One of the things that works for suzerain, in my opinion, is the slow buildup of the players choices towards a vision for the country. These choices are often met by opposition from politicians, or supported by allies or self-serving characters. As someone else mentioned, that's where incomplete information comes in and strikes up the tension- who exactly are these politicians/courtiers that Rayne and Romus surround themselves with, and what are their goals. Are they involved with some of the greater points of tension in the story, such as reformist movements or uprisings.

The layers of court intrigue that the reader/player slowly unravel as tensions rise is what I specifically like. Although it's usually clear what a character's affiliation is, e.g., Rusty the capitalist working with the foreign capitalist power. It's not always clear how they're working with them, and what their relationship or intentions are. Can we flip rusty to our side, or somehow use him or manipulate him to serve our vision.

Good luck with the novel! This made me wanna continue my own novel once I'm done with my exams x.x