The Former Empress Roughly Hides Her Abilities - Chapter 33

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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 33】

After the investigation of the Princess Palace began.

“Honestly, at this point, shouldn’t we change his name to ‘Thiefoyhum’?”

The people at the Special Tax Bureau couldn’t help but chuckle at the revealed results.

Royhum’s embezzlement was exposed simultaneously with the investigation.

How could a person be so consistently garbage? It was astonishing.

“I’m actually starting to respect him now.”

“Me too.”

“But he was already doing small-scale stuff at the Ministry of Finance, so why did he extend his reach to the Princess Palace too?”

“Well, at the Princess Palace he could do it on a much larger scale.”

“…Ah?”

Mel let out a subtle exclamation.

“That’s right, the Princess Palace ledgers aren’t subject to audits. There’s no reason to look into the detailed records either.”

“And even if the records seem strange, it’s hard to make an issue of it. You could end up charged with disrespect toward the Imperial Family.”

The Former Empress tried to eliminate the privileges of the nobility but failed. The nobles still receive preferential treatment simply for being nobles, and the Imperial Family above them receives even more.

No matter how young the Princess was, she was still royalty. It was difficult to dare touch or suspect her.

‘But a newcomer managed to do that difficult thing!’

Of course, the real madman was Royhum, who used his budget allocation authority for embezzlement.

He even applied for budget increases under the name of ‘religious activity expenses’ so the Princess Palace could receive ample funding, and when the bribed priests brought fake donation receipts, he approved them as evidence and signed off on them…

“By the way, this must have been quite profitable, right? He was taking money worth several times a minister’s monthly salary every quarter.”

Of course, he couldn’t have taken it all alone. He would have had to split the embezzled funds with internal accomplices. Still, if he’d been doing this for three years, it would definitely be a substantial amount.

“That’s right. That’s why he accumulated so many assets, isn’t it?”

Til held up a thick file folder.

The embezzlers hid their wealth by transferring it to relatives, employees, or even deceased people. They thought they were being clever, but.

“What’s the point of making the methods complicated? They all get caught anyway.”

People with virtually no income suddenly acquiring expensive real estate or buying expensive items at auction houses couldn’t help but stand out.

“Now all that’s left is the administrative report.”

“By the way, we can finally properly send him away now, right? Minister Royhum, I mean.”

“That’s right. Since we’re wrapping this up anyway, embezzlement, breach of duty in office… Let’s throw in every charge we can.”

The Special Tax Bureau’s resentment wouldn’t end even if they ground the Ministry of Finance to dust.

However, Royhum was a more tenacious existence than they thought.

* * *

‘Why are those bastards still not going home?’

Royhum felt suspicious seeing the Special Tax Bureau Building with lights on late into the night.

Since they had already submitted their performance reports, there was no reason for those bastards to work overtime.

Moreover.

‘Are those the faces of people working overtime?’

Far from looking haggard, they seemed to grow more energetic by the day, which was highly suspicious.

Upon investigation.

“The Tax Bureau inquired about asset change records?”

The Special Tax Bureau had thoroughly investigated the records of everyone who had acquired real estate or purchased expensive artworks and precious metals within the past three years.

That’s when the anxiety started creeping in, and the Head Maid of the Princess Palace delivered the final blow.

“If those Tax Bureau bastards barged into the Princess Palace, you should have told me immediately! Why are you only telling me this now!”

“Well, they said it wasn’t Tax Bureau business but that they came to express gratitude to the Princess…”

“You should have realized that was obviously an excuse and a smokescreen! It was obvious they came to spy on the inside of the Princess Palace!”

Those Tax Bureau bastards had definitely come to check whether the budget allocated to the Princess Palace was properly used and what the Princess’s condition was like.

They must have sensed something strange there and started investigating.

“But who audits donations? Donations are offerings. They’re not taxable items, are they?”

“That’s right. What went out from the Princess Palace were donations. So you should have acted pious accordingly! Not buying real estate so conspicuously!”

Royhum slammed down the document files he was holding. Property registration documents scattered across the floor.

They were all registration documents under the name of ‘Ren Emilton.’

The Head Maid had purchased real estate under the name of someone who had died 11 years ago and couldn’t possibly have any income, and it coincided exactly with when large donations had left the Princess Palace.

“With it being this obvious, it’s more of a miracle that those Tax Bureau bastards didn’t notice until now! If you were going to do this, you might as well have begged them to ‘please arrest me for embezzlement!’ Right?”

As Royhum sneered, the Head Maid bit her lips.

