The Royal Contract

She feared that she might be hallucinating and hearing things. Was Alex proposing that they should proceed with the wedding? Did he ask her to marry him just now?

It was not part of their arrangement but was he suggesting to amend the contract that they signed. Dani doubted that he wanted to marry her because he was in love with her. She believed that their relationship had not crossed that threshold yet. 

She gathered that what they had was mutual respect and attraction for each other, but she seriously questioned that it would be enough for him to come up to the conclusion of a marriage proposal.

"I think I am." He answered her with a slight hesitation in his tone. There was no confidence in his voice that would indicate that he had any control of their situation.

It felt more like an afterthought than something he had been contemplating about for a long time. But truthfully, he would not consider this if not for the talk he had this morning with his father. 

Now that he had spoken the dreaded question, he seriously had to give it more thought. Was he ready to put Dani in a tight spot as his wife if, by some miracle, she did agree? 

"But you said that marriage is not part of the deal." She reiterated what was on the contract. "Are you..." She could not even finish her sentence, unsure how she should rephrase her question. Because as of now, her mind was reeling in confusion.

She was not saying that marrying Alex was out of the question. Maybe they would come to that at some point in their relationship. Maybe years from now, when they were both ready and were probably head over heels in love with one another.

But as of now, she could not fathom the idea of marrying him in five months. It was just an idea that never crossed her mind. More like, she never allowed herself to explore that possibility.

"Hey, it is just a hypothetical question as of now. I am not even sure if it would be likely to happen. But I am just putting the question out there if in case I would need to marry someone." He pulled her close against him, trying to reassure her that they did not have to fret over the matter.

"Honestly, if you will ask me now. I will tell you that I can't marry you." She finally gave him an answer that reflected what she truly felt at the moment. She was not about to lie and give him some crappy, yes, to answer his musing. 

"I know that it would be your immediate response. I already predicted that." He told her since it would be his reaction too if asked the same question. Both of them were not ready for that kind of commitment, and they both knew it.

It was different wanting a committed relationship. All Alex and Dani wished to do were to explore their likes and dislikes. To develop a more solid foundation to base their relationship so when the time came for them to move on to the next phase, they would be more ready.

"What is this all about, and why the sudden question?" She could only speculate that it had something to do with his father.

She moved out of his hold to look into his eyes. She wanted to see if she could read some answers in his expression, but as always, he had masked it well.

"Can we talk about this more later?" He indicated that they had arrived at their destination.

He knew that he had a lot of explaining to do later when they were once alone again. And he planned not to keep anything from her. If he would find a solution to his dilemma, he knew that her input would be beneficial in this case.

"Ok." She conceded, having no other options but to wait. 

Something must have happened with his breakfast meeting with his parents. He must feel pressured to even thought of getting married as a solution to the problem. 

That was the only logical explanation she could think of why he was suddenly bringing up the topic of tying the knots.

Presently, she was definite of her answer. But what if the time came that Alex would need a wife. Would she be able to say yes, or would she decline the offer and let him go? It was her final thoughts as they walked towards the table where his parents were already waiting.

"You look so lovely, my dear." Alex's mother greeted Dani with a motherly smile, a warm hug, and a tender kiss on the cheeks.

Katherine liked Dani from the moment she met her. She could tell that Dani was perfect for his son. She could not wait for them to get married and officially became her daughter-in-law.

But moreover, she could not wait to have kids to call her grandchildren. It had been a while since the palace had small kids running around. It would be nice to hear noises echoing around the walls once more.

"You also look stunning in that dress, Duchess Katherine," Dani replied to the beautiful mother of Alex, unaware of what was going through behind the smile on Katherine's lips.

She could not find any fault in Alex's parents, especially her mother that reminded her so much of her own. If she had to marry Alex, she did not mind becoming part of his family at all. 

Well, that was still not something that she was contemplating any time soon. It was just an idea if ever in the long future she was to wed.

"You have to stop calling me that, Katherine or Mom, would be just fine with me. After all, you are soon marrying my son." Katherine insisted as they all sat on their respective chairs.

After all the formalities, they ordered their meals and settled on a comfortable discussion of different subjects. Eventually, as expected Katherine, immediately brought up the topic of wedding planning or the lack of it on the couple's part.

"At this time, we should already be talking about the date, location, and the rest of the arrangements. Laura and I already came up with several suggestions that we would like for you to see. If you have time, maybe the three of us could talk about it more." Katherine informed her.

"Of course, let me see what I can do to fit that with my schedule." She had learned that Alex's parents would only be here for a few days, so she had no choice but to make time for Katherine and her mother.

"That would be great," Katherine answered excitedly, clapping her hands to show how much she was looking forward to their next meeting.

Then, it was Frederick's turn to open the topic of their plans after the wedding. "Would you consider leaving this place and moving to the palace?"

He wanted to involve Dani in the conversation. Whatever was about to happen. It would also affect her life once she was married to Alexander.

"Dad, we have not discussed that yet." Alex stopped Fred from pursuing the discussion that his father was initiating. Not in front of Dani, who still had no clue of what was happening next.

He would rather talk to her about it in private. Not that it would make any difference. Because as of the moment, he felt trap in his situation, and there seemed to be no way out.