Chapter 3: You Don’t Know
A/N: Here is the next chapter! I hope you enjoy at as I am quite excited to share it with you all. I appreciate all of the feedback I am receiving from you lovely readers and for checking in with me on updated! It makes me so motivated to keep writing!
You think you know me, but you don’t.
You don’t know what it is like to feel the betrayal of someone you thought you knew.
The one you trusted. The one you loved.
Only to find out you fell in love with a person they were pretending to be and once their mask falls off, it is only then you see the real betrayal that lied beneath that mask.
Betrayal does not only break your heart, but also darkens your soul. You will never forget the pain like a fog that forever lingers in the depths of your mind.
But you don’t know the betrayal he drowned me in.
“She is not going to be pleased Luke.”
Emilia walked into the main room of her hotel suite seeing her two PPOs talking to each other in secrecy, or so they thought. Over hearing their conversation, Emilia stood quietly careful to not alarm them.
“Why won’t I be pleased?” Leaning against the wall she raised her eyebrow watching the two men turn to look back at her in surprise.
Releasing a deep breath, Tristan closed her eyes knowing how the princess would react to the news. He had spoken with her father and the head of security while Emilia was in the shower. The Crown Prince insisted that his daughter stay at Kensington Palace for the remainder of her stay in London or be forced to be on the next flight home due to security reasons. It simply was not safe for her to be in a foreign country with only two protection officers.
“Emilia ummm…” Tristan lowered his gaze unable to look her in the eye while he processed how to tell her.
“My father called you, didn’t he?” Luke confirmed this with a subtle shake of the head not being able to lie to her. This was not shocking news to her in the least, of course her father would try and control her from here. With the release of the photograph Emilia knew her father would soon be involved even from thousand miles away.
“What are my options Tristan?” Emilia crossed her arms ready for the options to choose from, but knowing they were subtly demands and not so much a choice on her part.
“You go home right now or…” Tristan eye’s winced as he gave her the other option. “Stay at Kensington.”
“You have got to be kidding me?!” Emilia turned on her heel walking back into her room. “If you even think for a second that I am going to be staying in the same place as that carrot top arrogant prince you must be high Tristan!”
“Emilia! What are you doing?” Tristan yelled after her following her into the room.
Scrimmaging through her suitcase she pulled out some clothes. Standing up she faced Tristan. “Going to watch the games. What do you think?”
Tristan shook his head, pinching his nose together. Why did he ever sign up to protect her? Sighing he went and sat down on the edge of her bed thinking of how to reason with her.
“Emilia will you please hear me out…” He became quiet causing Emilia to look down at him. “You know we should not have come here to begin with and I know that you are running from what happened in Illyria.”
Tristan held his finger up silencing her with pleading eyes to hear him out. “If you want to stay here, you pack your things now and we are driving to Kensington. If you continue to be stubborn just to get back at your father, I could lose my job and so could Luke….”
He was right. If Emilia refused either option they could both end up fired for not following direct orders and she would be the one to blame for their dismissal. A fact that she could not have on her conscious no matter how stubborn she was, no matter how terrible the options were to her. It was now her choice whether she went back home and not see her friend compete, or stay the rest of the week, the decision was a simple one.
Emilia bent down and picked up her suitcase placing it on the bed. Tristan eyed her cautiously, lifting his gaze to look her right in the eyes.
“Tell my father I will be at Kensington and if he wishes to intervene further he must speak with me first.” Emilia informed Tristan who gave her a weak thankful smile.
“Hello Your Highness.” An elderly man wearing the household uniform greeted her inside with a bow of the head. “My name is Bernard and I will be at your services for the duration of your stay here at Kensington Palace.”
Emilia forced a smile at the kind man. She of course did not want to make this much of a fuss here, but she had no choice in the matter. Staying at Kensington or going home was her only options and Emilia was not ready to go back home yet.
“Let me take your bags Your Highness. I will show you to your apartment.” Emilia could not make this elderly gentleman carry her bags when she perfectly capable too.
