Chapter 123
The royal study was unusually quiet.
Ledgers, financial reports, and letters from every duchy lay spread across Lucian's desk.
He had read the Grand Emberforge report three times already.
Each time...
The numbers became worse.
The mines remained closed.
No iron.
No gold.
No exports.
No income.
Yet expenses continued to rise.
Medical supplies.
Food for displaced families.
Engineers reinforcing the tunnels.
Support for the widows and orphans.
Lucian closed the ledger and leaned back in his chair.
He rubbed his tired eyes.
For the first time since becoming king...He felt powerless.
A gentle knock interrupted his thoughts.
"Theo."
"Your Majesty."
Theo entered quietly, "You asked to see me?"
Lucian nodded without looking up, "I've gone through every account."
Theo remained silent.
He already knew what that meant.
Lucian finally spoke, "The Grand Emberforge Duchy is in serious trouble."
Theo frowned, "How long can they continue?"
Lucian looked down at the report.
"Perhaps another month. After that..."
He shook his head.
"They'll begin shutting everything down....The workshops. The stores.The medical centre."
Theo lowered his eyes.
"The people have already suffered enough."
"They have", Lucian sighed, "I could lend them the money today."
Theo looked surprised, "You could?"
Lucian nodded, "The royal treasury has enough reserves."
"Then why don't we?"
Silence filled the room.
Lucian slowly closed the ledger.
"Because I am no longer only Lucian...I'm the King."
Theo understood immediately.
"The council."
Lucian nodded bitterly, "The nobles have already objected. They argue the Crown has supported Emberforge long enough. They want the treasury reserved in case another duchy suffers a disaster."
Theo frowned.
"But this wasn't an ordinary accident. It was sabotage."
"We know that ", Lucian's jaw tightened, "We know. But we still can't prove Bracken was behind it....The council only sees numbers. They don't see the widows. They don't see the injured miners. They don't see Aurora working herself into exhaustion."
His voice grew quieter, "They don't see Uncle Owen carrying the weight of an entire duchy on his shoulders."
Theo watched him carefully, "So what will you do?"
Lucian stood and walked toward the window.
Outside, the palace gardens looked peaceful.
It felt almost wrong.
"I've called Duke Owen to the palace this evening."
Theo nodded.
Lucian rested both hands on the windowsill.
"I need to hear everything from him directly.Then perhaps together......we can find another solution."
Theo hesitated, "And if there isn't one?"
Lucian closed his eyes.
"Then I will have to stand before the council. And convince every one of them."
Theo smiled faintly, "That sounds more like the King I know."
Lucian gave a humourless laugh, "The problem isn't convincing them. It's convincing them to care."
He turned back toward the desk.
His gaze settled once more on Emberforge's accounts.
"I really want to help them", His voice was barely above a whisper, "I know that once the mines reopen, Owen will repay every coin. I don't doubt his honour for a second."
Theo nodded, "Neither do I."
Lucian slowly lowered himself into his chair.
"But without the support of the great nobles...I cannot simply empty the royal treasury. If I lose the confidence of the council now...The Crown itself becomes weaker..........And a weak Crown cannot protect anyone."
The words tasted bitter.
"I hate this."
Theo stepped closer, "You've always carried your burdens alone."
Lucian smiled sadly, "I suppose that's what kings do."
He picked up the report one final time.
"No...", He corrected himself quietly, "That is what kings are expected to do."
He looked toward Theo with quiet determination.
"But I refuse to abandon Emberforge. I'll find another way....I have to."
Outside, the palace bells echoed faintly across the evening sky.
Theo was the first to break the silence.
"Your Majesty..."
Lucian looked up.
Theo straightened, "I'll go through every law book in the Royal Library."
Lucian frowned slightly, "The library?"
Theo nodded, "There must be something. A forgotten decree...An emergency provision...An old royal law that allows the Crown to assist a duchy during a national disaster."
His eyes filled with determination, "I refuse to believe our ancestors never prepared for a crisis like this."
For the first time that evening, a faint spark of hope appeared in Lucian's eyes.
"You really think we might find something?"
Theo smiled, "I don't know. But I do know that giving up without looking would be a mistake."
Lucian slowly stood. A small smile finally touched his lips.
"You've always been the optimistic one."
Theo chuckled softly, "And you've always been the stubborn one...Between the two of us......perhaps we'll find a miracle hidden in those dusty shelves."
Lucian nodded.
"Search everything. The oldest records. The forgotten decrees. The laws no one has read in generations. If there is even the smallest chance......we'll find it."
Theo bowed deeply, "At once, Your Majesty."
As Theo left for the Royal Library, Lucian turned once more toward the ledger bearing the seal of House Ambrose.
His fingers rested lightly on the cover.
"Hold on a little longer, Uncle Owen," he murmured, "We're not finished fighting yet."
Because somewhere beyond the palace walls...
An entire duchy was waiting for hope.
And Lucian intended to give it to them—even if he had to fight his own council to do so.