The Royal Contract

"Are you ready?" A question that she heard for the hundredth time since yesterday. 

After finishing their obligations with work, they started preparing for their trip to his hometown. The couple, with their families, decided to have the wedding done in the palace.

Although she would have preferred to be married where she had grown up, she did want to make a compromise with him and his family.

Since he chose to stay with her in New York to live the rest of their lives together. It was only fair the ceremonies took place in his hometown.

"Is anybody ever ready for this?" She answered him truthfully, finding it hard to imagine that the once charade of the wedding was finally coming true.

It would be a very long vacation, together with the final preparations, the pre-wedding rituals, and the wedding rite. Then, there was also the honeymoon phase.

In a few weeks, she could finally claim him as hers alone. Nobody could take him away from her because the love that would bind them together would be hard to break.

"Honestly, I am sure that I am not. But if we help each other, I am sure that we can easily make this work." He answered her, recollecting his view of marriage a few months ago. 

He was so adamant about avoiding marriage at all costs. He was so sure that he was not ready for such a commitment. That marriage was a hindrance to his success in achieving his objective.

But now, he was excited to tie the knot with the only woman he would ever love with his entire being and his whole heart. He could never envision his future without her in it anymore.

Maybe he just did not care about how he was marrying her. The important thing was he would have her as his wife soon enough. Hopefully, there would be no more delays or anything that would stop them from saying their vows.

"I guess so." She agreed with his statement. She believed with their teamwork as husband and wife, they could achieve anything, and nobody could stop them.

They might not have known each other for that long, not even a year. Well, except for that one unforgettable night. Still, she believed that in that short time. It was enough to build a solid foundation in their relationship.

They were finally driven to the airport, where his private plane waited for them. It would fly them to their wedding destination, back to his home where he first originated.

"Are you looking forward to being back at my home?" Alex asked, hoping that her second time in his territory would be a much incredible experience than in her first time.

Even though she had assured him that her entire stay at the palace had been satisfactory. He still felt that it could have been better. Remembering the things that went wrong during those times.

"Of course. I already told you. I love your family, your place, especially the rose garden of your Nanna. I will always love to visit it from time to time." She truly enjoyed the last time she had been in his hometown.

She would never mind coming back for more time spent in that lovely home and revisiting the places they had been. She would also love to explore more sceneries with him during their free time.

"I am happy to hear that." Alex felt satisfied with her answer. His earlier apprehensions eased out, hearing that she shared his opinion about the place where he had grown.

Even if he did want to leave the place behind, it did not mean that he never wanted to return and visit from time to time. He loved his home, and it will forever be his home in his heart.

As they flew to the country he called home, he watched her in his peripheral vision, observing her silence. Since the plane took off, she had been quiet on her side of the seat, checking the clear sky outside.

"Is everything ok?" He could not help but wonder what was going through her mind.

He hoped that she was not changing her mind about getting married or something about having cold feet. Or, it could be something that was troubling her. He wanted to know.

"This is nothing." She tried to deny it. Basically, it was not something that both of them should worry about. 

She was just uncomfortable since they left the comfort of his home. With their pack sets of luggage, they had traveled for hours to reach his country.

This time, they were not flying to his childhood home to merely visit. They were attending a special event, actually, the grandest event of the decade.

The Council of Elders insisted on hosting the ceremonies at the kingdom. The wedding should follow the traditions upheld by their ancestors since the beginning of time.

"Do we really have to go through all that trouble? Can't we just skip that part and go straight to wherever we are staying?" She protested, although she already knew the answer to her question.

She had worked so hard to avoid being in the limelight. She declined any kind of interview about her personal life, not wanting to catch any attention of the press. 

She valued the years of her privacy, evading anything that would require her to make a public appearance if she could help it. But, it would seem that all of that would end very soon. 

"You already know that this is part of the arrangement we made with our parents." Alex reminded her, but he would gladly disregard their tradition if it made her uncomfortable.

He could not expect her to follow blindly everything he or his family said. He did not mind if she would contradict him once in a while as long as it was not beyond reasonable.

"I'm sorry, but I will not allow the two of you to vanish in one of the most historical events in this country," Antonette uttered in disbelief when she overheard the conversation of the couple.

She was the one assigned to oversee the overall matrimonial event, starting this day until they had left the bridal ceremony for their honeymoon.

She was a petite middle-aged woman who acted according to a systematic plan and strict order. She had handled almost every royal ceremony of the kingdom for the last couple of decades.

"Antonette, I am sorry. I did not mean it." Dani immediately took back what she said upon seeing the panic on her face.

She believed that Antonette was about to have a heart attack from her suggestion. She realized that most people in this country valued their strict traditions. 

She remembered how Alex had propositioned her into a contract precisely because of the said tradition. Honor had been an integral part of their culture. 

"I know this is not what you practice in your country, but this is very important for my family," Alex explained to her. He remembered the only time that he followed one of their tradition was on his birthday.

He had stopped practicing it when he decided to leave his hometown to live and start a new life in another place. He never thought he would end up back home to honor his family and their tradition.

"I guess a few photos and a couple of smiles will not be that bad after all." She forced a smile on her face as she faced Antonette. Then, she leaned her head on Alex before he saw her frustration.

She turned her head on the window and could only stare at the massive assembly of people from her view as the airplane started to make its descent. 

She continued to look outside as the plane made a soft landing. After a few whiles, it eventually stopped. She knew it was time for their first public appearance as a royal engaged couple.

"Don't worry. It will be a quick press conference. We will be back in the villa in no time." Alex wanted to sound reassuring. But just like Dani, he never did enjoy smiling in front of the camera.

As much as possible, since he had lived in New York, he had maintained a low profile. Nobody suspected who he was. The only people who knew his real identity were the people close to him. He made sure to keep it that way.

Presently, it would seem that all his efforts were in vain as he still ended up doing what he had ignored all those years. Now, they had forced his hand to do this. What could be next?

Still wrapped in his arms, sitting right next to her, he rubbed his hands on her shoulder. "Come on. Let us just enjoy this new experience together." It would be the only way to look at it. See it on the brighter side. 

She could only nod in agreement with him. Arguing about it would not solve anything. The best way to deal with this situation would be to respond to all the questions with a smile and straightforward answers.

She was not afraid of the press nor answering their queries. She had nothing to hide. She would be proud to tell the world that she was marrying one of the best men in the world, at least next to her dad.

But another reality set in that she finally realized. She would be giving up her private life. She would be compromising in everything she did, every decision, and every action.

It would be the end of her independence, because like it or not, she would be sharing her life, all aspects of it, with him. But instead of being afraid of it, she welcomed the idea.

From the time they say their I do, there would be no more I but only us.