The Former Empress Roughly Hides Her Abilities - Chapter 5

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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 5】

The reason Rianel was stunned the moment she saw Asil wasn’t simply because he was someone she knew from her previous life.

‘I thought Asil would remain at the Academy.’

Asil despised his own family.

He had lost his parents in a blood feud over the succession.

Asil had refused Duke Novantium’s attempts to pass the family to him, returning to the Academy to pursue the path of becoming a full professor.

Right up until Rianel drew her last breath.

‘But now he’s the head of Novantium and even serving as Bureau Director of the Special Tax Bureau…’

Since she had never seen the Bureau Director’s face, she had imagined some idle playboy who left the actual work to subordinates while going out to play, never once picturing Asil’s face!

‘The world truly is an amazing place.’

To think it could be turned upside down like this in just three years.

“You can speak comfortably. I’m not showing off, but I have connections and could help with a department transfer… Besides, anyone with their wits about them wouldn’t want to work in a department like this.”

Rianel, who had been lost in thought, stumbled over the suddenly thrown question.

‘Why is he asking such a question? It can’t really be because he values my abilities highly…’

The abilities Rianel had shown at the Special Tax Bureau were only a tiny fraction of her true skills. She thought it was natural that such performance wouldn’t be recognized anywhere.

‘Then what? Is he trying to test me? That must be it, right?’

Perhaps Asil didn’t want to take on a troublemaker from another department as a subordinate.

‘He might be trying to find an excuse to kick me out using this question as a pretext.’

But Rianel had already discovered the comfort of living ‘half-heartedly.’

‘I absolutely cannot get fired from here.’

“No, I like the Special Tax Bureau. Because I saw the Empire’s hope here.”

“Hope?”

Asil burst into laughter.

“You say peculiar things. Other people call it one of the Former Empress’s failed policies.”

This bastard?

Rianel momentarily flared up at her former student’s harsh criticism, but thinking this situation was similar to a pressure interview, she calmed her uncomfortable feelings.

“Of course I know there are people who make such evaluations. But isn’t the Special Tax Bureau an institution created to suppress the Finance Ministry’s overwhelming authority?”

To implement any policy in the country, one had to go through the Finance Ministry. Even agenda items that passed the State Council couldn’t accomplish anything if they couldn’t secure budget from the Finance Ministry.

Officials bribed the Finance Ministry, and eventually it reached the point where you couldn’t get budget without paying bribes.

The reason Rianel had established the Special Tax Bureau as a separate institution rather than a subsidiary of the Finance Ministry was because of this.

To check the Finance Ministry’s independent authority over budget allocation.

“The same goes for taxes. How deformed were the existing tax policies? When landowners were taxed on their land, they passed their tax burden onto tenant farmers.”

It was an era when those with much could easily accumulate wealth by exploiting those with nothing.

“But special taxes…”

* * *

“That’s why implementing wealth redistribution is important.”

“Indeed. That was an excellent lecture.”

“Thank y—”

Rianel, who had been bowing her head out of habit, suddenly came to her senses at the word ‘lecture.’

She was no longer a professor, and Asil wasn’t her student either. Yet out of habit, she had explained like a lecture everything from the reasons for establishing the Special Tax Bureau to why special taxes were necessary for the Empire.

Asil brushed off a fallen leaf that had landed on Rianel’s stiffly frozen shoulders with his hand, then gauged the time.

“Oh my, it’s gotten quite late. You must be tired, so go ahead and head in.”

The man who had sent Rianel away with a gesture remained in the now quiet space and let out a hollow laugh.

“Hope…”

“….”

“Hope, she says.”

Today, more than any other day, he couldn’t stop thinking it was ridiculous.

“Not even funny…”

If Ensilen had been the teacher who helped him establish the center of his life, then Rianel was someone who had tried to tarnish that teacher with words.

[Come to think of it, I heard it was Her Majesty the Empress who ruined Lady Plen’s painting…]

[She coughed up blood? Well, she’s probably just making excuses about being sick again. She wouldn’t want to attend the New Year’s festival anyway.]

Ensilen was inevitably someone who had to become the enemy of the nobles.

She always spoke righteous words, prioritized commoners over nobles, and was even flawless.

The nobles even created social gatherings specifically to spread rumors about Ensilen throughout the Empire in order to bring her down.

Rianel had been one of the participants in such gatherings created with that intent.

Sometimes she herself became the one who inflated the rumors.

Asil disliked Rianel, but that emotion wasn’t strong.

The Empire was overflowing with trash who had done similar things.

However, today, he felt genuinely disgusted. He hadn’t expected to see that trash changing her attitude in front of him, putting on a revolting act.

‘I don’t know if she’s shameless or so stupid she’s forgotten everything that happened.’

His lips, which had been constantly sneering, suddenly twisted upward.

‘Or is she cunning?’

Just three years ago, Asil had planned to remain at the Academy and continue his teacher’s academic lineage. The words he had said while trying to hold back Ensilen, who wanted to leave the Academy, were sincere without a trace of falsehood.

If his teacher hadn’t died, if he hadn’t felt the burning desire to at least preserve her legacy since he couldn’t be at her deathbed, Asil would have continued to remain at the Academy.

