The Munchkin Princess Wants to Run Away Chapter 4

“Of course, the dress design itself is excellent, so all we need to do is change the embroidery and the colors of the accessories. It shouldn’t be a big problem.”

Marcel, who had been appalled by the additional workload, offered a solution.

“Then I’ll leave it to you to handle.”

Cedric was satisfied that the problem had been resolved so quickly.

The princess had been wearing a shabby dress that a maid might wear. There was no way she would complain about the expensive wedding attire prepared by the ducal household.

Cedric recalled Ivanna, who had blushed and seemed at a loss for words at his remarks.

She had probably learned to accept her circumstances.

There was no way a woman like that would suddenly reveal her true nature just because she had gotten married.

After visiting the princess’s palace himself, Cedric could understand why Justin had requested that her allowance for maintaining her status be deposited into her personal account.

“The princess won’t cause any trouble, so make sure the servants are properly disciplined.”

He had no intention of giving her any power, but he couldn’t allow the servants to mistreat the princess either.

He couldn’t afford to give the imperial family any grounds for complaint.

“Make absolutely sure that no rumors or complaints arise.”

As he issued his orders, Cedric believed that everything would be settled smoothly now.

Their married life would be no different from how things were at present.

The man who had never experienced failure was confident in his own judgment.

 

***

 

“Your Highness, look at this! Goodness, it suits you so well!”

Ivanna gave an awkward smile as Anthony fussed over a pair of earrings, holding them up against her ears.

She couldn’t help feeling a little excited herself.

It was the first time she had seen jewelry this expensive since she was a child. Her eyes kept wandering toward the sparkling gemstones before she even realized it.

She was earning money through her merchant company, but she still wasn’t wealthy enough to indulge in extravagant spending.

To think that the only luxury in her life would be on her wedding day.

Life was full of unexpected turns.

Seeing the ducal household’s maids glancing at her from beside her, she straightened her back to keep her posture from becoming sloppy.

“Ivanna, authority comes from your expression, your attitude, and your actions.”

Never cower under any circumstances, and never forget that you are a member of the imperial family. Ivanna pushed away the memory of the gentle voice she had heard as a child.

In truth, everything was useless when it came to money.

If she hadn’t secretly escaped the imperial palace and earned money after receiving her divine power, she would have already starved to death.

Perhaps things would be similar in the ducal household. She hoped she wouldn’t have to go hungry, but if things came to that, she would have to sneak out again.

While Ivanna imagined the worst possible life in the ducal household, the maids couldn’t take their eyes off the princess.

She seemed hardly any different from the little girl who had been praised for her angelic beauty.

Dressed in her wedding attire, the princess exuded an innocent and elegant aura, like a goddess depicted in a sacred painting.

Meanwhile, Ivanna herself gazed at the mirror with a bored expression.

‘They’re going to cover my face with a veil anyway, so why bother with makeup?’

The only thought filling her mind was how much she wanted the ceremony to end so she could lie down in bed.

Since the Duke was busy with his duties, they had decided to visit his territory whenever he had time instead of going on a honeymoon.

However, there was no telling when that would be.

That meant she could shut herself away in the spacious Duchess’s bedroom until he felt like visiting his territory after the wedding.

Naturally, she had no expectations or excitement about their wedding night.

There was no way the Duke, who had insisted that they live according to the contract, would come looking for her.

Besides, the contract contained no clauses regarding sharing a bed.

“The ceremony will begin shortly!!”

At the attendant’s announcement, Ivanna rose from her seat. All the servants bowed their heads at the elegant movements of the princess.

She was finally leaving the imperial family behind.

Ivanna believed that this fact alone made the marriage worthwhile.

 

***

 

“Ugh, I’m exhausted.”

After the ceremony ended and she returned to the bedroom, Ivanna changed into comfortable nightclothes and flopped onto the bed.

Just as she had expected, the dull and uninspiring wedding ceremony had ended quickly.

She had seen her family for the first time in a long while, but she felt nothing at all.

Only Justin had sent her a welcoming glance, but her expression had been hidden behind the bridal veil anyway.

It was a relief that she didn’t miss them as much as she had expected. She hadn’t even shed a tear.

At the wedding reception, the nobles briefly turned their attention to the princess, who had spent most of her time in seclusion.

However, Ivanna was soon able to leave the reception hall under the pretext of being tired.

After changing out of her wedding attire and sending all the maids away except Anthony, Ivanna spoke.

“No one said the Duke was coming, right?”

“I haven’t received any notice about that.”

At Anthony’s answer, Ivanna slowly wriggled under the covers.

