Emilia's POV:-
" My father for all his faults was against the war. He wanted to normalize relations with Anhalt. That pissed off a lot of high-ranking individuals in the kingdom. A lot of them were associated with the weapons industry and wanted the war to continue. If my father would have become king this conflict would have ended a long time ago." Louis tells me as he dries my hair.
" Let me guess. These people then arranged for your dad to be shot that day. "
" Yes. The person who shot at my father belonged to a group of paid assassins. They were obviously hired by someone more powerful. While they were put behind bars we could never figure out who exactly ordered the hit on my father." He says grimly.
" You must have some suspects? Probably the people involved in weapons manufacturing are the most likely to be involved in something like this." I turn to look at him.
" I have an entire list of suspects but we need evidence if we are to put them behind bars." He puts the hair dryer away. " I will go visit mother. " He kisses my cheek and heads outside.
I think about what he confessed to me not so long ago. I couldn't imagine that someone like Louis was attracted to me. Or did he just say that because he felt sorry for me? I hated crying in front of other people. My mom and sister knew a little about my anxiety issues. But I doubt they knew the full extent of my insecurities.
We may not be in love with each other but there's something between us and we should explore it. I have read enough of your books to know that sex for you is special. And you believe it should be with someone you deeply care for and trust. I want to be that person for you before anything else happens.
He didn't tell me he loved me. But he felt something for me? Was that enough? After pining for him for seven years my greedy heart wanted more. I wanted him to either fall completely in love with me or just stay the hell away from me. Because God knows I won't be able to bear it if he walked away from me.
I had almost told him that he was the guy that broke my heart all those years ago. But something held me back. Maybe somewhere at the back of my mind, I was already resigned to the fact that he would eventually leave me. And maybe I would feel less humiliated and hurt if I never let him know the extent of what he meant to me and how much power he held over my emotions.
Just then my mother bursts into the room.
" Emilia, did you read that article?" She says before I can say anything else.
" Please don't tell me that we are again in the media spotlight. Please God I can't take it anymore. " I groan.
" Do you know this Trisha Golding? She claims to have met you in person. "
" Trisha Golding? What does she have to do with this?" I rack my brain trying to figure out why this name sounded so familiar.
Then it hit me that she was one of Lord Howard's 'friends' that I had met on the night of the party.
" She's written this exposè on your marriage. I barely finished reading it all. It made me wish I could find that woman and maybe beat her to a bloody pulp!" She handed me her tablet so I could read the thing myself.
It was kind of scary reading it because so much of it was true. She claimed that we were in a contract marriage. She wrote that me and Louis hadn't seen each other in years until the night of Lord Howard's party. I was actually surprised by how much she knew about us.
Then she started mentioning things I didn't know about. God knows whether they were true.
She wrote that Louis married me to correct his public image after his disastrous relationship with Leyla. His mother was already busy searching for an obedient little daughter-in-law. Mother and son thought I would be easy to manipulate. After Louis wins the election and becomes the heir to the throne he will divorce me.
YOU ARE READING
The Prince That Got Away ( A Royal Romance Novel )
RomanceEmilia Meadows fell in love once, with a cruel-hearted boy who broke her heart. A boy who never truly knew who she was, other than the shy little outcast at school. Years later he's the country's most eligible bachelor, a modern-day prince with a b...