Sabrina curtsied again. This time a warm smile filled her face. Something about it felt off, but Sabrina couldn't place it. Perhaps it was that it didn't seem to touch her lavender colored eyes as most smiles usually did.
“How lovely to meet you,” the queen cooed. “I'm so excited to hear of your travels with our young prince. Thank you for keeping him so entertained in his travels.”
Sabrina did a double take. Both Marco and Winston had mentioned to her that the queen hated commoners and to expect her to be cold and cruel to her. Yet, the queen was smiling and being pleasant. Perhaps, I misunderstood them, Sabrina thought, looking at the queen's warm smile. She seems nice enough. Maybe she just speaks her mind and is considered cruel for it.
“Father, there's something that I want to announce,” Marco said, clearing his throat.
“By all means, Marco,” Carlo said. “Take the floor. I'm certain most everyone who will be attending tonight is present now.”
Sabrina turned around to see that the room had filled. Most of the attention from the guests was directed toward the front, where Sabrina stood with the royal family. Marco nodded to a man in black holding a large staff. The man banged it on the floor twice. The idle chatter went quiet.
“I have an announcement to make,” Marco said, his voice booming over the silent guests.
A pin drop could have been heard. It was clear just how much respect everyone held for Marco. Sabrina stood next to him, not knowing what this announcement was about. He certainly hadn't mentioned anything to her.
“First off, I want to thank everyone for coming,” he said. “This ball, as you may already know, is in honor of our great King. King Carlo.”
Marco stepped to the side to give the audience a better view of the king and the crowd went crazy. They clapped and shouted, giving praise to their leader. Once they settled down, Marco continued. “For those of you who were wondering where I've been the last few weeks, I was on holiday in the United States. It's a beautiful place, but I have to say that I've never been so happy to be back. I learned something while I was there and it's that Orsino Island will always be my home.”
The crowd got loud again, but this time Marco held his finger in the air.
“Please, let me finish,” he said. “Even though I love Orsino Island, I will never regret my time spent away. It's because of that time, that I was able to meet the most beautiful woman on the entire planet. In just a few short weeks, she's become my everything.”
Sabrina's jaw dropped and her heart swelled as she faced Marco. This speech was taking her completely off guard, but in the best of ways.
“When I met her, I knew that there was something special about her,” he said, as both Sabrina and the audience hung onto every word. “It was in the way her eyes lit up when she smiled. It was her genuine curiosity about the world. It was how she made me feel happy. But most of all, it was Sabrina's deep love of life that had me hooked from the very beginning. With all of that being said, I'd like to ask Sabrina something in front of all of you.”
Marco faced Sabrina and took both of her hands in his. She practically melted in front of him. In that moment, she felt more loved and cared for than ever before in her life. He gazed at her for just a second and then dropped to one knee. The audience gasped and so did Sabrina.
“Sabrina, will you marry me and become the princess of Orsino Island?” he asked, his words echoing out over the silence of the crowd.
Sabrina's lips curled up into the widest and most uncontrollable smiled she'd ever had. His question took her breath away and tears instantly burst down her cheek. She brought her hand over her mouth and nodded, unable to speak at first. The audience stayed silent, as they waited to hear her answer.
“Will you marry me and make me the happiest man in the world?” Marco asked again, this time a bit quieter. He spoke the words so that only Sabrina could hear them.
“Yes,” she managed to say, in between sobs of joy. “Yes, of course. Yes!”
The crowd went insane and the room filled with applause. Marco pulled a beautiful single-set diamond ring out of his pocket and slipped it on over her finger, before standing up. He gave her a peck on the lips and pulled away, gazing into her eyes.
“I love you,” he said, then paused for a moment. “Princess Sabrina.”
Sabrina's chest was filled with excitement. Somehow, a handkerchief was pressed into her hand to wipe the tears from her eyes. She looked over the crowd of strangers, who were standing up from their chairs, still clapping in celebration.
“I love you, too,” she said, turning back to Marco. “You never cease to surprise me, you know that?”
“If that's true, then I've succeeded in my goal,” he said, placing his hand on Sabrina's lower back.
They both faced the crowd and Marco waited patiently until the noise had died down and the guests had taken their seats once again.
“Thank you for the love. And thank you for welcoming Sabrina in such a beautiful way,” Marco said to the audience. “Now please, enjoy yourselves this evening. This is a celebration of my father's reign and of Orsino Island's economic success in the previous year. We all have a lot to be thankful for and to celebrate. My only request from each and every one of you, is that you fill your bellies with drink and food, and dance like it's the last day on Earth.”
The crowd clapped again at the traditional request and Sabrina sighed. She was overwhelmed with emotion. She glanced down at the ring that Marco had slipped on her finger and shook her head in amazement. Never in a million years could she have imagined that she'd step into the shoes of a real princess.
Marco took Sabrina's hand and led her down the steps toward the center of the room. Music began to play from a small band in the corner. There were flute players, trumpets, trombones and violins. Sabrina recognized the sound immediately. It was the same band that Marco had played for her at the hotel in New York.
“Will you do me the honor of a dance?” he asked Sabrina.