The Former Empress Roughly Hides Her Abilities - Chapter 144

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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 144】

“Is this enough?”

“If, if you could just do it once more on this corner here…”

Rude, having satisfactorily received the author’s signature and doodles throughout his cherished book, blew on it to help the ink dry properly before hugging the book tightly.

If he sold this at the auction house, he could easily get enough money to buy a small territory.

‘I must never sell it.’

Even if he starved to death from lack of money, he would take it to his grave, Rude grinned.

The sensation of his arms being fully occupied brought him such joy that he couldn’t help but smile.

“Are you finished now?”

Then he quickly looked up at Rianel’s words.

“If, if it’s alright with you, just one handshake…”

The Princess stared at Rude, finding it curious how carefully he spoke.

‘So you were capable of making such an expression.’

Rude during class seemed like a sharp and irritable person. But Rude standing before someone he respected looked like a boy only a few years older than her.

“Here you are.”

“You, you’re extending your hand…!”

Rude grasped Rianel’s extended hand with both of his. Not satisfied with that, he held it with trembling hands as if tracing and confirming its shape.

“It, it’s an honor to meet you. Though I don’t know if I’ll be able to follow in the Professor’s footsteps, I’m trying to walk the same path.”

“Yes, I confirmed from Professor Frederick that you’re a student enrolled in the economics department.”

“Did Master say such things about me?”

Frederick was the person Rude respected most after Ensilen.

That such a person had mentioned him to Ensilen meant he was recognized as their successor, didn’t it?

A mixture of pride and embarrassment made him squirm as he grinned bashfully.

Meanwhile.

‘What’s that guy doing now?’

A tuft of blonde hair was poking out from around the corner of the promenade near the Princess Palace.

It was Asil.

When Rianel’s brief visit to the Princess Palace was taking longer than expected,

He had come here to inform her that lunch time was over, but stopped in his tracks at the unexpected scene.

He had thought Rianel was comforting the Princess who had suffered because of the Saint who had suddenly barged in yesterday.

But not only was she sitting calmly across from some strange guy, she was even letting him hold her hand. Rianel’s indifference was frustrating beyond measure.

He wanted to interrupt right away, but doing so would reveal that he had been secretly watching, so he stayed hidden until.

“No matter how I think about it, Professor’s scholarship is too precious to waste. If you returned to academia-“

Unable to listen to any more nonsense, he burst out.

“What are you doing right now?”

All three heads turned at once.

“Could it be Bureau Director Novantium?”

Rude called out Asil’s name with uncertainty.

He hadn’t recognized him when they first met, but thinking of him in connection with Ensilen, he thought he knew who this cunning blonde handsome man was.

“That’s correct.”

Asil replied with feigned composure, then separated Rude’s hand that was still holding Rianel’s and shook it himself.

“I heard you were top of your class throughout school?”

“There’s an inaccuracy in that. I lost the top position once.”

“Even so, you’re still a legend of the department, aren’t you?”

And.

“Then you should understand what I’m saying. Someone like this shouldn’t be in the Imperial Palace. She should be contributing to the Empire’s academic development.”

“You speak just like Professor Frederick’s student, saying similar things.”

“Ah, did Master say that too?”

Asil had meant that both were talking nonsense, but Rude heard it differently.

“Master is always right indeed!”

“Don’t be mistaken. My Master will never go to the National Academy.”

“Why not? Academia is so busy organizing Professor Ensilen’s achievements right now.”

“Student, you are greatly mistaken. Scholars are mourning Professor Ensilen who tragically died young as a sacrifice to politics, not because they need her.”

The moment they learned that the scholar they thought was dead was actually surviving in another body, Ensilen would fall from research subject to research object.

Rude couldn’t bring himself to argue back.

“That may be so… but what would it matter if she didn’t reveal her identity? The Professor would become a new giant in academia the moment she set foot in the Academy.”

In fact, with the backing of being a Duke’s daughter, couldn’t she succeed even more greatly?

“Wait a moment.”

Then a voice interrupted.

It was the Princess.

“This person is precious talent who should remain in the Imperial Palace. As royalty, I cannot tolerate the loss of talent.”

Asil objected to this as well.

“The new system should recruit new personnel, Your Highness. You won’t need my Master for your reign.”

“That doesn’t seem like something for the Duke to decide, does it?”

Swoosh, when everyone’s gaze turned to Rianel, she looked awkward.

“…I don’t understand why you’re all staring at me.”

I’m someone who lives carelessly.

“As I mentioned before, there’s a major problem with Master’s standards.”

“While the Professor might think it’s nothing special, other scholars find it overwhelming just to follow in the Professor’s footsteps.”

Rianel finally looked at the Princess, but.

“Hmm, it certainly isn’t ordinary standards.”

“…”

Betrayed by the last axe she had trusted, Rianel fell silent.

Until now, Rianel had let their accusations flow past her ears.

Given that Emperor Torbiyan was the result of the Empire’s finest education,

She had thought that even if someone like Asil was obsessed with her, it was surely because the Empire’s soil quality was low-grade.

But if all three people influenced by her turned out this way.

