Disclaimer from the author: This fictitious story doesn't foretell any real-life interaction with the HRH Princess of Asturias. This is solely written to express the admiration of the writer for the princess.
An exchange literature and language stud...
The relief I felt earlier in the morning was short-lived, it was replaced with the intriguing nervousness crawling in my stomach as I stood waiting in a study room inside El Escorial, one of the Royal Family's palaces northwest of Madrid.
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The sight of the palace earlier was surreal, it almost left me speechless as the escorts walked me from its tall two towers to its main entrance, leading to this tidy study room I was patiently waiting for almost half an hour already. The amazement was still here but the nervousness I had in my chest can make me faint at any moment, only I was taking it all in.
In my mind, I would never have imagined meeting a royal in my first month in Spain. Nor to meet one of Europe's famous royal persona who'll one day become queen of the country. The realization is still not asking right with me, or yet, the pressure of it all.
I tried to look around the room and realized there was no wall mirror, only paintings, and fancy wooden cabinets backdropped by walls adorned with beige and white colors. It's such relaxing imagery, coupled with the calming presence the lamps were giving, and for some reason, they soothe me as I patiently tried to look calm and collected.
A soft sound of the door made me turn around breathlessly, and I took a wary breath when I saw one of the palace's maid smiles at me and push inside a trolley filled with biscuits and coffees.
"A, a.. coffee, miss?" The maid asked me. "No, not for now, quizas... quizas por mas tarde, muchas gracias." (TL: "Maybe for later, thank you very much.")
The maid's face lightens when she realizes I can speak Spanish. We shared a light chuckle as she excused herself.
Just before she exit the room, she said that Her Royal Highness shall be with me at any minute.
I swallowed in nervousness as I smile at her still while watching her disappear from the room.
I took a deep breath and wished I knew more things about Princess Leonor. In between accepting such a huge task and traveling almost three hours to get here, I only had little time to search for her public information available online.
I know she was the heir presumptive to the throne and all, being the firstborn child of the current king, Felipe VI, and I know she will be turning eighteen a few weeks from now. She was three years younger than I was, and aside from that, I find it hard to find any common thing I can make use of in certain small talks we'll share.
This caught me off guard. That's the downside - I don't have anything in common with Her Royal Highness. Nor with anyone in this palace right now., to be honest.
I ran a hand through my temples and wished I looked smart in this gray suit I borrowed from my flatmate, Silvia, back in the dorm. I never told her I was meeting Her Royal Highness, I told her I'm going to apply for a part-time job in a library somewhere, which considering this palace is also one, made the lie more of a white lie. I'm sure Silvia won't mind if I lied to her about who I was meeting today, or else she may have gone hysterical and won't stop from begging me to bring her with me.
