The Royal Contract

"Are we sure that we could trust Prince Edward?" The Lord from the North asked the other Council Members.

He was concerned with the rumors that he was hearing about the prince. After the stunt that he had pulled in the charity event that Alex had hosted. He wondered if he was suitable to be their new leader.

The Council did agree to give him another chance, courtesy to the request of King Edward. However, he was doubtful that he would like to serve a king with a questionable reputation.

"We all agreed to give him a chance." As usual, the duke, as head of the Council, defended the prince.

He had no love or loyalty for the prince. Nonetheless, his blood bound him to serve the king. By their law, he had to follow their protocol. 

But as part of the family, he could not ignore the plea of his brother to help his son to the throne. His brother had reigned over them with a firm but righteous. He still hoped that his son would do the same once enlightened with his responsibility.

Besides, he also had his reason why he wanted Edward on the throne. He would help keep Alex away from the highest position of the land if that was what he truly wanted.

"I still believed that Alex will be better suited to rule over us." Another one of the members spoke up. 

He could not see any comparison between the two princes. For him, Alex would always come on top, no matter where he looked at it. Edward would always fail against him.

"Let us give Prince Edward a chance to prove himself. After all, that was what we all have decided on in our last meeting." Fred stated, not wanting his colleagues to push for Alex any further until they had already exhausted all other options.

A knock on the door interrupted the meeting. Fred's secretary stood by the door, informing them that Lance was already waiting outside. They had asked for him to report to the Council to discuss his new assignment.

"Send him in." Duke Frederick instructed as he continued with their other agendas. It was his idea in the first place to involve Lance in the plans. He could foresee that eventually, he would become a great asset in the Kingdom.

He watched the young man stride into the room, appearing to be full of confidence. He confirmed that Lance certainly had many qualities resembling his son, Alexander. 

A thought occurred to him as he observed his every movement in these last couple of years. He wondered if Lance could become the next in line to the throne. He was a prince, after all, who carried their blood. 

He believed that he could be another good candidate as an alternative with Prince Edward and his son. If only he could find a way around their law, making Lance qualified to take over the Kingdom.

"You ask for me." Lance stood in front of the assembly and presented himself to the members.

Lance took the chair offered to him on the opposite side of the table. He was now situated directly in front of the duke. He observed the unreadable expression of the Council members as he tried to determine the purpose of the meeting.

He could only assume what the Council wanted from him. But he had guessed that it had to do something with Alex and Edward. It was the only possible reason why the Council required his presence.

"We have decided for you to continue with your training with Alexander." Fred had suggested this to the group knowing that the empire would benefit from what he would learn from the experience.

Lance had always been one of the brightest young men in their social circle. He always had been at par with Alexander, whether academically or with their skills as they were growing up.

He could also vouch for his loyalty, honesty, and the other good traits of a good man. Qualities that a true leader should possess. Any parent would be proud to have him as a son. He already had accomplished many things at such a young age.

"If that is what you wish. I am ready to do as you bid." He already figured this as much. 

He had foreseen this line of action from the Council after the stunt that Edward pulled. He had prepared himself for whatever the Council would ask him to do next.

He waited for further instructions on how he should proceed with the new plan. He was excited to go back and learn again from Alex. At the same time, he was looking forward to seeing Jacky once again.

"Good." The duke answered him with a nod. "You will leave soon. I will have my assistant arrange everything for you." 

The duke looked at him, glad that he had agreed once again with the initial arrangement, but there was something more that he had not yet told him. 

He stared at the young face of the prince, seeing the excitement in his eyes. He wondered if that had something to do with the job or it might be something else that was causing it.

"Then, I will start packing and arranging for my trip." The young prince told the Council members.

He waited for them to dismiss his presence, but the Council remained silent as if they were still waiting for something. He directed his attention to his father, the Count, who had been silent throughout the meeting.

"There is one more thing." The duke finally spoke up after a few minutes of silence. He waited for Lance to focus his attention on him, glancing once to the Count. "We also had one stipulation."

The duke stood from his seat and paced the floor until he stood in front of the massive window overlooking the courtyard. He could see the beautiful garden surrounding the place, but his mind was somewhere else.

"What is it? Tell me. I will do my best to comply." He had followed everything that the Council had instructed him so far.

He believed that their laws had always been just, and the Council had been fair at all times. He did not see any problems, putting some conditions in his duties to the people he had sworn to serve.

"The Council members and I had agreed that you should stop seeing a particular woman. I believe she goes by the name of Jacky, a friend of Dani." Duke Frederick spoke up.

He could not see any problem if Lance went out with her as his pastime, but a long-time relationship with a commoner was not acceptable in their society, especially in the palace laws.

It would cause an uproar in their circle and would create chaos in their Kingdom. People would start to question their social status and might even cost them their royalty status.

"But..." He wanted to argue about this matter, but he already knew that it was forbidden. He should have known better.

He had thought of the repercussions of going out with Jacky at the very start. But he had ignored it, thinking that it would not matter since he was not about to be king.. But it would seem that he was not an exception to the rule.