The Prince That Got Away ( A Royal Romance Novel )

Prideful and Prejudiced

Six Years Ago...
Emilia's POV:-

His face is everywhere. I have blocked all videos of him from YouTube. And every time Google recommends an article of his, I make sure to click the 'not interested ' option. We have also made it a policy not to mention his name on the dinner table. Yet every time I think I will never run into reminders of Louis I end up either seeing his face on TV or a billboard.

Today I just wanted to relax at the nearby bookstore and enjoy the smell of new books, when my gaze fell on an old issue of Times magazine. It was from more than two months ago when the 30th March celebrations happened. Louis was standing in his ceremonial military uniform and I had to grudgingly admit he looked every bit the charismatic warrior prince. The gold and white colors of his uniform complimented his complexion and with his tall and muscular frame, he looked like he was ready to wage war for his country.

Except he was the kind of prince who wouldn't even spare his subjects from his wrath.

After our YouTube video was released, I heard his reputation had taken a bit of a hit. Maybe it wouldn't have made such a huge deal if he hadn't already been embroiled in another scandal. I wonder if people still had doubts about his paternity or whether he would ever be king.

Just then a group of giggling girls start swooning at his image on the magazine cover. I notice one of them holding a bunch of magazines that all feature images of Louis. I quickly averted my gaze not wanting them to think I was staring. Considering that more than half of our population consisted of females, maybe Louis had a better chance of winning the throne than I thought. I wish I could tell these girls that he would probably look down his nose at them if they ever met him.

When I came home Mom told me the most unexpected news.

" They are saying there was a mistake. They should have never revoked your scholarship. The principal was apologizing profusely on the phone. They want you back Emilia. "

I felt a surge of anger but I tamped it down for Mom's sake.

" Do you want me to go back, Mom?"

" I want you to do whatever makes you happy. " She ruffles my hair. I see only love and acceptance in her bright blue eyes.

" I don't want to go back Mom. My mental health has only taken a nose dive ever since I joined that school. I know Louis is one of the schools' benefactors and I don't want his money for my education. God knows what's changed his mind. All of this could even be a trap."

" Or maybe he realizes you were innocent and he was being an asshole all along. Though I understand your decision. Neither of us is going to force you to go back there. Right, Mom? " Samantha pipes up.

" Exactly. " Mom nods.

I had gone back to my old school but because of the YouTube video, I was finding it hard to move about without people staring at me. I could hear my classmates gossip about me. I got the feeling that some of them even envied me. Many of them were forced to go to an all-girls school by their parents and thought it a privilege to study with boys in a coed school.

Plus I had gone to the most prestigious of these institutions whose student body included the prince and the creme de la creme of the society. In short, even in my old school, I became the designated outcast but I had only a few more months before I graduated. So I decided to suck it up and focus on preparing for the public secondary school examinations.

A few days later I am walking back home when I feel as if I am being watched. I notice people in the neighborhood eyeing a black Porsche curiously, a few of them looking positively envious. I pause as I remember the many times I have seen this car before. The glasses are tinted but I don't need to look inside to know who's in the driver's seat.