Reborn as the Failed Lord with my Resource Gathering System.

"Now that the king has heard your confession, we return back to your contract."

Alabaster stared at the empty space where the hologram of the King had just been, then slowly lowered his gaze to the contract and the handless stump on his wrist.

The fear and pain were now replaced by a chilling resignation.

"It—it was already decided, wasn't it?" Alabaster whispered, his voice thin and hollow.

"Pretty much," Dorian confirmed with a slight tilt of his head.

"Though I will admit, I was prepared for a little more resistance. You've saved us all some time." He pushed the document closer to the Governor.

"All you need to do is sign. Or, since one of your hands is currently… indisposed, a blood seal will suffice. A quick prick of a finger on your remaining hand, and you press it where your name should be."

He glanced at Maria, who immediately took a small, ornate silver letter opener from her sleeve and held it out, its tip dangerously sharp.

Alabaster looked at the blade, then at Dorian, and finally at the imposing woman, Emily, standing silently behind him, clearly representing the power he was about to surrender to.

"If I sign… will I be spared?" he asked, a desperate plea in his eyes.

Dorian laughed, a short, sharp sound devoid of humor.

"Spared? Look at this guy. Governor, you confessed to treason and massive fraud against the Crown. Do you really think signing away your assets and titles is a get-out-of-jail-free card? Signing this ensures a quick, clean transfer of power and property. It avoids dragging the kingdom through a messy public trial that would only embarrass the Crown further. You sign, you cooperate, and you ensure that Lady Emily takes over without incident."

He paused, his eyes turning cold. "If you refuse, I will personally see to it that your trial is drawn out, excruciatingly public and that every single dark deed you've ever done is paraded before the citizens you've wronged. Your family will suffer the fallout, and I assure you, you will not like the conditions of your confinement."

The threat was clear and absolute. Alabaster slumped back in his chair, defeated. The prospect of his family being dragged into his mess was the final blow.

"Give me the blade," he muttered, reaching out his left hand.

Maria placed the silver letter opener into his hand. With a trembling hand, Alabaster quickly pricked his index finger, a bead of blood welling up instantly. He then pressed the finger firmly onto the designated spot on the contract.

As the blood seeped into the parchment, a faint blue glow emanated from the document before fading. The deal was sealed.

Dorian picked up the contract and examined the signature with satisfaction. "Excellent. Welcome to your new life, Governor Alabaster. Maria, prepare the transfer documents for the Royal Bank, and inform the King that the assets are secured and the new Governor is in place."

Maria nodded, taking the contract from him. Emily, the new Governor, finally stepped forward, her expression impassive as she looked down at the disgraced man.

"Your assistant will escort you out, Alabaster," she stated, her voice quiet but firm. "The Royal Guard will be waiting outside to take you to your new residence. Be cooperative."

The assistant, who had remained frozen in shame, finally moved, helping the governor to his feet. Alabaster didn't spare a glance at the table or the blood; his focus was on the door, his future stripped away in a single, bloody hour.

The door clicked shut behind the disgraced Governor and his silent aide. A heavy silence descended upon the lavish office, broken only by the faint scratching sound of Maria beginning to fill out transfer forms on a small notepad.

Dorian stood up, stretching slightly as if the entire ordeal had been a minor inconvenience. He walked over to the large bay window, looking out over the district Alabaster had once ruled.

"Well, that was far easier than i expected," he remarked, turning to the two women.

Maria didn't look up. "It was efficient, Lord Dorian. That's the goal, isn't it? Clean and decisive."

Emily, the newly appointed Governor, was already moving around the office, her eyes scanning the room with a professional scrutiny that suggested she was cataloging inventory rather than admiring décor. She stopped at the large mahogany desk, picking up a stray piece of parchment.

"The clean part is yet to be proven," Emily said, her voice now carrying the weight of authority. "He confessed to the Yaima funding and the Tairan and Fiona sales, but he avoided the question of what else he was hiding. He was too quick to concede after the King's appearance."

Dorian smirked.

"Always the sharp one, Emily. My thoughts exactly." Dorian leaned against the chair and yawned at his next words.

"The oil mine wasn't his only prize. Maria, aside from the financial transfers, I need you to dispatch a team to search this office, his private residence, and the mine's main administration building.

I want everything cataloged. Focus on any unusual ledgers, correspondence with unknown parties, or anything that speaks to the 'plan' he received funding for."

"Understood," Maria replied, making a quick note. "I'll use the personnel we brought in from the capital. They are discreet."

Dorian returned to the table, wiping a splash of Alabaster's blood with a pristine white handkerchief he pulled from his sleeve.

"The real task begins now, Emily," Dorian continued, looking directly at the new Governor.

"Alabaster was a problem. The Red District is a festering wound on the Kingdom. Your first priority is stability, then sanitation—both literal and metaphorical. The Yaima gang is now rudderless. Exploit that. Shut down the black markets he profited from. You have full military and financial backing directly from the Crown—through me, of course."

Emily nodded once. "I've already studied the district's infrastructure. The previous funding was meant for civilian infrastructure projects—hospitals, schools, and legitimate businesses. I will redirect the recovered funds to their intended purpose immediately."

Dorian smiled, genuinely this time. "See, Maria? That's why she's the Governor now. Foresight."

He pushed himself off the desk. "I've done my part. The snake has been decapitated. I trust you two to clean up the mess. My work here is finished."

Maria quickly finished her notes and stood, tucking the contract safely into her bag. "Where will you be, Lord Dorian?"

"Back to the capital," he said, walking towards the door.

"Revina will want a full, personal debriefing—and I have a few private matters to attend to before I get dragged into another one of her 'emergency' sessions." He stopped at the door, glancing back at Emily, who was already issuing orders to her incoming subordinates via a small wrist-mounted communicator.

"Don't disappoint me, Governor," he said, the phrase sounding more like a quiet warning than an encouragement.

"I won't," Emily promised, not pausing her work.

With a final, self-satisfied sigh, Dorian Aurelian, the King's fixer and the true power behind the recent political upheaval, stepped out of the office, leaving the fate of the Red District in the capable, uncompromising hands of the woman he had just installed.