The Former Empress Roughly Hides Her Abilities - Chapter 107

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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【Chapter 107】

Asil quietly approached Rianel, who had stopped and stood still.

“What’s wrong?”

Then he too hesitated when he saw the envelope.

Because his master’s name was clearly written there, which he hadn’t seen in a very long time.

He took Rianel’s pale hand. He tried to reassure her by sharing his body heat with her hand that had grown cold as a corpse.

“Shall I open it for you?”

“No.”

Rianel, or rather she who had once been Ensilen, shook her head.

This letter had come to her, so she had to handle it herself.

“….”

The letter she opened was written in a gentle and elegant tone.

Perhaps it was written on the same day as the envelope. The paper also bore traces of time, showing signs of fading.

-I know you must be curious about many things. But this letter isn’t meant to confuse you, but to convey the truth, so please read it to the end.

Rianel first moved her gaze to the line below.

-You too must have been confused when you entered an unfamiliar body. Perhaps you’re feeling guilty for taking that child’s life. But there’s no reason for that. That child also knew everything and agreed to it.

‘What…?’

-I’ve written down the truth you want at this address, so please check it. If you’re afraid, you can burn this letter and live as that child.

That life is a gift that child and I are giving you, so use it without reservation. I hope this time it will be a life without regrets.

At the end, there was a short postscript.

-P.S. Please be kind to Callen. He knows nothing.

Callen was Duke Vincenheim’s name.

Rianel was about to crumple the letter, but then put her hand down and set the letter aside.

‘What kind of mess is this now.’

The sudden situation was absurd.

Anyway, one fact had become clear from this letter.

‘The Duchess Vincenheim… knows quite a lot.’

Even though she had closed her eyes without seeing Ensilen become Empress.

She clearly knew that she would die, that she would enter Rianel’s body after death, and even that she would eventually come to this place.

Suddenly her background came to mind.

‘Was she from the Temple?’

“Come to think of it, there were rumors that the Duchess was a priestess.”

Asil, who had been looking at the letter over Rianel’s shoulder, said.

“A priestess?”

“It refers to the candidates before becoming a Saint.”

It was unknown what process the current Saint Yuna had gone through to be selected.

However, it was said that usually the Temple would take in several Saint candidates and make them compete, then select a Saint from among them.

“She was said to be quite a promising Saint candidate. However, another Saint was selected just before, and afterwards the Duchess left the Temple.”

Whether she declined the Saint position herself or was eliminated was unknown.

Saint Yuna’s ability came to mind.

‘She has prophetic power… didn’t she?’

For someone with such power, her actions seemed to lack not just prophetic power but even basic eyesight. But it was said she had the power to know major disasters or significant future prophecies and received the Temple’s protection.

‘I heard she even predicted the day the Former Empress would die.’

Though that seemed more like self-fulfillment than prophecy.

Given these circumstances, the Duchess might have had prophetic power.

‘Though it’s unknowable now.’

To dig into the Duchess’s intimate affairs, she would need to know about internal Temple matters. That couldn’t be done here.

‘Setting that aside for now.’

Rianel unfolded the address and the paper layered behind it.

It was a paternity test.

-Paternity possibility between R and Callen: 0.001%. The two are not biological parent and child.

Though initials were used.

‘Anyone can see this is the test result for Rianel and the Duke.’

Suddenly she remembered the Duke’s words shouted on the Emperor’s birthday.

[A bastard? How dare you call my daughter a bastard?!]

Now she understood why he had been so indignant.

‘Right, of course. She wasn’t a bastard.’

How could she be a bastard when she wasn’t even his biological daughter to begin with?

Strictly speaking, it would be correct to call her an adopted child.

What she realized was.

‘Even though I live carelessly, isn’t this a bit too much?’

What kind of birth secret gets revealed so casually?

* * *

Rianel traced the address written below with her fingertip.

“Will you be alright?”

Coincidentally, the location wasn’t far from here.

At this point, it was practically pushing her to go take a look.

“Let’s stop by.”

The address was vaguely registered, so they wandered around the area, comparing documents several times.

The place they arrived at was.

‘It was definitely said to be used as a warehouse…’

The exterior walls were strangely extended, showing traces of forcibly expanding the space.

‘Is it an illegal structure?’

And there, Rianel came face to face with a truth she hadn’t been curious about.

“Is anyone there? I’m from the Special Tax Bureau…”

The moment she stepped foot inside.

“Who’s there?”

A man who had been about to put up a sign reading ‘Guesthouse’ looked up at Rianel.

After a moment of silence.

“You… how are you here!”

His eyes widened as he fell backward by himself, then screamed in that position.

“Get lost! Devil’s child! How did you know to come here-!”

The face lying there was, honestly speaking, quite ugly.

But strangely, it resembled Rianel.

“You must be my biological father.”

