Chapter 5
“Is that Natalie? Ah, she’s that cousin.”
Ian’s expression twisted in complete disgust for a moment, as if to say, Even with your cousin? Really?
It wasn’t a compliment at all, but a proud look appeared on Roger’s face.
“Haha… I saw her once a few years ago when I was staying at my aunt’s house, the Baroness. But… look at how it turned out.”
Haha. This guy’s popularity.
Roger deliberately spoke cryptically and shrugged his shoulders. Without the vanity and bravado typical of the Heaton family, he would have been a corpse.
His memories of Natalie were vague. In Roger’s eyes, a fifteen-year-old country girl named Natalie was insignificant. The only faint memory left was that she looked somewhat like a delicate girl due to her unusually dark complexion.
Ian glanced between the peach-colored envelope and Roger’s face, gently furrowing his brow.
‘Why does everyone seem to have nothing to do?’
After a brief reflection, his interest in the impressive handwriting quickly faded.
He should just torment Roger instead.
Ian lifted his gaze again and smiled brightly.
“I’ll give you a choice, thinking of our friendship from the military academy. Choose between confinement or a salary cut.”
The pride on Roger’s face vanished in an instant.
—
The central train station of Dwan was always chaotic. Even the exclusive exit for first-class passengers was no exception.
The prince, who had a slight obsession with cleanliness, stopped abruptly as soon as he stepped onto the platform. With cloudy eyes, he stared at the complicated scenery before hastily quickening his steps.
Ian’s return was an unofficial matter. To avoid being noticed, he minimized the number of attendants and tried to cover his face with a hat, but it was inevitable that attention would be drawn to him due to his height. The best option was to walk quickly to the carriage, following the attendants.
As he exited through the relatively quiet back door and turned the corner, the plump attendant in front collided with a boy.
The boy, wearing suspenders and a cap, looked like a newspaper vendor and let out a startled scream as he bounced away.
What was peculiar was that while falling backward, he didn’t try to catch himself but instead clutched his cap tightly.
He sacrificed his backside to protect his cap. However, as the cap was pushed down, his face was revealed.
With a head and torso, one is recognized as a person, and even Ian, who usually saw square shapes as buildings, noticed the boy’s face. Despite his shabby appearance, he had a refined and handsome face.
The attendant, who was ahead, bowed his head to Ian first and then apologized to the boy before helping him up. The boy pulled his cap down tightly and disappeared quickly without even a word of thanks.
It was a brief moment that hardly qualified as a meeting, but Ian’s gaze remained fixed on the newspaper boy. It was very rare for his gaze to linger on a passerby for more than a second.
‘Dressed as a boy.’
The reason the boy caught the prince’s attention was that he was not really a ‘boy’. Due to his pale face, his dark eyes and eyebrows stood out, revealing that he was clearly a girl in disguise.
Ian didn’t ponder whether he should catch her or not.
He was very busy. Meeting the queen, who was eagerly waiting for her second son, was his priority.
—
It was hard to believe that the spacious garden of the Marquess Mabel’s mansion, located in the middle of bustling Dwan, was filled with yellow daffodils and purple dahlias in spring.
A woman, bustling through the garden, suddenly stopped and turned around. The white glimmer of the Sean River, reflecting the noon sunlight, immediately caught her eye. It was truly a picturesque mansion.
Natalie couldn’t help but be captivated by the beautiful scenery every time she visited. Although Heaton Park was more sophisticated than her family home, the mansion of the truly wealthy Marquess Mabel was different.
Looking at the map, the Marquess’s residence was located to the west of Dwan, above the Sean River that ran alongside the city. This area, known as the ‘West Side,’ was the most expensive land in Dwan.
According to a newspaper article, Marquess Mabel was an incredibly wealthy person, ranking among the top ten annual income earners of Grand Batten. She had a precious only daughter, Christina Doweigh.
Christina, who debuted in society the same year as Natalie, was naturally the best catch, but she didn’t seem to give anyone a glance.
People whispered that Christina, who appeared uninterested in marriage, would marry a cousin who would inherit Marquess Mabel’s title and become ‘Lady Mabel’ instead.
If someone were to ask Natalie, her close friend, whether that rumor was true, Natalie would have no idea.
Christina didn’t talk about important matters, and neither did Natalie.
Perhaps the reason they could hang out together for years despite their significant background differences was due to this appropriate distance.
“You latecomer! What are you doing not coming up quickly?”
Natalie, who had been staring blankly at the sparkling surface of the water, jumped in surprise at the loud voice. She reflexively turned her body and looked up to see two women half hanging out of an open window, waving their hands.
