The Former Empress Roughly Hides Her Abilities - Chapter 14

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

【Chapter 14】

The maid withdrew.

She left because it seemed like no matter what she did, she wouldn’t be able to complete her mission.

Just when Rianel thought she could finally get some rest, this time Vanessa entered.

“I heard you were just lying around doing nothing, so I thought they were finally clearing away a corpse.”

Vanessa sneered as soon as she saw Rianel.

“You’re not dead yet?”

“Yes, I’m still recovering.”

Rianel responded indifferently.

‘What?’

Even a fly that entered the room would probably be treated with more sincerity than that.

Since Vanessa had planned to provoke Rianel into causing trouble and falling out of the Duke’s favor, such a reaction was the last thing she wanted.

Vanessa escalated her words to provoke Rianel.

“What a sight, receiving guests while lying down! You’re no different from the lowly commoners outside. Though I suppose it’s absurd that someone like you inherited the blood of a Great Noble House!”

“If Lady had been a proper guest, you would have sent a servant to ask my intentions before entering. But Lady barged into my room. I haven’t seen any etiquette requiring one to rise and greet uninvited guests—has the custom changed without my knowledge?”

Vanessa’s lips trembled.

Vanessa had expected Rianel to scream or grab her by the hair, not to methodically refute her words.

And using etiquette—Rianel’s most vulnerable area—against her!

“Well, this works out perfectly. Since you’re here, please turn off the lights in the room. I sent the maid away, so there’s no one to do it.”

“Who do you think you’re treating like a maid?”

“You entered my room without permission, so I roughly assumed you were something similar.”

She didn’t even put any force into her tone. From her bored expression came an overwhelming composure that said, ‘I can easily crush someone like you.’

“Ha! Why don’t you turn it off yourself?”

“That’s bothersome.”

“If it’s so bothersome, why bother breathing? Just die already!”

“That’s a flawed example. Some people get confused because they can consciously hold their breath, but the respiratory system is part of the autonomic nervous system, so it can breathe automatically even without my conscious awareness.”

“Ugh…!”

Vanessa lost her words and could only stomp her feet.

Rianel had clearly mastered a new ability while outside.

The Ability to Provoke Rage—driving opponents to the brink of exploding.

At that moment.

“What’s going on?”

Rupert, who had been programmed to follow Vanessa around unless something special happened, entered.

“You’re…”

Before Rupert, who had made eye contact with Rianel, could complain of a headache, Vanessa quickly blocked his path.

However, Rianel’s voice was faster.

“The prospective Duchess seemed to lack biological knowledge, so I was teaching her. Ignorance isn’t a sin, but knowing one’s deficiencies yet refusing to learn is negligence.”

“What?”

“If biology is difficult, I recommend Pavlen’s work ‘Our Body Health Dictionary.’ It’s written for 5-year-olds, so it’s easy for even the poorly educated to understand.”

Even in this situation, her tone remained flat and even.

“Hey!”

Vanessa exploded once again.

* * *

The next day.

Rianel was summoned to the Duke’s office.

“You probably know why I called you.”

Vanessa stood behind the Duke.

As soon as she made eye contact with Rianel, she subtly covered her lower face with her hand. But Rianel had already seen the corners of her mouth turn up.

It was easy to guess why this situation had occurred.

“Well then, let’s hear it.”

At the Duke’s gesture, Rianel spoke.

“The bed was comfortable, but the host was unfriendly. I’ll give it 3 stars.”

“…I didn’t call you to ask for a lodging review!”

The Duke got angry.

‘No?’

She thought he was asking for her impressions after staying one night. Rianel became slightly dejected.

The Duke took a deep breath before speaking.

He hoped this wouldn’t sound like an interrogation or scolding to Rianel.

“Tell me what happened with Vanessa yesterday.”

“Yesterday…”

After blinking several times, Rianel recalled the memory.

“Lady Violen came to visit me while I was resting in the guest room. And…”

After pausing briefly, she continued calmly.

“We shared knowledge about the human body. It was a very beneficial time.”

“…”

The Duke looked at Rianel expressionlessly for a moment, then turned to look at Vanessa standing beside him.

“That’s different from what you told me.”

Vanessa’s face hardened.

She had clearly said that Rianel insulted her and they had a loud argument. But Rianel was giving her testimony as calmly as if there had been no trace of a fight.

‘This makes me look like the only one who went to Rianel’s room and caused a disturbance!’

