The Royal Contract

She did not want to wake up the other occupants, who were still probably sleeping soundly in their rooms. Especially their little angel that could become the devil if she disturbed her beauty sleep.

However, the lights suddenly turned on, almost blinding her when she entered further inside into an initially dark room. She had to shield her eyes with her hand to get them adjusted to the sudden brightness.

“What are you doing sneaking in the middle of the night?” A familiar voice reprimanded her. “Amelia, you almost gave me a heart attack, sneaking up like that.”

But due to the blinding light, she did not see the new vase blocking her path. She accidentally knocked it down until it created a smashing sound on the tiled floor. She did not mean it, but she did not see it.

“Correction! It is almost morning. Anyway, where did that come from?” Amelia did not remember that vase being there before. Angela might have added it to the decorations while she was away.

“I bought it yesterday.” Her friend answered her to answer her question.

.....

Finally, she saw Angela, by the switch of the lights. Her friend was staring at her with one of her hands, holding on to her chest. It was evident that Angela was not expecting company as her hand was still mildly shaking.

“I am sorry, Angela. I did not mean to frighten you.” She quickly excused herself. She knew she should have called them last night that she was coming home. Now, she almost gave her friend a cardiac arrest.

She hurriedly moved toward her and assisted her to the sofa as she requested her friend to sit while she got a glass of water. When she returned after a quick run from the kitchen, she saw her friend was calmer and more relaxed.

“I thought you would not be home for a couple more days.” Angela more or less stated than asked. She had implied that notion in their last conversation when she could not give them a definite date when she was returning.

“Well, the thing I had been handling while away was resolved earlier than I thought.” She explained to her friend without going into details.

“What is going on here?” Another voice joined them, followed by a whining baby. Eida walked to the living room with Luisa in her arms, joining them in the morning chaos.

It seemed that her plan not to wake them up had backfired. Now, all of them were wide awake. Even Bea and Goliath were not far behind as the commotion woke them up.

Now, she had three adults confused and very sleepy, a barking dog, and a whining baby to deal with, on top of her exhaustion. She was hoping to get some rest before she had to face them. But lucky as she was, here they were, all staring at her.

“I am making coffee. Does anybody else like one?” Bea asked as she moved toward the kitchen with Goliath following her. “Don’t bother. I will prepare for all.” Then, it was just her friends and their adorable princess, still complaining about ruining her sleep.

“What is going on with you, Amelia?” Eida suddenly asked as she danced Luisa in her arms, attempting to send her back to sleep. “You know you can talk to us if you have any problems.”

Somehow, the baby seemed to be responding to her questioning as she grew silent every second. Maybe she was also waiting for her reply, which she had no idea how to answer.

Nonetheless, her friends were looking at her situation wrong. They thought that she might need an intervention. But she did not. She had never felt great in her life. But, of course, they did not know that.

“Hey, guys. I don’t have any problems. I never felt happier than today.” Amelia genuinely smiled at her friends, not only ecstatic about what she would like to share with them. But also glad she had friends who cared so much about her. They would intervene on her behalf.

“Are you sure? You are not just saying that.” Angela gaped at her as if she had doubts.

But she could not blame them since she had been acting strange lately. Or maybe since she had met Evan. Admittedly, she had not been the same.

“Yes, actually, I have something to tell you guys. I was going to tell you about this later, but since we are all here, I might as well share it with you now.” She began, hoping she could spill it out and get it over with since they would find out about it soon enough.

“Well, what is it? Don’t make the suspense worse for my heart.” Angela grumbled this time as if she was about to have another episode if she did not hurry up.

She took a deep breath, garnering enough courage. She thought that telling them would be easy, but it was not as she stared into their expectant faces. She wondered what was going through their mind. Were they thinking the same thing she had in her mind?

“Come on, Luisa is almost asleep.” This time, it was Eida who was pressuring her.

One more deep breath, she told herself. Suddenly, she wished Evan was there by her side so they could say it together. But unfortunately, he was not. Anyway, here goes nothing.

“I am getting married.” She hastily blurted out of her lips before she lost her nerved. She thought she would stutter, but it sounded right in her ears.

Amelia could see the shock combined with the smiling faces of the people before her. It was like they were confused and happy at the same time. “Are you serious? To whom?” Eida added, still looking at her disbelievingly.

“Amelia is getting married to me.” She heard his voice behind her and suddenly felt relieved. Evan walked to the room and stood beside her, taking her hand in his firm grip.

She had to go to the apartment ahead of him since he had to deal with their luggage. Besides, she would also like to check if the coast was clear. As she said, she would like to sleep before dealing with her friends.

“Really?” Angela expressed with a satisfied smile. Well, the confusion and disbelief suddenly turned into delight.

“Yes, me, Grandmama. I already proposed, and she accepted,” Evan answered with an affectionate grin as he looked at his grandmother before turning his attention to the woman he was going to make his wife.

He disagreed that she should leave, at least not alone. Instead, he came along, dropping everything for her again. He wanted to be with her when they broke the news to his grandmother and her friend.

It was valuable news, and Amelia should not do it all alone. From now on, Evan was not letting her do anything by herself. They would become partners in everything they did until the end of time.