The Royal Contract

In his defense, he did not get the chance when he got distracted by her crying and her sob story.

He was left wondering as he loitered in the hallway, waiting for her to come out of the room. He could follow her inside, but he knew when his presence was not necessary. So, he kept walking until he realized that it was almost dawn.

The light outside the window had brightened up the hallways, slightly removing the eerie feeling of the place. Still, it was a hospital. Many people died in this place every day, if not every hour.

“Evan, I did not know that you were here.” Suddenly, a voice called him from behind as he gazed outside the window, watching the tiny people crawling down the street like ants, getting ready for the day.

He was not surprised to see a familiar face visiting the Prince when he turned around to check who had called him.

“Uncle Fred.” He responded with a smile, disregarding the formality since he had grown close with the Duke during his friendship with his son. “I was in town when I heard last night about the accident. Alex asked me to check on Lance.”

.....

He immediately explained to the older man who stopped not far from him. He also noticed the other four well-dressed men behind the Duke looking his way.

Evan moved closer to the Duke, who had several companions he had seen before but never had the chance to meet, except for Lance’s father, Count Wellington.

“I hope that Lance fully recovers from this.” He offered his sympathy to the Count, although he doubted his words would mean much to him.

“Thank you.” The Count responded in his solemn voice. “Are you also a friend of my son?” He finally asked him, scanning him from head to toe.

“I am. By the way, I am Evan Blake.” He extended his hand to the Count to introduce himself formally.

The Count took it, bowing their heads lightly as in their customs. Then, the Duke stepped aside to introduce the other men behind him.

“This is also my friend, Mr. Leonardo Stewart. You might have heard of him from Alex.” The Duke introduced the last man on his right.

Who had not heard of the man? He thought as he extended his hands to him. He was one of the wealthiest men in this country, if not the world.

“Of course, Mr. Stewart. Alex speaks highly of your businesses.” Evan responded with some enthusiasm, remembering that this man was expanding in their city.

He could use an account as big as his company. Besides, opportunities like this were hard to come by, maximizing his chance to land him as a client.

“I am glad to hear that. But I can also say the same thing. Alex seemed to be doing so well with his business. I am just concerned about what happened with Mr. Hamilton.” Mr. Stewart replied with pity on his tone, but his face maintained an unreadable expression.

He must be good in a poker game, Evan thought as he closely examined the man.

However, he was not surprised to hear that they were already aware of the news about Ethan. Events like this were hard to hide from the media. Besides, Alex must already have updated his family about his father-in-law’s condition.

“We are all hoping he will also pull through from this.” Evan expressed, thinking of what his friend was going through.

He was suddenly glad that her grandmother was acting out her sickness. He would not know what to do if she was in the same boat as Ethan.

He could not imagine what Alex was going through with his father-in-law and cousin, both on the brink of death.

“We are all praying for Ethan and Lance’s quick recovery,” The Duke spoke up for everyone else in the group.

Then, the door of the room gradually opened, revealing his companion. Evan looked at her, but her eyes scanned the men before him, who eventually turned their heads to see who exited the room.

“Amelia?” Is that you?” The Duke asked, probably the first one to see her.

“Good morning, Your Highness,” Amelia addressed him upon seeing the Duke, slightly curtsying in his presence.

“Amelia, I am so glad that you are here.” Mr. Stewart walked fast toward her, enveloping her in his embrace. “I have been calling you. Why are you ignoring my calls?”

It made him frown his forehead at what he was witnessing. He expected the Duke would know her if he had been friends with Lance since childhood.

But Mr. Stewart?

The two knew each other. How? He asked himself as he continued to observe the people before him who seemed not surprised by the reunion.

“Dad, I am fine,” Amelia answered, shocked to see his father and looking like she was embarrassed by the scene his father was creating.

But not as stunned as he was to learn that she was the daughter of one of the wealthiest men in the world. Who would have guessed that? Not him.

“Will you excuse us, Your Highness?” Amelia faced the Duke, “... but I need to speak to my father alone.” She waited until the Duke nodded his head, granting her wish.

Evan watched as she dragged her father to the other corner, not wanting their conversation overheard by the Duke, the Count, and the other guests.

“Fred, if you do not mind, I want to see Lance before he undergoes his operation this morning.” The Count excused himself, not particularly interested in the scene on the other corner.

“I will go with you.” The Duke and their associates joined him inside, leaving him to wait outside.

He wished to go with them to see Lance, but at the moment, he could not leave Amelia alone, not until he knew she was ok.

He moved to the side, leaning on the wall, pretending he was not watching the interaction. But his eyes kept darting to the other two people on the floor, seemingly silently arguing about something.

He suddenly believed there was more to the story she did not mention last night. His curiousness would not allow him to rest until he found satisfaction.

When he saw Amelia sprinting away from her father and going straight to the elevators, he instantly knew something was wrong.

“Amelia, wait!” Evan shouted, not caring if his voice bothered anyone. But she did not stop, continuing to sprint in the hallway.

But he saw her father’s face when he passed by. He seemed not happy about her running away. Finally, he read something in his expression. He seemed furious.

He ran after her, ignoring the glares he was receiving from the people he bumped into along the way. He stopped the elevator just in time before it completely closed, inserting his hands in between the metal doors.

“Do you have room for one more?” He jokingly said, hoping he could brighten up her mood. But he was not expecting what she did next as she stepped closer and wrapped her arms around him as the door eventually closed.

But for the first time, he did not mind.

He did not flinch when she started to cry on his chest. This time, he knew what to do as he circled his arms around her shoulders, letting his fingers caress her hair in slow, gentle strokes.

“Don’t worry. I am here.” He finally whispered near her ears, using a soothing voice that he only used on his grandmother.

He just wanted to help and get to the bottom of this. Still, he firmly believed that he was no gentleman in his book. And just for clarification, he was not acting as the hero in this story.