The Prince Who Loved Me - Chapter 25

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 25

All the dark rumors, gossip, and false stories that followed him around.

What kind of reaction would she have if she found out about them?

He had experienced battlefields where bombs exploded and mutilated corpses littered the ground.

But the fact that he had to reveal his identity to her was far more terrifying than that.

What if those eyes that looked at him so lovingly changed?

He couldn’t rule out the possibility that she might leave, saying the public attention was too burdensome.

Once their relationship was revealed, paparazzi and tabloids would tear into her like piranhas.

Moreover, when he met her as a child, hadn’t she said she didn’t like princes who lived in luxury?

After hearing that shocking statement, he had cultivated humility in himself.

But she might still despise the fact that he was a crown prince standing at the pinnacle of privilege.

‘If I could hypnotize you to love me for life, I’d even make a deal with the devil.’

Of course, he knew he couldn’t deceive her forever.

He’d tell her in a day. No, tomorrow, or rather the day after. Procrastinating like this, he eventually missed his chance.

‘Even knowing everything, would you really want to stay by my side?’

His eyes, full of contemplation, sank like a deep well.

‘Tomorrow, for sure.’

River carefully kissed her round forehead.

Tick, tick.

The sound of the clock’s second hand echoing in the silent bedroom was like the countdown of a time bomb.

* * *

When Bada opened her eyes in the morning, he wasn’t beside her.

Instantly, an indescribable anxiety consumed Bada.

‘Did he go to work out?’

Feeling sleep flee from her in an instant, she bolted upright in bed.

His bedroom was neatly arranged as usual.

Just in case, Bada went to the dressing room and flung open the closet door.

“Phew.”

His shirts hung neatly on the hangers as usual.

“I’m really… neurotic.”

Relaxing her tension, Bada went down to the first-floor kitchen to eat breakfast.

Her body felt particularly stiff today, and she desperately needed a cup of coffee.

On the island counter sat a vase with fresh green flowers and a freshly made omelet.

Seeing this, Bada smiled brightly. It was the omelet he often made for her himself.

As she approached the island counter, she finally noticed a white card placed near the vase.

Instantly, Bada’s expression hardened.

‘…What’s this card?’

It was just an ordinary card. Yet it felt ominous, as if it contained news of someone’s death.

Bada picked up the card with slightly trembling hands.

『To Bada.

Leaving you while you sleep is the most painful experience for me too.

You won’t understand, but I think this is the choice for both of us right now.

Actually, I lied to you.

I’m sorry.

I won’t ask you to forgive me for this. But once things are sorted out, I’ll come find you again.

So please give me a little time.

P.S. Don’t tell anyone that you met me. It’s for your safety.

-R』

Unlike the cruel message, the slanted cursive written in blue ink was exceptionally neat and beautiful.

Bada’s hands holding the card trembled violently. At the same time, her vision went white and the ground seemed to spin.

“What is this… lies?”

She read and reread the same content standing in place.

The first emotion she felt was fear.

‘Was he urgently assigned to a special mission?’

He wasn’t the type to disappear so unilaterally and rudely. There must be something going on.

Besides, the card said to hide the fact that they met for her safety.

Something serious might be happening.

But then she thought maybe this was all just an excuse.

“Even so… how could he leave without saying a word.”

On the table, the things he used were still there.

What could have been so urgent that he left without taking his belongings?

Was he playing a prank?

Creeeeak.

Just as she was thinking this, the door opened and a large man appeared.

“River…!”

But the moment she saw the man’s face, Bada’s expression hardened again.

The man who opened the door wasn’t River, but Morgan.

“Miss Yu, good… morning.”

“Morgan, tell me straight. Where did River go?”

“I’m sorry. That’s not something I can disclose.”

“Why not? You know River’s identity, don’t you? Right?”

Bada grabbed his collar with bloodshot eyes.

Morgan only looked down at her with sympathetic eyes, saying nothing.

Bada’s sharp cry soon turned into sobbing.

“Please tell me, Morgan. River is okay, right? Right? He’s alive, isn’t he?”

“I regret that things turned out this way. He ordered me to take thorough care of Miss Yu. So…”

‘He? Ordered?’

Bada’s eyes calmly settled.

Indeed, it seemed the two weren’t in a simple employment relationship.

“What exactly do you do? You can’t be just an ordinary villa manager!”

Bada questioned Morgan, clung to him, and even got angry.

But like a solid rock, he didn’t budge and only repeated the same words.

“Please give it some time. He will explain himself someday.”

Tens of thousands of questions tangled in her head, making her dizzy. But judging by Morgan’s attitude, he would never tell her the truth.

Finally giving up, Bada pressed her forehead and said.

“Please leave.”

“…Miss Yu.”

“Please. I want to be alone.”

“Understood. I’ll be at the guest house annex, so please call me when you need anything.”

Morgan bowed politely and left the villa.

Feeling dizzy, Bada collapsed to the floor.

Suddenly, she remembered the eerie words he had said on their first date at Devil’s Den.

‘Don’t trust anyone, Bada. No one except yourself.’

‘Come to think of it, you warned me from the beginning.’

What did all of this mean to him anyway?

Of course, she knew there was no future for the two of them.

She also knew she had been foolish to harbor vain hopes for someone she met while traveling, just a passing encounter.

But couldn’t he at least have said goodbye to her face to face?

Suddenly, Bada remembered confessing her love against his back last night.

‘…Could he have been awake then? Did he leave because my confession made him uncomfortable?’

But unless he told her directly, she would never find answers to her questions.

She felt as if her heart had collapsed into ruins.

Bada wiped away the tears streaming down both cheeks and got up.

She climbed the stairs toward the bedroom. She went straight into the dressing room, pulled out the suitcase from the corner, and unzipped it. Then she silently began to pack.

‘Let’s go to the airport first. And take the earliest flight to Korea.’

She didn’t want to stay even one more second in the villa without him.

‘Right. It’s time to return to reality now.’

While packing, Bada suddenly noticed the heart-shaped sapphire ring she had carefully placed in the drawer.

Seeing the ring made her heart surge with emotion again.

‘He said this was fake.’

It felt heartbreaking, as if that ring was proof that all the moments they had spent together in Bali were fake.

Bada shook her head and shoved the ring into her pants pocket.

After finishing her packing, she opened the closet one last time to check if she had forgotten anything.

His shirts were still hanging in the closet.

Seeing them, a weak laugh escaped her.

“Were you in such a hurry that you didn’t even have time to pack your clothes?”

Bada pulled out a blue shirt and buried her face in it.

The familiar scent from the shirt made her feel like her heart would collapse again.

Just as she slowly lifted her head and was about to hang the shirt back in its place.

Now she noticed there were initials embroidered in gold thread on the sleeve.

Bada frowned as she read the initials.

‘D.A.H? These aren’t River’s initials.’

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————