The next day, Natalie had to leave for Belvorn. Justin had already made all the preparations for her and came to see her off at the airport. Inside the car, she couldn’t help but ask, "The great Justin Harper must be invited as well. Are you going to make a public appearance finally?"
"If I do, then I’m afraid I won’t be able to stay away from my wife."
Natalie thought about it. Was she ready to let everyone know who her husband was? Keeping him mysterious seemed more effective at the moment.
"You must have a lot of work," she said. "Once I’m away, make sure not to overwork yourself and take care of yourself."
Justin stared at her wordlessly, a light smirk painted on his lips. She was indirectly telling him not to come to Belvorn.
They reached the airport. Before Justin could step out of the car, Natalie spoke, "I can go. Don’t bother."
"Seems like my wife is ashamed to be seen with me."
"I just don’t want other women to see my handsome husband, so just stay put," she said.
He chuckled softly, seeing her acting coy today and behaving casually with him. "Alright. Go ahead."
Natalie stepped out of the car as the driver opened the door for her. John and Ryan, who had been driving in another car, accompanied her as well.
After a few hours of travel, Natalie finally reached Belvorn. After completing all the necessary procedures, she stepped out of the airport, with Ryan and John following her, carrying both her and their bags.
Outside the airport, she saw Briena being surrounded by reporters. Briena had also arrived in Belvorn, having been personally invited by the Princess of Belvorn herself—an invitation that carried significant weight.
"Ms. Briena, what’s your plan once you arrive in Belvorn?" a reporter asked.
"It’s my first time visiting Belvorn, so other than enjoying their festival, I plan to visit some beautiful places there. I’ll make sure to update my social media accounts so you all can stay updated."
"That’s so thoughtful of you, Ms. Briena," the reporter said politely. "Will the princess join you?"
"That, I can’t guarantee," Briena replied with a sweet smile. "Charlotte is busy with her responsibilities as a princess, and I wouldn’t want to disturb her. But let’s see."
"If I may ask, how is your relationship with your grandmother now? As we all know what happened that day..."
Briena maintained her composed smile and replied, "Some people did try to put a rift between us, but we are strong as a family and not easily affected by such things. We are just as we used to be, and my grandma still has high expectations of me, as always."
Just then, a row of cars arrived. A number of bodyguards stepped out as they came to receive someone.
"Such a grand entourage! Ms. Briena, is that for you?" a reporter asked.
Briena was as surprised as everyone else. Has Charlotte truly sent this for me?
"Of course, it must be for Ms. Briena. We have the complete list of guests arriving today, and at this hour, there is no one else arriving at this airport until tonight," another reporter added, to which the others agreed.
"In Imperial City, Ms. Briena came to fetch the princess, so it’s only right for our princess to welcome Ms. Briena."
"That’s such a grand welcome."
"Seems like Princess Charlotte surely values you, Ms. Briena."
As she listened to the reporters, Briena accepted that the grand welcome was indeed for her. She could have informed me beforehand. Or maybe she just wanted to surprise me. A smug smile appeared on her lips as she walked ahead with her assistant and bodyguards.
When she reached closer, the bodyguards standing outside didn’t react at all, as if they hadn’t recognized her.
Ana, Briena’s assistant, stepped forward. "Aren’t you going to move and open the door for Ms. Briena?"
The bodyguards she addressed didn’t react.
"Don’t you see Ms. Briena is already here?" Ana repeated.
Just then, a tall and imposing man in a suit stepped forward and spoke in a cold, authoritative voice. "Excuse me, please make way for our guest."
Ana smirked at the bodyguards. "Did you hear? Now open the door."
But the bodyguards didn’t budge. Instead, they heard the man speak again. "I’m talking to you. Stand back! Don’t make our guest wait."
Ana turned to the man. "Your guest is here. Ms. Briena."
"I don’t know who you are talking about," the man said in an indifferent tone, "but my guest is with me. If you don’t move, I’ll have the bodyguards remove you from the way."
They finally stepped back—only to see the person standing behind the man.
How could this be? That was the only question running through their minds.
Hearing this, Ana couldn’t help but sneer, making sure her voice was loud enough to be heard. "Seems like her rich sugar daddy has connections in Belvorn as well. Or who knows—maybe she’s already found a new sugar daddy here. It wouldn’t be a big deal for her to have rich men serving her. Her poor husband... I pity him."
Briena smirked but pretended to disapprove. "Stop it, Ana. Don’t say such things about her. Even though we’re no longer sisters, and she is a bastard, you still shouldn’t say bad things about her like this."
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