His Royal Love For Her

Crossing Paths

The  next day Ophelia went about her day as usual. She was a little early today so she walked to the cute little Ivy draped coffee shop with cascading indoor plants. It looked so homey. She passes by sometimes but today she entered and got herself a cup of coffee. She hasn't had one in ages. She also ordered herself a slice of chocolate cake. She paid for her nibbles, then sat down and had her hot beverage and cake, eating them earnestly.

Even in this peaceful area, her mind was still working overtime.

Debts, more debts and more debts...

Money, more money and more money...

These words were the only thing lingering in her mind at this moment. Money has always been a problem and the biggest problem was the men that wanted their money back. The fact that they know her whereabouts has been a nightmare for her. She knew that they could come and ambush her at any time like they did yesterday. Most of them didn't care about the payment arrangements she and her aunt made with them. When they wanted what's due to them, they came for it.

Her €4 000 a month salary wouldn't cover the €800 000 of debt her aunt has made in all the years she spent borrowing money to gamble. Her aunt has tried paying off her debt on her own but it was too great to handle on her own. Once she realized that she was too into debt she came to seek for refugee from her family. She has tried to look for work but her blacklisted name always appear at the top of every opportunity she gets. She sometimes gets odd jobs here and there but it's not enough.

Ophelia also has to pay the mortgage for their house €450 per month. Luckily she hasn't missed a month because that's their home and they need to keep up the payments for as long as they can until they can finish paying it. Their living expenses and miscellaneous expenses also had to be considered. Her little brother and sister sometimes needed stationery or new books for school. Those are some of the things that were out of her control. Some of those expenses, including their household ones would add up to €600 depending on what was needed at home.

Her dad's treatment was a little more to be desired. The cost was monumental to calculate annually but every session of his treatment costs around €1000. The reason why it was this reasonable was because her dad used to pay for his own treatments when he was still employed. So his doctor made arrangements for them to be able to pay their hospital bill.  €1300 went to her aunt so she can pay off her debts little by little. The rest was mostly for food and every month she puts away  €100 incase of emergency.

She started thinking a lot about the opportunity that was presented to her to work in Airomania. It would really help settle all these bills that are hanging over her head. Well, not immediately, but it would help her reduce these amounts more effectively. The distance was a major issue for her. She didn't want to be so far away from her family, but then again, going there meant she'd be helping the kids there and she'll be fulfilling her dream to work abroad, which is something she really loves but, there's always a but...

Yes, she struggled to make ends meet but she was okay and her family was okay. What more did she want? She can't possibly leave them in the midst of this chaos. She'd rather have these men harass her than to harass her family. Anyway she still had time to think about it.

She finished her coffee and cake then left the coffee shop. She felt really refreshed despite thinking hard about her debts and money.

When she arrived at work, she went to prepare for her classes. The principal entered her classroom before school started. "Morning Ms. Brambilla." He greeted her looking rather cheerful.

"Principal Lombardo. Morning." She greeted back just as cheerful...

He grinned looking all giddy. "I hope you're just as joyful as I am because I have good news for you."

She smiled after hearing that. "Oh do share... I could use with some good news."

"One of our school sponsors heard the remarkable job you're doing here and he decided to donate 100 new chairs and tables. School uniforms for our learners and laptops for all our teachers. He also donated €300 000 for our school to renovate our classes." He explained..

She gasped with excitement. "OMG! That's crazy! That's amazing Mr. Lombardo."

He smiled back. "All thanks to you. You've been an asset to our school and your skills have proved to be remarkable. Another set of good news is that the sponsor wants to meet you." He added.

"What? Me? Why?" She asked all at once.

"He wants to see the woman that's making a difference in our children's lives." He replied.

She humbly replied. "I think you are all giving me too much credit. I'm just as good as every teacher here."

"Do you remember Carmella who had speech impediment?" he reminded her.

She remembered. "Yeah I do, she stopped coming two weeks ago because they had to move to New York with her family. She had such a hard time when she first came to our school but she pulled through."

"Yes she did. Everyone kept saying she needed to see a professional therapist for speech therapy. In all honesty, she did, but you took over and helped her because her parents couldn't afford a professional therapist. I remember that you even went on the internet, you read books and also ordered some very expensive books to research more about her condition in order to guide you throughout her journey to recovery. Her parents were so thankful for everything you did for their daughter when her speech improved."

She smiled remembering that time. "Yeah that was an emotional yet monumental time. I was so happy that she was able to get better. I still am. She was a bright kid. She just needed a little nudge in the right direction to reach her potential."

"I know right. It turns out that Carmella is our sponsors little cousin. He was so impressed when he found that it was one of our teachers that helped her with her speech recovery. That's why he wants to thank you in person."

