Her Royal Highness, Leonor

Royally Smitten

The next days after seeing Leonor in that blue gown filled me with entangled thoughts of what is proper and what I'm feeling.

I resumed my normal classes, studies, and projects, and barely had time to check online the latest news about her. Or if it is because I tend to stop myself from checking, in an attempt to not give more confusion about what I was feeling.

Back in the Philippines, I did have several crushes. They were merely an admiration towards someone and I even made it as casual as ever.

However, never have I gotten this confused as this, thinking I may be daydreaming even when I'm awake. The Princess's little shy glances and smirks play in my mind even at the busiest of the day.

It's crazy how things are different when I'm not in the presence of Leonor. Newspapers morning after morning features her royal engagements in certain parts of Madrid, pictures after pictures showing her trips, her beauty, so ethereal, I can't look at it as I might get lost staring at them.

It'll be over a week and she'll celebrate her birthday, and prior to this was her Princess of Asturias awards, and I'm keeping up with the examinations and los articulos that I need to submit in the feature paper - we are both floored with our own schedules to exchange some greetings. To think about it, I never knew her phone number or e-mail. The only contact I had with her Royal Highness was Aurelia.

I tried to fill my head with priorities I had for the upcoming week, but when it's at the end of each day that I can't help but think about how am I able to face Leonor once again with these feelings I had budding in my chest. How will I hide it, so she'll never know. How will I act upon it - knowing she might not like it.

I know it's pure admiration, but whenever I get a hold of the sight of those striking blue eyes, it's even more than that. It's beyond the heartbeat, it's beyond not knowing what to do. As I bid goodbye to the Princess back that afternoon, I know what I'm feeling isn't some silly crush.

And I'm having trouble processing it as it was out of the norm.

I usually fall asleep thinking about this and wake up the next day seeing her on the news or in the newspaper, and realizing what I'm feeling is just a mere dream, and it's not part of the reality that the newspaper every day shows me.

On Thursday, October 27th, just a day before Leonor commenced the Asturias Awards - I got a free afternoon on Tuesday, and I fancied visiting the only relative I know in Spain - my mother's cousin, Tia Mirasol. She lives nearby Parque Del Retiro in Plaza Independencia, a four-hour travel time from Universidad De Oviedo. The travel time amused me with everything. It was almost twilight when I got there.

She takes care of her two young daughters, Lina and Mara, both 4 and 6 years old. Their father, a Spanish native whom she was married to, Fabio, was a guard at TrustCo bank in Oviedo as well, and he treats me as his own kid whenever I visit, with all the treats and foods he and Tia Mirasol serves.

From the sound of the door of their fancy small townhouse, the two kids welcomed me with a shriek, and I dropped my bags and returned their embraces to my knees. Tia Mirasol followed, and given the twilight sky dimming the place, she encouraged us to get inside to get supper started.

Tia Mirasol served us Pimientos de Padron, alongside the classic Filipino dish, Adobong Manok, which I really missed. We were in the midst of finishing dinner when Tia Mirasol opened up the television, and after a few more minutes of listening to the news, I heard Leonor's name being mentioned. 

When I looked up, a footage of her giving a speech at the children's school was shown. I sigh at the sight of the Princess looking so classy, looking like a real life-cinderella in her pink flowing dress. I never had the time to watch the whole speech online, but I know being the first audience of it in those first few weeks of bliss had saved me a more precious seat than those delegates surrounding her in that event.