Soulmate Cinderella AU- Solangelo

2

Will POV

"I want to hold a masquerade ball on the 10th. Can I?" I told my father. He raised an eyebrow. 

"Of course you can. What made this suddenly come up?" He asked. I've never really been one for fancy parties, dressing up, or...really anything to do with being a prince. 

"I have a plan to meet my soulmate." I explained. 5 months ago was my birthday, which meant another soulmark appeared. This time it was the gazebo in the back garden. It was very clearly that one because it's the only one in the kingdom with those engravings on the beams. If I invite everyone to the castle, they'll most likely hang out by the gazebo and I can meet them! 

"That's excellent, William, you'll need to meet her before you become king." 

"They." I corrected. 

"Excuse me?" 

"They, not her. They're nonbinary." I showed him the flag on the back of my wrist. His eyes widened a little before he went back to normal. I would be surprised that he hadn't noticed it before since it had been there since my 18th birthday, but then again we hardly even see each other outside of meals. 

"Sorry, you'll have to meet them before you become king." 

"I'm not going to become king until I meet them." I said firmly. "I don't even want to be a prince let alone the only ruler." Luckily, I wasn't even going to be king if my plan worked out. 

"I understand that, William, but I can't control this." 

"Why can't Kayla rule?" I asked, annoyed. "Or Austin? Or any of them?" I had 5 alive siblings, but apparently none of them could rule. 

"Because you are older than them and the rightful heir. I'm sorry, William." He did look sorry, but I knew we were both thinking of the drama it would cause, how many rumors it would create, if I gave up the throne. He won't be happy about my plan because of this, but I needed to get out. 

"I know you are." I sighed. "I understand. Thank you, father." 

—:—:—

Cecil, the royal Duke, Lou Ellen, one of the servants, and I were hanging out in the gardens. We grew up around each other since their parents also worked here, so we became pretty close over the years. They're soulmates and have known since they were 5. Lucky. 

"What was it like to meet each other?" I asked. I haven't gotten my soulmate out of my mind at all since my last birthday. I get to meet them soon! 

"Um, it's kinda hard to explain." Lou said. "We were young so we don't remember much but I remember...feeling complete. Like I found a part of myself. Trust me, you'll know when you meet them even if the tattoo appears somewhere you can't see right away." 

"She's right. You'll just be drawn to them. Just make sure you remember to have a way for you two to communicate after the ball." Cecil said. 

"Even I wouldn't be that stupid." Cecil and Lou gave me a look that said really? "Fine! I'll remember!" 

"You better." Lou teased. 

"What do you think they're like?" Cecil asked me. 

"Honestly, even with all the tattoos, I have no idea." I said honestly. 

"How can none of your tattoos give you clues about them?" Lou asked. She and Cecil only had 6, including the one they got when they met. 

"The problem is, I don't know what they mean! For all I know, the sword on my neck could be symbolizing something completely different than a hobby like we were thinking." I pointed out.