20 minutes later Aella was quietly reading a treasury report and ignoring everything around her, the tables remain in the same position as she discovered that it had been nailed to the king's desk and the floor. The king was sitting right next to her, watching her with a smile instead of doing his works. ticked off by the king's stare she turned and scowl at him "your highness, could you please do your own work instead of being a creepy perv".
The king just blink at the insult and shrugged "watching you work and get annoyed is even more fun than doing boring paperworks my kitty", reaching out a hand to push a stray hair and on Aella's face.
Aella pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration and went back to do her works while pretending that he's not watching.
she was reading the monthly withdrawal on the grain storage when she notices something odd, the amount of bags of grain stored is lesser than when it was collected. It wouldn't be weird if it wasn't for the fact that the gap between the two weeks is extremely far when it should be nearly the same as they set a fixed target for every one week. She abruptly stands up making the king looks at her in suprise especially when she turn to him with a sweet and cute smile.
"Your highness...may I know who's handling the food storages of the kingdom?" she look at him with a wide puppy eyes making the king blushed furiously at her cute expression.
"I-it's umm... minister Yanky and his people my love" the king stuttered while cupping her cheeks and cooes after that.
Aella feel like punching the pervert but knowing who he is(the king and.. ugh her husband) , she had to resist(her title as queen is useless on him). She kept her irritation and asked "can I meet him and also check the storages? ".
this made King Rafael confused "why? ".
"I think there's rats in the storages management"
King Rafael expression darkened at that, the king might be evil but he never greedily keeps the people's food from them hence there was never actually food problems in the kingdom.
'Until recently...' she realizes.
The two royal walked briskly heading to the castle entrance where a carriage waited for them. Marquis Symon meet them halfway and grew confuse at the couple urgency.
"what's wrong your majesties?" he asked them as King Rafael help her get into the carriage.
"catching rats Symon... rats" was the King brief reply before ordering the driver to went to the storage headquarter while going into the carriage himself. The marquis grew even confused at this and swiftly climb on to a horse that the soldier readied for him to follow the royal couple.
As they arrived at the kingdom's storage they were greeted by Minister Yanky and his people. The minister is a bald and fat man with a weird smile and apparently a roaming eyes as he look at Aella up and down with a hidden lust before swiftly changing his expression, so fast that a normal person won't notice. Of course for the king, Aella and the marquis who all are definitely not normal noticed it. King Rafael swiftly unsheathed his sword and put it on the old foxy minister and smirk darkly,
"I suggest not looking at my wife like that again old man if you know what's good for you... she is YOUR queen and MY wife so watch out" he warn sinisterly making the old minister trembles in fear.
"y-y-yes your ma-m-majesty!".
The Marquis just shook his head in sympathy at the old minister while Aella look at the minister in disdain and disgust before moving close behind the king, holding his arm. (This cause the king to be delighted inside at his wife dependency on him). Of course, Aella sensed his delight and secretly pinch him hard although it did nothing to quell his inner delight and did not even flinch.
"Anyway...we want to do an inspection around the place to see how it works and making sure it's...rat-free" The king drawled with a devious smile as he sheathed his sword back, amused at the minister slight flinch at the word 'rat-free'.
"O-of course your M-majesty... I understand besides the treasury and storage are now handled by her majesty isn't it? I'm sure her majesty needs to know how the system that she foresee works!" The minister nodded in understanding.
The marquis then moves forward and speak sharply "well Bran... what are you waiting for? we shouldn't make our king and queen standing and waiting under this hot sun!"
The minister squeaks at that and stammered "y-yes yes! right this w-way your m-majesties! our first stop will be the collectors office since it's near the entrance" scrambling to lead the two royal and marquis. The collectors office was a bunch of long table facing the four walls with panels dividing the table for each officers. The officers all stand in line and greet the two royals before standing silently as the royal couple walk along their line, inspecting them one by one.
Aella's eyes fall on an officer that seemingly older than them and smiled "what's your name elder?" asking in a soft respectful tone making the old officer stammer while blushing,
"I-it's Giles your majesty...." a normal reaction as no royals or noble will call an elder with a low status "elder".
She smiled sweetly at his reaction earning a secret nudge from the king which she ignored in favour of asking "may I ask how long have you been here elder?"
"Long enough your majesty.... since I'm 20 years old when this place was manage by Minister Howard"
Aella nod at this "yes...that honorable minister...it's sad that we lost such a man, then can you fetch all of the original copy of the reports of this year and last?".
Minister Yanky fidgeted at that and piped up "if I may... your majesty... I could send one of my men to get it".