"Mr. Lombardo I was just doing my job. He really doesn't have to go through all this trouble to come and thank me."

"He still wants to meet you Ms. Brambilla. He insisted and he'll be here any minute now." Mr. Lombardo said.

"I didn't know you meant today already. I could've prepared myself." She panicked a little.

"Don't worry. You've already made an impression on him. I'm sure you'll be okay." He said.

Mr. Lombardo received a phone call that interrupted them. The receptionist was telling him that the sponsor was here waiting in the lobby. He hung up the call and looked up at Ophelia. "He's here." He smiled. "Let's go meet him in the lobby." He added and she nodded.

"Do you know him personally?" She asked while they left her classroom.

"I haven't met him face to face. We've only spoken briefly on the phone, a few times." He replied.

"Right..." She replied.

They walked side by side to the lobby to go and meet the good Samaritan that just donated thousands of euros to their school. That money was going to help them very much.

"Mr. Bougaitelet. It's so good to finally meet you." Principal Lombardo said approaching the man that was sitting on the couch with his head glued to the small screen of his cellphone.

When he lifted his head up to greet Mr. Lombardo, Ophelia let out a short gasp and stood in her tracks while the principal approached the young man sitting in the lobby. Her mouth parted in shock when she saw the tall and handsome figure. She couldn't believe that this man was in front of her, yet again. On top of that, he was their sponsor. He smiled at the principal as they gave each other firm handshakes.

"It's so good to finally meet you too Mr. Lombardo." He replied in his velvet-edged voice.

Ophelia felt like she could just disappear into thin air when she remembered how they parted ways yesterday. She didn't think she'd see him ever again.

Mr. Lombardo asked the young man. "Can I get you anything to drink? Tea, ice tea or coffee?"

"No, I'm good. I had my morning coffee already. If I drink too much caffeine, I won't have a productive day. I'll be all fidgety." He replied.

With understanding, Principal Lombardo nodded. "I understand. Well then I wanted to thank you again for your donations. You really helped our school." Principal Lombardo said to him, feeling very thankful.

"It wasn't a problem really." Mr. Bougaitelet replied.

"I'm sorry for rambling on. Here's the lady you wanted to meet." The principal said.

Mr. Bougaitelet turned to the woman he came to meet and he couldn't believe it. His eyes were glued to her as she walked towards him. "Amelia..." He whispered that name again.

His heart felt full again. It nearly leapt out of his chest. He didn't know he would meet this woman again after their last encounter. His mini shock turned into happiness. His smile was visible. His beautiful eyes sparkled with joy because he was in her presence again. He didn't think it'd be so soon.

Yesterday, they went their separate ways but he didn't go far. He waited for her to call a cab and followed her home. He didn't know anything about her, so how was he ever going to see her again? So knowing where she lives was a little step forward.

Ophelia kept her cool. She gave out her hand to shake his. "Mr. Bougaitelet, I heard what you did for our school. Thank you." She said.

He shook her hand. "You're welcome. I'm glad to finally meet the woman that was behind my generosity. Ms. Ophelia Brambilla, right? Mr. Lombardo told me your name when we spoke over the phone." He casually stated and she nodded.

She gently pulled her hand from his but they both looked at each other with interest. They both couldn't believe that their paths crossed again. Prince Egbert was smitten. Ophelia was just neutral. She knew how to keep her expressions at bay when necessary.

"Do you still want a tour of our school?" The principal asked.

He replied in agreement. "Of course. I'd like to see the premises please. Do you mind if Ms. Brambilla gives me the tour?" He suddenly asked.

"Not at all. Ms. Brambilla please show Mr. Bougaitelet around." The principal asked her.

Ophelia wondered why did he just ask to be showed around by her. But she did it anyway.

"Sure. Follow me." She agreed and slowly started walking. Principal Lombardo left them, heading to his office.

"We have 12 classrooms this way." She explained pointing at some of them that were visible enough.

With interest, he asked. "Which one is yours?"

"This one right here." She replied entering it. He followed behind her and looked around. He saw different tools she uses to teach and all the pictures that the children drew and painted.

"You really love children, don't you?" He asked picking up some clean paint brushes on the floor.

She gave out a short answer. "I do."

"I think love is the first trait of being a good parent and a good teacher." He said, emphasizing the last words looking her with interest. "Do you want to have children of your own Ms. Brambilla?" He asked placing the paint brushes on one of the tables.

"I haven't given it much thought but I think someday I'd like to have a child of my own." She answered honestly.

He slowly walked towards her. "I think you'd make a great mom."

"And I think we should continue with our tour." This man was just being too forward, so she had to refrain from giving out too much information about herself.

