Claude had been fully absorbed in the kingdom's financial situation.
Now, at last, he could concentrate better since Layla and Lilac had finally learned to leave him alone—even if Morion still insisted on staying by his side.
He couldn't refuse her. Instead, he let her sit across from him, quietly sketching on a piece of paper while he pored over reports, his brows furrowed in frustration.
The financial records spread before him painted an infuriating picture. The numbers didn't lie—money was vanishing into thin air.
'Where the hell is all this gold going?'
His fingers tapped against the desk as he skimmed through the bookkeeping. The usual corruption was one thing, but this? This was something else entirely.
The palace alone swallowed a ridiculous amount of funds. Antique maintenance, historical preservation, an overstuffed war chest, and a bloated government payroll.
And that wasn't even the worst of it.
