The Munchkin Princess Wants to Run Away Chapter 8

“Perhaps they started smuggling goods as they expanded their merchant company.”

“I think so, too. Recently, that merchant company has been buying up high-grade gemstones and ores.”

Buying up ore under the pretext of expanding the range of goods they traded was a very common tactic.

Moreover, the recently added items included not only gemstones but also food supplies.

“Just in case, keep a close eye on our inventory so we don’t get dragged into anything unnecessary.”

“Yes. I’ll be careful.”

Cedric tucked away the information he had received and stood up.

“Lady Ivanna, are you really sure it’s okay for us to keep coming out like this?”

“The Duke won’t find out anyway, will he?”

Ivanna shrugged at Anthony’s anxious expression.

A few days later, the meals were still in a terrible state, so she had eventually decided to go out again.

It seemed the Duke’s promise to investigate the meals had been nothing but empty words.

At the entrance of the building where they arrived was a sign bearing the name Dandelion, decorated with the shape of a flower.

“I can’t believe I haven’t seen this beautiful face for over a month!”

A red-haired woman came running toward Ivanna, her hair flying behind her, and pulled her into a tight embrace.

“Congratulations on your marriage!”

“Thank you.”

Elisa, the head of the merchant company who was acting in Ivanna’s place, handed her a box with a bright smile.

“This will suit you perfectly, Lady Ivanna.”

Anthony’s face brightened as he examined the box with her. Inside was a matching set of earrings and a bracelet.

“I don’t understand why you never seem interested in dressing up, Lady Ivanna, even though you’re making so much money now.”

“We’re not quite at that level yet.”

Ivanna shook her head at Anthony’s complaint.

“Anyway, is it really weapons smuggling?”

“Yes. It seems several merchant companies have been secretly diverting weapons to Tritan.”

The very thing they had feared had come true.

It seemed the neighboring kingdom really was about to plunge into a civil war.

“Why does it have to happen at a time like this?”

The merchant company was in the middle of a growth phase.

They had been steadily expanding the range of goods they dealt in, from high-end accessories and gemstones to food supplies.

“Ugh. We won’t get caught up in this, will we? We’ve been buying ore, too, just in case.”

After considering the possibility that her divine power might be exposed, Ivanna had planned several escape routes out of the imperial family.

If they tried to subdue her by force, she needed to have a way to fight back.

She had been training mercenaries to escort the merchant company’s goods and stockpiling weapons and the ores needed to make them.

At this rate, they might end up being accused of smuggling.

“We need to keep a close eye on our inventory. What should we do with the ores?”

“That won’t be a problem. We can just claim that we bought all sorts of things recklessly in an attempt to expand the business.”

Elisa, who had hired plenty of artisans just in case, spoke confidently.

“We can turn them all into accessories.”

“Who would buy such cheap-looking accessories?”

“We could sell them to commoners, at least.”

At Elisa’s insistence that they could make something work, Ivanna nodded.

Steel and alloy steel were far too inexpensive and poor in quality for nobles to use as accessories, even if they were suitable for weapons.

“They might look too crude even for commoners to wear as accessories. How about expanding our range of self-defense items, decorations, or household goods instead?”

“If they’re cheap, commoners will buy them faster than we can make them! But I think your idea is good, too, Lady Ivanna.”

Elisa brightened at Ivanna’s suggestion. She welcomed any idea that could make money, no matter what it was.

“Steel might be a little rough, but it’s sturdy. If we pay attention to the craftsmanship, plenty of people will want to buy it.”

“It would also be good to hire impoverished artisans and provide them with jobs.”

At Elisa’s suggestion, Ivanna thought of the people she had seen at the ends of the streets, repairing old accessories, keys, and other small items.

“That would also be a good way to improve the merchant company’s reputation.”

“Since we’re just starting out, I’d like us to try things little by little without pushing ourselves too hard.”

She hadn’t established the merchant company with the goal of making a fortune in the first place. She had simply wanted to find a way to earn enough to get through each day.

After leaving the imperial palace, she saw the streets filled with poor people. It was the first time in her life she had witnessed the empire in its raw, unvarnished state.

The central streets were splendid, but the farther one went toward the outskirts, the darker they became, filled with foul odors.

There, Ivanna had encountered people who could barely drink the water pooled on the ground, their eyes devoid of life.

Those people reminded her of herself, living without the slightest hope, and she couldn’t simply stand by and do nothing.

