to both the West Coast and East Coast in thousands – tens of thousands.
Anahuac were being pacified and the country would soon adjust to be a part of Elysium’s sphere of influence. He hoped. For now, the southern border was secure. Aside from the Japanese colony up north and Louisiana in the southwest, all was Elysium or natives. And Lousiana was the HRE’s colony. And the HRE were his allies.
Although, he had a plan for the HRE. Elysium was a Great Power in her own right, if not for her dependence on the HRE market. If he left it to make Elysium truly independent, also economically, the economy would crash. But with the economic growth and the immigrants flooding into the country, his advisors told him Elysium might achieve economic independence in a decade or so, perhaps sooner.
As long as public spending did not follow suit and grow out of control. Like a new war. So no, he would not go to war. It cost too much lives anyway. The war with Anahuac had been necessary, but now it was time to build for peace. As long as Elysium was strong enough to deter wars of aggression towards her, and she was – at the moment at least – there would be peace in his time on the throne.
That he swore. For him, for his children, for his people, and – most of all – for his Persephone.
FIN
Pomegranate arils?