She was so exhausted from being dragged around all day that she felt she could fall asleep the moment she closed her eyes.

“How are your accommodations?”

“We’ve both been given private rooms, so I don’t think we’ll be harassed.”

It seemed her request, which she had brought up during the contract negotiations, had been accepted.

Ivanna was pleased with the Duke for accommodating even such minor requests regarding the servants.

Perhaps he wasn’t completely unreasonable after all.

“Wouldn’t it be better for you to stay somewhere outside the ducal household?”

“How could we possibly leave you here alone? That’s out of the question.”

Anthony shook his head emphatically.

“The servants here will probably be more cautious for a while, too.”

Anthony looked brimming with confidence.

“If things get too difficult, tell me. I’ll let you leave.”

“How could I leave you behind, Lady Ivanna?”

“Then I’ll sneak out with you. What are you talking about?”

The two exchanged glances and grinned silently. In truth, she had rarely stayed in the detached palace for long, even when she was in the imperial palace.

She had always used her divine power to sneak out of the imperial palace and stay at the merchant company’s lodgings she had prepared.

“Since no one will come looking for me unless the Duke grants me the authority of the lady of the house, they probably won’t even notice if I disappear, right?”

Ivanna’s confident prediction was proven wrong the very next day.

“We will prepare the water for your morning wash.”

She had assumed that no one would come to see a lady of the house who hadn’t even spent her wedding night with her husband.

But the maids assigned to her arrived early in the morning.

Contrary to the Duke’s words that she should live as though she didn’t exist, the maids treated her with excessive politeness.

Even the head butler and the head maid came to greet her, promising to do their utmost to ensure that she would experience no inconvenience while being served.

‘They must have instructed the servants to be careful not to give the princess any grounds for complaint.’

With several maids hovering around her from early in the morning, Ivanna felt drained. She had to remain on her guard.

Her time spent enjoying the feeling of being treated so well was brief.

“My lady.”

Ivanna, who was sitting properly and drinking tea as usual, turned her head at the sound of someone calling her cautiously.

“What is it?”

“They say the grand cleaning has begun and they’re short on hands. Would it be all right if I went to help?”

One of the maids asked with a troubled expression.

“Oh, the butler told me yesterday that the cleaning would begin today.”

“Yes.”

“Go ahead and help them.”

After all, the only places she could go were her bedroom and her private drawing room.

That was why Ivanna spent each day waking up in her bedroom, moving to the drawing room after breakfast, and drinking tea there.

She would then ask the butler for books and spend her time reading. That was all she did, so there was no reason for her personal maids to stay by her side at all times.

“Thank you. We’ll take turns and arrange a schedule so that someone is always available to attend to you.”

The maid bowed deeply, expressed her gratitude with a bright face, and left the room.

‘It looks like they’re finally starting to show their true colors.’

The cleaning was obviously just an excuse.

For a personal maid, nothing was more important than the master she served.

Before the day of the divine power ceremony, the maids assigned to her had never left her side, no matter how busy they were.

Since the Duke hadn’t appeared for several days, they must have decided there was no reason to stay with her.

Would she finally be able to breathe a little easier?

Grinning to herself, Ivanna leisurely brought her teacup to her lips.

 

***

 

“Lady Ivanna, are you sure this is all right?”

Anthony was sitting comfortably on the sofa just like her, yet his face was full of dissatisfaction. Ivanna waved a hand at him.

“If we don’t do this, we won’t even have time to look through the documents.”

The maids who had used cleaning as an excuse and promised to return according to a schedule had disappeared without a trace after a week.

If they had continued following her around all day as they had before, she would have had to stay up all night secretly handling the merchant company’s documents.

She had expected the Duke to assign maids to watch her, unlike the imperial family, but they had withdrawn on their own.

She couldn’t understand the Duke’s intentions, but in truth, Solar and Anthony were all the servants she needed.

She no longer wanted to give her heart to people who weren’t truly on her side.

“It was uncomfortable having the maids interfere with everything, but I have to admit, this place is certainly more comfortable.”

Solar, who was reviewing documents on the sofa opposite her, casually sipped his tea.

The room was filled with the pleasant fragrance of high-quality tea.

As Solar had said, the Duchess’s bedroom in the ducal household was smaller than the princess’s palace, but it was much more comfortable.

The maids no longer stayed by her side, but they still visited every day and made sure the room was properly cleaned.

Perhaps they simply didn’t want the butler or the head maid to find out.

Ivanna grinned.

Thanks to that, she was finally free to review the merchant company’s documents as she pleased!

Even if she had nothing to do as the Duchess, she had a mountain of work to handle as the head of the merchant company.