The Royal Contract

“Just take a taste and tell me what you think of it.” He encouraged her, releasing her hand.

He could not help the smile that showed on his lips, seeing the confusion on her face. He believed that she was trying to solve the mystery behind his surprise. But he was not giving up his secret, not yet.

“Fine. If I choke, then it is your fault.” She flippantly threatened him with a raised brow as a show of protest.

But when she took the first bite, memories of their first date came to mind. She quickly forgot about what she was protesting about. She could only concentrate on the explosion in her mouth.

If earning a man’s heart was through his stomach, she believed he caught her heart through his dessert. She fell in love with him all over again.

“Do you like it?” He asked after watching her take her first taste.

.....

He could see the delight in her eyes after letting the sweetness touch her tongue. She even closed them as she savored the different flavors in that one bite.

“Well, I will end up with a big belly and chubby cheeks if you keep feeding me like this.” She cautioned him as she took another piece into her mouth. “I wonder if you will still love me then.” She jokingly responded.

She took another bite, unable to resist the delicious taste that kept her wanting more. Eventually, her mind reverted back to the same question.

“Is this the surprise?” She continued to wonder out loud. She did not mind if it was. It was a wonderful treat that she would cherish for the rest of her life.

“Finish it, and I will tell you my last surprise.” He told her, placing his elbows on the table as he continued to watch her eat her dessert with gusto.

He also could not wait for her to finish the dessert so he could finally tell her what he had in mind. It was a surprise that he had been working on, even before he married her.

He was supposed to reveal it to her after the honeymoon. As soon as they got back. But the unfortunate incident happened, and all his plans had to take a back seat.

“Why don’t you help me? I think you also need a little flab on that perfect body.” She teased him as she fed him with one bite of the dessert.

As she scraped the plate for the last bite. She realized that something was stuck at the bottom of the layer. She moved the fork around it, and finally, a metallic object revealed itself.

It was too flat to be a ring, so she could already rule that out. She could see a familiar shape from her view, but she needed confirmation.

She picked it up with her finger and wiped the extra cream covering the shiny silver object. She now had a better view of what the item was.

But it only made her more confused than before, having no idea what it meant. She dangled the object in front of her, showing it to the man who obviously put it there.

“A key?” She finally voiced out her curiosity.

The first thing that came to her mind was a car, but then again, why would he give her a car. That just did not make sense to her. She also already had a key to their apartment. Not necessarily a key but access to this place.

Then, an idea went through her mind. Another apartment?

That was just insane since they already had a perfect apartment that suited their needs. They had no use for another one. A bank key for a safety deposit box? Still, she doubted that.

“Yes, a key.” He finally answered her, showing off his perfect teeth as he smiled at her reaction. “The key to our future.”

He could see that she had some sort of mixed emotions. He could see some form of excitement in her eyes, but still the curiosity about what he was talking about.

He still had not revealed the purpose of the key. However, it was more or less a symbol nowadays since many things did not use keys anymore.

High-tech cars could be started using electronic devices or even fingerprints. Even doors or locks did not use keys anymore. Many used cards, passwords, voice recognition devices, or other modern security means.

“What for? Who uses keys in this day and age?” She asked since the only key she had in her possession was a key used to open an old vintage chest. A box she inherited from her ancestors.

Other than that, everything was replaced with modern technology. Maybe other people still used it, but she doubted that his gift was something that came from the past.

“You will see.” He stood up from his chair and held his arm to her. “Will you join me on a trip?” He asked her as he waited for her to take his arm.

He could see that her confusion was growing. But he was not about to spoil his surprise by revealing it before its ready. She just had to wait.

“Where are we going?” She questioned him as she hooked her arm on his and allowed him to lead the way.

She thought they were going to the bedroom where he had kept his gift, but she looked at him with utter shock when he walked in the opposite direction and headed to the exit.

“You will see.” He answered her but did not supply more information. “I hope you will like this one.” He whispered in her ears before they exited the door.

If she was excited and anxious about this, he was too. He had planned all of this for her. But at the end of the day, it was her who would decide if she liked his surprise or not, not him.

He could keep creating a beautiful world for the two of them, but it would be useless if she was not a part of the building process. It had to be a shared effort to form a solid foundation.

He was not disregarding that she might react negatively about his plans. But he just wanted to be prepared for their future since he believed it was just around the corner.