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Hetman Maksim Ivan Yurkovich the First had poured his wealth into the country and beco of Volyarus, the House of Yurkovich’s monarchy was firmly in place

However, the decades that folloere not all good ones for the sun to decline, until even the Royal House was feeling the pinch

Enter wildcatter and shrewd businessman Bartholomew Tanner

“He died still owning those shares” Fedir’s frown had turned to an all-out scowl

Shock coursed through Demyan “No”

“Oh, yes” King Fedir rose and paced the roolass ith a view of the capital city “The original plan was for his daughter to est son”

“Great-Uncle Chekov?”

“Yes”

“But” De really to say

Duke Chekov had been a bachelor, but it wasn’t because Tanner’s daughter broke his heart Theinterests with a valet as a lot more than a servant

In the 1950s, that had been his only option for happiness

Tis remained static Duty to family and country was one of them

King Fedir shrugged “It did not matter The match was set”

“But they never married”

“She eloped with one of the oilmen”

That would have been high scandal in the ’50s

“But I thought Baron Tanner left the shares to the people of Volyarus”

“It was a pretty fabrication created by randfather”

“The earnings on that twenty percent of shares have been used to build roads, fund schools Damn”

“Exactly To repay the funds with interest to Chanel Tanner would seriously jeopardize our country’s financial stability in the best of times”

And the current economic climes would never be described as that

“She has no idea of her legacy, does she?” If she did, Perry Saltz Volyarus for hundreds of millions As one of the few countries in the world that did not operate in any sort of deficit, that kind of payout could literally break the Volyarussian bank

“What’s the plan?”

“Marriage”

“Hoill that help?” Whoever she married could make the same claims on their country’s resources

“There was one caveat in Bartholomeill If any issue of his ever married into the Volyarussian royal family, his twenty percent would revert to the people less a sufficient annual inco”