Ditching the Prince

Three: The Tutor

Chapter Three

The Tutor

After taking an early morning walk around the courtyard, Pippa returned to her private chamber to take a shower and dress up.

At exactly fifteen minutes before six, she was already out of the bathroom. Clad in her robe with hair still damp, she stood by her large window, staring at the mist-blanketed vineyard.

She inhaled in bliss as she gazed at the purple and pink horizon. The dawn has broken and the sun is almost peeping behind the mountains.

After satisfying herself with the morning beauty of the vast plantation, she turned away from the window and admired her room for the nth time since yesterday.

She stood at the center of the room, put on her favorite pop songs and danced on an upbeat tune. Her bedroom vibe gave her this light feeling making her want to glide and slide.

With its high ceiling, vintage chandelier, huge four post Victorian bed, matching armoires, chairs, bookcase and bureau, the room is really a splendid sight to behold. Even its thick drapes and rugs, not to mention the big and airy walk-in closet, are beyond majestic for the young woman.

For a few minutes, she danced, and swayed and swirled until the clock chimed half past six. Seeing the time, the young woman proceeded on getting ready and dressing up.

Although she wasn't sure if she'll meet the prince today, she decided to go down beforehand and just wait. At half past seven, she emerged from her room and proceeded to the dining hall.

The hallways are empty and quiet so she hastened her steps thinking that maybe she's already late and all are down stairs having breakfast.

Last night was a quiet dinner with only her, zia Mariam and chef Lauren present. According to them, the others were in the winery, a huge building, on the far-off side of the vineyard.

A little excited to see her colleagues, she almost ran towards the huge eating hall. And true enough, everyone was there. "Hey Pippa," some hollered while the rest just nodded their heads and offered a small smile.

She decided to go straight to the long buffet table to get her food. Upon reaching the end of the hall, her eyes almost popped with what she saw. There's more food than she could imagine but she settled for the simple dishes, poached eggs, few links of Italian sausage and a slice of wheat bread with butter.

On her way of finding a seat, she picked up a tall glass of orange juice since she already had coffee at dawn break. "Good morning guys," Not seeing both zia Mariam and chef Lauren, she instead joined Aris and Ammon.

"Morning new girl," The two replied in unison.

"How's your first morning so far?" The Egyptian man inquired in a cordial tone.

Pippa took a bite from her sausage before replying. "It was great, I took a morning stroll around the courtyard and almost got lost but still, I enjoyed every minute of it." She stated truthfully.

The guys chuckled, regaled with her honesty. "The place is quite big but I'm sure you'll be able to navigate through those mazes in no time." Aristotle Ledesma commented encouragingly.

"And wait 'til you learn to navigate the vineyard." The other man added.

Halfway through their meal, Vittorio Altamari appeared next to their table. "Good morning boys, good morning Pippa."