With her chestnut curly hair, Christina was on one side, and Emily, with her milky hair, was next to her.
If only voices were considered, Christina was definitely a commanding presence. The Marquess’s daughter, raised with a pampered attitude, was far from modesty and decorum. She was playful and free-spirited, which was one of the reasons Natalie liked her.
Friends who shared similar tastes and hobbies. Seeing the two of them made Natalie smile.
Her steps quickened more than before.
When Natalie hurriedly ran up the spiral staircase and entered the Marquess’s private reception room, Christina and Emily were already lounging on the couch.
“Why are you so late? Oh my, why do you look like that? Why are you sweating so much?”
Christina exclaimed in shock upon seeing Natalie.
“The post office. There were so many people today. As for how I look, I got jostled around because of the crowd.”
“Does that mean it took you this long?”
Emily, who had only slightly raised her head, interjected with a haughty voice.
“You were sightseeing in Derville again, weren’t you? I heard Mary has given up chasing after you. She said her feet feel like they’re on fire. Is Dwan still that fascinating to you?”
Here came the insensitive remark from the city girl.
When people referred to the market in Dwan, they usually meant the largest one, ‘Derville.’
Emily had no interest in sightseeing, including Derville. She thought it was too dirty.
Mary, the maid of the Heaton family, had accompanied her a few times to protect the young lady but had completely lost interest and waited at the entrance of Derville afterward.
Thanks to that, Natalie could roam around Dwan relatively freely.
“I’m wasting the money I could spend at the tailor on carriage fares.”
Most of Natalie’s allowance went to carriage fares. Emily couldn’t understand that at all.
“It’s more fun to people-watch, ayaya…”
More accurately, it was the fun of eavesdropping on what people were talking about, but Natalie kept that to herself.
“Did you hurt your back or something?”
As she struggled to finish her sentence, Christina asked with concern. The Marquess’s daughter was playful yet kind-hearted.
“I think I just slept awkwardly. By the way, Christina.”
Natalie shrugged as if it were nothing and subtly changed the subject by handing Christina a translucent silk shawl.
“This is the shawl you left behind at the ball yesterday. You left it again? You’re quite careless, you know.”
“Oh my. No wonder I felt like I’d seen the shawl you’re holding somewhere. It was mine? You’re the only one who has it.”
Playful yet kind, she often left her belongings behind. It was usually Natalie’s job to take care of her things.
As soon as Christina took the shawl, Emily chimed in.
“By the way, Natalie, you sent another letter to Roger, didn’t you? You should stop that.”
Emily was particularly persistent today.
“Mind your own business, Miss Heaton. That’s true, but it’s also time to write to Warfield. Our youngest loves me the most, you know. I have to send him letters often.”
Natalie had three younger siblings.
In order of age, Bianca, who became Countess Rutherford, Dorothy, who would debut in society next year, and the youngest, Alex, who would one day become a Baron. Alex was thirteen years younger than Natalie and had always been the closest to her since he was a baby.
“By the way, before you came, Emily said something.”
Christina, who had no particular interest in other people’s family matters, quickly changed the subject.
“She said this time, Mrs. Heaton is really angry and is seriously searching for a husband for you.”
“Hm. Yeah, that’s true.”
“Hmph. But you don’t seem motivated at all.”
Christina muttered, relieved, and smiled slyly. It seemed she was sure that the secret reading club of unmarried ladies would continue for a while.
“Okay, then shall we start today’s ‘reading club’?”
With a satisfied expression, Christina stood up and headed toward the bookshelf located in one corner of the reception room, changing the atmosphere.
“Miss Dawes and Miss Heaton, today I have brought a very rare poetry collection. It was so difficult to obtain.”
Christina spoke in an exaggerated tone as she placed two books on the table. They looked expensive with sturdy covers and considerable thickness, likely to catch the eye of anyone who disliked reading.
“This time, I brought two copies, so there’s no need to wait for your turn. Of course, I read them all last night.”
Indeed, the Marquess’s daughter! Emily mockingly imitated a follower.
“It’s so beneficial that I want to share my thoughts with you all quickly. I can assure you it will be a great help for you ladies looking for husbands.”
Christina added, pretending to be significant. Impatient Emily was already flipping through the pages busily.
Natalie, too, picked up a book with anticipation, drawn in by Christina’s confident voice. The cover read, “150 Lyric Poems for Young Ladies.”
However, what was contained within was likely the most distant story from that of a young lady.
While a typical reading club would explore lyric poetry and plays, their club was not an ordinary reading group.
The three of them were immersed in sensual novels, or rather, “dirty novels.”