He chuckled. "Very well." He replied.

She showed him the rest of the classes, the staff room, the cafeteria, the small library, the student counselor's office and the principals office. They walked outside and she also showed him the playground and the swings that the small children always play at.

"The school is very significant in size and the classrooms are spacious, which is very good. Everything else seems to be okay but some of the swings needs some maintenance. We wouldn't want anyone getting hurt now, would we?" He said.

"No we wouldn't." She replied.

They were walking back inside the school premises when they saw the principal walking towards them. "Did you enjoy the tour?" Principal Lombardo asked.

"I did thank you. I think the tour guide is reason why I enjoyed it." He replied with a grin on his face. Ophelia just scoffed looking away.

Then she quickly replied. "Well now that I gave you the tour and we're done, I'm going back to my class."

Then he suddenly asked. "Is it okay if I sit in one of your lessons?"

Seriously?

"You don't mind, right?" Principal Lombardo asked turning to her. He had no idea what Prince Egbert was playing at. He was just happy that he was showing interest in their school.

She gave them a small wry smile. "Not at all." She replied.

With a wide smile the principal replied. "Great, well I'll see you later then Mr. Bougaitelet. I have something to discuss with you. Just step into my office once Ms. Brambilla's class is over."

He hummed in agreement. "Hmm. Will do."

The principal left Mr. Bougaitelet in the hands of Ophelia once again. He departed to his office and the pair walked to her class. She offered him a chair and he sat behind her desk. Her learners would be here any minute now.

The deep, liquefied voice came out behind her, while she continued to prepare her class. "Did Mr. Lombardo inform you about the real reason I wanted to meet you?"

Without giving him a glance she answered. "Yes he did. Your little cousin Carmella, right?" She asked bringing some of her materials to her desk and their eyes met.

"Right. I wanted to-

He was cut off by Ophelia's learners that rushed into her class with cute smiles on their faces. They greeted her and hugged her before everyone took their seats. This exchange charmed the Prince. The love that these children showed her, it was clear that she was a great teacher judging from how the learners were happy when they saw her.

"I'm so happy to see you guys and girls again. Today we have a special guest. I want you to say Hello to Mr. Bougaitelet."

"Hello Mr. Bouga- they paused because they couldn't pronounce his last name.

His eyes sparkled with humor. He stood up coming to stand next to Ophelia in front of the class. "Just call me Mr. Egbert." He said to them sweetly.

"Hello Mr. Egbert. It's nice to meet you." They said smiling at him.

"It's nice to meet you too. I'd like to know your names too." He said.

One by one, they introduced themselves to him and he memorized all their names. That was one of the things he was good at. He had an impeccable memory.

"Well now that we all know each other. Let's continue our lesson for today. We're going to revise what we learned yesterday before moving on to the new stuff." She said to them and Prince Egbert went to sit back down.

While they were revising, Prince Egbert was looking at her while she was in action. He saw how much she loved doing this. He admired her even more. The edge to leave Ophelia alone did cross his mind yesterday when he followed her home but now it was gone. He wanted this woman in his life and he knew that he couldn't leave her alone. Not now anyway. Not when he just found her again. He just needed to find a way spend time with her.

Maybe a way to make her his?

He was admiring her but he wasn't aware that he was making her uncomfortable. His gaze bore a whole on the side of her skull. At first, she ignored him with all her might but the weight of his gaze was too much for her now. She wondered why was he staring so much. Was it her clothes? Was it her hair? Or maybe it was the way she was teaching? Maybe he was unimpressed.

Ophelia continued teaching her learners about safety though. Even though this man was being so intrusive she still had a job to do. She concentrated on her task at hand but a few minutes later Prince Egbert stood up and came to the front of the class. Ophelia's gaze fell upon him.

"Do you mind if I show them a trick I learned when I was young?" He asked her politely.

She eyed him suspiciously at first but she let him do what he wanted to show the class. "Sure. By all means." She replied letting him take over.

"I need everyone to take a piece of paper and a crayon please." He said and they did. "Ms. Brambilla has been teaching you the importance of remembering the number 911 when you're in trouble or when you have an emergency. When I was 4 years old, my mom used to teach me about it but I had trouble remembering it. So I created a way for me to remember those emergency numbers. You know what I did?" He asked and some shook their heads.

Some asked in anticipation.  "What did you do, what did you do?"

He explained and their interest widened. "I wrote the numbers upside down. That's how I taught myself to memorize the numbers. I started with the small numbers to be able to remember the big numbers. So I need everyone to write 1-1-6 on their piece of paper." He added waiting for them to write the numbers on their piece of papers. He even went row by row to check on them as Ophelia watched in awe.

She was a bit impressed.

