The Munchkin Princess Wants to Run Away Chapter 24

“Your Highness is a member of the imperial family. There is no reason for you to use the word ‘dare’ when speaking of your hopes.”

The countess smiled gently.

“Everyone loves the empire, after all.”

At the countess’s words, Ivanna followed suit and raised the corners of her mouth.

She loved this empire? The woman was seriously mistaken.

Love? All Ivanna felt was resentment. If she could, she would run away this very instant.

But she couldn’t tell the truth about how she really felt.

“How could I not love this beautiful country?”

Instead, she said what a princess was expected to say.

“You’re a remarkably mature young woman. I believe I may have misunderstood you, Your Highness.”

“I imagine others think similarly. It doesn’t matter.”

Perhaps because the tea party was so different from what she had expected, Ivanna was gradually losing her energy. She had made an excuse about being ill, but just in case, she had even memorized the latest dress styles popular in the capital.

Ivanna had hurriedly prepared various topics to discuss, from designs that emphasized a slimmer waist to newly developed fabrics made from plants that had managed to grow despite the drought.

And then it happened.

“I heard that coarse fabrics have recently become fashionable in the capital. Have you heard anything about them?”

“Oh, you mean sabric! I learned about it when I had my own clothes made recently. It’s not that coarse at all.”

The countess, who had been silently drinking her tea for a while, finally asked a question, and Ivanna answered promptly.

She felt instantly pleased, as though she had come prepared with the correct answers to a predicted exam.

“This is the fabric I was referring to.”

There was a plant born with mana in its very nature that had managed to grow in the drought-stricken land, where hardly any grass should have survived.

She had heard that people had struggled to find a use for it because it tasted bad and couldn’t be used medicinally. Eventually, they had taken advantage of its tough, durable fibers and processed it into fabric.

But simply being tough and durable wouldn’t make it suitable for aristocratic clothing.

So they had added a special solution and treated the fabric to make it soft and give it a subtle sheen.

Thanks to that process, they had created an expensive, distinctive fabric favored by the nobility.

“Oh, you mean the section layered over the chest?”

“It’s very soft and smooth.”

The magical processing also made it lightweight. With the weather gradually growing warmer, it seemed like something that could even be worn in the middle of summer.

“It’s lightweight and has been treated to absorb sweat, so it feels comfortable even in this humid weather.”

Ivanna’s eyes curved into crescents. The countess paused briefly when she saw the bright, sparkling blue of Ivanna’s eyes.

“You seem to know quite a lot about fabrics.”

“I learned about it while having clothes made for the long journey.”

What Ivanna couldn’t tell her was that the fabric had actually been developed by Dandelion Trading Company.

It was the result of experimenting with whatever they could find while searching for a local specialty that people in underdeveloped regions could use to make a living.

In truth, the magical treatment was the key to the fabric, not the grass itself. Ivanna had hired academy students who needed money.

Thanks to that, the mages involved in developing the fabric were happily producing it nonstop, satisfied with the enormous number of orders and the substantial wages they were receiving.

The farmers gathering the grass were also able to live fairly comfortably, aside from the hardships caused by the water shortage.

‘Once I return to the capital, I should visit other regions under the pretext of traveling.’

Ivanna thought back to how the fabric had come to be as she considered her next steps.

It was about time the areas around the capital began experiencing water shortages as well.

“Is that so? Sabric can’t be the first fabric to undergo magical treatment. Why do you think it has become so fashionable?”

Faced with the countess’s suspicious gaze, Ivanna thought for a moment before offering her opinion.

“Perhaps it’s because we focused more on convenience. People prefer something comfortable to something heavy and cumbersome, after all.”

It should be fine to say at least that much.

“Would aristocrats abandon their dignity simply for the sake of convenience?”

“Wouldn’t it be better if there were a way to preserve our dignity while remaining comfortable?”

They always said that elegance came from within, not from one’s clothes. Yet now the countess was using clothing as an excuse to criticize her. It was such a typical aristocratic way of thinking.

“And I heard that the sheen comes from crushed gemstones.”

They had engraved preservation magic into the fabric, so there was no need to worry about it tearing or the gemstones falling off.

Ivanna’s eyes were filled with pride as she looked at the masterpiece she and the others had created.

Starting with the discussion about fabric, the conversation, which had briefly stalled, moved on to a variety of other topics.

‘How long does she intend to keep this conversation going?’

