The Royal Contract

She decided to go outside of the ballroom to get some fresh air. As expected, her bodyguards were waiting outside for her. 

"Ms. Hamilton, is there a problem?" Ben, her security, asked as he came closer to her.

"No, not at all. I am just thinking of getting some fresh air in the garden." She answered him. Then, she decided to try something else. "Do you think it will be possible if you don't follow me outside?"

She could not see any harm happening to her in the garden. She just felt that she could use some alone time without eyes watching her. For a few minutes, she wanted to relax her mind.

"I'm sorry, Miss. But we can't do that." Ben informed her, still standing in attention as the other of his companion remained in their stations.

She already expected that from him, but there was no harm from trying. "Fine. Feel free to follow me, but try to keep some distance." She pleaded in her tiny voice, which finally earned her an itsy-bitsy smile from him.

Sometimes she thought they were robots, like in the movies, designed to look similar to humans. But Ben's smile, at least, proved her wrong. He was still capable of emotions.

"Well, you should smile once in a while. You looked good when you do." She teased him, but this time, his face remained stoic again. Was there a rule that they should not smile and enjoy their jobs? 

She continued to walk towards the end of the hallway. It led to the path to the garden. Scattered garden lights illuminated the spacious, beautifully landscaped garden. 

But it appeared that she would not be alone in it as a man was already gazing at the stars as he puffed his cigarette. She thought of turning back, but the man turned, probably sensing that he was not alone anymore.

"Dani, is that you?" The man asked, unsure since she was already halfway out of his sight.

He had seen her before, inside the party with some guest, on his way out. But the shadows still obscured his view of her to be sure of her identity.

Upon hearing her name, Dani curiously turned around to see if she knew the man. She did not recognize him earlier since his back was facing her. But his voice did sound familiar.

"Gerald, what are you doing out here?" She finally saw his face as he stepped closer to her. "Should you be inside with the other guests?" She asked, a bit curious to find him out here alone.

"Should I ask you the same question?" He stated as a comeback to her question. Well, it was indeed a pleasant surprise to see her.

Suddenly, seeing her brightened up the night, all he could think of was how beautiful she looked under the stars. How unlucky he was that she did not belong to him.

"Well, I just wanted some air and to be alone." She uttered with a sigh. She just wanted to release the tension in her body.

Maybe the darkness and the fresh air somehow helped her, as she felt more relaxed than when she was inside. The clear sky and a sprinkle of few stars did help visually to clear her mind.

She never did like these events, but she knew it was necessary. It was a necessary evil they could never avoid as long as they lived in the same social circle.

"Well, I can go back inside. I had been here for some time." He offered, giving her the privacy to be alone. He took a long breathe of the cigarette in his lips before finally extinguishing it in the nearby trash.

"No, I don't plan to stay long anyway. Alex will be looking for me if I am gone that long." She explained to him that there was no need for him to leave. "Anyway, it was nice to see you. Hope you enjoy the party."

She turned back away from him and walked in the direction of the ballroom, her security not far behind. "You, too." She heard him say, but she continued to walk away, not looking back.

When she returned inside, she remembered that she still had not heard of her parents. She had no problem if they decided to change their mind about coming. She preferred it.

She was about to look for Alex when a group of guests stopped her. She was chatting about the cases she was handling when someone walked behind her and greeted her.

"Dani, I have been looking for you." He stated as he stood beside her.

He knew that she had been avoiding her all night. He was only waiting for his opportunity to get a chance to be alone with her. But she suddenly vanished from his sight.

"Edward, it is nice to see you." She replied politely. "By the way, let me introduce to you all, Prince Edward. He is Alex's cousin, who is visiting us for a few weeks."

The guests started chatting with him, asking questions about his business and other things relating to the throne. They were genuinely interested in him, and he was slightly indulging them.

She knew it was her opportunity to escape from this situation. She was about to make her quick excused, but it would seem that he had a whiff of her plan.

"If you don't mind. I wish to borrow Ms. Hamilton for a dance." Edward announced to the group, cutting off all their questionings.

He knew that Dani was intelligent, but he was not aware that she was cunning as well. But he was not letting her slipped his fingers that easily. Now, he was more challenge than ever to get her at his side. 

"Of course. Go ahead." One of the gentlemen stated as he bowed his head to the prince, which the other followed.

She wanted to tell them that there was no need since they were not his loyal subjects but instead refrained herself from doing so. But she could see that the action did feed his ego as he waved to them.

"Shall we?" Edward offered his hand in front of her, knowing that she had no choice but to accept it. It was his opportunity to be alone with her while Alex was still busy with his clients.

"Sure." She answered back with a tight smile. She could not outright refuse his advances without causing a commotion. Besides, it was just for one dance.

There was no reason for her to be rude since he had not done anything warranting such behavior. She had no choice but to play niceties with him. She could not make a scene without provocation.

He ushered her to the dance floor and guided her to slow dance. "I heard that you are doing great with your job. I planned to make a big donation tonight to your cause." He not so humbly stated. As if that should impress her.

"I am happy to hear that." She replied with a forced smile. "Our clients who could not afford their legal rights to be represented fairly in our justice system would surely benefit from your help."

As far as she was concerned, the more she talked to him, the more she did not like him. There was nothing wrong with his words, but his expression and his eyes were telling her something else.

She could not wait for the dance to be over so that she could move away from him. She did not like dealing with a person that she knew was dangerous.

"Oh, yes. The poor people who badly needed help. You are right. We should help them." He said in a condescending tone. 

He smiled at her, but he never truly believed in charities. He thought that it was a waste of good money. But he was willing to indulge her if that would allow him to be close to her. It worked with Tyra. 

He was sure that it would work on her. If not, he was sure to find another way.

"I am glad that you agreed." She felt like she was talking to a devil but maintained a smile on her face, counting the seconds for the song to end.

She understood now why Alex never liked his cousin and why the Council would pick Alex over him as their king. Alex was a hundred times better than him in every way.

She pitied the kingdom that would bow down to him as their king and the woman who would want to be his queen. He was a self-centered jerk who could only think of his interest.

"Anything to help you. I hope that this means we can be friends." He knew he was baiting her. From what he was reading in her eyes, it was not working.

It would seem that she was not as gullible as Tyra, but he would find a way to get her. He was sure that she had a weakness that he could explore. He just needed some time to figure it out.

"You are Alex's cousin. Once we get married, we are also going to be a cousin." She reminded him, not wanting to respond to his statement. 

She could see that he was not satisfied with her answer, but he still smiled at her. She could not allow him to know that she was doubtful if Alex would marry him until now.

However, she did sense that Edward would always be up to no good. She had to be more careful around him. She realized now that she was standing in the middle of a silent war between Alex and Edward.