The Royal Contract

"Do you mind if we take a break?" Camille looked down at her shaking hands as cold sweat spread across her forehead and down to her nape.

She woke up feeling like something was off with her body. Then, she had to rush to the bathroom as her stomach churned, making her expel what remained of her food last night.

But as the future Queen, she had obligations she could not ignore. Despite what was going on with her body, sick or not, she still had to perform her duties.

"Are you alright, Your Highness?" The woman assigned to guide her through her responsibilities looked at her with concern. "You look like you are ready to faint."

Her eyes somewhat found herself staring at her reflection in a mirror, seeing the paleness of her cheeks and how her eyes seemed to lose their luster.

"It is probably just lack of sleep." She tried to downplay her condition, thinking not much of it. "I am sure that it will eventually pass."

She remembered feeling uneasy last night as she kept turning and tossing in the bed. Maybe her husband's absence was the culprit. She guessed she was getting used to having him constantly around.

But Lance went on a diplomatic mission and had not returned yet. She believed she missed him terribly and had difficulty sleeping without him.

"Still, you should have the Royal physician check your health condition." The woman seemed unconvinced as she scanned her face again. "Let me just call the doc..."

But today, she pretended that it was nothing. It should not concern anyone as she attempted to proceed with her day.

"No, there is no need." She interrupted her, not wanting to make a fuss over something that she knew was nothing. "Maybe you can get me something refreshing to drink."

She thought it might be the heat, feeling the parchment of her lips. Maybe she needed to rehydrate and deeply breathe to get some air into her lungs.

"I still suggest we call a physician to check on you, Your Highness." The woman suggested, but it was still her call. Her guardian could not disobey her wishes.

The woman walked over to the other side of the study room and poured her a cold drink. Then, when she returned to her side, she quickly took the glass and drank its contents.

"Ahhh!" Camille could not help but feel the coldness of the liquid as it entered her mouth, gently gliding through her lips and down her esophagus.

Somehow, she felt a slight relief from the cold drink. But she guessed it was not enough for her body to recover instantly. Nevertheless, it was good enough for her to continue with her day.

"I think that feels better." She assured the older woman as she put the empty glass on the table and allowed the cold liquid to relax her body.

"Are you sure, Your Highness?" The woman still looked hesitant to drop the subject.

But, of course, she could understand the woman's agitation. If something happened to her under her watch, her guardian would be accountable to the King.

"Yes, so can we just continue?" She returned to the books that she had been reading for hours.

Some things that the ordinary citizens did not know about Royalties and their position in their monarchy were their responsibilities and duties to the crown.

Many thought that a Princess only had to look pretty and smile. What most did not know about her position was the amount of reading they had to do so they could perform their duties perfectly.

Princes, Princesses, and even the King and Queen needed to update themselves with the current trends, issues, and technologies. They had to study politics, current events, and even sports.

"Maybe we should continue the rest of this later. Princess Camille." The woman suggested as she closed the book she had been reading for almost a week.

As their future Queen, she needed to know how to support her husband in the decision-making regarding the Kingdom. Therefore, she must know how to run the Kingdom effectively as their Queen.

Besides, if anything would happen to the King and their child was not yet of age to take over the Kingdom.

As the future Queen, Camille would have to sit as the future King's mother, running the palace for her son until he could take over from her.

"Yeah, you are probably right." She thought there was something else she wished to do before her husband returned from his trip.

Suddenly, her earlier condition had become a distant memory as excitement and adrenaline took over her body at the thought of being with her King.

"But I suggest you take it easy for today, Your Highness." The elderly lady reminded her, warning her not to overdo things.

But she already felt great. There were no more signs of her fatigue or the butterflies in her stomach. It was like she had recovered in an instant.

She could only conclude it had something to do with her husband. She admitted that she was looking forward to his return.

"I will." She assured her, but something told her she might not heed the warning as she walked out of the study and went straight to the kitchen.

Of course, she did not need to cook or prepare anything. The palace had an entire staff to do that. But she could tell them what she wanted. Besides, that was part of her obligations. She had to learn how to run the house, or in this case, an entire castle.

"I think we already had everything under control, Your Highness." The head chef smiled at her, assuring her they did not need her help in the kitchen.

"I don't think I can argue with that." She knew not to micromanage the staff. Besides, if there was someone who could rally an entire battalion of cooks, it was the chef inside that kitchen who was wearing his baker's crown.

"Then, go on, Your Highness. You have better things to do with your time than slave yourself in my kitchen." The Head Chef gently ushered her to the door, kindly booting her out of her kitchen.

She guessed they were better off without her hovering around while they worked. Besides, she still had several other things to do than prepare their meal.

She moved toward the other side of the hallway and made her way to the back exit. She wanted to visit the rose garden to pick some fresh flowers.

"Hello, there." She greeted the much older gardener and the young boy working beside him. "Do you have something special for me?" She questioned, directing her eyes to the innocent eyes smiling back at her.

"Yes, Prince Camille." The boy enthusiastically responded as he jumped from his seat. "Wait here, I will get it." The boy suddenly ran to the other side of the garden, quickly disappearing behind some bushes.

"Please forgive my son for his insolence, Your Highness." The older man immediately apologized for his son's behavior while he bowed before her.

"That is okay," Camille assured the older man that she did not take offense to the boy's manners. On the contrary, she always enjoyed the boy's company.

"Tony is a sweet and kind boy. You should be proud of him." She added, not wanting to put the boy in trouble.

She believed the young boy was just excited to see her and eager to please that he sometimes forgot his manners.

Nevertheless, she would surely remind the boy never to do that before the other Royalties. She did not mind since she was not born in this world, but the others might not.

"Thank you, Your Highness. We are glad Prince Lance has chosen you to be our future Queen." The older gardener told her as he continued to bow before her.

She never dreamt she would be part of the Royal family, let alone become their Queen. Although she had lived in comfort and luxury, the Royal lifestyle was far different from what she was used to.

Nevertheless, she would do her best by working hard, living up to their expectations, and performing her duties with dignity and integrity.

She would try her utmost best not to disappoint her husband and the people she would serve. She would honor their tradition as if she had always belonged in their Kingdom.

"I do hope that I can live up to your expectations." She answered him, in awe of his support.

Honestly, she was not anticipating a positive response from the people when Lance announced their wedding.

After all, she was an outsider in their tightly knitted society. But through Lance's help and encouragement, she blended in with the people with less trouble.

Soon, even the citizens learned to like her, making it easier for her to deal with her new environment. She would be honest. She felt like she belonged in this world.

Eventually, the entire Kingdom hailed her as the Queen of the people.

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