Princess - A Love Story

Chapter 8

Emily avoided Philip for the next few days. He didn't know how she did it. It was as if she had a sixth sense of where he was going to be and depending on her mood, she alternated between lying in wait to scowl at him or disappearing altogether. She used her window indiscriminately and the sense of freedom improved her mood vastly. Of course, with all those cameras about the place, somebody was bound to have figured out what she was up to, but as long as they didn't bother her, she didn't care.

One night, as she was nearing the base of the tree she heard a sound behind her. Startled, she lost her grip and slipped down the remaining few inches to the ground. She looked up to see Philip standing over her.

"Are you all right?"

"Fine," she jumped to her feet and dusted her behind.

"Going somewhere," he enquired casually.

"I'm sure the grapevine has done its job well. Don't ask me redundant questions," she said loftily as she turned to walk away.

"Aren't you done sulking yet?"

"Nope." She started to walk and he caught up with her. He didn't say anything. Just kept pace with her. After a while he said, "You're not getting the apology you seem to be waiting for."

"That's good to know," she snapped back.

"I'd like a word with you."

In response, she put her ear phones on and made a show turning up the volume. When she turned to walk away Philip grabbed hold of the hood of her sweatshirt. "What?" she exclaimed in irritation as she jerked back.

"Tell you what. Run with me. If you can keep up or outrun me, I'll leave you alone."

"And if I can't?"

"You hear me out. And then if you still demand an apology, I will think about it."

And so, they ran. Emily found that while she could run faster, Philip could run longer. She kept up with up him way beyond her capacity, fueled solely by pride.

Forty minutes in, "All right. I give in," she gasped as she collapsed onto the ground. She sat down then decided even sitting was too much effort and lay flat on her back on the cold ground. Philip jogged back and grinned down at her.

"You should do that more often," she said, still panting. At his questioning look, "Smile like a normal human being. Normally you look like you're in pain." He shook his head at her. "Where do you get the time to train in your crazy schedule?" Despite herself, Emily was impressed.

"You're not the only one who enjoys nocturnal runs."

"I've never seen you before."

"That's 'coz I know all the good paths."

He sat down next to her and was silent for a while.

"Do you know why you're here? You specifically?"

"Your Grandmother keeps telling me it's to gain some measure of control over Pig Face." Philip let out a sound half laughter and half disbelieving horror. "What? Have you looked at him closely?"

"Ah, I try not to," he said seriously, drawing a snicker out of Emily. "You'll find this interesting, so listen closely. As with all issues, this one too, starts with land."

"You sound like my history teacher."

Ignoring her he continued. "Per Miionian property law, children and grandchildren are entitled to their family holdings. I won't go into the details but rest assured our laws are watertight and ensure fair and equitable distribution to everyone in the family. Property rights here are not a matter of Wills and personal intent. It is governed by law. Especially land, because we are a small country and land is at a premium. Why that is important to you is that as the daughter of Lord Stylianou's only son, you are eligible for a significant share of his property. And that is Lord Stylianou's biggest problem with this entire arrangement."