The Former Empress Roughly Hides Her Abilities - Chapter 15

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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 15】

“For reference, the detailed breakdown of unpaid taxes is written in the attached documents. If you have any additional questions, please check there.”

Vanessa’s lips trembled before closing shut.

Now her business at this mansion was finished.

Rianel slung her work bag over her shoulder. At that moment, Vanessa shouted with reddened eyes.

“I was holding back for the sake of the late Duchess… I don’t understand why you came to the mansion. Did you come to turn the mansion upside down? How can you be so inconsiderate on a day like this?”

Vanessa said this despite not even knowing what yesterday had been.

“The Duchess spent her childhood at the Temple. Since she lived her entire life with honesty and integrity as her values, she would be happier than anyone if the dirty problems hidden in the family were resolved.”

Rianel paused to choose her words, then added.

“These taxes have already passed their payment deadline, so late fees accrue for each day of delay. It would be best to pay as soon as possible.”

Vanessa, trembling with rage, looked around.

The maids who were usually under her thumb were watching from a distance, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire, and the Duke was looking at her with eyes colder than the north wind.

Only then did Vanessa realize this situation was real and there was no escape.

“How, how am I supposed to come up with such a large sum of money?”

Vanessa screamed. Since all the money she’d earned from the hotel business had been spent on luxury goods, Vanessa was actually penniless.

“You don’t have the money?”

“That’s right!”

The moment Vanessa stiffly raised her head.

“You don’t need to worry.”

Rianel added words that sounded calm, and therefore more cruel.

“The Tax Bureau accepts payment in kind if you don’t have cash.”

“….”

Payment in kind.

A term existed for delinquent taxpayers without cash.

* * *

The mansion after Rianel’s departure was quiet.

Like the stillness in the eye of a storm, just before the approaching winds would sweep everything away.

In the midst of it.

“Haah….”

The Duke looked through the documents Rianel had left behind, then glanced at the two people.

Why two people? Because Rupert had quietly entered and was standing beside Vanessa.

His son, who at some point had stopped making any claims or excuses and just stared at his fiancée.

That consistent attitude had never been as irritating as it was today.

Finally, a clicking sound escaped his lips.

“How deeply disappointing.”

Vanessa flinched as if struck by lightning.

The Duke didn’t take issue with Rupert giving Vanessa part of his assets.

After all, it had been Rupert’s property to begin with.

However, he thought they should have handled the messy problems related to it themselves. Or at least shown willingness to improve, even if belatedly.

But neither Rupert nor the woman his son had chosen did anything except watch his reactions.

That was pathetic.

The Duke threw the documents down on the table.

“The tax delinquency problem is something you two caused, so resolve it yourselves. I cannot tolerate a tax delinquent bearing the Vincenheim name.”

“….”

“Do you understand?”

Vanessa, who had briefly harbored hope, froze.

However, arguing back would clearly invite greater anger, so she bowed her head.

“…Yes, Father.”

“Now withdraw.”

Rupert said nothing until the very end.

He simply followed his fiancée out the door, powerless.

The office fell quiet.

The Duke pressed his temples and sighed.

Lately, he’d been thinking of his childhood.

The Duke’s father had tried to tame him through control and coercion.

To raise him as the ‘perfect son’ that suited his tastes.

When his son said he would marry an orphan from the Temple, it was natural that the household was turned upside down.

Perhaps because he grew up under such parents.

The Duke had tried not to constrain his own children.

He had tried to respect what they wanted as much as possible and help them walk that path.

“…Did I think wrong?”

Should he have opposed it when Rupert said he would get engaged to Vanessa?

When Rianel said she was leaving the mansion, shouldn’t he have stopped her?

He couldn’t tell where he had lost his way.

“Hah….”

The Duke’s sigh weighed heavily on the mansion’s air.

* * *

The Tax Bureau people kept glancing toward the door.

As if she had a clock in her head, Rianel, who always arrived 10 minutes before work started, hadn’t shown her face at the government building for two days now.

‘It’s already noon.’

The newcomer hadn’t even been at the Tax Bureau for a month.

They had already adapted to Rianel’s presence, processing work like a machine with machine-like speech.

They had even discovered the convenience of that machine.

