The parable of the minas opens with political circumstances that can sound strange to modern readers: a nobleman must travel to a distant country to receive a kingdom, and citizens send a delegation after him declaring that they do not want him to reign.
In the Roman imperial world, local rulers could depend upon confirmation from a higher imperial authority.
Rome often governed territories through client rulers whose authority ultimately depended upon Roman approval. The history of Herod's dynasty provided Judea with vivid examples. After Herod the Great's death, his sons traveled to Rome in connection with claims to portions of his realm, while delegations could also petition imperial authorities about proposed rulers.
The parable need not be reduced to a coded retelling of one political episode. Its opening situation nevertheless belongs to a recognizable world in which kingship could be sought abroad and locally contested.
The political background makes the master's delayed return and subsequent reckoning easier to understand. His absence does not mean that his claim has vanished; he returns after receiving authority.
Luke explicitly connects the parable with expectations that the kingdom of God would appear immediately. The story counters that expectation with a period of entrusted responsibility before the ruler's return.