Chapter 15
“I still oppose this method.”
“Charlotte, I’ve told you every time, this isn’t a sacrifice.”
“I don’t want to wear the crown while dragging your reputation through the mud.”
“I’m Ian David Martin Astiers. What does reputation matter?”
It was an incredible confidence. Very annoying, but somehow convincing. Charlotte paused for a moment.
“…I’m saying it’s nonsense to decide your marriage partner like this.”
“I was going to have a political marriage with a woman I barely know anyway, so I don’t see the difference.”
“You don’t see the difference?”
Standing by the window, Charlotte glared at the innocent scenery before finally turning her back and looking at her younger brother.
At the same moment, Ian, who was lazily lying on the long sofa, lifted his eyelids. Their faces, so alike, stared at each other.
“……”
“……”
A fierce battle of nerves continued.
“Your Highness, I came to report today’s schedule…”
Marcus entered the room at just the right moment.
“Sorry, Princess. I’ll come back shortly.”
Marcus, unaware of Charlotte’s presence, had entered Ian’s office at the usual time and stepped back.
“Good to see you, Marcus. Come here.”
But the prince’s voice was warmer than usual, stopping him.
Marcus instinctively glanced at Charlotte. The princess was glaring fiercely at the prince who was acting so politely.
“Thank you for your hard work. Please report.”
Ian slowly got up and smiled at Marcus. Charlotte, who had been glaring at Marcus, turned toward the window.
In the uncomfortable atmosphere, Marcus forced a professional smile and began reporting today’s schedule. Despite Ian’s warm welcome, he quickly grew bored with the usual routine.
“Ah, and Your Highness, here is the investigation about David you mentioned.”
After finishing the report, Marcus handed a file to Ian.
But strangely, there was no reaction. Marcus wondered if Ian had forgotten the name ‘David’ and kindly added an explanation.
“Pen name David, Miss Natalie Dawes, daughter of the Baron of Warfield.”
Charlotte, who had been staring out the window, showed interest in the familiar woman’s name. She slowly approached the table.
The well-trained aide Marcus summarized the investigation.
“After being acquitted, she seems to have stayed mostly inside the mansion in Warfield. Last year, her younger sister Dorothy Dawes debuted in society, but nothing special happened. Dorothy seems to have received no invitations this year and will likely stay in Warfield.”
Marcus continued his report.
“Stories about her still occasionally come up at social gatherings, but no proper articles have covered her since the trial. About eight articles appeared in very small newsletters with sensational speculation, but no evidence supports them. There have been no mentions of her in the past six months.”
The report ended, but Ian just listened without much reaction.
“…Shall we investigate further?”
Marcus grew uneasy as Ian remained silent.
“……”
Ian’s expression was unreadable, and he hesitated to speak.
Charlotte, watching Ian’s expression with interest, opened the file instead.
“Did I order an investigation on her?”
Ian spoke.
“You told me to find out yesterday…”
“I didn’t.”
Finally, Ian looked up and stared at Marcus. The serious look of whether to cut it off was rare.
Marcus scrambled to find the right words.
“Poor thing.”
Charlotte muttered, flipping through some papers while perched on the sofa armrest.
“It happened years ago, so I don’t remember details. But wasn’t what she did really not illegal? Maybe just offended some old nobles in the House of Lords?”
Ian’s gaze shifted from Marcus to Charlotte.
‘Thank goodness, Princess.’
Marcus silently thanked the princess for diverting the prince’s sharp gaze.
“The House of Lords was watching, so it was only a matter of time before her identity was revealed. But you can’t say it had nothing to do with the royal family.”
Charlotte smiled slyly, implying a subtle blame. Ian’s eyes narrowed.
“Especially poor Dorothy. A young lady at her prime receiving no invitations. Every day must be hell.”
“Charlotte, what are you trying to say?”
Charlotte wasn’t particularly merciful but was especially lenient toward young ladies. She glanced at Marcus, who had been holding his breath.
“Marcus, send an invitation to the Warfield family.”
“You mean the royal ball the princess is preparing?”
