The Perfect Bride - Chapter 49

Natalie subtly noticed movements that seemed to be cutting her off from the outside world.

Dorothy openly snatched away newspapers and magazines, and Mrs. Bate canceled a string of social events, claiming Natalie hadn’t fully recovered.

‘What, are there slander posters about me plastered all over the square or something?’

Natalie thought of the growing pile of threatening letters in front of the Grand Duke’s manor. Some even mimicked blood-written letters or had sharp objects enclosed.

‘Am I really that offensive to them? Well, I suppose I must be.’

Natalie only frowned slightly upon seeing the meticulously crafted threats, then let it go.

‘I’m not exactly a patriot, but even I might talk about national dignity at this point.’

They must believe she wasn’t a fake but truly the prince’s lover. Of course they’d take the situation seriously. The idea that the shame of ladies, a once-in-a-generation wanton lady, might become the Queen of Grand Batten—that uneasy feeling was entirely understandable.

Granted, the reaction was far more negative than she had expected.

She had known the upper class of Grand Batten would be shaken, but surprisingly, it was the general public that made more noise. It seemed they liked stories of love overcoming class differences, but when it happened in real life, it was a completely different matter.

Perhaps it was like enjoying David’s novels but hating his identity. The public saw Natalie Daus becoming queen as a harbinger of Grand Batten’s downfall.

But Natalie felt not the slightest guilt. She was certain Grand Batten would not fall.

She would always be a fake. This was just a performance, so it was fine. If she could, she’d tell them all not to worry.

***

And so ten days passed since the inauguration.

Once she could get out of bed, Natalie began having meals and tea with the prince every day. To be able to see and observe the man she secretly loved daily—she considered that an incredible stroke of luck.

Even as she stared at him openly and added vivid detail to her private fantasies, oddly, there was no interference anymore. Perhaps something was troubling Ian—he had looked preoccupied for days and hadn’t spoken to her playfully as usual. Even so, he never missed a single shared meal.

Once again, such devotion to the play.

It was around the time Natalie started thinking the prince looked like the freest man in the world that he finally went out—for an audience with the Prime Minister at Oberon Palace, apparently.

Coincidentally, Dorothy had gone out that day too, dressed up prettily under Catherine’s guidance for a social gathering.

With nothing else to do, Natalie called for Mrs. Bate to take care of something she’d been putting off for a long time.

“Mrs. Bate, I have an errand outside. Please have a carriage ready in an hour.”

It was widely known that the daughter of Baron Warfield was staying at House Horace. Taking out a carriage marked with the duke’s seal would be like broadcasting, ‘Look, here’s Natalie Daus!’

“Ah, and drop me off a few blocks from the mansion.”

Just in case someone strange decided to follow.

Natalie was planning to go quietly apologize to Benjamin Wald—for something that had been delayed for three whole years.

So she dressed in something a maid might wear and got into the carriage with Mrs. Bate.

One guard, disguised as a common porter, sat at the coachman’s seat. The rest followed like shadows behind.

And after them, someone who had been awkwardly lingering near the duke’s residence for days scrambled to catch up.

***

Ian turned coldly away, his expression souring the moment he saw who had come to visit him.

“Dear Valderma.”

Through the half-open door, Duke Horace—Aster—poked his head in, wearing a sly smile.

“Aha! Aha-ha! Oh dear. Thought it was the baron’s daughter, didn’t you?”

Aster clutched his stomach laughing at Ian’s sensitive reaction.

Like a boy who had stumbled upon something hilarious, Aster moved closer to Ian—completely unaware that Ian had nearly forgotten all manners and come close to hitting him.

“My apologies. It seems your baron’s daughter isn’t back yet.”

At those words, Ian shut his eyes tightly.

After hearing the Prime Minister’s blood-soaked warning at Oberon Palace, he returned home to find Natalie gone.

They said she’d gone to Derville.

Since investigating the gray-eyed man after the inauguration, Ian could easily picture what was in the market.

And after that, for some reason, he couldn’t just sit still.

Ian had ordered that he be notified the moment Natalie returned, and since then, had been standing frozen by the window, waiting.

Looking around the guest room, Aster opened his mouth again. “So the rumor that you’ve set up house in my place was true.”

The country is in an uproar—where is the prince?

‘Where else? At my house!’

