The Munchkin Princess Wants to Run Away Chapter 12

“I’m just…… looking around various places in the capital.”

Please, just believe me.

Or better yet, pretend you don’t know.

She had spent so many years without an escort that she naturally assumed the duke wouldn’t allow her to have one.

If necessary, she could always use her water divine power to escape.

She could use her divine power in many different ways, but it wasn’t all-powerful.

She wasn’t a knight, after all, and she lacked the ability to detect the presence of someone secretly watching her.

Ivanna anxiously waited for the duke’s answer.

“I see.”

Cedric slowly stroked his chin as he looked down at the princess.

She showed no intention of telling him the truth. However, since he was partly at fault as well, Cedric came up with another way to prevent her from visiting the trading company.

“I’ll be visiting my territory in fifteen days, so keep that in mind.”

He certainly wasn’t being petty. It was true that his schedule would be free around that time.

For the first time in his life, Cedric spoke without planning his words beforehand, yet felt no regret.

At his sudden announcement that he would be visiting the ducal territory after they had been talking about the capital, her sky-blue eyes trembled.

Seeing the princess flustered, the corners of Cedric’s mouth lifted ever so slightly.

Protecting the princess was stipulated in their contract.

He was merely ensuring that she didn’t get caught up in danger, as the contract required. Cedric rationalized his impulsive behavior that way.

“Until then, behave yourself at the estate, as stipulated in the contract.”

When Cedric mentioned the contract, Ivanna clenched her fists tightly. Heat rose to her back, making it burn.

He definitely knew exactly where she had been going all this time.

She had never imagined she would actually get caught. It was her mistake for forgetting that House Reynold was different from the Imperial Palace.

What would she do if he asked about the trading company?

She had absolutely no intention of giving it up. It was the only thing she had built with her own hands.

“I’ll stay quietly at the estate until we go to your territory.”

At the sight of her face falling in an instant, Cedric frowned slightly.

“I’m not telling you to stop going outside altogether. I simply want you to avoid doing anything that might attract attention.”

“Yes. Just as the contract stipulates.”

“You remember it well.”

He spoke sarcastically, but he didn’t seem the least bit affected. Ivanna pressed her lips together.

“Your escort will arrive tomorrow, so make sure you take him with you wherever you go.”

At Cedric’s words, Ivanna tilted her head.

Did that mean she could go out again, now that he was assigning her an escort?

When the princess’s eyes sparkled, Cedric stared at her for a moment before speaking.

“I have no hobby of locking people up.”

At his words, Ivanna’s face brightened.

“But no dangerous activities, and don’t get involved in anything unnecessary.”

“I swear! I won’t do anything that could tarnish the honor of House Reynold.”

It wasn’t as though she had any intention of doing anything bad through the trading company.

Ivanna exclaimed sincerely. She had a feeling that if she missed this opportunity, she might end up stuck at the estate for good.

“I’m sorry about what happened to the servants. This wasn’t what I wanted.”

She needed to take this opportunity to show him just how quietly she could live.

“I’m sorry that it reached your ears. I’ll be more careful from now on.”

“Hah.”

After finishing her words with an anxious heart, she heard the duke let out a low sigh. When he frowned, his already intimidating face looked even more menacing.

Was being handsome really enough to make up for everything?

Especially when he had such a nasty temper.

“Are you telling me to simply stand by and let my wife be disrespected in my own home?”

At the words of my wife, Ivanna’s lips parted slightly. She hadn’t expected him to refer to her as his wife.

Wasn’t this sort of thing included in what he meant when he told her to live quietly?

It was something she could easily put up with in exchange for the generous amount of money he gave her.

When the head of a family lacked power, people looked down on them. She hadn’t even been recognized as a princess in the first place, which was why she had been treated with such contempt in the Imperial Palace.

House Reynold was no different. That was why the servants had started looking down on her and bullying her.

The duke clearly didn’t understand where power and authority came from.

Perhaps he had spent so long at the top that he had no interest in the affairs of those beneath him. Or perhaps he thought everyone lived by the rules and followed their conscience and proper etiquette.