“Yes. I want to show some mercy for a change.”
“But the Warfield baron’s family doesn’t meet the bride conditions set by the prince. They have no debts, the baron is alive, and there is a son, so no succession issues.”
“Who said to invite a bride candidate? It’s not like only the cursed bride candidates are invited. Inviting one or two more won’t hurt.”
The real purpose of the royal ball hosted by Princess Charlotte was none other than ‘finding a problematic bride.’
Charlotte looked at Ian and raised her eyebrow as if asking if it was okay.
“Do as you like.”
As Charlotte said, inviting one more young lady wouldn’t ruin his plan.
Only, the woman who kept popping up from time to time was strangely bothering him.
***
“If you pretend to know me, I’ll kill you.”
Facing Dorothy’s terrifying threat from across the seat, Natalie quietly turned her head and looked out the window.
“How can you speak so harshly! Be careful, Dorothy. This is a precious opportunity.”
Baroness of Warfield glanced around nervously, warning Dorothy about her words in a trembling voice. She was shocked every day by her youngest daughter’s increasingly fierce tone.
Dorothy finally stopped glaring at Natalie. Freed from the harsh gaze, Natalie began to notice the scenery outside. Young grass was just sprouting in the still barren landscape rushing past the window.
Rattle, rattle.
The noisy shaking of the train made her dizzy. The ride on the train after three years was still terrible.
But now, the fact that she was on the train was not the problem.
‘What a nightmare this is.’
Natalie still couldn’t believe she was going to Dwan. The feeling of crawling into that nightmare place on her own.
Just yesterday morning, a luxurious letter with a gold seal arrived addressed to Natalie and Dorothy. It was an invitation to the royal ball. Princess Charlotte, returning from a year-long tour, was hosting her first ball.
Maybe the princess sent the invitation by mistake because it was her first ball. It was a reasonable suspicion.
It wasn’t only Natalie who was troubled. The Warfield baron and baroness were not pleased about Natalie reentering society. She had suffered enough from scandal and ridicule. They didn’t want to become new gossip.
But refusing the royal ball invitation was unthinkable, and it was too late even to send a refusal.
The ball was only a week away. For some reason, the invitation arrived very late.
Even if they managed to get train tickets immediately, there was barely enough time to make new dresses. What about lodging?
Beyond the cost, finding a suitable mansion to rent was impossible, and during the busy social season, even decent hotels were fully booked. The remaining accommodations were beyond what an ordinary rural noble could afford.
Realistically, going to Dwan seemed reckless.
Still, for Dorothy, this was an opportunity.
After receiving Princess Charlotte’s invitation, Dorothy’s face brightened for the first time since last social season ended. No one could disappoint her hopeful spirit.
Determined to send their youngest daughter to Dwan, the baron arranged three train tickets: one for Dorothy, and two for Natalie and the baroness.
With no one to chaperone the daughters in Dwan, the baroness made a big decision. Since the previous baron had no son and the husband had no experience with balls, she judged it better to go herself.
When the baron and baroness tried to muster the money for other expenses by knocking on neighbors’ doors in shame, Natalie offered the money she had saved to add to Dorothy’s dowry.
Dorothy didn’t thank her. Instead, she said it was only natural since Natalie had ruined her life.
Gathering their scarce resources, the three women prepared and boarded the first train to Dwan.
Except for the sisterly hostility and awkward mother-daughter relationship, things went surprisingly smoothly, which felt oddly unsettling.
Suppressing her anxiety, Natalie quietly closed her eyes out of habit.
The problem still remained.
“You should have done nothing.”
Natalie lived every moment remembering what Bianca told her the day her identity as David was exposed.
Do nothing. Live like you’re dead.
So she didn’t want to look at Dwan at all. She couldn’t understand how she was invited to the princess’s ball when she was tacitly banned from society.
‘Get a grip, Natalie. Just don’t attract anyone’s attention.’
Natalie steeled herself once again.
‘Please, let the nobles of Dwan have forgotten the names Warfield and Dawes.’
Rattle, rattle. The train shook relentlessly, making sleep impossible.
