The Former Empress Roughly Hides Her Abilities - Chapter 58
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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 58】
“Sit down.”
The Empress Dowager offered Rianel the seat across from her.
Rianel hooked her finger around the handle of the teacup placed for her.
‘Is this already the second time I’ve come here in this body?’
In this life, I thought I wouldn’t meet the Empress Dowager, or even if we crossed paths, I’d only see her indirectly from afar.
I never expected to have private audiences twice.
‘Life is truly unpredictable.’
The Empress Dowager was equally lost in thought, unable to speak.
You suffered listening to people’s pleas.
You worked hard to stabilize the situation and solve problems.
I heard you were injured too – is your arm alright?
However, since none of these could be easily spoken aloud.
“You truly worked hard.”
The Empress Dowager chose to be sparing with her words.
In summary.
It meant ‘You suffered cleaning up other people’s mess.’
“It was thanks to many hands working together.”
“You are always humble.”
“I merely stated the facts.”
Indeed, Rianel hadn’t been alone at the site.
There was cooperation from the victims and assistance from Asil too.
“This time I’ll ask about something else.”
Rianel listened quietly.
“Yesterday. The Princess came to see me. She said she wants to rebuild the factory and restart the business. What do you think?”
She was asking whether it would really be good to rebuild a business that had already failed once.
“Withdrawing from the business is also problematic. There’s no other way to help the 300 unemployed people. It will cause greater social costs in the long run.”
The greatest welfare for job seekers wasn’t food or money, but employment.
The right to work diligently and receive compensation for it.
“Don’t you feel regret? I heard you were the one who gave concrete form to the Princess’s ideas and added substance to them.”
But even if the business succeeded, there would be no real benefit for Rianel.
Because the investors in the business were the Princess and Norman.
“Civil servants are prohibited from holding concurrent positions. Since I never coveted it from the beginning, I don’t feel regret.”
The Empress Dowager was impressed.
‘This child really is…’
She could see that it wasn’t pretense of being ungreedy, but genuine thinking.
‘Truly remarkable, isn’t it.’
It was a composure so appealing that she wanted to make her one of her own people.
Just then.
“Excuse me, Your Majesty.”
A knock was heard, and before an answer could be given, white sacred robes crossed the threshold.
“Aren’t you feeling peckish? I brought some snacks I made myself.”
It was the Saint.
“I certainly didn’t give permission to enter. What rudeness is this?”
“Since you happen to have a guest with you, I brought something you could share. Plenty of it, and your favorites too.”
The Saint entered with a bright smile, unfazed by the coldly cooled atmosphere.
“Please just listen for a moment. The Head Chef has been terribly worried lately because your meal portions have decreased.”
Then she set down a basket on the table.
On the office table where documents and ink were placed.
‘If you’re going to put food somewhere other than a dining table, at least laying out a tablecloth would be proper manners.’
The Empress Dowager frowned.
“How thoughtless. Remove it.”
“B-but I worked so hard making it, please just try a little. I’m really worried about your health…”
“How long must I tolerate your rudeness?”
The Empress Dowager’s expression hardened, and the Saint left the room as if being chased out.
“…”
Even after the private chamber became quiet, the Empress Dowager pressed her temples as a headache arose.
It wasn’t just the Saint’s attitude that was problematic. The thoughts she harbored were equally disagreeable.
‘She tells the maids that I’m just a back-room old woman making a fuss, doesn’t she?’
Such a foolish child.
Did she think I wouldn’t hear if she didn’t say it in front of me?
The Imperial Palace has eyes and ears everywhere.
Moreover, unlike her usual behavior of only clinging to the Emperor’s side after entering the palace, she had suddenly changed her attitude and was now fawning around her. Her ulterior motives were so obvious it was disgusting.
‘Isn’t she asking me to step in and patch things up since her relationship with my son has grown distant?’
She made others clean up the mess she created. Now she wanted to solve even her love problems through other people’s hands.
‘Pathetic thing.’
Her own son was equally disappointing.
‘I thought he had an eye for people when he chose such a good child as his first potential daughter-in-law.’
Now I see it was a mistake.
The second woman her son chose was a flatterer.
‘Right now, keeping the Saint by his side would only damage his reputation, so he’s probably trying to distance himself.’
Though she had chosen her son because a young Princess couldn’t be placed on the throne, the more she saw of him, the less she liked him.