‘Is it my problem?’

Perhaps the problem wasn’t with the soil quality but with the farmer?

“Master?”

Asil asked, observing Rianel’s suddenly stiffened state, but.

Rianel, who rarely found herself reflecting on her own faults, couldn’t continue speaking for a while.

* * *

Weekday afternoon.

“Could you spare some time for me?”

When Rianel suddenly visited alone, even without Asil, the Duke pondered what to say first, not knowing where to begin.

However, unable to find the right words, he ended up blurting out a conventional question.

“Before a meal?”

“No.”

“Wait a moment.”

After preparing tea and simple refreshments and seating Rianel in the reception room, the Duke cautiously asked.

“Did you fight?”

Rianel was expressionless, making it impossible to know what she was thinking, so he had no choice but to ask carefully.

“No. I came today for a different matter.”

Just as he thought it was fortunate.

“I’d like your opinion on farming failures.”

“…?”

“What do you think is the cause of failure in human farming, Duke?”

The Duke was dumbfounded.

“Are you here to mock me right now?”

Me, who failed at raising all my children?

“No. I was simply asking for experience as someone who has been through it…”

“That’s the same thing!”

The Duke, who had been indignant, knew that Rianel had asked without any particular thought, so he slumped into the sofa and let out a long sigh.

Then, after hearing the situation, he immediately went into justification mode.

“It’s definitely the soil’s fault.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course, why else would there be a saying that half of child-rearing is environment.”

Rianel asked.

“Then why did you choose this kind of environment?”

The Duke suffered deep internal wounds from that thoughtless question, but soon regained his composure.

“Can a seed choose the condition of the soil it stays in? I’m the same. I only realized belatedly what kind of place this was after staying here.”

It was a clean statement that blamed neither his late wife nor his two children.

“I see.”

Fortunately, Rianel didn’t ask any more questions.

However, the Duke, who couldn’t feel at ease, decided to change the topic entirely to prevent Rianel from discussing this subject further.

“The Empire has been quite turbulent lately.”

He was trying to subtly bring up the religious topic to gauge her reaction.

“Yes, that was my doing.”

The Duke was dumbfounded that Rianel readily admitted it without even denying it.

“What’s the reason you’re being honest with me?”

‘Is it because she thinks of us as family?’

He was pleased on one hand, but Rianel had a talent for destroying touching moments.

“Because you are aware of my identity, Duke.”

“Is, is that all?”

Because we know your identity?

“Would you give the same answer if the young Princess asked?”

“Of course.”

It was a question thrown out of unnecessary disappointment, but the Duke ended up getting properly hit instead.

“Since the real purpose of my executing this plan is to put Her Highness the Princess on the throne, naturally Her Highness should be aware of this fact.”

“Cough, cough cough.”

The Duke coughed and spat out his black tea. Truly the great era of black tea suffering.

He wiped his mouth and the corners of his eyes that had teared up slightly from coughing with his handkerchief.

“Didn’t you clearly say you wouldn’t seek revenge?”

“I don’t recall ever saying that, though I do remember saying our goals were different.”

Rianel didn’t think that revenge only counted if you ran around with a sword in your mouth in a kill-or-be-killed frenzy.

‘There’s also this kind of quiet and secretive way of strangling your opponent as revenge.’

In fact, the Empress Dowager had begun to think of the Princess instead of her son as imperial material, and the Princess had also made up her mind to become Emperor.

These were definitely changes that hadn’t existed before.

“I judged that stripping away the honor and authority he values most would be the optimal revenge.”

The Duke’s thoughts deepened.

The Duke was also aware that the Empress Dowager’s intentions were leaning toward the Princess.

However, he had thought the Princess needed more time.

‘That timing might be faster than expected.’

Based on Rianel’s movements and the Princess’s intentions, he realized that things could move faster than anticipated.

Above all, the Duke was aware that the Emperor had married Ensilen to package her knowledge and abilities as his own achievements.

‘Then keeping the Emperor alive to make him witness his own incompetence being exposed might indeed be certain revenge.’

However, still worried, he ended up adding nagging-like words.

“It’s a job with high risk.”

“I’m fully aware of that.”

Rianel was planning to organize her surrounding relationships once to ensure no one would get caught up in this matter.

The Duke cleaned up the black tea while wiping his chin and face once more with his handkerchief.

Then he looked at Rianel.

She handled everything so well on her own that while he was proud, he also felt somewhat disappointed.

With someone like this, it was better to ask directly.

“Is there anything I can help with?”

Rianel slightly pushed forward her teacup.

“My black tea has gone cold.”

“…?”

So?

“I judge that it has been over-steeped and become bitter. Could you prepare it again?”

‘But I’m the one who brewed it.’

He barely managed to swallow the words that had risen to his throat.

“Yes, I understand.”

[I know that cooking isn’t included in noble accomplishments, so in other words.]

[You can’t brew black tea properly.]

At the same time, he heard overlapping voices echoing in his head.

‘It’s, it’s the environment’s fault, the environment’s fault, of course.’

Ignoring how Lisa’s face seemed to overlap with Rianel’s, he called for the butler.

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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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