The Former Empress Roughly Hides Her Abilities - Chapter 9

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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 9】

But Rianel is a civil servant.

Unless she commits a fairly serious crime, she won’t be fired.

There was no way to prevent Rianel from making contact at the Duke’s estate and the Imperial Palace.

‘Isn’t there some good method? A way to send Rianel far, far away…’

Vanessa, who had been pacing around the room in her anxious state, suddenly stopped as something occurred to her.

‘Right. I can just send her to another family so she can’t interfere with the Duke’s estate affairs at all.’

If Rianel gets married, she’ll naturally have to quit her job.

The recent rumors about Rianel being active at the Special Tax Bureau had been irritating her, but this would block that too.

Most importantly, Vanessa could oversee Rianel’s marriage as the acting lady of the house.

“…So who should I choose as Rianel’s partner?”

Vanessa smiled slyly as she thought of the people she could push as marriage prospects.

She was planning to select people perfectly suited to Rianel’s notorious reputation and arrange meetings.

* * *

Cedric Bartello was suspended from duty.

It was because his embezzlement of the Finance Ministry budget had been discovered.

Suspension was a disciplinary measure temporarily imposed before thoroughly confirming the matter. It also meant not to resign arbitrarily before the truth was uncovered.

With Cedric’s dismissal confirmed, people began to see other possibilities.

The budget Cedric embezzled and the documents Rianel was known to have lost were closely connected.

“I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he really did it to cover up his own embezzlement.”

“Me neither.”

Even if that wasn’t the case, having seen Cedric openly pick fights and make snide remarks at the civil service banquet, the Special Tax Bureau employees whispered about how Rianel must have been treated normally.

But since the person involved, Rianel, wasn’t saying anything, it felt awkward for them as third parties to gossip about it.

“If it were me, I would have at least cursed him out.”

“Me too. I would have spread rumors all over the neighborhood about how wronged I was and thrown a fit.”

“Is that what they call noble dignity that we only hear about?”

Rianel was staying silent because she couldn’t make hasty judgments about events that happened before her possession, but from a third party’s perspective, it inspired awe.

‘I could never act like that!’

“Did you receive an apology or anything?”

“I did receive a letter.”

“Really? What did it say?”

Rianel had left the Duke’s estate and was living alone.

No one she was close to knew her address either.

So Cedric sent the letter to the Special Tax Bureau.

At first, Rianel opened it thinking it was an official document.

-I admit there was fault on my part in that incident. But think about it. What was the reason you could even go to the Special Tax Bureau? It’s thanks to me not involving you in the embezzlement case when I handed it over. So if you could speak well to the State Minister and show a little mercy…

‘What a waste of time.’

She folded the letter as it was and sent it to the incinerator.

Cedric sent a few more letters after that, but…

“I didn’t check them.”

“Really? That’s too bad. I was curious what he wrote.”

Thinking it wasn’t working, he stopped sending anything at some point.

Actually, Cedric didn’t have time to spend on letters.

He was busy raising massive funds to pay the additional taxes.

Rumor had it he was putting his house up for sale and visiting banks.

The Special Tax Bureau people whispered.

“But that won’t be enough.”

“Right, right. We finally got allocation rights, but who are we going to give 300 million gold to?”

300 million is a large amount for an individual, but it’s a small amount for budget execution.

That said, they couldn’t request additional budget just because they wanted to try using the allocation rights.

The only remaining method was to utilize the Special Tax Bureau’s collection authority, as the Empress Dowager had said.

There are two ways.

Find someone with clear evidence of tax evasion like Cedric and catch them in fraudulent acts, or

Find high-amount delinquent taxpayers and collect the unpaid taxes.

Since high-amount delinquent taxpayers have both their unpaid amounts and names posted, the latter might seem easier at first glance, but…

“It’s difficult. The reason those people’s names are still on the list is because existing collectors gave up on them.”

“Even if you visit their homes, they won’t come out saying they’re not in. It’s common for them to post guards and not let you in, and it’s unclear whether that’s even their actual residence… really.”

“Transferring assets to other people’s names is basic among basics. They also hide them by converting them to precious metals or art objects…”

“Anyway, I don’t know how their heads work so well when it comes to that stuff.”

The Special Tax Bureau employees grumbled.

“Should we just act crazy and barge in? If we push with numbers, entry might be possible.”

“Crazy person. You’ll get reported for trespassing.”

“Then we’ll collect the taxes and pay the fine later.”