Hadn’t the countess been ill for a long time? Ivanna studied the woman, whose expression had grown paler, yet who continued to sit perfectly upright.

Ivanna had thought the power struggle was over and they were simply discussing ordinary subjects, but the countess kept trying to test her at every turn.

There were many topics she couldn’t simply laugh off, forcing her to rack her brains for the first time in ages.

The countess wouldn’t report everything to the duke, would she? Ivanna might not have received any formal education since the age of ten, but members of the imperial family completed basic schooling.

Perhaps the countess considered it only natural. Even if Ivanna was merely a duchess in name, she was still expected to meet certain standards.

Having finally organized her thoughts, Ivanna set down her teacup and spoke one last time.

“You look pale. Are you all right?”

“I was enjoying our conversation so much that I lost track of time.”

The countess’s complexion really had grown paler than before.

It was only now that Ivanna noticed, distracted as she had been by the woman’s unwavering posture and clear gaze.

“I was enjoying myself, too, and failed to take your poor health into consideration.”

“I kept a young person here for far too long. Thank you for keeping an old woman company.”

The countess bowed her head slightly and rose from her seat, only to stagger a moment later.

“Countess!”

Startled, Ivanna caught the countess as she began to fall forward. The maids behind them supported her by both arms and helped her sit back down.

“Are you all right?”

Ivanna hurried to the countess’s side, trying to calm her racing heart.

“Hah… hah…”

“Does the countess have any medicine she takes when she becomes exhausted?”

When the countess could only gasp for breath without answering, Ivanna asked the maid attending her.

“She has medicine to restore her strength. I’ll bring it right away.”

Ivanna watched the exhausted countess and held her hand tightly.

“The maid will bring your medicine soon. May I stay with you until then?”

The countess’s hand felt cold, and Ivanna couldn’t bring herself to let go.

There was nothing she could do except gently rub the countess’s wrinkled hand and hope some warmth would return to it.

‘I hope she gets better.’

She had apparently suffered from the terrible disease known as Mana Erosion Syndrome for more than ten years. She probably didn’t have much time left to live.

Commoners who weren’t nobles died within six months because they couldn’t afford to hire priests and mages.

High-ranking nobles with substantial wealth, on the other hand, were known to survive for ten to fifteen years.

Ivanna continued to hold the countess’s cold hand between hers until the maid returned.

They weren’t close, and the countess had done nothing but test her, yet seeing someone suffer right before her eyes tugged at her heart.

Without even realizing it, Ivanna earnestly wished for the countess to recover, sharing her own warmth with the older woman.

“I’m… all right now.”

When a little warmth returned to the countess’s fingertips, she seemed to regain her senses and clasped Ivanna’s hand tightly.

“I’m sorry for frightening you.”

Ivanna thought she wouldn’t be able to relax until the countess had recovered at least a little.

“No, it was my fault for keeping you here when you’ve been ill for so long. After you’ve taken your medicine, may I help you back to your bedroom?”

Even though she knew the countess might not welcome the offer, Ivanna asked with an earnest expression.

“Your Highness?”

“Yes.”

The countess asked in surprise, but Ivanna nodded firmly.

She wanted to make sure the woman returned safely to her bedroom.

Wasn’t it only natural for people to feel compassion when they witnessed someone else suffering?

Ivanna justified her actions to herself.

“Very well.”

The countess hesitated briefly, seemingly taken aback. Then she studied Ivanna’s face intently before nodding.

“Haa…”

After leaving the countess’s bedroom, Ivanna let out a faint breath.

She had thought she had seen plenty of poor and sick people by now. She had been confident that something like this wouldn’t affect her.

But seeing someone collapse right before her eyes had been deeply shocking.

“Lady Ivanna? Are you all right?”

When Ivanna returned to the annex, Anthony asked again, checking on her pale face.

“Yes. I failed to take the countess’s condition into consideration.”

“But you did everything you could to help her. I think you were the one who was more startled.”

Anthony quickly helped her change clothes before guiding her toward the bed.

“How about having just some warm soup in your bedroom for dinner? You look very pale.”

Ivanna nodded absently and followed Anthony’s lead.

“I’ll prepare some warm tea. If you feel sleepy, you can go right to sleep. All right?”

Once she slipped beneath the warm blankets, she finally felt her tension begin to ease.

Even if she could do things with water, healing was beyond the scope of her abilities.