CH 19

As she hurried back along the path she had come, she did not encounter any guards or get lost. It was Natalie’s first stroke of luck today.

Natalie dusted herself off before entering the ballroom and went straight for her mother.

“Mother!”

“Natalie, where have you been? I thought you had left without saying hello to the princess…. My God, what is that?”

The countess, who had been quietly criticizing her, was startled to see Natalie’s appearance. Natalie’s clothes were disheveled, and there were even leaves stuck in her hair.

The Baroness, conscious of her surroundings, hastily removed the leaves from Natalie’s hair and dragged her into a corner. In a trembling voice, she asked,

“Natalie, where have you come back from?”

“Well, I think I should go back now. I’m going back to the hotel.”

“What? There’s an official guest list, so what do you think the Princess would think if only Dorothy would go and greet?”

“It’s difficult to breathe. If I complain about having difficulty breathing because of wearing a tight corset, the princess will understand, right?”

“Honey, that’s just not true. Are you really unwell, or…?”

‘I don’t know what’s wrong with me, Mother. This time I might be the reason Dowse is going to fall to ruin.’

Natalie wondered if she should tell her mother right away. But she didn’t want to cause her mother any more worry than she already had, and she didn’t think she had the time. Natalie tried to smile at her anxious mother.

“I’m only feeling so badly that I’ve fallen while taking a walk in the garden, so I’d better go back before I make a mistake… No, I’d better change my dress now…!”

“Miss Dowse.”

A small voice whispered, and Natalie and the Baroness froze at the same time.

The voice belonged to the old Earl of Humperwood.

Natalie closed her eyes tightly as she remembered the pervert she had momentarily forgotten, and turned away unnaturally. She held her breath in case there was anyone around who remembered that David’s identity was Natalie Dowse.

“…Lord Humperwood, I see you again. This is my mother, Baroness Warfield. Mother, this is Lord Humperwood.”

“We have never met, Lady Warfield.”

The old earl was now wearing the mask of a well-mannered gentleman.

The Baroness gave him a curtsy. It was an impeccable gesture, but she couldn’t hide her embarrassment at the fact that the Earl recognised Natalie.

“Natalie, you disappeared as soon as the dance was over, so I didn’t get a chance to offer you refreshments.”

It was a friendly nickname. Pretending not to see the questioning look in her mother’s eyes, Natalie forced the corners of her mouth up.

“Thank you, but I’m not feeling well. I think I should get back.”

“Haha. I guess you’re going to continue playing hide and seek….”

Natalie couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from drooping at the deafening stream of thought. The old earl seemed to think this was a fierce push and pull between a man and a woman with mutual affection.

“If I may, a lady cannot return alone, can she not? With the permission of the lovely Barones, I shall escort the lady in question and become her protector.”

The old earl offered his escort service.

“No. You need not worry about me. Please enjoy the ball more.”

“Is there another gentleman to escort you?”

“I’m sure there are others who can help me.”

“Where?”

“For the time being, there is no one in front of my eyes.”

There was a slight edge to his voice.

“I see that you are avoiding introducing yourself other gentlemen and ladies, is that correct?”

The more he did so, the happier the Earl appeared. His behavior of noticing weaknesses and threatening was despicable, making him far from being a gentleman.

‘Don’t do anything. Don’t ruin it.’

Her temper flared, but she restrained herself by reciting a spell in her mind. However, she felt indignant. She couldn’t understand why she should feel disgust and fear towards such a perverted earl.

‘I have enough….’

Hot blood rushed to her head and her heart pounded like it was going to explode. The urge to punch and beat the man in front of her, to do him harm, was overwhelming.

“Dear…. Natalie.”

The Baroness, who had been fidgeting at Natalie’s side, whispered, tightening her grip on her forearm.

Natalie suddenly realised that it was strangely quiet around her. The orchestra had stopped playing at some point.

“Could that be….”

The Baroness muttered inaudibly, looking towards the entrance of the ballroom. Natalie followed her mother’s gaze and turned her head to the side.

“…….”

When she was a child, there was a phrase the old ladies used to talk about when they were out on the town’s high street.

