The Royal Contract

Thankfully, the accident did not do much damage. In a few minutes, the pain in her injury had subsided. She could eventually tolerate the pain.

Although she had not recovered the full strength of her muscles yet, she could now move without the need for supportive devices.

With a few more therapy sessions, the doctor assured her that she could go back to normal, physically at least. But in the meantime, she was under the care of her visitor, who would not let her stand on her feet.

"Are you sure you don't need any help? My foot doesn't hurt anymore." Rosella expressed loudly over her shoulder.

She could not help but wonder what he was doing in the small kitchen. The room looked crowded, with him standing in the middle of it.

Besides, he was the guest. He should be sitting and not her.

"No. I got this, Rosella." He responded with a cheerful smile. "It is just hard to find the things I need. But I think I got everything under control." David assured her as he moved around the kitchen with a slight clumsiness.

She could see that he kept bumping into the counter, the chairs, and the cabinets. Unfortunately, the space did not intend to fit a man of his size.

"Ok. But you did not need to bother fixing me a meal. I can easily do it on my own." She protested as she leaned on the couch, feeling she had to do something.

She felt guilty that she was letting him do all the work while she sat on her ass, doing nothing. She had enough of lying and sitting around. It was fast becoming frustrating.

"I am here, and it is lunchtime. I might as well work for my free meal if you don't mind. Unless you wish me to leave." He spoke with a hint of hesitance.

Her mind insisted that she should heed caution. This man was still a stranger. But somewhere deep inside her, she could not feel a tinge of fear inside her.

She was not afraid of him despite not knowing anything about him. On the contrary, her heart calmed as soon as she heard his voice and saw his face. It was like she knew deep inside she was safe.

"No. I don't wish you to leave, David." She hastily uttered until she realized what she just said. "I meant you are welcome to stay, but I feel like I am abusing your kindness by letting you slave in the kitchen alone."

She quickly made up an excuse, embarrassed by her sudden admission. She kept telling herself that she only wished to reciprocate this man's help by being courteous.

"Great. Let me finish this dish. Then, we can eat." He assured her. "For your part, I will let you dry the dishes and wipe the table after our meal." He offered as a compromise.

She guessed she had no choice but to accept his offer. She doubted she would win in an argument with this very articulate man.

"Ok." Rosella finally conceded as she stood from the sofa and strode to the kitchen, taking the empty stool on the counter.

"Are you alright?" Now, she was worried about his well-being. She could tell he was hurt.

"Yeah, I am ok. Just feeling quite stupid." He admitted as he waved his injured fingers in the smoky air and tried to blow some air into them.

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Then, he ran to the sink, letting the cold water ease the burning sensation in his skin. "It is just a little burn, nothing to worry about." He repeated as he tried to calm the situation.

Fortunately, the smoke detector did not work, or they would be soaking in water by now. But, of course, Rosella would have preferred it had done its job.

What if the accident had worsened? A chill spread through her, imagining her sister burning in this building.

"Let me see." She finally moved closer to him, wanting to assure herself that it was not worse than she thought.

Thankfully, it was a tiny blister that would heal in a few days. "I told you. It is nothing." He smiled at her as he wiped his hands dry. "Now, why don't you return to your seat and let me finish cooking."

In a few more minutes, he managed to salvage the situation, cooked the meat perfectly, and served it without any more untoward incidents happening to any of them.

"It looks great." She commented as David placed the meal before her. "And smells good too." She added as the aroma of the meat hit her senses.

He grabbed the salad and offered it to her before he took his place on the opposite side of the counter.

"I hope it tastes as good as it looks and smells." He said, slightly doubting his cooking after burning the first batch.

She took a knife and cut through the meat. So far, so good when the knife effortlessly went through the flesh smoothly.

And when she looked at the meat, the pinkish middle told her it was how she liked it. She had no idea how she knew it. But somehow, she could tell she would love this dish.

"It is delicious." She commented after taking two bites of the meat. "Absolutely." She added. Then, she took a large bite of the salad that he made. "I guess I can eat this all day."

She agreed with him that it was indeed a great dish. Maybe she was not hard to please, but she loved what he prepared for them.

"I am glad to hear that." He repeated, looking relieved and happy.

She guessed she had not lost all of her identity. She realized that maybe some of it was still buried underneath the rubbles in her mind. All she needed to do was dig it up.

Could it be that easy?