The Perfect Bride - Chapter 45

An old flame, huh. With her, it might very well be possible. Natalie was always a revolutionary woman who defied his expectations.

“Your Highness?”

Marcus stepped in at just the right moment. Having decided that today, at least, he would act as Natalie’s guardian angel, Marcus instinctively took a step forward and cast a wary glance at his master.

Ian’s gaze slowly shifted to his aide.

Marcus’s look said, “What exactly do you think you’re doing?” Only then did Ian realize that every guest at the inauguration was watching him and Natalie with eager curiosity. Some were already whispering, “So that’s the baron’s daughter, is it?

It was a clear misstep.

Ian slowly ran a hand through his hair—a habit he displayed whenever frustrated. Seeing that, Marcus realized this wasn’t something the prince had intended.

Just then, Natalie pressed a hand firmly against her chest. Ian, sensing her discomfort, leaned in slightly to look at her face.

“Why are you breathing like that? Calm down.”

“I’m all right. It’s just… all the attention, so suddenly…”

“Don’t answer. Focus on your breathing.”

Natalie gave a small nod and took a slow breath in. Watching her, Ian felt as if his own breath was being cut off.

“If it’s hard to deal with someone directly, you should just let Marcus handle it.”

The idea of her standing alone on the stage made the future seem pitch-black for a moment.

‘She really needs to stay within arm’s reach to put me at ease…’

That was when the unconscious thought crossed Ian’s mind. Natalie spoke in a small voice, trying to defend the man.

“…That man isn’t like that. He’s not a pervert.”

…That man? Ian’s eyebrow rose sharply. He turned his questioning gaze—habitually—toward Marcus.

But Marcus didn’t answer. Instead, he signaled behind Ian with his eyes. It was a desperate plea: Please, just look behind you already.

Seeing Marcus’s urgency, Natalie leaned slightly and looked over Ian’s shoulder. The moment she did, she quickly straightened with a start, like she’d touched something hot.

Silver hair, blue eyes. Anyone could tell—it was the Princess of Fossa.

“I—Ian. The princess is coming this way.”

Right on cue, murmurs of “Princess Sophia” rippled through the crowd. Natalie grew flustered.

“It looked like you were very interested in me just now. Shouldn’t you go?”

“…Ah. Really? Should I go?”

Yes, he should. If it had really looked that convincing—

The thoughts slipped out before he could filter them. Thankfully, not all of them made it to his lips.

His lifeless reply made Natalie blink up at him, rapidly.

She looked at him like he was completely insane—possibly the worst she’d ever seen him.

All this over an old flame. Ian decided that what he’d just said was the dumbest thing he’d ever uttered and took a step away from her.

“Well, then.”

A bomb was about to drop, but his feet wouldn’t move easily. Still, he couldn’t let the bomb and Natalie meet like this.

“Take a breather. I’ll see you in a bit.”

Ian turned his body, the words falling out like a sigh. Though the moment was brief, his gaze lingered on her for a long time.

“……”

Natalie truly felt like she’d become the prince’s secret lover. It felt like she was doing something terribly wrong.

***

Natalie Daus believed she owed a debt to Benjamin Wald.

Presumably, Benjamin had never once questioned David’s gender. In an era where male authors dominated, and considering the genre David wrote in, perhaps it was only natural.

Of course, Natalie hadn’t chosen to hide her gender with the intention of deceiving Benjamin—or the world.

Unfamiliar with the publishing industry, she had simply chosen a pen name that felt as far removed from “Natalie Daus” as possible, purely out of embarrassment.

It was only after exchanging a few letters with Benjamin and taking a more serious interest in publishing that Natalie realized her hidden identity could become a serious issue.

At the time, she had simply thought, Good thing I used a male name. Guess I got lucky.

She had never imagined a situation where the author of some erotic pulp would be revealed to be none other than Prince Ian—and that it would draw massive attention.

“Tell him the last piece was very enjoyable.”

Maybe… she hadn’t been able to stop writing because she liked hearing Benjamin’s thoughts whenever she delivered her manuscripts disguised as an errand boy.

Natalie always felt grateful to Benjamin for discovering her work.

How he would sometimes grab the errand boy—her—and go on proudly about David, even slipping a few coins into her hand with gentle kindness.

Each of those moments had been a joy. As the stack of manuscripts grew, so too did a sense of internal closeness, one that seemed to float above the clouds and drift into space.

She really had liked him.

Sometimes, you meet a friend like that. A friend you like so much that you hope the connection lasts forever.

