Serendipity ✔

III

"If I'm not made for you, then why does my heart tell me that I am?"

♫ If You're Not The One - Daniel Bedingfield ♫

♛

Prince Alexander Winchester was having the worst time at the ball. He had come to a point in his life where he was supposed to marry and start a family of his own. One day he would probably retire his father and become a King, himself. For that to happen, he had to find a girl and marry her. However, the fact that he had to choose a bride from all the wonderful princesses that came just for him left a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. 

In his opinion, it seemed belittling to any respectable girl. He imagined himself in the exact predicament, and the thought of him standing between men for the hand of a princess did not excite him. It seemed that neither of these princesses agreed with his thoughts, though, as they all looked for gestures that would attract the young prince's attention.

This evening would turn out to be a huge disappointment to his mother, he thought.

He did not want this. He did not want to be in the position of choosing who was the most beautiful, who was the most eligible princess to marry him and bear his children. If he was to marry, he would want to marry someone because he was in love. Because his heart would have spoken to him that she was the one. Because her presence would have ignited a fire in him he could not understand.

"Your Highness," the prince's attention was requested by the Grand Duke. There was a princess standing next to him, a shy but determined smile on her face. "I present to you, Mademoiselle Josephine."

Out of politeness to the girl and the Grand Duke, he bowed and smiled at her. When the princess saw that he was not planning to indulge into a conversation further, she went off with a frown on her face. That made Alexander sigh. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt anyone's feelings, yet he subconsciously continued to do so.

"Princess Annabelle of Grey." Yet another princess' name came out of the courtier's lips. Prince Alexander did not bother to look up the stairs again. Seeing everyone gazing up at the princess only made him feel more troubled in his thoughts. She could have been the most beautiful woman in the world, but it would still not feel right of him to choose for convenience.

However, curiosity got the best of the poor prince and he could not help but steal a glance at the princess. 

Alas, he was stuck. He could not move.

"Mother," the little boy tugged at the end of his mother's gown. He held a book in his hand again, which made the mother chuckle.

"Have you been reading stories again, Alexander?" she bent down to the eye level of her son, smoothing out his golden brown hair.

"Yes," he replied. "Do you know what true love is, mother?"

"Of course I do," the mother replied, wearily. "Why must you ask, my dear?"

"Because I would want to know," he pouted, struggling with the pages of the book. The Queen looked at her son and smiled. He was nine years old and he was already more intelligent as no other boy at his age.

"True love is when a man looks at a woman and knows that she is the one," she eased into her son's questioning gently.

"The one?" he asked, adorably scrunching up his nose in confusion.

"The one that he would want to marry."

"Like a prince marries a princess?" asked the little boy.

"Yes," she replied proudly. "When a prince sees his princess for the first time, his heart will tell him that he has finally found the one he was looking for."

"Will that happen to me, mother?" the young boy looked at his mother with big doe like eyes.

"I hope it will, son," she replied, hugging him. "I hope it will."

Prince Alexander was struck back into reality when he saw that the princess was alone no more. Soon as she descended the stairs, eligible men rushed to talk to her.

His heart was thumping in his chest so hard that he could not hear anything around him. He could not see properly either, as his gaze was strongly around the young princess. Everything else was blurry and unfocused. He did not even feel the multiple hands of women that tried to touch his arm while he walked.

Indeed, he was walking. His feet had already started walking on their own and heading towards the princess. As he came near her, the unfamiliar scent of vanilla engulfed his senses.

You can imagine the prince as whoever you like!!! Thank you so much for reading my story and if you like it, please vote!