To think he’d missed something this entertaining for days. Aster, who had briefly been in the duchy, regretted leaving the capital.

“If you’re going to live here, shall I move you to the annex?”

Opportunities to tease the prince were rare. No—this was the first time. Aster didn’t miss his chance and took the opportunity to provoke him.

“Get lost.”

“Ahaha! But this is my house.”

Only then did Ian turn to Aster. His dry gaze clearly said, ‘Say one more word and I’ll kill you,’ but Aster, who feared nothing in life, felt a thrill instead.

“Oh, our prince. If you act like a jealous husband, it won’t earn you any fans.”

“Do you have more than one life, Duke?”

Itman Station was running smoothly, and the Duke of Valderma was steadily losing public support. Everything was proceeding as planned.

However, ever since the inauguration, Ian had occasionally been plagued by an inexplicable tension.

The cause was Natalie Daus. The woman with terrible luck who sometimes looked up at him with pitiful eyes.

“Why are you… why are you so… kind to me?”

Ian had been greatly shaken by those words.

Of course Natalie would think he was being kind.

After seeing her bright smile, all his attention had been focused on making her smile again. It was a sudden realization.

‘At such an important time, and I’m thinking about Natalie Daus’s smile.’

“So uptight!”

Right on cue, Aster taunted him.

That was more like it. Anyone who had known him long or closely would never describe him as kind.

Come to think of it, Natalie’s presence had grown far more significant than at the start. What on earth had she done to him? She was clearly an unexpected complication.

“So this is all part of your plan too, isn’t it?” Aster asked.

Hidden beneath his playful words, he was sharper than an old fox.

“Considering you passed over all the ladies our duchess painstakingly selected, I have high hopes for the one you chose.”

Ian’s eyes narrowed at the pointed remark.

“Catherine was quite flustered,” Aster added lightly, like a joke.

“The baron’s daughter overheard everything Charlotte and I were talking about—there was no helping it, apparently.”

“For someone caught like that, she has all the qualities to be your bride.”

Ian turned fully toward Aster. His expression had hardened in a way that was far more intimidating than usual.

“That was rude of me. My apologies.”

Startled by Ian’s unexpectedly emotional reaction, Aster quickly raised both hands in surrender.

“Why not go apologize to the baron’s daughter directly.”

“I will eventually. But Ian.” Aster nodded obediently and continued, “Replacing someone destined to be king is no easy task, is it?”

What a sudden remark.

“You’re stating the obvious.”

“Haha, yes. Obvious indeed…”

Aster trailed off, pretending to be a fool, then looked steadily into Ian’s eyes. He seemed to have something he wanted to say.

“Say it.”

“It’s fun watching you like this. But I hope you won’t complicate things.”

“You think I’m the one complicating things?”

“I’ve always trusted in what you do, but since I’ve got a stake in your fate, could you ease up a bit?”

Aster had always trusted in Ian’s luck and confidence, which had brought him success throughout his life. But watching him lately, he couldn’t just stay still.

“These days, there are more successful businessmen than true nobles. I assure you, no matter how much the old men in the House of Lords struggle, in a hundred years, class won’t mean anything.”

That was why Aster secretly nurtured young politicians and invested in businesses.

“The old men aren’t clueless either. They know the rule of ‘nobles mingling only with nobles’ is already crumbling at the roots.”

Stories of bankrupt nobles marrying the daughters of immensely wealthy businessmen were no longer rare. Money was power, and the rich were becoming a new class.

So, high-ranking nobles who felt threatened clung even more desperately to bloodlines.

“To them, a noble marrying beneath his station isn’t even that shocking anymore. In times like these, there’s no reason a prince couldn’t marry a baron’s daughter. They could just refuse to acknowledge her as queen to the end, and have the heir come from Edward.”

“……”

“There may even be old men willing to step back with that mindset. You probably knew that too—hence the divorce.”

“You’re well-informed. So why are you clinging to me with this tedious talk?”

“I don’t know. I just have a strange feeling… like the baron’s daughter might throw your plans off.”

Throw off his plans? Because of Natalie Daus?

“Don’t you think so?”

At that question, the moment just before the clock at Itman Station’s tower struck flashed through Ian’s mind—the vague unease he had felt then. For some reason, he couldn’t easily speak.

As his answer was delayed, Aster casually continued, “If you act now, it’s not too late to change the lead actress.”