However, beneath that grumbling was a subtle expectation and excitement.

After all, what could be more thrilling than legally raiding someone else’s storehouse?

Especially when that storehouse belongs to an illegal tax delinquent.

“So everyone’s going, right? If you have plans after work-“

Rianel, who had only been listening to their conversation, raised her hand.

“I can’t.”

Her post-work goal was meeting a marriage prospect.

“I have a pre-arranged appointment.”

At her following words,

“Whaaaat-?!”

Exclamations erupted from all directions in less than a second.

* * *

“T-t-tell us the details.”

The senior staff pulled their chairs around Rianel and sat down.

The others were equally interested and listening intently.

Meanwhile, Rianel alone remained calm as if she had arrived in another world.

“It’s a matchmaking meeting arranged through the family… I don’t think there’s much I can tell you.”

“Is this the political marriage we’ve only heard about?”

A senior muttered, and someone else voiced concern.

“So our newbie is leaving?”

“What? Where would she go?”

“Everyone usually quits when they get married.”

The mouths that had been marveling at the coldness of noble society until then all shut tight.

Rebecca, the senior sitting across from Rianel, put her arm around her shoulder and muttered.

“Junior, marriage is the grave of life. There’s no reason to suffer from pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare so early. Have kids? Then you can’t clock out even when you go home. It’s the start of overtime with no extra pay.”

Wilbrin joined in too.

“Do you really have to go to such a meeting? Or is the other person that amazing?”

“Before I answer that question, I need to first define what the criteria for an ‘amazing person’ are…”

“Oh, really!”

Wilbrin exploded in irritation at the familiar repertoire.

“He’s twenty years older than me, balding, with a pot belly—just an ordinary middle-aged man.”

“…That’s the worst. Why on earth are you meeting someone like that? What’s his redeeming quality?”

“He has good financial resources.”

“What? You’re saying you’re meeting him for money?”

“Yes.”

Rianel’s curt reply.

Rebecca propped her chin on her hand and muttered.

“Look how quick that answer was. Shouldn’t you say no at times like this?”

“Denying reality doesn’t help solve problems at all.”

“This is driving me crazy.”

Just as everyone was falling into a pit of utter chaos.

“What’s going on that has everyone gathered here?”

Asil, who was entering the government building, detected the commotion.

“Bureau Director! Bureau Director! Come this way for a moment.”

Wilbrin led Asil to the Bureau Director’s office.

After hearing the inside story, Asil came back out.

“If you’re leaving due to pressure from within your family, I might be able to help.”

Through a brief investigation, Asil had discovered that Rianel lived separately from her family and wasn’t particularly well-off.

Moreover, her transfer to the Special Tax Bureau was presumably due to false accusations based on the circumstances.

A corner of his heart felt uncomfortable, as if something heavy had settled there.

‘Most of all, that strange way of speaking somehow reminds me of my teacher.’

“No. I’m meeting him because I want to.”

Rianel shook her head firmly, then checked her watch and stood up, gathering her bag.

“It’s time to get off work. I have an appointment, so I’ll excuse myself.”

“Wait, hold on, hey—!”

The voices of her seniors followed behind her, but Rianel didn’t mind.

Rianel hadn’t lied.

Her blind date partner, Marquis Bortang Parniel, was a high-amount tax delinquent.

* * *

For Rianel, who valued efficiency and had only done the minimum required work, overtime duties couldn’t be welcome.

However, her opponent had ignited a fire in Rianel’s dead motivation.

‘I never expected to see this name here.’

In her previous life, when Ensilen was a student, she had worked as an intern at Marquis Parniel’s company to earn tuition and living expenses.

[Of course I want to pay you a salary too. But how can I create money that doesn’t exist? I’m struggling too.]

She worked for three months without pay, waiting, but Marquis Parniel didn’t pay her salary, claiming he had no money.

This incident became the catalyst for Ensilen’s decision to become a full professor with a steady salary.

Regardless of her later success, the hunger and shame from those days when she had to skip meals due to lack of food money, enduring by force and borrowing money from classmates, were still vivid.

‘Is this person still living like this?’

Deliberately going bankrupt multiple times, habitually withholding wages, and even being delinquent on taxes.

That was the secret to how this man had accumulated his wealth.

‘Then I should let him know.’

“Are you Marquis Parniel himself?”

The truth that taxes and death cannot be avoided.

“I’m from the Special Tax Bureau.”

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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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