She was pressing her forehead when she saw Rianel still sitting across from her and cleared her throat.
“I’m sorry. You had to witness something unseemly.”
“I don’t know what Your Majesty is referring to.”
Even the tact to pretend she hadn’t seen anything.
“Thank you for saying that.”
At the same time, the Empress Dowager felt a sense of déjà vu.
‘I’ve felt this before, but…’
This child reminded her of her daughter-in-law.
The Empress Dowager deliberately ignored the sharp pain in her chest and sipped her tea.
“So, are you still not interested in the minister position?”
After Royhum fled, the Minister of Finance position had remained vacant.
Because the Empress Dowager had rejected every candidate the Emperor brought as suitable.
Originally, appointing high-ranking officials was the Emperor’s exclusive authority, but since the Emperor found government affairs bothersome, he had left most state affairs to his mother.
Since he didn’t work, there was no occasion to properly exercise his authority.
“I still think it’s too much for me.”
“Then what about deputy director? I heard the Special Tax Bureau deputy director position is still vacant too.”
“I feel the same way about that as well.”
She was already sick of the team leader position. A promotion from here? It was out of the question.
The Empress Dowager decided not to press further.
She had noticed that Rianel truly wasn’t inclined toward it.
‘Such an interesting child.’
The more Rianel showed her lack of desire, the more the Empress Dowager found herself wanting her.
“Do you happen to have another appointment?”
She asked because if there wasn’t one, she wanted to have a meal and talk a bit more.
“I have a scheduled work report to His Majesty the Emperor.”
“I haven’t heard of such an appointment.”
“It’s an unofficial meeting.”
That meant it would likely take place in the Emperor’s private space. Essentially a private audience format.
It felt ominous.
‘My son is distancing himself from the Saint and calling this child out.’
She didn’t want to say this about her own son, but the fact that it was suspicious remained true.
“Be careful of the Emperor.”
Rianel raised her head.
After a long silence, just for a moment.
“Thank you for the advice.”
It was brief, but.
‘Did she smile?’
Even the smile that crossed Rianel’s lips was so similar to that child.
The Empress Dowager sat in a daze for a long time.
She wondered if two completely different strangers could resemble each other this much.
‘Could they possibly be the same person or something…’
No, that couldn’t be.
The Empress Dowager hastily pushed the thought away.
That was someone whose unhappy life had ended in the Imperial Palace.
For such a person to enter the Imperial Palace again.
‘The world couldn’t be that cruel, surely.’
* * *
The Emperor had one reason for sending the Saint to the joint funeral.
He needed a sacrifice to take the stones that would be thrown at him.
‘That way, fewer people will criticize me.’
In any case, it was better to keep the Saint at a distance for now.
That way, people who associated him with ‘that incident’ would also disappear.
‘On the contrary, the person I need to get closer to is.’
“Come in.”
This woman.
This woman who had proven her competence and was gaining the people’s support.
By getting close to this woman, he could make the support and competence she had gained his own.
“You seem to have pleased Mother. I can hear laughter all the way here. As her son, I thank you on her behalf. Mother hasn’t had much to be happy about lately.”
“Is that so?”
‘You should be ashamed, you unfilial child.’
Rianel maintained an expressionless face outwardly.
“Moreover, I hear you’ve made the Empire’s citizens happy recently? For you to do what I as Emperor should have done – it deserves praise.”
“You flatter me.”
The Emperor opened a drawer under his desk and took out a small box.
“But praise shouldn’t end with just words. Take this.”
The Emperor held out a jewelry box.
Inside was a pair of brilliant diamond earrings.
Rianel stared for a few seconds, then quietly closed it.
“I judge this to be too valuable for me to possess.”
“Oh my, so what I heard was true? That you even refused the minister position Mother offered?”
“….”
“Everyone else tries to grab even a handful of power. You truly think of the Empire and me.”
The Emperor inserted himself after the Empire.
“To be honest, I covet you.”
The Emperor leaned forward slightly.
A subtle smile spread across his lips.
“I like talented people, you see.”
More precisely, he liked stealing the achievements of those talented people to gild his own name.
“So I’m asking.”
“….”
“How about it? Shall we change the Empire together?”
For me.
* * *
It was a story that held no interest for Rianel.
The Emperor had used the same method when he had tried to seduce Rianel when she was a professor.
Therefore.
‘This bastard is up to his tricks again.’
Where does he think he’s peddling his snake oil?
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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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