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Chapter 9
“Please drop by more often. If I don’t see the beautiful Lady Ivanna frequently, my work efficiency drops, you know.”
Reviewing the documents, Ivanna burst into laughter at Elisa, who was rubbing her cheek against Ivanna’s face.
“Nonsense. You do just fine even without me.”
“I’m telling you, seeing a pretty person gives me extra strength.”
“You’re prettier than I am, Elisa. What are you talking about?”
Hair as red as a blazing torch, and amber eyes filled with confidence.
Elisa possessed a striking face and a supple body that would make anyone turn their heads to look.
Compared to her, Ivanna was merely skin and bones, and pale to boot.
She had a somewhat weak and pitiful impression, so no matter how fiercely she glared or put strength into her posture, she never looked intimidating.
Without keeping one’s wits sharp, it’s the kind of face that swindlers would flock to.
Indeed, when she first started the trading guild, plenty of shady characters had attached themselves to her.
She had been forced to start her business with mere pocket change, barely enough to buy a bowl of thin soup with a few bits of ingredients floating in it.
Yet there were humans who targeted even that sum, smaller than the dust on one’s clothes.
“Goodness, Lady Ivanna! If you had entered high society, noble families would have lined up out the door to marry you!”
Even at this wedding, rumors were rampant that an angel had descended!
Unable to contain her frustration, Elisa wrapped Ivanna in a tight hug.
This beautiful and lovely Princess needed someone who would recognize her true worth and cherish her.
That was why Elisa had done her utmost to hide Ivanna’s power and protect her so she could meet a good person.
Of all people, to end up married to the cold and bleak Duke Reynolds. The Imperial Family had sold the Princess off for a steep price.
When news of the Princess’s marriage spread throughout the capital, the person who flared with the greatest rage was Elisa.
She had assumed they would send her off to a monastery for being an inadequate princess who failed to receive divine power, only for them to suddenly push forward with a marriage.
Had she known in advance, she would have shoved some decent fellow from another noble family into the running instead!
To her eyes, Duke Reynolds was a man without a shred of blood or tears.
The ultimate weapon forged by the Reynolds Duchy. Excluding imperial family members who received divine power, he was the strongest human on the continent.
A monster who entered the ranks of transcendents at the young age of twenty.
The previous duke stepped down from his title and departed for his territory the moment his son became a transcendent.
He did so out of the conviction that his son would grow the already immensely powerful Reynolds Duchy into something even more formidable.
Just as the former duke wished, the current Duke Reynolds had grown the Duchy into a house magnificent enough to rival the Imperial Family itself.
“Rather than me, it seems men would be lining up to marry you, Elisa. Why are you living all by yourself?”
Unaware of Elisa’s burning inner frustration, Ivanna smiled with her eyes curved gently.
“I’ll be heading back late today, so I’ll help you organize the documents as much as possible.”
“Please drop by as often as you can.”
Looking at the gentle Ivanna, Elisa spoke with eyes brimming with tears. The problem lay with the Imperial Family, who had abandoned such a capable princess to rot.
“Alright.”
Ivanna smiled and nodded at the earnest amber eyes.
Elisa doting on her and finding her adorable was hardly a new thing, after all.
Having also received permission to go out as long as she was accompanied by an escort, Ivanna had no intention of staying stuck in the Duchy for long either.
It’ll probably be more comfortable for the Duke if I stay out of sight.
Neither the Imperial Castle nor the Duchy had a place for her.
Perhaps it would have been better had she never been born in the first place.
Ivanna swallowed the dark gloom inside her heart while taking in the bustling scenery she hadn’t enjoyed in a long time.
* * *
“It seems the Duke doesn’t have the leeway to check all the way down to the bottom tier either.”
A month had already passed since she began sneaking out secretly.
In the meantime, she had inwardly harbored expectations that her treatment might change, but not a single alteration had occurred.
Liar.
“No matter how immense the power His Majesty holds, his gaze cannot possibly reach all the way down to the street level, after all.”
At Ivanna’s murmur, Sola responded cynically. It had been the exact same in the Imperial Family.
Even the imperial family members themselves were well aware that the youngest princess was receiving absurd treatment, yet they turned a blind eye.
“It’s simply what we expected to happen anyway. We have no choice but to come out frequently, just as planned. How about seafood for a change?”
Anthony brushed it off as nothing out of the ordinary, noting that it was hardly any different from what they endured in the Imperial Castle.
