The Royal Contract

She could sense the jolliness in the air, but she could not pinpoint the exact reason for the celebration. She could hear the commotion going on around her, but her dream was too exciting to leave behind. 

The illusion running around in her mind beckoned her to stay a little longer. Alluring her deeper into her dream, preventing her from awakening into her consciousness.

"Dani. Wake up."

"Dani, it is time."

"Dani, aren't you excited. It is your wedding day."

The loud sound of a familiar voice slowly penetrated her attention, pulling her away from the other side. Finally, she was aware again of her surroundings and their chaotic state.

She stretched her hand, trying to feel him on the end of her arms, but all she felt was the cold empty space. The mattress was bare of any sign of him. It appeared he did not sleep by her side last night.

"Alex," Dani called to him, slightly confused by her situation. 

She was used to waking up by his side or at least feeling his warmth on the other side of the bed. 

But all she heard was a female voice nagging at her to get out of the bed. Her persistence forced her to open her eyes, but her attempt had been a tremendous effort. 

It took her a while to pry her eyes open. Finally, giving her a glimpse of the bright room before her. Her friend sat down on the edge of the bed, waiting for her to acknowledge her presence.

"Dani, come on. You have to get off the bed and start preparing for your wedding." She persisted, not letting her slip away again into merry land.

She remembered Antonette asking her to slip a mild sedative to her milk last night. It was supposed to give her a relaxing sleep so that by morning, she would be fresh, radiant, and alive in this grand celebration.

She was hesitant at first but seeing that she was restless last night after parting with Alex, she was eventually convinced that she would need the pill.

"Oh, yes. Jacky, it is my wedding today." Dani was still a bit groggy from her sleep, though she recognized her friend.

Jacky, on the other hand, blamed the white substance. Although her friend seemed more relaxed now, she did not precisely look better either. But she hoped it could not be that bad at all. 

Now, all she had to do was to make her move her ass towards the shower. They still had plenty of time before the battalion of wardrobe, makeup artists, and Antonette arrived. 

She assisted her out of bed and into the small table by the window. Luckily, a hot pot of coffee and some breakfast assortment were already waiting for them.

"I think you should drink this." Jacky helped her sip some coffee, careful not to burn her lips.

She wondered what kind of sleeping pill was given to her, but she hoped it would wear off soon. Or they would have sleeping beauty as the prince's bride.

She admitted it was partially her fault. She did not follow Antonette's instruction to give her the pill immediately after dinner. 

Instead, she waited until the wee hour when she noticed that her friend was still wide awake and pacing her room when she passed by on her way to her room. As a result, the pill's effect was still evident in her present condition.

"Oh, that is hot." Dani bit her tongue, blowing heavily on her mouth, feeling the burn from the black liquid that her friend was shoving on her lips.

She was now totally aware of her situation. She was getting married and needed to start preparing for it. But her body would seem to be uncooperative as her eyes kept closing despite her effort to wake up.

"Please, try to drink a little more." She begged her friend as she insisted she drank some more.

At least the incident slightly woke her up, Jacky thought as she assisted her friend, handing her a glass of water. She just had to wait for the caffeine to kick in once she had consumed the entire cup.

"What is wrong with me?" She voiced out her concern, feeling the sluggishness of her movements.

She could barely take control of her motor skills as she still felt sleepy. Although she had no doubt, she had more than enough rest last night.

"My princess, are you sick?" Another female voice joined them in the room, making Jacky turn her head around.

Laura entered the room, carrying a vase with a beautiful flower arrangement on top of it. She immediately placed it down on a side table and marched towards her daughter to check on her.

"She is not." Jacky quickly answered for her. "It is actually my fault. I sort of drug her last night."

She realized the error of her words when both mother and daughter looked at her as if she did a capital crime. Though she might as well if Dani did not recover from this misfortune she caused.

"You what?" Laura was the first to react, while Dani could only stare at her in shock.

She could not believe that her daughter's best friend could introduce her daughter to drugs. It was not something she would expect from two grown women to mess up with an illegal substance, especially on her daughter's wedding day.

"Wait, what I meant was that I slipped a sedative on her milk last night?" Suddenly, she realized that it still sounded wrong even in her ears.

"Let me refresh my statement. Antonette asked me to put a mild sedative on her drink to calm her down and put her to sleep." She began explaining her side of the story.

She felt that her reason was not enough to convince them that she meant no harm, she added. "It was recommended by the palace physician. I checked, so I slipped it on her drink when I saw her pacing the floor late last night."

"Why did you not tell me about it?" Dani reprimanded her as she slowly recovered from her situation. 

Fortunately, drinking the coffee and putting some food on her belly was helping her body restore its energy. She was slightly gaining control of her body functions.

"Because you are as stubborn as me. I know you would insist that you don't need it. Then, we will be ending up with a zombie as a bride." She adamantly made her point.

Well, they were friends for a reason. They had their differences but also similarities. Unfortunately, being a stubborn mule was one of the traits they shared.

"I guess I have to agree with Jacky in that one." Finally, Laura felt some form of relief that the situation was not that worse as she initially thought. It was at the very least fixable.

In truth, it was easier to cure oversleep than a hangover. So, a coffee boost and a warm bath should do the trick, according to her motherly skills.

"Come on, darling, let's get you to a bath. I don't want my daughter turning into a bridezilla or zombie bride on her wedding day." She laughed at her statement, unable to picture her daughter in such a state.. Both did not exactly sound appealing to her.