The Munchkin Princess Wants to Run Away - Chapter 32

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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“How much longer must I work? Your father is growing tired of it himself.”
She was referring to her husband—the image of his weathered face grumbling about why he’d handed over his title so early, only to find himself still buried in duties.
Sedric felt much the same.
He’d thought accepting the Imperial Princess as his duchess would trap him in an endless cycle of work, but now—finally—he had a reason to hand things over.
“Then couldn’t you simply assist with the bare minimum?”
“Don’t we deserve our own time? I’ve spent a lifetime working, and you ought to be thinking about succession with Ivanna.”
Katerina spoke with genuine concern, then exhaled softly. She’d given him as much affection as she could manage, yet somehow he’d grown into this… rigid thing.
With a temperament like his, how could romance ever flourish? At least the contract marriage with the Princess had been a stroke of fortune.
“Please don’t use Father as an excuse. As for succession, surely that’s something we can consider more slowly.”
At her son’s cool reply, Katerina crossed her arms.
“I suspect the Imperial Princess possesses some sort of Power.”
“You believe the rumors too, Mother? The Princess was not granted any Power.”
At his mother’s loaded words, Sedric’s brow furrowed.
“This has nothing to do with water.”
“Surely you’re not suggesting that the Countess’s recovery was thanks to the Princess?”
He shook his head as though he’d heard the most absurd thing imaginable.
“The Healing Power isn’t something you can see, after all. I’m simply thinking—if the Imperial Family has ever manifested such Powers through the generations, shouldn’t we recognize the signs?”
Perhaps, if one gathered every book in the Empire, a clue might surface.
“The Imperial Court must have already concluded their investigation. You know their obsession with Powers.”
“I’m merely checking whether they might have overlooked something.”
Katerina winked with one eye, remarking that humans always made mistakes in their work.
“Even if she did possess such a Power, the Princess would never return to the Imperial Court.”
The contract was already signed.
Besides, any Power that would fade was irrelevant. What mattered was the advantage she’d bring to the duchy and the matter of succession.
Sedric could not simply take anyone as the duchess—he had merely selected the most suitable candidate for the marriage in every respect.
“Of course not. But we can certainly ruffle the Imperial Court’s feathers, can’t we? Hehe.”
Seeing his mother’s resolve already set, Sedric gave up trying to dissuade her.
She was the sort who absolutely must pursue anything amusing that came her way. If she’d already decided to grant the Princess authority, she would see it through to her goal.
And she was not the type to let things go wrong.
“If you’ve already entrusted the party to the Princess, there’s nothing to be done about it. I only ask that you remain cautious about granting her too much authority.”
“Why? The Princess seemed quite docile to me. There’s nothing for you to worry about.”
“That remains to be seen.”
One must live through experiences to truly understand. Only by enduring both good times and hardship could a person’s true nature reveal itself.
Simply distributing meals to the territory’s people or sympathizing with the Countess Ravern was not enough to judge the Princess.
He did not know what had made his mother say she could trust the Princess, but Sedric had no intention of simply accepting her word.
“Please ensure no harm comes to the duchy.”
“Really, now—what damage could possibly come from preparing a mere Welcome Party for a count and his wife?”
Katerina laughed brightly and departed, declaring she would entrust the Princess with full authority over the matter.
Left alone, Sedric’s lips pressed into a thin line.
His mother would not have reached such certainty about the Princess’s Power based on mere speculation.
‘So what made her so sure?’
Sedric could not fathom why his mother was moving so swiftly to bind the Princess to them.
In his estimation, the Princess still harbored many suspicious qualities.
‘Time will tell.’
Sedric resolved to keep closer watch on the Princess going forward.
* * *
‘I’d almost rather he rage at me. Sigh.’
During lunch, Ivanna caught glimpses of the Duke’s expression—it was clear that Katerina’s entrusted task had reached his ears.
And not merely in passing, either; she and Sedric had been making eye contact since morning.
He’d turned his head as if indifferent, but she felt his gaze follow whenever she turned to other matters.
“Duke, did Katerina perhaps mention the Welcome Party to you?”
