Nikos frowned. "Wait a moment, Valentino. You argue for maintaining the local structure, yet also for withdrawing their autonomy. Does that not contradict itself?"
Valentino met his watch directly. "Yes, Lord Nikos, and no." He then turned to the emperor. "Your Majesty, if I recall correctly, the surviving members of the previous Serbian royal family remain in Constantinople?"
Leo nodded. "Đorđe Branković is a patriarch in Hagia Sophia, and Jovan Branković serves as a Stratopedarchēs."
"Then we should reinstate one of them as King of Serbia," Valentino proposed. "Divide the land between them to prevent any single ruler from consolidating power. At the same time, we must install a new government in Belgrade—one that holds authority over all military garrisons, appoints officials, and controls the market."
Several murmurs rose among the gathered men.