Ivanna, who had been trying hard not to look indifferent, shook her head.

It wasn’t she who was ignorant of how the world worked. It was that man.

“If anything like that happens again, I’ll be sure to report it.”

Absolutely not.

From now on, she would have to hide things even more carefully and be more cautious when visiting the trading company.

Since he was assigning her an escort, she would have to receive only the important documents through Solar from now on.

Her dream of secretly living outside the estate had vanished just like that, but Ivanna wasn’t disappointed.

She had known from the beginning that it would be difficult. It was better not to create unnecessary trouble.

“There won’t be a repeat of this.”

After saying that, Cedric clicked his tongue softly and immediately bowed at the waist.

“I apologize for the unpleasant experience you suffered because I failed to manage my people properly.”

Ivanna took a step back, startled in an entirely different way than before.

He wasn’t apologizing because she had been mistreated as a result of his order for her to live quietly. He was simply apologizing for his failure to manage the servants properly.

When the duke raised his head, his expression was resolute. He added that he was sorry for the delay in apologizing.

“I won’t dwell on something that has already passed.”

She accepted his apology calmly, but the truth was that she felt good.

She couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from trying to curl upward.

She had actually received an apology for being treated unfairly!

Was the continent going to end tomorrow or something?

She had been convinced that he was cold and arrogant, but perhaps she had been mistaken about him.

Ivanna carefully considered what else she should say, but the words wouldn’t come easily.

The duke stood tall and proud, looking as though he had stepped straight out of an illustration in a book on etiquette.

His face was so composed and even seemed so steadfast that she suddenly felt parched.

So this is why Elisa warned me to be careful around the duke’s face!

He had merely apologized, yet her heart seemed to be beating faster. Ivanna breathed slowly, barely managing to calm her pounding heart before opening her mouth.

“Please let me know once the schedule for your visit to the territory has been finalized.”

When something felt strange, running away was the best option. After giving him an elegant, proper bow, Ivanna hurried out of the garden.

“Wait!”

She heard the duke call out from behind her, but she strode away briskly, pretending not to hear him.

I’m crazy. I must be crazy.

This was all the fault of that duke, who had acted as though he was going to torment her, only to apologize in the most unexpected situation imaginable.

As Ivanna walked away, cursing the duke in her mind, her neck turned red.

 

***

 

“Greetings. My name is Ethan Beller, and I have been appointed as your escort.”

The next morning, Ivanna received the greeting of a knight who had arrived early with the head butler.

So he really was sending an escort.

It was actually happening.

After meeting the duke the previous day, Ivanna had shut herself in her room and hadn’t come out.

She hadn’t even been able to answer Anthony when he asked what had happened. Her heart had been in a constant state of turmoil.

“Is there something about me you dislike?”

The moment she saw the escort knight, she had thought of the duke and lost herself in other thoughts.

Seeing the knight’s nervous expression, Ivanna shook her head.

She wasn’t in a position to be picky about anyone.

She should be grateful that the duke had even assigned her an escort.

“No. His Grace has sent me an escort far more capable than I deserve.”

Yesterday’s encounter felt like a dream. Even now, the head butler had come to take care of the arrangements in the knight’s place.

I should never go to the garden again.

After making that firm resolution, Ivanna examined Ethan. Her escort had neatly swept back his wavy, light brown hair.

His pale green eyes looked gentle and warm.

He seems like a good person.

Ivanna thought the duke had assigned her a decent man.

“I don’t have any plans to go out for a while, so make yourself comfortable.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

After getting an earful from the duke, she truly intended to refrain from visiting the trading company.

Besides, the duke had said they would be visiting his territory in fifteen days. She would need to prepare for the long journey as well.

“I’ll remain outside your door so as not to inconvenience you. Please call me if you need anything.”

He bowed before leaving the reception room with the head butler.

The moment the door closed, Ivanna hurriedly summoned her divine power.

“The duke is trying to lock me up!”

Ivanna pressed a hand to her forehead. She had thought the matter would end with an apology, but the very next day, he had suddenly assigned her an escort.

Is he planning to keep an even closer eye on me?!