The Former Empress Roughly Hides Her Abilities - Chapter 27

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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 27】

However, the Duke couldn’t press the matter further.

“His Majesty Emperor Torbian Wilgraham, the sun and order of the Empire, and Saint Yuna Belgrian, God’s representative, are making their entrance.”

The main characters of this ball had entered.

The man and woman who had been displaying intimacy from the moment they entered continued to stand close together even after their entrance.

Though the distance was too far to hear what they were discussing, their trivial conversations, mutual smiles, and light teasing were all visible.

Rianel, who as the Former Empress should naturally feel betrayed, was thinking:

‘I want to go home.’

Such thoughts occupied her mind.

She had known about their relationship since her days as Empress.

‘Even when I was withering away on my sickbed, he was the type to visit the Saint for her cold rather than even look at me.’

Perhaps because she already knew, it wasn’t shocking nor did it hurt her anew. It was simply bothersome.

Not that there was anything particularly wonderful waiting at home, but it would be better than standing around idly in a voluminous dress she rarely wore.

‘But this charade will end soon enough.’

Just as everything has an end, this ball organized by the ceremony-obsessed Emperor would also end.

Once she offered birthday congratulations to the Emperor, she could go home.

‘What a waste of tax money, no matter how I think about it.’

Rianel calculated how much tax money had gone into the party decorations and banquet tables spread throughout the venue.

There was still quite some time before Rianel could offer her congratulations to the Emperor.

High-ranking ministers had priority, and after the ministers finished their greetings, each government department would follow. Even within departments, they could meet the Emperor according to seniority.

Rianel belonged to an agency bureau rather than a full ministry, and was the most junior member even within that agency bureau.

It was natural that Rianel would be the very last among civil servants to meet the Emperor.

‘At least it’s fortunate that I don’t have to present a gift.’

To be precise, it was a matter of personal choice.

Since presenting a modest gift to the Emperor would only invite ridicule, civil servants in poor circumstances customarily omitted this practice.

The Emperor didn’t particularly try to squeeze gifts out of low-level civil servants either.

As a result, only a very few from the Special Tax Bureau, including Asil and the Team Leader, had presented gifts.

“May there be infinite glory for the Empire, I congratulate Your Majesty on your birthday.”

One by one, the turns passed.

“My thanks.”

After Mel’s turn, it became Rianel’s turn.

“I congratulate Your Majesty, the sun of the Empire, on your birthday.”

Rianel recited the conventional congratulatory phrase.

Up until that point, nothing special had happened, so she was about to withdraw without much thought.

“You resemble Ensilen.”

Unexpected words spilled from the Emperor’s mouth.

It was her name from her previous life, which she hadn’t heard in recent months and thought she would never hear again.

Rianel instinctively hunched her shoulders.

The Emperor abandoned his usual bored gaze and scrutinized Rianel with sharp eyes that seemed to pierce through their target.

There was persistence in the way he slightly leaned forward to get a better look at her.

The same persistence he had shown when he came to the professor’s office in the past, asking her to become his Empress.

Rianel silently lowered her head.

Though she pretended to be composed as she averted her gaze, it was merely a shallow attempt to avoid him.

“The habit of folding your hands and placing them below your stomach when standing, and even your handwriting are so remarkably similar.”

A report was draped precariously across the Emperor’s knee, as if it might slide off.

Without looking closely, Rianel could tell it was the one she had submitted.

“I wouldn’t know about that. Don’t all civil servants write in similar handwriting anyway?”

“…That’s true.”

As if losing interest in what the Saint had said, the Emperor tidily set aside the report and tossed it to one side.

“I misspoke. You are not my Empress.”

Then he added:

“My Empress never hesitated when she had something she wanted to say.”

He revealed his boredom again and waved his hand dismissively.

“You may withdraw.”

“I am grateful.”

Only after putting distance between them with quick steps could she finally breathe.

Her frozen mind began working again around that time.

Only then did she realize why the Emperor had acted so strangely.

‘The Emperor is looking for me.’

Though she hadn’t realized it when it happened, Rianel was certain that the Emperor was the one who had killed her.

