Me, several days ago while writing this: "In the first panel, she'll explain that Prince Elliot would subconsciously resent anyone who tried to woo him while he was still pining for someone else."

Me, the day I made this comic: "There is absolutely no room in the layout I want for that explanation."

Me, some time after that: "Um... Um... 'His heart lingers in the arms of another!' Yeah, that fits."

Waxing poetic is actually a consequence of authors trying to fit complex feelings into small windows of time or space. The results sounding romantic is an unintentional side effect that writers have learned to roll with. Prior to the realization that people care about pacing, the concept of romance simply did not exist.