Chapter 359
As luck would have it, on the day Rafael and Carissa were preparing to visit Northwatch Estate, Jessica had someone deliver the accounts. The shopkeeper himself, Eric, brought them. Since Helen was staying at Hell Monarch Estate, Eric made the trip personally. Had Helen been at the palace, Jessica would have handled the delivery.
Gillian suspected Eric's visit was also to familiarize himself with the people involved, for future identification.
Helen eagerly opened the account book, only to find a few sparse pages detailing sales of mundane items—no expensive jewelry at all. The final summary showed a loss of over ten thousand silver coins in one quarter—more than before.
Helen trembled with anger and threw the book to the floor. "How could there be such a loss? You'd better give me an explanation!" she shouted.
Eric knelt, a sorrowful expression on his face. "Lady Helen, you don't know how tough business is these days. We hoped to profit before the New Year, so we stockpiled goods. Little did we know many were flawed and unsellable. While other shops thrive, ours is deserted—heart-wrenching."
He crawled forward, picked up the book, and opened a page. "This loss was mitigated somewhat because you and Lady Jessica previously invested. Otherwise, the loss would have been at least twenty thousand silver coins."
"Nonsense!" Helen slammed her hand on the table, her face pale with rage. "The Gilded Tower deserted? Why did I see it full of customers when I passed by? Many were leaving with their hands full!"
Eric was startled. Had Helen visited The Gilded Tower? When? He suddenly recalled a shop assistant mentioning a woman, seemingly from a high-ranking family, buying popular filigree gold bangles the previous day.
Could that have been Helen?
Eric's eyes darted around as he gambled on an explanation. "Lady Helen, you must be referring to yesterday. Recently, that was our only good day. We had accumulated too much stock, so Lady Jessica instructed us to sell it off, even at a loss, rather than hold excess inventory. If we hadn't, we couldn't justify this to you. We sold a lot yesterday, but all at a loss. We're still having a discount sale today. If you don't believe me, you can see for yourself."
His earnest tone swayed Helen, and she began to believe him.
Chapter 350 (+25 BONUS)
Observing from outside the door, Carissa realized Helen had been deceived. She immediately entered.
"Really? If so, why did your shop assistant say you sold batch after batch of filigree gold bangles—copies of The Golden Tower's design? You wouldn't be selling those at a loss, would you? Let me see if this transaction is recorded."
Carissa grabbed the account book from Eric. He instinctively tried to hide it, but she was quicker. She flipped through the pages with a cold smile.
"What a surprise! There's no record of this transaction. Not even the large gold bracelet my guild senior bought for me. So, what exactly does this book record? Eric, embezzlement is a grave crime."
Seeing Carissa, Eric was terrified. It was the young lady who collected the large gold bangle! The Hell Monarch's princess consort?!
"Guards, take the account book and this man to the Royal Citadel. Have my nephew's uncle, Lord Klein, thoroughly investigate how much money The Gilded Tower defrauded from Lady Helen and Lady Jessica," Carissa said calmly.