There was only one person who could make the maids and even the attending physician act in unison.

This raised a question.

‘…Why?’

Was he searching for someone he had killed?

* * *

After finishing the audience and coming down, Rianel ended up bumping into the Princess.

“Ah.”

It was evidence of how distracted Rianel was after meeting the Emperor.

“I apologize.”

Rianel caught the small, staggering body.

“Th, thank you.”

“You dropped this.”

Rianel also picked up the gift the Princess had dropped. She didn’t know what was inside, but it was quite heavy.

“Yes…”

There was a reason the two had bumped into each other.

The Princess’s turn was right after Rianel’s.

‘To think she’s ranked lower than me, a low-level civil servant.’

The Princess hurriedly bowed her head, then snatched the gift box as if grabbing it.

“…”

Rianel watched the Princess as she moved away.

Though they were both royalty.

Unlike the Emperor with his fine clothes and quality meals, the Princess wore shabby clothes and had a frame too thin for a twelve-year-old child.

If Rianel hadn’t recognized her face, she wouldn’t have even noticed her status.

“B, brother, I congratulate you on your bi, birthday…”

Rianel watched as the Princess stammered through her audience with the Emperor.

Though they were half-siblings and had always been somewhat distant.

‘She wasn’t this timid before.’

She used to be someone who smiled often.

[Should I call you Your Majesty the Empress?]

Though not particularly sociable, she was someone who made efforts to approach others.

[My name is Tiren. You can call me Ren too.]

When she brought sweet snacks and offered them one by one, Tiren would shyly accept them one at a time.

[C-can I really eat this…?]

Someone who never lost the baby fat from her cheeks.

That’s the kind of person she was.

But in the time they hadn’t seen each other, she had lost weight and her spirit was completely crushed, so she only hesitantly came forward after all the civil servants had finished their greetings to pay her respects to the Emperor.

Though she hadn’t put even the slightest effort into herself, she seemed to have put considerable effort into the gift for her brother, as the servant opening the gift case had his eyes widen in surprise. The Emperor also accepted it with a smile that stretched from ear to ear.

‘You want to receive that, don’t you, human.’

Rianel, who almost unconsciously voiced her inner thoughts.

“What are you looking at so intently?”

She came to her senses at the words of her partner Asil, who had quietly approached.

“It’s nothing.”

Well, it’s not my concern anymore anyway.

Rianel turned her gaze away from those frail arms.

* * *

On her way home, she encountered Duke Vincenheim.

“I was wrong.”

Rianel, who had been trying to quickly pass by while pretending not to notice, found her ankle caught.

These weren’t words born from wanting to reconcile with his daughter, or from some sense of duty that he should do so.

“Making you hear such words, leaving you abandoned among such gazes—it’s all my fault.”

The Duke was genuinely regretful.

That’s why Rianel spoke as well.

“As I told you before.”

“….”

“You’re far too late.”

That apology wasn’t hers to receive.

That child had died trembling with loneliness in a cold, cramped house.

In a place no one knew, remembered by no one.

In a way, she had met a death similar to that of the Empress.

‘Unlike me, she had loving family, yet that still happened.’

“So I cannot forgive you.”

That too wouldn’t be hers to give.

“….”

And so, in the empty space where Rianel had disappeared.

The Duke, standing alone in the void with no one left, buried his face in his hands.

The fact that it couldn’t be undone.

He hadn’t known that being unable to go back could be this terrible.

He sobbed quietly.

He felt like a lost child.

* * *

And so Rianel returned home.

‘It must be over now.’

It had been an occasion where she unexpectedly encountered many connections from the past.

Not just the Emperor and the Princess, but there would have been quite a few who remembered Empress Ensilen.

‘Since there won’t be occasions like this again for a while…’

The talk related to the ball would end with this too.

The next day, Rianel went to work feeling relieved and relaxed.

“Are you saying I’m under suspicion of taking bribes?”

As soon as she arrived at work, she heard a shocking story.

A report had been filed by someone anonymous who had seen her wearing a dress that she couldn’t possibly afford with Rianel’s assets.

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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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