The Prince Who Loved Me - Chapter 37
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 37
‘There will definitely be a lot of questions. About where River… no, Damien and I met, things like that. Then shouldn’t I coordinate our stories with Damien in advance?’
Having thought this far, Bada asked Lea.
“Sorry to interrupt, but where is His Highness?”
“He is having breakfast in the dining room. He said it would be difficult to have breakfast with the Lady today as he has a busy schedule.”
Suddenly feeling urgent, Bada jumped up from her seat.
“Lady?”
“Sorry, but I have something to tell His Highness briefly. I’ll be right back!”
Leaving behind a bewildered-looking Lea, Bada left the bedroom.
She went down the stairs to the first floor, but couldn’t figure out where the dining room was due to the maze-like structure.
A house staff member who was moving about busily was startled to see her.
“Where is the dining room?”
“Go past the left corridor and turn right.”
“Thank you.”
Finally finding and entering the dining room, she saw Damien just finishing his meal.
His pupils dilated slightly, seemingly surprised by her sudden appearance.
“Good morning.”
At that sight, Damien wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood up from his seat.
“Enjoy your breakfast.”
“W-wait! I have something to say.”
Damien, who had been looking down at Bada with a calm gaze, gestured for the servants to leave.
Soon after the door closed, silence flowed through the dining room with only the two of them remaining.
“What’s the matter?”
“There’s a press conference this afternoon. Shouldn’t we coordinate our stories in advance to prepare for the reporters’ questions?”
“I’ll handle answering the questions. So you don’t need to worry about it.”
“But…”
“What’s the problem?”
At Damien’s somehow cold voice, Bada shrank back even though she had done nothing wrong.
“The reporters might ask me questions about you.”
“Look up Wikipedia for content about me. My entire life should be summarized there.”
Bada frowned.
She had already read his profile on Wikipedia more than five times.
But in her opinion, half of the content posted on that page was false.
“Oh, and what about the ring?”
Damien, who had been staring at her with an inscrutable gaze, pulled out a velvet case from his pants pocket.
When he opened the case, surprisingly, the ring she had lost was inside.
“I was going to give it to you before the press conference.”
“…You found this?”
“It’s a replica. But it’s very elaborate, so unless a skilled gemologist examines it closely, they won’t know. Still, just in case, manage it well so it doesn’t fall into other people’s hands.”
“Oh, okay. Got it.”
Damien handed the ring case to Bada and then turned around.
“I have things to do, so I’ll return just before the press conference starts.”
“Okay, understood.”
Damien replied matter-of-factly, opened the door, and left the dining room.
Bada smiled softly at his retreating figure and said.
“I hope you have a good day, Damien.”
At those words, he stopped walking and slowly turned around.
Damien, who had been staring at her with a somewhat complicated gaze, strode toward her.
Smooch.
He left a kiss on her cheek. Surprised by his unexpected action, Bada’s eyes widened, and he said as if making an excuse.
“If we’re going to act, we should do it properly.”
After clearing his throat, he ran his hand through his hair once and started walking again.
* * *
Windwood House had over twenty-five rooms in total.
Although it was said to be the most modest form among royal residences, to Bada who had lived in a two-room apartment in Sindaebang-dong, this place felt incredibly luxurious.
‘Just how much larger are the other palaces?’
A fireplace mantelpiece made of deep green marble. Purple velvet carpet that absorbed footsteps with a muffled sound. And even a ballroom with a massive crystal chandelier.
Lea took Bada around and explained the structure and purpose of the house in detail.
“This is The Mooring Room, which His Highness uses as both a study and reception room.”
The 19th-century style study they entered had a quiet atmosphere.
Looking around the interior, Bada smiled at the picture frames placed on the desk.
There were photos lined up: young Damien with Charlotte holding a puppy, a photo taken in the courtyard during his exchange student days at Oxford University in England with books tucked under his arm, and photos taken with comrades during his service as a naval officer.
‘He was like an angel in his childhood.’
While looking at the photos, Bada’s gaze suddenly fell on a portrait hanging on the wall.
It was a portrait of a middle-aged man, but for some reason, darts were stuck in both of his eyes.
Startled, Bada asked Lea.
“…Whose portrait is that?”
At those words, Lea quickly approached the portrait and pulled out the darts.
When their eyes met with Bada’s puzzled expression, Lea sighed.
“The owner of the portrait is His Majesty King Richard.”
“Damien’s father?”
“…Yes. His Highness sometimes plays mischievous pranks. Last time, His Majesty the King made an unexpected visit here and almost saw a scene like this, so you can’t imagine how flustered I was.”
At those words, Bada chuckled softly.
The mischievous side felt just like River she had seen in Bali.
It felt like his real self was alive and breathing within the overly perfect and solemn appearance of the crown prince, like a porcelain doll.
“How is their relationship?”
“It’s not something I can comment on freely, but as you can see, they don’t seem to have a very affectionate father-son relationship.”
“…I see.”
Bada suddenly remembered what Damien had said.
‘The royal family will never approve of our marriage. They’ll use that as an excuse to break off the engagement.’
Then His Majesty the King must indeed be displeased with their engagement?
Bada began to worry more about the childish act she had committed as Damien’s accomplice.
‘By the way, what kind of person is the Queen?’
Bada recalled the Queen’s photos that had been circulating on the internet.
Gorgeous blonde hair and blue eyes that looked exactly like Damien’s.
And she possessed a beauty that seemed to have escaped time, so beautiful it felt almost eerie.
‘I wonder what they think of me. It probably isn’t good thoughts.’
Feeling troubled, Bada randomly pulled out a book from the bookshelf.
As she mindlessly turned the pages, Bada’s brow furrowed.
‘…What is this?’
The cover was definitely a book by Hannah Arendt, but when she opened it, the content seemed strange.
When she removed the leather cover, the actual cover read ‘The Return of Sherlock Holmes.’
‘What? Did he put on a cover to pretend he was reading a serious book while actually reading a mystery novel?’
Bada chuckled and turned the pages.
Then she saw doodles written here and there.
One character’s name was circled with ‘This guy is the culprit’ written next to it.
‘Talk about a complete spoiler.’
Bada put that book back in its place. Then with anticipation, she pulled out another book from the adjacent section.
The content inside the Charles Dickens cover was the Harry Potter series.
Judging by the yellowed pages, it seemed to be a book Damien had read in his childhood.
In the corner was written ‘I want to receive a Hogwarts acceptance letter too. The Palace is suffocating.’
Seeing that scribble, she could almost picture young Damien secretly hiding away reading fantasy novels.
‘I was completely absorbed in this series when I was young too.’
Bada paused when she saw one particular scribble as she turned the pages.
[Charlotte will become queen. But I… I don’t know.
Light is followed by shadow.
Then my existence must be that shadow.]
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
