The Royal Contract

"Do you have everything I need?" He asked his assistant when he passed him by in the hallway.

He had just returned from his jog, but he had handed his assistant earlier to prepare everything he had written on the list.

"Yes, Sir." His assistant responded, halting on his steps as he stood before him. "I already put them on the back of your car per your instruction."

He smiled at his ever-reliable assistant, thanking him before he jogged toward the stairs and up the next floor. He only stopped when he was outside his room.

Slowly, he opened the door and tiptoed his way to the bed. Then, he found his wife, who was still sleeping peacefully with her mouth slightly open.

"Darling." He sweetly called her, waking her up, but she barely moved from her position. He could not help the chuckle that escaped his lips as he watched her adorable face.

She had a few lines on her face, probably marks from the pillows, but he still thought she was one of the most beautiful women he had met.

He guessed he could consider himself lucky for marrying such an incredible woman. He also felt grateful for the chance to spend the rest of his life with her.

"Hey, it is time to wake up." He moved closer to the bed until his knees touched the edge. But he did not stop there.

When she had kept her eyes closed, he finally thought he had to do something drastic. He had to wake her up while it was still early.

"No." She finally responded with a grimace look, but she still refused to open her eyes. "Go away." She turned away from him, covering her head with the blanket.

But he was not going to let her get away with that. He jumped into the bed and pulled the cover off her body. Then, he loomed over her.

"No, you are not going back to sleep." He leaned over,  and with his fingers, he tickled her side, making her scream in surprise.

"Eeehhh!" She squealed, "Aah! Hahahaha!", laughed, "Stop!" and cried, all at once. She squirmed under him, begging him to stop.

He could see the brim of her eyes glistening with tears, but he was not concerned since she laughed hysterically too. He knew those were happy tears.

"Only if you move your beautiful ass out of this bed." He threatened her, temporarily stopping. But he maintained his position on top of her, ready to attack again if she refused to obey him.

He tried to appear authoritative so she would take him seriously, putting on a stoic expression. But honestly, it was taking everything in him not to laugh.

"I will only do that on one condition." She bit her lip as she tried to control herself from bursting into another fit of laughter. But obviously, she was not buying his act.

Her eyes fixed on his, challenging him to take the bait. He never expected that his wife had it in her to stand up against him.

He initially thought she would become a timid and submissive wife who would merely follow his every wish. At least, that was how his father presented her to him.

"Is that so?" This time, he could not stop the grin that split on his face, amused and curious with his wife's demand.

In truth, he was glad to discover that she was nothing like what his father had told him. He liked that she could think for herself and fight for what she wanted.

He enjoyed the moments he spent with her, looking forward to discovering new things about her. She made their marriage seem exciting and fun. It was something he never expected from this union.

"Well, what is it?" He asked as she piqued his interest. He could not wait to hear what she wanted from him.

With a broken heart, he thought he would live the rest of his life miserable. He had given up hope of finding a woman that could make him feel alive again.

He thought marrying her would be living in a cage, a hell on earth. He honestly concluded the worse, never even once considering that something good would come out of this arrangement.

"Let me see." She appeared to be thinking as her fingers tapped on her temples. "What about you give your wife a proper good morning kiss?"

Her hands grabbed him by the arms and pulled him down until there was just an inch of space between their faces. Her eyes searched his, probably waiting for him to make the next move.

"Is that all?" He questioned, playing hard to get as he stared into her eyes but did not comply immediately.

But, of course, he had no objection to her request. On the contrary, he had thought about it since he entered the room.

He was confident that he felt something for her. He believed she was not hard to love, if not the head-over-hill kind of love.

Although he doubted he would fall madly in love with her. He still cared about her and would do everything he could to make her happy.

"For starter..." She seductively uttered as she licked her lips with the tip of her tongue. "I will think of something else later." She promised.

Without another word, he complied with her first demand, lowering his face until their lips locked together. Then, the rest of their body parts followed, enjoying the connection of skin to skin.

He guessed his plans would have to wait as they both got distracted. He did not mind since this was just as good as his other idea. Besides, they could still do it. Just a bit later.

Thirty minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom, dressed and ready to leave. She looked gorgeous in her red dress and lovely smile.

"What do you think?" She asked, twirling around, showing how the hem of her red ensemble swirled in the air. "Would this work with what you had in mind?"

He inspected her outfit, together with her matching bag and shoes. She looked fantastic, but he believed she would look great with anything she wore.

He still could not believe that she did not have many suitors. But he guessed it had something to do with her father, not her.

"It is perfect. You look incredible." He complimented, liking her choice of clothing. It was not conservative, but it did not show much either.

He offered his hand to her and assisted her out of their room. He guided her down the stairs, chuckling at his corny joke.

"At least give me a hint of where we are going." She appealed to him, acting sweet and adorable.

But, of course, he would not give up that information that easily to her. He had planned to surprise her. And he intended to keep it that way.

"You will just have to find out when we get there." He sealed her lips with another kiss before he ushered her into the backseat of a chauffeured car.

"What is all this?" She asked when she saw the back of the limousine, looking like a picnic ground with its matching blanket and picnic basket.

"Your first course." He opened the lid of the intricately woven container and took out its content. Continue your adventure with m|v-l'e m,p| y- r

Today, he decided not to drive but pampered her throughout the trip. He had prepared their breakfast in the car, ranging from a hot coffee to freshly baked bread and fresh sliced fruits.

"Wow, you are full of surprises today." She looked astounded as she stared at the little feast before her.

He picked up a warm bread and tore a piece, bringing it closer to her lips. "And I assure you that you will never forget this day."

He guessed he wanted to make it up to her for their failed honeymoon. He knew he deserved more than the crappy weekend they spent after their wedding.

This time, he would not pretend to be married to her but would try to be a real couple. If they would stay married forever, as long as they lived, he would like it to be a happy ever after.

"I..." Suddenly, she held his face in her dainty hands, staring deep into his eyes. Once again, he could see the tears threatening to fall. Thankfully, he did not detect any sadness in their depths.

"I have no idea what changed, but somehow, you made me feel like the luckiest woman alive." She said as she held the tears from falling.

"I don't know if I deserve any of this." She waved her hand to the food. "But thank you."

However, he knew she was not just referring to the meal before them. Still, he believed that she had enough of bad luck. It was time that someone loved her back.

And that was what he would do. He would love this beautiful and incredible woman. He would care for her like she was the most endearing thing in his life.

"Of course, you deserve everything I can give you and more." He pulled her hand from his cheek and placed them on his lips. Then, he peppered them with sweet kisses to show her how precious she was to him.

She finally let go of the tears that she had held on for far too long. "I love you, Lance." Suddenly, she confessed her feelings to him.

However, he was not surprised by her admission. He had already suspected that she had developed some feelings for him.

He knew he could not say it back to her, not yet. He could not lie to her. But he promised not to close his heart to the possibility.

"From now on, you are my wife, Camille. You will be the mother of my children. And you will be the Queen of my home and, hopefully, my heart." He declared to her a promise that he intended to keep.