The Perfect Bride - Chapter 37

“What’s with that reaction? Don’t tell me you had a fight with the prince?”

“…A fight? No, nothing like that.”

Natalie sat down, trying her best to look composed. But the movements of her arms and legs were awkward.

Just then, Donna, who had returned from Warfield the day before, began placing tableware and tea sets in front of Natalie.

Conscious of Donna’s ears, Dorothy couldn’t press further and returned to her seat. She kept glancing at Natalie as if she had something to say but eventually shifted her attention to the letters.

While calmly sorting through the letters from suitors, Dorothy furrowed her brow at one.

“…You have to give it to Heaton for being shameless.”

Startled by Dorothy’s irritated murmur, Natalie finally met her sister’s eyes.

“Roger Heaton. He’s sending them to me now?”

With a shrug, Dorothy held up a lone white envelope.

“You only check the ones from Mother and Alex, right? If you looked at the rest, you’d be surprised. Most of them are from Aunt Heaton and Roger.”

“I didn’t know.”

“If you don’t get a reply, you should have the sense to stop. He’s like a stalker now.”

Natalie flinched at Dorothy’s sneer. Given the letters she had sent in the past, she couldn’t help but feel she’d been worse.

“Seems like since you stopped replying, he started sending them to me. No way. Roger definitely thinks you’re the easiest target, so be careful!” Dorothy said sharply. She clearly held a grudge against the Heatons.

But there was no need for concern. Natalie’s first love had long since ended.

A hollow emotion, built on first impressions and fantasy, could not survive the chaos that followed. And now, with the overwhelming presence of Prince Ian, there was no room for nostalgia.

“Don’t worry about that.”

Natalie nodded with clear disinterest, and Dorothy, relieved, ripped the letter apart.

“Donna, use this for kindling.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Moved by her lady’s fiery response, Donna nodded enthusiastically.

“Oh right, Miss, should I prepare a bath before the dressmaker arrives?”

“Good idea. I won’t have time afterward.”

These days, not knowing when a proposal might come, Dorothy was more devoted than ever to grooming herself. She wanted to be at her most beautiful for the event of a lifetime.

As Donna bustled out of the breakfast room to prepare the bath, Dorothy finally sipped her tea in peace. But her calm didn’t last.

‘She always seemed laid-back, maybe even lazy—but lately…’

Her older sister sat there staring blankly at her plate again, as if she’d left her mind somewhere else. At a time when she should be more alert than ever, it was unbearable.

‘Was it after she got that horse, Monica or whatever?’

Dorothy recalled the minor commotion from a few days ago.

Perhaps at a grand country estate, but in a mansion in the middle of the capital, it wasn’t practical to keep the prince’s gifted horse in the stables. Once he took Monica back to Mallick House, her foolish sister had looked deeply relieved.

Squinting at Natalie, Dorothy asked casually, “What are you wearing to the dedication ceremony?”

“……”

“Natalie?”

“…Were you talking to me?”

As expected, something was off. Dorothy narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

“Natalie, is something really going on?”

“…Nothing. What did you say just now?”

“I asked what you’re wearing to the dedication ceremony.”

Natalie blinked quietly. She hadn’t even thought about what to wear.

***

“I would be most pleased if you wore it to the dedication ceremony.”

The moment clothing for the ceremony was mentioned, the prince showed up unannounced in the annex drawing room, accompanied by a rainbow of boxes. He sounded strangely triumphant.

Natalie stared wide-eyed at the prince, impeccably dressed even at this early hour, then shifted her gaze to the servants lined up behind him, each holding a box.

She had wondered why the usual morning delivery hadn’t arrived. Apparently, the prince had decided to deliver the gifts himself.

“There are quite a lot of boxes today, Ian.”

“All for you, Natalie.”

Conscious of the servants, Natalie managed an awkward smile. Ian responded with a charming one of his own.

She quietly sat beside him and watched as the servants began to open the boxes one by one.

A short black jacket, a black shawl that sparkled like it had been dusted with pearl powder. A white hat accented with an elegant black ribbon, a pure white dress, and velvet gloves were all revealed in turn. Even Natalie, who knew little about such things, could tell they were of the finest quality.

Any lady would want to boast if a suitor showed up first thing in the morning with gifts like these.

But Natalie couldn’t bring herself to be excited. She looked at the floor, as if the presents weren’t even hers.

“……”

Ian, who had been watching her reactions the whole time, tilted his head slightly.

Lately, his focus had been on the baron’s daughter’s smile. It seemed he had failed to bring it out again.

