The Munchkin Princess Wants to Run Away - Chapter 38

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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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“You’ve traveled a great distance. Do rest, and I shall see you at dinner.”
After exchanging pleasantries, Cedric urged the Count and Countess Lavern to retire.
Since the former Duke and Duchess were waiting in the Reception Room, he would be seeing them directly.
Ivanna swallowed her disappointment at not having offered her congratulations to Countess Lavern, then turned to follow Cedric.
“Ivanna.”
A voice called out to stop her.
It was Countess Lavern.
“I’ve been wanting to see you again.”
Ivanna paused, and Countess Lavern lifted the hem of her skirt slightly in a graceful bow.
“And I you. I’m delighted to see you recovered, Countess.”
The Count and Countess, along with Cedric, turned their attention to Ivanna’s brightly smiling face.
Her sky-blue eyes, reminiscent of the high heavens, crinkled warmly at the corners.
“Until dinner then.”
Having accomplished her purpose, Ivanna followed Cedric without hesitation. There was no reason to request a tea time together—no prior connection warranted it.
She was planning to attend only the evening dinner and a tea time the following day.
There would be time enough to talk then. After all, there wasn’t much she could say anyway.
“Did you not wish to converse further with Countess Lavern?”
Back in the Bedroom, Cedric turned to her with the question.
“They’ve only just arrived after such a long journey. I couldn’t impose upon their rest.”
Ivanna naturally took his outer coat from him—a gesture she’d grown accustomed to over these past few days of spending time together frequently.
Whether or not his claim that important matters had been resolved and he now had time to spare was true, he spent most hours moving between the Bedroom and the Study.
And he had invited her to join him. Since she had no good reason to refuse, Ivanna found herself taking tea and reading books with him every day.
There was still no conversation between them, yet he felt less uncomfortable than before.
And she was beginning to understand his desire for her to live quietly.
Perhaps it was Cedric’s presence that kept the Southern Ducal House from descending into the chaos that had plagued the Capital.
The servants were always respectful—in fact, more formal than those in the Capital itself.
Even the Imperial Palace had never afforded her such treatment, and Ivanna sometimes found herself blushing with embarrassment at the deference shown.
“I’m certain she would have accepted a casual conversation.”
“Just seeing her in good health brings me joy.”
It was the first time she’d ever witnessed someone collapse before her eyes. Hearing the news of her recovery was the first time such a thing had brought her joy.
She had learned that happiness could come from hearing of good fortune befalling someone to whom she had no prior connection.
“Then I’m relieved.”
Having changed into lighter clothes, Cedric regarded Ivanna steadily.
“Will you continue wearing such an uncomfortable Dress?”
“Pardon?”
He was extending his hand like a man waiting for something.
“That Dress must be difficult to unfasten alone.”
His hand, approaching from behind, reached toward the laces of her Dress.
“I’ll have my maid help me!”
Ivanna spun around in alarm, speaking urgently. The Duke had a habit of narrowing the distance between them in ways she never anticipated.
‘Is this not it either?’
Cedric had raised his hand to unfasten the laces when he froze.
After assuming the Princess possessed Divine Power and attempting to win her favor through such actions, he had failed repeatedly.
Even now, as he continued trying to draw closer, there was no sign of success—as if his methods were simply wrong.
Cedric suppressed a sigh.
He felt like a scoundrel.
She wore a thin Chemise beneath the Dress, so she wouldn’t even be fully undressed.
Cedric lowered his hand from the Princess’s flushed, rigid face and stepped back.
“I shall leave you to it.”
“Thank you.”
How convenient it would be if she served him with the loyalty of his subordinates. But maintaining an equal Contractual Relationship was proving difficult for him as well.
True, the Princess had entered an unfavorable Marital Relationship, but he had no intention of overlooking the advantages the Imperial Palace had granted him.
Once Ivanna disappeared into the adjacent room, Cedric sank onto the sofa.
He had invested nearly a week’s worth of time in the Princess.
It was the maximum amount of time he could afford to give.
The Princess had begun to regard him with a certain familiarity, and she seemed to be growing more comfortable with the Ducal House as well.
‘Is even this not enough?’
In a week, Cedric believed he had come to understand her well. The Princess had the habit of clasping her hands tightly whenever something became uncomfortable or difficult.
And she would scrutinize the person who had caused her discomfort before taking care to avoid further friction.
