The Royal Contract

After their temporary escape, the couple went back to the party. This time, they managed to find Jacky and Marcus among the crowd. The two men excused themselves to talk to some people, which gave Dani and Jacky some time to be alone. 

"How are you two doing?" Jacky moved closer to her and asked in a low voice.

"So far, so good. I think nobody suspected anything yet. I hope nobody will." She added the last part quickly, not wanting anyone to catch them with their lies.

"What about Alex?" Jacky asked in a whisper, not wanting somebody else to hear their private conversation. Luckily, the two men were very far away from them, talking to the other guests.

"What about Alex?" Upon hearing his name, Dani quickly looked at the man in question, wondering if he could overhear them because he, too, suddenly looked at them. Their eyes locked for a brief second before she looked away.

She did like that she was starting to get comfortable around him. Talking about various topics around the sun with him was getting easier. It would make their life of pretending to be a couple so much easier.

The only thing that she did not like was her body's reaction when he was near, especially when they were alone. She needed to have better control of her senses before she made a fool of herself around him. 

She knew she was better than most girls who would throw themselves on a man just because of some desire of the flesh. She believed she was better than that.

"How is he treating you?" Jacky grabbed two champagne glasses from a passing waiter and handed her one.

Jacky might be enjoying the party, but she was still keeping an eye on her friend. She was here not to socialize with these people. She came here to be Dani's support, so that was what she would do.

"He had been a total gentleman. I have nothing to complain about." She told her friend. Although there were a few rough edges on how they started, things went smoothly afterward, Dani thought when she recalled their time together.

"I'm glad to hear that. But make sure to tell me if Alex oversteps his boundaries." Jacky reminded her.

Jacky knew that Dani could very well take care of herself. She had a black belt to prove that. But sometimes, she believed that having a friend around was better than handling a problem alone.

"Don't worry about me. What about you and Marcus? How are things going?" She remembered what happened earlier in her room. 

She wondered if her friend still had an internal dilemma about her relationship with Marcus. She believed that her friend had bitten more than what she could chew. The fling her friend started with Marcus was becoming something more. And she had no idea what to do with it.

"I think I went temporarily insane," Jacky admitted to her. "This whole romantic getaway got to me, and my brain got whacked believing that this was all real. But I am all better now. You can forget what happened earlier."

Jacky was not particularly into this kind of celebration. She never knew wealthy people before she met Dani. The flashy things, the new clothes, fancy pieces of jewelry were all new to her. She had allowed the glamour and glitter of all these things around her to get to her head.

In addition, the unusual behavior of Marcus towards her since they left New York created a delusion in her head. She believed that what they had was developing into something more than just a fling on the side. Fortunately for her, she woke up from her illusion. She quickly recovered before she became trapped in a relationship that they both knew had no future.

"Are you sure about that?" Dani could not help but be wary of her friend. Sometimes she wondered if she was as strong as she made her believe.

Jacky might have grown up fighting to survive, but Dani still believed that her friend was just another girl who also another girl who sometimes still needed someone to look after her. Her strong armor might not be strong enough when her real battle came. 

She would need a friend who would fight with her. She planned to be there when that time came.

"Excuse me, ladies." A very handsome man suddenly stood in front of her and introduced himself. "I am Edward, a cousin of Alexander." He made a slight bow as their sign of respect.

"Hi, Dani, and this is my friend, Jacky." She also introduced herself and her friend, offering her hand for a shake. But instead of shaking it, the man took it and gave it a slight kiss on her knuckles. He did the same with Jacky, complimenting them with their beauty.

"It was my pleasure to meet such lovely ladies. But if you won't mind, I would like to ask if you care to dance with me." Edward could see that she was still having doubts. "Just one dance." He added to convince her.

She was hesitant, unsure of what to expect in this scenario. She was uncertain if she should dance with this man but also reluctant to decline since he was part of this royal family.

If Edward and Alexander were cousins, then that would also make him a prince, just like Alex, she concluded. 

She looked at Alex, who had his back turned on her earlier, but he was gone. She had no one to ask for guidance. Well, in her world, if somebody asked her politely for a dance, she usually accommodated the request. 

"Come on, Dani. He's only asking for one dance." Jacky encouraged her to accept, finding nothing wrong with it. 

"Ok. One dance." She answered back. She could also see no wrong in having a dance with a relative of Alex. Besides, she did not want to make unnecessary attention by refusing to dance with him.

Edward showed her to the dance floor while she looked behind her, only to find that Alex was still not with Marcus. She had no idea where Alex was or if he was even aware that she was about to dance with another man. Then again, Dani did not know why she was making a big deal out of this. 

"So, is Dani your actual name, or is it just a short version of something more feminine," Edward asked as he started to guide her to the music. "It is quite rare to hear a man's name in a gorgeous young lady like you."

He seemed to be a good dancer by her standard but quite a charmer too. She could detect a line from a mile away, and that unmistakably came from a textbook.

"Dani is short for Daniella." She confirmed his guess. "What about yours?" Trying to shift the conversation away from her. She was not about to discuss her personal life with a stranger.

"Edward the third. Named after my grandfather, and then my father. Well, I wished that they had named me with something else. But instead, just like my name, I had to follow in their footsteps." Edward stated as he continued to sway her in time with the rhythm.

Then, it swiftly occurred to her. She was not dancing with just anyone and no ordinary prince. Edward was the future king of this kingdom.