To Natalie, Benjamin was that kind of friend. To him, she had likely been nothing more than a delivery boy or an anonymous novelist.

But during the moments when she visited his studio to deliver manuscripts or exchanged letters with him, she felt like the real Natalie—not the baron’s daughter trapped in a mansion.

And how had she treated Benjamin?

Because of her complacency and greed, a problem she had dragged out eventually exploded and caused him great harm.

More than anything, he must have felt betrayed. When she suddenly took off her cap and said she was the author David and also a noblewoman, he must have been completely stunned.

Money could never make up for it. As a decent person, she should have gone to him and apologized in person, but her harsh life hadn’t allowed it.

‘And now we meet here, of all places.’

After ruining multiple lives, didn’t she now look like a shameless baron’s daughter who seduced a prince and brazenly returned to high society just because she missed glamorous parties? And worse, he was the one who apologized to her, even though she should have been the one to do so.

She could hardly breathe. She had blamed it on the gazes earlier when talking to the prince, but the real reason was the shame and self-loathing that surged within her.

How could a life be so humiliating?

Just like the phrase she once saw in a newspaper, she was undeniably the worst.

One negative thought led to another, and she inevitably shrank into herself. Natalie couldn’t focus on the inauguration. Perhaps because the event was filled with people who lived in an entirely different world, she felt even more like an unwelcome intruder.

She couldn’t even bring herself to join Catherine and Dorothy, who were enjoying themselves exploring the station like a festival. She didn’t even participate in the train ride event she had secretly looked forward to.

Instead, she occasionally searched for Benjamin with her eyes. But true to his word, he seemed to be avoiding her. She didn’t see him again.

“Miss Daus.”

Marcus, who had been watching Natalie with concern for some time, finally spoke to her just before the after-party began.

“You don’t look well. Would you like to return home?”

Can I? Natalie was tempted.

“I’ll explain everything to the prince.”

In truth, she wanted to go back to the ducal residence right away.

But her task today included attending the after-party. If she couldn’t even manage that, she felt it would be even harder to escape this miserable feeling.

And if she left like this, Sir Peeble might be put in a tough spot. After a brief moment of consideration, Natalie forced a smile and said, “No, it’s just a bit of an upset stomach. I think I’ll be fine after a short rest.”

Natalie clenched her teeth and braced herself. Just be shameless until the party ends, she reminded herself.

“In that case, I’ll get you something to drink. Would lemonade be all right?”

Marcus was being unusually kind today. Natalie nodded gratefully.

“Lady Horace, may I trouble you for a moment?”

Before leaving, Marcus looked to Catherine, who was standing beside Natalie.

The reason Natalie could endure social events at all was because people didn’t dare approach her casually.

Whenever she appeared in society, she was always accompanied either by the prince or, like today, Marcus and Catherine. The two ensured that no one had the chance to be rude to her.

“Don’t worry. You’ll be bringing back a lemonade for me as well, won’t you?”

“Of course.”

Catherine answered with a gentle smile, and Marcus stepped away with an easy heart.

At that moment, Natalie felt a vague sense of envy toward Catherine—toward her impeccable reputation and her confident bearing. She found herself glancing sideways at her without realizing it, only to meet Catherine’s gaze.

Catherine responded with a habitual smile, and Natalie gave an awkward smile in return, then quickly turned her eyes toward the refreshment table.

There had been several moments today when she wanted to run away. And yet, the reason she was still holding on was right there.

Seeing Dorothy and Sir Eason chatting amid the crowd at the dessert table gave her a little strength.

Supported by House Horace, Sir Eason was a promising young politician who looked just about ready to propose to Dorothy.

Just then, the occasional sounds of instruments stopped. The orchestra had finished tuning. It was time for the first dancers to step onto the floor.

The first dance of the evening is typically led by the host or the highest-ranking attendees.

And so, under the watchful eyes of all, Prince Ian and Princess Sophia stood facing one another.

“Don’t they look wonderful together?”

One of the guests surrounding the floor remarked.

Indeed, they looked like a perfect pair right out of a fairy tale.

“She really looks like a princess. So graceful and beautiful. How did she think to twist a pearl necklace like that? It looks just like a flower crown! Is that the trend in Fossa?”

“Once it hits the papers tomorrow, every woman will be rushing to buy pearl necklaces.”

“Maybe Princess Sophia will become even more popular than Queen Violet as queen.”

Their reactions were completely different from when the notorious baron’s daughter had stood beside the prince. Regardless of where the prince’s heart truly lay, everyone still believed Princess Sophia would be the one to marry him.