The Royal Contract

1169 Oooppps!

She watched him go down on his knees in slow motion. Her eyes registered his action, but her brain had difficulty processing the suddenness of what was happening before her.

When he finally extracted the black box from his pocket and showed her the ring, it was the only time it made sense to her. It looked like he was proposing.

No. No. No.

Was she dreaming?

She meant yes.

But how could she answer him when he had not asked the question yet? Then, she felt overwhelmed with emotion as she looked into his eyes, which proudly reflected his love for her.

She did not expect someone would love her in such a way. She always thought that she was already damaged goods. No man would ever take her seriously. But here he was, ready to spend his life with her.

If she was whimpering before, she was fully crying now. “Hey, Ria, what is wrong?” He asked, seemingly afraid and concerned.

“Nothing.” She answered him, still staring at the big diamond rock in the center of the ring. It was not the size of the stone or the worth that mattered to her but what it symbolized. “Nothing is wrong.”

.....

“Then, why are you crying?” Zach asked as he looked up at her while checking her face, still looking quite concerned.

“I don’t know.” She admitted as tears continued to fall from her eyes like a waterfall. But she quickly wiped them, trying to put her emotions in check.

She finally bent her knees to level with him. One of her hands touched the right side of his face while the other held onto his arm for support. She could also feel his body trembling, telling her he was as nervous as she was.

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“What are you doing to me?” She finally said as she expelled the air that seemed stuck in her lungs. She felt like she was on a roller coaster ride that never stopped going up and down the tracks.

“I only want to make you happy.” He finally said as his hand moved across her face, using his fingers to wipe away her tears. “Because you make me feel like I am the luckiest man in the world when I am with you.”

She suddenly smiled at his words. Nobody had said anything like that to her in her entire life. She remembered every time she ended up with a family. They would say she was nothing but a piece of trash, a menace to society. “No wonder your parents throw you away.”

She never believed them, fighting every chance she had to uplift herself. She made her way through the difficult times with hard work and determination. She never gave up on her dream.

She might have encountered several bumps on the road. But she managed to push through. Still, she never expected that something like this would happen to her. That someone would love her the way he did.

“I never want to see you crying again, not if I can help it.” He promised her, but could she believe his words? Could she trust a man like him?

Of course, she could because he was Zach. The most wonderful man she had ever met. She believed he would never hurt her, not intentionally. And if he did unwittingly, he would always try to make up for it, just like what he was doing now.

“Please, give me another chance to prove how much I love you.” He pleaded with her, not just by his words but through his eyes as he looked deep into her soul. It was as if he was searching deep in her heart for his second chance.

“Ok. But you have to ask the question first.” She said, nodding her head in agreement. Then, she pouted her lips at his hand that still held the ring in the palm of his hand.

She could feel cold sweats breaking free from behind her neck, on her forehead, and nose as goosebumps spread through her body. She could feel the excitement coursing through her veins, firing her heart into a frenzy.

“Of course,” He answered as he realized what she had said. He poised the ring toward her, moistened his lips, and took a deep breath. “I practice the words I wish to tell you. But I forgot the lines.”

He finally stood, pulling her up with him in a standing position. Somehow, she was glad because she started to have cramps from kneeling for far too long.

“Ouch!” She could feel the nerves tightening on her legs as the blood in her veins traveled through her legs. One of her hands moved to her legs, trying to relieve the pressure, but it was not working.

“What is happening?” He suddenly asked, slightly panicking when he saw her distorted face and felt her tightening grip on his arms as she tried to support herself.

“My legs.” She said as she limped toward the sofa and dropped on the couch. “Cramps.” She added as she massaged the affected area.

What terrible timing!

“Oh!” He finally understood and knelt again on her feet, but this time not to propose but to help her with her situation.

In just a few more seconds, she felt relief in her muscles as the tension eased up. “Thanks,” Ria said, feeling slightly embarrassed about another one of her unfortunate incidents.

“Don’t mention it.” He said. “Are you sure you are ok now?” Zach still looked worried about her, but she reassured him that she felt brand new. Now, all she wanted was the continuation of what was interrupted earlier.

“You can continue now.” She said, hoping the offer was still on the table and he had not changed his mind.

“Oh, right.” He said as he picked up where he had left off earlier. He stood from the floor and sat beside her on the sofa.

Now, they were face to face, eye level, as he took her fingers and cradled them in his hands. “I don’t want to make a long speech.

I only want to say I love you.

I want to marry you.

I want to make you happy for the rest of your life.

I want to provide everything that you will ever need.

I want to make you the Queen not only in my heart but also in my home.

I want to spend the rest of my life with you.

I want to be the father of your child, Edison.

And the father of the other children we will be making together.

I can’t live without you because you own me, body and soul.

Did I already mention that I want to marry you?

And I love you so much.

So, will you marry me?”

“No...” She said as she stared into his eyes. But this time, she had no tears to shed.

Instead, her eyes glistened with gladness, her face radiated with excitement, and her lips turned upward into a brilliant smile. “No, that is not a long speech. It was just perfect.”

She leaned forward until their foreheads touched, their noses breathed the same air, and their eyes spoke a silent language, conveying everything that words could not express.

“But before I answer that. First, we have to agree to a few conditions.” She told him, not wanting to rush to anything until they had cleared everything up in the air.

“Ok, so what are your conditions? I am sure I am up for an amicable settlement.” He seemed relieved. He probably thought that she had rejected his marriage proposal.

“I think we need to be honest with each other. I can’t handle any more lies or secrets between us. And I promise I will tell you everything you want to know about me, and you will tell me everything about you.” That was one of her conditions.

Her other set of rules was usually standard with any couple but still relevant if they would make their relationship work. She believed open communication was the key to a successful marriage and among other things.

“Ok. I can manage that.” Zach said, smiling at her prerequisites before accepting his ring. “But are you saying yes to my marriage proposal?” He asked as he furrowed her brows at her in question.

“Of course, I am saying yes for the time being.” She finally said, teasing him. “But that is temporary until...” But she failed to finish her words as his lips claimed hers, silencing all her provisions.

“You can lay all the rules, and I will follow them to the letter as long as you marry me and spend your entire life with me.” He answered her once he let go of her lips. “I will do anything for you because I can’t live without you.”

He took the ring from the box and immediately inserted them into her finger, declaring his undying love for her. “You made me the happiest man in the world.”

“And you made me the luckiest woman in the world.” She responded as she kissed him this time, pushing him back on the sofa and laying her body on top of him.

She started pulling his shirt off his body while he worked on removing hers. But both of them stopped when they heard a commotion.

“Oooppps!” Somebody suddenly said as he bumped into the side table and created a crashing noise when the table landed with a thud on the floor.