The Munchkin Princess Wants to Run Away Chapter 27

“Thank goodness.”

Ivanna finally let out a sigh of relief as well.

“What happened to the horses?”

—Judging by the fact that we’re receiving their signals, it seems none of the horses have died.

Only then did Ivanna release the breath she had been holding.

—The knights are working to clear the debris, so please wait a little longer.

“Understood.”

With that, Cedric switched off the communication stone.

“Are you cold?”

After finishing the conversation, he examined Ivanna.

“No. I’m fine.”

Cedric stared intently at the princess as she shook her head, then took off his outer coat. He carefully draped it over her shoulders.

“If you’re frightened, you may lean on me a little more.”

Ivanna’s eyes widened when he gently supported her waist.

‘Why is he acting like this all of a sudden?’

She had no idea how to interpret the repeated kindness he had shown her since yesterday.

“This isn’t something one experiences every day, so it’s understandable that you’re shaken. Please let me know if you feel unwell.”

Bewildered by the duke’s calm concern for her, Ivanna simply nodded.

One moment he was kind, and the next he was cold.

She simply couldn’t make sense of his behavior.

Instead, Ivanna tried to regain her composure as quickly as possible so she wouldn’t disrupt their schedule.

“We’ve prepared not only emergency rations but also bedding and clothes in case the rescue takes a long time, so there’s no need to be anxious. Just in case, we’ve brought enough supplies to last a full fifteen days.”

“Pardon?”

Fifteen days in a carriage?

Of course, with preservation magic and weight-reduction magic, it was entirely possible to prepare that much.

“You really set out even though you foresaw the landslide?”

Wouldn’t it have been better to postpone the trip at this point? Ivanna stared at Cedric in confusion.

“Wouldn’t it be better to stay safe rather than risk danger?”

“That isn’t entirely wrong, but the inconvenient road between the two territories was also a major concern.”

What did the poor condition of the road have to do with the reason he’d pushed ahead so recklessly? Ivanna tilted her head, unable to follow his reasoning.

“It’s true that House Reynold has considerable influence in the southern region, but we can’t spend the ducal family’s budget on everything, can we?”

Cedric checked whether Ivanna’s trembling was gradually subsiding.

“There was no road between the two territories, so I ordered them to build one a long time ago. However, it was to no avail.”

Besides, with magic circles available, the nobles felt even less need for a road.

It was essential for the people’s sake, yet the territories involved had refused to take action. This was the drastic measure he had chosen to force their hand.

Now that the ducal couple had been caught in a landslide while traveling along the narrow mountain road, they would have no choice but to find a way to resolve the problem.

“I’m sorry for dragging you into this.”

“More importantly, are you saying you deliberately got caught in a landslide, putting people’s lives at risk?”

“I simply made more thorough preparations in case of unforeseen danger.”

Should she call him a man obsessed with efficiency?

Or a lunatic who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals?

For the first time, Ivanna wanted to curse the duke.

“I didn’t want to go through something so terrifying. And I don’t think anyone else would want to, either.”

“Neither did I.”

He certainly didn’t look like it.

“That was far too reckless.”

“People from both territories will come running, so the road will be cleared within an hour.”

He had sent the mages ahead for precisely that reason.

Count Lavern was loyal to House Reynold, but he had subtly informed Cedric that negotiations between the two territories had stalled because his own territory couldn’t shoulder all the expenses.

Therefore, if Cedric wanted to see the road completed, he first had to put pressure on Baron Marent, the lord of the neighboring territory.

“I apologize for putting you through something so frightening. However, there were reasons we couldn’t afford to delay our schedule any further.”

The man who had been so brazen suddenly apologized, leaving Ivanna speechless.

She even felt betrayed. Everyone had known about this except her!

She was so worried about Solar and Anthony that she could barely contain herself.

“You really are physically frail. You’re still trembling.”

Seeing the fury blazing in Ivanna’s eyes, Cedric clicked his tongue and sat her on his lap.

