Tea Time Tales: The Queen's Curious Multiplier

The atmosphere in Numberland was positively electric this morning. I was barely through my first digestive biscuit when the White Rabbit scurried past, his ears twitching with such intensity I thought he might achieve liftoff.

"She’s been caught!" he squeaked, fumbling with a golden calculator. "The Queen! It’s a mathematical mutiny!"

Naturally, I followed. In the heart of the Royal Treasury, the Queen of Late Fees was looking uncharacteristically flushed. Before her lay a mountain of expenses that seemed to be... growing. Every time I blinked, a single invoice for "One Flamingos’ Grooming Kit" would suddenly shudder and become ten. Then a hundred.

"Your Majesty," I said, stepping over a pile of multiplying receipts for tarts, "your books appear to be breeding."

"Nonsense!" she huffed, trying to hide a glowing, oversized 'X' behind her back. "I am simply being... efficient. Why have one expense when you can have a dozen? It shows I’m a patron of the arts!"

I took a closer look at the glowing 'X'. It wasn't a letter; it was a rogue Multiplication Symbol. The Queen had been using it as a shortcut to "puff up" her budget, unaware that in the world of bookkeeping, an 'X' marks the spot where the audit begins.

As the Royal Guards (who were mostly just disgruntled Clipboards) began to close in, I stepped in with a bit of Numberland navigation to calm the storm:

Tip from Numberland: Beware the "Curious X." While multiplying your efforts is great, multiplying your expenses is a recipe for a royal headache. Always ensure your totals match your bank statements—because even the most confident Queen can’t argue with a reconciled ledger.

By the time the tea had cooled, I had helped the Treasury team neutralize the rogue 'X' and return the expenses to their singular, honest forms. The Queen was sentenced to "Three Days of Manual Data Entry," and I returned to my Samsung S25 to log the whole affair.

Another scandal managed, one digit at a time.

Written by Alice in Numberland, friendly bookkeeping services for the curious, the cluttered, and the creative.

📍 Serving East Cleveland and beyond, or online wherever you sell your handmade knitted hares or vintage teacups.

The Queen's Curious Multiplier