The Perfect Bride - Chapter 23

“Good evening, Lady Warfield.”

“Oh, Your Highness the Prince.”

The baroness curtsied awkwardly. She hadn’t expected the prince to approach first and couldn’t hide her surprise. Though he had already helped her before, there was a trace of wariness in her eyes as she looked at him.

“Well, Prince Ian…”

“The Prince?”

“…He says he’s a huge fan of David.”

Natalie had made that up when her mother pressed her about how the prince knew her.

The baroness had once heard vague rumors that the prince lived a rather scandalous life, but she’d dismissed them as baseless gossip.

However, after learning he was supposedly obsessed with the notorious erotic novels that had once turned the nation upside down, her conservative view began to shift. It didn’t help that his sacred, princely appearance gave her a sense of reverence.

‘How could someone so graceful be into something so indecent?’ Her misunderstanding of the prince deepened, but Natalie couldn’t be bothered.

Finally regaining her senses, Natalie bowed a moment too late.

The prince’s gaze lingered on Natalie’s face before dropping to her dark gray dress, which was so modest it made her look like a dowager.

He smiled elegantly. “A splendid dress.”

“…Thank you.”

Natalie realized her subtle act of defiance hadn’t affected him in the slightest. She had expected as much, but the frustration still stung.

“May I have the honor of this next dance?” asked the prince casually, as if it were a mere formality.

Natalie stared seriously at the large palm extended toward her. It was natural to dance at a ball. But…

Taking that hand felt like accepting the absurd bargain he had proposed.

How did it come to this? Her head spun with the weight of it all. Just as she felt she might explode, the baroness leaned in and whispered urgently.

“Natalie. Are you really going to keep the prince waiting?”

The prince?

Natalie, on the verge of spiraling into self-destruction, finally came to her senses.

“Gladly. It would be my honor, Your Highness.”

Trying to sound indifferent, Natalie lightly placed her fingertips in his hand. She flinched at the unexpected warmth of his skin.

Afraid he had noticed her reaction, she quickly looked away. Fortunately, he said nothing. He simply pulled her in slowly. Though she wanted to freeze in place, she obediently followed.

Like every other couple on the floor, the two stood face to face, surrounded by curiosity and anticipation.

The hall buzzed with murmurs and the sound of instruments being tuned. Natalie kept her eyes fixed on the floor, convinced every whisper was about her.

Her mind spun so fast she didn’t know how she was still upright. Then, above her head, came a breezy voice.

“With that look, you make me seem like a villain.”

His tone had grown informal, and there was a hint of amusement in his expression.

He took her left hand and positioned it, then murmured softly, “You heard everything, didn’t you? It was a proposal made with you in mind.”

‘…That? Was he seriously saying that?’

He didn’t seem to expect a response. As he led her, Natalie slowly raised her arm and placed her hand on his left shoulder.

Because her dress dipped low in the back, she could feel the faint brush of his fingers on her bare skin. Every nerve in her body stood on edge. She swallowed dryly. Her hand tensed on his shoulder, and their joined hands began to sweat.

“Do you know how to dance?”

He asked just before the music started. Natalie lifted her gaze slightly and shook her head.

His loose smile widened, and a small chuckle escaped.

‘If nothing else, he really does look like an angel…’

His image was etched into her chestnut-brown eyes.

“That’s fine. I’m good at it.”

At that moment, the music began.

Natalie’s mind went blank. She had no idea how she was dancing. She simply moved her feet as he guided her, spinning and gliding across the floor.

“Didn’t expect you to be staying in a suite. Your books must’ve sold well.”

He whispered suddenly, catching her off guard. Startled, Natalie’s eyes dropped as if waking from a dream. A sigh fell gently onto the crown of her head.

‘All the decent rooms were taken, and the suite was the only one left, you bastard.’

Every time he opened his mouth, he was infuriating, but since he was royalty, she could only grind her teeth in silence.

“I’m very glad you came tonight. Should I take it as a sign you’re accepting the deal?”