“Sounds good. Since the Duke wished for me to stay quiet, dining outside is far better than causing a scene inside.”
At the mention of seafood, Ivanna’s eyes sparkled. The thought of a simmered, broth-rich dish packed with seafood came to mind.
The Duke had told her not to travel outside until an escort was assigned for her safety, but an escort might not be assigned until the day she died.
“Rather than needlessly catching the Duke’s eye, it would be better to execute the plan we discussed last time as quickly as possible.”
“I’ll frequently slip in and out of the mansion to pretend you’re staying inside.”
“Would you do that for me?”
At Anthony’s words, Ivanna’s expression brightened.
As long as we don’t get caught by the Duke, won’t things work out somehow? Hope reared its head.
As long as Anthony, who was responsible for her overall living care, occasionally moved around the mansion, it would stave off any suspicion that she was absent.
Sola was engaged not only in guild-related matters but also in compiling various other pieces of information, so he didn’t reveal himself often within the Duchy anyway.
“To avoid suspicion, let’s at least take a walk in the garden once a week.”
Ivanna burst into a smile at the thought of escaping the Duchy, which was no different from the Imperial Castle.
Since that side provided the pretext first, they’ll have nothing to say even if I go outside often.
The corners of Ivanna’s lips curved upward in satisfaction. The safety the Duke mentioned was being protected by her divine power anyway, so there was no problem.
“Just in case, let’s wait and see for a few days. The butler did say he would issue a warning.”
That day, the three of them dined at the most famous seafood restaurant in the capital.
The next morning, having finished her meal with food bought in advance, Ivanna looked around her surroundings.
Now, even the maid who used to clean was no longer coming.
When she mentioned the fact to the head maid, the woman claimed she would punish the maids.
Yet still, no one came to clean.
Thus, she was using her divine power to help Anthony clean up quickly.
“Let’s hang out here until lunch, and then head to an expensive restaurant for dinner.”
“Sounds great.”
Looking at the two faces brightening, Ivanna couldn’t hide her guilt. They were undoubtedly receiving treatment even worse than hers.
“Since we’re staying for a while today anyway, I should head to the library.”
She wondered if there might be unique books in the Duchy’s library that she hadn’t been able to read in the Imperial Castle.
Seeing Ivanna’s eyes filled with curiosity, Anthony had no choice but to nod in agreement.
Having finished their hearty meal brought from outside, the three took a brief rest.
“I don’t want to eat lunch here, so let’s move right away.”
Looking around the drab reception room, Ivanna pushed herself up and headed toward the library.
Along the way, the servants she encountered avoided her as if running into a plague.
Though they offered greetings out of form, not a shred of reverence for the Duchess could be seen.
What a mess.
Faced with treatment no different from what she endured in the Imperial Castle, Ivanna swallowed a sneer.
The more power was concentrated in a place, the more sensitive people were to strength.
Was that why? Having no voice to speak with, she was always an object of contempt.
“Do you think she’s even grazed the hem of His Grace’s clothes?”
The moment she turned the corner leading to the library, a sneering voice echoed from behind.
Why on earth would I graze the hem of his clothes? He’s someone I have no reason to see anyway.
She had never once imagined that Duke Reynolds would bear a child with her.
She would simply remain a Duchess in name only, and if he ever brought home an illegitimate child, she would just recognize that child’s right of succession.
He had simply brought the Princess along because it benefited the Duchy; Cedric Reynolds was a man who held zero expectations of her.
Their marriage was a transaction, not something based on love or any kind of affection.
I suppose that’s the case for other people as well.
Ivanna recalled the Duke for the first time in a long while.
He’s handsome, sure, but his temperament looks far too fierce for my liking.
Walking down the hallway, she completed her assessment of the Duke.
“It’s certainly simpler than the bullying in the Imperial Castle. To think this level of treatment feels liveable.”
“What?”
Once the distance widened, Anthony spoke humorously.
Ivanna burst into a soft laugh at Anthony’s playful face.
“Well, the Imperial Family never gave us our budget on time. The Duke, who at least hands over the money properly, is better.”
“He won’t reduce the maintenance allowance later just because you don’t do anything, right?”
“It’s an item written in the contract, so he won’t be able to touch it.”
At Anthony’s suspicious gaze, Ivanna burst into laughter once more. Her clear laughter echoed softly through the quiet space.
At the sound of her laughter, a door on the upper floor closed swiftly and silently.