“Bernard my protection officers and I will bring them and please call me Emilia, I insist on it.” The elderly man smiled down at her shaking his head lightly. Emilia followed Bernard down a series of halls stopping at one in the middle of the corridor. Bernard had apologized profusely on behalf of the Queen stating that she was out of the country for the next few days and could not officially welcome her to England. Upon her return, she had requested to invite the princess to a dinner one evening.
Luke and Tristan went in ahead of her to ensure the apartment was safe to enter. This gave her a moment alone with Bernard to ask him a couple questions she dared not to alert her PPOs to.
“Bernard, could you tell me where Prince Harry’s apartment is? I wish to speak with him about a private matter.”
“Of course ma’am, I mean Emilia.” He emphasized her name with correction. “It is down the hall to the left, first door on the right. I believe he is set to leave for the stadium soon so I would go now if you were in need of speaking with him.” Emilia glanced inside the apartment seeing no sign of Tristan or Luke. It was the perfect time to take a little walk and talk to the prince about the photo that had been released in the paper this morning.
“Thank you Bernard!” Emilia stood up on her tippy toes in an effort to hug the kind man who reminded Emilia of her stable manager; a kind sweet old man. “Also will you please bill me for all the expenses here. I wish to pay my fair share.”
“The Queen insisted that –”
“Please Bernard.” Emilia interjected with her pleading blue eyes until he agreed. “Will you tell them I went to check out the gardens please.” Bernard followed her gaze back into her apartment.
“Emilia I don’t think that is safe-” His words became quiet, unable for her to hear as Emilia ran down the hall following Bernard’s directions to the prince’s apartment.
First door on the right. Emilia spoke to herself as she found his apartment.
Without warning she opened it walking right into the prince’s apartment expecting security to confront her. Taking a few steps in she halted her steps in the entrance way. There was no sign of him, did she miss him already and where was his security?
Emilia wandered through the kitchen area seeing the mess of pans sprawled out on the stove. An aroma of bacon and eggs wafted into her nose causing her stomach to grumble in hunger. Walking into a hallway she found a open door filled with desks and books, no doubt the prince’s office. Sighing having seen no evidence of the prince’s presence, Emilia thought it was best if she just went back to her apartment to settle in as the prince clearly had left.
A door handle twisted with a creak coming from the opposite end of the hall. Emilia froze, unable to move in fear that she had been caught snooping amongst the prince’s apartment. The door opened wider as hot steam evaporated from the room hearing wet footsteps march across the floor.
Prince Harry came walking out covering his wet naked body with only a towel wrapped around his waist. Fastening it around him as he exited the room Emilia gasped loudly alerting the prince to her presence startling him.
His blue eyes darted towards the source of the gasp locking eyes with Emilia and seeing her shocked expression that she had seen him half naked. The prince took a few startling steps back until his body collided with the doorframe allowing him to regain his balance.
“JESUS CHRIST EMILIA?!” He yelled at her. “WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING IN MY APARTMENT?!” Harry’s knuckles gripped the towel securely hoping she had not seen any part of him.
Emilia’s hand flew to her mouth trying to stifle a laugh at the prince’s expense with no avail. Unable to contain the laugh, her chest shook hard falling into a fit of giggles.
“I am sorry!” She attempted to apologize between breaths of laughter. “I just wanted to talk about…” Emilia could not finish her sentence.
A wide grin appeared on the prince’s lip hearing her unbridled laughter ring out in the hall. Her blue eyes were smiling as she fell into laughter, her hand covering her chest in an attempt to remind her to breathe. Harry could feel the beginnings of a laugh brewing deep in his chest, slowly surrendering to it.
Emilia took slow deep breaths returning to a calming state. She not so subtly roved her eyes over his half naked body going over the contours of the muscles on his chest. Her heart started a slow pounding in her chest that built causing her mind to go blank.
Who knew that the prince was hiding all of that? Emilia bit her bottom lip, a gesture that did not go unnoticed by Harry.
“What are you doing here Emilia?” Harry used this distraction in hopes that the princess would confess her untimely visit. He had learned earlier this morning that she was set to stay here at Kensington for the duration of her visit for undisclosed reasons that he was not privy too.
Emilia shook her head realizing that she had been asked a question. “Hmmm?” Her eyes had trailed up his chest falling on his eyes staring at her intently.
