Other Executive Officials
The king chose several officers to assist him, and unilaterally granted them their powers. When the king left the city, an Urban Prefect (praefectus urbi) presided over the city in place of the absent king. The king also had two Quaestors (quaestores parricidii) as general assistants, while several other officers (the duumviri perduellionis) assisted the king during treason cases. In war, the king occasionally commanded only the infantry, and delegated command over the cavalry to the commander of his personal bodyguards, the Tribune of the Celeres (tribunus celerum). In the early republic, this arrangement was revived with the creation of the offices of Dictator (the magister peditum or "master of the infantry"), and that of the Dictator's subordinate, the Master of the Horse (the magister equitum or "master of the cavalry").
When the king (Latin: rex) died, his powers reverted to the senate. The period that began upon the death of a king, and end upon the election of a new king, was called the interregnum. When an interregnum began, an Interrex (literally "interim king") was chosen. An Interrex always had to be a patrician. The exact method by which the first Interrex was chosen during a given interregnum is not known. What is known, however, is that each Interrex had to vacate his office after five days. Before he vacated his office, he had to choose a successor. A new Interrex was chosen every five days, until a new king had been sworn in. The Interrex was quite literally an "interim king". The only difference between the king and the Interrex was the five day term limit that the Interrex was subject to. The Interrex had the same level of legal authority (imperium) as did the king. Therefore, while the Interrex was required to facilitate the election of a new king, the powers of the Interrex were not limited to this function. The Interrex could, for example, issue any decree, make any law, command the army, and preside over the Senate and the assemblies.
Read more about this topic: Executive Magistrate Of The Roman Kingdom
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