The Perfect Bride - Chapter 54

“Mr. Wald just left after finishing treatment.”

“He already left?”

Apparently, the conversation with the prince had lasted longer than expected. When Natalie came out of the drawing room, Benjamin was already gone. She felt a twinge of disappointment without realizing it, when Donna held out a silver tray.

“He left a note for you, Miss Daus. Here it is.”

Looking down, she saw a pale sheet of paper folded twice. It looked like a page torn from a notebook.

“……”

“Miss Daus?”

When Natalie simply stared at the note, Donna called her curiously.

Natalie took a short breath and looked up at Donna. Donna gave a nervous smile as if asking what was wrong.

‘Roger, raw eggs, and now Donna. What a difficult day.’

With that thought, Natalie smiled faintly and asked Donna,

“What was written on it?”

“…I can’t read, Miss Daus.”

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Donna couldn’t fully hide her surprise. But the quick-witted maid wasn’t easily caught off guard by her young lady’s tricks.

“Really?”

“If you don’t want to read it, I can burn it.”

Lowering the silver tray below her navel, Donna calmly changed the subject. But Natalie had already made her decision.

“Then I suppose this won’t be appearing in the newsletter.”

“Pardon…?”

At Natalie’s calm tone, Donna’s voice trembled. Natalie continued with a bitter expression.

“You’ve done your job so well that I hesitated to bring it up. But now that I know, I have no choice.”

Back when she used to visit Benjamin’s studio disguised as a delivery boy, he would occasionally entrust her with notes to deliver to David.

And he either folded them once or didn’t fold them at all. Folding it twice must be Donna’s habit.

Of course, maybe Benjamin’s habits had changed. Maybe Donna really was illiterate, just as she claimed. But…

“M-Miss Daus. I really don’t understand what you’re saying…”

Judging by Donna’s reaction, Natalie had guessed correctly. She let out a tired sigh.

“I figured it out after reading all the little newsletters. There’s someone very close to me selling my information.”

“It’s not me. How could I… I was sent by Lady Rutherford…”

“Yes. That’s why you never signed the confidentiality agreement here at the duke’s mansion.”

“……”

“At first, I thought it was someone else… But the details in those articles were always from days you accompanied me. You should’ve been more discreet.”

Donna didn’t even consider falling to her knees or pleading through tears. The baron’s daughter staring at her had no pity in her eyes—only exhaustion and disappointment.

Donna had unconsciously underestimated the timid young lady. She thought she had easily manipulated a naïve girl.

But that had been the arrogance of a young maid. The baron’s daughter, having been through thick and thin, had merely learned to lower herself as a habit, not because she lacked awareness.

Seeing Donna’s face, on the verge of tears, Natalie let out a dry sigh.

“I’m not unaware that servants sometimes make extra money this way.”

She herself had once enjoyed eavesdropping on worldly affairs. Of course she knew how servants behaved. But in the middle of pulling off an elaborate scheme, it was dangerous to have someone around who would sell out their master for a few coins.

“But now that I know, I can’t keep you by my side.”

Natalie had no intention of becoming a burden to the prince’s plans. That was why she resolved to dismiss Donna without hesitation.

“As it happens, I’ll soon be leaving the duke’s mansion. Return to the Rutherford household then.”

Natalie, recalling the sudden decision to go to Huntington, spoke firmly.

“I won’t tell your mistress what you’ve done. I’ll also prepare a generous severance.”

Natalie picked up the note from the silver tray. Then, turning her back to the young maid who gazed at her pitifully, she walked away.

She went straight to her room, shut the door tightly, collapsed onto the bed, and closed her eyes. So much had happened in just one day. It wouldn’t be strange if she fell asleep right then.

37th Street, 3rd Floor, White Pen.

“So it was 37th Street…”

A while later, when she unfolded the note, there really wasn’t much to it.

Donna might feel wronged, thinking she was dismissed for merely peeking at the note.

Natalie placed the note gently on her chest as if it were a lucky charm, and stared into space for a long while.

“Pfft.”

Then, like a madwoman, she suddenly burst into laughter.

“To think I’m in the same league as Sir Peeble. What is he talking about… seriously…”

They hadn’t even known each other for two months. Quite an honor. But for some reason, it didn’t feel pleasant at all. Her face was contorted.

‘His Highness has issues with his words and actions. Truly, he does. It’s a real problem. If it were any other lady, she would’ve already gotten the wrong idea and messed everything up.’

The prince and the baron’s daughter were each troubled by their own worries. There were only three days left until their departure for Huntington.

***

The Baron’s Daughter of Warfield and Her Men: Who Is the Secret Lover Hidden in Derville?