She knew she was at fault, but being constantly criticized made her feel ashamed.

She might be a commoner by status, but she was someone who managed an entire palace.

“But-.”

“But what but!”

Royhum cut her off and raised his voice.

“Listen carefully. If this incident is exposed, you’ll be the first target of attack. The Tax Bureau will say that you deceived the young Princess and made her embezzle large donations to the temple.”

“Th-that’s ridiculous.”

“But it’s true that you were closest to the Princess, isn’t it? We stayed a step back.”

The Head Maid’s face turned pale.

“That’s…”

When she was deceiving the innocent Princess, she never thought she’d get caught.

There was no one paying attention to the young Princess with no backing.

Her fate would be to stay in the palace as if she existed or didn’t until she came of age, then be sold off in a political marriage.

Her plan was to embezzle palace funds to accumulate assets until then, and enjoy a wealthy old age.

Once the palace’s owner disappeared, no one would examine the Princess Palace ledgers.

She thought she would never be caught afterward.

‘To think I’d get caught here!’

And the ones who figured it out were the Tax Bureau.

That Tax Bureau that brought catastrophe to the Ministry of Finance.

Thinking that her future would be the same as theirs made her blood run cold and her legs feel weak, making it hard to stand.

“Wh-what should I do?”

Royhum had lashed out in anger, but even he didn’t have the power to make this incident disappear.

He let out a deep sigh and pressed his temples firmly.

‘But preserving my own neck is possible.’

It was possible if that stupid woman died in his place.

“Listen carefully.”

Royhum whispered.

“For us to survive, we need to reestablish the connection between you and me.”

In addition to that, he needed a scapegoat to fill his vacant position.

“You conspired on this matter not with me, but with Princess Vincenheim.”

It was a way for only him to survive while the others died.

* * *

The Tax Bureau was bustling today as well.

Since the Minister of Finance’s corruption actually existed, dopamine was being constantly supplied.

“But won’t the Ministry of Finance counterattack?”

“Well, they’ll struggle desperately to survive. So what?”

“I just have a bad feeling about it. I feel like Minister Royhum alone will desperately survive this time too.”

Mel muttered, and Til snorted.

“He doesn’t even have subordinate employees left to sell out, so how could he?”

“They might target the newcomer again.”

“What, is the newcomer a punching bag? Someone to hit whenever they’re bored?”

Til grumbled, telling him not to say such unlucky things, while Mel just smiled and kept quiet.

But the unease in one corner of his heart didn’t easily fade.

‘Well, that’s because the newcomer is our central pillar…’

Royhum couldn’t possibly be unaware that if Rianel collapsed, the entire Tax Bureau might collapse with her.

“Stop talking nonsense and deliver any compiled data to the newcomer. She said she’ll submit the report today.”

‘Right, the newcomer will handle her own affairs well.’

Only then did Mel feel a bit more at ease.

Rianel was someone who always prepared for everything, even while pretending to be casual about it.

‘I should worry about myself instead.’

As the old saying goes, a fool shouldn’t worry about a genius.

* * *

“….”

Team Leader Torban stood with his arms crossed, looking out at the Tax Bureau.

Subordinates working busily should mean he was achieving results as a manager. Normally he should have felt proud, but instead he felt bitter and empty.

Because the real manager here wasn’t him.

“Newcomer, is this how I should do it?”

“Reports need to be written more clearly.”

“More clearly than this? How? Should I reduce the content?”

“Upper management considers the main point important. So it’s better to put the conclusion and solution at the beginning.”

“So you’re saying to move the supporting documents to the back? Good, good.”

Torban wasn’t an enthusiastic team leader.

Rather, he liked to relax and wanted his subordinates to handle things ‘on their own.’

However.

‘Is this right?’

The situation where Rianel seemed to be the team leader instead of him wasn’t particularly pleasant.

At this rate, what was the point of his existence in this department?

…For whose sake exactly?

Torban looked around at the people with his arms crossed.

Everyone was perfectly carrying out their respective tasks.

Even with him as a component missing, the wheel here turned smoothly.

In this intricate picture, only he was a useless part.

“….”

Torban gripped his desk and stood up.

But no one paid attention to him.

The comfort he had pursued had never felt as uncomfortable as it did now.

When he stormed out, not wanting to confirm that fact.

“Don’t you have any thoughts of promotion?”

He heard a familiar voice from the end of the corridor.

It was Minister of Finance Royhum.

“You wouldn’t want to rot as a team leader for life.”

Him, holding fruit so sweet it seemed like it would rot all his teeth…

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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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