The Royal Contract

As the couple had requested, they would like to rest before the inquisition. So, after spilling the beans earlier that day, they ran off to her room and barricaded the door.

Despite the complaints outside her bedroom, they ignored them and lay on the bed. Contrary to what the others might think, they were asleep, snoring as soon as their backs hit the soft mattress.

“Good morning, Grandmama.” Evan walked into the kitchen with Amelia in his arms. “Can you, at least, let us eat breakfast in peace before we sit in the interrogation chair?” He sweetly asked his grandmother as he assisted Amelia on an available seat.

Afterward, he proceeded to the counter to pour two cups of coffee and pick up two plates for his bride. Then, he returned to the table, sat on a chair beside Amelia, and faced Angela, who sat on the opposite side.

“Fine, but I am anxiously waiting.” Angela filed her protest, appearing impatient to know more. “Not that I am complaining, but how are you two end up getting married when I hardly noticed you were dating.”

She had foreseen that they were a match made in heaven from the first day she had introduced them. But they had made it clear to her that they were both uninterested.

.....

Then, when she thought they were finally making her dreams come true, his grandson had to mess it up. She seriously believed that Amelia would never forgive him after that.

But she was happy to see that her grandson had made the effort of correcting his mistake and mending it with Amelia. She still felt that they should end up together. It was a grandmother’s instinct to believe they were soul mates.

“We...” Amelia was about to answer her when someone else joined them.

First, the dog barked at the newcomer, trying to catch everyone’s attention, then they all shifted their eyes at the entrance to the kitchen.

“Good morning! Angela. I see that everyone is late at the breakfast table.” Eida dragged herself into the room and hugged her friend, Amelia, who she had not seen for a few days. “Hello, Goliath!” Patting the dog to appease him before she sat right next to Evan. “Hi! Evan.” She added as an afterthought.

“How is Luisa?” Amelia asked, seeing that her friend was alone and there was no sign of their little angel. She had missed her so much, even if she had just been gone for a few days.

It would appear her friend had also overslept. Eida seemed exhausted despite just waking up, looking at her dark eyebags and haggard face. Her friend grabbed a cup of coffee and sat right next to her.

“She is a nightmare,” Eida grumbled like a woman about to lose her sanity. She almost looked the part with her messy hair and clothes that were out of place.

“How come?” Evan was the one to react to her description of her child. Amelia could tell that Evan had never had a chance to deal with a child in his life. “She could not be that bad.” He continued, confused.

“I hardly had a good night’s sleep, and this is all your fault.” She pointed at Amelia and then Evan. “You and you.”

Although it was not right to blame others for her shortcoming as a new mother, she was tired and desperate. She realized that it was not easy to be a single parent. Blame it on postnatal depression and temporary insanity.

And in her friend’s absence, Eida discovered that since her baby was born, she had depended on Amelia for more than just moral support. But in actually taking care of her baby in many ways than one.

“Why don’t I take care of her while you take a good, long nap.” Amelia offered, knowing how hard it was to care for an infant with very erratic sleeping habits. And Luisa was quite a crybaby.

She had been helping Eida by babysitting for her when she was at her work. But since she was away for several days, her friend must be going crazy juggling between her responsibility for her job and their very demanding princess.

But now that she was getting married, she wondered how Eida and Luisa would manage without her. Although Angela stayed with them, they could not impose on her to take care of a baby.

Angela could hardly manage herself nowadays. Luckily, she had Bea following her around, working on her beck and call. If not for her, she would have been another person they would have to worry about, not that they would mind. It would just have been more challenging.

“Oh, you are a lifesaver.” Eida mellowed down, drinking her energy booster and munching on her breakfast. “But I think I heard wedding bells before I passed out earlier. What was that all about anyway? We need details.”

Now, she was back, and the reporter in her had finally kicked in with the caffeine boost as she rattled questions after another faster than anyone could answer.

“I already explained and apologized for all the misunderstanding.” Evan was the first to speak. “Yes, it is all a big misunderstanding.” Pointing to the other people in the room that he was not the biggest scumbag they thought he was.

“Yes, he is not. And I have accepted his explanation and promised he would not hurt me again.” Amelia interjected, helping Evan to convince her two friends who were scrunching their noses at him.

“Then, that is good news.” Angela turned her frown into a smile, tapping Eida in her hands for her to be more supportive of the two. “Don’t you think so, Eida? So, how did you propose?”

Although she was happy about the turn of events between her grandson and Amelia, she still could not help but be worried that they might be jumping the gun.

Suddenly, why were they in a rush to get married? First, they could not even stand to be alone in the same room. Now, they thought they could not leave without each other.

“It is a long story.” Evan was in no mood to recount how everything happened. Well, it was not the whirlwind romance he had initially intended, but at least it got her to say yes.

“Don’t be such a killjoy, Evan,” Eida complained when he did not offer the details. She wanted the entire story, every gory detail of it.

She was not sourgraping that Amelia was getting the ring that she could only dream of, but she would like to be supportive of her friends. Eida wanted to hear their story even if it would make her cry tonight, thinking about it.

“Well...” Angela and Eida simultaneously said as they turned to Amelia for some answers. They were not letting her off the hook that easily.

Angela only wished they were not in a hurry to marry because a bundle of joy was already cooking in her belly. Although she would still love to have a grandchild, she was old-fashioned. It would be preferable if they could still wait to get married before having a baby.

“Are you pregnant? Is this why the sudden news?” It was Eida who voiced Angela’s concern.

“No!” This time, it was Evan and Amelia who answered at the same time.

“She is not pregnant.”

“I am not pregnant.”

They could not blame them for thinking that since they were barely dating and here they were planning to plunge into the unknown. Was it love at first sight? They had no idea.

But they seemed drawn together by a strong connection. No matter how much each one had tried to stay away, the two kept coming back to each other’s arms.

“Fine, but I will tell you the short version of his romantic proposal. Are you ready to hear it?” Amelia looked at the two as they anticipated her story.

She could already tell they were making up their story about how he had proposed, but they would never guess what had happened.

“What? Spill it out.” Eida was the first to complain as she looked like a paparazzi, starving for a juicy gossip story.

“Ok. I am sure you will love it.” Evan nonchalantly mumbled as he rubbed his face, unsure how he should feel about it.

“When he finally decided to propose, I was drunk and fell asleep. I thought it was a dream when I woke up the next day.” Amelia could see the confusion in their faces. Not exactly the kind of reaction one would expect.

“Well, that is anticlimactic,” Angela answered, but she was happy that Evan had managed to recover the next day. But she was also glad that Amelia had helped him through it. She hoped it was a good sign.

As his grandmother, she only hoped that her grandson would end up with a good woman to stand by his side and build a good family. She still believed that Amelia was the perfect choice for him.

But as a friend of Amelia, she could only guide her grandson to be a better man because her friend deserved more than he had done so far. Her grandson needed to be more.

She was not referring to becoming the knight in shining, shimmering armor who would constantly save the day. Contradictorily, her grandson had to remember to work less and learn to be a good husband.