The Royal Contract

"What happened to you last night? You went missing." Alex said as they walked into the woods, carrying their rifles and individual backpacks for supplies.

They opted to walk at the back, letting the old ones lead the way. If all of them had a choice, they would rather have their ducks served on a plate.

"Yeah, we could not find you anywhere." Evan also commented as he started yawning. "But you should have woke us up early, so we were able to eat enough breakfast. I am still hungry."

"Stop whining. Here." David handed him a sandwich. "So, where were you last night? You missed the big event." David also inquired.

"A huge mistake." That was his answer, breathing exasperatedly, remembering what happened to him last night and this morning.

Marcus came out of the room to find Jacky just coming out of her room too. He did not know that it was her room close to the girl he slept with last night. Marcus could not even remember her name. If he could shoot himself, he would, for his stupidity.

He really should change his ways. Remembering the look on Jacky's face. Something in her expression did not feel right. He suddenly felt a pang of guilt as it reminded him of the hurt in her eyes.

He knew he should not feel guilty because she knew that their relationship was nothing but fun and sex. But it still felt not good seeing her in such a state. He could not decide now if he should say sorry to her or end it with her before it went beyond his control.

But the question was, how much in control did he still had with their relationship. He never felt like this before with another woman. Once he perceived that she was starting to get clingy, he just called it off. Then why was he having second thoughts about his relationship with Jacky? It was too confusing for him. Maybe he just needed a good sleep and a bottle of whiskey.

"By the way, why was Jacky not on the breakfast table?" He could not help not knowing. He was wondering if it was because of him.

"I have no idea. Maybe you pissed Jacky off. It appeared you also pissed Dani, which was why we all ended up here." Alex pointed out, making the two looked at Marcus with questioning eyes.

"You're the reason why we are here," Evan shouted at Marcus, which made the others looked at them. "What did you do?"

"Lower your voice. I did not know that Jacky would catch me." Marcus scratched his nape, trying to relieve the tension in his body. It would seem that this week would be the longest week of his life.

"Marcus, you asked Jacky to be your date. You don't run off with another girl for a quick fuck." Alex reprimanded his friend.

It was a few occasions that he could never agree with his friends' ways. Their womanizing ways were something he could not condone. He only did it once, and he knew he could never do it again. 

Not that he regretted it. It was the contrary. He wanted to find that girl again. It took him months to stop himself from thinking of her. And he finally did succeed, but it was like fate was playing a cruel joke on him. When he was not looking, he found her again.

"What about you? Why is your room empty?" He returned the question to Alex, wanting the attention away from him. Evan and David also looked at Alex when they heard the question.

"I decided to transfer to grandmama's house. Dani and I would be free from the prying eyes of our parents if we stayed there." He reasoned.

"You meant to say, just the two of you in that small house. Are you sure that is such a good idea?" Marcus could already see so many possible problems in that scenario.

"I do agree with Marcus." David interrupted their discussion. "Being in a cramped place with only the two of you could lead to many temptations." 

"By the way, let me remind you of our bets. Maybe that would help you from being tempted." Evan teased him as they all stopped at a clearing near the lake.

"We will set camp here." He heard his father instructed the guards who were carrying their things.

"It is quite a nice place. Are you sure there are many ducks in here?" Ethan asked Fred as they sat on a chair set up by their assistants. 

"I'm absolutely sure," Fred assured him, pointing to the long grasses on the other side of the lake. "That is where they mostly hide." 

They were far enough not to spook the ducks off but close enough for their rifles to hit the target once it flew.

"Then, I could not wait for the games to begin," Ethan said, but he was not only talking about the hunting of the ducks. He had a bigger target to shoot if he captured him, making a fool of his daughter.

"What about you boys? Aren't you going to join us?" Fred called to Alex and his friends, who were still standing a significant distance away from them. Whatever they were discussing, they were making sure that nobody could hear them, he thought.

But nobody could keep a secret in his palace, not even on his grounds. One way or another, he would find out whatever his son was keeping from him. 

"We're just setting up our camp. Give us a minute." Alex answered his father. He knew that he had no choice at the moment but to play nice with his father and Ethan. He was, after all, courting his daughter as far as they were concerned.

"Then, hurry up. I can't wait to shoot some ducks." Ethan smiled slyly, knowing that something was up. He could not wait to find out.

"Alex, you should be the first to shoot. Show them the right way to kill a duck." The duke knew that one of the best shooters in this land was his son. He was sure that he would not disappoint him.

He had heard about his transfer to his mother's house. He might think that he had escaped his fate by staying away. But when the king's calling summoned for him. Alex had no choice but to answer the call.