The Princess' Harem
Chapter 132: The Beginning of the Financial Crisis

Chapter 132: The Beginning of the Financial Crisis

Viana felt the eyes of people watching her every step in the long palace corridors. This happened each time she came to the Elysian royal palace to meet her parents. Sometimes, those looks turned into an awkward silence, or people would give forced coughs.

But Viana knew she had to face this head-on with actions. Violence would not work.

Inside her office in the Imperial Palace, Viana and Arden worked intensely, almost every day. They buried themselves in stacks of parchment scrolls and maps.

The smell of fresh ink mixed with paper filled the air. This showed how hard they were working to solve Elysia’s financial problems before they got worse.

"Let them be, Arden," Viana said softly one day. Arden had just returned with important parchments from the palace’s financial department. He was complaining a bit about people speaking ill of Viana.

"Our people are starving now. They suffer every day. If we don’t act quickly and strongly, everything we fought for yesterday during the blight and the war with Arin will just be a dream."

Arden nodded. His glasses sat low on his sharp nose, and his face looked even more handsome in the dim candlelight on the table.

"Your Highness, I’ve observed carefully," he argued slightly. "They won’t just doubt our financial plans. They’ll doubt you entirely."

Viana’s hand, which was writing on a parchment, stopped when Arden spoke.

Arden continued. "This, Your Highness, isn’t just about the kingdom’s financial crisis anymore. It’s about power, and about who they will follow, who they will see as their true leader."

Viana sighed deeply. It was a mix of tiredness and strong resolve to escape Lazarus’s grip.

"Then we will show them clearly and undeniably who they must follow," she replied, her eyes glinting in the candlelight.

Arden said nothing more. He was captivated by Viana’s beauty and her strong will. With a small smile, he went back to his desk. He got busy again trying to solve Elysia’s financial crisis.

Viana glanced at him from the corner of her eye, then took a deep breath. She acknowledged Lazarus’s intelligence and cunning, if he really was behind all this.

Everything that had happened in Elysia, from the start, from the blight, from the war, and its effects, he had anticipated a financial crisis in Elysia.

Now Viana would face the consequences. Arden’s words were true. Whoever managed to overcome this financial crisis would become the leader the people recognized.

And Lazarus, with his financial power that was greater than an entire empire’s wealth, would step forward and save Elysia. But the price would be her and her throne.

***

An extraordinary meeting of the Noble Council had been called. Viana hoped this meeting would be an important moment for her. She wanted to present her vital economic plans for the kingdom’s survival in detail. Even her father and mother clearly approved of all her ideas.

However, Viana knew, even before stepping into the hall where the meeting would be, that this would be more than just a discussion about Elysia’s new financial crisis. This meeting would be a battleground over the choices and decisions she had made since the war ended.

As she entered the grand council chamber, her steps were calm and controlled. Her head was held high with the grace of a royal family member. But she immediately felt the cold atmosphere in the room.

Cynical and disapproving looks came from everyone seated neatly at the long table made of old oak wood. They glanced at her as she walked past. Then some of them looked at the seats next to Viana’s, and at Joel and Reyes, who stood calmly or indifferently behind the Princess.

To these old, traditional nobles, what Viana had done by bringing in a "harem" was a clear insult to the order they had held onto for generations.

Duke Callisto, who had always tried to bring Viana down, with his body now fatter after being punished for his indirect involvement in the kidnapping and enslavement of girls in Elysia, rose from his seat with a graceful movement.

His voice sharply cut through the silence in the meeting room.

"Your Highness," he began, his tone full of false respect. "All of us, loyal nobles of Elysia, who have served the throne for generations, deeply appreciate your undoubted spirit for our beloved kingdom."

He glanced at the King and Queen, who simply sat silently on their thrones. This time, they were only observing, meaning to educate Viana to become the heir to the throne. Seeing them silent, he looked back at Viana with a slightly challenging gaze and continued.

"However, this esteemed council, sacredly formed to advise the King and Queen, and only the King and Queen, is not the right place to discuss... unconventional projects, which seem to be handled, directly, by... them."

His sharp eyes looked with contempt and judgment towards Arden, who sat calmly beside Viana, and towards Joel and Reyes behind her.

Callisto paused, letting whispers of agreement grow louder among the nobles, to support his opinion.

"And, if I may add," he continued smugly, his voice rising. "Your very noticeable decision, Your Highness, to place men who have no blood ties or legal marriage within the Imperial Palace, under the same roof as you, Princess, has caused... many unpleasant whispers, spreading to all corners of the kingdom."

Callisto stopped to take a breath, his face slightly flushed, and his stomach moved up and down as he inhaled. "Those whispers, I must say, are very damaging to the dignity of the throne, and also the honor of the royal family as a whole. Are you not aware of the impact, Princess? Do you not care about your reputation as crown princess, future queen of Elysia?"

Viana remained silent, not really caring about the Duke’s useless words. Her eyes only glanced at someone sitting in the back row of the noble’s table before her. That person was sitting calmly, a smile always on his face.

Count Lazarus.

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