The Former Empress Roughly Hides Her Abilities - Chapter 78

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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 78】

 

“Please call the warehouse manager.”

 

When they were summoned by Rianel, the maids who managed the warehouse didn’t feel any sense of crisis.

 

‘What could she possibly know anyway?’

 

Protocol budgets are special budgets allocated on a one-time basis. Since the schedule and scale varied each time, they were difficult to properly account for.

 

Since it involved welcoming distinguished foreign guests, even when budgets were excessively allocated, it was often overlooked as necessary for using high-quality items.

 

The maids had been taking advantage of this to repeatedly embezzle small amounts.

 

While large-scale embezzlement was difficult, small repeated thefts were something even low-ranking maids could manage.

 

In fact, it was even more advantageous for them. Higher-ups didn’t pay much attention to such practical details.

 

The maids felt no guilt about it.

 

‘It’s not like we’re the only ones doing it.’

 

If there weren’t opportunities like this to line their pockets, who would want to work as a maid with such low wages?

 

Of course, they had heard plenty about Rianel’s reputation.

 

But they thought she wouldn’t be able to catch customary small-scale embezzlement.

 

‘She probably called us because the warehouse quantities don’t match up, and since the evidence for that is clear, we’ll admit to it…’

 

‘But what more could she possibly uncover?’

 

However.

 

“The expenditure is excessive. No matter how important entertaining distinguished guests may be, there’s no reason to allocate this amount for supplies. Especially this item here.”

 

Their expectations were spectacularly wrong.

 

“We couldn’t just use any flowers when entertaining guests from the Desert Kingdom, could we? To match their status, that level of expenditure was inevitable!”

 

“Even so, purchasing decorative flowers at this unit price is unreasonable. Moreover, the actual quality is far below what the price range should warrant.”

 

It wasn’t winter, so there was no reason to purchase such crude flowers at this price.

 

Rianel pointed to the next section.

 

“Furthermore, this is the first time I’ve seen this trading company. There are existing companies that supply goods to the Imperial Palace, so why did you receive items from this place?”

 

Trading companies that could supply goods to the Imperial Palace had to meet certain standards of scale and qualifications.

 

Not only quality, but prices had to be maintained at reasonable levels.

 

However, this trading company met neither requirement.

 

“Well… actually, we received a recommendation from an insider.”

 

“Who made the recommendation?”

 

And so, senior maids were called in one after another.

 

Rianel didn’t send back the maids she had called first. She had them wait in the adjacent room while summoning other maids to continue the interrogation.

 

Those who couldn’t keep their stories straight rambled incoherently before finally spilling the truth.

 

That trading company was run by maid Lina’s relative, and they had purchased low-quality goods at high prices, dividing the difference among themselves.

 

‘It was just small amounts that barely counted as pocket money!’

 

The maids were outraged.

 

They weren’t fools either, so they had been carefully skimming only amounts that wouldn’t be noticed.

 

‘But this woman caught us as soon as she arrived?’

 

They felt secretly wronged.

 

“It’s not even that much money anyway. Everyone takes that much as a matter of custom!”

 

“Is there a regulation stating that embezzlement under 10 gold doesn’t count as embezzlement?”

 

In any case, if even 1 gold was taken for private use, it was still theft.

 

The people from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who learned the details were amazed.

 

“How on earth did you figure this out?”

 

It was because Rianel was showing competence in both taxation and protocol areas.

 

‘We never would have caught this if it were just us.’

 

“I examined the precedents.”

 

Foreign diplomatic missions didn’t come to the Empire frequently, but they weren’t completely rare either.

 

“Looking at the ledgers from when the Former Empress was alive, while protocol budget scales varied, the unit prices of goods remained constant. However, after her passing, protocol costs rose abnormally.”

 

Even considering inflation, it was suspicious for all items to increase by 30% uniformly within just three years.

 

“I, I see.”

 

“But did you really examine all those precedents?”

 

Nearly three years’ worth, plus the ledgers from when the Former Empress was alive, so at least four years of ledgers…

 

“I skimmed through nearly 10 years’ worth of ledgers.”

 

“10, 10 years’ worth? This quickly?”

 

“I just skimmed through them.”

 

“Truly amazing!”

 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs people were genuinely impressed.

 

Not knowing much about ledgers themselves, while they could tell Rianel had accomplished something remarkable, they didn’t understand just how incredible it was, so their admiration was pure.

 

But the maids were different.

 

‘Does this make sense?’

 

‘She examined all those ledgers in just a few days?’

 

Their gazes wavered.