The report that the baron’s daughter suddenly appeared in disguise in Derville and disappeared in a carriage with some man wasn’t false. But it lacked so much context that it was bound to be misinterpreted.

Queen Violet’s clenched fist, gripping the newspaper, turned white.

It was Violet who had let out a shrill scream upon hearing that her prized Starry Night had gone to the baron’s daughter. She thought nothing could shock her more, yet the scandals surrounding the baron’s daughter showed no signs of ending.

At such times, Violet would raise her chin and puff out her chest even more. But this only made her look more unstable. Princess Sophia looked at her with worried eyes.

“I received a letter from your mother, Alexandra.”

Violet, feigning calm as best she could, spoke in a low voice.

“I, too, think this is a scandal we can no longer overlook. As your aunt, it would be wrong for me to hold you back any longer.”

So this is how it ends. Sophia lowered her gaze to the floor, realizing that the engagement had ended before it even began.

“I’m sorry your name has been dragged into such disgraceful scandals, Sophia.”

Almost mockingly, tabloids had begun printing articles suggesting the princess had lost out to the baron’s daughter. The Countess of Lange, seated beside Sophia, trembled with shame and fury.

In the end, Sophia left Violet’s drawing room earlier than usual.

She normally loved spending time with her aunt, but she wasn’t in the mood for more conversation.

“Ian will regret this deeply one day, for the disgrace he brought upon you and me!”

In the end, Violet couldn’t hold back and shouted sharply.

“Your Highness, since your schedule remains, you won’t be able to return to Fossa immediately.”

On the way back to their rooms, the Countess of Lange spoke with a dissatisfied expression. To miss the remaining events now would be akin to admitting the prince had rejected her, or that there had been a quarrel with the baron’s daughter.

“I’m alright, Sarah.”

Looking sadly at her princess, who had lost her smile, the Countess of Lange quietly withdrew, telling her to rest.

At last, when the hallway fell silent, Sophia slowly stepped out onto the balcony. The gardens of Windsorbell Palace stretched below, but the view didn’t register.

This was the first time things had veered so far from her expectations. Frustration and irritation surged uncontrollably. Her usual gentle smile was hard to maintain, and her expression crumbled easily.

Only then did Sophia realize that her bright disposition wasn’t innate. That alone was shocking enough, but her mind was even more entangled because of the baron’s daughter.

Sophia had intended to speak with the baron’s daughter directly at the dedication ceremony. Regardless of the engagement with Ian, she had believed she could offer guidance and advice.

But the villainess from the rumors, the one who had shattered her cousin’s reputation, was entirely different from what she had imagined.

That woman is Natalie Daus? She looks so plain… Just as the thought crossed her mind, someone whispered in her ear.

That demure posture, that innocent face—used to seduce men.

But she’s just standing there quietly, isn’t she? Sophia’s graceful brow furrowed.

In her confusion, another whisper followed.

Look how she glares at the princess with jealous eyes. She doesn’t know her place, daring to reach so high. A woman like that shouldn’t even be here!

Jealous eyes? No, she wasn’t even looking my way. In fact, she looked nervous. The whispers around Sophia began to feel more and more bizarre.

The baron’s daughter had looked at her only once when she was dancing with Ian.

Was it a look of jealousy? Of hostility? No. The baron’s daughter had stared at Ian with a sorrowful expression, her gaze fixed.

Sophia found herself increasingly unsettled by her.

Then came the news: the baron’s daughter had fainted.

While she was bedridden, rumors circulated that she wore a necklace unsuited to her status, and public opinion worsened.

The Countess of Lange was secretly pleased, but Sophia’s heart grew heavier. When she heard the baron’s daughter had gone to a market called Derville and been chased off by townspeople throwing raw eggs, she even felt sorry for her.

A strange guilt, a sense that she had missed something. In that moment, Sophia’s lovely face twisted in distress.

“…Your Majesty? No, Princess Charlotte.”

Just then, Charlotte’s procession passed through the garden.

Wait. If it’s Charlotte, maybe she knows something about that woman. Sophia’s grip on the railing tightened. A princess should be poised and graceful at all times, but urgency got the better of her.

“…Charlotte! Charlotte…!”

Before she knew it, she was shouting desperately. At the urgent voice, Charlotte turned without hesitation.

“Ah! Charlotte, over here! Please talk to me for a moment!”

When Charlotte spotted her, Sophia jumped in place with joy.

“…Oh no. Got caught.”

Seeing her cousin waving wildly from the balcony, Charlotte murmured in dismay. Her voice was half amused, half resigned.