How to Rule an Empire and Get Away with It (The Siege #2)

by K.J. Parker

And if you do make that breakthrough, what happens then? You get lots of money, granted. So what do you do? Do you retire, buy a couple of farms, a cloth mill and a half-share in a trading ship, relax into a life of leisured ease? Like hell. You keep going in the business, because now the people are paying to see you, not the stupid play. And with every massive success you notch up, you ask for and get more money, not because you want it to buy things with but because it’s the only reliable way in this business of keeping score. If you’re getting x every night but your best friend and deadliest rival is getting x+1, it’s enough to break your heart. So you try harder, and harder still.