The Royal Contract

“Where are you two going?” The man in a black uniform with an earpiece sticking in his ears held his arms to block their path. “This is a private place for special guests only.”

She suddenly realized that none of them must have recognized her with the clothes she wore and the hat and glasses on her face. Of course, the boy could never pass as one of their guests with his stained and faded clothes.

“I am going to my room.” She told him as she rummaged in her pocket for her keycard, showing it to him once she found it.

That should be enough to allow them entry since she had proof of staying on the premises. However, the man only sneered at her, glancing at her from head to toe. She could tell he did not believe a word she said.

“Where did you get that?” The man accusingly said, taking the card from her hands. “Who did you steal it from?” He continued, looking at her, and the boy liked they were pests he could not wait to squash.

“Who are you calling thief?” The boy finally reacted, ready to fight the man bigger than him threefolds or more.

.....

She could see the fury in his eyes, realizing the boy must have endured many unfair judgments in his short lifetime. She pitied the boy for whatever reason that he had lived alone in this world.

Was he abandoned as a child or orphaned by some tragic incident? Whatever the explanation of it remained a secret to the boy or through fate.

“Ken, let me handle this.” Stopping the boy from throwing punches in the air. Her companion might be short and skinny, but his bravery made up for what he might have lacked.

“As I said, I am a guest here.” But Serena still avoided telling him who she was. She would prefer to resolve this without using her name. But she could think of one way to end this misunderstanding quietly.

She could not make a scene, not wanting to create a commotion that would attract attention. “Will you mind escorting us to your manager, Sir? I wish to speak with him.”

It was the only way that she could settle this situation without creating too much raucous. The manager knew her condition and would sort this issue out without a fuss.

Nonetheless, the man only laughed at her, a full blast of laughter. She could tell he found her request hilarious. However, she was not letting this incident go unnoticed because she was going to teach this man a lesson he would never forget.

She found it insulting that this man would look down on someone who did not wear the finest clothes or had no golden trinkets covered with precious stones around their bodies. Who were they to judge her or them, referring to the boy standing behind her?

“I am sorry, but is there a problem here.” The woman from the reception area finally came to check on the growing fuss.

She looked calm and collected as she approached them, putting a forced smile on her well-made face. But she could see in her eyes that she could not wait to get rid of them since she probably thought they did not fit in with their standards.

The woman patted the boy on the shoulder to appease him, but she could tell that the woman was only doing that to avoid more confrontations. But she wondered if she would believe her.

“This man would not let us pass, but I have a keycard.” She would show her, but the man placed it in his pocket. “If you don’t believe me, let me just speak to your manager.”

She watched the woman’s initial reaction and knew just like the man. She found her claim outrageous. But she did not laugh the same with the security but merely gave them a condescending smile.

“I am sorry, but the manager had no time to deal with folks like you.” The woman politely said as she pouted at the boy and continued. “I am sure you will find better accommodation somewhere else.”

Then, the man signal for two other securities to their side, commanding them to escort their unwanted guests. “Please follow us.” But they were dragging them back to the main door.

Of course, she had more than enough of how the staff of this facility had handled her delicate situation. She never thought they would be so cruel to people they thought were beneath them. She could not stand it anymore.

“Serena, are you ok?” The boy asked when she tripped on one of the feet of the security, forcing them out of the lobby floors. She ended up kneeling with a loud thug. “Aaaggghhh!” She gasped in pain from the hard impact.

“Let go of me. I need to help my friend.” She heard the boy shout, looking before her as the boy struggled against the arms of the guard, dragging him away.

“Stop this instant.” She shouted, creating an echo inside the room. Luckily, it was late, and only a few people stood on the premises to witness her outburst. “Let go of him.” But she did not care anymore who else was out there.

She hastily removed her cap, releasing her long blonde hair from its confinement, and let it cascade down on her back. Then, she took off her glasses, distinctively revealing who she was.

“Ms. Serena?” The woman seemed to blink twice, unable to believe who she saw.

“Ms.Anderson.” The guards suddenly stopped, letting go of her and the boy upon realization of who she was.

“You are so ready to judge me for my appearance that you could not even recognize me with my flimsy disguise,” Serena said to the men and woman before her.

She knew that if they would have looked close enough at her face, they might get a hint of who she was. But hence, they only saw her clothes and readily concluded that she and her companion were not worth their time.

They were nothing but mere trash.