Book 3: It's My Party

Lex

Castle Blackmoor is filled with activity as servants prepare the gardens for a party. People have been up early cooking food and decorating the gardens with balloons and streamers. Unlike their previous ruler I’m not prone to having trivial parties all year round. I try to avoid unnecessary expenses and go for more low-key events.

The nobles don’t say it to my face, but they disapprove of my thrifty management and way of living. They call me practically vulgar for worrying about pennies like a commoner. I don’t really care what they say about me. None of them know about the dire state of the royal treasury after the war Scarlett Thunder lost four years.

Wars are notoriously expensive, and King Peter had thrown every bit of gold at his armies all so he could punish my brother. Whatever remained in the treasury after King Peter’s humiliating defeat at the Battle of the Red Field had to be given over to other kingdoms for reparations.

I had