TPWA 7

Chapter 7

“How did you… get here?”

“Isn’t that what I should be asking you?”

Cedric’s gaze swept over Ivanna’s clothes, whose sleeves were worn and frayed. Ivanna’s lips parted and closed again.

Should she tell him that the maids were giving her food that was practically garbage?

Or should she say that she had been so bored that she had secretly slipped out? She had been told not to cause any trouble in the mansion, after all.

The current situation was clearly a serious violation of the contract.

What if he refused to give her an allowance for maintaining her dignity because she had broken their agreement?

Ivanna clasped her hands tightly together and looked at the Duke. Her fingers fidgeted restlessly as she tried to come up with an excuse.

Would he believe her?

Grrr.

Just as she was about to tell him the truth, a loud rumbling sound came from Ivanna’s stomach.

“Ha ha ha! My lady, you already ate two skewers from my stall, and you’re still hungry? Have you been going around starving yourself?”

Seeing the serious situation unfolding in front of his stall, the skewer vendor, who had been watching nervously, hurriedly stepped in.

“Looking at how thin you are, it seems you haven’t been eating properly. Here, have another one!”

The woman might have been wearing shabby clothes, but the man’s clothes looked smooth and luxurious.

After glancing nervously at Cedric, the vendor held out another skewer to Ivanna, silently pleading with his eyes for them to take their argument somewhere else.

“Huh? It’s okay!”

Ivanna’s face was still red from embarrassment over her stomach growling. Caught off guard, she accepted the skewer and was practically pushed away by the vendor.

Just as she was about to collide with someone walking down the street, Cedric reached out and shielded her.

“Follow me.”

Looking at the princess trembling as she held her skewer, Cedric swallowed a sigh before speaking.

Sola and Anthony followed behind Cedric with their heads lowered, unable to look up because they, too, were guilty of something.

Chew, chew.

As Cedric headed toward the merchant company, he glanced down at the faint sound coming from beside him.

When he turned his head slightly, he saw something similar happening behind him as well.

The three of them were cautiously nibbling on the skewers in their hands while keeping an eye on him.

Has she gotten even thinner?

Remembering the vendor’s words, Cedric frowned and looked at the princess’s wrist.

As she held up her skewer, her wrist was clearly visible. It was as thin as the skewer itself.

Could she even walk around properly?

He found it hard to believe that the rumbling sound from the princess’s stomach had been real.

Although it was past mealtime, he could not imagine just how hungry someone had to be for their stomach to make such a loud noise.

“Come this way.”

He had been heading somewhere else, but he had no choice but to change direction.

\* \* \*

“Wow.”

Ivanna quickly shut her mouth and glanced at the Duke to see how he would react.

It was a three-story building.

The door was decorated with patterns shaped like flowers, stems, and leaves. Was that the style everyone was talking about these days?

The patterns were filled with colorful glass that allowed light to shine through.

“Let’s go in.”

He merely glanced at the door before opening it without another word.

“Welcome! Duke, it’s an honor to see you!”

An employee who immediately recognized the Duke bowed deeply in greeting.

And just like that, Ivanna found herself dining at the most expensive restaurant in the capital for the first time in her life.

“Made with fresh fish brought up from the south… And this is a steak made from a six-month-old lamb.”

Light salads, soup, and one dish after another were brought out, accompanied by lengthy explanations.

Ivanna’s eyes widened as she eagerly ate every dish that arrived.

She was conscious of the Duke sitting across from her, but this was still the kind of place she could hardly afford to visit freely with the money she earned herself.

She could not believe she was eating at such a famous restaurant. She envied the Duke’s wealth.

Although she had started receiving an allowance to maintain her dignity, she still lacked the courage to spend money lavishly.

But with food this delicious and full of flavor, she felt she could eat here every single day.

“So, why did you leave the mansion?”

After they finished their meal in silence, the Duke finally asked the question he had been holding back.

To be honest, it had been a waste of time. Whether the princess wandered around the city had nothing to do with him.

He had been about to reprimand her for breaking her promise to him when the sound from her stomach made him hesitate.

The fact that the princess was so thin was a problem.

Therefore, he had to give her a fair chance to explain why she had broken her promise to stay quietly in the mansion.

“Well…”

“Tell me the truth.”

At his cold voice, Ivanna had been fiddling with her water glass, but she immediately raised her eyes.

It was true that she had disobeyed his orders by leaving without an escort. However, the maids were the ones who had caused the problem in the first place.

“There seems to be a problem with the ingredients, so your meal will be delayed a little. We apologize.”

