Chapter 81

He knew it was pointless, but he had to say it. Didn't she realize that she was meant to be resting for a reason? He watched her enter his office the way she had for the past few days and stood. She froze in the doorway.

"What's wrong?"

He lifted an eyebrow at him and came around the desk, plucking the pages from her hands and placing them on his desk. He ushered her out of his office and locked the door to his office behind him before lifting her off the ground.

She squeaked and floundered in his arms, "Your Majesty!"

"We had a deal, didn't we?" Adolph said, descending the stairs as she tried to get out of his arms. "Stop struggling, precious. You won't get free."

Laurel turned bright red and turned her face into his shoulder, "Your Majesty, it's embarrassing."

"Perhaps it will be punishment enough for you to hold up your side of the deal," Adolph admonished gently, pressing a kiss to her temple as he reached the correct floor and walked towards her room.

"B-But Your Majesty I can walk."

"I can no longer trust that you know the way to your chambers, my love."

She sputtered as a nearby guard coughed into his hand to cover his laugh.

"While I appreciate your dedication to the kingdom, you must rest. What good could you be when you are neglecting your health."

"Y-You don't take enough breaks either."

"I have not been ordered by the priestess to rest and recover properly," Adolph quipped as they reached her room. Sarah was exiting the room with a basket of clothes.

Her eyes widened and she bowed deeply, leaving the door open, "Your Majesty."

"Thank you, Miss Sarah," Adolph said, entering and carrying Laurel to bed. "Indulge me with the knowledge that you have slept at least a bit today and I will indulge your need to right the kingdom."

Laurel's eyes glimmered with unshed tears as she ducked her head. A flash of fear went through her eyes and he sat on the edge of her bed.

"What is it?"

Laurel's jaw trembled, " will you stay with me?"

He smiled and nodded, removing his boots and tucking her under the blankets before climbing up to lay on top of the blankets. She curled up to him, resting her head over his heart as he played with her hair.

"This is not how I imagined us sharing a bed for the first time."
"Your Majesty!" She gasped in horror and he chuckled. He pressed her close and kissed her forehead.

"Rest, love. I won't leave you."

Laurel swallowed, tempted by his words. The warmth of him eased the tension in her shoulders and his scent led her out of the waking world and into the darkness of sleep.

Adolph sighed with relief as she fell asleep and shook his head. This wasn't how he intended to spend this morning, but he was grateful for the break as he closed his eyes and drifted off into sleep, warm and content to have her in his arms, alive and well.

Laurel woke up what felt like hours later. Adolph was awake at her side, seemingly just watching her sleep. Her face burned with embarrassment as he leaned in close and grazed his lips against hers.

"How did you sleep, love?"

"Good," she said, timidly. He hummed and shifted closer to her.

"Lunch is being brought," Adolph said, playing with a lock of her hair. "I hope this won't become a habit of yours."

"What?"

"Not taking care of yourself," Adolph said, "The troubles of the kingdom will not be solved in an instant, nor will the kingdom collapse if you stop to take care of yourself."

"I could say the same of you," Laurel said with a little pout.

Adolph's lips twitched with the hint of a smile, "Unfortunately, darling, the kingdom would collapse without me."

She didn't want to laugh, but she couldn't help it. She scowled at his triumphant smile and sighed. She hadn't slept so well since before the disaster that had become their wedding day.

"Now that you have rested," Adolph said. "What was it you were coming to see me about?"

"The national food stores," she said and looked up at him. "They're-"

"Nearly empty?" Adolph smirked, "I know."

She worried her lip. In her previous life, she hadn't had the time to pay too much attention to the minister of general affairs between her etiquette lessons and performing the duties of the luna, but as they were planning to dissolve the ministries, she'd been striving to make herself more aware.

"What are we going to do?" Laurel asked, searching his gaze. "Your face says you have a plan."

"Several. The national food stores are the least of my concern at the moment," Adolph said. "Minister Mirabelle and the other ministers have at least enough sense to know that I am looking into the true state of my kingdom and you have been given authority to do the same."

She frowned, "I don't understand."

Adolph smirked, "You don't think they'll scramble about to cover all of their wrongdoings?"

Laurel frowned. She supposed, but replenishing the national food stores would take an immense amount of money. She couldn't imagine them doing it well enough to get away with it unless they all took a huge hit to their finances to make it happen. Between transporting the goods and bribing the attendants not to say anything, it wasn't something they could do easily. They, like Basil, enjoyed spending frivolously. All the money they had embezzled over the years had likely been spent just as soon as they'd gotten with one exception: Gavin.

Gavin relied on the other ministers for power and influence. He'd use it as a chance to put tighter reins on the ministers and cover himself from backlash. All the money that would be needed to replenish the stores and the treasury to where it was meant to be would likely come from him.

She gasped and looked up at Adolph, "You Are you planning to bankrupt them?"

He grinned, "I should at least get as much money back from them as possible, before formally punishing them?"

She wasn't sure if it was ruthless, conniving, or downright vindictive to force them to bankrupt themselves and still owe debts to the kingdom.

"With any luck, the kingdom will be repossessing all of their family lands as payment for their crimes. They may escape execution, by law, but it's unlikely they'll escape banishment."

She shuddered at the thought, "From the city?"

"From the kingdom," Adolph corrected. "I can't allow traitors to remain within my borders."

Laurel swallowed nodding, "Do you think they could be in league with the vampire queen?"

"It is unlikely," Adolph said and pulled her closer. "Though they may be being used by some of her agents."

Laurel nodded. She could see that.

"I have a present for you," Adolph whispered.

"What's that?"

"I'll let you fire the minister of general affairs."

She blinked and laughed, "What kind of present is that?"

He gave her a wicked smile, "The best kind. I've seen you, Laurel. You may look sweet, but there's a cunning mind behind those lovely eyes."

Laurel gasped as he kissed her once more, "And I adore it."

A knock sounded on the door before Sarah's voice rang out, "Your Highness? May I bring in lunch?"

"Of course," Adolph called out and sat up. "Shall we?"

He offered her his hand and she smiled at him, charmed. She took it and wondered what else he saw in her that she'd never seen in herself before. She glanced at the mirror on the far side of the room and nodded at the vision of Laura looking back at her before following Adolph to the parlor area.

The man Gavin sent to handle the restocking of the national stores had been a servant of the Mirabelle family for a long time. As he handed the bag of coins to the head attendant of the national stores for, hopefully, the last time and waved the caravan of food into the building, he regretted his decision to serve the grandfather of the prince for the fifth time that week. Other attendants scurried around to catalog the incoming food. The man gave him a sly look, pocketing the coins and He got a copy of the store accounts before he left and walked quickly to the minister of general affairs' office with the account.

The man looked harried and fearful. It was a bit pitiful to think that Gavin was relying on a man who could not even manage to hold his composure to maintain a semblance of power in the kingdom, but he held his tongue and placed the account ledger and the letter from Gavin on the man's desk without a word and left.

He headed towards the side entrance of the castle, a secret passage he'd used for years, and just as he was exiting, two knights in full armor stepped out, baring their fangs and looking threatening.

"Come without resistance," one of them said. "And maybe earn yourself some mercy."

He swallowed thickly, looking between the two men and lifting his hands.

He didn't get paid enough to die for the Mirabelle name.