Chapter 114

The sun had already begun to set by the time Claude returned to the manor. The business plan Ian had sent him through Lia was near perfect, he had to admit. It seemed as though Ian had been planning this for a very long time. Claude met with the members of the Aristocratic Assembly, persuading them to support the cause. He gathered their signatures of approval and sent them to the imperial palace along with the business proposal. He was pushing himself to the limit to wrap up most of the pressing projects before the ceremony.

Claude stepped out of the car with a tired sigh when Pipi ran past him without bothering to stop and curtsy. He watched her climb the stairs two at a time, face pale.

"Do you know why she's running like that?" he asked Owen, who took his hat.