The week-long funeral was over, and it was the day that Eustaf returned to the capital's academy.
Ran knew well that as soon as he left the mansion, he would be monitored for every move.
'Sir Ross.'
Ran swallowed a sigh when she saw him say something earnestly to Eustaf several times.
After Ross finally moved away from Eustaf, Ran was able to approach him.
"Have a safe trip."
"Yes, I wish you all the best."
Ran looked at the blue ring on his neck and smiled at Eustaf again.
"with your grades, you should be first in rank."
It was a mean remark, but he answered without hesitation.
"If you want."
"Is that just because I want?"
When Ran asked again, Eustaf laughed and went into the carriage.
Ran stepped back, and horseman politely closed the carriage door. The horseman lightly lifted his hat to greet her and whistled.
The horse began to run lightly, and the carriage quickly drifted away. It was not until he was completely away that Ran sighed and turned around.
"Sir Ross."
"Yes."
Hazel-colored eyes looked straight at Ran as if they had something to say.
"While Eustaf is gone, I want you to be my escort."
Ross looked down without replying, as he had already spoken to Eustaf.
"Nice." Ran sighed again.
"Then let's get to work."
*******
'I'm dying.'
When I asked the butler to bring all the accounting documents, Ran was eager to work.
'But it's a bad situation.'
The situation was worse than I thought. '
It's been mortgaged by a private lender, haven't you?'
The Duchy of Lazia is spacious and has a lot of useless land. But there's no way he's mortgaged a useless piece of land. '
The only granary I've got is a mortgage. If we don't have this, we'll all starve. I'm starving.'
Of course, the repayment period is still about half a yearaway, but interest was due every month.
Moreover, the finances are negative.
Minus.
Negative means that there is currently no lump sum money to respond to, and that a lump sum of money will be spent on mining development, even if it is a visionary, it is not difficult to know.
'Shall we sell some of the mining rights?'
We need to find the mine first.
Baron Lindbergh was still staying at the mansion. As soon as Eustaf left, he wanted to meet Ran right away.
'I hated it because I had a lot of work to do.'
Then Ran beat her head with a flagpole.
The duke is big, and of course there are many working families. There are four people in charge of the operatives.
The butler, the maid, and the servant in charge of all the affairs of the mansion.
An administrator in charge of the affairs of a territory.
An accountant in charge of accounting.
A knight in charge of armed forces such as soldiers and knights. Among them, accountants are trash.
A human being who pocketed public funds into his own pocket.
'Why did you turn the accounts into a trash? Oh, really!?'
That's the most important part. Well, it was so easy for the duke to collapse. Fortunately, the rest of the people were deeply loyal to the duke.
'Especially the Knight Commander.'
Ran saw Ross. The Knight Commander was his eldest brother.
"Sir Ross."
"Yes."
"Can I have the Administrator and the Knight Commander?"
At Ran's command, Ross asked, without a word, after calling the two men.
"What are you going to do?'
"The accounting is terrible."
"The Duchess was extravagant."
"Yes."
Ran nodded gently at the sarcastic remark that yourmother had done something wrong. It's true.
"The problem is that selling such jewelry is a bargain. It's expensive--"
He paused for a moment, and Ran continued.
"How much do you know about the financial situation?"
"I know it's tight."
"It's not tight enough."
Ran knocked on a bundle of papers.
"It looks like our accountant has definitely deceived you. Well, you weren't the one looking into the accounting books."
You would have thought it was not aristocratic. If an accountant could borrow money, or if he could respond, he would have thought so.
I didn't think it was a big deal to use private loans.
"I'm scared…that sense of crisis."
Ross's expression hardened slightly at her words.
"How dare an accountant lie to you?"
"That's right."
With a nod, Ran swallowed a bitter smile.
I think it's a tight aristocratic way of thinking, but I didn't say that. This is the North, and they are honor-conscious.
You can't understand the trick of cheating your boss before the temptation of money. People who are as attractive as rare animals and will disappear without a protective shield of good superiority.
Ran smiled.
Eustaf is an excellent shield.
Ross frowned at her smile, and there was a knock on the door.
Knock knock.
"Come on in."
Pushing the chair back slightly, Ran spoke clearly. The administrator who opened the door and came in was a woman about the middle of her 40s.
The knight in his early thirties was dressed in armor.
"I see the Lord."
Elizabeth, the administrator, greeted first, followed by Blaine, the Knight Commander.
Ran felt lighthearted because he seemed to follow the words of not to say formal greetings to Lord.
"Both of you sit down."
Administrator Elizabeth and Knight Commander Blaine glanced at each other.
They met at the door, but neither of them knew why she called them.
'Of course, it's not like I don't have a clue.'
Elizabeth looked at the young lord in front of her. When Ran was wearing blue ring, Elizabeth was also there. I don't know what's going on, but the ring was definitely in her hands.
It didn't even burn Ran.
Ran has said several times that she's a temporary Patriarch, but what if she's lowering herself before she cringes her claws?