“Your Grace! That’s not—!”

Ivanna hurriedly grabbed his shoulder and tried to get up.

“I have no ulterior motives. You seem terribly shaken, so I’m simply helping you calm down. There’s no need to worry.”

That’s exactly the problem! I’m not frightened. I’m angry!

“I’ve calmed down now! This is—!”

“But you’re still trembling, aren’t you? I read in a book that when a child is frightened, patting their shoulder or holding them can help.”

“I’m not a child.”

Ivanna shot back, narrowing her eyes at his treatment of her like a little girl.

“How can you not be young when there’s a five-year age difference between us?”

With a single gesture, Cedric dismissed her refusal and gently held the princess in his arms.

“If you fall asleep, we’ll have arrived at the baron’s territory by then.”

“I told you I’m not a child!”

She was utterly dumbfounded.

She huffed in frustration, unable to contain her anger, but he merely patted her back at regular intervals as though soothing a younger sister.

‘What is this?’

Ivanna let out an incredulous laugh at the absurdity of the situation.

No matter what she tried to say, he only reassured her that everything was fine and continued stroking her back.

With his warm body and steady, soothing touch, her tension really did begin to ease, and drowsiness crept over her.

Under normal circumstances, she would never have been able to relax while leaning against someone else.

‘What a strange man.’

The duke really was strange. She had no idea what sort of book he had read that made him behave this way toward her.

A child?

That was hardly something to say to a twenty-four-year-old princess. Wasn’t he treating her like a little girl?

She was furious, but before she knew it, Ivanna had closed her eyes and fallen into a deep sleep.

‘She really is physically frail.’

When he heard her deep, steady breathing inside the carriage, Cedric lowered his eyes to check on the princess. Her body, which had been cold, was finally beginning to warm up.

He regretted not telling her about the plan beforehand.

However, he had prepared thoroughly, and it was necessary, so he couldn’t postpone it.

The likelihood of a landslide had been fifty-fifty. If they had passed through safely, he had intended to pressure the territories into widening the road by other means.

If he hadn’t married, he would have carried out the plan alone. Since the princess was accompanying him, however, he had placed greater emphasis on safety.

‘I haven’t upheld my end of the contract properly, so compensation is in order.’

Cedric spread out his coat and carefully laid the princess down. Since he couldn’t take out the bedding, he had no choice but to let her use his legs as a pillow.

Looking down at the documents scattered in disarray, he folded his arms and quietly closed his eyes.

Nearby, the horses whinnied anxiously, while the distant sounds of people moving back and forth reached his ears.

As he had expected, a rescue request would have been sent out as soon as the landslide occurred.

Knock, knock.

“Shh.”

At the sound of someone knocking on the carriage door, Cedric signaled for them to be quiet.

He had already watched from outside as the soil was cleared away, so he gently opened the carriage door.

“The rescue is complete.”

Marcel carefully surveyed the inside of the carriage, spotted the sleeping princess, and reported in a hushed voice.

“Well done. Her Highness is asleep, so move to the territory as quickly as possible.”

“Yes. We’ll depart immediately.”

It took quite some time to right the tilted carriage. During that time, the princess remained fast asleep in Cedric’s arms.

Once the carriage was back in position, Cedric carefully laid the princess down on the seat again.

While trapped inside the carriage, he had considered many things, but Cedric had finally made his decision.

‘The princess clearly doesn’t realize how frail she is.’

Therefore, if anything happened to her, it would be as though he had acquired a disqualifying flaw himself.

A clicking sound escaped Cedric’s tongue naturally.

There was no way the imperial family would accept a loss.

He gazed down at the princess in silence. He had no feelings for her. That was what a contractual marriage meant.

He was merely acting in accordance with the contract because circumstances left him no choice. She was keeping her promise, too.

Cedric concluded that he was simply fulfilling the terms of their agreement faithfully.