The Royal Contract

She thought the night would never end as one event happened after another. She was uncertain which one she dreaded more, the announcement of their engagement or that Alex was now eligible to the throne if Edward III failed his duties.

She was not expecting that Alex was also aiming to be King. She initially thought that he was just another part of the royal empire. Another ordinary nobility under the long lines of royalties. And not someone who could wear the crown, possibly someday.

But when she looked at Alex and the rest of his family, they all seemed to be expecting it. Of course, they did because it was the sole reason why he needed a bride. So, he could fulfill the requirements to be eligible as King.

"Hey, are you ok? You had been quiet since the announcement of our engagement." Alex moved to her side.

Alex could only guess what was going through her mind. He had known about the condition of his eligibility as King, but he never gave it a second thought since he was not interested in it. He did not expect that they would be mentioning it at his engagement party.

It was the reason why he wanted to find a way to null this engagement before the wedding. He was not interested in the crown. He just wanted to save his parents from the humiliation if he declined to take his place in this charade. 

"Oh, I think I am just tired of all the activities." She excused herself. 

She decided to step out of the ballroom into the garden outside. The party was almost over anyway. She just required some fresh air to clear her mind. She could still see the face of her father when he heard about the stipulation of their marriage. It mirrored her shock. But her father did not know that this was not real. Compared to her, her father might be overthinking this by now.

She would have to deal with her parents tomorrow. She was sure that her father would have a say in all of this. She could count on that.

"I'm sorry for what happened in there." He knew he did not have to spell it out to her. She knew what he was talking about as he stared at her reaction.

"You have nothing to explain about." She stated as she continued to stare into the open space. It was already dark, so she barely saw anything except the few images where the light touched.

She did not want to look at him because she did not want him to learn what she was thinking. Besides, it was not her business if he wanted to be King of this place. Six months from now, she would be free from this arrangement. As the contract expired, she would be out of his life for good.

"We can get out of here if you like." He offered, knowing that she was probably tired of looking at his family and his guests.

Even he was done spending time with them. All he wanted to do was go home. Not in the palace behind him but back to the country that he now considered his home. 

"We can do that?" She was unsure if he was serious. "Are you sure they are not going to look for us if we suddenly left?" This time, she turned to him, watching his expression. 

"They will probably think that we are a newly engaged couple who wanted to be alone. Besides, I am never one to obey the rules." He held his hand to her, waiting for her to take it. "They will never look for us where we are going."

She hesitated for a second, but then again, she was better to take her chance with him than spend one more minute inside that ballroom. "Ok. You have convinced me. Where are we going?" She took his hand and allowed him to guide her out of there.

"Let us go then." He pulled her into the garden and a path away from the palace. 

"Where are we going anyway? Can't we go back to our rooms instead? I can certainly use some sleep." She felt exhausted, and going on a nature walk in the middle of the night was not included in the things she would like to do at the moment.

"We can't go back inside the palace. As a newly engaged couple, they will be expecting that we will be staying in the same room, meaning sleeping in the same bed and doing what couples do. My parents were not exactly conservative. I doubt yours are." He pointed out. 

"So, what? They did not need to know if we stayed in the same room." She was not about to run off to nowhere so that they could avoid their parents.

"I am sure that many eyes will be watching our every move tonight. I am just giving you time to come to terms with this." He was giving her a fair warning. 

"What?" She stopped and looked at him with a slightly incomprehensible expression. She did not like what she was hearing from him. Of course, people would be expecting it from them. But for them to spy on them if they were doing it was a little bit absurd. 

She assumed that kissing in public and a few embraces was the only thing required of them. However, she was not expecting that staying in the same room for the rest of the week would be needed. Being coop up in one room and the same bed was totally out of the question in her book. 

"Living in the palace is not all that great. Almost all the walls of that place had eyes and ears that will be spying on us. That is the reason I never wanted to stay there. Being royalty had its perks, but it also had many downsides." He continued walking in the darkness of the night, with her at his side, trying to catch up.

"What are you doing?" He asked when she suddenly stopped and sat down on a bench. 

He was alarmed that she might have decided that she had enough. He felt that she might try to back out from the engagement.