The Prince Who Loved Me - Chapter 17
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 17
River, who had been lost in thought for a moment, spoke.
“Invisible man.”
“Invisible man? Why?”
“Just, it’s free, isn’t it.”
Bada fell deep into thought.
‘Why would he say something like that? That means he’s not free right now.’
Maybe it was because he was an elite secret agent.
Bada suppressed her curiosity and asked playfully.
“Is it because you’re so handsome that everyone stares at you when you walk down the street?”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
“Oh, come on.”
The two people who had been giggling locked eyes. His gaze soon became serious.
“Actually, I’m also searching for something like you.”
“Then we’re both soul searching.”
“It’s like two lost children meeting on a tropical island.”
Bada moistened her throat with her cocktail, then turned her gaze to the English newspaper he was reading.
“Is there any interesting article?”
“Well, not particularly?”
Bada, who had been quickly reading through the headlines, pointed to an article.
“Here’s some good news. The Swedish Crown Princess gave birth to a son.”
The newspaper featured a photo of the crown prince couple holding a baby in their arms.
“Does this child know he was born a prince?”
River, who had been silent, quietly opened his mouth.
“What do you think it would be like?”
“Huh?”
“What do you think it would be like if you were born as that child?”
“Well, it’s too distant a story for me as a Korean, so I’ve never really imagined it…”
Bada looked at the baby’s photo with clear eyes.
‘So small and precious. His crown would probably smell like warm formula.’
Bada, who had been lost in thought for a moment, opened her mouth.
“…Wouldn’t it be suffocating and sometimes lonely?”
River looked at Bada as if telling her to continue and took a sip of his whiskey on the rocks.
“Having your entire life predetermined from birth is both a blessing and a curse, isn’t it? For example, he might not want to be a prince and just want to be a bakery owner instead.”
He laughed as if it were absurd.
“If he truly wanted to become a bakery owner, he’d give up the throne.”
“How cold. But look, his photo spread around the world from the day he was born. Won’t every move this child makes be recorded and become gossip from now on? Unlike ordinary children, he won’t even be allowed to make small mistakes. People will watch him with burning eyes. As if this child’s life is…”
“…”
“Public property.”
River, who had been silent for a moment, took a deep breath and opened his mouth.
“Well, it can’t be helped. He shouldn’t whine when he’s born a prince and gets to enjoy everything.”
“I suppose so.”
He stared into Bada’s eyes as if searching them, then called her name in a gentle voice.
“Bada.”
“Yeah?”
“Have you ever dreamed of becoming a crown princess?”
“Crown princess? Well, what does a crown princess do?”
It was a strange question.
Would there be any woman in Korea, which doesn’t even have a constitutional monarchy, who dreams of being a crown princess? Probably not even anyone who dreams of being a princess.
“Smile and wave, cut ribbons at events, shake hands with people?”
“Hey. You’re making it sound too easy.”
“You’re right. It’s actually not easy work. You’d have to attend royal events like overseas tours and state banquets to perform official duties. As you said, you’d have virtually no private life, and you’d have to be careful with every word. Every action and statement of a crown princess becomes a political message.”
“…”
“But there are many advantages too. First, you’d inherit the royal family’s jewelry collection worth hundreds of billions and real estate around the world as joint property with the crown prince. You said you wanted to do meaningful work, right? A crown princess could become a patron of various charities based on the royal family’s assets worth tens of trillions.”
“Tens of trillions is unimaginable.”
“Wherever you go in the world, you’d receive state treatment and have various experiences that ordinary people can’t imagine.”
His unexpectedly serious attitude almost made her laugh.
“Anyone listening would think you posted a job opening for a crown princess. What, do you know some prince? If he’s handsome, I’ll consider it.”
Then he stroked his chin with his index finger as if troubled.
“There is one, but he’s much less handsome than me.”
Bada burst into laughter at his shamelessness.
“Then I’ll have to decline. I’ve seen an incredibly handsome man, so my standards have gotten unnecessarily high.”
This time he crinkled his eyes and burst into refreshing laughter.
“I’m glad you’re looking at faces.”
“What about you?”
Bada laughed playfully and nudged him with her elbow.
“Do you look at faces too?”
He slowly scanned the edges of Bada’s face with an intense gaze and said.
“It’s something I’ve only recently realized, but I think I look a lot.”
He winked and clinked glasses with her. The sound of glass clinking was particularly cheerful.
After draining the rest of his drink, he set the glass down on the table. Then he casually grabbed the hem of his t-shirt and slowly pulled it up.
As his sculpted body was revealed in the air, Bada unconsciously held her breath.
Broad shoulders with a wide frame and pectoral muscles that looked ready to burst.
Below that were clearly defined abs carved as if deeply chiseled with a sculpting knife.
The hollowed hip bones and blue veins slightly visible above his black shorts were overly stimulating.
Moreover, his thighs were thicker than Bada’s waist, and his quadriceps were split in a straight line…
She knew he had a considerably muscular body, but seeing his naked body with her eyes felt almost unreal.
‘How can an ordinary person’s body be so fierce? And even though he’s packed with muscle, his long limbs make him look refreshingly proportioned.’
Even though he was clearly wearing loose-fitting shorts below, the fabric was stretched taut as if storing a large club.
At first she thought it might be an optical illusion. It wasn’t. But was that size even possible?
‘Are you crazy? Where exactly are you looking?’
Flushed with heat, Bada downed the rest of her Aperol Spritz.
But the cocktail with melted ice was lukewarm. The sticky sweetness only made her thirstier.
“It’s hot. Let’s get in the water.”
He got up and gestured toward Bada, who wasn’t moving.
“Aren’t you getting in?”
“I’ll… get in a little later.”
“Alright.”
River left her acting suddenly awkward and jumped straight into the water.
Splash!
River, who had been swimming underwater, emerged near the railing by the cliff with foam.
The sight of him sweeping his wet black hair back with both hands was sensual enough to be used immediately for a Giorgio Armani perfume ad.
“…”
Eventually River turned his back to her, rested his arms on the edge of the swimming pool, and gazed at the Indian Ocean.
Bada sipped her cocktail while studying his back view.
His skin, slightly tanned by the sun, glistened caramel-colored. Would it taste sweet if licked with a tongue?
His rippling back muscles and the erector spinae split in a straight line. It was truly perfect.
How long had she been admiring that sight?
Before she knew it, she could see thick gray storm clouds gathering above his head. It looked like a squall was about to hit.
The increasingly humid air made Bada feel as if she couldn’t breathe. Moreover, her skin felt sticky from the sweat that had trickled down.
An impulse arose to jump into the cool water right away.
But she hesitated as if there were electric currents flowing through the water.
River’s wet appearance was far too stimulating.
Slippery, and moist.
If their skin were to touch in the water like that….
It felt like something irreversible would happen.
Just then, he turned his body to gaze at her. With only his eyes above the water’s surface. Like a crocodile waiting for prey to approach the water’s edge.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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