Her absence felt even more pronounced.

Then someone voiced their anxiety.

“She’s not just not coming back, is she?”

“No way. I checked the Team Leader’s desk and there wasn’t even a scrap of paper resembling a resignation letter. Don’t worry.”

Some breathed sighs of relief, but doubters still remained.

“Even if it’s not resignation, isn’t a department transfer possible?”

“Or maybe she’s interviewing somewhere? These days the trend is to secure a position before quitting rather than just leaving recklessly.”

Even those who had tried to regain composure grew restless. The newcomer’s absence began to take on different meanings.

“What, is our newcomer quitting?”

“It’s not even certain yet, so stop speculating. What if she walks in and hears this….”

Wilbrin tried to calm the unsettled atmosphere, but anxiety had already spread like wildfire throughout the entire department.

“But why would the newcomer keep working here? With those skills, other departments would be fighting to recruit her.”

Tempting fruit that appeals to oneself also tempts others.

Those gripped by anxiety stamped their feet in impatience.

“Damn, our newcomer can’t leave….”

“We’re an avoided department, so new people don’t come in easily.”

Then they began recalling reasons why the newcomer might want to leave the Tax Bureau.

‘The newcomer welcome party?’

They didn’t have one. It wasn’t the kind of warm department that did such things originally. So this could be overlooked.

‘When there was trouble with other departments?’

When her former supervisor Cedric picked a fight, Wilbrin protected her first, then the Bureau Director stepped in.

So this part passes.

‘Then what about when she first joined the department and was being ostracized?’

But for this part, he absolutely couldn’t give a generous score.

During this time when the department’s first impression was being decided, they were desperate to keep their distance from Rianel.

“Come to think of it, who spread those strange rumors about the newcomer? Calling her a villainess and whatnot.”

Their gazes rolled around and pinpointed the culprit.

“Mel, it was you, wasn’t it? You spread malicious rumors and tried to ostracize the newcomer, so now she wants to transfer?”

“No, if we’re going to talk about that, isn’t the senior who threw the liquor tax ledger at her on the first day more at fault?”

Not wanting to die alone, Mel immediately deployed a drowning man’s strategy.

“This bastard, you didn’t stop me either, so why are you making excuses about me?”

Just as the lunch break conversation that had started innocuously was about to turn into an argument.

“I’m late.”

A cold voice.

But at this moment, it was also a voice everyone welcomed.

Everyone simultaneously looked up.

There stood Rianel with her hair neatly pinned up.

“….”

“…?”

The silence was brief.

As soon as they confirmed Rianel wasn’t a mirage, they all rushed toward her.

“Newcomer, good to see you!”

“Yes, thank you for the warm welcome.”

“Right, is there anything you need?”

“Not particularly.”

“Just tell us anything. Improvements, requests, whatever. We’ll try our best to accommodate if possible.”

“For now.”

“For now…?”

Everyone held their breath at Rianel’s words.

Even Wilbrin stopped swinging her leg out of habit.

“I’d like you to take your seats. It’s almost work time, and if you keep standing, I’m concerned it might confuse others into thinking it’s not work hours.”

Translated directly, she was saying she was worried other departments might see them as a slacking department.

“….”

Unable to argue, they awkwardly cleared their throats and dispersed. Sounds of chairs being pulled out and people hurriedly making coffee in the break room could be heard here and there.

Mel, who sat next to Rianel, was moistening his throat with water when he saw what she pulled out of her bag and his eyes widened.

“What’s that?”

“A business trip report.”

“…Business trip?”

Only then did people remember that the Bureau Director had casually mentioned Rianel’s business trip yesterday.

But at the time, they thought the Bureau Director was just making excuses for Rianel who had no vacation days.

‘Who would have thought she’d actually write up a report!’

Of course, they too would process unavoidable absences as business trips and submit perfunctory reports.

But Rianel’s report was different from what they typically submitted.

It was filled with detailed records of actually visiting tax delinquents and collecting back taxes.

“….”

“What’s wrong?”

Everyone except Mel felt a surge of emotion and hung their heads.

‘The newcomer was this sincere.’

‘And we didn’t even realize it.’

They had been gossiping about such a dedicated newcomer.

It was truly shameful.

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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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