Ignis asked again "Do we need to add those as well?"
Adrian thought for a moment.
"It's better to add those. For some reason, I feel you will try to avoid these duties, and I do not want to leave a chance to sue you" he replied cockily.
"I assure you, Your Highness, I will not run away from my responsibilities" Ignis shook her head and asked "What do you want me to add?"
"I honestly don't know what to add. I mean what are the usual duties of a couple?"
"Going shopping together?" Ignis suggested playfully.
"No"
"Why?" she pouted.
Adrian looked at her and let out a small laugh. "OK, let's go shopping together"
She quickly added the point in the list.
"What would you like to shop for?" he asked curiously.
"Gems" her eyes brightened.
Adrian listened to her brag about all the kinds of gems that are found in Fyre Land.
"You look charming right now" Adrian was looking at her with adoration. Ignis was surprised with the sudden compliment. Flushed, she quickly changed the subject.
"How many days should we sleep together in a month? Three days should be enough, right?" she asked without looking at him.
"What do you mean by how many days? The moment we marry, we will be sharing the same room" Adrian was clearly surprised with her question. "Do couples in your family take appointments before sleeping together?"
Ignis nodded, for some reason she felt embarrassed. "Husband and wife sleep in different quarters. Only on an agreed date they sleep together" after a pause she asked. "Can we do the same?"
"No"
"Why?" she frowned, pressing her aching temple. Lack of sleep and continuously concentrating in dim light is pushing her at the edge. She wanted to quickly finish the contract and move to her bedroom.
"Princess, we need to, foremost, form a bond. How are we going to trust each other when we don't know anything about each other? This will not only help us in our Royal activities, but, also when we want to have our own child"
'Child?'
She saw a flashback of a ten year old Ignis crying behind bars. She kept calling for help in the dark, foul smelling dungeon, but no one responded. Little Ignis fell on the ground, wheezing, her eyes unfocused. Her cry kept echoing around Ignis in the King's chamber.
"Princess?" Her eyes slowly focused on Adrian's concerned face. He cupped her face "Are you fine? You seem to have lost all the color"
She forced herself to speak calmly "I am fine. Let's write it down"
She moved away and took the quill but her hand started shaking. She quickly hid her hand under the table and massaged it with the other hand. 'Not now... Please!'
Adrian pulled her hand out and held it in both of his hands, gently rubbing to give some warmth.
He waited for her to calm down.
"We should also take efforts to share our thoughts with each other, without being judgemental" Adrian said after some time. "But, let's not rush, and take our time. Let me know once you are ready"
She nodded "I genuinely don't want to hide anything from you. When the time is right, I will slowly tell you everything"
Adrian nodded, pleased with her reply.
"Also, about having a child... I never thought about having a child and that will not be a priority in the near future as well. It might take longer for me to feel ready"
"I understand"
Ignis slowly tried to pull her hand from his grasp, but he didn't let it go. He took his quill and added points on both the parchments with his bandaged hand.
Ignis stared at his hand, the bandage looked loose. "When was the last time you changed the bandage?"
"I didn't get time to change" he frowned when he looked at his hand. "I will ask the healer to change it in the morning"
"Wait here" she got up from her seat and went to the door. She asked one of the guards to bring fresh bandages and ointment. Domi was nowhere to be found.
She got back with the bandages and saw him writing a point diligently on both parchments.
"What else have you added?" she asked, peeking from behind him.
"Just that we will call each other by our first name"
"No"
"Why?" he asked, surprised with her instant no.
"That won't look good in front of the nobles. If you want we can use first names when we are alone."
"Fine" he said half-heartedly.
"I wish to call you 'Princess' even after you become the Queen. And you must call me Adrian" he slightly leaned forward towards her, showing his excitement.
"What about my wish? I should decide how I call you. Isn't it?" Ignis pouted again
"How do you want to call me?" Adrian asked.
Ignis took his hand and removed the old bandage.
"I was thinking about 'Dear' or 'My Love'. These are in trend these days"
They both looked at each other and burst out laughing.
"That's quite cliché" Adrian said.
Ignis checked the injury for any pus or swelling before applying the ointment. Then she proceeded to cover his hand with fresh bandages.
"I can feel you staring at me, Your Highness". She looked up to meet his dark blue eyes.
"Did I make you uncomfortable? I am sorry, but, I couldn't help it" he shrugged.
'Argh! Here he is openly expressing himself without any embarrassment, and on the other hand, there is me, who cannot help but turn red on every glance that I steal'.
After some more discussion, they finished writing all the points.
"Here, you can stamp your seal near the last line" he pointed out the place for her.
They both stamped their seals and exchanged the contracts with each other.
After neatly putting everything away, Adrian crossed his arm on the table and placed his head on it.
"Princess, tell me about your happiest memory" Adrian asked her, his eyes were drooping shut.
Ignis placed her head on the desk and looked at him. Happiest memory?
She closed her eyes and thought of anything that can be called happy in her life. All her so-called happy memories were with her mother, which she slowly started to forget. She kept thinking. Right before losing herself to the darkness, she saw her placing her fingers in Adrian's hand and entering the Grand Hall.
'Yes, that was one happy moment. I finally felt safe after all!'