The Former Empress Roughly Hides Her Abilities - Chapter 8

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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 8】

Rianel sat expressionlessly in the small conference room.

“It’s been a while.”

“Yes.”

She wasn’t pleased about being dragged by Duke Vincenheim to sit side by side in an empty conference room.

‘Leaving work on time is a civil servant’s right.’

She couldn’t even go home and was being tormented…

Rianel harbored complaints but couldn’t voice them.

The other party’s rank was overwhelming.

He was the State Minister, and she was just a low-level civil servant. She had no choice but to comply.

Though they sat facing each other in the empty conference room, there wasn’t much to say.

Rianel wasn’t the Duke’s real daughter, after all.

Seemingly displeased with his daughter’s short responses, the Duke furrowed his brow.

“Is that all you have to say to a father you haven’t seen in years?”

“Yes.”

Rianel was confident.

Even if the real Rianel were in this position, she would have shown a similar reaction.

Because.

“Wasn’t it you, Father, who declared our relationship severed?”

The Duke shot up from his seat.

“What? When did I ever say such a thing!”

As he frantically denied it, faint traces of shallow memories flickered across his face.

“I see. Now that I think about it, you never directly mentioned severing ties.”

“That’s right. I…”

“You just treated me like I was invisible.”

Three years ago.

Rianel had left the Duke’s estate on her own.

‘Not only the Duke, but everyone in the household ignored and ostracized Rianel.’

She always ate alone. She was never invited to family events. Rianel was alone most of the time.

Even on the day she left the mansion, there wasn’t a single person to see her off.

Rianel had been withering away in that uselessly vast and desolate mansion, where even when she cried out in loneliness and pain, there was no one to hear even the echo.

On a cold winter day.

Getting hit by snowflakes, wearing only a thin coat, she walked out the main gate.

Even as she staggered along the snowy path, forcing herself to endure the feeling of her legs freezing.

[I’ll never go back… never…]

Rianel bit her lower lip, enduring as falling tears stuck to her cheeks and froze.

Though she had only glimpsed it indirectly, the sorrow of that day was deeply etched in Rianel’s mind.

“That was because you…”

The Duke started to say something but closed his mouth.

Taking a deep breath, he pressed his fingertips against his eyes and forcibly swallowed the words that couldn’t come out.

“…Fine. Since you don’t seem to have anything particular to say, I’ll speak.”

Rianel simply nodded lightly.

“Attacking Count Bartello was unwise. Even if the Count is careless, the Minister of Finance behind him is not someone to take lightly. Above all, since you’ve stirred up the entire Ministry of Finance, there will definitely be retaliation—”

After listening only that far, Rianel quietly raised her hand.

“What?”

“It’s well past quitting time right now. If you’re going to continue discussing work matters, I’d appreciate it if you could allocate overtime pay.”

The Duke’s face turned red. His lips trembled finely with emotion.

“Do you… think this is a normal father-daughter conversation?”

“Yes.”

The Duke let out a deep sigh.

“Who on earth did you take after to become so…”

“You don’t need to worry about that. Everyone knows I’m the spitting image of you, Duke. So much so that even you couldn’t dare deny that I’m your legitimate child.”

“That mouth of yours—!”

The Duke shouted as if having a fit, then soon wore a hollow laugh.

“…Right. Your tongue has gotten longer while I wasn’t looking.”

“I worked hard at it. I’m glad you recognize my achievement.”

The Duke, seemingly having nothing left to say, leaned back in his chair and glared at Rianel.

Rianel thought of one way to end this uncomfortable conversation.

“So what I’m saying is…”

The moment the Duke sensed something ominous and wrinkled his brow.

“Will performance bonuses be paid?”

Rianel said.

“You… Get out! Get out right now!”

The Duke exploded.

* * *

Even in the midst of that, the Duke didn’t forget the trouble of throwing a check at her.

Whether it was a performance bonus or overtime pay, Rianel was greatly satisfied that she had received compensation for the time wasted at the Imperial Palace.

It was the moment she roughly stuffed the envelope into her clothes and turned around.

“Oh, um… hello?”

She made eye contact with Wilbrin.

She awkwardly waved her hand in greeting, then hastily added what sounded like an excuse.

“Um… I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop on purpose, I just heard loud voices while passing by…”

Wilbrin’s gaze dropped downward.

