5. The Strange Proposal 4

Such accolades often leave the King confused because he believed that he was not, but it made him horny whenever she said it.

“Am I?” He asked, as he regularly did. To reassure him, she confirmed, “You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love you, my King.”

“I love you so much, my Queen. If I may ask, can you tell me more about Mirabel?”

At that moment, Phoebe was overwrought, 'What if he chose to take the slave as his second wife?' Phoebe mulled over.

The Next Day – At Mirabel's Chambers

Before she went to sleep the previous day, she had instructed her servants, that she would leave for work earlier than usual, and they were aware of what to do.

“We got it, Your Majesty,” they responded and served her with her light dinner. She went to bed very relieved. To her delight, she was not worried as she expected. Her grandmother's encouraging words calmed her fears. Then, the King's recognition of her and interest in her business, were the icing on the cake, and she had a peaceful sleep. To her pleasure, she woke up very energetic, and walked to the parlor. She sipped the Chrysanthemum tea that the chef had brewed for her, and was thrilled.

“Wow!” She exclaimed, and walked to her grandmother's chamber to greet her. Afterward, she returned to her chamber, and prepared for work.

“I have a meeting with high-profile clients this morning,” she informed her make-up artist and fashion designer. 

“It is noted, Your Majesty.” 

Thereafter, the fashion designer selected the right wears for the meeting, while the make-up artist gave her a good office make up, and she was delighted when she looked at herself in the mirror.

“Wow! This is interesting,” she expressed, and the servants were pleased with themselves.

“We are glad that you love it, Your Majesty,” they acknowledged one after the other. Soon, she was out of the house, and her Knight and drivers were set.

“Shall we move?” She inquired after, she sat in the back seat, and her Knight sat in the passenger's seat.

“Yes, your Majesty,” he announced, and they drove off.

At the Office

She arrived with her team with the gait of an accomplished Lady Boss, and walked straight to her office. She looked at the wall clock, and it was a few minutes past 8 AM.

“I have enough time to prepare for them,” she assured herself. Meanwhile, she had many orders for bouquets to attend to, and she began to work on them. Soon, the two love seekers arrived. The front desk officer, who witnessed the scuffles the previous day, was on alert, and recognized them at once. To her surprise, Alfred was dressed to the nines, and she mumbled, “Maybe he would leave for his date from here.”

“Good morning, Sirs,” she greeted cheerfully immediately they walked in.

“Good morning, young lady. We are here to see your boss as discussed,” Carson informed, while Alfred maintained an indecipherable expression with shoulders back and head held up.

“She is expecting you. I will inform her of your presence, at once,” the officer said, and picked up the intercom. The moment it connected, Mirabel announced, “Let them in.”

“Okay, boss,” she acknowledged, and led them to her office. She opened the door, and held it for them to walk in. Afterward, she excused herself, and left.

“Good morning, gentlemen,” Mirabel greeted with a beautiful smile. Alfred just realized that she was more beautiful than he had imagined. His first desire was to kiss those beautiful lips, but he restrained himself, and answered curtly, “Good morning to you.” 

Nevertheless, Carson was more polite, and he responded with a broad smile, “A good morning to you. We are here as agreed.”

“Yes. You are most welcome. Kindly take your seats,” she acknowledged, and signalled them to the visitors' seat. Alfred smiled softly, and took his seat, and Carson did the same. Then, Mirabel began, “Once again, I apologize for my oversight.” Then, she got up from her office chair and picked two bouquets, from the shelf.  She walked back to them, and asked, “Which of these, appeals to you? They are engagement bouquets. You can have any at no cost.”

“This wasn't our agreement. You promised to educate us on how to make a meaningful proposal with your flowers, and get a desired result,” Alfred, who was more anxious, pointed out.

“Oh! Gosh. I missed it again. But never mind, we will get it right,” she declared, and walked back to the shelf and dropped the bouquets, before she returned to her seat. Meanwhile, Alfred admired her as she walked, and relished every moment. Likewise, she faced him, and began her lecture, “Foremost, you have to make up your mind on what to tell the lady after you have chosen the appropriate day and location. If I may ask, what do you intend to tell her?”

Now, Alfred ran his hand on her head in dismay, and blurted, “If I knew what to tell her, will I be here for a tutorial? It's like your organization cares less about her clients.”

To remedy the awkward situation, Carson declared, “Young Lady, he needs a complete package. He goofed up yesterday because he was a novice. I expected you to give him tips. What would a man tell a lady at an engagement date, and she would be delighted to accept his proposal.”

“Simple. Instead of beating around the bush,” Alfred stated.

“I got it, but you only paid for the bouquet, and not the complete proposal package,” she argued. Now, Alfred's love for her increased because of her business acumen, but he argued on, “Was that the reason you messed up my date? I can see that you were intentional.” Now, he got up, and looked at Carson, and said, “Guy, I think we should be on our way. She would hear from us.”

Nevertheless, Carson understood his bravado, and calmed him down, “Guy, take your seat. You don't have to be hard on her. As you can see, she is doing her best.” Instantly, Alfred sat back, while she fixed her eyes on him. “What a handsome, repulsive guy,” she thought. Then, Carson pleaded, “Young Lady, we appreciate your level of understanding. Could you just do us the last favor? What would a young man tell a lady on her engagement, and she would be glad to accept the proposal.”

“I will do this because of you, and not your overbearing friend,” Mirabel faced Carson, and announced.

“It is all right. Thank you for that,” Carson appreciated. Then, she cast an annoying look on Alfred, and began, “You can say something like, I have found the reason to smile for the rest of my life. Will you be part of my endless smile, and be my wife?”

“That sounds good,” Alfred said, and cheered up. Then, he repeated her words. Although, he could say it correctly at once, but he faked ignorance, and missed some words, “I have found another excuse to laugh …”

“Excuse to laugh, indeed. Cut,” she teased, and Carson could not help laughing happily. Nevertheless, Alfred stopped, and looked on like a silly pupil.

“Go on,” Mirabel ordered. 

“Thank you, headmistress,” Alfred teased back, and continued, “…. An excuse to laugh for the rest of my life. Kindly come to my endless life and be my relative?”

Now, Carson looked at the pretentious Alfred, and laughed his heart out. Then Mirabel, who was eager to redeem her, company image, warned, “You have to get it right before you leave; otherwise you will ruin your date again.”

Nevertheless, Alfred, who wished to spend the whole day with her kept mixing things up, and she flared up, “If you miss it again, you will pay for my time,” she blurted. The happy Alfred smiled, and promised, “I will get it right if we are practical. Can I have a bouquet?”

“I got it. You may be right. Let's see how it goes when you are practical,” Mirabel said and got up from her seat. At that point, the initial tension was less intense, and they were freer with one another and related like old friends. She picked a bouquet from the shelf, and handed it over to him.

“Here we are,” she said. He collected it happily, and got up from his seat, and asked, “How should I hold it? The flowers or the wrapped stem?”

“What? No wonder you ruined your engagement,” she remarked.

“You see what I mean. So, what do I do?”

“Hold the wrapped stem, and say your lines.”

“I got it.  I have found the reason to smile …”

“Hold it.” Carson interrupted, and faced Mirabel, and asked, “What will the girl say if she accepts his proposal, and what will he do after the acceptance?”

“Oh! I haven't thought of that, but I think she knows what to do. After her acceptance, you would give her a passionate kiss.”

“That is a good idea. You must be a good teacher. Can you pretend to be the girl so that we will get it right once and for all?” Alfred suggested.