“Yes. I heard that Mother entrusted it to you.”
“I—I absolutely didn’t ask for it first!”
Ivanna blurted out her innocence, betraying her own guilt in the process.
In truth, failing to refuse was her own mistake. But how could one refuse a suggestion from the former Duchess?
“I didn’t say I wanted to do it. It was Katerina who said I should know how to manage even a modest affair like this…….”
She’d promised to keep a low profile, and now here she was organizing a Welcome Party—it would certainly sound like an excuse to him.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t refuse. Would you refuse on my behalf instead?”
Faced with those cool, piercing eyes, the words ‘yes, please’ caught in her throat.
Ivanna set down her fork, which had been hovering uncertainly over her plate.
“I’ve already given Mother my word, so I cannot take it back.”
“Yes? Then… am I permitted to prepare the Welcome Party for the Countess?”
“Isn’t that a task Mother entrusted to you?”
What was this?
Contrary to what she’d expected, he did not censure her. Ivanna studied Sedric carefully.
He didn’t seem as angry as she’d feared.
“Once the Welcome Party is over, I truly won’t involve myself in anything else.”
“There’s no need to go that far.”
Ivanna couldn’t make sense of his words.
“So long as it brings no harm to the Reynolds Duchy, conduct yourself as you see fit.”
It was almost as though he’d granted her freedom within the household—bewildering, but Ivanna nodded quickly. ‘Had he truly just done that?’
“That will never happen. You have my promise.”
This was an extraordinary turn of events. She’d expected him to keep harping on the contract marriage, but something had shifted. What was different?
Ivanna glanced at Sedric sidelong. He resumed eating in silence, utterly composed.
Watching him eat with such calm indifference, her earlier anxiety—that she might have aroused his suspicion—lifted considerably.
Ivanna stifled a smile and picked up her fork again.
‘Why am I so frightened of him?’
Sedric observed Ivanna from across the table, noting how she nibbled at her meat—a fingernail’s worth at a time, all while watching his every move.
She certainly didn’t seem like someone who’d seized ducal authority with plans to pursue some scheme.
Though it was possible even this behavior was an act.
Yet the expression on her face—the way she seemed to flounder, anxious about breaching their agreement—gave him pause.
The Imperial Princess couldn’t possibly be such a consummate actress as to feign even that faint terror flickering in her eyes.
Sedric pretended not to notice Ivanna’s sidelong glances and continued his meal.
To truly discern the princess’s intentions, he would simply have to watch her more closely.
* * *
“What about this one?”
“It’s quite lovely.”
“And this?”
Everything the former Duchess recommended—the tableware, the flowers—was acceptable. More than acceptable: these were costly items Ivanna had never laid eyes on before.
Since childhood, after age ten, she’d never held anything fine in her hands. Everything she experienced here in the Reynolds Duchy felt like the greatest treasures imaginable.
Teacups painted by master artisans, silverware, even the smallest ornament gleamed with the weight of its own worth.
Just yesterday, dining with the Reynolds Duke, she’d thought she would simply have to adapt to the former Duchess’s tastes.
She’d believed she could manage it alone, but that proved utterly mistaken.
The Tea Set and tableware that Katerina possessed were every bit as magnificent as those she’d glimpsed in childhood.
‘Everything is so lovely—I don’t know which to choose.’
Ivanna’s eyes darted back and forth.
Since this gathering was meant to celebrate Countess Ravern’s recovery, something grand would be fitting. Yet picturing Ravern herself, Ivanna sensed that something more subdued and serene would suit her better.
“Which do you find most appealing?”
The former Duchess pointed to three Tea Sets and asked. Ivanna hesitated, biting her lip.
‘Is she hoping I’ll make a mistake?’
She’d tried her best to align her choices with the former Duchess’s preferences, but from the outset, difficulties loomed.
“Which would you prefer, Katerina?”
“My opinion matters less than the Countess’s. This is her Welcome Party, after all.”
At Katerina’s words, every servant’s gaze turned to Ivanna. She would have to answer carefully, or give them something to seize upon.
As tension climbed her throat, Ivanna gripped her skirts tightly.

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