 

They wanted to cry out that it was a lie, but the evidence and refutation materials Rianel presented were too perfect for them to do so.

 

“Then please come this way.”

 

“We need to investigate how much you’ve embezzled over time.”

 

As the knights approached, the maids sensed their future.

 

Even though the detected embezzlement was small-scale, they would be thoroughly investigated.

 

This was because they had been able to commit various small embezzlements like this.

 

They would immediately be confined to prison, and soon face interrogation by the Palace Administration supervisor.

 

‘This is how we end?’

 

So futilely?

 

They looked at each other.

 

Then, just before the knights grabbed both their arms and dragged them away.

 

Lina instinctively turned around.

 

Even at this moment, Rianel stood there calmly.

 

As if nothing had happened.

 

‘That expression.’

 

It might just be expressionless, but strangely it caught her attention.

 

‘Could it be… the Former Empress?’

 

Lina’s mind went blank.

 

She had hated the Former Empress.

 

Someone who wouldn’t overlook even the slightest corruption, who would uncover everything no matter how carefully she hid it.

 

Hating that face that acted so pristinely alone, she had cooperated in killing her.

 

But you’ve appeared before me once again.

 

Looking at me as if passing judgment…

 

Of course, a dead person returning was absurd.

 

But guilt, fear, and the terror that everything would end gnawed at her rationality.

 

Starting with small embezzlement corruption and then uncovering other connected crimes was the Former Empress’s method.

 

“That, that person is the Former Empress! Look at that woman. She’s exactly the same. She’s come back to life. She’s come back alive to strangle me.”

 

The reason for returning?

 

It was definitely revenge.

 

Because you can’t forgive me for killing you.

 

Just like when you were alive, to expose all my crimes and bring about my downfall.

 

“Look, how can you not recognize that face? Anyone can see it’s the Former Empress. That woman is Ensilen!”

 

The knights frowned.

 

“Stop talking nonsense and get inside.”

 

“Just tell us where you’ve hidden the assets you’ve accumulated.”

 

Lina struggled, but it was useless.

 

“Let go! Just listen to me!”

 

She was treated as talking nonsense and ignored.

 

Rianel, who had briefly looked over at the commotion, immediately turned her gaze away.

 

Well, who would believe it?

 

* * *

 

The people at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs gained enlightenment.

 

Staying up all night to complete work ahead of a tight schedule was merely part of the civil servant’s woes.

 

‘That’s not madness.’

 

True madness meant maintaining punctual departures and even self-care despite a busy schedule.

 

‘That’s real madness.’

 

‘What a terrifying person.’

 

They shuddered.

 

Seeing Rianel’s pale, healthy complexion from eating and resting well left them speechless.

 

The truly frightening fact was that they too had faces not much different from Rianel’s.

 

‘This is the first time we’ve received state guests without overtime.’

 

It was unbelievable that all these changes came about with the arrival of one person.

 

At the same time, they found themselves thinking anew.

 

‘Those Tax Bureau guys really lived comfortably.’

 

‘We should distribute one of these to every department.’

 

‘The equity issue is serious.’

 

They also understood the advice they received from the Tax Bureau.

 

Til’s words to ‘endure’ were truly sound advice.

 

‘Well, how could you beat such an existence?’

 

Of course, not everyone was convinced.

 

Humans were inherently beings who yearned for efficiency.

 

Those who harbored hope that they too could become efficient people like Rianel asked her for the secret.

 

“How can we become like you?”

 

“It’s simple. Just do things half-heartedly.”

 

“No, I mean how do we…”

 

“Don’t you think she literally means to do things ‘half-heartedly’?”

 

“Is that so?”

 

They really tried to work half-heartedly, but.

 

“There are missing documents here.”

 

The more they tried to follow Rianel, the more inadequate they became.

 

They couldn’t become efficient people.

 

‘She said half-heartedly! Half-heartedly!’

 

‘Is this not it?’

 

Eventually, they went to the Tax Bureau to seek advice from the sage Til.

 

“Did you also try doing things ‘half-heartedly’?”

 

“Try? Of course I didn’t.”

 

Til was incredulous.

 

Why would he do something he knew wouldn’t work?

 

“Aren’t you curious about the secret?”

 

Don’t you want to pursue that extreme efficiency?

 

“Of course”

 

“Why, why not?”

 

Well.

 

“Because humans don’t need to know how God created the world.”

 

Why should they know?

 

They just need to see the world that was made.

 

‘…Oh.’

 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs people gained enlightenment.

 

‘I see.’

 

This was religion.

 

* * *

 

And as time passed

 

The day Prince Zarban was to arrive came.

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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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