The Dragon Queen and her mates.
Chapter 250: What have you done?

Chapter 250: What have you done?

Bree didn’t consider herself an impatient person but she had to admit that these old fools really had a talent for pissing her off. She raised her hand and interrupted their yelling and cries, which were making her head ring. If someone was not aware that this was a royal court, they would have taken it as a torture chamber.

She looked at the officials, who looked back at her resentfully and said to them, "You all should have expected this to happen when you sent back those sloppy and half-done documents. What? Did you expect me to continue picking up your slack and even pay you for it?"

"Lord Hoffman, you were supposed to give me an update on the farming and post-drought expectations and damages fund of the western cities, but did you do it? I am afraid that you did not even visit one of the cities and sent me an imaginary report. I might be a woman, but that doesn’t mean that I cannot differentiate between a fake and an authentic report."

"As for you, Lord Keil, you needed to report about the military grains and the weapons that were needed by the guards positioned at the northern wall. What you have reported back is twice the amount the eastern and the western cities require. Pray tell me what kind of monsters the northern soldiers are facing that are way more vicious than the eastern and the western combined, that their budget is three times these two cities, because I did not see any reasons or evidence to back your claims."

One by one, Bree called out the officials who had done a flimsy job at work and by the time she finished calling them out, more than half of the court had been scolded. Those who were not called out by Bree for doing a sloppy job were a little proud but at the same time they were resentful towards the officials who did not do a good job.

If they had done their job without slacking off, then they wouldn’t be facing this decree where their title and position both were set on the line.

Even the officials who were scolded were stunned. They looked at one another as if they did not expect the other person to slack off on their duty.

"You didn’t visit the western city?"

"And what about you? Did you not say that you were really heartbroken with what happened to the northern soldiers? Is this what you meant?"

"Did the Duke of the South really ask you to send so much granary? As far as I know, the lands there are really fertile!"

"Who are you scolding? Look at yourself first. You actually wanted to reduce the water taxes. Don’t think I don’t know that your daughter is married to the count of that village. Hmph."

Bree stared at the officials who were now blaming one another and frowned even harder. Seeing her frown, Yakov and Dion pursed their lips as Yakov stepped forward and berated the officials in a gentle voice, "Have you all had enough? Can you not realise where you are standing and in front of whom?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the officials stopped speaking but they still looked a bit disgruntled. Of course it was not because they now understood where they went wrong but because they blamed the others for slacking off while they were doing the same.

In their eyes, as long as the rest had done their jobs well and had not bothered them, this matter would not have been disclosed. But now that they had made a mass mess, they were being held accountable.

One of the officials who felt that there was nothing wrong with what he had done stepped forward and stated in a cold voice, "Your Majesty, I do understand that we have made a mistake but don’t you think that you are being too harsh on us? This is the title that was earned through the blood and tears of our ancestors."

Once he finished speaking, the officials who had turned silent started to speak as well. They also believed that their mistakes were not as big as Bree was making them out to be.

BANG!

Bree raised her fist and slammed it on the armrest of the throne, almost snapping it in half, as she looked at the people who were yelling and pretending to be the victims. She had faced this situation in her past life many times.

Doing a poor job and pretending that it was not as bad as someone was making it out to be. But in case things were to go south, the one who did a decent job would be the one who would be blamed and pointed out because the corrupted were united from the start.

She glared at the officials and sneered, "That’s right. Your ancestors did receive this title and position after paying for it with their blood."

The officials heaved a sigh of relief as if realising that they might have pressured Bree into stopping the decree from passing. But as soon as they finished heaving that sigh, they heard Bree say in a cold and detached voice,

"But what have you done for this position?"

She looked at them with those golden eyes that looked at them as if she could see through their selfishness and greed.

"If there is someone who needs to be ashamed of letting down their ancestors who had died on this land and for this land, all to receive a title that honours them, it is you all. Your grandfather, father, mother, grandmother, or your own siblings—they fought bravely. Some lost their lives, while some lost their limbs, losing the chance to live a proper and comfortable life like you."

"While you insult and embarrass their honour through your actions! Your ancestors gave their lives to this kingdom, which is why they were given this honour and you!" She snapped harshly. "You cannot even give this kingdom your time and honesty. All I asked you all to do was fulfil your duties, and you all failed in that little thing. So with what right do you have to claim that you deserve this position that your ancestors received after sacrificing their lives?"

"Step back and think—do you really deserve it?"