The Perfect Bride - Chapter 53

Natalie, with Donna’s help, washed up at lightning speed and changed into clean clothes before heading down the stairs. In front of the drawing room, Marcus was waiting for her. The two exchanged a polite nod.

Feeling guilty about the commotion she had caused, Natalie mouthed, ‘Is His Highness angry?’ Marcus gave a businesslike smile and replied that the prince had only been startled.

‘If he gets startled twice, he’ll drop dead.’

Just then, the drawing room door opened. Natalie gave Marcus a pleading look, silently begging him not to leave.

Whether he understood or not, Marcus remained stationed inside the door, to her relief.

Natalie, feeling like a duckling parting from its mother, slowly turned away from Marcus, who gave her a reassuring nod each time their eyes met.

Ian was sitting with his back against the sofa. Though his eyes were closed, he didn’t seem asleep. He had also changed clothes, different from earlier.

Natalie carefully approached the sofa and sat beside him. She gave a small, unnecessary cough, but the prince made no move to open his eyes. She felt like she’d become a serious troublemaker.

“Um… Ian, are you alright?”

Only then did Ian slowly lift his eyelids. His dark, sunken blue eyes met Natalie’s.

Natalie felt her heart tighten for a moment. His eyes, always so bright, still looked weary.

“Dwan is just too noisy,” he murmured quietly. “And now it’s become dangerous.”

Come to think of it, he had used the word ‘attack’ the moment he saw her. It seemed he had already been briefed, but it felt necessary to explain directly.

“It wasn’t such a dangerous situation.”

“Natalie, if that wasn’t dangerous, then what is…”

“It was nothing unusual. Someone slandered me, and this time it was just more intense than usual. It’s something I’m used to.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. You shouldn’t get used to that sort of thing.”

Trying to sound calm, Natalie was taken aback by his unexpectedly sharp response.

“…I ignored it. You can’t deal with everyone.”

She responded with wide eyes, as if feeling wronged. This time, Ian ran a hand roughly through his hair.

Natalie flinched reflexively. Then she suddenly felt choked up. He had told her not to hold back her words, yet here he was, acting like this. What a ridiculous man.

“From now on, when you go out, do so with me. You can’t go alone.”

“What? There’s no need for that.”

“Why not? Do you still have business in Derville?”

Ian couldn’t help but sneer slightly at Natalie’s swift refusal.

“No, that’s not what I meant. It’s just… you’re of such high status. Ian, you are angry, aren’t you?”

“…No. I’m not angry.”

Ian had been struggling to maintain composure since earlier. Damn it. What was so special about her ex? He felt like biting his own tongue.

“You seem angry. If you are, just say so instead of pretending…”

Frightened by his cold tone, Natalie faltered. It had been a long time since he had treated her so coldly, probably not since he had once used the crime of eavesdropping to threaten her.

“I’m not.”

As Natalie instantly wilted, Ian denied it again.

But Natalie didn’t believe such a halfhearted denial. She grew sullen.

“I’m sorry for the fuss. But I really had to meet Mr. Wald.”

“Why on earth the man—”

“Mr. Wald didn’t know my identity—”

They spoke over each other and both paused.

“…Didn’t know?”

“Pardon? Which man were you talking about? You go first.”

“…It’s nothing. Go on. What didn’t he know?”

“He didn’t know that the daughter of Baron Warfield was David. Not until the very end.”

“And?”

“Somehow, it ended up as if I had betrayed him, so I really wanted to apologize in person. I felt like if I missed this chance, I never would.”

Natalie then glanced up at Ian to gauge his reaction. To her surprise, the chilly air had vanished, and the Ian she knew was back.

“So, you have no further business with him now?”

“Yes. For now.”

For now? Just as Ian’s brow began to furrow again at the vague reply—

“Then you’ll let this one slide, right?” Natalie quickly asked, her eyes sparkling.

“…I told you, I wasn’t angry to begin with.”

“But you ran over here with such an expression, and just now you were even pouting like you were mad.”

“What expression? I pouted?” Ian asked, baffled.

Natalie gave a sincere nod.

She looked at Marcus for confirmation. The prince’s aide responded with a kindly smile and kept silent. Ian, catching the unspoken agreement, wore an unreadable expression.

Just then, Ian realized that he hadn’t run like that since his days at the naval academy.

“…I was just surprised. Hearing you were attacked, I thought you were seriously hurt.”

