Chapter 1058 She Absolutely Has To Go Natalie was utterly dumbfounded. What? How come?
Ordinary people donât usually get invited to royal banquets like these! Even the wealthy donât get invited unless they have connections or are doing business with the royal family! Why would a nobody like me receive such a grand invitation?
Natalieâs frown deepened. âDo you know why Iâm being invited to Prince Jonathanâs birthday party?â
Jerome didnât know the actual reason she was invited, but he could make a rough guess based on the invitation card and what his superior had told him.
âDonât overthink it, Natalie. This probably has something to do with that bank robbery a while back. I kept my mouth shut about it, but there were quite a lot of soldiers who witnessed your heroic acts. You saved that boy who got shot and let the robbers take you hostage in place of that woman who was eight months pregnant. Iâm guessing Prince Jonathan invited you over so he could give you an award.â
âI seeâ¦â Natalie nodded as she gave it some thought. The royal family of Loang does have the power to grant awards like these, so Jeromeâs explanation makes perfect sense.
Even so, there are lots of complicated power struggles within the royal family of Loang. Iâm only here to do business. I have no interest in learning more about the royal family, let alone getting close to them like this.
âJerome, can I not attend this party?â she asked tentatively.
âIâm afraid not. I know you donât like attending social events like these, but you have no choice in this particular one. Invitations from the royal family arenât the same as invitations from fellow businessmen.
According to the local customs, if you insist on turning the invitation down, you will have to explain your reason to Prince Jonathan in person and obtain his permission.
Unlike in Chanaea, Loang practices absolute monarchy, so the king holds ultimate power in the country. Although things arenât as crazy as they were in the past, the royal familyâs authority is still not to be challenged by ordinary folks like you and me.
Prince Jonathan has every right to banish you from Loang if he wishes to. Things are going well for Dreamâs development now. Itâd be a real shame if you were to get banished now.â
It wasnât until Natalie heard his lengthy explanation that she fully realized her situation. There simply was no way for her to excuse herself from attending this birthday party.
âThanks for the information. Iâll be there on time,â Natalie said with a nod. âThereâs no need for you to get nervous. All you need to do is follow the servantsâ instructions and complete the procedures to receive the award.â
âOkay.â Having gotten that out of the way, Natalie decided it was time for her to head off to work. âIâll be on my way to the office now.â
Natalie was about to walk away when Jerome called out to her again, âWait!â
âHmm?â âNatalie, Iâve been thinking a lot about it after I went back.â Jerome flashed her a faint smile. âI hope we can still remain as friends like we used to be. I want us to go back to being siblings again.â
Natalie stared wide-eyed at him in surprise. âDo you really feel that way?â
Jerome gave her a playful flick on the forehead, just as he used to when they were kids.
âWhy would I lie to you? Itâs not like youâre the only woman in the world. It was a little embarrassing being rejected by you, but Iâm pretty sure I can easily find someone else whoâll like me. Iâm not the kind of guy who would shamelessly cling to a woman forever, especially if sheâs not even that attractive!â
Feeling relieved when she saw that he could joke about it so casually, Natalie did the same. âHey! Who are you calling unattractive, huh?â