At first, she had thought it was simply an honest mistake. The maid who apologized had not looked the least bit troubled, so Anthony had immediately gone to find the head maid.

At first, when the head maid apologized and explained that the schedule had been delayed because everyone was busy with a thorough cleaning, Ivanna had graciously accepted her explanation.

She had thought things would get better after that, but as expected, the situation only got worse.

Both the excuse that the maids were busy with a thorough cleaning and the resulting delays in her meals were simply the beginning of their disrespect toward her.

Since she had experienced this kind of treatment countless times before, Ivanna did not think much of it and answered calmly.

“The maids haven’t been serving me proper meals. I was hungry, so I only went outside to buy something to eat.”

“Your meals?”

Cedric folded his arms.

He was trying to determine whether her words were true. According to the butler’s report from earlier, the princess had supposedly been adjusting well to life in the mansion.

Furthermore, there were records detailing the food, clothing, and other necessities provided to her.

That meant either the princess was lying or the report submitted by the head maid was false.

“I see. I’ll investigate the matter properly and make sure it’s corrected.”

Cedric simply thought she was making excuses because she wanted to go outside.

She had been confined even in the Imperial Palace, after all. Perhaps she had thought she would be able to enjoy more freedom in the Duke’s mansion.

“I’ll arrange an escort for you as soon as possible. Until then, please refrain from sneaking out of the mansion. Your safety is more important than anything else.”

“Yes. I understand.”

The princess’s face remained expressionless as she answered. She no longer looked anxious or uneasy as she had earlier.

“I’ll send a knight to escort you back to the mansion. Please return safely.”

Cedric found her reaction puzzling, but he stood up and warned her once more before leaving.

He decided to end his train of thought there, telling himself that he needed to arrange an escort for her quickly. Then he left the restaurant, leaving Ivanna alone.

“He doesn’t believe a word I say.”

There had been no point in telling the truth after all. Ivanna let out a faint sigh.

The look in his eyes when she mentioned that her meals were not being served properly had been one of suspicion.

It was as if he were asking whether she was so desperate to go outside that she would even disregard their contract.

“Ugh. I’m really hungry, though. Do I have to starve to death or something?”

He said her safety was his top priority, yet he did not even know what was going on inside his own mansion.

Ivanna scrunched up her nose, feeling deeply wronged. Her indignation and frustration stirred up a courage she had not possessed before.

From now on, I’ll sneak out every day.

He might want her to stay quiet, but if her safety was really that important to him, then she would come into the city every day and enjoy delicious meals.

Having made up her mind, Ivanna thoroughly devoured the desserts that were brought out while waiting for the knight Cedric had sent.

\* \* \*

“Where is the head of the merchant company?”

While Ivanna was making up her mind to escape from the Duke’s mansion, Cedric arrived at his original destination: the merchant company.

“He’s in his office.”

At the employee’s reply, Cedric immediately went upstairs.

“Welcome, Your Grace.”

Cedric gestured for the head of the merchant company, who was beginning to rise from his seat, to remain seated and accept his greeting.

“Have you identified the merchant companies involved in the smuggling?”

“Yes. It appears that five or six companies are involved.”

The head of the merchant company stood up and handed Cedric a list of the companies he had found.

Bartok, Grayfin, Drakmoon, Cabel, Eldren.

Dandelion?

Among the respectable-sounding names, one strange and unimpressive name caught his eye.

Wasn’t a dandelion just a wildflower?

It was rare for a merchant company to choose a name like that, especially when its name helped determine the impression it made on others.

It seemed to be a front company used to divert funds behind the scenes.

Cedric frowned and asked the head of the merchant company,

“What does Dandelion Trading deal in?”

“You find the name strange, too, don’t you?”

The head of the merchant company nodded as if he understood Cedric’s reaction.

“It’s a company that has recently started expanding. I also thought something might be suspicious, so I traced its financial transactions, but I haven’t found any useful information yet.”

He reported what he had discovered while investigating the company, which he had found somewhat unusual.

“At first, they sold purified water to commoners. Then they grew by selling herbal tea and small decorative items. Recently, it seems they’ve also started trading expensive jewelry and minerals.”

As he listened to the report, Cedric carefully reviewed the items handled by Dandelion Trading.

There certainly did not seem to be any suspicious circumstances suggesting money laundering. After all, the initial capital would have come from whatever money the company already possessed.

Purified water, huh?

He slowly rubbed his chin.

The fact that the company had recently expanded its range of goods so significantly still bothered him.

I’ll have to investigate Dandelion Trading more thoroughly.