Let’s do something. Anything.

With that thought, she had established the merchant company.

At first, she acted without knowing what she was doing. As a result, she had even lost the little money she possessed to con artists.

After numerous twists and turns, she had built a crude water purification device and started selling water purified with her divine power. That was when she met Elisa.

Elisa had immediately recognized the value of the water Ivanna purified and brought her into the business.

“There’s no shortage of things we can do with copper and brass, so those aren’t a concern. The problem is meteoric iron and abyssal ore.”

Elisa, who had been mentally organizing their tasks, brought up another issue.

“We’ll use those to make weapons for Lady Ivanna. If we say we’re developing a self-defense weapon for the head of the merchant company, we can avoid suspicion.”

Meteoric iron and abyssal ore were expensive minerals that were difficult to obtain.

Meteoric iron was sturdy enough to withstand a knight’s aura, while abyssal ore, which reacted with water, was used in water-attribute magical weapons.

“To think that after spending so much money and going through all that trouble to acquire these ores, I’ll have to use them just to make weapons for myself.”

Ivanna let out a weary groan.

It was a shame to use abyssal ore, which could have been sold at a high price, to make weapons for herself, but she had no choice.

At least she could make it seem as though she was using magic circles to channel her power instead of her divine power, so it wasn’t a complete loss.

She had been planning to develop and launch a new weapon, but she would have to postpone it for a while.

If information about this had reached her, then news of the ore smuggling must already have spread among those who were quick to gather information.

The merchant companies actually involved in the smuggling would probably be lying low and looking for someone else to throw to the wolves in their place.

“Do your best to keep us from getting tangled up in anything troublesome.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll send the food supplies we purchased to regions suffering from severe drought.”

“Good. It would be better to use them as relief supplies.”

Ivanna let out a faint sigh.

“Have there been any reports of rain?”

“How can people know what the sky has in store?”

Elisa looked at Ivanna with a meaningful expression and chuckled.

“If it keeps not raining, we’ll be in serious trouble…”

“That’s something for the people in high places to worry about, not you, Lady Ivanna.”

She shook her head firmly.

“Am I not one of those people in high places?”

“What are you talking about when you don’t even have any power?”

At Elisa’s pointed reminder that she should either expand the merchant company further or build up her influence as a duchess, Ivanna let out a quiet sigh.

She still hadn’t told Elisa that she had received the divine power of water. However, there was a good chance Elisa had already figured it out to some extent.

After all, Elisa had never questioned her, even when Ivanna brought in large quantities of purified, contaminated water.

In fact, even after Ivanna revealed that she was a princess, Elisa had done nothing but pull her into a tight embrace.

‘Could it be that it hasn’t rained because I’m not using my divine power?’

An unspoken anxiety rose all the way to the back of her throat.

It was an unease that had begun on the day she received her divine power. She felt compelled to use the power that had been bestowed upon her.

Ivanna had been using her divine power little by little, careful not to let anyone discover it.

Since no one cared about the discarded youngest princess, she had been able to use her water divine power freely in her own palace.

It was convenient for everything, from bathing to drinking water.

Solar and Anthony’s work had become much easier only after she received her divine power.

“In any case, the drought isn’t something you need to worry about, Lady Ivanna. I heard that the mages are even considering ways to induce artificial rainfall.”

“Artificial rainfall?”

“Yes. Apparently, they’re looking for a way to make it rain through magic. I heard they’re showing signs of success, so don’t worry.”

At Elisa’s firm insistence that it was all for the imperial family to handle, Ivanna nodded.

“How is life at the ducal estate?”

“It’s comfortable. There’s nothing I need to worry about.”

“Would it be difficult for you to move out and live here entirely?”

“I’m considering that, too.”

Ivanna nodded at Elisa’s hopeful expression.

All she had to do was meet the Duke and persuade him, but that was no easy task. Even though they lived in adjacent rooms, she had yet to run into him even once at the ducal estate.

The Duke wasn’t interested in her anyway.

Even if she started visiting the merchant company more often, he probably wouldn’t notice. He would never imagine that she might be sitting here, reviewing documents at a merchant company like this.

Ivanna turned to the next document with a much lighter heart.

At the same time, outside the merchant company, a man was keeping watch over the entrance.

Dandelion Trading Company, 2:30 p.m.

The shadow the Duke had assigned to the princess was meticulously recording her movements.