His Highness’ Secret Accountant

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Theon's brows crumpled in an instant at the knocking sound that reached his ears.

‘Ugh… Damn it.', with a rough curse.

Soon after, the closed door opened.

"Ahem… I see you have a guest. It's been a while. Ayla."

As he came inside, Owen's face showed signs of embarrassment.

He cleared his throat and turned his gaze away as he saw the two people, who seemed like they could head to the bedroom right away.

"What is it?"

Theon asked in an irritated voice. With a look that seemed like he could kill him right now.

"Ah, that… I came here to tell you something."

"So, what is it? You better be prepared if it's nothing important."

"I'm going back to Hanan."

"…"

"I feel sorry for you and Ayla. I don't think it's possible to be in the royal palace like this…"

"Get out."

Before Owen could finish speaking, Theon's adamant voice made his olive-colored eyes tremble pathetically.

Tilting his head, Owen said, ‘What?', asking what he meant.

He didn't expect him to go as far as to tell him not to go, but telling him to just ‘get out'… It was very different from the repertoire he expected.

"Hanan…"

"Get out!"

Theon's furious scream filled the broad palace.

***

"It was today, wasn't it? Is everything ready?"

Theon, who was swinging his fountain pen, fixed his gaze on the document in front of him and asked.

Then, a rustling sound filled the serene office.

"Yes. I've made sure that Her Highness won't feel uncomfortable during her stay. I had a hard time because you asked to make a place for her in the small, detached palace instead of the perfectly fine south palace."

"It looks like that tongue isn't afraid of its own future."

"If you were going to punish me, you would have done so a long time ago. The officials are divided over the fact that it is against the royal court's procedures for the two to use the same palace without even holding a wedding ceremony."

"If that's the problem, we can hold the wedding ceremony tomorrow."

"Your Majesty, that's not what I'm saying."

Mason blurred his words and spoke in a tearful voice.

"Wasn't it the intention of the officials to hold the wedding along with the coronation ceremony after she received her training? I think I have made a lot of adjustments, but it seems it's still not enough."

"…"

"If you have so many complaints, you can sit here yourself."

"Your Majesty!!"

"Otherwise, how can I work moderately when I don't even have time to see her face? I am a person with basic needs, too. A person, not a stone."

He answered dryly, despite Mason's intimidating voice, and handed over the documents he was looking at.

He had become even busier after being crowned the king. His work grew exponentially when he was crowned, as if to prove the position of the king that had been vacant, and he didn't even have time to breathe. The fact that Theon's thirst was at its peak also made sense.

He could hear Mason's sigh over his lowered head, but Theon pretended not to know.

"In that case, move your residence to the east palace. The detached palace is the place where the person who will become the next king stays, right? It's not a place for Your Majesty to stay."

"It's comfortable there."

"Then you can send Her Highness to the south palace!"

"I'm pretty sure I said I didn't want to?"

Theon, who was sweeping through the papers, turned his gaze to Mason.

The sharp, glittering gray eyes were already reaching the ignition point and giving a warning light.

Seeing that, Mason closed his mouth tightly and stopped moving.

Tap!

Theon put down the fountain pen he was holding, having seemingly finished examining all the documents on the desk.

A heavy sigh flowed out of Theon's mouth.

The body that had become stiff due to the long working hours was screaming to get some rest quickly, but there was no time to rest.

Theon swept up his black hair that had flowed down, slowly raising himself up.

"I guess it's about time she got here."

"Since I confirmed that the Count's carriage had come in earlier… She is probably unpacking at the detached palace."

"Did the classes start today?"

"No. The schedule has been changed slightly. We decided to do it like this because Head Maid Rose's opinion was that it would be ineffective to do things hectically from the day of entering the palace. Classes will officially start tomorrow."

"It's been a long time since you've done a decent job. What about Owen? Is he still whining about going back to Hanan?"

"Grand Duke Arrot, well… He's the same. Why don't you send him to Hanan as he wishes? In any case, the fact that another member of the royal family is in the palace… is a bit worrying."

"He has been lonely, with no place to go. I can't accept something he's saying without meaning it."

"But, Your Majesty…"

"Judging from what I dealt with the other day, he looks pretty good. He will be helpful in the future. Since even my brother has left, I would be really lonely if I was alone in this big palace."

"That's why you brought in Her Highness, who is naive. If you do anything to Her Highness, Count Serdian won't stand still. Be careful. As a loyal servant who truly cares about Your Majesty… Your Majesty! Wait for me! Your Majesty!!"

Theon shook his head slightly at Mason's nagging and took a quick step. Mason moved in a rush to catch up with his master as he moved away, but it was impossible to narrow the distance.

***