In the carriage, Rafael relayed Winona's words to Carissa.Carissa rested her head on his shoulder. Despite holding back her tears for a long time, they eventually began to fall.Rafael held her close, resting his chin on her forehead. "Winona truly regards you as her own sister.""Yes," Carissa said, her voice muffled. "When I went to the Pathfinders Guild, Winona took care of me a lot. She dotes on me quite intensely."Rafael wondered—who didn't dote on Carissa at the Pathfinders Guild? Even Everett, when speaking to him in the side hall, had reminded him to take good care of Carissa and had fondly referred to her as a mischievous little monkey.Everett had shown a hint of sorrow when talking about Rafael's in-laws, his eyes filled with melancholy and regret.Everyone was moved by the sacrifices made by the men of the Duke of Northwatch's family for their kingdom.Wiping away her tears, Carissa asked, "Rod is going to stay in the capital. Do you have any arrangements for him?
Carissa first sought out Luke to get a general understanding of the situation and the current status of The Gilded Tower. Luke assured her that there was no need to worry. They had Eric in their custody and had sent some people to monitor The Gilded Tower, ensuring that no one could slip out to send a warning.Feeling reassured, Carissa headed towards the accounting room.Helen had not yet finished reviewing the accounts, but the entire room was filled with people kneeling in fear and anxiety. The place was in disarray—anything that could be thrown from the desk was thrown, except for the account books. Several cups had also been smashed.Helen's hair was a mess, and her face was pale with anger. Upon seeing Carissa, her feelings of grievance and humiliation reached its peak, and she burst into tears. "How could they do this to me?!"Carissa entered the room, and addressed everyone, "Please rise. Everyone except for the accounting staff, leave the room. Gillian, you too."Ther
Carissa decided not to address the issue immediately. She instructed the staff to prepare a meal for Helen first.After Helen had finished eating, Carissa said, "Let me see the contract. We need to check for any hidden traps. If there are any, we must prepare in advance."Helen blinked through her tearful eyes. "What can we do if there are traps?""There are ways to deal with them. Just bring the contract to me first," Carissa replied, not meeting Helen's gaze, especially not when she was crying. So, Carissa turned to find Gillian and asked her to retrieve the contract.Gillian knew exactly where the documents were kept. She quickly found the contract, and brought it to Carissa.Carissa read through the contract three times from start to finish and found no issues with it—it was fair and impartial. As for the parties involved, Helen had used Gillian's name, while Jessica had used Eric's name. Surprisingly, Eric was a household servant of the Winchester family.For a lady from
Carissa deliberated for a moment before ordering that Eric be brought in for questioning.In the side room, a charcoal stove was set up with a fire poker roasting over it. After a while, the fire poker was glowing red-hot halfway through.Seeing this, Eric was so frightened that he nearly wet his pants. He fell to his knees and pleaded, "Your Highness, spare me! Please spare me!"Carissa sat upright, frowning slightly. "Why would I want your life? I just need you to answer a few questions truthfully." Eric nodded vigorously. "I will tell you everything I know."Carissa held up the purchase ledger. "Is Jessica aware that you've been purchasing cheap, rough goods?""Yes, of course! She was the one who instructed us to get them.""Did you inform her that the gold used in the jewelry is impure and might cause problems?"Eric's eyes shifted nervously as he replied, "I did mention it, but Lady Jessica said it didn't matter. She said if there were problems in a few years, we'd be clo
Once the accountant finished calculating the amounts, the accounts were handed to Carissa.After Carissa reviewed them, she nodded and passed them to Helen. "Mother, please have a look and see if the figures are correct."Helen took the accounts and studied them carefully. She looked prepared for any potential confrontation. However, as she examined it, her expression turned to one of shock. "Did I really spend this much over the years?"The total expenditure, including the capital outlay, amounted to an astonishing 136,000 silver coins. Although she had recorded each transaction, she had never realized the total sum would be so vast.If Carissa hadn't taken her to review the figures and brought Eric in to be interrogated, Helen would have continued to believe she was incurring losses and would have kept giving away money to maintain her prestige against Dakota.The 136,000 silver coins were the principal amount. The total profits from previous years plus this year's profit re
Eleanor was clearly irritated and said, "Have them brought in and seated in the side hall for a while. There's no need to take them to the main hall. I'll join them after I finish my dinner."The steward went out personally to handle the situation. Noticing that they were bringing in items that didn't look like gifts, he asked Helen, "May I ask what you've brought, Your Grace?"Helen was about to blurt out that it was the account books, but Carissa interjected first, "They are some old manuscripts for Grand Princess Eleanor to review."The steward's eyes brightened at the mention of manuscripts. Could they be Kyle's manuscripts?He immediately ordered refreshments to be served, then went to report to Eleanor and Jessica."Manuscripts? Kyle's?" Eleanor asked slowly."I'm not sure. She didn't say, and I didn't dare to ask," the steward replied.Jessica had only recently learned about the Mystic Pearls and the three thousand silver coins, which had left her very angry. Now, seein
Eleanor nodded thoughtfully. "I remember you mentioned before that the shop's initial reputation wasn't good."Jessica vented her frustrations, "That's right! Despite several years of operation, it failed to make a profit and has been running at a loss. We had to resort to discounts and promotions at the end of the year just to cover costs for rent and wages. I truly feel guilty towards Aunt Helen. She believed in me, and invested in The Gilded Tower with me. Yet, instead of earning any profit, we've only faced losses.""Business is tough these days, Jessica. There's no need to feel too guilty. I'm sure Mother understands, don't you, Mother?" Carissa interjected.Carissa turned to look at Helen.Helen felt a bit confused. What was with the look?Carissa had instructed her to stay silent if possible before entering, and now, she was being questioned.But, catching Carissa's subtle hint, she could only nod and respond awkwardly, "Yes."Carissa continued off Helen's answer, "Yes, e
Eleanor and Jessica's expressions changed at the mention of the Supreme Court. They knew all too well that the current head of the Supreme Court was Rafael. Eleanor glanced at the boxes of account books. "Since Eric deceived you as well, and you've already reviewed the account books, Jessica will also need to go through them. Leave the books here for now. After we've completed our review, we will visit you personally to reconcile the accounts. Once the evidence is clear, we'll send it to the authorities for proper action."Carissa sipped her coffee and smiled. "Aunt Eleanor, I'm rather impatient by nature. The account books are here. Please have your accountants come over immediately to review them. If more accountants are needed, I can send someone to Ironridge Estate to bring over their accountants as well. We'll sort it out tonight, and the accounts can be recalculated by tomorrow.""No, you can't go to Ironridge Estate!" Jessica stood up, her face pale. Margaret and Leopold