Capital Inspector City Code Enforcement
The next morning, the father-daughter duo was up at the crack of dawn, practically vibrating with energy.
The big plans they'd cooked up the night before hadn't just stuck, they'd marinated overnight, and now their confidence was soaring.
Cassidy hopped onto Maserati, the very same donkey that had kicked her into a bout of amnesia, and set off in high spirits.
Before she left, she shot a look over her shoulder at her father. "See you at the top!"
Prince Ashworth watched her go, his eye twitching as she rode that flashy, over-decorated little donkey toward the East District. "If I remember correctly," he said, his voice tight, "that's the same animal that kicked Cassie, isn't it?"
Steward King hurried to explain. "Your Highness, you ordered me to have the donkey that hurt the princess put down. But when she woke up, she insisted the animal was her destiny. It's her personal ride now."
"What kind of destiny could she have with a wild donkey?" Every time Ashworth saw that creature, the image of his daughter being carried back to the manor, covered in blood, flashed through his mind. "That animal has to go. Who knows when it'll have another fit."
Steward King hesitated. "But the princess said the donkey must like her," he offered weakly. "Otherwise, why would it single her out to kick at the Royal Hunting Grounds?"
Ashworth genuinely could not follow his daughter's logic. "And is that why she dressed it up so ridiculously? Does a donkey really need to wear solid gold just to go out?" Even the prized Ferghana horse he was riding had never worn gold around its neck.
"The princess said gold is a sign of wealth," the steward replied dutifully. "And that one must keep up appearances."
"That little money-waster," Ashworth muttered, then let out an exasperated huff and steered his own horse toward the West District.
In the Imperial Palace, the Emperor was thrilled to hear that the two troublemakers from Ashworth Manor were finally reporting for duty.
"Looks like I should have given them real jobs sooner," he declared. "It would've kept them out of my hair and saved me from all this recent nonsense!"
Hearing this, Steward Payne smiled. "In the past, Your Majesty, you were always looking out for them, worried that official duties would be too taxing. But now, this is a chance for them to sharpen their skills and settle down. A brilliant move, Your Majesty."
The Emperor picked up his tea, relief softening the lines on his face. "I just hope they can actually do their jobs and stay out of trouble," he said, a hint of hope in his voice. "Then all this would have been worth it."
Steward Payne beamed. "You can relax, Your Majesty. Just yesterday, I heard from palace staff that the two of them were huddled together at dinner, talking about how to work hard and make a fortune. From the looks of it this morning, they've got some big plans!"
For some reason, that news made the Emperor's chest tighten. A nerve started jumping in his eyelid, an all-too-familiar twitch. It was supposed to be good news, so why did he suddenly have such a terrible feeling about it?
*Whatever,* he thought, pushing the feeling down. If they were finally thinking about working hard, it meant they were growing up. And if they were growing up, he wouldn't have to keep bailing them out every few days.
Out on the streets of Argent, Cassidy rode Maserati for about half a block before a thought struck her. The farther she went, the more she felt like something was off. She pulled on the reins and turned to Reid Donovan, the Onyx Guard standing tall beside her in his obsidian-scale armor.
"By the way," she started, "now that His Majesty made me the Capital Inspector, what am I actually supposed to do every day?"
Reid immediately recalled the Emperor's instructions from the day before. He gave a slight dip of his head. "His Majesty said you only need to patrol the streets and alleys of Argent to ensure peace and order, Princess."
"Patrol? Keep things orderly?" Cassidy frowned.
That just sounded like being on the city compliance team.
*Oh well, compliance it is,* she thought.
*At least it's a real title.* She patted the donkey's neck, a fresh wave of excitement hitting her.
"So, where are the people His Majesty assigned to me? And where's my office?"
A confused look flickered across Reid's stoic face.
"Princess, His Majesty... ah, he didn't mention assigning any staff. Or an office."
If he recalled correctly, this whole "Capital Inspector" thing was a title with no actual duties, something the Emperor had invented on the spot to give the Ashworths something to do.
Cassidy's teeth ground together. "So His Majesty just expects me to wander the streets all by myself?"
Reid puffed out his chest proudly. "His Majesty personally assigned me to protect you, Princess."
Cassidy looked him up and down, then glanced at the maid and guard she'd brought with her from the manor. *Tsk. Just what you'd expect from one of the Emperor's personal guards. He's definitely got more on the ball than our guys.*
*Next time,* she schemed, *I have to go to the palace and poach a few more Onyx Guards.*
"Reid," she said brightly, "when you go back later, ask your buddies in the Onyx Guard if any of them want to come work for me. I'll make sure they get ahead. Before you know it, we'll be a force to be reckoned with, bigger than the Onyx Guard itself."
The professional mask on Reid's face nearly crumbled.
He was screaming internally. When Lord Garrison had been ordered to pick someone from the Onyx Guard to follow the princess, not a single man had wanted the assignment.
He'd just been the unlucky one who lost the draw *and* the sparring match, sticking him with this duty.
And now she wanted him to recruit more of his coworkers? An impossible task.
He suppressed a shudder, bowed again, and said, "Princess, His Majesty only assigned me to accompany you. If you require more people, you should probably ask him directly. I can't simply poach my colleagues."
Cassidy remembered the last time she'd gone to the Emperor to ask for personnel, only to get an earful. She shook her head firmly. *Forget it. If it's just a few of us, fine. I'll just find some sucker to trick into joining later.* The top priority right now was securing an office.
She rubbed her chin, thinking. *City compliance... city compliance... in a way, isn't that just managing all of Argent? It's not that different from the Magistrate's Court.*
Her mind was made up. "Alright, let's go. We're taking a walk over to the Magistrate's Court."
The group marched right up to the court's grand entrance. But Cassidy's eyes weren't on the court itself. They were fixed on the building right next door, a huge, impressive structure in a prime location.
She pointed. "Auspicious, go find out who owns that place and if they're willing to sell."
Auspicious thought she must have misheard. "Princess, you want to *buy* a building?"
Cassidy nodded. "Yep. That's where we'll work. We'll renovate it, make it even bigger and grander than the Magistrate's Court. We have to make sure everyone in Argent knows the name of the Capital Inspection Bureau."
Auspicious swallowed hard. "Princess... for a building like this, the silver in the manor's treasury... I don't think we'll have enough."
Cassidy shot her a sideways glance. "We're conducting official business for the Imperial Court. Why would we use *my* money? Obviously, the palace will pay for it. We'll charge it all to His Majesty's account."
"But," Auspicious said, her face clouded with worry, "Princess, even if we put it on His Majesty's account, someone still has to be brave enough to go to the palace and ask for the money."
"Good point!" Cassidy thought for a second, then turned her gaze to Reid. "Who's in charge of the national treasury right now?"
Reid replied, "The Ministry of Revenue."
Cassidy nodded decisively. "Then charge it to the Minister of Revenue's account!"
Auspicious looked at her princess with pure admiration. "Of course! You're brilliant, Princess! We're working for the Imperial Court, so the national treasury should cover it. The treasury is managed by the Minister of Revenue, so it makes perfect sense to charge it to his account!"
Seeing her maid was finally on the same page, Cassidy gave her instructions. "I see a paper notice on the door. It's probably for lease. Go find out who the owner is. If they're willing to sell, buy it. And charge it to the Minister of Revenue."