The Abandoned Luna's Journey to Power Chapter 321: The Gold in Hand

Cindy's POV:

The moment I said that, Margaret froze.

Her proud little escape plan was crushed by my simple reply.

"No! I refuse!"

Lily, who had been hiding in the corner and pretending not to exist, suddenly screamed. She jumped up from the couch like a cat with its tail stepped on. "Two hundred thousand gold coins? Are you trying to bleed us dry? There was no way we could come up with that much cash! Mother, don't give it to them! This is robbery!"

"Lily, watch your words."

I turned and looked at her coldly. "Taking back what is rightfully ours is not robbery. But if you truly don't have the money, that's fine. There's another way."

I pulled a document from my sleeve. I had prepared it long ago. I placed it on the table with a sharp smack.

"Tomorrow morning, I will publicly announce that Allure Cosmetic will be auctioned. And to make sure it sells for a good price, I will clearly state in the notice that it was personally managed by you and your mother, known for your excellent reputation."

Their faces turned pale in seconds. My smile widened. "With your name attached, I'm sure those ‘high quality and affordable' mystery products in that store will attract plenty of interested merchants. The money from the auction will be used to pay your debt. If there's anything left, I'll return every single coin to you."

"How dare you!" Margaret shot to her feet. Her finger trembled as she pointed at me.

She knew very well that if she let a nutjob like me handle it, she would lose more than just the money. Her reputation would suffer.

If the shady factories that supplied those products were exposed during the auction investigation, she and her daughter would become the disgrace of the entire kingdom.

"Why not?" I met her eyes firmly. "I'm fearless. I'm capable of anything."

Margaret stared at me. Her chest rose and fell sharply.

She looked at the guards beside me. Then she looked at Maria, who was tied up. At long last, she closed her eyes. She seemed to age ten years.

She was determined to silence Maria, to prevent her from going to the High Court and spilling everything. And most of all, to protect her shaky title, Margaret had no choice but to swallow the loss.

"Fine... fine..." Margaret gritted her teeth. Every word sounded like it was forced out through pain. "Steward! G-go to my vault. Bring all the cash, the gold bars, and my bearer bonds. Bring everything. Give it to her!"

"Mother!" Lily screamed.

"Enough!" Margaret turned and slapped her daughter again. Her eyes were dark and frightening. "Do you want to stand trial in the High Court?!"

Lily covered her face. She shook her head quickly, too scared to say another word.

The next hour was the most humiliating in Crystal Palace's history.

The steward and several servants carried box after box of gold into the salon.

I sat calmly in my chair. I ordered the royal treasurers who came with me to begin their work right there on the cold marble floor. Lamps were lit. They carefully weighed each gold coin and bar.

"Your Highness, the 50,000 gold coins here have been verified."

"These gold bars are slightly lower in purity. After conversion, they are short by 300 coins."

I held a cup of coffee. I watched them move back and forth. The clear clink of gold coins echoed through the hall. "Not a single gold coin can go missing," I said calmly. "Count it again. I want it exact—down to the very last coin."

Lily stood to the side. She watched as the shining gold that once belonged to them was slowly packed into chests marked with the royal seal. She clenched her teeth so hard it looked like they might break.

Her eyes burned into me. If looks could turn into blades, I would have been cut into pieces already.

"Are we done?" I asked.

"Yes, Your Highness. The total is 202,500 gold coins. Even the extra amount has been fully added," the treasurer reported respectfully.

I gave a small nod, satisfied with the result. Then I rose to my feet, but I made no move to leave just yet.