The Former Empress Roughly Hides Her Abilities - Chapter 26

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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 26】

‘Ha, deep breath, deep breath.’

Evan calmed his emotions.

Beautiful flowers naturally have thorns.

If he thought of that peculiarity as Rianel’s thorn, it wasn’t something he couldn’t accept.

“Don’t be so sharp-tongued.”

Evan smiled smugly as he approached Rianel… and looked up at her.

She was too tall for him to look down at.

“I hear you’ve had several meetings but the results weren’t good. If you’re thinking of marriage, how about considering me as a candidate?”

Someone like me wouldn’t be bad as a partner—

“You would be bad.”

Evan’s lips trembled.

“P-people around me say my appearance isn’t bad either…!”

“You can’t distinguish between flattery and objective truth. You seem to have serious problems with cognitive ability. This too can be considered a disqualifying factor.”

“Grr…!”

Having already failed the civil service exam multiple times and received contempt from his father, Evan became greatly indignant when his intellectual ability was questioned and raised his fist in anger.

He couldn’t abandon his usual habit of trying to gain the upper hand through violence.

“Oh my…”

“Has he lost his mind!”

“Newcomer, get back, get back!”

The Tax Bureau people were all shocked in unison.

Today was the Emperor’s birthday. Even if emotionally intense situations arose, they never expected someone to throw punches.

Fortunately.

Thwack—.

That fist was blocked by Rianel’s hand.

“?!”

Rianel not only deflected his attack by lightly turning her body to the side, but also grabbed Evan’s arm as he tried to pull back and twisted it in a counterattack.

“Violent tendencies are also one of the major disqualifying factors. Even if you marry, it’s expected that you’ll be at a disadvantage in future divorce proceedings and alimony lawsuits. For your future, I recommend maintaining bachelorhood.”

Evan didn’t even have time to understand what Rianel was saying.

“Agh! It hurts! Agh, aagh!”

The pain of his arm being twisted, the pouring sense of injustice and shame all tangled together and flowed down as tears.

How could he be so helplessly subdued by Rianel, who was more delicate than him? He couldn’t understand it himself.

Then, when Evan finally freed his hand from Rianel’s grip and raised his hand again.

“This is really…!”

“Are you trying to use violence against my subordinate right now?”

This time, Bureau Director Asil Novantium, who had returned, grabbed his wrist.

With someone two heads taller than him and an iron grip holding his wrist, Evan froze, not knowing what to do, and could only roll his eyes around.

They said he had no attachment to anything other than the Special Tax Bureau.

It seemed he had a nature that couldn’t bear to see what was in his grasp get damaged.

Evan flinched at the cold gaze looking at him, then straightened his shoulders.

After all, it was him, not Rianel, who had been suffering and even shedding tears just moments ago!

“I-I’m the one being wronged! If you heard what that woman said to me, Bureau Director, you would understand my position—”

“That’s a lie!”

Wilbrin, who always faithfully took her side at times like this, shouted.

“He was the one who came to our newcomer and bothered her first! Our newcomer wasn’t doing anything!”

“No, let me say something—”

“What, you picked a fight with my daughter?”

However, Evan couldn’t even make excuses.

This time it was because Duke Vincenheim, the State Minister and Rianel’s father, had appeared.

An atmosphere that seemed to overwhelm everyone present and sharp eyes fixed on Evan.

Evan hiccupped and stopped.

Behind the State Minister, ministers and agency heads who had finished their temporary meeting appeared one after another.

Among them was the Minister of Finance, who made a displeased expression as soon as he saw his son.

There are things you know without having to hear them.

He intuitively realized that his son had caused trouble.

Royhum tried to avoid eye contact in panic.

“Dad, I’m being wronged!”

When Evan approached, thinking his ally had arrived, Royhum lost his escape route.

“I only made a beneficial proposal to Lady Vincenheim. How advantageous would it be for the Lady to marry me? Since she’s a bastard child anyway, no one would take her, gack!”

Evan couldn’t say more as he was grabbed by the collar and lifted into the air.

However, he couldn’t utter a single word of protest because the rage and fury pouring from Duke Vincenheim engulfed the surroundings like wildfire.

Evan, who had used violence before but never been on the receiving end.

“Uh, uhh…”

Was completely overwhelmed.

“A bastard? You dare call my daughter a bastard?!”

Whether the Duke loved Rianel or conversely neglected her, having a third party publicly mention the family’s shame was discourtesy and tantamount to an attack on the family.

“Try continuing to babble in front of me. So what were you trying to do by taking my daughter!”

“Gack, breath, breath! Dad, I…! Save me!”

Evan, lifted in the air, struggled unable to remove the Duke’s hand, and Royhum squeezed his eyes shut.

He wanted to beat his son, but there were too many watching eyes here.

“I’m sorry. It’s all my fault for not educating my child properly.”

Royhum bowed his head, and Evan couldn’t continue speaking from the sense of betrayal and shock at seeing his father, whom he thought would take his side, acting this way.

“Dad, I…”

“Please just shut up.”

“!”

With Evan completely silenced, Royhum spoke.

“Please allow me to fulfill my duty as a father. I will properly teach that foolish boy so he can realize his mistakes.”

While he said he would scold him, it was essentially asking for leniency.

Because Royhum, being family, scolding him would inevitably be less severe than others doing it.

Duke Vincenheim, whose anger had flared, had no choice but to soften when it came to child matters. He too was someone who had utterly failed at raising children.

Having received permission, Royhum grabbed his son’s ear and disappeared.

“Ow, Dad, my, my ear…!”

“Quiet, you fool.”

It was a pathetic exit befitting someone who had tried to make an entrance borrowing his father’s authority.

Then where had Vanessa, who had appeared with Evan, gone?

“…”

She had quickly slipped away just before the Duke appeared, pretending to be a third party unrelated to this situation. She knew that if she made a mistake, the backlash could hit her.

While she had prevented earning the Duke’s hatred, she couldn’t help but be displeased with this situation itself.

Because the Duke, who showed a calm attitude in most matters, got angry when it came to matters involving his daughter.

That was tantamount to a public declaration that the Duke loved Rianel.

‘I’ve just made Rianel look good again!’

Thinking about what Rianel would gain from this incident and how much attention she would attract, Vanessa burst with frustration and gnawed on her nails.

Meanwhile, the Duke wasn’t even aware of Vanessa’s existence.

‘It’s all my fault.’

He was simply immersed in a deep swamp of self-blame and worry.

Rianel didn’t even blink when Evan called her a bastard.

From that appearance showing not even a fragment of anger, the Duke sensed that something was greatly wrong.

‘How accustomed must she be to hearing those words, to accept them without even denying it.’

This too was his sin.

It was his own sin for allowing Rianel to view him that way, for not tending to his daughter’s surroundings and letting malicious weeds grow unchecked.

“Rianel, I…”

Just as he was fumbling to speak.

“There’s no need to worry.”

Rianel said.

Of course, it wasn’t for the reason the Duke was thinking.

“Based on my measurements a few days ago, the Bureau Director has broader shoulders than you, Duke. So as my partner, he’ll ensure I never get caught up in such disputes again.”

“…?”

Around the time the Duke furrowed his brow at this conversation that somehow didn’t add up.

“Weren’t you dissatisfied with the Bureau Director being my partner?”

“…No!”

The Duke, who had become someone petty enough to sulk over something from more than a week ago, got angry.

“What, do our new partners get assigned based on shoulder width now?”

Good heavens. What kind of world logic is that.

The Tax Bureau people who heard the whole story that was worthy of a facepalm clicked their tongues from behind.

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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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