I had been so absorbed in trying to make up my mind about Queen Hemlock that I hadn’t gotten around to my self-appointed task of trying to cut back on my staff or otherwise reduce the M.Y.T.H. Inc. bill to the kingdom. Now, I had the money in hand, and all I felt was guilty.
No matter what Aahz and Bunny said, it still felt wrong to me. Here we were, cutting corners on the budget and squeezing taxes out of the populace to try to shore up the kingdom’s financial woes, while I siphoned money out of the treasury that I didn’t really need. What was more, since it was my procrastinating on staff cuts that had resulted in the inflated payday, I certainly didn’t think I should be rewarded for it.
The more I thought about it, the more determined I became to figure out some way to give the money back. Of course, it would have to be done quietly, almost secretly, or I’d suffer the wrath of both Aahz and Bunny. Still, to me it was necessary if I was going to be able to live with myself.
Then, too, there was the problem of how to reduce our payroll. Actually, if what Grimble had just told me was accurate, that situation might take care of itself. If the budget was coming into balance, and if the collection process was now flowing smoothly, then I could probably send Bunny back to Deva, as well as one or more of my bodyguards. What was more, I could then insist on removing my own payment as financial counselor. All that should reduce the M.Y.T.H. Inc. bill substantially.
That still left me with the problem of how to deal with the disproportionate payment I had already received.