43“What?” Milan exclaims. “Let’s go!” He says to Dylan.The two of them get to the border, and Milan immediately starts to discuss with the other soldiers.“Master!” They all greet.“How are you doing?” Milan asks all of them.“We are doing, okay.” They all say.“Good. What is going on?” Milan asks. “Dylan just briefed me. What is going on?” He repeats.“We got wind of some weird and suspicious movement at the far end of the north.” The lead commander, Russel, says. “We decided to ignore it because it is way far from our border. Due diligence made us see what was going on.” He further explains.“That is very good.” Milan says. “I am glad that all of you have been on your feet with regards to the protection of this border. However, we must not dismiss anything, do you understand?”“Yes sir!” The soldiers chorus.“Good.” Milan says.“Master, we understand that you want us to go the extra mile, so what do you want us to do, exactly?” Russel asks.“I want us to camp around this place for
43“Emilia!” Penelope yells. “Come back here right now!” Come back this instant!” She yells at Emilia.Emilai does not say a word, she just keeps walking away. She is not in the mood for any trouble. All she wants to do is to go back to her room and rest.“Emilia, are you deaf?” Penelope yells.Emilia turns sharply, bumping into Milan’s mother.“Did you just hit me?” Penelope asks with a high-pitched voice. It is obvious that she wants to draw attention to them-she definitely wants to cause a scene.“What? I did not hit you, ma’am. You only bumped into me.” Emilia says.“Oh, so you have the nerve to talk back at me, huh?” Penelope asks.“Look, ma’am, I do not want to disrespect you. I only wanted to talk to Milan, and seeing that he is not available, I want to be in my room.” Emilia says. “I will talk to him when he gets back.” She adds.“Yeah, right.” Penelope scoffs. “What makes you think that he wants to talk to you?” She rolls her eyes.“I…I don’t understand.” Emilia says. Even th
44Emilia quickly goes back to her room. She is feeling kind of sleepy, so she goes into the bathroom, takes her bath, and then dives under the covers. She thinks about Milan again, but she tells herself that she is not going to be bothered by him or by his mother. If he does not want to talk to her anymore, it is just fine; she will survive.Soon, she falls deeply asleep.The next morning, she hears a loud bang on her door. She is so pissed off because her head starts to bang immediately. Angrily, she gets up from he bed and saunters madly towards the door.“Who is that?” She roars. “Who the hell is that?” She yells.No response.Who the fuck is at her door at five in the morning?As soon as she opens the door, she sees Penelope, but before she can react, she is doused with a bucket of cold water.“Why are you not with your fellow maids?” Penelope asks. “Have you forgotten your place in this house?”“W…what?” Emilia asks, seriously angry.“You are now a maid, Emilia!” Penelope yells.
45Emilia keeps walking in the woods. She is glad that she was able to put all the things that she would need in her duffel bag.As she keeps walking, she remembers her past. She remembers all that she has experienced in Milan’s pack. She had really tried to soften, to like him for at least something, so that the two of them would get along civilly. She was already at that point when everything started to crumble.What the hell?Milan must really hate her, for him to have left, just like that; for him to have left her at the mercy of his mother.“That bitch.” She murmurs to herself. Milan definitely knew that his mother did not like her, so why was he so pissed that he left her?Why did he leave her? He could have waited and spoken to her, he could have waited and let them iron out their differences.Well, fuck him. She does not need him anymore. She is the only one that she has; she cannot do this with anybody.She’s got herself, and herself alone.*****Milan is in the woods with hi
46“Master McMilan, Miss Emilia left three days ago.” The maid informs him.Milan’s heart skips two beats. “What?” He blurts out in unbelief.“Master, she left the pack three days ago. She was actually carrying a duffel bag, so I don’t think she is coming back.” The maid says.It feels like Milan’s world is coming to an end.“What…do you know why she left?” He asks the maid.“I….I…I can’t tell you, Master.” The maid says.“Why?” Milan asks, his eyebrows knotting in confusion.“Because… it was the Queen Mother that kind of sent her away.” The maid says and scampers as soon as she sees Milan’s mother walking towards them.“What?” Milan exclaims and then turns to his mother. “Why would you do that?” He asks in anger.“Milan, why are you shouting?” Penelope asks. “You did not even appreciate the warm bath I set up for you!” She yells.“Mom, I appreciate the bath, and I enjoyed it, but I am pissed!” Milan yells. “Where is Emilia?” He asks.“She is gone. She left three days ago.” Penelope a
46Emilia walks towards the men as stealthily as possible, careful not to startle them or piss them o. She does not want to start a war or fight. The elk is at the back of one of the large trees afar off; she does not want to draw more attention to herself by bringing it along with her to the cave.The men are sitting on the floor, and it looks like they are merrying. There are drinks on the floor, and she can also see plates of meat on the floor. It looks like they also went hunting.“Hello….” Emilia waves her hands.The three of them turn to look at her.“Who are you?” One of them asks with a menacing look on his face. “What do you want here?” He asks.“I…do you guys live here?” She asks them.“Why are you asking?” Another man asks. Emilia can see that he is sweeping her entire body with his eyes.“Look what we have here,” the third man says, licking his lips.Emilia is beginning to think that this whole thing is a bad idea.“Look, I just wanted to know if you lived here.” She point
