The Munchkin Princess Wants to Run Away - Chapter 12

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

“I’m just… sightseeing around the Capital, that’s all.”
Please, believe me.
Or better yet, pretend you don’t know anything.
So many years of moving freely without guards had become second nature; she’d naturally assumed the Duke would refuse to assign her any.
If things went wrong, she could always escape using the Power of Water anyway.
She could deploy the Power of Water in various ways, but it wasn’t omnipotent.
She wasn’t even a Knight, and she lacked the ability to sense someone watching from the shadows.
Ivanna waited anxiously for the Duke’s response.
“I see.”
Cedric stroked his jaw slowly, his eyes descending upon the princess.
She had no intention whatsoever of telling the truth. But since there was fault on his side too, Cedric devised another strategy to keep her away from the Merchant Guild.
“I’ll be visiting the Duchy in a fortnight. Mark your calendar accordingly.”
It wasn’t spite—his schedule genuinely was clear around that time.
For the first time in his life, Cedric spoke words unplanned, and he felt no regret.
The moment he mentioned the Capital and then suddenly declared he’d visit the Duchy, her azure eyes trembled faintly.
Seeing the princess’s dismay, the corner of Cedric’s mouth lifted ever so slightly.
Protecting the princess was stipulated in the Contract.
He was merely being careful, as the Contract demanded, to keep her from being caught up in danger. Cedric rationalized his impulse this way.
“Until then, behave yourself according to the Contract.”
The moment Cedric mentioned the Contract, Ivanna’s fists clenched. Heat rose into her chest, and frustration bloomed.
He clearly knew everywhere she’d gone.
She’d never dreamed she’d be caught. It was her own mistake—she’d forgotten that the Reynolds Duchy operated differently from the Imperial Palace.
What if he asked about the Guild?
She had no intention of abandoning the Guild. It was the only thing she’d built with her own hands.
“I’ll stay quietly at the Residence until you visit the Duchy.”
At her sudden docility, Cedric’s brow furrowed slightly.
“I’m not saying don’t go out at all. I simply hope you’ll avoid drawing attention to yourself.”
“Yes. According to the Contract’s terms.”
“You remember them well.”
He spoke mockingly, but he seemed unaffected by her barb. Ivanna bit her lip hard.
“Your escort will arrive tomorrow. Wherever you go, you’re to go with them.”
Ivanna tilted her head at Cedric’s words.
Was he saying she could go out again, in exchange for taking an escort?
As the princess’s eyes brightened, Cedric stared at her directly before speaking.
“I have no hobby of caging people.”
Her face lit up at his words.
“But you are not to involve yourself in anything dangerous, nor entangle yourself in unnecessary complications.”
“I swear it! I won’t do anything to shame the Duchy’s honor.”
She had no intention of doing anything wrong at the Guild anyway.
Ivanna spoke with sincerity. She had a premonition that if she lost this chance, she’d be confined to the Residence indefinitely.
“I regret what the servants did. I didn’t want this incident to happen.”
This was her opportunity to show him how quietly she could live.
“I’m sorry it reached your ears. I’ll be more careful from now on.”
“Ha.”
As she finished speaking anxiously, the Duke released a low sigh. His brow furrowed, and his already harsh features turned even more forbidding.
So beauty excuses everything?
Such a foul temper, and yet.
“You expect me to sit by and watch my wife be disrespected in my own home?”
At his calling her his wife, Ivanna’s lips parted. She never expected he would refer to her that way.
Wasn’t all that talk about staying quiet supposed to encompass this as well?
It was something she could manage easily enough in exchange for the substantial allowance he provided.
Without authority, the head of a household commands no respect. She had never been recognized as a princess, so she’d been looked down upon in the Imperial Palace too.
The Duchy was no different. That’s why the servants had begun to despise and torment her.
The Duke clearly didn’t understand where true power and authority came from.
Always positioned on high, he’d never concerned himself with the affairs of his subordinates—or perhaps he believed everyone lived by propriety, rules, and conscience.
Ivanna, careful not to let her expression betray cynicism, shook her head.
