Transmigrated To A Beastworld As The Lazy Wife Of The Fox Lord

Chapter 232: More ledgers of wrongdoing.

Jess flipped the pages, her brows knitting tighter with each line. The ledger listed delicacies, recorded as they had arrived. [Royal mooncakes filled with phoenix cream yolk. Crystal carps. Golden rice infused with special broth. Snow pears from the Northern glaciers. Wine brewed from the royal starlight brewery.]

Sienna had no idea what those foods were, but she gasped theatrically none the less. "Oh heavens! Such precious foods. And yet...only thirty percent remained here. Where did the rest go?" She turned to her mother-in-law with wide, innocent eyes. "Mother-in-law, surely you didn’t eat them all yourself. Ali has a bigger appetite than you, and even she wouldn’t eat this much."

Jess’s lips pressed into a thin line. "I can already guess who got all of this wine. It’s that drunkard brother of yours, Mark Twindell, isn’t it?"

Cadelaria wailed louder, as though volume could erase evidence.

But the accountants were not finished. Another entered, then another, and another, until they formed a line going out the now open doors of the chamber. Each was carrying a ledger. Behind them came butlers, some carrying boxes, sacks and others scrolls. They laid these things out like offering before the dais.

Sienna gasped with every revelation. "Mother-in-law, don’t tell me the horses gifted to us by the royal family died immediately after being registered. Oh..no, a guard noted that your cousin picked them up. I am sorry."

Cadelaria seethed.

"Sapphires, emeralds..." Sienna shook her head. "Mother-in-law, you are confused. Were you taking a piracy course with your uncle Grace? Why does your family like shiny things so much? She sighed. "I think you are so wonderful and generous! Sharing horses with your cousins, jewels with your nieces...truly, you embody the spirit of charity. It must have been a mistake when you threw three coins at me as your donation to the plague crisis."

Jess’s eyes narrowed. She still managed to send a look of half amusement to Sienna. She could tell what her granddaughter-in-law was doing. Her words were daggers wrapped in silk.

A wooden chest was opened to reveal bolts of precious silk. Another had furs of snow leopards.

The butler reported grimly, "There were sixteen chests, we are now down to one for the silk and furs."

Sienna clapped her hands in mock delight. "I know, mother-in-law must have sent the furs to the elders who help us run the affairs of the fox tribe in the Northern glaciers."

The butler replied in a neutral voice, "They were all sent to Mona Twindell, on different occasions."

The last butler opened a smaller special chest of gold beast coins, minted for the use of beast lords to request for special favors from the royal family. Only three coins were held in the box. "The favor coins that have been collected for 130 years are down to 3. We used to have 103 coins before...." he looked at Cadelaria.

Sienna didn’t even to react dramatically to this revelation. It was bad enough on its won.

Finally, one butler carried forward a velvet box. He opened it, to reveal its emptiness. "Grand Lady, this box protects the Fox matriarch’s seal, it was checked out by Lady Cadelaria six months ago. She never returned it."

The seal was carved from star iron and inlaid with a moonstone. It was the symbol of authority, passed down through generations. It could only be taken out when a new matriarch was swearing in, and then taken back for safe keeping.

Jess’s hands trembled. "You took the seal!! You dumb fox, what have you done? If it is lost, I am going to expel you from this tribe."

"It made an appearance at Mona Twindell’s birthday, five months ago." A butler added, with disapproval.

Cadelaria collapsed fully, sprawled like a tragic heroine. "Mother, she just wanted to take a look. I have it, I swear on the fox god that I would never be careless with the seal. It’s in the third drawer of my sister’s closet in the dressing room at home. I was safeguarding it! For the family! For the tribe!"

Sienna leaned forward, voice dripping with false sympathy. "Oh, mother-in-law, how noble of you! You used it like a decoration at a common birthday, where anything could have gone wrong. Like having it stolen, replaced or cracked. That must have been why you realized that it was safest in your sister’s closet. I mean, the security of this estate is lacking. All these ledgers and empty chests are proof that a thief has emptying the estate under everyone’s nose. Truly, you are the fox clan’s greatest protector, Why, without you, we might have been burned with too many treasures."

Some of the people in the chamber chuckled despite themselves. Jess’s stern facade cracked into a smirk.

Sienna, touched her chest, "Grandma, everyone...we should be more forgiving of mother-in-law. After all, she has been under such stress. Imagine the burden of managing so much money, many gifts, horses, jewels, silks, furs, antiques, coins and seals! Why, anyone might accidentally transfer 70% of them to their own family secretly. It’s a common mistake, isn’t it?"

The accountants exchanged bewildered glances. Jess barked a laugh, quickly disguised as a cough.

Sienna continued, her tone mock-pleading. "Grandma, don’t punish her too harshly. Perhaps, we can simply storm her family and clean out everything they have. I mean, it is only right that we take back what is ours...with interest. Mother-in-law, can personally fund some of that interest. And she can give a public apology to everyone whose job she has now put in danger. It can be written and displayed at the city gates. That way, everyone will know how devoted she is to transparency."

Lady Cadelaria shrieked. "Sienna! You wicked thing."

Sienna pressed a hand to her chest, feigning shock. "Me? Wicked? I am defending you, mother-in-law. Why, without my pleas, grandma might go through with the expulsion. You could be the first matriarch of any tribe to be exiled. I am trying to save your reputation, though admittedly, it’s slipping faster than a fox on ice."

The chamber erupted in laughter. Even the sternest guards couldn’t resist.

Lady Cadelaria took to sobbing again, her sobs turned into sputtering rage, her face blotchy with humiliation.