48“All male.” The guard tells Milan.“Great.” He says.They keep walking gently towards the corpses, and they are very careful.“Who could be here?” The guards ask Milan.“I have no idea. You know what? Let’s just hide in the bushes and wait for whoever it that is living here.” Milan says.“You got it, Master Milan.” The guards say.Stealthly, Milan and his men hide in the bushes. They are soldiers, so they have been trained to be patient.After about three hours, they hear a rustling in the area in which the dead guys are, and they are immediately at alert.They all watch whoever it is that is coming, and they are shocked to see that right in front of them is a cave, but they are even more shocked when they see that it is a lady. She has long hair, and she is wearing a black jumpsuit. Even before she straightens her body, Milan already knows who it is.Emilia.Milan experiences a lot at this moment. First of all, he is happy to see that Emilia is alive, and from the look of things,
48Emilia sees sense in what Milan is saying, but she still does not want to agree with him. A part of her is telling her that he would not be risking his own life, in the woods, searching for her, if he did not care about her. Milan can be very annoying, but he really cares about her; at least, that is what she thinks.“What do you want from me?” She asks him with furrowed eyebrows.“I want you to go back to the pack with me.” Milan says.“And if I don’t?” Emilia asks with a smirk on her face.“I would have no choice but to throw you over my shoulder and race towards my pack.” Milan says.Emilia scoffs. “You want to kidnap me? What makes you think you are gon succeed?” She asks.“You wanna dare me?” Milan asks.“I am not in the mood for your shenanigans.” Emilia says and packs her things. “I will meet you outside when I am done.”“Okay.” Milan says and steps out of the cave.After Milan leaves, Emilia sits on her makeshift bed, and she starts to think the whole thing through. Even th
57Emilia starts to fume. “What do you mean, and why the hell are you arrogant?” She asks Milan.“I am just so sure that you are reasonable, Emilia. I saw that in you a long time ago, most especially when we were both in the woods together, and I told you that you could be in so much danger if you stayed in the woods on your own.” Milan says.Emilia glares at him and shakes her head internally. This guy does not even know shit about her; he does not know half of what she is capable of.Well, it is a good thing that he does not- it will make him definitely let his guard down just when she needs it to be down.“Fine.” She says.“Good girl,” Milan mutters under his breath.“What did you just say?” Emilia asks.“Nothing. I said, ‘thank you’.” Milan says.They both keep riding, and although this is the first time Emilia is riding a horse, she seems proficient at it. Milan is very surprised.“Are you sure this is your first time on a horse?” He asks as they ride side by side.“Yup,” Emilia
The two of them say nothing to each other. Instead, they just stare at the lake. Minute after minute, hour after hour passes, and they are silent.After a while, Emilia looks at Milan. “Don’t you have something else to do besides sitting here with me?” She asks.“I cleared my schedule.” Milan tells her.“I see.” Emilia says and looks away.“I really want us to go horseriding together, why are you punishing me by refusing?” Milan asks.Emilia says nothing.“You are clearly still mad at me.” Milan points out. “I can see that you are punishing me for my actions.” He says.“I am glad you can see that.” Emilia replies.“So, the daffodils are not even going to save me?” He asks with a smile.“No.” Emilia says and keeps atring at the lake. “Why do you want to go horseriding with me?” She asks Milan.‘Because I want you to be free.” Milan answers.Emilia scoffs. “Free? Free?” She asks incredulously.“Yes, free.” Milan replies.“You are so funny. How could I be free while horseriding in this p
55The two of them say nothing to each other. Instead, they stare at the lake. Minute after minute, hour after hour passes, and they are silent.After a while, Emilia looks at Milan. “Don’t you have something else to do besides sitting here with me?” She asks.“I cleared my schedule,” Milan tells her.“I see,” Emilia says and looks away.“I really want us to go horseriding together, why are you punishing me by refusing?” Milan asks.Emilia says nothing.“You are clearly still mad at me.” Milan points out. “I can see that you are punishing me for my actions.” He says.“I am glad you can see that,” Emilia replies.“So, the daffodils are not even going to save me?” He asks with a smile.“No,” Emilia says and keeps staring at the lake. “Why do you want to go horseriding with me?” She asks Milan.‘Because I want you to be free.” Milan answers.Emilia scoffs. “Free? Free?” She asks incredulously.“Yes, free,” Milan replies.“You are so funny. How could I be free while horseriding in this pr