As soon as she ascends to the throne, she examines the accounting books and calls the administrator and the chief of the Knights.
'It's not what an ordinary 19-year-old girl would do.'
Elizabeth thought so and gently lowered her eyes when hereyes met Ran.
"Suddenly, I'll call two people and they'll wonder what's going on. To put it bluntly."
Ran tapped her finger on the specialized document.
"The duke's debts are enormous."
"Oh my, How much?"
Elizabeth asked again.
Ran smiled bitterly and said.
"If I say, 'I have to sell my estate and my title ,' can you guess how much is it?"
All three people in the study swallowed their breath at Ran's words. But soon Elizabeth protested.
"That can't be! I also looked at the accounting data. Of course, it's tight, but the benefits are-"
"It was fraudulent accounting."
"Fraudulent accounting?"
Blaine asked the first term he heard. Ran gathered herfingertips and said, standing like a tower.
"In short, Fraud. For example, -"
Ran thought for a moment and gave the simplest example.
"I don't buy things, but I write down that I bought them."
Ran opened a document and pushed it to Blaine.
"Last year, 3,000 verats were paid to equip the Knights."
Blaine hurriedly pulled the document at the words. It really says the payment is 3,000 verat.
He protested without realizing it.
"No way!"
It was money that he had never received a penny. On the contrary, he has raised the long list of requests to change the tattered equipment, but no money has come in.
"I thought so. Besides, if you look over here, you've spent alot of money buying horses, but you don't do that much, do we?"
Elizabeth's face turned pale.
"There must be something similar going on in the administration."
"I know. Elizabeth has a separate record of the funding request. Thanks to you, it was easy to find compared. But."
Ran smiled coolly.
"Bunuch accounting is always accompanied by embezzlement, malpractice and fraud."
We don't have any in stock, but it says we bought it. I have a terrible business trip.
If then,
-I don't even know how to touch it?
Of course, that kind of thought follows.
"But Lord, how will you believe us?"
In Elizabeth's words, Ran pointed her finger to her eyes.
"I didn't leave my eyes open while I was here."
Elizabeth shut her mouth. It is strange to say that Ran has observed and made a decision on her own, but it is strange to believe that she believes it alone, which is suspicious of the Lord's eyes.
Besides, I didn't hate that you believed in me.
"So, I'm going to run out the accountant."
She waved her palms lightly from side to side near her neck.
"But that doesn't mean the debt is gone. What's fortunate is that 6 months from now will be repaid? And it hasn't been decided whether to pay in installments or lump-sum payments."
Blaine frowned.
"Then what are you going to do?"
When asked by him, Ran looked up for a moment and said,
"For now, we need to get rid of the accountant, investigate and confiscate the property, but there's something we need to do before that happens."
"Please tell us."
"I'd like you to search the northern mountains."
"Ice wall?"
In this situation?
He had that face, but Ran smiled and said,
"Yes, I mean ·····."
Ran groped for the location of the mine. After Female Lead fell here, it was discovered while wandering through the mountain range, so it won't be that far from the "door."
"I want you to concentrate on finding the cave near the door."
"Near the door?"
His face became hard.
"Yes, I wish I could come with you."
Ran said so and shrugged her shoulders.
'Door'
It is the source of the story and the beginning of the Lazian family.
Iveria, the great wise man, made three things while sealing the darkness.
This mountain range called the ice wall. Door, the core of the mountain range.
And the Sky castle that was built for the Lazian family, the gatekeeper.
So, the door was a symbol of fear and awe in the north.
Of course, the Blue Knights, the Knights of the Duke of Lazia, was close to the door, but I would not want to ask you to investigate near the door.
"But!"
"Please do a thorough investigation. There's a secret plan in the cave to save the Lazian family."
"Is that so"
Blaine nodded without much concern.
"All right, I'll start a team."
"I'll leave it up to you, but I ask only those who can keep silent on whatever they find in the cave."
At Ran's words, Blaine glanced at her and bowed his head.
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Yes."
Saying so, Ran gestured to Blaine to leave. He got up, greeted politely, and left the study.
And Ran looked at the remaining Elizabeth and said,
"Actually, there's nothing to gather evidence for. Just looking inside is full of loopholes. I've probably been doing it for years, and it's not a problem, so I'm sure it's been a hassle lately."
"But you still want to document it."
Ran nodded at Elizabeth's words. Elizabeth looked at the documents on the desk and said, "Please send everything to my room."
"Please."
Ran said so and told Elizabeth to go out.
Then she called her servant to move some documents to Elizabeth's office, and Ran's work increased.
'I'm tired.'
Sneaking at Ross, he had a face that wouldn't lift a finger for herself.
"A cup of tea."
When Ran opened a finger and said softly, Ross called the maid. Ran pressed her forehead with both hands and waited for the tea to be brewed.
'I'm tired.'
On second thought, she passed through the numbers that filled her head one by one. The maid quietly poured tea into the tea cup.
Ross asked as soon as the maid left.
"Did you send it on purpose?"