‘If anything…’

Instead of smiling brightly like last time, she seemed even more indifferent than usual.

After the servants stepped out, Ian asked, “So, what’s with your face? Did you stay up all night?”

“S-slept well, actually. Slept deeply without even dreaming.”

Natalie abruptly lifted her head and strongly denied it. Her intense reaction made Ian’s gaze linger.

“…I see. And the gifts. You don’t like them?”

“Of course not. I love them very much.”

With wide eyes and desperate head shakes, her sincerity was clear. The problem wasn’t the items themselves.

“Then that’s good. Can I expect you to wear them this time?”

“…Yes.”

It seemed Ian hadn’t forgotten the time she insisted on wearing the old gray dress. Natalie, startled by his grudge, answered quietly.

But despite her agreement, he looked dissatisfied.

Natalie tried her best to ignore that expression. However, when he made a pointed ‘hmm’ sound and shot her a look, as if to say ‘You’re bothering me,’ she couldn’t hold out any longer.

He was a difficult man to serve. Natalie silently sent her respect to Sir Peeble and had no choice but to ask, “Um, do you have something to say to me?”

“Not particularly.” Ian looked her in the eye as he spoke.

If this continued, her face might start burning again. Natalie awkwardly avoided his gaze. But that turned out to be a mistake. Realizing what felt off, Ian slowly opened his mouth.

“You’re the one acting strange. Got something to tell me?”

“N-no, I don’t.”

“Did you cause trouble behind my back?”

“No!”

What did he take her for? Offended, she turned to glare at him—and met his eyes. Their accidental eye contact made her flinch and look away again.

Ian’s eyes narrowed. “Right. It’s probably hard to get into trouble without me noticing.”

He didn’t even hide the fact that he had people monitoring her.

Natalie knew about the ‘observers’ listed in fine print on the contract. She just didn’t know who or how many.

“Then why can’t you meet my eyes?”

“I-I really didn’t do anything wrong.”

“And after I went through all that trouble helping you practice. Why do you seem even more awkward now?”

Practice.

Natalie tried with all her might not to recall that picture-perfect day, or the prince who starred in it.

“…I’m acting just like I always do.”

Even with her desperate denial, he remained suspicious and began scrutinizing her face with arms crossed.

Overwhelmed by his persistence, Natalie failed to look away in time.

‘Ah. Again.’

Thump-thump.

Natalie felt her heart fluttering, completely out of sync. She was terrified he might notice that she was starting to feel drawn to him.

“Was the horseback riding that upsetting?”

“No.”

“Are you that mad I didn’t fall with you?”

He was asking something completely unrelated, but Natalie, too scared that any reply might reveal her feelings, couldn’t answer properly.

She didn’t want him to know her heart was wavering so pathetically.

“…It’s not like my mood is dictated by Your Highness. You don’t influence how I feel in the slightest. And, originally…”

“……”

“Originally, this is how it should be. Someone of my status shouldn’t even be meeting your eyes, much less talking to you…”

The more she said, the quieter her voice became. And it seemed with every word, the crease between his brows deepened. Natalie began to feel dizzy.

“For someone as low as me, to be told to meet the eyes of a prince, to speak freely… it’s absurd.”

Trying to smooth out the deepening crease in his brow, she continued, “If you insist, what’s uncomfortable is you, Your Highness.”

And inwardly she added, ‘I have pride too. I’m not acting this way because I’m swooning over someone like you!’

“……”

But with every word, that crease only deepened further.

Natalie, out of words, grew pale.

Just as the suffocating silence was about to crush her—

“…Ian.”

He unexpectedly corrected her address.

Natalie suddenly deflated. She replied blankly, “…Even that, calling you by name, it feels like I’m committing a sin.”

“Ian.”

With the most serious face she’d ever seen, he firmly repeated.

“…Yes, Ian.”

Only after she obediently said his name did Ian sigh and finally look away. The furrow between his brows seemed to ease slightly.

“Nice effort. Fine.”

He made it sound like he was letting it go for now.

“But I expect you’ll come clean soon.”

Still, he hadn’t completely retreated.

“What’s going on in that head of yours.”

Ian was certain she was hiding something. His cold eyes seemed to pierce right through her.

Natalie gave no reply. Her mind was too full of how to stop this wretched fluttering before his ‘soon’ ran out.

Noticing that her thoughts had already drifted elsewhere, Ian shook his head. Instead of tearing apart that little head of hers right now, he decided to finally bring up the real reason he had come.