The Royal Contract

He looked a bit exhausted, but it was expected since he had been out the entire day since he left for the palace to visit his brother, who had been taken ill.

She already knew the news that the King was currently out of danger. But he still had to go through some examinations and further observation.

“He will live if he would stop being stubborn,” Fred answered his wife as he moved further into the room, removing the tie on his neck. “But he is the King.” So, he had the right to be, he thought.

He sat down on the edge of the bed, rotating his neck and shoulders to relieve himself from the tiredness and stiffness of his body. It had been a long day.

He had to deal with the King and his condition. Then, he also had to take over some of the responsibilities of the King while he was recovering. It was a burden he had to take while his brother was trying to regain his strength.

Katherine sighed, sensing the tension that his husband was feeling. She quickly shifted into a sitting position, moving closer to his husband.

.....

Then, she knelt behind him, putting her fingers on his shoulders as she started massaging the stiff flesh underneath her fingertips.

“Well, what do you expect? He is your brother.” She responded with a little bit of teasing as she continued to work on the tense muscles on his shoulders. “If I am right, you share the same blood.”

She smiled at her husband when he turned around to look at her. She did enjoy the moment they were having. It had been a while since she could freely laugh at something she said.

Since the unfortunate incident, their lives had just been cruising from one problem to another. It was nice that their lives appeared to be getting back to normal.

Today, she was thankful that Edward’s unfortunate incident did not turn out for the worst. It was a great relief to hear that they had avoided another possible catastrophe.

“Unfortunately, that is true.” He released a deep breath, hoping that would ease the burden weighing heavily on him.

Well, he could not deny it. Being stubborn and headstrong did run in his family. Regrettably, it was one of the flaws he had passed down even to his son.

“Then, what is wrong?” She asked him, noticing that he was unusually more quiet than usual. “Is there a problem?” She suddenly grew concerned.

Typically, he could not wait to tell her about his day. Then, he would ask her about her activities while he was away. Somehow, she sensed that today was different.

His mind seemed to be elsewhere, appearing to be in deep thought. He barely even looked around the room as his eyes focused only on the empty space before him.

“No, nothing.” He quickly denied that anything out of the ordinary was happening when he realized she had asked him a question. But then immediately changed his mind. “Well, there is something.”

He could not keep a secret from his wife, not when it involved her, too. Not directly, but in a way, he believed that her opinion should matter in his decision.

After all, this was not purely about the kingdom and his obligation as the Council’s head. His decision might not only affect their nation but likely, also cause a problem with his family.

“What is it?” She could not wait for his answer as her anxiety increased by his silence. “Tell me.”

She could tell that whatever was bothering him was a burden he was carrying on his shoulders. She just hoped that he would share it with her, so she might be able to help.

She might not be the most intelligent person in the kingdom, but she still had a rational mind inside her brain that she could depend on.

She had helped her husband countless times before, proving that she was not just a pretty face. But someone who had ideas that could help him in many ways than one.

“Well, his condition made him realize that he is not invincible. We are mere mortals, borrowing time in this world,” Fred said to Katherine with his solemn look.

Edward was not the only one who thought of that. First, it was Ethan. Now, it was his brother. He wondered if it was his turn, would he survive the episode.

He could only think of the repercussion of such an event. A chill ran through his spine as his mind feared the inevitable. He was not afraid to die, but he was terrified to leave his wife alone.

“We all know that. But we make the most of our time and try to make it count. That is all we can do.” Katherine understood his concern.

Experiencing a traumatic event such as this could make anyone reevaluate their life. She had also been thinking about how she had been living her life.

“Well, in his epiphany, he told me that he would be announcing his next heir.” He ran his fingers through his hair, then he turned around to finally face her.

She had every right to hear this because he would need her valuable advice in this matter. It was not his future he would be dealing with but the future generation of his family.

“Who?” She looked at her husband in surprise. “Edward?” Questioning him, puzzled by what he told her.

At the moment, the only choices on the table for the next in line to the throne were her nephew, Prince Edward, and her son, Alexander.

However, due to the current circumstances, she heard that Edward might not be qualified to take the crown. That would leave his son to be the only obvious choice.

But that was very unlikely since his son had already refused to follow his heritage. He had already carved a path of his own and happily built a new life with his wife.

“No.” He said, staring at his wife as if he wanted her to understand the predicament that he was in.

One thing he loved about his wife was her ability to read him. She could sense if he needed her, especially in situations like this. But she never judged her, only supported her in the background.

“No.” She finally realized what he meant. She knew now that he was not talking about Edward.

Instead, the King wanted to name Alexander, to be the new heir to the throne. The King probably asked her husband to convince their son to accept his fate.

“He did not.” She finally voiced out her shock. She could not believe that Edward would force his brother’s hand in this matter. “I hope you are not seriously thinking about following his request.”

She believed that Alexander would not like being forced into the position. It had been an issue before, and now, she could already foresee the strain it would, once again, put on their family.

“It is not a request this time. It is an official royal command coming from our King.” Fred revealed to his wife the secret conversation they had that morning.

He had been sitting on this information all day, figuring out if he should follow his brother or ignore him. He was conflicted between his various roles as a brother, a subservient, and a father.