The prince, tireless as ever, kept digging at her nerves. As if trying to provoke her further, he seemed to silently urge her to look up from the floor and meet his eyes. Clenching her teeth, Natalie looked up at him. He smiled in satisfaction and curved his eyes.

They say beautiful things often hide poison. It seemed the same applied to people.

She had heard that Duke Ian Valderma was a prince sent from the heavens. But what she saw now was a devil.

‘…Ha. His personality really is nothing like he looks.’

Natalie mouthed the words silently, overwhelmed by a mix of emotions.

It was a pure lament from a helpless heart.

The prince, standing still, widened his eyes like someone who’d just been struck. Then, with a soft laugh, he broke into a chuckle.

“I hear that sometimes.”

“…Pardon?”

With a silent chuckle, he continued, “More importantly, Miss Daus, the music’s about to end.”

Natalie realized then that he had read her lips. Her face drained of color.

“It’s time you gave me an answer.”

He coaxed her in a quiet, suggestive tone.

“Lend me your infamous reputation. Just drag the name Ian Astiers through the mud.”

To ruin the prince adored by all—he said it like it was nothing.

The disgrace of a lady, the infamous seductress. Natalie Daus was already notorious. A prince bewitched by such a woman and neglecting his duties—it would make a thrilling scandal.

“And then, divorce me. Make it so Ian Astiers can never become king.”

Marry despite the world’s objections, only to divorce within a year—that would be the perfect ending.

“But you must be careful. Far more than three years ago, the entire world will watch you, and the whole world will try to tear you apart.”

Coming from someone who had just threatened her life, the words almost sounded like concern. Of course, that couldn’t be.

“Still, will you be my bride?”

This time, he didn’t speak in circles.

‘As if I have a choice. If I refuse, you’ll kill me. Stop pretending I have an option…’

A quiet ripple stirred in Natalie’s dark eyes. Having experienced the threat of assassination for the first time in her life, she couldn’t believe the prince had only been joking.

She clenched her lips tightly, her eyes narrowing as if to say, Fine, whatever happens. Then, she opened her mouth slightly, as though to speak.

The prince’s eyes narrowed.

“…I have one request.”

At last, Natalie forced the words out. She had practiced them in front of the mirror a hundred times, yet she found herself bowing her head low.

Even after a few steps of the dance, no reply came.

Natalie glanced up.

“……”

His expression was strangely mixed. The slight curl of his lips suggested he was pleased, but his softly arched eyebrows looked surprised.

Was it rude to make a request? Natalie pressed her lips together.

“Well… not a demand exactly, more of a question I wanted to ask…”

Cautiously, she added the words in a timid voice. That was her best effort.

But then came an unexpected response.

“…You speak well,” murmured the prince, now fully smiling.

Natalie, feeling utterly defeated just moments ago, found herself strangely encouraged by that smile—the kind that tugged at the heart.

Whatever the reason, he looked genuinely pleased.

Maybe… just maybe, if I say something now, he’ll take it well. Caught in that strange certainty, Natalie opened her mouth like she was under a spell.

“Everything fell apart because of me. I just want it to be okay again.”

Her voice was so frail, it wouldn’t have been surprising if she died then and there.

“If my father and mother and youngest brother Alex could leave the house again, if Bianca could say our family name aloud, if Dorothy could find a good match and get married—then I wouldn’t wish for anything more.”

She poured out all the words she had kept in her heart for three years. It was the first time she had ever done so.

Being branded a temptress, a villainess—so what? Compared to this nightmare, it was nothing. If her family could be even slightly better off, she could endure it all.

“If I become Your Highness’s so-called one-year bride…”

She held her breath for a moment and looked at the angel before her. Or perhaps a devil. She was making a wish to an angel, and it felt exactly like that.

“Would it be possible?” Natalie asked in a trembling voice.

The prince looked down gently at her face, so distorted it seemed she might burst into tears, and slowly parted his lips.

To her, it felt like a thousand years had passed.