Naturally not wanting to appear that way, Vanessa said urgently.

“That’s a lie! Rianel not only turned me away at the door but also insulted me by treating me like a maid. I only went because I was worried after hearing that Rianel kept lying around…!”

Vanessa’s voice cracked and her eyes grew moist.

With tears sparkling in her innocently drooping eyes, she looked like an wronged victim.

“I merely discussed the proper etiquette needed when visiting someone who is resting alone.”

If we’re looking at the cause, it was indeed Vanessa who first picked a fight with Rianel, who had been minding her own business.

But unable to admit that fact, Vanessa said.

“Did you see that, Father?”

She shuddered excessively while pointing at Rianel.

“Look how she refuses to acknowledge her wrongdoing and acts so rudely! She even asked me to turn off the lights in her room! If she had any respect for me, how could she say such things?”

Then she even pretended to sob while covering her eyes with her arm.

“I understand. How much she must have hated me, this interloper who suddenly appeared acting like a new sister and taking away the attention of blood family? But to act like this even in front of Father is really…”

While putting Rianel down, Vanessa simultaneously tried to create an image of herself as a ‘magnanimous person’ who understood Rianel’s rudeness.

“I don’t know why you came here. Was your goal to irritate me and Father? If so, I’d like to tell you that you succeeded. My heart aches watching you.”

This time Vanessa really expected Rianel to explode emotionally, but.

“I don’t waste energy on such unproductive activities.”

Rianel responded calmly.

“As I mentioned yesterday, I’m simply here on a business trip.”

“Ha? A business trip? A business trip?”

Vanessa burst into derisive laughter and shook her head.

For Vanessa, who had been hoping for Rianel to misspeak, this was an opportunity.

“Did you hear that, Father? Rianel clearly doesn’t even think of you as her real father anymore! Otherwise, there’s no way she would speak so coldly, treating you just like any State Minister!”

After laughing incredulously for a while, Vanessa asked.

“So, what exactly are you here to do that brought you on a field assignment all the way to the Duke’s Estate?”

“I came to collect unpaid taxes.”

Taxes?

In that moment, the smile on Vanessa’s lips froze.

When Vanessa hesitated, sensing something ominous,

“Lady Violen received the Altin Plains and buildings on the property as a gratuitous gift from Rupert Vincenheim.”

“Wh-what…?”

“However, since you two are not legally married, you have an obligation to pay gift tax.”

Rianel said as she placed the documents she had prepared on the desk.

“Please pay your taxes.”

The color drained from Vanessa’s face.

* * *

The brainwashed Rupert had no opinions of his own.

Transferring the land to him was as easy as breathing.

Vanessa had suddenly become the owner of expensive real estate, but she wasn’t worried.

Since she had received Rupert’s personal assets rather than the Ducal House’s assets, she thought the people at the Duke’s estate wouldn’t know.

Even if she was caught, she never expected it would be by Rianel.

‘This…’

Rianel even had the original property registration so that Vanessa couldn’t argue back.

“And.”

Rianel said as she pushed that paper to where the Duke could see it.

“Upon investigation, five of the buildings you own are operating as lodging businesses.”

Vanessa became afraid of everything that might come out of Rianel’s mouth.

The Duke watching this situation with his arms crossed was also considerable pressure.

‘Stop it, you crazy bitch!’

But Rianel had no intention of stopping at all.

She had been drawing this picture from the moment she requested ‘field work processing’ from the Duke.

Business trips were one of the regular audit targets for civil servants. If you didn’t go on a business trip but falsely reported it or engaged in non-work activities, you would definitely get caught.

As such, Rianel intended to build achievements that no one could refute.

“However, you registered the purpose of those buildings as public facilities for educational purposes and are receiving tax exemption benefits. You also haven’t paid income tax generated from unauthorized lodging business. Therefore, I’ve issued a tax bill including additional taxes for those portions, so please make payment.”

Rianel placed the tax bill she had prepared in front of Vanessa.

The bill showed an amount even larger than Cedric’s.

Vanessa, who had been looking at the amount with so many zeros it was hard to count, barely pulled herself together and raised her head.

“Th-this is just ownership transferred to my name so Rupert could manage assets more easily! They’re not even my buildings, so why should I pay taxes?”

It was Vanessa’s last desperate struggle.

Rianel responded without even a smile.

“Oh my, so they were borrowed-name properties? Then you’ll need to pay the additional collection as well.”

“…!”

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