“The photo…” she cleared her throat managing to formulate a few words. Harry’s brow furrowed in confusion.
“What photo?” Harry leaned against the doorframe crossing his arms as his muscles tightened accentuating them further which only made it more difficult for Emilia to focus on the reason why she came to see him.
“Oh come on Harry. You knew all about it.” Harry was acting like he didn’t know a thing about it. He could he not?
“Emilia, I have no idea what you are talking about.” He took a step forward pushing the door open to his bedroom. What in the world was she talking about? What photo?
Her light footsteps pressed against the hardwood floor indicating that she was following him into his room. Did this woman have no sense of privacy? First of all where was Riggs and how the hell did she get in?
“You must have forgot all about yesterday then, our conversation?” Her voice carried through the door. Harry spotted her body entering his room through the corner of his eye while he searched through his closet. “The perfect opportunity for you set up a photo so they could take this picture.” Emilia held her phone out as Harry angled his head seeing a picture of the two of them yesterday at the Invictus Games.
“You think I set you up?” Harry tossed his head back in laughter at her accusation. It had been the first time he had seen that picture, how was he to blame?
“As a matter of fact yes I do.” Emilia crossed her arms narrowing her ice blue eyes at him giving him the inkling that she was not going to back down so easy. “You knew that I didn’t want to be here in a official capacity and…” she paused. “you used me…” The betrayal was evidently laced in her voice.
Harry’s fingers clenched tightly around the fabric of a shirt pulling it down hard off a hanger, his head turned to stare into the depths of her blue eyes seeing a look of betrayal circling in them.
“Emilia. I did not know about it.” He insisted again with a deep sigh. “I don’t know what you want me to say!” Harry shrugged his shoulders.
“Will you stop bullshitting with me and just admit it?” Her voice raised an octave becoming more frustrated with Harry at his continual dismissal “You want publicity for your failing games and when you saw me… you knew that my recent escapades in the press would bring more attention to them if I was here officially so you took it upon yourself to ensure that I was photographed even though you knew my thoughts on the matter Henry.”
Emilia’s accusation caused the prince’s body to tense up in fury at her constant persistence that he so brutally tossed her out to dry in the press. His features hardened at her insults and untrue claims. “Emilia. For the last time… I did not do anything. If you think they are so terrible why the hell are you here then?” Harry flipped the switch on her now wondering what her true intentions were of her presence at the Invictus Games.
His body turned to face her narrowing his eyes in a hardened gaze down at the princess. Emilia had pressed and pressed him until he could no longer handle her accusations. “Maybe it is you that is using me…” he towered over her small body trying to intimidate her, but it did not in the slightest. Harry inwardly smiled at the thought of how feisty she was.
“You have been in the papers scandal after scandal and magically show up here ‘unofficially’ and for a ‘friend.’ I can smell the lies from a mile away Emilia. You just wanted to give the press something else to write about that’s not about your boyfriends book.” His words cut through her like a knife as he angrily spat them.
Emilia’s lips parted open to speak, but she could not find the words to say too shocked that Harry would stoop that low to hurt her. Harry could not be more wrong in his thinking. She simply lowered her head avoiding the prince’s hard gaze. Closing her eyes she could not even look the prince in the eye anymore.
Everyone knew about it. Even Harry.
Emilia was naive to even come here in the first place. All she wanted was an escape from the press at home and from the attention that had surrounded her as of late. She wanted to stop hearing what people thought of her and judging purely based on the lies that Thomas had written about her and their relationship. Thomas had even wrote on security measures for Emilia making her life that much more complicated with added security… part of the reason her father forced her to be here. To be here right now facing Harry only to find out that he too was judging her like everyone else.
“You don’t know…” Her head lifted cautiously, her voice breaking. “You don’t know.” Emilia tried to explain but thought the effort was futile knowing Harry would already have a set opinion of her.
Harry could hear the hurt in her voice as she attempted to speak. His heart sank in his chest; he had stepped over a line with Emilia. Harry felt for her, having known what it was like to be the center of the media’s rage before, but he could not wonder if her intentions for being here were true.
