Chapter 1070 I Do Not Just Want To Be Friends
After Jerome realized that she had been bullied during Bastien’s birthday banquet, the man’s eyes were filled with concern. “I’m fine.” “How can you be fine? Do you know how red the palm print on your face is? Stop lying to me.”
When Jerome extended his hand in an attempt to stroke the palm print, Natalie dodged. Instead of answering his question directly, she requested, “Can we get in the car first? I want to leave right away so that I can calm down.”
Jerome’s eyes glistened. “All right. Let’s go then.” As Jerome opened the door to the front passenger seat, Natalie lowered her head and got in. After leaving Luna Palace, they drove to a cafe and found a private room.
The waiter, upon serving them coffee, knowingly left the room and closed the door behind him. Furrowing his brows, Jerome asked, “Can you tell me now?”
“Bastien invited me to attend his birthday banquet which has nothing to do with the bank robbery from before.” After having a sip of coffee, Natalie continued, “During the first dance of the banquet, he didn’t invite Ms. Helma to dance as planned. Instead, he invited me!”
“What?” Jerome, coffee cup in hand, spilled it upon being jolted by her words. Despite the hot coffee scalding his arm, he didn’t feel any pain at all.
“Don’t worry.” Natalie threw him a glance before adding flatly, “I did dance with him but didn’t agree to his marriage proposal. Given that I’m married and have children, I would be a disgrace to the Loang royal family. Regardless of how strong Bastien’s feelings are for me, there’s no way he would put his political future on the line. As for the slap on my face, it was Ms. Helma who hit me. However, I don’t blame her. Even though this matter wasn’t my doing, I was still the reason she was ridiculed in public.”
“You and Prince Jonathan?”
“Yes, we know each other.” Natalie nodded. “Before tonight’s events, we were still considered friends. But now, there’s no more relationship to speak of. I’m sure you know what I hate the most, and yet, he did exactly that to me!”
Jerome nodded in agreement. Ever since Natalie was young, she hated to have her path dictated by someone else. Given her inherent love for freedom, she enjoyed the unpredictability of the future. All that mattered to her was a clear conscience.
As a result, when Bastien unilaterally decided to invite her to dance under the keen eyes of the public, he thought that he was bestowing upon her the highest honor. Little did he know that he was forcing her along a pre-determined path—an act that crossed her threshold.
“Natalie, do you want to leave Loang for the time being?”
“Why?” Chuckling, Natalie threw the question back at him. “Are you worried that he’d exact revenge on me?”
“Although you weren’t the cause of the events tonight, you have practically offended everyone there is to offend. Considering the royal family’s authority reaches every corner of Loang, it might be dangerous for you to continue staying here,” Jerome analyzed the situation for her.
“You know, life is just too unpredictable. Perhaps by spoiling his plans, the other princes might admire me for my attitude. Anyway, I don’t care about what others think of me as long as my conscience is clear. Since my heart belongs to Samuel, I’ll definitely stay loyal to him.”
Just the thought of Samuel elicited an instinctive smile from Natalie’s face.
“I would rather die than betray Samuel.”
The resolute look in Natalie’s eyes triggered a tingling sensation in Jerome’s heart. Although he had given up hope on being together with her, sorrow still filled his soul when he heard Natalie declare her love for Samuel.
“Natalie, I respect your decision. If staying in Loang is what you want, my father and I will definitely protect you. Since you’re like a sister to me, there’s no way I would allow any harm to come your way.”
When the word “sister” rolled off his tongue, it brought a sting to his heart.