King Rafael just glanced at him from the side and shake his head "no need... if the queen want Giles to take it then he shall take it, Symon will accompany him".
Symon just bow at him and went to Giles to hold his shoulder "let me help you mr. Giles" and they went off to the archive.
Minister Yanky guide the royal to the lounge area so that they can wait and sit after instructing a maid to serve the tea and confectioneries.
After 10 minutes of waiting Symon and Giles came in to the lounge, each holding a stack of books. Giles holding 4 thin books while Symon hold two thick books.
'so the sly marquis know compassion toward elderly people' Aella thought in her mind. The book was placed on the table infront of the two royals and Aella swiftly pick up one of the thin books that recorded last year's collection and skimming through it seriously. 'The after end products were the same amount with the collected amount last year... just as it should be...until the end of the year... hmmm'. She took the other books and went to a specific pages, skimming it and noticing the differences more.
She turns to look at King Rafael who was reading another record then to minister Yanky before looking up in thought while asking.
"when did old Minister Yanky got assigned to the food storages? ".
"the end of the year love.. " he said while caressing her head.
"this makes sense.. " Aella nodded, her face showing realisation.
The king frowned in confusion at that "what makes sense love?"
Aella scowled and cursed at the king internally 'could that idiot stop calling me love?!'. She clears her throat and move the book in front of him and then takes out the monthly report that she was reading earlier. The book was put on his lap while her hand merely pointed at the end of the year report and the other holding the current report next to the book, signalling for the king to observe the two pointed reports then gesturing at the old reports from the old minister.
Rafael took the two reports and read ot for a while before letting out a sound of realisation then turning to glare in fury at the minister Yanky.
Said Minister trembled in fear seeing the scary glare of the king directed at him, "y-your Majesty?".
"you got a lot of nerve stealing from the people's storage... didn't your family got enough food? now that I think of it... now wonder you're so fat!" king Rafael scowled in disgust at the old minister. He glanced at the marquis briefly, sending a signal to him.
The marquis saw the king's signal immediately took action, "guards, seize him!".
Minister Yanky paled further and quickly kneel down infront of the royalty couple, "p-please your majesties have mercy! I promise I wouldn't do it again! I-I I will pay all of it back! please!"
The king smirked and throw one hand to Aella's shoulder, "of course you're going to pay it back... with your assets and your life, don't worry I'll make sure to leave some money for your family".
The guards took the frantic former minister. The workers of the place grew uneasy, wondering what their fate going to be.
King Rafael turned to stare at his silent wife who was frowning at him, "so what is your plan my love".
Ignoring the nickname she look at the staffs, watching their expression noticing that some of them seem to be in relief while some are nervous. "which one of you did not agree with Yanky's ways? line up in front of us...don't worry, he's done for anyway" she coaxed the staffs.
Giles along with some of the workers that was previously relieved seem to be caught off guard and then went to line up infront of the couple, bowing in respect as they do. Aella smiled in satisfaction at that but turn to glare fiercely at the nervous wrecks that decided to follow the group to line up after making them freeze in tense.
Looking at this King Rafael waved at the group causing several other guards to went and seized them.
"throw them out guards, they're fired. I will set up a new minister for this storage...I have someone trustworthy in mind... as for you guys that lined up, consider youself promoted as you're salary would be increased and if you're up to it mr. Giles, bring two of your good friend among this group to choose new workers out in the employment department, I heard they got new recruits lately looking for works in the government" The king casually ordered them while helping his wife to stand as they are finish with the problem.
They all kneeled down and chanted "Thank You your majesties! Long Live The king and Queen!". Aella was kind of surprised at that as she never experienced this before and was quite touched.
The couple went off outside with King Rafael helping his wife on the carriage before hopping on his horse that the guards had been tagging along and ride beside the carriage.
Aella was in deep thought on the way to the palace, 'I guess there is some good things about the king'. She was replaying the king's order for the workers before shaking her head 'whatever, an evil person can't change his skin so easily'.
hours later and it was night. King Rafael had gone off outside the castle with Marquis Symon for an important "business",leaving Aella to retire in their room. She watched the duo ride out of the palace and went back to her room to change her clothes, lock the door, created an illusion of herself in the bed just in case a maid decide to check on her, waited 15 minutes before shifting into a cat and slip off the room and walk in the dark, heading outside the palace and following the track left by the two under the cover of the shadows.
Being in the palace definitely did not hinder her usual activities especially with the king and marquis nowhere in it. She just had to went back to the palace before they do. Halfway on her journey, another black cat joined her, a patch of white could be seen on it neck. They nod in greetings and continue tracking.