It wasn’t she who was ignorant of the world’s ways. It was that man.
“If such a thing happens again, I’ll be sure to report it to you.”
Absolutely not.
From now on, I’ll need to be more careful—hide better, watch myself when going to the Merchant Guild.
Since he said he’d assign an escort, I should receive only important documents through Sola from now on.
My dream of living secretly out there had vanished, but Ivanna didn’t feel disappointed.
I’d known from the start it would be difficult. It was better not to stir up needless trouble.
“There won’t be any incidents like this again, I assure you.”
Cedric, having said that, clicked his tongue softly before bending at the waist in apology.
“I apologize for the unpleasant matter you’ve had to endure due to my poor management of the staff.”
Ivanna stepped back, caught off guard by something entirely different from before.
His apology wasn’t about feeling sorry for neglecting her because she’d asked to live quietly. He was simply apologizing for insufficient oversight of the servants.
The Duke’s expression, when he raised his head, was resolute. He added that he was sorry the apology had come late.
“I won’t dwell on what’s already past.”
She accepted his apology coolly, but the truth was, she felt pleased.
She couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from trying to lift.
An apology for an unjust matter—actually receiving one!
The world wouldn’t end tomorrow, surely.
She’d been certain he was cold and arrogant, but perhaps she’d misjudged him.
Ivanna didn’t know what else to say and chose her words carefully. Yet her voice came haltingly.
The Duke, standing there with such composure, seemed like a figure stepped directly from the pages of an etiquette manual.
Something about his face—so rigid and earnest—suddenly stirred an unexpected thirst.
‘So that’s why Elisa warned me to be careful about the Duke’s face!’
He’d merely apologized, yet her heart raced. Breathing slowly, Ivanna calmed her racing pulse enough to speak.
“Let me know once the schedule for visiting the Duchy is finalized.”
When something felt wrong, escape was best. Ivanna excused herself with proper grace and hurried out of the Garden with quick steps.
“Wait!”
She heard the Duke calling from behind, but walked on briskly, pretending not to hear.
I’m losing it. I’m losing it.
This is all the Duke’s fault for acting like he was going to torment me, then apologizing in some absurd situation.
Ivanna’s neck flushed red as she walked, cursing the Duke inwardly.
* * *
“Good morning. I am Ethan Beler, appointed as your escort.”
The next morning, Ivanna received the greeting of a Knight who had arrived early with the butler.
So the escort was coming after all.
It was real.
After meeting the Duke yesterday, Ivanna had shut herself in her room and hadn’t come out.
She couldn’t answer Anthony’s questions about what had happened. Her heart kept fluttering.
“Perhaps I’m not to your liking?”
The moment she saw the escort Knight, the Duke came to mind, and her thoughts scattered.
At the tension in the Knight’s expression, Ivanna shook her head.
She was in no position to be choosy.
She should be grateful the Duke had assigned her an escort at all.
“Not at all. The Duke has been most generous in sending such an able escort.”
Yesterday’s encounter felt like a dream. Even now, the head butler was here doing his work instead.
I must never go to the Garden again.
Ivanna studied Ethan with firm resolve. Her escort had wavy, light brown hair neatly combed back.
His sage-green eyes appeared gentle and warm.
He seems like a good person.
Ivanna thought the Duke had assigned her someone decent.
“I have no plans to go out for a while. Feel free to rest.”
“That won’t do.”
After the scolding from the Duke, she genuinely intended to refrain from visiting the Merchant Guild.
Besides, he’d mentioned visiting the Duchy in a fortnight. She’d need time to prepare for such a long journey.
“I’ll wait outside your door so you won’t be inconvenienced. Please call if you need anything.”
He bowed and left the reception room with the head butler.
The moment the door closed, Ivanna swiftly drew upon her Power of Water.
“The Duke means to lock me away!”
Ivanna pressed her fingers to her temple. She’d thought the apology was the end of it, but the next day he suddenly assigned an escort.
‘Is he going to monitor me even more thoroughly now?!’

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————