86. A meeting

by Lady Leticia Scarlet-Bloesembhel Voetdhel-Montaneus

The paperwork was endless. Old documents had been unearthed and Scarlet spent countless hours working with her legal team pouring over these documents. She had managed to gain access the a few of the originals and noticed that the security markings, wax and embossed seals that were created by overlapping documents in a certain way did not line up. The more paperwork she was able to get her hands on the further back she had to look. Muttering to herself she angrily huffed, "This has been going on for a while. The last head was able to stop it but when Mother took over... she was ripe for the picking. I can't believe the lack of oversight. She really had blinders when it came to my father..."

Ciel looked up, pushing up her glasses as she asked, "Do you think he was in on it?" Her feathers quietly ruffling.

Porter rested his chin on his hand and muttered, "Never took him for the type. But you never know how people truly think if they meant to hide themselves."

Kamelia shook her head, "No. He was a good man. I served with him. He was a good steadfast solider. I knew his family were knaves but... I just can't..."

Scarlet cut her off, "Can't believe that it was all a lie? I pray that it is... I'd had always thought of him in a positive light, but the more I look either he was complicit or he was a damn idiot. I don't know what's worse." She leaned back in her chair, hands balled into fists and pressed firmly into her thighs so she wouldn't destroy the evidence. "Sniffles warned me that looking into this... I might uncover layers. Like a terrible parfait." She gestured to a sorted pile, "And we've only hit the tip."

Scarlet took a deep breath, her tail flicking behind her with frustration. She reached for her cup of willow bark tea, taking a slow sip to steady herself. The papers in front of her were like a tangled web, each thread leading to another, more sinister one. The thought of her father's potential involvement gnawed at her—either as a willing participant or as a fool deceived by his own kin. Her stomach turned.

She glanced at Ciel, who was still staring at her expectantly. "If he was in on it, then everything my mother fought for was undermined from the very beginning," she said, her voice low, almost a whisper. "And if he wasn't... then those bastards have been playing us for fools for decades."

Porter leaned back in his chair, brow furrowed. "And all of this—these trades and treaties—they're the foundation of what they used to claim control, right?" he asked, nodding toward the piles of documents. "The language is so convoluted, it’s hard to tell what’s intentional misdirection and what’s just bureaucratic nonsense."

"Exactly," Scarlet muttered. She reached for a different stack, flipping through the yellowed pages. "Look at this one here—the wording around the boundaries of my family's lands. It mentions 'shared usage rights,' but when you read between the lines, it essentially means they had unrestricted access. And that access..." She paused, narrowing her eyes at a particular seal, "...is how they slowly started claiming ownership."

Kamelia's brows furrowed, her face set in a frown. "If this was happening under your mother's watch, she must not have realized it. She was always focused on the immediate threats, protecting you, keeping the family secure. She probably didn't see the smaller concessions adding up."

Scarlet’s eyes darkened. "That's what they were counting on. She was an adventurer at heart—she was always focused on the bigger picture, on the battles she could fight directly. The bureaucracy... she never had the patience for it. My uncles saw that weakness and exploited it. It's why she was pushed as the head instead of Auntie."

The room fell into a heavy silence. The weight of betrayal, the erosion of trust over years—Scarlet felt it settle on her shoulders. Tears threatened to run down her face, she willed them back. She knew her uncles were ambitious, but this level of deceit was almost unimaginable. Almost.

Ciel broke the silence, her voice soft. "What do we do now, Scarlet? How do we proceed?"

Scarlet let out a slow breath, the tension in her fists easing slightly as she unclenched them. "We keep digging. We need to uncover every loophole, every underhanded deal, and every illegitimate claim. We document it all." Her eyes hardened, her determination clear. "If they think they can take what's ours without a fight, they're sorely mistaken. We'll use their own games against them, and this time, *we* will have the upper hand."

Porter nodded. "We’ll make sure every piece of evidence is airtight. They won't be able to wriggle out of it."

"And I’ll speak with the witnesses," Kamelia added. "Anyone still around who remembers these deals—anyone who can testify."

Porter nodded, "I'll go with her, two heads are better than one. We will connect with the local branch and see what they have dug up and help correlate."

Karmelia nodded and reached out to put a hand on his shoulder, "One way or another I want to get to the bottom of this. Either to clear his name or condemn it." She looked over at Scarlet and Ciel who nodded.

Scarlet gave them both a tired but grateful smile. "Thank you. All of you. I knew this would be difficult, but with you by my side, I know we can do this." She glanced at the pile again, her voice softening. "For my mother, for our families, we won't let them get away with this."

The resolve in the room was palpable, the air heavy with determination. They still had a long way to go—more secrets to uncover, more pieces to fit together—but Scarlet knew they were finally on the right path. And she would see it through to the end, no matter what it took.

Continue reading...

01. Settling in

02. Fist Fight at a fancy Ball

03. It's a Lion not a 'Cat'

04. Patron's tea and dance

05. The escort job

06. Update: Today's purchase list

07. Escort for Bella and the Loot King

08. Sirens and a chase in town

09. Got abducted again

10. Jams and Jellies

11. New Dog

12. Guards in the Trees

13. Temple Visit

14. New Pup & Outing

15. Training exercises

16. Fighting over an idol

17. Jobs galore

18. New stationary

19. A small visit

20. Slaps and shows

21. Today's meal

22. Homesick

23. Lanterns in the sky

24. Baby in the park

25. The Heist

26. Update: Guild

27. Mines and Traps

28. New clothes

29. I made Journeyer!

30. Investment shopping

31. The Pit (fights)

32. Ghosts of the past

33. Unexpected ending in a Play

34. Today's meal
https://www.worldanvil.com/hero/journal/1aa083c5-ae1f-4624-a724-197a3f8704e3/view

35. Spies and secrets

36. Wanted: Three Hand Gang (WED)

37. Well it's official

38. Hags and stones

39. Death and visitations

40. the shell game

41. Anger and plots

42. The jobs so far

43. (Doodles)

44. Meetings and Partings

45. Double checking

46. An office Scene
8/01/2023

47. An(other) office Scene

48. Paperwork

49. Behind the curve

50. Notes and notation

51. Cake and notes

52. Paperwork on the high seas

53. Pics and notes

54. A small talk

55. Small notes

56. The Dressmaker

57. (food)

58. Notes

59. Putting the clues together

60. Notes

61. Tea cakes (& slights)

62. Updates

63. Board Meetings during battles

64. Updates

65. Field command

66. I am okay

67. Mountains of paperwork

68. Needed Vacation

70. A note

71. An update

72. Dissapointment

73. Notes

74. Journal entry

75. Ledgers

76. Food

77. An update

78. A thought

79. Basking in Dusk's light

80. A note

81. A letter home

82. A dream/a journal entry

83. An update

84. Working long hours

85. A dream, a memory

86. A meeting

87. The ride home

86. A meeting

Continue reading...

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