The Former Empress Roughly Hides Her Abilities - Chapter 40

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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 40】

 

“I’m not injured, and there are no fractures or worse.”

 

“That’s not the problem!”

 

The Duke grabbed Rianel and helped her up.

 

“The Sacred Flower must have touched you…”

 

Only then did Rianel notice the Sacred Flower placed among the boy’s basket.

 

Sacred Flowers were flowers cultivated in temples while offering Blessing Prayers.

 

They were flowers you could only receive by making donations to the temple, not commonly seen but containing wishes and often used for making prayers come true or as gifts when visiting the sick.

 

The problem was that Rianel was allergic to those flowers.

 

“The contact area was only part of my elbow and didn’t touch the pistil. I’ll be fine.”

 

“What are you saying! Your body temperature is already rising!”

 

The Duke was certainly the real power behind the Medical Center. At his single shout, doctors came rushing and an empty bed was prepared.

 

Rianel found herself laid on a bed before she knew it, examined by three doctors, and even prescribed medicine.

 

Though the doctors were corrupt enough to change the treatment order due to the Duke’s authority, their skills seemed reliable.

 

The rash that had appeared on her elbow was subsiding at a rapid pace.

 

As she stared at it blankly, she heard sniffling sounds beside her.

 

“I’m sorry. Because I stupidly fell…”

 

It was Torban’s son.

 

Even though the bread and flowers he had bought were scattered and crushed on the floor, the boy was crying while rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand.

 

Behind him, Torban stood helplessly, reading the Duke’s expression.

 

Fearing he might be kicked out of the Medical Center because of this incident.

 

“I understand. It wasn’t intentional, was it?”

 

Rianel had no intention of showing what abuse of power looked like, so she sent them away.

 

Sacred Flower allergies were rare phenomena to begin with.

 

‘Come to think of it, this is a bit strange.’

 

“How did you know about that, Duke?”

 

“Did I seem like such a heartless father that I wouldn’t know my own child’s allergies? That cold way of addressing me is already a problem, but what on earth are you…!”

 

“That’s not what I meant. I’m asking how ‘I’ knew I had allergies…”

 

As Rianel spoke, she realized that her conversation with the Duke was crossing at subtle points.

 

What the Duke was talking about wasn’t Ensilen, the Former Empress.

 

It was Rianel, the owner of this body and his daughter.

 

In other words.

 

‘Rianel also had the same allergies as me?’

 

She thought she had glimpsed many memories when entering Rianel’s body, but there seemed to be areas she still hadn’t seen.

 

“What? All of a sudden.”

 

When Rianel became quiet, the Duke looked at her with puzzlement.

 

“Is it a side effect of the medicine? What’s wrong? Doctor! Come here quickly!”

 

“No, it’s not that, so please stay still.”

 

Rianel raised her hand to stop the Duke’s fuss.

 

She had only thought her possession was merely the result of coincidence, never deeply questioning why it was ‘Rianel’s’ body.

 

Interpreting abnormal phenomena that couldn’t be explained by any field of study was a waste of time.

 

It was better for her mental health to think of it as overlapping coincidences and move on.

 

However.

 

‘Thinking about it, we had many similarities.’

 

Like being thrown into environments where we received excessive criticism compared to what we had done.

 

Or having no one to regularly keep in touch with.

 

‘Plus our physical conditions were similar too.’

 

Of course, our personalities, appearances, and hair colors were different.

 

But our heights were similar, our body types were alike, and our tastes were comparable.

 

Thanks to that, it was easy to adapt to Rianel’s body, but…

 

‘Could that really be coincidence?’

 

The more she thought about it, the more puzzling it became. An eerie sensation seemed to sweep down her spine.

 

“Are you really okay? Are you hurt anywhere or…”

 

Rianel exhaled briefly and answered.

 

“I’m fine.”

 

She was just a bit tired.

 

* * *

 

‘In the end, everything was taken away…’

 

Vanessa sobbed.

 

She was wearing only a plain indoor dress in early winter.

 

Though it was long out of fashion and had traces of rough mending in one corner, it was now the only clothing Vanessa possessed.

 

Not only cash, but jewelry and various treasured items had all been taken by the servants.

 

However, the cruel world had even taken away Vanessa’s place to stay.

 

“We’re from the Special Tax Bureau.”

 

It was natural for the mansion of the former minister who fled on embezzlement charges to be seized, but Vanessa felt wronged and pitiful for no reason and sniffled.

