Katerina Lieben has a past like no other. She's the Princess of Dres Van, the Princess who ran away from home five years ago. For the past five years, she's known as Kate Wilson. An ordinary twenty year old living life day by day. One night, while...
Roberto's birthday party was fun, but for me it just felt like any of the other parties that we all usually go to.
After I had danced with a few of the other Crown Princes, I escaped to a balcony. To get some fresh air.
"You never liked parties like these," Roberto suddenly appeared right next to me.
"Parties were never really my thing," I said as I sat down on the stone bench of the balcony.
Roberto sat down next to me.
"I could say the same thing," He admitted.
We sat in silence after that for a while.
Roberto stood up from the stone bench.
He knelt down in front of me and held out his hand to me. "Could I have a dance with you, Katerina?"
I smiled faintly, "Sure," I took his hand and we went back inside.
Roberto's POV
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When Katerina had smiled, you could see that she had some sadness lingering within her.
Although, we had barely even dated, our separation-- the thought of us never being together-- had hit her pretty hard.
"I'm sorry," I blurted out as we danced.
She raised an eyebrow, "Sorry for what, exactly?"
I leaned forward and put my lips to her ear, "I'm sorry for not fighting for you," I whispered. "For not telling you about the stupid harem my father had made for me for today. For not rightfully standing up to you when it had truly mattered."
Tears were welling up in her eyes when I had moved away.
She didn't say anything before I brought her out for a twirl.
When our dance had ended, she curtsied deeply. I thought she was going to walk away, leave me on the dance floor, but she took my hand and led us out of the Ball Room.
Katerina had led us to a courtyard. Her back was to me for a moment before she had turned around and wrapped her arms around my neck.
Katerina's POV
"I'm sorry," I muttered after I had wrapped my arms around Roberto's neck, and buried my face in his chest.
"You don't have to apologize, Katerina." He said as I felt him wrap his arms around my waist.
At that moment, I hadn't realized that I had wanted him to touch me this way. To hold me in his arms.
I shook my head as tears spilled over my face.
"I'm sorry for acting the way that I had-- when I found out about the harem and your father not approving of me--"
Roberto removed his arms from my waist and cupped my face with his gloved hands.
"Don't apologize, please," Roberto put his forehead against mine.
"But I should have spoken to you--"
He shook his head. "Doesn't matter because I should have spoken to you as well, but I didn't. I acted like I could move on from loving you, but I can't. I've always loved you Katerina. Even before you had ran away. I've always felt so drawn to you, but I didn't know how to express it before. Now I do."
"What do you mean, you've always loved me?" I hiccuped. By that point, I had stopped crying.
He brushed a few strands of hair away from my face.
"Exactly what I had just said," He looked into my eyes with a tender look. "I have always loved you, ever since you had become a young woman."
I blushed.
How had I not noticed this before I had ran away? I thought. Was I really blinded from my own selfishness before?
I wished that I had loved Roberto as long as he had loved me. However, he was right. I was a woman at this moment. Five years ago, I was nothing but a girl. A girl who felt like her life wasn't enough.
Looking into his eyes, I said, "I love you too."
Roberto smiled.
He wrapped an arm around my waist and put my head against his chest.
"Don't ever leave me again," He whispered into my ear.