"As a guest of the palace irrespective of your peerage, it's expected that your carriage should introduce you before you say a word to another," Mrs. Worthington went on saying, with Emilia slouched in her seat, counting her fingers to the time when their blasted lesson would end."I thought by today we would be gone past your wrong posture," The woman sighed, tapping her temples dramatically. "But from what I see, it seems to have worsened from the past."No word from Emilia. In fact, the only word she had said in this class was to greet Mrs. Worthington when she came into the room."You might need a ladies ' pamphlet to aid you.""What!" The first word Emilia was uttering. "Why do I need a pup's pamphlet? I am an adult!""Then behave like one, Young Ms. You hardly show any motivation for wanting to learn, demanding I do all I can to make sure you are on point with my admonitions.""Well, why not quit?" Emilia mumbled under her breath."I beg your pardon?""Nothing, Ma'am." Emilia sl
After playing their games of chess and constituting nuisance that even made the maids to come to inform Emma that her mother sought her presence, Emilia was finally escorted back to her chambers.She envisaged the presence of Milan more than she wanted to believe, and even planned to confront him about his trick that morning in deceiving her into believing that he was sincerely repentant.But, when she got to the room, he wasn't there. She went into her room and went into the washroom to quickly soak herself there for a few minutes, coming out only when the water had gone cold.She went back to her room wrapped in a clean white towel, sat on the chair in front of her vanity table rubbing the new rose oil that Betty brought in for her, when the door opened and slammed loudly.Emilia's eyes impulsively flicked to the adjoining door which she left open when she came in initially-without knowing why-and saw no one.But from the way the hairs at the nape of her neck rose, and her nose pick
“You are right.” Milan says as they continue fencing. “I have to stop breathing down her neck.” He adds.“A woman like that needs her space.” Zane says. “I have no idea why you both are always at loggerheads, because as complex as Emilia seems, she is very easy to understand.”“I understand what you are trying to say, Zane, but I must confess that it is not as easy as you are making it seem.” Milan says. “As much as I try, I just end up annoying her.” He adds.“You just have to be patient with her.” Zane says and they finish fencing. “If you leave her alone, she will learn to trust you, and I can assure you that she will most likely fall in love with this place and not run away again.” He adds.“I will do this, and I really hope that it works.” Milan says with a deep sigh.“So, we’ll see tomorrow, yeah?” Zane asks as they are about tro part ways.“Yeah, tomorrow.” Milan says and goes back into the Mansion. As he walks back to his suite, he asks one of the guards to go inform Emma that
51“You are right.” Milan says as they continue fencing. “I have to stop breathing down her neck.” He adds.“A woman like that needs her space.” Zane says. “I have no idea why you both are always at loggerheads, because as complex as Emilia seems, she is very easy to understand.”“I understand what you are trying to say, Zane, but I must confess that it is not as easy as you are making it seem.” Milan says. “As much as I try, I just end up annoying her.” He adds.“You just have to be patient with her.” Zane says and they finish fencing. “If you leave her alone, she will learn to trust you, and I can assure you that she will most likely fall in love with this place and not run away again.” He adds.“I will do this, and I really hope that it works.” Milan says with a deep sigh.“So, we’ll see tomorrow, yeah?” Zane asks as they are about tro part ways.“Yeah, tomorrow.” Milan says and goes back into the Mansion. As he walks back to his suite, he asks one of the guards to go inform Emma t
50“Emilia, you did really well today.” Mrs. Worthington says to Emilia as soon as the class is over. “I am glad that I am beginning to rob off on you.” She adds.Emilia sighs softly. “When is my next class?” She asks.“It is in two days, Emilia, and I really hope to see you.” Her teacher says.“Fine,” Emilia says and waltzes out of the room. She has been listening to that uptight woman for a long two hours, and all she needs now is a glass of milk, some cookies, and a great deal of sleep.Thus, she goes into the kitchen to get some cookies and milk that she is craving.“Hello, Betty!” Emilia says immediately she sees Betty in the kitchen.“Emilia!” Betty says and hugs her. “How was your class?” She asks.“What do you think?” Emilia rolls her eyes and starts to put some of the recently-baked chocolate cookies on a plate.“From the look of things, the class did not go well,” Betty says with a smile on her round face.Emilia scoffs. “Tell me about it. It was as boring as hell. It took e
49“Not again,” Emilia mutters to herself.“Did I hear you say something?” Penelope asks.“No.” Emilia says.“Good.” Penelope says. “Now, back to my question, why are you still talking to Emma?” She asked.“Because I like to talk to her,” Emilia replies.“I see. Milan, did you hear that?” She asks.“Yes, I did.” Milan replies to his mother.“And what do you have to say about it?” She asks.“Nothing.” Milan says. “Who am I to control who she talks to?”Emilia looks at him in surprise. She knows that he has promised to do better by her, but she had no idea he would stand up to his mother. She sends him a grateful glance, and he smiles softly.Dinner continues without any hitch, and Emilia is glad. As soon as she is done, Emilia steps out of the dining hall and into her room. Just a few minutes after settling down in her room, ther eis a knock on her door. Emilia assumes that it is Emma, so she does not even ask who it is.She is however surprised to see McMilan.“Milan?” She calls out.