 

When was the last time she had her hair brushed by maids, and when had she last bathed in clean water?

 

Moving from one cheap inn room to another, satisfying hunger with hard bread, and personally cleaning the rooms she stayed in was indescribably miserable.

 

Of course, Vanessa had real estate.

 

The hotel hadn’t been sold yet.

 

‘For now, I’ve only received delinquency notices.’

 

Whether it was because tax evasion was deemed trivial compared to embezzlement, or to collect delayed interest, that building remained unseized.

 

‘So what. I don’t have travel money to get there.’

 

Vanessa had only wandered around the capital social circle demanding to be called the prospective Duchess.

 

She didn’t have a single proper friend.

 

Those who had been by her side were all parasites who had flocked to her for Duke Vincenheim’s power.

 

Now that she had fallen out of Duke Vincenheim’s favor, visiting them would obviously result in being turned away at the door.

 

“Sob…”

 

Just reflecting on this fact was miserable enough.

 

To make matters worse, the ankle that Royhum had pushed kept throbbing.

 

‘Is it sprained? Or maybe broken.’

 

Vanessa had no medical knowledge.

 

She only knew that her ankle was swollen and painful when walking.

 

But calling a doctor required considerable money.

 

‘Let’s go to the Medical Center.’

 

She chose the alternative.

 

‘If it’s a place where even beggars get free treatment, they’ll naturally accept a noble like me.’

 

Of course, she didn’t go alone.

 

“Hurry up, Rupert!”

 

“….”

 

Though she wondered what meaning there was in dragging this man around, Vanessa hadn’t given up hope yet.

 

Duke Vincenheim had never spared secret support even for his illegitimate daughter.

 

He had kicked out his son and daughter-in-law in anger now, but he would obviously call them back when his heart softened later.

 

He was that soft-hearted a person.

 

So Vanessa arrived at the Medical Center dragging her injured leg, but.

 

“Pa-pay money?”

 

The expectations she had harbored were shattered the moment she arrived at the Medical Center.

 

“Didn’t you know? Treatment cost support is a benefit that only applies to low-income households.”

 

But you’re a noble, and even a wealthy person at that.

 

“What nonsense! I have no income! I’m unemployed!”

 

“However, the real estate under your name alone is estimated at over 1 billion gold. That alone puts you in the top 10% of the Empire.”

 

“That’s just on paper! Someone like me is poor!”

 

“Anyway, rules are rules.”

 

‘Damn… I really don’t have money.’

 

Vanessa bit her lip.

 

However, when the commoner who drew the next number ticket stared at her intently, she became embarrassed and turned her head away.

 

Even if she starved to death tomorrow, she wanted to die as a noble.

 

There was nothing more shameful than broadcasting to the whole world that she had no money.

 

Just as Vanessa was about to leave.

 

“Father?”

 

Vanessa stopped when she saw a familiar face.

 

“It is Father, right? Father, it’s me, Vanessa…”

 

What use was dignity? She had met the Duke at the medical center!

 

When Vanessa chased after the Duke up the medical center stairs, a security guard she didn’t even know was there grabbed and stopped her.

 

“Please don’t disturb other patients’ peace.”

 

“What! I only came to see Father! You just need to go and say one word! Father will surely recognize me!”

 

At that moment.

 

The Duke turned around, and Vanessa smiled tearfully.

 

While harboring a thread of hope.

 

“….”

 

Their eyes met briefly.

 

A few seconds later.

 

The Duke entered the hospital room as if nothing had happened.

 

“He says he doesn’t know you. Please leave now.”

 

“No! That can’t be! Let go of this! Father, Father please just once!”

 

Vanessa, caught in the security guard’s grip, was dragged across the corridor floor and thrown outside.

 

“Ahhh!”

 

Vanessa, who ended up sitting on the ground, looked up at Rupert standing beside her, then stared at the medical center again.

 

The fact that she couldn’t properly meet the Duke was pushed aside by a trivial truth.

 

If she hadn’t seen wrong…

 

‘It seemed like Rianel was in that hospital room.’

 

Was it a mistake?

 

* * *

 

And the next day.

 

Asil, who came to work early, was asked an unexpected question.

 

“What do you think the Former Empress and I have in common?”

 

“…Are you perhaps confessing?”

 

That you are Master?

 

“Of course not.”

 

Rianel answered curtly.

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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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