Her Graceful War Song by Summer's Blaze

Chapter 348

Carissa smiled, though she was nearly grinding her teeth.

Still, she maintained a gentle tone as she agreed with her mother-in-law.

"You're right, Mother. Business does have its ups and downs. Oh, by the way.... Do you and Grand Princess Eleanor split the profits of the jewelry shop evenly? Did you sign a contract? And since it opened, have you reviewed the account books?"

Helen puffed up with pride, like a peacock. "Of course we signed a contract! Do you take me for a fool? It's not an even split-I've taken seventy percent. Naturally, I've looked at the account books. They send them every season, and I've checked them thoroughly. We've indeed been running at a loss."

"Oh? So, you hold the majority share? That means when there's a loss, you have to contribute more money to cover it. How much money have you put in over the years? Have you been keeping track?" Carissa pressed.

"Of course I've kept track. Every time I put in money, I note it down," Helen said.

Good, that was a start.

Then, do you remember how much money you've given in total?"

in their head? You'd have to check the account books. It's probably in the tens of

at Rafael, whose face had turned as dark as a storm cloud, and continued," Mother, have you ever actually visited

think I can just go out as I please? When I did leave the palace, it was to help prepare for your wedding, so I haven't had the time. Besides, what difference does it make whether I go or

Eleanor and I hold esteemed positions-how could we show our faces in public? Anyway, I review the account books every season. I'm not

They left that to their managers. The managers would report back, and trusted servants or confidants would occasionally inspect the shops. The nobles themselves

unheard of for them to personally manage the

in her reasoning-except for

could hardly

silver coins invested, and nothing to

the capital with Jacob and Luke. The most successful was The Golden Tower, and while The Gilded Tower- Helen's -shop-wasn't doing badly, it was notorious for copying designs from The Golden Tower, which hurt

one thing, and business success

+25 BONUS

to attract customers who were looking for cheaper alternatives to the Golden Tower's designs. As a result, the shop did decent business-enough to avoid losses, let alone require

was aware of this, though it was clear Helen wasn't. Now wasn't the time to inform her, though. The priority was to retrieve the

the palace first. To prevent his mother from rushing off to