Prince Kaelen "The Executioner" didn't enter a room; he occupied it.
As I descended the grand staircase, I saw him standing in the foyer. He was dressed in high-collared black leather and silver-trimmed armor that looked like it had tasted blood recently. His hair was as dark as a starless night, and his eyes—a piercing, predatory gold—tracked my every movement.
He looked less like a Prince and more like a scythe looking for a neck to cut.
"Lady Elara," he said. His voice was a low baritone that sent a shiver down my spine—half terror, half "I-haven't-seen-a-man-this-handsome-since-my-last-Netflix-binge."
"Your Highness," I replied, performing a curtsy so perfect it felt like a lie. "To what do we owe the honor? My father is currently at the capital, as I'm sure your spies have already informed you."
Kaelen's eyes narrowed. He didn't waste time with pleasantries. "The Crown's patience has run thin, My Lady. The Lexen Duchy hasn't paid its tithes in three quarters. I'm not here for the Duke. I'm here for the truth."
He stepped closer, the smell of sandalwood and cold steel hitting me. "Rumor has it you've spent the last month locked in your study. The servants say you've stopped buying jewelry and started buying... ink. Why?"
Crap. He's observant.
"Ink is cheaper than emeralds, Your Highness," I said, flashing him a smile that was 10% charm and 90% corporate defense. "A girl has to budget when her father is... well, you know. I've taken over the estate's management to ensure our 'debts' are handled."
"Management?" Kaelen scoffed, his hand resting on the pommel of his sword. "The Elara I know wouldn't know a ledger from a cookbook."
"People change when they realize the alternative is a cold cell in the Iron Tower," I countered. I gestured toward the dining hall. "Will you join me for tea? Or do you prefer to interrogate me in the hallway?"
Dinner was a masterpiece of deception.
I had ordered the kitchen to serve thin broth and day-old bread. I sat across from the most powerful man in the Empire, looking like a noblewoman on the brink of poverty.
"This is... modest," Kaelen noted, staring at a piece of bread that was practically a weapon.
"Times are hard," I sighed, taking a tiny sip of tea. "The drought, the trade routes... it's been a disaster. I've been trying to find where the money went, but the records are a mess."
Kaelen leaned forward, his golden eyes locking onto mine. "I've spent five years hunting rebels and traitors, Elara. I can smell a liar from across the palace. You aren't mourning your fortune. You're hiding something."
"I'm hiding my stress, Your Highness. It's bad for the complexion."
He suddenly reached across the table, his gloved hand grabbing my wrist. He didn't squeeze, but the power in his grip was undeniable. "I'm staying here for the week. I will be conducting my own audit. If I find even one copper coin out of place, I won't wait for the Winter Solstice."
My heart hammered against my ribs, but I didn't pull away. I leaned in, until we were inches apart.
"A week? I hope you brought your own quill, Your Highness. My ledgers are quite... complex. It takes a certain kind of mind to understand them."
"I'm a very fast learner," he whispered, his gaze dropping to my lips for a split second before returning to my eyes.
Later that night, I was back in the vault, the floorboards pulled up.
I had seven days. Seven days to move five million gold dragons into a Southern account before the "Executioner" found the hidden sub-ledger.
I pulled out a fresh sheet of parchment. I didn't need a sword to fight Kaelen. I needed the most powerful weapon in the world: The Double-Entry System.
"If he wants an audit," I muttered, dipping my quill in ink, "I'll give him an audit that will make his head spin."
Suddenly, a shadow fell over the doorway.
I didn't look up. I knew that scent. Sandalwood and steel.
"You're working late, Lady Elara," Kaelen's voice echoed from the shadows of the doorway.
I froze. The hidden ledger was wide open on the desk. The secret South-Territory account number was written in bold, black ink right at the top.
I looked at the ledger. Then at the Prince.
"I'm just checking the 'miscellaneous' expenses, Your Highness," I said, my heart stopping as he stepped into the light. "Would you like to help me... carry the one?"