The Royal Contract

She just sat down at her place at the dining table, waiting for his husband and the others to join her for lunch. She usually took care of the arrangements in the kitchen when she visited the grand palace.

Today, she had the chefs prepare a good meal for her family. It was the only way she could distract herself from thinking about Alex and Dani. 

She could not keep brooding about her son and daughter-in-law, or she might go crazy. She had to trust her husband. She believed he was doing everything to get their kids back.

"I heard that a reporter is trying to get in touch with you," Katherine informed her husband, who had just walked into the dining hall to have their lunch.

She had a chat with their head of staff earlier. Grace had mentioned to her that her niece had visited that morning. Grace did not want the duchess to hear that from someone else, especially the part where her niece was snooping around.

"Who?" He asked as he sat down right next to his wife at the center of the long table.

He could already think of several names that might have booked an appointment with his secretary. But he had declined at all their request courteously at the moment.

"Ms. Eida Harlowe." She revealed the identity of their intrusive reporter. "Grace informed me that her niece was trying to convince her to reveal  our location."

Personally, she had liked Eida when she first met her. Eida was not like most reporters who only wanted a story for a big paycheck. 

She never told a story that did not go through a thorough investigation. She was a responsible journalist who was cautious not to destroy a reputation without sounding evidence.

"What did Grace say to Ms. Harlowe?" Fred asked her wife as he turned to her with interest.

It was rare that his wife would not talk to him about the rumors circulating around the palace. She only did that when she believed that the information was detrimental to their family, the operation of the house, or the welfare of the kingdom.

"Nothing. You know Grace will never spill information about us or anything that goes on around the palace." Katherine defended their most trusted head of their staff.

Grace had been serving the previous duke and duchess before she even entered the family. When she finally married the duke and became the duchess, Grace swore to be loyal to her as well.

"Good. But what else did that reporter want from us? We already gave her the exclusive of the wedding." Fred asked with growing concern.

He wondered if the reporter had any idea of the abduction. Or was she just snooping around for more scoop? He had learned that the news of his son's wedding to the Hamilton heir had reached the entire world. 

The media from all over the world was growing into a frenzy. Many were trying to get a piece of the story. Hence, the long line of reporters waiting to get an appointment with him.

"That is what Grace was talking about. Eida seems to be desperate to see you. She believes her niece had some information she wanted to share only with you." Katherine explained what she had gathered from their conversation.

"Did Harlowe even leave a hint of what she was talking about?" The duke asked his wife, suddenly getting curious about what Harlowe wanted to share with him. Why the secrecy?

He had always been wary of talking to the press, but Eida had proven to be different from most of them. That was one of the reasons he had given her the exclusivity of the wedding coverage.

He was proven to be right in his decision. Eida had provided a magnificent presentation of the wedding to the world. He only had seen a few parts of it, but he heard from the others that it was good.

"Grace said that she only wanted to talk to you. Though what she had to say seems to be important." Katherine related to him.

She wished she could tell her husband more, but Grace also had no idea what Eida was talking about. Since she trusted Eida, she believed it was something to look at.

"Hmmm," Fred contemplated this latest information, whether he should take it seriously or just ignore it.

However, he could not help but question if Harlowe knew something related to the situation. If that was the case, then it was imperative to meet with her as soon as could be arranged.

"Do you think she has any knowledge of who took our kids?" Katherine asked, hopeful that a breakthrough in their case might be just within their reach.

Eida was an investigative reporter. It was not farfetched that Eida might have stumbled into something that would help them find the missing couple. 

"We will know when I have the chance to talk to her. I will set up a meeting right away." Fred declared, thinking he had to give the reporter a chance to air her piece.

He thought it was at least worth a shot. Besides, what would he lose if he talked to the reporter? What could be the worse that could happen?

Maybe, she would try to get a new scoop about the newlywed from him. But he could always concoct a story to cover up the actual situation if the need ever arose.

"So, you are meeting with her." She asked, agreeing with his decision.

She never usually meddled with how he dealt with problems that involved the running of the kingdom. But regarding Alex and Dani, she would not keep quiet if he chose the wrong one.

"I guess I have no choice. I am curious about what Eida has to say." He told her wife. In all honesty, he was starting to get desperate. He would welcome anything that might help him at this point.

A commotion at the entrance made him stop and turn in the other direction. He realized that his brother had finally arrived to join them for the banquet.

It would be just the three of them today. Prince Edward had left last night after their meeting. Then, the rest of the visitors that stayed at the palace for the celebration went home.

"Do we have any lead to the case?" The King finally asked, trying to update himself on the current situation.

He failed to visit his brother this morning to check on the status. As King, he also had other pending matters to attend to that he could not ignore. 

The kingdom kept receiving problems that required immediate attention. Since Fred was busy finding his son, he knew he had to step in and fill his shoes too.

"Not yet, but we are getting closer. We are looking at something that might give us a clue." Fred told his brother, wishing that the few leads they had would bear fruit.

Fred understood that his brother was concerned about his son's involvement in the case. If he was in the position of the King, he would also exhaust all possibilities to help his son, even if what his son did was wrong. 

If Alex was also framed, he would want others to give him the benefit of the doubt. He would also beg for them a chance to prove his innocence.

"Let me know if you need anything else. The kingdom and its entire resources are at your disposal if you need it." The King offered, hoping that would speed up the investigation.

King Edward wanted nothing more but the rescue of the prince and the princess and their safe return home. Moreover, to clear his son of any wrongdoing.

His son might have lost his chance at the throne after his involvement with a criminal. But he wished that he would not end up in jail.

"I will." The duke responded, thankful for the support of his brother. "Is there any news on Prince Edward? He continued, trying to hear if there was something there that could be useful.

The Council, with his blessing, had allowed Prince Edward a chance to clear his name. In return, the prince promised that he would return with proof that would help them with the case.

"Nothing yet. But Edward had already confronted Nick. He would try to get as close to him as possible, even watching his every move. Maybe he would be lucky to find something." The King informed the couple.

The King was thankful that the Council had been lenient with his son. He just hoped that his son would find some substantial evidence that would help his situation.

"Let me know if he had any clue. Even the slightest hint of what Nick was doing. Maybe we could get something from that." Fred told his brother.

Although there was some evidence linking the prince to the criminal mastermind. The duke still believed that it was not yet conclusive.. Besides, everyone was innocent until proven guilty.