If it hadn’t been for the word “attack,” he wouldn’t have lost his composure so thoroughly. Ian stared coldly at his aide, who stood like a statue at the door. Marcus awkwardly avoided his gaze.

“So what you’re saying is…”

Natalie looked dazed at his explanation.

“You mean… you were worried about me?”

“Shouldn’t I be?”

It was a reply so refreshingly frank it was almost plain. At the same time, Natalie’s heart sank.

He often said incredible things as if they were nothing.

Of course, he probably hadn’t meant much by it, but hearing words like that from someone she had feelings for was bad for her heart. Even knowing it meant little, her foolish heart quickened all the same.

“I see. So you ran all the way here out of worry for me…”

Natalie needlessly repeated his words in an attempt to calm her racing heart. But oddly, the more she repeated them, the less calm she felt.

‘He ran all this way out of concern for me? But why go so far…’

“Of course. You are…”

It had only been a simple mumble, but the prince responded. Or rather, he had begun to respond before trailing off.

“I just have a strange feeling… like the baron’s daughter might throw your plans off.”

It was Aster’s voice whispering at his ear like a curse.

Until just a moment ago, he could confidently say Natalie Daus wasn’t a fatal flaw that could collapse his carefully laid plans. But now, a new possibility reared its head like a tidal wave.

‘…Could it really be?’

Ian began to stare fixedly at Natalie’s face.

“W-why are you looking at me like that all of a sudden?”

Unconsciously, Natalie had been waiting for the rest of “Of course. You are…” When she finally noticed his intense gaze, she awkwardly turned her head.

“…You are mine.”

Of course, he probably didn’t mean anything by that either, but what on earth was that supposed to mean? Natalie turned to look at him as if struck by lightning.

The feeling that she had become someone special to him must have been her own delusion. She was dying to ask what he meant, but her internal voice insisting she know her place was just as strong.

Still, just as she wavered with the impulse to ask despite herself—

“Like Marcus, I mean,” Ian added in a low voice.

Naturally, Natalie’s gaze shifted toward Marcus. The prince’s aide, blinking rapidly in mild panic, met her eyes, and a thin breath escaped between her lips.

“…Ah.”

She was right not to ask. If she had, he might have found her delusional and troublesome enough to dismiss her.

“You’re absolutely right. I am very important to you.”

Natalie quickly adjusted her expression and agreed.

“It would be hard to find a bride as good as me, after all.”

Even she was surprised by how effortlessly she turned it into a joke. Somehow, the shadows beneath his lashes deepened.

“You know it well. There’s no bride like you. So be more careful from now on.”

“I will.”

“You can’t get even a scratch.”

“Alright.”

And then silence fell.

Both of them wore soft smiles, but the air between them was suffocating, as if a heated argument had just passed. Only Marcus’s pupils trembled violently, unable to handle the subtle tension.

Usually, it was Natalie who broke the silence, unable to bear the awkwardness. But this time, surprisingly, Ian was the one to speak.

“All the guards are dismissed. I’ll hire new ones, so don’t go out until then.”

“Please reconsider. It was a sudden, unpredictable incident.”

“Accidents are always unexpected. That’s why we hire those people—to prevent them. They failed their duty, so they’re dismissed.”

The phrase “failed their duty” pierced Natalie especially deeply.

She assumed it was because she too was an employee in someone else’s household, and barely opened her mouth.

“This time was just really unlucky. I ran into… a cousin who knows my face by chance…”

“No need to explain. I heard from Mrs. Bate.”

“But Ian…”

“I must’ve forgotten for a moment how many lunatics exist in this world.”

Ian had instinctively labeled Roger as a lunatic whose brain resided below his waist.

Natalie didn’t immediately refute the claim. After all, even to her, her first love had looked like a madman at first glance.

“This won’t do. We’re leaving for Huntington. Immediately.”

Realizing that simply changing her guards wouldn’t be enough, the prince abruptly declared they’d go to Huntington.

With his trademark decisiveness, he added that he had things to take care of first, and stood up busily.

Natalie scrambled to rise, still not having fully processed the situation. He added cheerfully that they could leave by this weekend at the latest.

Excuse me, Your Highness. Are you serious? We’re really leaving this week? Just like that?

Is that even possible?

Natalie had a mountain of questions, but stayed silent. His pale-faced aide was already flooding him with enough inquiries.