The Former Empress Roughly Hides Her Abilities - Chapter 124

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

【Chapter 124】

The Duke calmed his emotions.

‘I should hold my tongue.’

On one hand, he could understand his daughter.

‘If she didn’t have a personality that leaves no gaps or openings, she wouldn’t have been able to survive alone.’

That didn’t mean he could understand everything though.

‘Why, of all the countless men out there, did it have to be that guy!’

He acknowledged that Asil was better than the Emperor.

‘Of course, if you think about it that way, where would you find a man worse than him.’

His daughter’s taste in men was at a seriously concerning level.

‘Duke Novantium is cunning and doesn’t easily reveal his true intentions.’

The fact that he had maintained his devotion for so long was worth some credit.

The Duke, who had been lost in thought, came to his senses at Rianel’s words.

“If there are no additional instructions, I’ll return to work.”

They were standing outside the Tax Bureau office.

Callen had called her out because he wanted to have a conversation with his daughter.

Strictly speaking, it was unauthorized absence during work hours, but those who knew the truth turned a blind eye to Callen’s authority.

Callen brought up a work-related topic.

“Come to think of it, didn’t Her Majesty the Empress Dowager order you to investigate the nobles’ tax evasion charges?”

“Yes. I received an urgent work order.”

Previously, instructions to investigate tax evasion and delinquency cases together had come down just before quitting time. This time, new work had been assigned as soon as she arrived at work.

The content was to conduct parallel investigations into tax evasion charges against nobles who had received bribes from the clergy.

This was only natural because.

‘Bribes and tax evasion structurally have to occur together.’

Bribery is the act of obtaining money from others for free. Since this isn’t legally obtained income, the income cannot be reported. This naturally led to tax evasion.

‘Moreover, bribery requires proving causation, but tax evasion only requires confirming the source of funds and whether they were reported, making it simple to prove.’

The basics of tax investigation are investigating the source of funds. Looking at where the funds came from and what route they took to move.

So when tracking tax evasion, additional crimes like bribery or embezzlement were often revealed.

The Duke asked carefully.

“By any chance… are you taking on this work for revenge?”

Those who became investigation targets were the ones who had obstructed and tormented the policies she had proposed when she was Empress. It was well known that she had suffered quite a bit because of them.

“No. I’m performing it because it’s official duty.”

“Then are you working because you have high job satisfaction?”

“Rather than that, I need to prepare for retirement-“

“That’s enough.”

The Duke raised his hand to cut her off.

He could roughly guess what would follow next.

He cleared his throat and asked again.

“Then do you have no desire at all to pay them back?”

Callen was getting to know Ensilen before him. He realized that her cold treatment toward him was due to her original personality, not because she harbored emotional resentment.

This made him suspect that she originally didn’t feel emotions well, so she might not feel a desire for revenge either.

“That’s not the case.”

“Then?”

“Not stepping to the forefront and investigating tax evasion charges from behind the scenes is the most efficient way to maintain my life while getting revenge.”

“What…?! Where in the world is there such lazy revenge?”

He even questioned whether that should be called revenge in the first place.

“But isn’t it rational.”

“How long would it take to get revenge that way…!”

Rianel’s answer to this was:

“I don’t feel the need to invest my life in revenge.”

“What?”

It wasn’t that she had no desire for revenge. She did have emotions wanting those who ruined her life to fall. However.

“They are insignificant and unimportant beings in my life. Consuming intellect and time to devise plans to bring them down is unnecessary and inefficient work. My precious intelligence is better suited for more productive and righteous purposes.”

“That’s…”

Since it was difficult to refute logically, Callen only moved his lips.

‘Still, I want to argue!’

He desperately wanted to raise counterarguments, but no suitable words came to mind.

‘That makes me even angrier!’

Callen didn’t know that others who had dealt with Rianel had probably gone through roughly similar processes.

Rianel glanced at him and continued speaking.

“Then, I’ll go in first.”

“Ah…?”

When his hand fumbled through the empty air where Rianel had been.

Asil took a step closer and stood beside Callen.

“The morning air is cool, so please come inside.”

He muttered awkwardly.

“What would an old man like me do going inside. I’d just be a burden to the working staff.”

“But privately, aren’t you the Team Leader’s father? Moreover, you have deep insight and rich experience in work matters, so if you could give us your valuable opinions on related issues, I think it would be helpful for practical work.”

“Is, is that so?”

Of course, there wouldn’t be anyone coming to seek work advice from him, the State Minister.

“Then excuse me.”

Callen eventually came in, pretending to be unable to refuse.

And he received cheap tea that came from the break room.

“…”

He sat in the seat Asil had prepared and watched his daughter’s back.

The reason Rianel’s work processing speed was fast was because as soon as she started work, she immediately entered a concentrated state without any unnecessary warm-up process.

She reviewed documents on nobles’ tax evasion charges and consecutively found items that could be detected.

Among them were cases linked to embezzlement or bribery, but.

“This person conducted lectures regularly but reported it as miscellaneous income.”

Like this, she pointed out small but easily missed parts without exception.

“Marquis Moleng sold a house to his son at a price lower than market value. This corresponds to denial of wrongful act calculation.”

Denial of wrongful act calculation meant the act of unfairly lowering taxes through transactions lacking economic rationality between specially related parties. It was commonly used to avoid gift taxes.

“For this case, we plan to send a tax assessment notice.”

Marquis, the seller, would also have to recalculate and pay transfer income tax since he transferred the mansion at a price lower than market value.

