The Prince Who Loved Me - Chapter 23

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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 23

Startled awake, Bada sat up and looked around.

She searched the bedroom, and even the living room and kitchen downstairs, but he was nowhere to be seen.

‘Where on earth did he go?’

The time was already pointing to 3:24 AM.

Suddenly, a suspicious thought crossed her mind.

Come to think of it, River Grant would sometimes hide to take phone calls.

As if he was secretly communicating with someone.

Anxiety made her thoughts spiral one after another.

‘Who exactly is he talking to on the phone?’

Could he really be a secret agent or spy whose identity couldn’t be revealed?

Or maybe the hidden son of a world-famous actor or businessman.

‘Wait. Could he be a drug dealer?’

Come to think of it, when she was in college in America, she had seen students rumored to be drug dealers a few times.

They mainly attended house parties to supply drugs to students, and surprisingly, they all looked ordinary.

So ordinary that you’d never know they were drug dealers unless someone told you.

Plus, they were mainly active at night. Just like River Grant now.

‘Well, it wouldn’t be easy to possess this level of wealth at such a young age otherwise.’

Her heart pounded with anxiety.

As she sighed deeply and turned around, her eyes fell on the living room drawer that he used.

Maybe there was something inside that contained information about him.

Click.

Bada opened the drawer and searched through it thoroughly. But she couldn’t find anything special.

Then, a thought crossed Bada’s mind.

‘Let me check his passport.’

After thinking it over, Bada climbed the stairs back to the bedroom.

Then she entered the dressing room and began searching through the closet.

As she felt through the luxury shirts and jackets hanging on the hangers one by one, she felt a square silhouette in the inner pocket of a dinner jacket.

‘Bingo.’

Bada quickly pulled out the passport from the pocket and opened it. She shone her phone’s light on it and read through it.

Nationality: Ireland. The photo in the passport was him, and the name was indeed River Grant.

‘At least his identity is certain.’

Suddenly, she felt relief mixed with a strange sense of guilt.

Guilt for secretly investigating him.

Actually, if she had really decided to investigate his identity, she could have done much worse.

She could have secretly taken photos to search on the internet, searched through more of his belongings, or even confronted him directly.

But rather than that, she hoped he would tell her the truth with his own mouth.

If he could trust me more, wouldn’t he share his secrets too?

‘He’ll tell me someday.’

The moment Bada sighed deeply and turned around.

She began to hear footsteps coming up the stairs from outside the door.

“Gasp.”

Startled, Bada quickly put the passport back into the jacket pocket.

Then she tiptoed quickly toward the bed.

The moment she threw herself onto the bed and pulled the covers over herself, the door opened.

Creak.

She could sense him entering the bedroom while muffling his footsteps.

Bada hugged the blanket tightly and tried to calm her wildly beating heart.

River Grant, who had entered the bedroom, prowled around like a large beast that had come down from the mountainside.

Soon, after quietly undressing, he stood by the bedside and looked down at her.

Even with her eyes closed, Bada felt as if his laser-like intense gaze was scanning her body.

She was nervous that the sound of her heartbeat might leak out.

‘He didn’t notice anything, did he?’

River Grant let out a languid sigh and carefully lay down beside her.

When his hot breath touched her nape, her body reflexively flinched.

“….”

River Grant stroked her head with his large hand, then kissed her shoulder.

“Good night, darling.”

He murmured in a low voice, wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled the covers over them.

Fortunately, he didn’t seem to have noticed anything in particular.

Relieved by this, Bada tried to fall asleep again.

But she couldn’t easily fall asleep because the scent of dawn breeze emanating from him was unusually vivid.

* * *

Time flowed relentlessly, and several weeks had already passed.

Bada was spending the happiest days of her life. But seeds of anxiety were sprouting in her heart.

She knew it. That she couldn’t escape from reality forever.

But this place with him felt like heaven, and she simply couldn’t let it go.

Before they knew it, a taboo had formed between the two of them.

It was not talking about when and how they would part ways.

Only then could they pretend that this heaven would continue forever.

One lazy afternoon.

River Grant said he had something to show her and took Bada to the private beach.

He held her hand and went down the stairs connected to the garden to the beach.

Then she could see a picnic mat and parasol set up in the center of the white sand beach in the distance.

“Wow, what’s all that? When did you prepare it?”

“Just earlier when you went to yoga.”

As they approached the mat, colorful cushions were laid out. In the center, a hamper, a small table, and champagne in an ice bucket were prepared.

“Wow… You must have worked hard preparing all this?”

Bada sat down, leaning against a cushion. River Grant took food out of the hamper and placed it on the table.

Soon, cheese and fruit, mason jar salad, and finger sandwiches were arranged on the wood board.

Then he turned on the Bluetooth speaker and played sweet old jazz music.

She sipped the champagne he handed her while admiring the ocean. The sunset dyeing the horizon pink and purple was romantic.

But for some reason, River Grant remained silent, gripping the stem of his champagne glass.

He just quietly gazed at her profile.

Bada chewed on a grape and asked.

“Why? Is there something on my face?”

“No.”

“Then why are you looking at me like that?”

“Just, because you’re so beautiful. I want to capture a lot of you in my eyes.”

“….”

His eyes, touched by the sunset light, somehow shone sadly.

Bada’s body stiffened upon hearing River Grant’s words.

Why was he suddenly acting like someone about to leave? Could this be the last supper?

She tried to push away her anxious thoughts and leaned her head forward, blinking her eyelashes.

“What, how cheesy. Fine. Here. Capture a lot in your eyes.”

River Grant, who had been hesitating for a moment, slowly began to speak as if he had made up his mind.

“Bada, I should have said this long ago. I’m…”

His eyebrows furrowed. As if he was feeling pain.

What on earth was he trying to say.

Bada, tensed up, gripped her champagne glass tightly.

“I…”

He who had been hesitating exhaled a low breath and spoke.

“I like you.”

Though she was slightly surprised by the unexpected confession, Bada soon burst into a bright smile.

“Haha, I thought you were going to make some kind of bombshell announcement and got all nervous!”

What kind of secret was that supposed to be.

Her stomach felt like it was tickling from the champagne bubbles. It felt as if her body might transform into pink bubbles and evaporate into the air.

Bada sent him a loving gaze and spoke shyly.

“I like you too. I like you too, River.”

But for some reason, the moment she uttered River’s name, a small spasm crossed his lips.

However, she was too elated from having her confession accepted to notice that expression.

“I like you. Very much.”

He who had been quietly watching her smiled somewhat wistfully. Then he caressed her chin and pulled her toward him.

“Kiss me.”

Their lips parted softly as warm tongues intertwined.

Their breath carried the scent of champagne and sweet grapes.

He buried his hand deep in Bada’s hair and pulled. Then he devoured her as if reaching to the root of her tongue.

It was a rough yet somehow yearning kiss.

Bada wrapped both arms around his nape and caressed his soft hair.

I like you.

His voice when he had uttered those words still lingered in her ears.

Like music that never grew tiresome no matter how many times she heard it.

Just then, the sun diving below the surface radiated brilliant light and enveloped the two of them.

* * *

As soon as they entered the living room, the two hastily undressed each other while standing.

With skillful hands, Bada’s naked body was quickly revealed in the air.

Meanwhile, Bada was struggling to undo River’s belt buckle with awkward hand movements.

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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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