95. Dancing With Our Hands Tied (11/21/20)

Liliana took the quill and ran a shaky line through the latest suitor's name. The list was at least ten names too long; her parents had been trying to find the perfect match for her, but they had failed every time. The first few men had been adequate at first, but then they failed miserably once the conversation continued. Liliana studied the list for a moment, trying to remember who each person was. The first man was fine, but he was much older than her, and they ran out of things to talk about after a while. The second and third suitors were more worried about being king and ruling a kingdom than marrying Liliana. It made no sense, since the suitors were supposed to know that Liliana would be queen and the person she would marry would be a king consort.

After the first couple failures, Liliana was ready to give up. It seemed like no one in the kingdom was right for marriage. The fourth suitor had potential - he was wickedly handsome - but as soon as he opened his mouth, she realized he was as dumb as a doorknob. Then there was the fifth suitor, a man named Antonio, who made a good first impression, but was kicked out of the castle when Liliana found him sleeping with her lady-in-waiting. The one after Antonio was not much better; he was already engaged to someone else, but wanted to "look at all of his options." The dinner did not last much longer.

Liliana sighed. The other suitors were boring and forgetful, save for the one she had just met. Her parents liked Harry because he was the next in line to be a duke. But maybe it was the fact that he parents expected her to marry Harry that put Liliana off. There was almost nothing else wrong with Harry, except for the way he chewed with his mouth open and tried to continue the conversation as he ate. Liliana had to stop herself from leaving the table all together.

Her parents insisted she marry Harry, or else they would present her with no other options. But Liliana was hopeful; all she asked from her parents was one more ball, where she had the chance to meet more suitors, past and present. Her parents agreed, but the only requirement was that Harry and all the other suitors would be in attendance. Liliana knew it would be tricky to get some alone time with another person, since she hadn't officially turned down any of the other suitors. They probably thought they still had a chance at courting her.

After Liliana tucked the list away, the next hour was spent prepping her for the ball. She was wearing a deep purple gown with lace trimming, and her brown hair was done up in such a way that her crown was still visible. Her new lady-in-waiting – the last one was sent away for being intimate with Antonio – helped her into the gown and also made sure her hair and rouge was done. By the time Liliana left her room, the ball had started, and she looked like a proper princess.

Upon walking into the ballroom, she nearly forgot that Harry and the other suitors would be in attendance. Harry, dressed in a white coat, was talking with her parents. The king and queen looked thrilled to see Harry, and when they noticed their daughter walk in, they beckoned for Liliana to join them.

"Princess, you look beautiful tonight," Harry said, kissing her hand. Liliana couldn't help but remember the way Harry ate at dinner. She had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. "Please save a dance for me."

"Of course." She agreed and curtsied to appease her parents. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

Liliana walked to the refreshments table, accidentally running into Antonio. The man dropped the two peasant girls he was chatting with to walk over to the princess.

"You look stunning tonight, Princess," Antonio whispered in his ear. Not a day went by when he wasn't trying to get someone in bed.

"Antonio, you should know you don't have a chance with me," Liliana said flatly before grabbing a lemon square. "Not after you were with my lady-in-waiting. You know, I liked her, and it was a pity having to send her away."

"You're difficult, you know that?" Antonio said, placing a stern hand on his hip. "Save a dance for me."

Liliana nodded, even though she wasn't up for dancing tonight. Harry was a fine dancing partner, but Antonio was clumsy with his hands. She finished off the lemon square, and her attention was now on the handsome blonde a few feet away.

The princess had never seen this man before. If he was a possible suitor, she would've recognized him. But there was something in his blue eyes that told her she needed to talk to him. Their eyes met across the dance floor, and even though they hadn't met yet, the look seemed to say everything. The man's eyes darted to the corner of the room, and Liliana followed him there.

"Hello," she whispered once the two of them were alone. "I couldn't help but notice you."

"And I you," the man said. "You're the princess? Excuse me for being bold, but you're much more beautiful than I imagined."

Even though Harry had given her the same compliment a few moments ago, Liliana blushed upon hearing the man say it to her. He was handsome and mysterious. And the fact that her parents didn't know him only made her heart race.

"Shall we dance?" Liliana heard herself say, and the man nodded in response. He held out his arm, and the two walked across the ballroom. Everyone's eyes were on them. The string quartet started playing a slow, romantic ballad.

Liliana placed one hand on the man's waist, and the other in his hand. The two waltzed across the ballroom, choosing to ignore the stares and whispers that came from the other guests. Liliana felt like she was floating on air, and the man's eyes filled her with a sense of intoxication. She couldn't look away.

"I didn't catch your name," Liliana whispered, the music fading out on every note.

"I'm..." the man tried to introduce himself, but was quickly interrupted by the queen and king's yells. The music stopped suddenly as the king and queen raced towards the dancing couple. Along with them were Harry, Antonio, and a few other suitors. The crowds seemed to be drawing closer and closer towards Liliana and the man.

"Liliana, what in God's name are you doing?" Her father shouted, pulling her by the arm. "Don't you know who you're dancing with?"

Her eyes were glassy as she looked up at the man. Harry and Antonio were a few inches away.

Liliana struggled in her father's grasp. "What's your name?"

"William, your Majesty." He sunk into a deep bow.

"Exactly. He's a commoner," the king scoffed before whispering in his daughter's ear. "You are forbidden from dancing or courting a commoner."

Liliana looked up at William. This couldn't be right. He couldn't be a commoner; surely he was a duke or an earl or something. She would've settled for a lord. But when she looked at him a little closer, she noticed the calluses on his hands and discoloration in his clothes. There seemed to be specks of mud on his boots.

But commoner or not, Liliana had felt something when she was dancing with William. And now it was being stripped away. Her mother and father grabbed each of her arms, and despite her protesting, started to drag her away. Liliana, using all of her strength, pulled away from her parents and threw herself at William.

"Please, I want to see you again," she whispered, her words jumbled.

"I'll find you," he replied, taking her by the hand. But they were quickly pulled apart; Liliana's parents dragged her out of the ballroom, and Harry and Antonio took care of William. All Liliana had left in terms of hope was William's words: "I'll find you."

The story continues in the story for the song Love Story.