Anle Princess's Residence.
The Princess had returned, and it looked as though she would be spending the night at the residence... Oh, wait. Wasn't this her home?
It was. This had always been Li Guo's residence. Yet while she had been staying elsewhere, the people here had felt as if she had been gone for ages.
In the study of the Starry Sky Palace.
Al-Gabi had not set foot here for some time.
As the Great Manager of the Princess's Residence, she had the right to enter any part of it. Even while Li Guo was away, though, she had stayed out of this room.
She knew what had been happening outside. Facing Li Guo again, she could not help feeling uneasy.
She was not alone in the study. Valia and Vinasis were there too.
"Your Highness, here are the account books for this period."
Being asked to present the accounts as soon as Li Guo returned struck Al-Gabi as unusual. As one of the highest-ranking members of the imperial family's inner circle, Li Guo held not only immense power but vast business interests.
Al-Gabi managed most of those interests.
She had managed them steadily over the years, keeping their annual returns at an impressive level. Li Guo rarely asked to inspect the accounts.
This time, Li Guo had been reading them for over an hour since her return. She had not said a word, and her expression had remained perfectly calm. Even when she closed the last account book, Al-Gabi's tension did not ease. She was confident the books were flawless. The high annual returns, Li Guo's lavish spending, and the enormous flow of funds through the Princess's Residence all proved one thing: Al-Gabi was exceptionally good at her job as Great Manager.
"Perfect as always. Just what I'd