That there were plenty of handsome man with fair skin, blond hair, and blue eyes in Duan, but the real Prince Ian was instantly recognisable.

That he looks different.

“…Ah.”

A short sigh escaped her lips as her twisted thoughts quickly spun out of control. Her heart stopped beating and time began to slow down.

‘They were right.’

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

It didn’t compare to the shock of seeing Roger for the first time as a teenager. It had been so long, in fact, that her senses were completely distorted.

‘That’s Prince Ian.’

It seemed that the feeling of the prince approaching her was not a delusion after all. Surprisingly, the prince stopped in front of her. More precisely, he stopped in front of Earl Humperwood.

The Earl bent down and bowed to the Prince.

“Your Royal Highness, Prince Ian.”

“It’s been a long time, Lord Humperwood.”

Natalie, like everyone else, stared at Ian, unable to do anything but stare. She couldn’t look away, he was so clear and so bright.

“This young lady has an escort. It’s me.”

The moment the prince, haloed by the glittering chandeliers, said that and locked eyes with her, she gave up thinking altogether. So this is what it’s like to be stared at, she thought.

“So there’s no need for you to escort her.”

Her brain took several times longer to process information than usual, making it difficult for her to understand the prince’s words immediately.

“Isn’t that right?”

It felt like the angelic man in front of her had asked her something incredibly important.

“You’ll fall in love with him the moment you meet him.”

Like the ladies’ chatter she overheard one day, Natalie couldn’t help but think that he was someone who deserved to be loved by everyone. He was a beautiful and lovable man, so much so that standing in front of him made her feel shy.

It’s so easy to love the most prominent, shining sun wherever you go. She had a hunch from the moment she first saw him that she might fall in love with the prince.

But anyone would do the same. Anyone who met the prince would fall in love with him.

However, this love would probably take the form of admiration, and she was confident that this kind of love would never cause her any harm. This was a feeling that only occurs a few times in one’s life, and Natalie believed that it was just that kind of feeling.

“Your Highness, you have arrived earlier than you said you would. How….”

Before Natalie could give any response, a lady who appeared out of nowhere interjected. It was Duchess Catherine, the wife of the Duke of Horace, who had spotted the prince and rushed over after a delay.

“It’s been a while, Catherine. Looks like I’ve interrupted the ball.”

“Don’t say that. Everyone was waiting for both of Your Highnesses.”

“Such an honor. But what should we do? I have to escort this young lady.”

When Ian pointed at Natalie and spoke, Catherine followed his gaze and looked at her.

“Your Highness, this young lady is…”

She did not lose her elegant smile, but she was rarely flustered.

“Catherine.”

“…It seems I too am unable to recover my senses after seeing Grand Batten after such a long time.”

Catherine, who easily understood the prince’s intention of not asking any further, skillfully livened up the mood. Her pleasant banter made the onlookers awkwardly follow suit and laugh.

“What are you all doing standing there blankly? Shouldn’t you be enjoying the princess’s ball?”

With a swish of her fan, Catherine called out to the crowd and the frozen atmosphere was finally broken. The onlookers scattered and the orchestra hastily resumed playing.

Meanwhile, his gaze remained fixed on Natalie the whole time.

Natalie was no different. She froze, unable to escape his gaze.

After a bizarre confrontation, Ian took a bold step toward Natalie. He didn’t stop there, and reached out to touch her cheek.

Natalie’s eyes widened at the sight of the prince’s face so close. She could almost feel his fingertips on her cheek.

However, unexpectedly, one strand of her hair scattered. She slowly rolled her head, wondering what he had just done. The prince kindly pushed the answer in front of her eyes.

“A speck of dust…”

Pulling the dust out from between her hair, the prince smiled, his eyes twinkling meaningfully.

At the same time, Natalie’s heart dropped with a thud. Then it began to beat faster than before.

At the princess’s garden.

The prince’s dream, of being a divorced man.

“I think we have something to talk about.”

In a whisper so low only Natalie could hear, the prince took a step away. The moment their gazes met again, Natalie knew.

‘That’s the knowing look. He knows. That I heard everything.’

She hoped there were no witnesses. She feared the worst.

That the Prince himself would come for her.