The Perfect Bride - Chapter 26

“…I thought you meant ‘often,’ not literally ‘every day.’”

“Of course I meant every day. I’m a man madly in love with Natalie Daus.”

“……”

“That’s the least I can do.”

His oddly proud tone left her momentarily speechless.

Even for lovers, meeting daily felt excessive. He seemed deeply immersed in his role.

The prince let out a quiet laugh at Natalie’s expression, as if he had just landed a hit.

‘…He really does smile a lot.’

Natalie slightly furrowed her brows. He looked genuinely delighted, not like someone pretending.

It made her wonder for a fleeting moment—could he actually enjoy talking with her?

Then, still smiling, he spoke again, “I’m glad you didn’t take your mother’s share. Good decision.”

The memory of the somber dress she had worn out of spite the night before made her feel like he had seen right through her.

Reflexively, Natalie glanced down at her outfit. The light lavender day dress and ivory coat looked thankfully ordinary.

Just as she quietly sighed in relief, a gust of wind kicked up a tabloid that rolled over and bumped her foot.

She instinctively drew her foot back, and the prince’s pace slowed with hers. His gaze followed hers naturally to the ground.

Has Our Angel Fallen?

The headline stopped them both in their tracks.

“Image is everything, after all,” the prince hummed lightly. “Apparently, I’m being blackmailed by you.”

It must’ve been the rest of that article she hadn’t finished reading during breakfast.

“Your infamous reputation must be so strong, people can’t imagine the prince troubling a lady.”

Still smiling, he met her eyes.

Being associated with the prince was more overwhelming than expected. Natalie looked up at him seriously, wondering if this was truly okay.

For a brief moment, they exchanged a probing glance. Surprisingly, the prince was the first to look away.

“If you’ve got something to say, don’t hold it in or worry about appearances.”

He passed her with long strides as he spoke.

Natalie wondered what he meant, but then recalled that he had indeed said something like that last night.

Still, if she truly said what was on her mind, wouldn’t it count as treason against the royal family?

She watched his round head as he walked away, caught off guard. The gentle sway of his blond hair held her gaze.

Sensing her gaze, he glanced back and added, “It’s only the first day. Things will improve with time.”

Natalie snapped out of it and hurried her steps to close the distance that had grown.

“And you should smile more. Otherwise, people might think you were dragged here against your will.”

Wasn’t that exactly what happened? Natalie thought.

“…I’ll try.”

“I didn’t come to assassinate you. I came to love you.”

As if anyone didn’t know that assassination was still an option. And let’s be clear:

‘It’s pretend love.’

The prince was maddeningly elusive. Natalie unconsciously furrowed her brow in frustration.

Just then, he stopped walking again and turned around. She had no time to hide her annoyed expression.

“What were you just thinking?

“……”

The prince had the sharpest intuition of anyone she had ever met. He was unreasonably good at making people uncomfortable.

“Speak.”

Even as Natalie gave him a pitiful, troubled look, he didn’t let up.

“You came to pretend to love me, didn’t you…?” she muttered quietly, feeling the sorrow of being a hired hand.

The prince’s eyes widened, then he burst into loud laughter.

His smile was breathtakingly beautiful, and at the same time so irritating her scalp heated.

Wishing the walk would end already, Natalie picked up her pace, passing him and taking the lead.

“Yes. I’m pretending to be madly in love with you. So you should at least pretend to be shy.”

The prince chuckled and caught up in just two steps.

“I won’t ask for a look of love. It seems acting’s not your strong suit.”

Then, suddenly, he leaned in close and whispered intimately. Despite his words, it felt like he was casting a spell, demanding she fall for him.

‘Wh-what the…’

Natalie stiffened at the unexpected move. Her heart pounded violently as she blinked, frozen in place.

The prince watched her delayed reaction with amusement and added, “To think I have to explain everything all over again… Did my aide fail to explain things properly yesterday?”

“…No, Your Highness.”

Natalie reflexively denied it, thinking only of ending this uncomfortable walk as soon as possible.

