The Crown's Obsession (WN)

When Madame Fraunces had been killed with blood spilt on the floor, Calhoun knew that Morganna would not leave it at it. The Queen wouldn't be satisfied with just the death of the woman who was close to Theodore, she would go to great lengths to frame Theodore and him, taking advantage of the situation.

Every step that Morganna took, she didn't realize she was making way for Calhoun and he was making use of her for his own benefit.

The day when Madame Fraunces was found dead, Calhoun had not only moved the body where the royal family would least suspect, but he had gone back to the house at the same night to replace the wooden planks before he had spilt juice that was extracted from beetroot. This gave an effect of blood before he left the house.

The Queen acted just as he had expected, tipping the magistrate as well as the guards to drag Theodore to be executed, but she wouldn't have guessed that the High House would be on her trail now.

In the royal court room, Calhoun stood next to King Laurence while the discussion took place in the castle.

"My King," one of the ministers who stood in front Laurence said, "The villagers have been giving the money for the taxes that are being collected every month. We even increased the amount so that it could cover the wars and the land's other expenses, but that seems to not be enough."

"Increase it some more then. We work for the welfare of the people and if the expenses are getting high, it only means we are spending more on them," stated King Laurence in a matter of fact tone.

The minister looked slightly troubled by hearing the King's words, "That would mean they wouldn't have a singly penny left for themselves. The people from one of the villages have already started to revolt over the tax that has been implied by us. I don't think it would go well, my King, if we were to pressure them more."

"Maybe it is time we attack one of the neighbouring kingdoms and use the wealth from there to compensate for it," proposed Queen Morganna. "I heard there are lots of expensive and rare jewels that are possessed by the Queen."

On hearing the Queen's words, Calhoun smiled, "That might only cause further holes in our wealth, my King. We are still trying to compensate by using other possible measures, and to get the men trained for war would mean to have enough resources. We have only half the men compared to the previous war and if we don't calculate properly, we would only end up weakening our military resources."

King Laurence nodded his head in agreement.

"Calhoun is right," stated King Laurence, "We cannot afford to lose what we have in haste. The neighbouring kingdom might be weak compared to the other lands, but they are also being supported by the Warrings."

The minister who had brought up the issue, then said, "What shall we do, my King?"

"For now it might be good for us to concentrate and increase the resources that we have. Also try to find the men who are young or old. In the span of a few months, we'll wage the war and try to conquer the neighbouring land," ordered King Laurence.

Before everyone could agree on the idea, Calhoun proposed, "Why not make use of the wealth that is present in the treasury?"

Morganna let out a chuckle, "What are you saying, Advisor Calhoun. The wealth that is there in the treasury right now, it cannot be used for the benefit of the public, but it will be needed for the use of the royal family, the ministers and other people. And it is only a matter of time before everything comes back to normal."

Calhoun knew Morganna knew what was on his mind, and she was trying to divert the conversation, but he wasn't going to let it go.

"My King," Calhoun turned to look at Laurence, "I have been going through the records and the details that explain the expenses of the treasury, but it seems like a few things aren't matching up. I would like to ask the woman who has been in charge of it."

King Laurence nodded his head, "Go ahead."

"Milady," Calhoun turned to the woman who had been working in handling the treasury of the Kingdom. She had an apprehensive look on her face while the Queen turned alert.

Ms. Selene bowed her head, and Calhoun asked, "Ms. Selene, could you explain why there has been discrepancies since the last few months, no, years actually. It seems that the amount that comes to the vault vanishes to nowhere, and I wasn't able to figure out why."

Morganna gritted her teeth that Calhoun was bringing this up in front of everyone. She had tried to kill Selene because the woman was the sole witness to what she had done, but the woman was always surrounded by Theodore or someone else, and it made it difficult for her to eliminate the woman.

Ms. Selene had a troubled look on her face when her eyes met Calhoun's and then the King's.

"I don't know, Advisor Calhoun. I have been recording the transactions as much as I can. I swear on my life that I didn't touch a coin from the treasury."

"Are you sure you can bet your life on a couple of coins that sits not in your house where you live, but in the mansion that you brought through the money you received?" inquired Calhoun, tilting his head to the side while noticing how the woman started to sweat.

King Laurence narrowed his eyes, and he asked, "What's going on in here Calhoun? Is there something I need to know?"

Calhoun offered his father his deepest bow, "You will find out in a while, my King. People have been doing this under your nose."

Morganna knew if she were to protect Selene right now, it would only put her under problem. Without wasting time, she said,

"Guards! Put the woman in the dungeon."

"Wait," Calhoun raised his hand towards the guards. "Always so eager to help me out, grandmother. My apologies, Queen Morganna. We should conduct a fair trial so that the King comes to know of what his people have been doing, don't you agree?"