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Chapter 25
All the dark rumors, gossip, and baseless whispers that followed him…
What would her reaction be if she ever found out?
He had experienced battlefields strewn with bodies after bombs had gone off.
Yet, the thought of revealing his true identity to her was far scarier than that.
Would those eyes, so full of love for him, change?
There was a chance she might leave, overwhelmed by public attention.
If their relationship became known, paparazzi and tabloids would tear her apart like piranhas.
Besides, when he met her as a child, she hadn’t seemed impressed with the pampered prince.
Ever since that shocking remark, he had worked hard to cultivate humility.
Still, she might despise the fact that he was a crown prince at the pinnacle of privilege.
“If I could hypnotize you to love me forever, I’d make a deal with the devil.”
Of course, he knew he couldn’t deceive her forever.
“Tomorrow, I’ll tell her. No, the day after….” He postponed again and again, only to miss the right moment entirely.
“Even if she knows everything… would she still stay by my side?”
His eyes, heavy with thought, sank like a deep well.
“Tomorrow… definitely.”
River kissed her gently on her round forehead.
Tick… tick…
The sound of the clock’s second hand in the silent bedroom felt like the countdown of a ticking time bomb.
When Bada woke in the morning, he wasn’t by her side.
A wave of inexplicable anxiety immediately washed over her.
“Did he go exercise?”
Feeling sleep vanish instantly, she bolted upright from the bed.
His bedroom was as neat and orderly as usual.
Hoping for some clue, Bada went to the dressing room and flung open the wardrobe.
“Phew.”
His shirts hung neatly, just like always.
“I’m such a neurotic mess,” she muttered.
Relaxing slightly, she went downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast.
Her body felt unusually stiff, and she needed a cup of coffee more than anything.
On the table in the Irish-style kitchen sat a vase with fresh flowers and an omelet he had made just moments ago.
Bada smiled faintly. This was the omelet he often made for her himself.
As she approached the table, she finally noticed a white card placed next to the vase.
Her expression stiffened immediately.
“…A card?”
It was an ordinary card, yet somehow it felt ominous, as if announcing someone’s death.
With trembling hands, Bada opened it.
To Bada,
Leaving you while you sleep is the most painful experience for me as well.
You won’t understand, but for now, I think this is the choice that’s best for both of us.
The truth is, I lied to you.
I’m sorry.
I won’t ask for your forgiveness. Just know that when the situation is resolved, I will come find you again.
So please, give me a little time.
P.S. Do not reveal that you met me to anyone. It’s for your own safety.
– R
Despite the cruel message, the slanted handwriting in blue ink was unusually neat and beautiful.
Bada’s hand trembled as she held the card. Her vision blurred, and the floor seemed to spin beneath her.
“What… a lie?”
She read the message again and again in place.
The first emotion she felt was fear.
“Was he suddenly assigned a special mission?”
He wasn’t the type to leave abruptly and rudely like this. Something must be happening.
And didn’t the card specifically say they had to hide the fact that they met for her safety?
Something serious could be going on.
Yet, part of her wondered if it was all just an excuse.
“No matter what… how could he leave without saying a word?”
His belongings were still on the table.
How urgent must it have been for him to leave without even packing his things?
Was it some kind of prank?
Creak.
Just as the thought crossed her mind, the door opened, revealing a large man.
“River…!”
But the moment she saw his face, her expression stiffened again.
It wasn’t River—it was Morgan.
“Good… morning, Miss Yoo.”
“Morgan, speak clearly. Where did River go?”
“I’m sorry, that is not something I can disclose.”
“Why? You know his identity, don’t you? Right?”
Bada gripped his collar, eyes blazing.
Morgan only looked down at her with sympathy, saying nothing.
Her sharp cry gradually dissolved into sobs.
“Please, tell me, Morgan. River… he’s okay, right? He’s alive?”
“I regret the situation as well. He has commanded me to take full care of Miss Yoo. Therefore…”
‘He? Command?’
Bada’s eyes sank calmly.
Clearly, their relationship wasn’t just employer and employee.
“What exactly are you? You can’t just be an ordinary villa manager!”
Bada pressed Morgan, clinging and demanding answers, anger rising.
But he remained unmoved, like a solid rock, repeating the same words.
“Give me some time. He will explain himself when he chooses to.”
A thousand questions tangled in her mind, making her dizzy. But judging by Morgan’s attitude, he wasn’t going to reveal the truth.
Finally, exhausted, Bada pressed her forehead and said,
“Please leave.”
“…Miss Yoo.”
“Please. I want to be alone.”
“Understood. I will be in the annex; call me if needed.”
Morgan bowed politely and left the villa.
Dizzy, Bada sank to the floor.
Suddenly, she remembered the chilling words he had said on their first date at Devil’s Den.
‘Don’t trust anyone, Bada. No one but yourself.’
‘Come to think of it, you did warn me from the start.’
What could all of this have meant to him?
Of course, Bada knew there was no future for the two of them.
She also knew it was foolish to harbor false hope for someone she met while traveling.
But at the very least, couldn’t he have said goodbye face-to-face?
She remembered confessing her love against his back the previous evening.
‘…Could he have been awake? Was it too burdensome for him?’
Yet, unless he spoke himself, she would never get the answer.
Her heart felt shattered, like a ruined building.
Wiping the tears streaming down her cheeks, she rose to her feet.
She went upstairs to the bedroom, retrieved a suitcase from the corner of the dressing room, and silently began packing.
“First, to the airport. Then the fastest flight to Korea.”
She didn’t want to stay even a second longer in the villa without him.
“Yes. It’s time to return to reality.”
While packing, she noticed the heart-shaped sapphire ring she had stored safely in the drawer.
Seeing the ring made her emotions surge again.
‘He said it was fake.’
It felt as if the ring symbolized that all their moments in Bali were false, and her chest ached.
Shaking her head, she put the ring into her pants pocket.
After finishing packing, she checked the wardrobe one last time for anything forgotten.
His shirts still hung neatly.
A weak chuckle escaped her lips.
“Was it so urgent he didn’t even have time to pack his clothes?”
She pulled out a blue shirt and buried her face in it.
The familiar scent nearly broke her heart again.
As she slowly lifted her head and replaced the shirt, she noticed golden embroidery on the sleeve.
Reading the initials, her brow furrowed.
‘D.A.H? That’s not River’s initials.’
