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Substitute Bride
Morgan
“No,” he said. “The turtles are matriarchal… conniving though… The ti his jaws and his eye started to glow. “I don’t think theiring will be a very rxing thing.”
rs are just vicious.” He set
He narrowed his eyes. “I doubt the witch has changed her mind about the way things should go.”
“What does that mean?”
“Thedy of the Hardest Shell, as she was once called, wanted each of our realms to remain separate from each other, to preserve the nature of thepass as having four distinct lines… or she wanted to take Pyra’s ce.”
My eyes widened. Ovepping triangles? Great. Wouldn’t that mean it was more likely that the tigers and the turtles would team up to get what they wanted? Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.
A wave of unease went through me and I pushed it down. I couldn’t focus on the battle ahead not
owing how far behind we <b>were </b>in preparations now.
odded. “Alright. Let’s… talk more about the Convening when they’re feeling a little <b>more </b>alkative? What have you been up to while I was unconscious? What can I take off your te?”
“Are you hungry?”
I blinked and chuckled. ‘Not literally. I meant what tasks can I take on so you can focus on other things?”
He murmured to himself. “What an interesting way of describing it. Where should I start?”
He sighed, his eyes glimmering with light. It was almost like I could see Tarofu at the back of his mind, stirring, listening, but notmenting. There was an intensity in his silence that set me on edge, but I waited for Tsuneo to speak.
The quiet of our chambers was weing, rxing even. I could feel Pyra’s anxiety simmering at the back of my mind, but I pushed it back. If she had something to say, she would just have to <b>speak </b>up about it.
“We’re going to need a n,” Tsuneo said. “I’m not sure how much of what needs to be done is something I can pass off to you. Not just to prepare to host, but for whatever the Elders and the other celestials have nned.”
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“How about we start with preparations first, hm?”
His lips twitched. About that.”
I furrowed my brow, leaning forward slightly. “What’s going <b>on</b><b>?</b>”
He ran a hand through his hair, a weary sigh escaping his lips. “While you were unconscious, I’ve been dealing with… issues in the pce. And not just political ones. Financial ones.”
“Financial?” I echoed, confused. “I thought the dragons were the wealthiest?”
“We are,” Tsuneo snickered. “And the treasury records were impable until five years ago, around the time of the coup attempt. Since then, a lot of money has been funneled out of the ounts, and it’s been difficult to trace beyond seemingly heading into the harem.”
of
That would exin why Haruka was so relieved about the ounting books. Five years. financial mismanagement, embezzlement or otherwise wasn’t the worst considering how long their history <b>was</b><b>, </b>but it would be a pain in the ass to sort through.
hts about where it could have been going?”
thing,” Tsuneo said, frustration seeping into his voice. “Most of the money was
d through the <b>harem </b>ounts, so some of it could just be the harem being wasteful in my <b>mer’s </b>absence, but the rest, based on who’s ounts it all ended up in…” He huffed. “It would seem that Ari and Lady Maro were likely supporting Elia in secret.<b>” </b>
“Elia?” I asked, confused. “Who’s that?”
Tsuneo’s eyes darkened. “My father’s brother. He’s also Kai’s biological father thus Ari’s lover, but I have reason to think that Lady Maro might also be entangled with him.” He shook his head. “He tried to take the throne years ago, and he’s my prime suspect in the incident that led to mya.”
It hit me like lightning. My father’s casket shed through my mind.
“His brother?”
Tsuneo went still and eyed me. … this had struck a cord <b>in </b>you.”
“Goro and my father were bothers…” I scowled. “At least they were in my father’s mind.”
He nodded. “The same is true of my father. I doubt even now that he doesn’t see him as his brother, despite everything he’d done.”
“How much money do you think has gone to him, and for what?”
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“If it was just enough for his livelihood and Kai, I might not be so irritated, but based on the things that Kai has been telling me and the amounts I suspect, that’s not the case.” He shook his head. “It’s at least a few hundred thousand li in gold.”
“A few thousand?” I gasped. My family’s secret treasury was easily one a few tens of thousands of li. I couldn’t even fathom that much money being in a treasury, let ne missing and no one have. noticed it for five years!
How much money did the dragons even have?
“I’m thinking that I might be able to trace it through merchants or something, but I have no way of knowing what aliases he may have been using for supplies, material, weapons<b>, </b>or what ever.”
I clenched my fists. “We need to <b>go </b>after him. If he’s preparing for another coup, they’re in danger. Only a few were told that they were leaving and where they were going, so they should be safe on their trip, but what about when they get back?”
“I’ve shut off general ess to the treasury, so whatever preparations he’s making, hopefully will be slowed by the stop of the flow of money.”
I hated the thought of waiting, but there wasn’t much other choice.
“So what do want to do in the meantime?” I asked, my voice tight with frustration.
“There’s another issue, Tsuneo said, his expression grim. “The pce is in desperate need of repairs. The harem has been incredibly wasteful these past five years, and the food stores are nearly depleted. We’re going to have to restock supplies and make cuts to the budget if we want to get the pce prepared to receive them in Spring…” He sighed. “A lot of the farnd has been neglected. It’s a bit of a mess, but I can’t me my father. The Elders weren’t doing their jobs, and in my absence, Keiji or Kaito should have stepped up to actually do some work instead of enjoying the fact that was no longer around.”
He shook his head. “How they could think themselves worthy of anything when they would rather watch father suffer than help him for the sake of the kingdom is beyond me.”
“No one said they were smart,” I said and sighed. “They’ve drained that much that it’s a problem?”
“They’ve been livingvishly, unchecked. It’s not a matter of a mary shortage so much as a shortage of time.” He uffed. “What I would give to have a connection to a fairy gathering.”
“What do you mean?”
‘Fairies could restore the fields and have them flourishing in a matter of days.” He smiled. “There’s
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nothing <b>quite </b>like a fairy renewal over thend, <b>but </b>they’ve retreated away from the pce since
the attack.”
“Do you know why?”