These games were his he had made for the veterans and he was not going to let anyone ruin them, not after all their hard work. It was a possibility that her father sent her here to clean up her image in the papers and what better way to do it at a paralympic event of injured vets? A thought Harry could not shake, but seeing her now he knew the real reason why she came. She wanted an escape.
Harry sighed seeing how vastly silent and shut down Emilia had become. Her blue daggered eyes peaked up at the prince for a mere second staring into his soul, giving him just enough time to see the hurt in her eyes. He immediately felt guilty for everything that he had said to her, but she would not stop accusing him that it he set up a photo op without her approval.
“I am sorry for barging in.” Her icy blue eyes held his hostage. Emilia took a few steps back watching the prince carefully. “I shouldn’t have come here….” The princess vanished out of his sight leaving Harry standing alone in his room for a few seconds to linger in his own thoughts.
“Emilia wait!” Harry threw on a pair of jeans chasing after her. There was no way he could let her leave seeing the pain that he had caused her even if it was indirectly.
His feet caught up with her swiftly as he reached to grab her arm tugging it gently to turn her around to face him. “What?!” Emilia’s voice cracked as she tried to pull her arm away from his grip.
Droplets of tears fell on his forearm as the princess stubbornly refused to look at him. Harry felt a pang of guilt in his chest. Bringing up her boyfriend was obviously a sensitive subject for Emilia. Quite frankly Harry had no idea what actually happened between them, but knew she had broken a photographers camera that had asked her questions about his tell all book. No ex of his hardly spoke of their relationship, he could not imagine having one write a whole book about her; one no doubt of lies or even worse… truths.
“I didn’t mean that Emilia.” He tried to apologize, but she turned her back towards him searching for the entrance she came into.
“Emilia talk to me.” He followed behind her with haste.
Harry stopped his pursuit and gave into her wishes despite the voice inside of his head to go after her. Something inside of him was drawn to Emilia, like he wanted to chase after her and comfort her; he wanted to know her.
He silently reminded himself that she was going to be staying down the hall and at the end of the day he would be able to find her to finish their conversation. It was the last thing Harry wanted Emilia to think that he was so brash that he conducted the press to take a photo of them together.
For now he was already late for his departure and had to focus on his tasks throughout the day at the Invictus Games.
Climbing into the back of the range rover, Harry was joined by his PPO Riggs and Private Secretary Ed Fox. “How the hell did you let Princess Emilia walk into my apartment this morning?” Harry curiously eyed Riggs for answers.
He simply shrugged his shoulders at the prince. “What can I say, she’s harmless and figured you needed some company sir.” Ed barked a laugh at the prince’s expense. “Too bad she did not catch you earlier in the shower…” Riggs winked at Harry causing his eyes to roll.
“It will be a good opportunity for us now that she is staying at Kensington Harry.” For some reason Ed’s comment was unsettling for Harry. Turning his head the prince’s gaze fellow upon Ed’s laptop opened to the same picture that Emilia had shown him.
“It turned out fantastic!” Edward smiled proudly down at the article seeing the elation on his private secretaries face.
“What do you mean?” Harry’s brow furrowed in suspicion hoping he was not about to hear the words coming out of Ed’s mouth.
“Well you remembered how I got you to welcome Princess Emilia to the games yesterday?” Ed lifted his head to lock eyes with Harry. “I also sent the photographer a tip that she was there and got him to publish this photo of you and Emilia together and the response is more than we can hope for! Everyone cannot wait to see more of Emilia at the games. I am thinking that we should give her some sort of duty to…”
Edward continued speaking, but his words dissipated in the background as Harry realized what he admitted to doing. His secretary set up the meet to get a photo op of the two just like Emilia had accused him of.
Harry buried his head in his hands shaking it lightly. How could he not have seen it coming? Of course Edward would use anything possible to ensure that the games were a success, even if that meant throwing Emilia under the bus. Ed had not heard their private conversation where Emilia informed him that she was here on an unofficial basis and wished to have it remain that way.
Emilia had been right in accusing the prince, but he had not been apart of the plan. A pit in his stomach grew and settled uneasily with him. Harry had brought the princess to tears even after she was telling him the truth and had every right to be upset with him. Had Harry know that it was Ed’s intentions he would have called it off immediately.
Harry had used her, just like her ex-boyfriend had done.