She scratched the back of her neck with a face mixed with awkwardness, embarrassment, and apology.

Among various human relationships, twisted family relationships had aspects that scraped at one’s pride.

Wilbrin was the same.

‘The fact that I grew up unloved seems to follow me around like an awl.’

A relationship given regardless of my efforts.

But what was this damn affection, this blood relation? She couldn’t cut it off carelessly and was being dragged around ambiguously…

“…Actually, I don’t get along well with my dad either. We don’t communicate, there’s this sense of distance. There are probably many kids who get along normally with their dads, but… I was always ashamed because the relationship between my dad and me didn’t seem normal.”

So much so that she had been seized by jealousy for a moment when seeing the father of a child whose situation was much worse than hers.

Wilbrin, who had been enduring the awkwardness by touching her index fingers together, carefully asked.

“So what I’m asking is, are you okay?”

“Before answering that question, we first need to conceptualize what a ‘normal father-daughter relationship’ is. But logical errors already occur in that process.”

“Huh?”

“Because each individual will have different priorities regarding frequency of conversation, mutual respect, degree of attachment, and so on. Ultimately, a ‘normal father-daughter relationship’ is likely a fiction disguised as normalcy.”

Wilbrin stared blankly at Rianel.

But only for a moment.

She suddenly burst into laughter.

“I can definitely tell you don’t belong to that category.”

“That cannot be the answer to my reasoning.”

Rianel remained expressionless.

In a way, it could be seen as a stubborn appearance.

Along with sophistry filled with plausible explanations.

Whether she truly thought that way, or whether she was just adding any logic because she wanted to win, was unclear.

What mattered was one thing.

“…Well, you’re right. Normalcy is probably just a fiction anyway. You’re right.”

Wilbrin had found comfort in those words.

‘Anyway, there’s probably no one who can pinpoint exactly what a normal relationship is, so what’s the point of analyzing it deeply.’

Wilbrin looked at her own face reflected in the window.

The corners of her mouth were turned down, worn down by fatigue and life.

Wilbrin forcibly pulled them up to make them look similar to usual and took Rianel’s hand.

“Come on, let’s go. I’ll buy dinner tonight. Something especially expensive.”

Rianel froze like a broken person.

‘Could she be moved to tears?’

Of course not.

“Providing external meals worth more than 10 gold violates the anti-graft law…”

“Oh, come on!”

Rianel annoyed Wilbrin until the very end, but as a result, she helped Wilbrin comply with the civil servant integrity ordinance.

Because the dinner Wilbrin bought that day cost 8 gold.

* * *

Despite not being blood-related, Vanessa had been assigned a room within the family estate as the fiancée of the Binsenheim heir and was receiving devoted service from the Duke’s Estate maids.

Vanessa was from a rural noble family that had barely avoided ruin.

When she was young, it was difficult to secure every meal, but now she had adapted to the abundance of the Duke’s Estate.

The maids combed her hair with a fine comb and held various accessories up to her head.

“Pearls are a bit tacky. Bring me something else.”

Just then, one maid whispered carefully in her ear.

“What? Rianel met with Father?”

Vanessa immediately furrowed her brow and straightened her back.

The maids, noticing that Vanessa’s mood had soured, quickly retreated with hurried steps.

“Tell me more details. Right now.”

Vanessa urged the maid.

After hearing the full story, Vanessa bit her nails with her teeth.

‘After all the trouble I went through to get her out of this house…!’

Vanessa had taken control of the family the moment she became Rupert’s fiancée.

Because she wanted to monopolize the authority of the lady of the house in a family without a Duchess.

Vanessa had pushed the situation to make Rianel, who was an obstacle, leave the Duke’s Estate on her own.

Fortunately, Rupert had no interest in family affairs, and the Duke was also someone who prioritized state affairs over his children, so she was able to succeed.

But Vanessa knew.

The Duke only pretended to be indifferent on the surface, but had been secretly protecting Rianel.

Yes. That was the starting point of all problems.

The fact that the Duke still loved Rianel.

‘If Rianel were to come back into the mansion at this rate…!’

Even though three years had passed since Rianel left the Duke’s Estate, Vanessa was not at ease.

According to the Duke’s will, Rianel’s whereabouts could be changed at any time.

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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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