The Prince Who Loved Me - Chapter 62
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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 62
Confusion and resignation appeared simultaneously in Bada’s eyes. Even the servant delivering the message seemed to not understand it at all.
“…I’m fine, so you can serve egg dishes at the table from now on. I’ll speak well to His Highness about it.”
Only then did the servant show a relieved expression and said.
“Yes, I understand. Please let me know if you need anything else.”
Watching the servant’s retreating figure, Bada shook her head back and forth.
She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Damien’s behavior was wrong, very wrong indeed.
To assume she might have developed egg trauma because she almost got hit by an egg. Wasn’t that going too far?
But at the same time, that absurd thought seemed to contain concern for her safety.
“Ha….”
A light smile appeared on her lips as she let out a small laugh.
‘He’s truly an unpredictable man.’
* * *
Blue dawn.
“Ugh….”
Damien, who had been making choking sounds, screamed as he woke from his nightmare.
His whole body was drenched in sweat, and his heart was beating as if he had run a hundred-meter dash.
“Whew.”
He immediately headed to the bathroom, washed his face with cold water, then stared at the mirror.
Under the bathroom light, the scar on his neck stood out particularly prominently.
He traced the scar with his large hand.
‘I was fine for a while.’
Damien often had nightmares about the day he was kidnapped.
The repertoire was always the same.
Damien, who was 7 years old at the time, had visited an orphanage that day with the Queen and Charlotte.
A party was being held for Easter, and there were event staff dressed as rabbits and clowns.
To young Damien’s eyes, the clown felt particularly terrifying. As if he kept staring at him menacingly.
When Damien grabbed the Queen’s collar, she looked at him with cold eyes and pushed his back.
‘What are you doing, Damien. You should look for Easter eggs like the other children.’
Unable to resist the Queen’s urging, he wandered alone in the wide yard.
It was the moment he reached out to find an Easter egg hidden under some bushes.
Bang! Bang bang!
‘Aaaahhhhh!’
‘Kyaah!’
Along with unidentifiable explosion sounds, people’s screams echoed. When he hurriedly turned his gaze, thick smoke was rising from the orphanage building.
Startled, Damien quickly searched for the Queen and security guards.
But what reflected in his frightened eyes was a man dressed as a clown.
When Damien came to his senses, he was bound and trapped in a dark space like underground.
His hands were tied with cable ties, and tape was stuck over his mouth.
He felt extreme terror, but at the same time his mind was hazy from drugs the kidnappers had injected.
Kidnapped Damien spent two days in terror.
In his hazy mental state, all he could see were armed kidnappers and endless darkness.
They persistently negotiated Damien’s ransom, demanding an enormous amount of money.
Eventually, it took a full 52 hours for special forces to find the hideout and launch a rescue operation.
Special agents in black clothing stormed the hideout like ninjas, and in the process, the kidnapper grabbed Damien and staged a hostage situation.
The moment the kidnapper holding a knife to Damien’s neck was killed by a sniper, the recoil caused him to slash Damien’s neck, making blood gush out.
Unstoppable blood and blurry vision. Tinnitus in his ears.
Young Damien fainted on the spot.
After that, several days passed by hazily like a dream.
When he barely regained consciousness, he saw consolation gifts and letters piled up in a corner of the hospital room.
Outside Windmere Palace, tens of thousands of people gathered to pray for the young prince to wake up.
Investigation revealed that the kidnapping was carried out by retired military monarchist abolitionists.
People were boiling with anger, and sympathy for the royal family spread throughout society.
Even the radical prime minister who had advocated for abolishing the monarchy at the time couldn’t mention monarchy abolition until the end of his term after that.
Of course, many found it suspicious that Bernhardt’s world-class intelligence agency had wasted 52 hours tracking just three kidnappers.
But the royal family emphasized that the kidnappers were retired military personnel skilled at disrupting communication networks and spreading disinformation, and concluded the case.
The trauma from that incident plagued Damien for life.
His voluntary enlistment in the navy’s special forces, notorious for high-intensity operations, was his own effort to overcome the trauma.
He wanted to become strong enough to protect himself.
Perhaps those efforts worked, as he no longer had nightmares.
But the symptoms had clearly recurred after the terrorist incident targeting Bada.
‘Damn it.’
If she hadn’t been involved with him in the first place, she wouldn’t have experienced such danger.
When he imagined her getting hurt or dying, all the blood in his body ran cold.
‘You might think it’s excessive, but I can’t help it. I’ll do anything if it means I can protect you.’
Coming out of the bathroom, Damien stood by the window and stared at Bada’s bedroom window.
His eyes narrowed.
See. I even thought about letting you go for your freedom, but the moment you leave my side, you become endangered.
So you’ll have to stay by my side without going anywhere.
For your sake too.
He stood in place for a long time without moving. A deep shadow had already fallen across his face.
* * *
After the terrorist incident, Bada spent her time confined to Windswood House preparing for the ball.
She fitted evening dresses, thoroughly learned etiquette, and even learned simple waltz steps.
While spending such busy days, one afternoon. As usual, she was drinking tea and reading a book in the reception room when a servant knocked and entered.
“Excuse me. This is a package that arrived for the Lady.”
“A package?”
“Yes, it seems to be from Duke Haddington.”
Bada picked up the package the servant had placed on the coffee table before leaving. When she tore open the wrapping, a thick leather notebook emerged.
“What’s this notebook for?”
When she opened the notebook, there was a message written by Sir Lucien on the very first page.
『To be forewarned is to be forearmed.
This is a token of gratitude for saving me last time. It’s modest, but please accept it.
-From your dear friend.』
Bada’s pupils grew larger and larger as she turned each page.
‘…My goodness, this is.’
Each page of the notebook contained detailed insider information about Bernhardt’s social circle.
Family trees of upper-class houses connected to the Royal Family. Personal information about key figures. Their main businesses and wealth scale. Even the connections between each person. This was precious information that would only be shared among the inner circle within the Royal Court’s inner circle.
It was a gift perfectly suited to his message that knowing in advance allows one to be armed.
Bada couldn’t help but be amazed as she turned the pages.
Her gaze lingered on pages that analyzed the tastes and habits of social circle figures, even their preferred conversation topics.
Lord Anderson
King Richard’s closest aide and alumnus who attended Camden College and St. Philip University together.
Any words that reach his ears are directly conveyed to King Richard, so be careful.
He has a habit of twitching his nose when displeased. His preferred conversation topic is fishing.
Viscountess of Winchester
The famous big mouth of Bernhardt’s social circle. Any stories privately told to her will spread throughout the entire social circle within two days, so be careful. She recently started a beauty business using rose water raised on her private estate in the southern region.
Lord Middleway
Lord Anderson’s political rival. Known to have squandered most of his fortune on wine collecting and horse racing.
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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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