Chapter 30

Ruth rubbed his temples as he pored over the ledger. Maxi searched his face, her head hung low like a child who had been scolded. After inspecting the receipts at length, Ruth sighed loudly and ran a hand down his face.

"I don't even know where to start, my lady. Are these all the receipts?"

"Y-Yes, they are!" she managed to respond despite wanting to crawl into a hole in the ground.

He narrowed his eyes at the pile of parchment, then closed the ledger with a thud.

"It's late. Let us continue tomorrow," he said dourly.

"You c-could show me n-now…"

"Look at the state of this ledger. This isn't something we can take care of in a day."

Maxi heard his teeth grind. There was nothing more she could say. Crestfallen, she nodded.

***

The next morning, Maxi rushed to the library as soon as she awoke. There, she was greeted by Ruth yawning.

"You're early," he said.