FULL NOVELXO Chapter Chaoter 203
Chapter 203 Two Hundred and Three
“You're really difficult to impress, arent you, your Grace?” Lord Kylton noted in amusement before he uttered, “But I'm happy to say that bankrupting the government wasn't the end. In fact, it was the beginning of the end. Knowing Xandar and Christian, we gathered that they would transfer the monarchy's funds to sustain the government if the government funds were emptied. So, the end goal was to wait until both those funds dned up. And when the King and his second-in- command have nowhere else to turn for money, our family would make a sudden appearance to..." 2
“Offer financial support.” Greg muttered when he caught up, and he continued, “In exchange, you'd demand that the King take your daughter's hand in marriage.”
“Bravo, your Grace.” Kelissa said with a smirk, raising her glass while she was at it like she was already celebrating. After taking a sip, she added, “What's better is that we lose nothing in the process. We'd just be giving Xandar whatever _we've...borrowed from __ the government and the monarchy over the years.” “Borrowed?” Greg questioned her choice of vocabulary.
Kelissa rolled her eyes and continued, “It's not theft if we plan to return whatever we've been taking. When it happens, when we save the Kingdom from financial ruin, it would seem like we're helping every living creature, from the most insignificant wolf to the most powerful Lycan. No one in their nght minds would question my night to be Queen. My nobility and selflessness in offering aid when the Kingdom needs it most would silence any critic. And when my subjects see me, they'd kneel, bow and utter “long live the Queen'.” 2
“Sounds like a perfect plot to a horror movie with an ominous ending’, Greg thought to himself. 3
Greg decided to ignore the delusional and power-crazed heiress for now, and turned to Lord Kylton to confirm the facts for the sake of the recording device stuck under the dining table, “So, you let the ministers take the bulk of the money...because it was never about the money. You let them take the bulk because you only wanted them to keep helping with your plan without them asking questions about the ultimate goal. And you three knew that the portion Wu Bi Corp took over the years would be enough to be used as a bargaining chip to force my cousin to make your daughter the...” He was getting nauseous simply by imagining Kelissa as the Queen, so much so that he couldn’t say it without throwing up. He thought fast, and pictured Lucianne in his head before he uttered, “Queen.”
Thankfully, none of the Kyltons saw through his disgust. They assumed that Greg was just shocked. Lord Kylton smirked in arrogance when he said, “Ingenious, isn't it, your Grace? We obviously never needed the money but Tanner here and the ministers who...assisted us did. So, we used that as our bargaining chip. Money in the billions in exchange for government access and no questions asked. The dollar signs always have a way of removing unwanted questions and attracting...the nght people.”
The right people whom they let get arrested and sentenced. Talk about ingratitude.
The Kyltons’ pompous and_ triumphant expressions only showed that they had already told Greg everything he needed to know. So, the Duke decided to reward himself with a little fun by doing what he did best: launch verbal attacks. He returned the Lord's arrogant smirk and said, “You're not very good with timelines are you? Your plan is taking quite a while to reach its end.”
His Lordship tried to justify the inefficiency. “Well, your Grace. Moving things too fast would raise suspicions. So, we decided to take things slow. And we didn’t expect Xandar and Blackfur to have above average skills to sustain the Kingdom's economy.”
Greg furrowed his eyebrows as he asked in disbelief, “You didn’t expect the Crowned Prince and the successor to the Kingdom's shipping and transportation sectors to have good enough skills to sustain the economy? Really?”
Lord Kylton shrugged and said, “Xandar looks capable but he was young when he ascended the throne. We didn't think he'd have the required skills to hold the Kingdom together at that age. As for Christian Blackfur... We've met Blackfur several times, your Grace. He didn’t seem very promising.”
Greg continued to press mercilessly, “Despite his First-Class Degree in Economics, Finance and Political Science from Helm University? And the Masters Degree in Economics after that? As for that King cousin of mine, did you even know he has two Masters Degrees from Helm? One in Business and another one in Economics.”
Oh, Goddess. Condescending the Kyltons was easier than he thought. They were so blind to their opponents’ strengths and weaknesses that it was effortless to make them look stupid! Lady Kylton whispered to her husband, “Didn“t Vera only say Xandar's highest qualification was in history?”
Greg didn’t even bother being courteous and respectful when he answered Lady Kylton's question without giving her husband the chance,
“The PhD in history was just a waste of time and money. That dissertation he wrote about some unknown myth of the Unhinged Prince is one of the most boring things about him. My late uncle and I couldn't comprehend the applicability of that in governance and politics but that's a story for another day. The point is Greg sighed in despair again and questioned, “Were you all wilfully blind to their skills when you were executing your plan?”
Lady Kylton then said, “Well, we knew about their Bachelor's Degree in business, of course, but...we thought those were...purchased?” Greg's eyebrows raised, and he asked, “I have a Degree from Helm as well. Do you think mine is purchased, too?”