But in truth, there were many parts of the prince’s plan she wanted to object to—none more incomprehensible than the matter of “marriage.”

Was it even possible for Prince Ian to take a mere baron’s daughter as his bride?

Just yesterday, Sir Peeble had explained in detail how a noblewoman of modest status could marry a prince. Yet, the more she heard, the more her disbelief grew.

‘Isn’t that far too reckless?’

Natalie glanced sideways at the prince. Though she wanted to leave him to his rare moment of silence, she eventually spoke up hesitantly.

“Is… is there really no other way than eloping in the middle of the night?”

The prince’s eyes widened at the unexpected question. He tilted his head slightly.

“Then how else would you marry me?”

He sounded genuinely curious.

“Do you think the Church of Grand Batten would recognize you as crown princess? The bishops don’t care for you much.”

The conservative Church of Batten would never approve of the prince marrying anyone not from the ruling houses—especially not a scandal-ridden baron’s daughter.

“…They’d never approve.”

“Exactly. That’s why we elope and get approval from another country’s church.”

Would another country even allow it? She couldn’t imagine standing beside him before a bishop.

“We’ve still got time before the elopement, so no need to be so tense.”

The prince drawled, lips lazily curling.

Natalie, without realizing, clenched both fists. He was far more playful than he looked.

She had never met anyone like him. And he was a prince. She didn’t know how to respond.

“Your Highness, one moment.”

Just as Natalie was about to let out a deep sigh, Marcus approached.

Instead of sighing, she drew in a sharp breath.

After whispering something to the prince, he turned to Natalie and excused himself before stepping away.

In that brief moment, the baroness hurried over and asked in a low voice, “Natalie, what did His Highness say? You didn’t make a mistake or offend him, did you?”

“He didn’t say anything in particular. Just said it was quite the coincidence running into us.”

Natalie denied it immediately. There wasn’t much else to say after that. The two stood off to the side of the path, waiting for the prince’s return.

The midday spring sun felt unusually strong. This summer would surely be brutal.

Her face still flushed from the earlier fluster, the heat felt even worse. Natalie fanned herself vigorously and glanced sideways at the prince, who was still deep in conversation with his aide.

Their talk was taking longer than expected.

“The Baron’s daughter of Warfield—isn’t that a disgrace to all ladies?”

The sharp, disdainful voice struck her ears just then.

Her fanning hand stopped midair. Natalie blinked in disbelief.

‘Was that… about me?’

“To think she dares show her face in society again, how shameless.”

The men’s voices became clearer, as if they wanted her to hear.

“A scandal with the most promiscuous woman of our time. How could the crown prince end up with someone like her?”

“How do you think that woman managed to snare such an innocent prince? Isn’t it obvious?”

Natalie flinched at the blatant insults and lowered her head. She couldn’t even think of calling them out for their rudeness—she feared they might be someone she once knew.

“To think I’d hear the name Warfield again in my life! Are all country nobles as shameless as that baron’s family? If it were me, I wouldn’t even show my face in public.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her mother’s hand trembling in hers. The baroness had clearly heard them too.

Natalie bit down hard on her lower lip.

“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.”

She had braced herself to become the subject of gossip.

But Natalie wasn’t as shameless as they made her out to be.

Standing in front of people was hard. The sheer sorrow and frustration of her situation burned hot in her head.

Especially the fact that her family was being insulted because of her—

That was the most unbearable of all.

“Miss Daus?”

The prince had returned at some point and was now calling out to her.

In that moment, Natalie snapped out of the fantasy in which she had grabbed those men by the collar, demanding whether they’d even read her work or how moral they themselves were.

‘Even if I can’t bear it, what can I do? I already made my choice. I took this man’s hand.’

Seeing his face cooled her overheated head instantly.

Natalie relaxed her stiff lips and slowly lifted her head.

Their eyes met. Reflected in his clear blue gaze—clearer than the sea below Warfield—was her pitiful expression.

…Of all things, why did she have to grab something so beautiful, only to find it poisoned?

It was all too much. Tears welled up. Just before her vision blurred, she looked away.