Of course, I was largely responsible for most of the discomfort the Imperial Princess had endured during this time, so my opportunities for atonement had been rather limited.
That’s why I’d been waiting for a chance at tea with her mother, but I’d met with similar results there as well.
How could I possibly draw closer to her from here?
If word of my Divine Power leaked out by any chance, and the Princess returned to the Imperial Palace, there would be an endless procession of nobles seeking her out for treatment.
Cedric stared at the bathroom door, racking his brain for a way to turn the Princess’s heart toward him.
Click.
“The dinner will run long this evening. Please rest at your ease—I’ll remove myself from your company.”
As Ivanna returned to the bedroom, Cedric rose from his chair without hesitation.
Though it seemed he ought to watch over the Princess a while longer, there were many matters demanding his attention.
He left the bedroom, ignoring the Princess’s gaze that followed at his back.
“Finally, he’s gone!”
Freedom!
Freedom.
Alone in the bedroom, Ivanna collapsed onto the bed and cried out.
Ever since that sudden downpour, the Duke’s behavior had grown even stranger.
Spending the entire day attached to his side meant she had to remain tense the whole time.
Of course, she’d grown accustomed to the Duke.
But the anxiety that her Divine Power might leak out again made it all the harder to use it.
During the brief moments when the Duke left, she’d managed only simple tasks—calling down rain or drawing water to clean the bathroom.
After summoning rain once, the Divine Power had seemed satisfied and remained quiet for a time.
“Are you well?”
Anthony entered the bedroom to prepare for dinner and laughed softly upon seeing Ivanna rolling about on the bed, then asked.
“I’ve heard that in the South, the Marital Relationship is considered important, but I never expected it would demand this much attention.”
Ivanna had attributed all of Cedric’s behavior to some peculiar Southern tradition.
Or perhaps she simply couldn’t fathom the transformation in a man who had once been so distant and cold.
Anthony caught sight of Ivanna sighing and swallowed her laughter. For someone claiming to be stressed to death, the Princess’s face looked radiant.
Even if it began as a Contractual Relationship, one could still come to know true love, could one not?
To her eye, the two of them seemed to be experiencing the fresh, tentative beginnings of love itself.
‘My Princess in love!’
Her heart raced, and she found herself unable to sleep at night, consumed with curiosity.
The wish for the two of them to find happiness was not hers alone.
The people of the Duke’s house, who had initially resented the Imperial Palace’s troublesome burden, had changed their tune once the rains began.
Though the Princess insisted she had nothing to do with it, Anthony knew it was all thanks to her Divine Power.
Each time Anthony heard someone say that rain fell wherever the Duchess passed, her shoulders lifted a little higher.
She longed to boast of the Princess’s Divine Power, yet was forced to keep her lips firmly sealed.
In any case, since coming to the Duke’s territory, it seemed that the young Princess—who had never known love and had never been able to hold her head high—had at last found her rightful place.
“Still, ever since arriving in the Dukedom, it seems only good things have been happening.”
Though she dared not speak plainly of her affection for the Duke, Anthony made her favorable sentiments toward the ducal house subtly known.
“And Lady Katerina takes such good care of you, too.”
“Well, yes, that’s true.”
Just as Anthony said, Katerina had been excessively kind to her.
Moreover, there were times when she gazed at Ivanna with an expression Ivanna couldn’t quite read.
At those moments, Ivanna never knew what face to make, so she simply pretended not to notice and sipped her tea.
Ivanna clutched the pillow tightly. She’d long since passed the age of crying to see her parents, yet she couldn’t explain why she felt both longing and a flutter in her chest.
“I’m grateful for it all. I thought no one would ever care about me.”
“You’re so lovely, that’s why. Lady Katerina has certainly taken a liking to you.”
At Anthony’s confident tone, Ivanna buried her face in the pillow.
Truth be told, the affection of others was manageable now. As long as she had Anthony and Solaa, that was enough.
Solaa was currently busy handling merchant-related affairs in her stead, and was gathering information about this place while traveling throughout the Dukedom.
When they returned to the Capital, she’d have to give them both a proper holiday. They’d been relentlessly busy since arriving in the Dukedom.
“Anthony. When we return to the Capital, I’ll make sure to give you a bonus and vacation time.”
“I’ll look forward to it.”
Anthony winked and excused herself, saying she’d bring some refreshments. Left alone, Ivanna gazed pensively at the empty space beside her.

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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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