Serendipity ✔

XII

"All I feel in my stomach is butterflies, the beautiful kind, making up for lost time..."

♫ Everything Has Changed - Taylor Swift ft. Ed Sheeran ♫

♛

A little golden brown haired boy opened his eyes to the sound of the carriage rattling. Looking out of the window, he took in the green scenery in front of him. 

"How long will we be travelling, mother?" he had asked his mother with boredom laced in his voice.

"Just a little bit more, my dear," the mother smiled down at her son and patted his hair. His father sat the opposite way along with the Grand Duke, and they were too engrossed in their own conversation to notice the boy. 

The carriage abruptly stopped and the little boy's heart leaped, hoping that he would finally be able to go out of the carriage. 

"Not yet," his mother sensed his anticipation. "They are only feeding the horses."

The boy grumbled under his breath and pouted. He just wanted to take in some fresh air, perhaps even play in the grass a little. 

In that moment, something caught his eye from the distance. Focusing his gaze upon the moving figures on the meadow, he soon discovered that they were young children playing in the field of sunflowers. There were two boys and one girl. He frowned, wishing he was there to play with them. 

Suddenly, the boys stopped playing and were retreating from the field. The girl followed behind them, but then she suddenly tripped and fell down. The other boys did not even notice that she was missing, as they continued walking. Across the field, the boy in the carriage opened the door and lurched out into the meadow. 

He could hear his mother yelling his name in exasperation. Alas, he was quite a difficult child. 

With his fast running, he reached the little girl in seconds. She was curled up in the grass, holding a hand on her scraped knee.

"Are you alright?" he gently said, careful not to frighten her. 

She looked up at him, glossy green eyes locking with his bright blue ones. The little boy felt an unfamiliar feeling inside his stomach. 

 "I-I'll be fine," she answered, her bottom lip quivering as she fought hard not to cry in front of a stranger. The little boy held out his hand for her to grab, which she hesitantly did. 

"The other boys," he started. "I don't think they saw you fall."

She nodded slowly. "They are my brother and his friend. I need to catch up with them. My mother will be worried."

She was about to start walking when he nervously called out to her. "Wait! Could you tell me your name?"

The boy watched as the little girl's lips turned into a shy smile. "Annabelle."

With that, she went away, leaving the boy confused of the feeling he felt when she smiled. 

It was time he hit the books. 

Alexander woke up from the dream he had with a startle.

Deep in his heart, he knew that the ball was not the first time he met and talked to Annabelle. It was surely the first time he smelled the scent of vanilla on another person, but he knew he had definitely seen those emerald eyes before. Standing up to his feet, he felt the sudden urge to find the girl he was in love with and tell her all about that dream. 

But, he wanted to kiss her first.

  ♛  

Somewhere in the castle, the young maid was doing her chores just like any other day. The only difference now was that she was humming while doing them. She was happy. 

Finally.

"Be careful, child," Madam Mary teased her when she saw the girl almost dropping a vase. "I am afraid love has messed with your head."

"You are right," Annabelle said, straightening up her posture and clearing her throat. "I should not be getting ahead of myself. I might jinx it." 

"Oh, Annabelle," the elderly maid chuckled. "I do not think anything can jinx the love prince Alexander has for you." 

"Shhh," the girl shushed her friend. "Don't let anyone hear you saying that!"

Madam Mary did a gesture that meant she zipped her lips shut, which made the girl chuckle. Then, the smile on Madam Mary's face grew even more wider. Confused as to why the elderly maid was acting weirdly, Annabelle noticed that she was looking at something behind her.

Turning around, she saw the face of the man she loved and her heart instantly started racing. 

"Good morning to you lovely ladies."

"Your Highness," Annabelle anxiously said, looking everywhere to make sure nobody was around.

"Didn't I tell you not to call me that?" 

The elderly maid just chuckled as she watched Annabelle pull the prince by his hand and take him to a nearby closet. 

"I am sorry," she frowned, realizing that pulling him into a closet was not really romantic. 

Alexander smiled, wrapping his arms around the girl's waist to pull her closer. "You should be sorry. You are the one that is keen on keeping us a secret."

"You just got engaged yesterday--"

"You know that engagement is not real,"  he cut her off, planting a kiss on her lips. He watched the color rise in her cheeks with an amused expression. 

"Still, think of the scandal. The prince with the maid. Think of your parents. Think of the people that look up to you. You cannot just drop a big thing like this on them."

Alexander looked at her, an incredibly warm feeling setting in his heart. "I have no doubt that you will be a great princess."

"Stop teasing me." She pulled away from him, feeling embarrassed. But, he pulled her back to him again in a matter of seconds. He could not refrain himself from touching her in any way whenever she was near him. 

This time, she let him touch her. One hand was on her waist and the other one was on her cheek, holding her face near his. 

"I am not teasing you. You are considerate of others, and you care for people. If that does not make you a great princess, I don't know what else would."

She blushed under his gaze. Gathering courage, she pulled him in for a sweet kiss. "I love you."

"I will never get tired of hearing you say that," he smiled against her lips. "I have to tell you something, darling."

"What is it?"

That was when he told her all about his dream. Well, it was more of a memory than a dream. In that moment, they both knew what they felt for each other was something most people searched but hardly found.

It was definitely something out of the books. 

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING WOW I LOVE YOU. VOTE/COMMENT IF YOU LIKED THE CHAPTER!