"Good. Everyone has those numbers written down. Now here's the trick. I need everyone to turn the papers upside down." He said and they did. The were ohhs and ahhs going around the classroom. "I need everyone to read out the numbers they see on their piece of papers." He said.

"9-1-1" They read it out loud.

"It's like magic." Matteo gasped still looking at his piece of paper, making Ophelia, the prince and the rest of the class laugh.

"It's more like an awesome trick you can teach your friends. Also talking about it will help you remember it even more." He explained further.

"Well what do we say to Mr. Egbert for teaching us his trick?" She asked them.

"Thank you Mr. Egbert." They said to him sweetly.

He replied in awe. "You're welcome."

"Well that was a great trick Mr. Egbert. Thank you so much for that." Ophelia thanked him.

"No problem." He replied just as thankful that he was able to make a contribution in her class. A part of him was hoping that she was impressed.

Her class ended and she was going on her break. Her learners rushed out once the bell rang, going on break too. "It's break time now. You should probably go and find out what Mr. Lombardo wanted to discuss with you." She reminded him.

"Right... before I go, I wanted to ask you something." He started off.

"What is it?" She asked curiously.

He bluntly asked. "Can I take you out for dinner tonight?"

His question caught her by surprise. "Oh ohm I would love to, but I have plans tonight." She answered him, remembering her plans with Lorenzo.

Disappointment shone on his face. He wondered if those plans had anything to do with the man he saw her with yesterday, outside her house. He disliked that thought but there was nothing he could do about it if those plans included him. "I see. Well will you have coffee with me in the morning then?" He asked.

Ophelia knew that he wouldn't back down. This man has been determined since yesterday. Anyway it was just coffee. Maybe having coffee with him will keep him away from her. "Sure. I guess coffee it is." She replied.

With a satisfied answer from her, he smiled. "Great. I'll see you tomorrow morning then. Can I have your numbers so we can arrange how and where we're going to meet." He asked handing her his unlocked cellphone. She took it from him. She came across his picture as the wallpaper. He looked like he was in a photoshoot. The picture was perfect, no flaw whatsoever. He looked really handsome.

He noticed that she was looking at the picture on his wallpaper. With a sly smile he asked. "Are you having second thoughts?"

"Well no- she paused looking up at him. "I'm using a set of new numbers so I just was reminding myself what were they." She answered truthfully. Ophelia has changed numbers five times already in the past 6 months because somehow these thugs managed to get her numbers to threaten her over the phone.

Anyway that was a great escape because she'd never admit that she was gawking at his picture.

With an unconvinced response, he replied. "Oh I see."

She inserted her numbers and wrote her name then saved them. She handed him his phone back, he took it, locked it and placed it inside his pocket. Without another word, he shot her a satisfied glance then left her classroom. Ophelia took out her lunch box and ate her meal while reading a book in her class. She didn't want to go to the cafeteria today. She wasn't in the mood.

One of her colleagues came inside her classroom looking giddy and suspicious. "Hey Ms. thang." She greeted casually sitting on Ophelia's desk.

Ophelia placed her book down and eyed her colleague suspiciously. "Aida, what can I do for you?"

She grinned. "You can start by telling me whose the hottie you spent the morning with?"

She gave out a short answer. "He's our sponsor."

She gasped in excitement. "That's our sponsor???

"He is." She replied with a nod.

"Girl he can sponsor my needs any day if he looks like that." She joked, making Ophelia laugh.

"You're crazy you know that?" She said to her still laughing.

Aida just laughed it off too. She kept talking about him but Ophelia ended up dismissing the topic because she didn't want to be talking about the mysterious man that just appeared in her life. Break time came to an end. Aida went to her class and classes resumed until the bell rang. Ophelia was glad that  the school was out. She felt exhausted today. She honestly wanted to go home but she remembered her date with Lorenzo.

She packed her bag then left her class room, heading outside. She waited for him for about thirty minutes while looking at her worn out wrist watch. She was about to text him when she received a text from him.

I'm sorry I can't make it my angel. Something huge came up at work and I can't get out of it.

She sighed after reading that text, placing her phone inside her bag. She was disappointed. He couldn't make time for her after begging her to take her out on a date. She just walked home ignoring that text. She was too exhausted to think about Lorenzo right now.

When she got home she greeted her family and departed to her room, throwing herself in bed Before she could even dare close her eyes, her phone rang. She took it out of her bag and looked at the numbers but she didn't recognize them. She panicked a little, thinking it was the debt collectors calling to threaten her. The phone stopped ringing but a few seconds later it rang again, so she sat up looking at her small screen.

She decided to answer the call just to be sure if it was them. "Hello?" She softly answered.

"Gioia mia" a familiar voice greeted her.