TPB 19

Chapter: 19

There was no law against surviving, and as she made her way back along the path she had come, Natalie neither ran into the guards nor got lost. It was the first stroke of luck she had experienced today.

Before entering the banquet hall, Natalie brushed off the dust from her clothes and immediately looked for her mother.

“Mother!”

“Natalie, where have you been? I thought you left without even greeting the princess… Good heavens! What on earth happened to you?”

The Baroness, who had been scolding her lightly, was now horrified at Natalie’s disheveled appearance, with leaves stuck in her hair.

Conscious of the onlookers, the Baroness quickly plucked the leaves from Natalie’s hair and dragged her to a corner. With a trembling voice, she asked,

“Natalie, what were you doing out there?”

“I… I think I should go back immediately. I’ll return to the hotel now.”

“What? You’re on the guest list. If only Dorothy greets the princess, what will she think?”

“Shortness of breath. If I say that I’m having difficulty breathing because I over-tightened my corset, the princess will understand, right?”

“My dear, that’s still… Are you really unwell, or…”

Why am I like this, Mother? This time, it might be my fault if the Daus family falls apart.

Natalie debated whether to confess everything to her mother immediately, but she didn’t want to burden her already timid mother with more worry—and there wasn’t time anyway. She forced a smile at her anxious mother.

“I just felt unwell while strolling in the garden and tripped. So, rather than risking another accident, I should go back… No, first I need to change my dress…!”

“Natalie Daus.”

Both Natalie and the Baroness froze at the same time at the faint voice.

The speaker was none other than Lord Humperwood, the old viscount.

Natalie remembered the pervert she had momentarily forgotten and squeezed her eyes shut. Holding her breath, she turned awkwardly, afraid that someone nearby might remember that her name was Natalie Daus.

“…Lord Humperwood, it’s good to see you again. This is my mother, Baroness Warfield. Mother, this is Lord Humperwood.”

“Pleased to meet you, Lady Warfield.”

The Viscount had already donned the mask of a polite gentleman.

The Baroness offered a formal curtsy. Her movements were flawless, yet she couldn’t hide her surprise that the Viscount recognized Natalie.

“Natalie, since you disappeared right after the dance, I didn’t get a chance to offer you refreshments.”

It was an oddly familiar tone. Ignoring her mother’s questioning gaze, Natalie forced a small smile.

“Thank you, but I’m not feeling well, so I should return now.”

“Haha. Planning to keep playing hide-and-seek, are we…”

The sequence of his words made Natalie’s lips twitch in disbelief. The Viscount seemed to think this back-and-forth was the flirtatious push-and-pull of two people in love.

“A lady shouldn’t go alone, should she? If the beautiful Baroness permits, I can escort a young lady to her guardian.”

The Viscount insisted on escorting her.

“No, there’s no need to be bothered because of me. Please enjoy the ball.”

“Is there another gentleman to escort you?”

“There should be someone to assist me.”

“Where is he?”

“Not in front of me, apparently.”

Her voice unconsciously sharpened.

“You seem to be avoiding introductions with other gentlemen, am I right?”

The more she resisted, the more the Viscount seemed pleased. Spotting weaknesses to exploit—it was hardly gentlemanly, and it felt despicable.

Do nothing. Don’t ruin this.

Her anger flared, but she recited the mantra in her mind to keep calm. Yet she felt unfairly humiliated. She couldn’t understand why she should feel fear and degradation at the hands of such a perverted man.

I’m perfectly capable without all this…

Her head burned, and her heart raced as if it might explode. She wanted to punch him, scream—she was consumed by the impulse.

“Natalie…”

At that moment, the Baroness, who had been anxious beside her, gripped her arm and whispered firmly.

Only then did Natalie realize how unnaturally quiet the room had become. The orchestra had stopped playing without her noticing.

“Could it be…”

The Baroness glanced toward the banquet hall entrance, barely audible. Natalie followed her gaze a moment later.

“…Ah.”

There was an old saying from her childhood: if you go into the busy streets of town, the women would endlessly chatter, saying that if you went to Dwan, you would immediately recognize the real Prince Ian among the white-skinned, blond-haired, blue-eyed men.

He looked different.

“…Ah.”

All tangled thoughts instantly evaporated, leaving a short exclamation escaping her lips. Her heart, which had been racing, suddenly slowed, and time seemed to stretch.

So, it’s really as they said.

Natalie couldn’t take her eyes off the man who seemed to be walking straight toward her.

The shock was incomparable to seeing Roger in her adolescence—it was long gone, the memory distorted.

This man is Prince Ian.

It seemed her feeling that the prince was approaching her wasn’t a delusion. Astonishingly, he stopped right in front of Lord Humperwood.

The Viscount bowed and greeted the prince.

“It is an honor, Your Highness Prince Ian.”

“Long time no see, Lord Humperwood.”

As everyone else did, Natalie could only stare at Ian, unable to look away. He was just too vivid, too radiant.

“This young lady already has an escort, doesn’t she?”

With the chandelier sparkling like a halo around him, the prince said this as he met her eyes. Natalie surrendered entirely to the gaze.

“Then there’s no need for you to offer an escort.”

Her brain processed his words slowly, unable to catch up immediately.

“Isn’t that right?”

Surely, this angelic man had just asked her something important.

The moment I meet him, I will fall in love.

Like the gossip she’d overheard as a child, he seemed deserving of everyone’s love—a beautiful, charming man. Standing before him made her feel almost ashamed.

Loving the most radiant sun in any place was so easy. Natalie instinctively knew that she would fall in love with the prince the instant she saw him.

But anyone would. Anyone would fall for the prince at first sight.

However, this love would probably take the form of admiration, never causing pain. A few rare intense emotions might arise, but that would be all, Natalie believed.

“Your Highness, you’ve arrived earlier than expected. How…”

Before she could respond, a lady appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Catherine, Duchess of Horace, had rushed over after noticing the prince.

“Long time no see, Catherine. Am I disturbing the ball?”

“Don’t say that. Everyone was waiting just for the two of you.”

“An honor indeed. But what shall I do? I must escort this young lady.”

Ian gestured at Natalie, and Catherine followed his gaze.

“Your Highness, this young lady…”

Though maintaining her elegant smile, she was uncharacteristically flustered.

“Catherine.”

“…Seeing the pride of Grand Barten after so long, I too, seem a bit out of sorts.”

Catherine skillfully lightened the atmosphere, and the spectators awkwardly laughed along.

“What are you all doing standing around? Enjoy the princess’s ball!”

With a flourish of her fan toward the dance floor, the room came back to life. Guests scattered, and the orchestra hastily resumed.

Through it all, the prince’s gaze never left Natalie.

She, in turn, couldn’t bring herself to look away or avoid him.

After a tense stand-off, Ian suddenly stepped closer to her. He reached out toward her cheek.

Natalie’s eyes widened as the prince’s face came near. His fingertips seemed about to touch her cheek.

But unexpectedly, she felt a strand of hair move. As she slowly realized what had happened, the prince, smiling knowingly, held up the answer before her eyes.

“A straw…”

He removed the straw caught in her hair, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

Natalie’s heart sank and then began racing even faster.

The princess’s garden.

The prince’s dream. The divorced man.

“I think we have some matters to discuss.”

He whispered softly enough for only her to hear, then stepped back. When their eyes met again, Natalie realized:

He knows. He knows I heard everything.

She had hoped no one witnessed it, yet the worst-case scenario had unfolded.

She never imagined the prince would personally come for her.