Born to Love You

(I updated thrice today. :3)
 
Today's the day for the small family gathering at Buckingham Palace. I reluctantly got ready for this bloody dinner that has been twisting everyone's knickers ever since last week. What's so special about a family gathering, anyway? We see each other thrice a week. Don't they get tired of seeing my sullen face?

Every day since the breakup with Liam... I felt like all the happiness had been sucked out of everything in the world. Clubbing couldn't do it for me anymore. It didn't make me feel like i belonged in this world anymore. Liam was the only one who could make me feel like I was born for a good purpose. He made me feel complete. PHe made me feel loved.

I sat in front of my vanity and silently picked the tube of lipstick from the messy array of beauty products. Liam preferred me without any make up on. He said that I was more beautiful without any artificial things covering my skin.

A tear rolled down my cheek and I hastily wiped it away before uncapping the tube of lipstick and gently applying some of the red tint to my lips. This action felt so alien to me now. It's been months since I last put make-up on myself.

"It's been a month, Arabella. Get your shit together." I mumbled solemnly and then put the lipstick down before looking straight into my eyes through my reflection in the mirror.

The happy glow that made them glitter was now gone. My eyes looked cold and hollow; even for me.  I had bags under my eyes and I noticed that my cheekbones were more prominent now than they used to be. I think I'd been losing weight.

I let out a heavy sigh and started applying a light coat of blush to my cheeks. I set the brush down and looked up at my reflection again.

Liam was standing behind me. He leaned down and slowly reached out to touch my cheek from behind, just like what he would always do. I blinked twice and then he was gone.

It was all a figment of my imagination.

"Princess, we're going to be late." Landon stated stiffly from the doorway. I nodded wordlessly and got up off the vanity before grabbing my coat and slipping it over my floor-length dress.

***

As I sat in the backseat of the car, the oh-so-familiar tune of the number one hit song this summer blared through the speakers.

You're insecure
Don't know what for
You're turning heads
When you walk
Through the do-o-or

Tears welled up in my eyes and I blinked them back before any of them could roll down my face and ruin my make-up.

Landon reached over to the center console and turned the radio off which bathed the car in a thick silence.

"I'm sorry, your highness." He whispered and I forced a smile to my face before looking out the window.

"It's not like it was your fault, Landon." I answered and piped down after that.

Once we got to the palace, I got out of the car and silently marched up to the main dining hall where almost everyone was situated. All eyes fell on me when I entered the room, the talking ceased and I looked around. Everyone was looking at me as if something was on my face.

"There's my little Arie!" Peter, or Mark as Zara and I like to call him, said happily and wrapped his arms around me which made me hug him back.

"Dinner will be served in five minutes." One of the kitchen staff announced politely and then left the room just as everyone got settled in their own seats at the long table, with my grandmother and grandfather at the head of the table.

I sat down on the right side, in between my siblings, and right across Kate.

They served us the appetizer, then the soup, and the main course. No one dared to talk during the first two courses. Normally, our family gatherings were filled with audible chatter. Now it was... different. This whole setting felt different.

"Arabella," My grandmother broke the silence. I looked up at her in acknowledgement.

"Starting tonight, you are engaged to be wed." She said calmly and continued eating her dinner.

My eyes widened and my chest tightened around my heart. I looked around and saw Kate shrug at me. But her eyes told me that she knew something about this. I looked around again and I saw my mother just continuing eating dinner as if you heard this everyday. My eyes flitted over to Camilla and Uncle Charles. Uncle Charles was avoiding my gaze while Camilla looked at me with sympathy and pity in her eyes. Tears welled up once more in my eyes and I furiously blinked them away.

"Is this some sick joke?" I managed to whisper; silently hoping that they were all playing one huge joke on me.

"No, Arabella, it is not." My mother answered formally.

At that, my breathing started to quicken. My heart pounded so fast in my chest that I could hear it ringing in my ears. My hands shook violently and I dropped the cutlery on the plate with a loud clang of heavy silver cutlery against fine china.

"No. No. This... what about Liam? Why!? To who!?" I started firing questions, the next one louder and more audacious than the last. "Why!?"

"We are undergoing an economic crisis right now, and the royal family of Liechtenstein has promised to help us as long as there is a merger between our family and them. You are to marry Prince Josef." My grandmother answered hollowly which made the tears stream down my face. It was obvious that she didn't want me to go through with this but, as the queen, she had no choice but to put her people and her country first.

Josef of Liechtenstein? J. o. L.. Now it all made sense. The flowers were from him. (I changed the initials from S. o. L. to J. o. L.)

"But what about Liam?! I love him!" I shouted angrily before banging my fist on the table, making the table shake.

"It's time for you to grow up and accept the fact that you have a duty to your people and to your country." William snapped. More tears fell down my cheeks and I felt like I'd been slapped.

"But I want to marry for love! How come you got to marry someone you loved while I'm right here, going to be married just because there's an economical crisis!? It's unfair!" I shouted again and threw my table napkin onto my plate before getting out of my chair.

"Arabella, sit down." My mother hissed at me. I glared at her and shook my head. I had a very strong inkling that she was the one who offered me up for marriage. All those 'important meetings' with grandmummy all made sense now.

"Announcing the arrival of the princely family of Liechtenstein." The doorman announced and opened the double doors which revealed 5 people, all beautifully dressed in silk and satin.

I paid no regard to my mother who was looking at me intently and turned my back on all of them as I walked over to the door. My eyes locked with Prince Josef's brown ones and I gave him a wry smile before curtsying, "Welcome to Buckingham Palace, your serene highnesses."

With that, I rose from my curtsy and lifted the hem of my dress up before full-out running away from everything.

I faintly heard someone say 'follow her' before I managed to escape to the front gates of the palace. I knew where I needed to go right now.

So, I walked down the street with a stony look on my face and ignored all the passers-by as they bowed down and curtsied to me. I didn't have time for that shit.

I hailed a bus and got on before paying showing the driver my Oyster card which I fished from my purse. Every passenger on the bus looked at me as if they'd seen a ghost before getting up off their seats and either curtsying or bowing down.

***

"Liam! Liam! Please open up!" I begged desperately for the umpteenth time as I knocked on his door before breaking down in tears and sliding down to the ground in a crumpled heap.

I lifted my hand up to my hair and and I ripped the tiara out of it before tossing it to the ground and glaring at it through tears, "Fuck you so much. I lost Liam because of you."

I put my head in my hands and continued my sob fest. That is, until I heard footsteps coming down the hall. I looked up and saw a small family of four, standing in front of the door of their flat and staring at me as if I was crazy.

Their youngest daughter, I think, looked curiously at me before walking forward.

"Are you Liam's Arie?" She asked softly. I looked into her wide blue eyes and smiled even though I was crying.

I nodded, "Yes. I'm Liam's Arie. Have you seen him?"

"He said that he was going to New York." She answered quietly. I let out a quiet sob and nodded. He went to New York... he left me here.

"Is this yours, Princess Arie?" The little girl asked. I looked up at her and nodded when I saw that she was holding my tiara. She walked forward and gently placed the tiara back on my head.

"You look so pretty. Liam always talked about how pretty you were." she wiped my tears away with her small hands and I smiled before gently wrapping my arms around her.

"Thank you. You look pretty, too." I whispered and broke away from the hug. Then, I looked down at my wrist before removing my personalized bracelet and gently slipping it on to her wrist. It was a little big on her, but I'm sure that she'll grow into it.

"I can't take this, Princess Arie. This is yours." She whispered in awe and I smiled at her.

"It's yours now, baby girl."