The documents on Rianel’s desk steadily decreased, but her processing speed remained constant.

Yet she didn’t miss anything or handle things carelessly.

‘She’s really amazing.’

Til swallowed his admiration.

“Is that the mindset of an office worker determined to leave work on time somehow…!”

“She might just be serious about work.”

Wilbrin said.

“Oh, is that so?”

Rianel said she did things roughly, but her results were always a step above theirs.

‘Perhaps that word “roughly” was deception.’

Callen was watching all of this.

Though he pretended otherwise, his expression subtly softened every time praise about his daughter reached his ears.

The Tax Bureau people who noticed that the Duke seemed to be in a good mood quietly gathered around him.

The State Minister was a figure who stood above each agency head and ministers. Though not a direct superior, he was practically no different from their boss since he was upper management.

There was no better way to make life flourish than flattering when the boss seemed to be in a good mood.

“We always feel awe whenever we see Team Leader Vincenheim.”

“Is that so?”

Callen unconsciously hummed a tune.

“Yes. How such a thing is even possible, it’s so unbelievable even seeing it with my own eyes.”

“She must take after the State Minister, don’t you think?”

The position of State Minister itself was remarkable, but he had never been involved in a single corruption case despite holding such a position.

How could a father and daughter both be so capable?

“That’s right. I was quite good at studying during my school days too.”

“I thought as much.”

“Then it seems an excellent talent has been produced under the Minister’s guidance and instruction.”

Just as Callen’s chin and corners of his mouth were about to rise.

“I grew up alone, without anyone’s help.”

A voice like cold water being poured came forth.

“….”

The air instantly became subtly tense, and Callen closed his mouth.

The Tax Bureau people quickly distanced themselves. Their attitude of scattering as if nothing had happened and taking their respective seats was the epitome of masters of Social Maneuvering.

It was also evidence of how they had survived in a department that had barely existed as an empty shell.

‘I absolutely must not make eye contact.’

‘When was lunch time again?’

It was natural for them to act so swiftly.

Because the Tax Bureau had an unofficial ordinance: ‘Absolutely no approaching within 10 meters of a superior in a bad mood.’

* * *

The nobles talked about Empress Ensilen as if she were some kind of traitor. According to their words alone, she was a national traitor who would sell out the country, and a villain of the ages who would be remembered throughout imperial history.

People who didn’t know the circumstances either brushed it off or got swept up in the atmosphere and added to the criticism.

However, the fact that the Empress was the founder of the scholarship foundation spread through the Princess’s words.

In addition to the nobles’ bribery and tax evasion, even the incident of the Temple privately misappropriating donations broke out.

“The person who created the Inspection Bureau was the Empress?”

When it became known that the Former Empress had created a system to check the corruption of nobles, public opinion completely reversed.

“But they abolished it as soon as the Empress passed away?”

“Shouldn’t it be revived?”

“Well, that’s not easy. Would the noble bastards just sit still?”

“Anyway, you have to understand that they unconditionally oppose anything that might harm their interests even slightly.”

Those who usually growled at each other fighting territorial wars over palm-sized lands only united at times like these, which was utterly pathetic.

“Come to think of it, the Special Tax Bureau was also created by the Empress, right?”

“Ah, that place that’s supposedly the only department in the Empire that actually works?”

“But those bastards tried to eliminate it.”

“Really, how much corruption must there have been!”

While outside there was a reevaluation of Empress Ensilen taking place, Rianel worked and left work as usual today.

Whether the evaluation of her past life changed or not, it was unrelated to her current life.

When she twitched her stiff shoulders, the perceptive Asil silently approached and massaged her shoulders.

“Fortunately, you’re leaving on time today too.”

“Since no particularly difficult tasks were assigned, it’s only natural.”

Rianel spoke matter-of-factly.

“Have you submitted the Marriage Proposal Letter to the Imperial Palace?”

“Yes. We’re currently waiting for approval from the Imperial Palace.”

Since both were from Great Noble Houses, imperial approval was needed for their engagement.

Incidentally, the Duke had roughly sorted out his feelings.

[If you’re happy… that’s enough. It would be unreasonable for me to interfere further.]

It was difficult to interfere with the life of a daughter who had suddenly appeared, and he was originally someone who had decided to raise his children without controlling them.

So the two had agreed not to drag out their engagement relationship and to proceed directly to marriage.

“Strangely, the reply is late.”

Though they called it approval, the Imperial Palace’s permission was merely a formal procedure.

Normally, an answer should have arrived by now.

“Isn’t it just taking time due to procedural matters?”

That could be the case, but.

‘Why do I feel so uneasy.’

Rianel shrank at an inexplicable sense of foreboding.

At the same time.

-The Reality of the Empire: Actually a Corrupt Empire?

-The Former Empress Was Actually a Fabricated Villainess? Exposing the Empire’s Tax Evasion

-Is the Temple a Sanctuary? The Blind Spot of Disclosure Obligations, Was Temple Corruption Already Predicted?

-Who Killed the Former Empress: Revealing the Empire’s Loss and Its Secrets

The Emperor sat in his office where morning newspapers and daily papers with sensational headlines were scattered in disarray.

The unorganized papers were listing provocative and unnecessary sentences.

“…need.”

In the middle of it all.

The Emperor, disheveled with unkempt hair, stared into space with bloodshot eyes and muttered.

“I really need an Empress.”

The Marriage Proposal Letter crumpled in his hand.

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