The Royal Contract

"Here is to a successful marriage and a happy married life." Everybody toasted after the best man had made his speech, clapping and cheering for the happy couple.

Dinner had been a success as everyone was quite satisfied with the delicious and sumptuous meals served to them. The chefs had made a marvelous feast, and the staffs were magnificent in their jobs.

The program was followed according to the schedule, just like clockwork. It was to the delight of Antonette, the organizers, and the royal staff, who had worked endlessly to make this event a success.

"Are you ready to leave soon, my wife?" He whispered to her ears, liking the words as they rolled out of his tongue. They danced together with the rest of the guests as they waited for the moment the party would end. 

He was relieved that no more incident happened after the earlier one. He still had to check on his man tomorrow if there was more he could do for them, but Ben assured him that he was on top of the situation.

Tonight, he just wanted to concentrate on making his wife happy. It was their first day as a married couple and their first night to consummate their wedding. He could not think of anything else more important than that.

"I was thinking maybe we could skip the rest of the program, but a few minutes more probably would not hurt us." She responded, exhausted from the entire day of celebration but still enjoying the company of their families and friends.

She held tight in his arms as he guided her to their dance, swaying to the music, synchronized in each move. She would have loved to dance with him all night if she could, but her feet were starting to complain.

She still wondered how women could endure tremendous suffering. Well, there was the wearing of heels, putting on makeup, and on and on. But the most painful one, bearing a child.

"Yea, we can not disappoint everyone if we suddenly disappear." He agreed with her. 

Most of the relevant aspects of the wedding were already finished. So, if they went missing, it would not be such a big deal.

Nevertheless, he believed that they still should thank all that came to join them today. And also to formally say goodbye to their families. They would be quickly flying to their honeymoon destination after this.

"Honestly, did you like all of this?" He waved his hands around them before putting them back on her waist as they continued to shift their movement to every rhythm. 

He loved dancing with her. It was so effortless since she was also a good dancer. She could anticipate his next move just by a cue coming from him.

He was never good at dancing until Tyra convinced him to take dancing lessons with her. He knew the basics, but other than that, he was clueless on what foot to use or where his hands should go.

"Truthfully, I never thought that I would love it." She admitted. She was uncertain what had changed her mind about the whole grand celebration. 

Maybe knowing that it was prepared by someone who loved them so much made the difference. It was also probably seeing the excitement in everyone's eyes, not only of the guests but the people working behind the scenes.

She genuinely loved and enjoyed every minute of the entire program. It was the fulfillment of her dream wedding that she had forgotten in a long while.

"Congratulations! You look so fucking perfect." Jacky said, then tapped her lips for her foul language that was inappropriate for a lady. "I am sorry that was very unladylike of me."

Her concern was more with the stuffy couple dancing nearby than her friends. They just gave her an icy glare that could probably freeze an entire continent.

"Don't worry. I am sure many ladies say far worse when behind closed doors." Lance assured her, knowing the hypocrisy of some of their kinds.

He had acted as his escort for the celebration since she had no date, neither was he. He could not be bothered to look for one among his kind since they would be expecting more from it.

He was not ready for any relationship and commitment unless only friendship. His responsibilities for the kingdom had consumed most of his time. Finding the right one seemed to be impossible at the moment.

Besides, he still enjoyed his friendship with Jacky. That was more than enough for now. Soon, she would be leaving to go back to her life, and he would be alone again, just like what he wanted.

"I was enjoying the part of pretending to be a lady, but it is ruined now." Jacky laughed as she continued to dance with her date.

She could not stop staring at her friends, who seemed genuinely happy with their current status. Married life suited the two of them. 

The glow that emanated from them due to their happiness was undeniable proof of their love and commitment. She could already bet that they would be one of the most successful couples she knew. 

Well, she did meet only a few, including their friend's parents and a few of their clients. Having no parents to look up to, she could only rely on others for proof that there was such a thing as a happy ever after.

"Well, you will always be Jacky to us." Dani guaranteed that it was better than anything else. "And we love Jacky very much. We don't like someone else." Pointing to the great character and personality of her friend.

The other two men present agreed with her, making Jacky blush with the compliment. They also felt that they had loved and enjoyed her company because she was not like everyone else.

"You are only saying that because I am your friend. But, ok. I will accept that as a compliment." Jacky announced to the group, happy that she was in the company of good people.

She could never ask for better friends to be associated with. More than half of the people she knew would want to take her shoe, but she would never give up her position in the heart of Dani and her new friends.

"Have you seen Marcus?" Alex suddenly interrupted the moment, remembering that he had something important to tell his friend. But he had not seen him yet after the dinner.

He tried to see if he was with their other friends, but he was not. He had spotted most of them on the dance floor while the others were at the bar.

"I have not seen him since earlier," Dani answered him first, thinking if she spotted him somewhere else.

Marcus had been a tremendous help today, and she would like to personally thank him too before they left. She knew how important Marcus was to Alex. They bonded almost like brothers.

She could also remember how she and Jacky had started. It might not be decades, like Alex and Marcus's friendship, but it was meaningful to them.

Now that she was married to Alex and about to start their own family.. She wanted to assure Marcus that he would always be part of their extended family, just like Jacky.