“What nonsense are you talking? I don’t know anything like you! I never gave birth to a devil like you!”

It was a shout close to a scream.

“Honey, what’s wrong?”

When the commotion arose, a woman with neatly pinned-up hair came out from inside the building.

‘Is that woman Rianel’s mother?’

An old scene floated up in Rianel’s mind.

The face of the woman who had coldly let go of her hand.

[Wait here. From today, I’m not your mother anymore.]

[So never act like you know me again. Understand?]

Though she was surely blood-related, born from her own womb, she had coldly pushed Rianel away.

That scene was vividly imprinted on her childhood retina.

Rianel had definitely been hurt and bitter for a long time.

Afterwards, she received adequate treatment at the Duke’s estate, but that didn’t make the sadness of being abandoned by her birth mother disappear.

That child had been lonely.

That’s why she clung more to the Duke and was easily swayed by Vanessa’s words.

‘Vanessa must have known this and used the word bastard to manipulate the child.’

The woman swung a broom at Rianel as soon as she saw her.

“Ugh, get out! Who told you to come here?”

“513-1, Pleng District, Southern Tourism Special Zone. This is confirmed to be currently operating as a guesthouse, is it not?”

It looked like a place anyone could visit.

“Don’t be ridiculous! You’re not a guest!”

Of course, that was true.

“Yes. I came here for verification purposes.”

“What verification! I’m not your mother! If you came here expecting something from me—”

“I expect nothing.”

Rianel had never tried to find her parents even when she was Ensilen.

Either way, it was a relationship that had been abandoned once.

What meaning would there be in forcibly reconnecting it?

Rianel’s parents had regarded the young child as a filthy little demon.

[That child, doesn’t it seem like she has no emotions?]

[Yesterday she repeated something I muttered without thinking.]

[Don’t look at me! I said don’t look!]

[So creepy…]

Just because she had no expression and showed little emotional change.

Even though they had given birth to her, they said they felt no affection and didn’t even give her a name.

Her current name was given by the Duchess.

Rianel wasn’t a child without emotions.

She simply didn’t know how to express them.

‘If she hadn’t felt sorrow and disappointment, there’s no way I would be feeling her emotions now.’

Of course, she couldn’t repay those emotions in kind.

“Then why did you come?”

“After checking the site of this building, I found discrepancies between the building registry and actual use, so I came to issue a fine.”

So she decided to do what she always did.

“What, what?”

“This building is registered as a warehouse in the building registry. However, it’s currently being used as a residence, and I’ve confirmed you’re operating an unreported lodging business.”

Only then did the man hurriedly hide the guesthouse sign.

‘What’s the point of hiding it now? I’ve already seen everything.’

Rianel smiled crookedly.

What was so scary about a returning child?

What truly cannot be avoided isn’t blood ties, but taxes and additional charges.

“Since the building is being used differently from its reported purpose, this constitutes a violation of building law. Additionally, the unauthorized extension of the exterior wall constitutes unauthorized construction. Accordingly, enforcement fines may be imposed until demolition or restoration is completed.”

The fines for this would be separate, by the way.

“Furthermore, since you’ve been operating an unreported lodging business, unreported additional taxes, VAT, and rental income tax will be collected.”

Moreover, since the site was reported as a warehouse and received low-rate taxation, additional taxes for that would also be added.

So what was the total amount?

With administrative fines plus tax collection, the amount was enormous, so even Rianel needed to calculate.

“Here’s some paper.”

Asil, who had been watching the possessed-like collection scene until then, handed over paper.

“Thank you.”

Rianel took the paper and roughly calculated the amount.

She thrust it in front of the man’s face.

“You can pay this amount.”

An amount that would make even Cedric grab his neck several times.

After trembling for a long time, they shouted.

“How can you be so heartless to your parents! You heartless, tearless thing!”

It was truly strange words.

“You just said you weren’t my parents.”

Even if they were parents, they couldn’t avoid additional taxes.

“You evil thing! Go to hell!”

“Since you said I’m a demon’s child, hell must be my hometown. In that case, this would be a homecoming, so there would be no place more comfortable.”

“Ahahaha!”

Asil, who burst into laughter there, doubled over.

At that moment, something came to mind.

Rianel had been led by this woman’s hand and abandoned in front of the Duke’s Mansion.

She had only left the words that the Duchess would raise her, then left her there on a cold day.

Until the Duchess found her, Rianel had to rub her frozen hands over and over while trembling in that spot.

[Oh my… child, are you alright?]

If not for those white hands, she might have really died that day.

Rianel, who had so desperately wanted recognition from her family.

You, whose insides were rotting from loneliness.

‘I wonder if this was sufficient compensation for taking over your body.’

Though she couldn’t hear an answer.

“….”

Somehow, Rianel felt as if she had heard her laughter.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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