However, since Ensilen was someone who cast shadows over Asil even in death, he broke his life’s iron rule and met with his grandfather.

[I’ll do it, Duke or whatever. I’ll do as you wish, Grandfather… Please, help me.]

But his grandfather’s power alone couldn’t protect the Special Tax Bureau.

The person who helped Asil then was State Minister Duke Vincenheim.

[I will lend you my strength. Though our views differed from the majority, I too believe the Former Empress lived for the Empire.]

Though he found it distasteful, since he had received help, Asil couldn’t refuse the Duke’s request to accept his daughter into the Special Tax Bureau.

This was why Rianel, who should have been fired long ago, was able to remain as a civil servant.

Having such a Duke as her father, she might have heard something and changed her attitude accordingly.

‘Then what she said earlier must have been prepared in advance.’

Judging by how naturally and smoothly it came out, like reciting a speech, it was certain.

‘Does she want to stay in the Imperial Palace that badly?’

Suddenly, Asil recalled a rumor related to Rianel.

‘I heard she had unrequited love for the Emperor.’

Perhaps Rianel was enduring civil service work that didn’t even suit her temperament for the sake of some trivial unrequited love.

Asil, who had been sneering, soon changed his mind.

‘Well, putting on a revolting act is still better.’

The other nobles who had torn into Ensilen were still spreading rumors about his teacher, acting as if the person who should die had died.

“For now… shall I watch and see.”

Rianel.

Of course, that goodwill was scheduled to be provided with a time limit.

If she clumsily moved her mouth to disgrace his teacher, he had no intention of staying still.

* * *

The next day, attacks from Cedric and the Finance Ministry against Rianel began.

The reason was that Rianel had insulted them in a public setting.

Asil gathered all members of the Special Tax Bureau in the conference room to explain the brief situation.

“Currently, the Ministry of Finance is strongly demanding disciplinary action against the new employee. Various disciplinary measures including suspension or salary reduction are being discussed together.”

“That’s ridiculous! The Ministry of Finance was the one who caused the situation first! Our youngest only gave the minimum response to that!”

Due to yesterday’s events, Wilbrin now regarded Rianel as a comrade-in-arms sailing together on the ship called the Special Tax Bureau.

Whether the person in question agreed or not, that’s how she had decided.

But abandoning a comrade in distress? That was absolutely unthinkable.

“Of course, I share the same sentiment. For a capable talent to become subject to disciplinary action instead of commendation is truly unjust.”

As if Wilbrin’s outbursts weren’t a daily occurrence, Asil smoothly brushed it off with familiarity.

The others were the same.

“So I’ve been pondering how to respond, but I think we don’t necessarily need to take this matter unpleasantly.”

“Pardon?”

“While we acknowledge that our methods were aggressive, it’s an undeniable fact that it was within the Special Tax Bureau’s authority, isn’t it?”

Mel’s eyes widened.

“You mean…”

“So I thought we might use this opportunity to expand our agency’s influence. While we’re at it, we could also reclaim the budget allocation rights that the Ministry of Finance seized from us.”

Since the higher-ups were now paying attention to the Special Tax Bureau due to this incident, Asil’s plan was to submit a plausible proposal at the upcoming Administrative Council meeting to draw their attention.

“Then Director, are you planning to have the new employee attend the Administrative Council meeting?”

This time Torban asked.

“That’s correct.”

The conference room instantly buzzed with murmurs.

“Was that even possible?”

This was because the Administrative Council was a meeting only attended by department heads or high-ranking officials.

“There were special instructions from Her Majesty the Empress Dowager. For free expression of opinions and administrative innovation, she said to have working-level staff attend starting from this meeting.”

Since there were no regulations limiting the seniority or rank of such staff members, there would be no problem with Rianel attending.

“Then, could I also go…”

“Since there was no mention of limiting the number of attendees, you’re free to participate.”

“I want to go too! I’ll be good at watching from the sidelines.”

“Me too…”

They didn’t want to miss the opportunity to watch the Ministry of Finance get beaten up from the front row.

‘Wow, damn. How exciting.’

This was due to the bad blood between the Special Tax Bureau and the Ministry of Finance.

Since the Special Tax Bureau itself was established to suppress the Ministry of Finance, the two departments couldn’t have a good relationship.

Still, when the Empress was alive, they got along well enough by keeping each other in check and just glaring at each other from afar.

After the Former Empress died and the Ministry of Finance seized most of the Special Tax Bureau’s authority, relations between the two departments hit rock bottom.

“Please write the report requesting expansion of the Special Tax Bureau’s authority.”

“Me?”

“Judging from what you said at the civil service banquet, it seems you’ve been collecting evidence for a long time to expose Count Bartello… It would feel somewhat shameless for me to snatch away this opportunity.”

Rianel, who had been sitting quietly and just nodding, froze.

‘Wait, didn’t they say that report would go up to the Administrative Council?’

The moment Rianel sensed unease.

“If your achievements are recognized, the report will go all the way up to His Majesty the Emperor, so it would be an incomparable honor for you.”

Asil smiled with his eyes crinkling.

‘What kind of crazy talk is this now.’

Rianel’s lips twisted.

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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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